Progress on the Home

Finally I am writing the blog that is Wills most requested, The HOME!

Will has been dreaming and planning on building his home for 10 years.  He worked and saved and acquired building materials during these 10 years and finally he's on his way to seeing his dream come to fruition.  He hasn't had a day off in about 4 or 5 weeks and there isn't one in sight so there won't be much progress beyond this for awhile.  I can't weld so I'm only the helper who fetches and carries.  I have learned to use the grinder and chop saw though.  I can make a chalk line, and know all the parts, I can't construct though. 

This is the first house for either of us to build.  It is a fascinating process.  I really like how it's a puzzle that will come together once you build the parts (puzzle pieces) and then assemble them.  Each step you take, you have to consider how it affects all the steps still to come because once each step is complete you really don't want the "uh oh moments" that occur when you mismeasure or don't put a crucial element in.  Thankfully, we have not had any "uh oh moments" because Will is very thoughtful and contemplative and careful. 

Ok here we go.  It's going to be a steel home.  We don't have them in California but I think it's the only way to go now that I have learned about it.  It is all steel construction so you have zero problems with termites, the strength exceeds wood construction for withstanding tornadoes and you can dress them up so that they don't look like a steel shop or barn.  There are also amazing insulation methods that enable you to insulate to a factor of 15 where standard insulation is usually about 5 or 6.  The best part is the cost.  It's so much less expensive.  Our cost of construction will be around $19.00 per square foot. We are doing the labor ourselves except for the cost of the foundation which was sub-contracted.  Conventional construction is usually between $65.00-$125.00 per square foot.  So, for less cost you get a tornado and termite proof home that is very energy efficient and costs a fraction of what a wood home would cost.  It's really exciting. 



 Here is where we started. The hill on which it is being built always has wonderful breezes.  The best view and the best potential for cross breezes was facing northwest.  Here is a panorama of where the house is:



The left backyard.  The fenced yard will expand out
into those trees so that we have forest in yard

Frontyard Right

Foundation first! The foundation complete with rough plumbing and electrical was subcontracted because Will had not done that before and we needed help to get past this critical stage.  Royce, Wills Dad dug the footing with their backhoe and voila with lots of money spent and lots of running to and fro for parts and supplies we went through these stages of completion in ONE WEEK!





Then we had a foundation. What next????? The steel, the steel, the steel. Will built an amazing cutting table in 10 minutes for us out of firewood.  He has qualities of a pioneer and this table it awesome I think. 

This summer has been so brutally hot that we had to resort to working nights on the house. 

And now this is where we have stalled for now.  The steel is facsinating the way that the posts are welded to plates that are imbedded in the footing that is 24 inches of concrete down deep into the ground.  The C-Perlin which is the equivalent of 2X4 wood framing is welded together and anchored into the concrete.  Severe weather and tornadoes terrify me so I am very pleased with all of the time it has taken to weld, imbed, brace steel to concrete.  It helps me feel like once we are ever married if I am in this house and a tornado warning comes, I will have a better chance of not being Dorothy. 

The weather will break eventually and Will will get a day off eventually and progress will be made again eventually but this is what we have so far. 

Oops sorry this is just how it feels!