Bye bye big city!

[ck80]

Permeable paving would have reduced the impervious cover, but gravel was a no go for us for the driveway or the walkways. I'm considering a few rain barrels on the property for watering the garden, storing water. See above for our drainage solution.

Nope, not what I meant. They actually have what is called permeable pavement, it's an asphalt product that allows water to pass through instead of run off.

We spec'd it for the university of rhode island when I was on an advisory board to prevent runoff when they paved over a practice field for additional on-campus student parking.

Looks like normal pavement, drives like normal pavement, up there plowed it like normal pavement, but the water drained through instead of ran off in sheets. Added benefit there was the lack of standing water meant deterring ice buildup, accidents, and need for salting/sanding.

I'll look for a link...

 

[Ugly1]

It's hard to believe it's been two months. We spent the week of July 4th on the beach at Galveston. About a week later we had a Category 1 Hurricane run right through town. We're blessed. We escaped any damage this time at our home and never lost power. We've been here 17 years. We always lose power.

There's been a lot of progress at our lot in Walker County:

• We got ARC approval for the house in mid-June.
• ARC approval for the pool and pole barn followed. We got the approval for the barn last, while we were on vacation. I think 7/2.
• The culvert has been set and the construction entrance (gravel base of the future driveway) has been constructed.
• Clearing is substantially complete.
• One of my colleagues and I staked the location of the building envelopes on 6/22.
• The building pads for the house and the barn have been constructed and their compaction has been tested.
• The forms for the house have been set.
• The plumber has roughed in the plumbing that will be in the slab.
• One of my colleagues and I did the form survey last Saturday 7/20. We got it over to the ARC on Tuesday and now have approval to pour the foundation for the house when it is ready.
• The pipe for the driveway crossing the drainage swale has been installed (forms the east end of the detention pond).
• The berm along the west line of the lot, which blocks our runoff from running onto the lot east of us and forms the west wall of the pond has been constructed and the outfall pipes have been installed.
• I've ordered the windows for the barn. I expect them in the next week or so.
• I ordered and have received the post protectors for the barn.
• Today I obtained the Water Tap permit from the City of Huntsville, which sets the ball rolling on getting them to run their water service line across the street to our lot and for them to set the water meter.
• I'm coordinating with Entergy, our electric service provider to get them to set a power pole and transformer in the southeast corner of our lot and string a power line across the roadway. That pole will have a drop for the electric service and then everything on our lot will be in the ground, in conduit.

There's probably more but that gets you up to speed. This week has been a rainout but the weather dries out next week. The home builder will be on vacation next week but I think his contractors will move forward with setting the reinforcing steel, finishing up the plumbing and installing the in-slab electric. I'm guessing the week after next they will pour the slab. Once the slab is in, the barn can go up. I've kept the barn builder in the loop and have been giving him a consistent message that I thought he'd be putting it up in August or thereafter, as his schedule dictates. Enough words! How about some pictures?

Here I'm standing a little east of the center of the south boundary of the lot, looking north. The stake with blue flagging in the foreground is where I want the City to set the water meter. In the mid ground is the pad for the house and in the background is the pad for the pole barn. In between the two building pads is the back yard and detention pond. We saved as many trees back there as we could....

View attachment 243124

Same view, zoomed in a bit....

View attachment 243125

I know the forms/pads look slanted but I assure you, they are level. The road and land are sloping down from right (east) to left (west). It makes for an interesting optical illusion. The forms are within 0.02' of perfectly level, which is really beyond the level of precision for our surveying equipment (total station).

The red stake in the background in the following picture is where Entergy proposes to set our drop pole and transformer.....

View attachment 243126

Here's a view of that stake from inside out lot, basically on our east property line (stake in the background with pink/blue flagging is our southeast corner) looking south across the roadway. The power pole across the street will be where our electric service comes from....

View attachment 243127

Here, I'm standing in our driveway, looking north. The house forms are in the foreground on the left, the pad for the pole barn is visible in the back....

View attachment 243128

Here, I'm standing near our east property line, looking northwest across the back half of the lot. In the foreground is the infall pipe to the detention and the driveway back to the pole barn. The pad for the pole barn is visible in the background....

