272 replies to this topic

[memesuze]

Some of you are aware [via the RTBC and Annoyances threads] that I've been in the process of getting a new home - two and a half years ago I sold my house, began designing the new one, wound my way through the city's bureaucracy, finally snagged a construction loan, and hired a builder. Ground has finally been broken, and I'm using this thread to track the progress.

My house is part of a six-unit condominium project that we created out of two properties sitting next-door to each other. Already existing units consist of two big two-bedroom homes, a one-bedroom cottage, and a one-bedroom garage apartment. On my site was an old shed likely built in the 40s that I couldn't demolish until I got the city's Historic Preservation Department's okay.

This is my friend Bob



Bob's finishing up the shed's slab



The view down the lot to the west

[memesuze]

We all can use a Bob; here, he's clearing out some trash trees and shrubs



The old deck and my temporary address sign



The bare lot looking east



Beginning to frame the slab

[memesuze]

Bob's back at work leveling the fill beneath the slab



Fill dirt leveled, edges sand-bagged, and framing the slab continues



Sewer pipes laid



And the pressure gauge is in place



The Austin Outhouse don't need no pipes

[yvonne johnson]

Exciting.

How long did it take to go from state in photo 1 to the last one?

[foodie52]

Where's the porch?

[Peter Creasey]

from bare ground to new house in 6 months

M, I would be concerned about a house built in just 6 months. You might want to keep an extra close eye on things...like daily!

[Liza]

Remember to give us a few weeks notice before the housewarming.

[memesuze]

1. In actual work days, not counting time off for dealing with the bank and the city again, about eight days from tearing down the shed to the last photo.
2. The porch will be next to the deck, which will eventually be removed once construction is finished - right now the old deck is protecting the live oak which is on its last legs from oak wilt.
3. I'm not worried about the six months' estimate - it's only 850 square feet of living space plus the 400 square foot screen porch for F52 and the gang - not a McMansion by any stretch of the imagination.

And not only do I go by every day after work, but my good friends who persuaded me to live out the rest of my years next door to them keep an eye on everything. They've bought, remodeled, sold several houses and we're all intrigued about being able to watch one go up from scratch.

Coming tomorrow - Bob's cousin, Trent-cher

[Evelyn]

That 6 months would be a long estimate around Las Vegas. I'd guess the average build time around here for 2500 sq ft semi-custom houses with upgrades is less than 5 months. Good luck memesuze. May your punch list be very short!

[tsquare]

Fascinating - I've seen lots of houses built from scratch - in a different climate! Never seen sandbags in a foundation. Around here, we have to insulate the perimeter under the slab. 6 months would be dreaming too - weather delays alone! Not to mention the contractor forgetting to order long lead time materials early enough to be ready to keep things moving.

Congrats on building small - will that net you 2 bedrooms and baths? Love the concept of the development. Best wishes!

[splinky]

very exciting stuff! that bob is a real hunk. wishing you smooth sailing all the way home!
would love to see the floorplan.

[Suzanne F]

I hate to sound so New York but 850 sf can indeed net that much. And having that porch almost half the size will make the space better.

This really is fascinating to watch. Post as much as you can, please. Can't wait to see Trent-cher.

[memesuze]

Here's Bob's cousin - Trent-cher. I think these trenches will be for the water pipes.




I'm very impressed so far with my builder: I picked him out after touring a couple of homes here in the Travis Heights area of older Austin in which I'm building. He created a town home community of about fifteen free-standing Craftsman-type homes that fits with the neighborhood's ambience. Since the other homes in my "condo regime" were built in the 30s and 40s, I wanted his eye to add to that of the guy who designed the home for me.

His work is high quality using green building techniques. He's been very responsive to my concerns and budgetary needs. This house is about a third the size of most of his projects. His crews have been very respectful of the neighbors and the space. Even though he needed more money upfront than the bank is willing to give on a construction loan [they only give 3% for the first draw, and he needed more than that to pay his crews and bring in sufficient materials to build what is necessary to pull the second draw], when he learned how much I had to pay for my down payment [30%], he bore the initial extra costs himself.

He also lives in the hood - I can always sit on his front step if he gets hard-to-find!

It will be one master bedroom, a study, and one bath.
What's the best way to upload a PDF? I'm assuming I can't use Flickr to do that.

[Rail Paul]

Thanks for the peek into this process, it's fascinating.

[splinky]

Here's Bob's cousin - Trent-cher. I think these trenches will be for the water pipes.

It will be one master bedroom, a study, and one bath.
What's the best way to upload a PDF? I'm assuming I can't use Flickr to do that.

i've used flickr for that before but i can't recall if i converted to pdf into jpg first or just uploaded it as if it was a jpg.

it's amazing what you can fit into less than 1000 sq ft when you're not losing space to staircases. when i walked through the last place i purchased, i would have guessed that it was 850-900 sq ft because of the smart layout. when i was selling people always guessed it was 1000 sq ft.
my small house:

the space had 2 beds, 1 bath and really large bedrooms and living room. the kitchen and bath were compact but incredibly efficient. turns out all of that was in just under 700 sq ft. when i gut renovated i took advantage of the original architects smart layout. i was very happy and never felt cramped. i think the high ceilings and exposed brick in every room helped it feel bigger, too.

all that to say, building small is super cool. i really look forward to following your project