View attachment 243129

Here's a shot from the other side of the driveway, looking at the same pipe....

View attachment 243130

Here's a good shot of my left middle finger tip with the lowest part of the detention pond in the center of the screen. There is about 5-6 foot of drop across the pond. The berm is visible in the far background....

View attachment 243131

Here's a shot from a few weeks ago, looking at the house forms and the pad for the house. This is looking north....

View attachment 243132

Here's a shot from near the northwest corner of the pad for the barn, looking south. My brother's truck is in the background, in the driveway....

View attachment 243133

I guess that's it for now gents. I'll update in a month or so. Thanks for the interest!

Up here in the NE we have a tendency to lose power at the drop of a hat where I live. Have you seen if that is a problem in that area? And since it’s new construction have you thought of putting in a generator or solar backup if it’s needed? Big difference from what you had started with!

 

[Texas82GP]

Up here in the NE we have a tendency to lose power at the drop of a hat where I live. Have you seen if that is a problem in that area? And since it’s new construction have you thought of putting in a generator or solar backup if it’s needed? Big difference from what you had started with!

We will have a whole house standby generator running on propane. The new place is more rural and all of the electric infrastructure is overhead. My brother is a 100% remote worker and once we move my sister-in-law and I will be mostly remote. The standby generator and fiber optic are non negotionable.

 

[CopperNick]

About that power pole and the lines for the house and outbuildings. You going to go overhead, or trench and bury them?? I know above ground is easier for purposes of the install but Tech armoured service cable or its US equiv is nice stuff and plenty durable; I have it in the ground for the service to my own shop, did the trench myself by hand and the only comment by the inspector was to inquire as to how I got the trench walls and floor to be so square to each other!!!

Having your on site power under ground also means that it is isolated away from things like tornados and other acts of various vlolent deities.


Just wondering.


Nick

 

[ck80]

Here's a site via the epa that has some basic info on pervious surface paving amd fact sheets.

It's sounds like you already did the heavy lifting on the impoundment avenue, but, if you choose to want to do other projects on the site it may still wind up being good to know.

Soak Up the Rain: Permeable Pavement | US EPA

Learn how permeable pavements work to help soak up the rain and reduce runoff. Find information on how to select, install and maintain permeable pavement surfaces.

www.epa.gov

 

[CopperNick]

Forgot one other point, While the trench for the power was open, I also threw in a line of conduit into which I slipped the communications lines for my shop. Doing it that way came in handy this year as the existing phone line failed but I was able to use it as a pulling line and as it came out the new Cat 5 external communications cable snaked its way down and into the tube. No fuss, no muss. There is enough room in that conduit to add more wire if needed although fishing it through will be a bit rougher than the first one was.


Nick

 

[Texas82GP]

About that power pole and the lines for the house and outbuildings. You going to go overhead, or trench and bury them?? I know above ground is easier for purposes of the install but Tech armoured service cable or its US equiv is nice stuff and plenty durable; I have it in the ground for the service to my own shop, did the trench myself by hand and the only comment by the inspector was to inquire as to how I got the trench walls and floor to be so square to each other!!!

Having your on site power under ground also means that it is isolated away from things like tornados and other acts of various vlolent deities.


Just wondering.


Nick

The local franchise utility provided for electric in our area, Entergy, will put a transformer on one of their existing distribution poles on the opposite side of the street. They will then run an overhead line to a new drop pole in the southeast corner of our lot, which they will install. This will drop our electric service to the ground, which will then go into conduit, in the ground. It will run up the east line of our lot and then run over to the house where the meter will be mounted. The breaker panel for the house will be in the garage. The service for the barn will then run off of the house, also in conduit. We'll have a combined 340A service for both structures. I can imagine your trenches being a work of art. You strike me as having been bit by the OCD bug sometime in the past. 😏

Here's a site via the epa that has some basic info on pervious surface paving amd fact sheets.

It's sounds like you already did the heavy lifting on the impoundment avenue, but, if you choose to want to do other projects on the site it may still wind up being good to know.

Soak Up the Rain: Permeable Pavement | US EPA

Learn how permeable pavements work to help soak up the rain and reduce runoff. Find information on how to select, install and maintain permeable pavement surfaces.

www.epa.gov

Yeah, the detention is in place but thanks for sending the information. It's not something we were aware of.

Forgot one other point, While the trench for the power was open, I also threw in a line of conduit into which I slipped the communications lines for my shop. Doing it that way came in handy this year as the existing phone line failed but I was able to use it as a pulling line and as it came out the new Cat 5 external communications cable snaked its way down and into the tube. No fuss, no muss. There is enough room in that conduit to add more wire if needed although fishing it through will be a bit rougher than the first one was.


Nick

We will definitely be running data back to the barn. We want a TV out there and will want internet service for looking up service information and parts hunting/purchasing while we're back there. Also have to stay in touch with how the Astros are doing at all times.

 

[Texas82GP]

Another month just sailed by. Where does the time go? I've got significant updates:

• The city of Huntsville set the water meter sometime the week of 8/5-8/9
• I took delivery of the windows for the barn on 8/9
• The slab for the house got poured Wednesday 8/14
• The forms got pulled later that week
• One of my colleagues and I did the staking (surveying) for the pole barn on Sunday 8/18
• First floor framing for the house started Monday 8/19
• The pole barn got framed 8/22-8/23

Picture time!

Here are a few pics of the foundation for the house all formed up. These were taken Saturday, 8/10. It's 98% done here:

My brother, sister-in-law and my niece went out for the pour, early the morning of 8/14. I had to work so I stayed home with my nephew. They started pouring at 5:00 AM. 154 cubic yards. 15 trucks. Here's an action shot.....

Here's a few shots of the slab taken on Sunday 8/18 after the forms had been stripped....

Here's a few shots of the staking we did for the construction of the barn. The stakes with pink flagging mark the building setback line. The stakes with the orange flagging mark the four main corner posts of the barn. The stake out in the middle with orange and white flagging has a line across it which represents the finished floor elevation of the barn.....

I met the framing crew for the pole barn Thursday morning to line them out. They needed a clear understanding of exactly where I wanted the barn situated and exactly where I wanted the doors and windows. They also needed to understand what the finished floor elevation was and where to put their bottom girt (48" above the top of the brick ledge). I got there at about 7:45 to meet them at 8:30. I hung out until about noon but then had to head to the house and get some work-work done from my home office. I got some action shots of the framing though. Here are my favorites....

I went back out there yesterday afternoon to meet the framing crew as they were finishing up. I owed half of the agreed price of the ban upon completion of the framing so I was out there to look at the work and deliver the check. They weren't quite finished with framing but were close. The structure is pretty impressive. Also, first floor faming on the house is substantially complete. It's been a very productive few weeks. Here are the best pictures for last....

Here's the front of the house with the first floor framing ongoing....



Here's the front left corner of the house with barn frame in the background....

Here's the front right corner of the house with the barn frame in the background....

Here's the front or east end of the barn.....

Here's a look from the opposite end of the barn. The posts for the lean-to are visible on the left side....

And a shot from inside the barn looking towards the future 12'x12' door....

The framing crew for the house will be working on the second floor next week. Unfortunately, we have some healthy rain chances next week so that will slow them down, no doubt. The skinning crew is scheduled to come out and skin/trim the barn and install the windows 9/3-9/4. Still fighting getting electricity to the lot. I've got the electrician coordinating directly with Entergy at this point. Once the barn is skinned, the home builder (a member of our family) will have the slab (6") for the barn formed up and poured. Then we'll likely have the lower 8' inside the barn framed out for sheathing/shelving, etc. and we also need framing for the lower 4' of the walls, for backer board for the brick. Around the time they pour the slab for the barn I'll likely order the garage doors. After the slab is poured and the framing is done, the brick will be installed on the lower 4' of the walls. We'll be over the hump with the barn at that point.

I guess that's it for now friends. I'll have another update in a month or so. Thanks for checking in!

 

[DRIVEN]

Big progress! I bet you're having fun walking around the inside of the framing and deciding where everything goes.

 

[86LK]

TAlso have to stay in touch with how the Astros are doing at all times.

can't hear you over the neighbor banging on his trash cans! 😆