Jesse Boring

Aha!  Just found some more recent pictures in my e-mail.  

Hi all, just wanted to quickly write an update.  I don't have a ton of time but I don't want others considering similar projects to get discouraged thinking I wasn't able to complete this one.

The project has changed a lot from my original conception. Here are the aspects of the project that have stayed the same:

Timber-Frame
Pier Foudation
Off-Grid (Solar):  Array = 1200W (48V), Battery Bank = 500AH AGM (24V), Inverter = 2000W)
Composting Toilet

However, a number things have changed:
Strawbale in-fill became reused 3" poly-isocarbonate balloon framed around the timberframe.  This basically required creating a second frame around the timberframe to to given enough anchor points for the foam and allow doors and windows. For what it's worth I was able to find all of my insulation, windows, and doors used on craigslist which made them reasonably affordable.  Doing this method gave me an extra 15% of floor space.  I wanted to do strawbale but it just didn't make sense given the dimensions I planned out for my frame and the primary use of the building (as a living space for myself, my wife, my (newborn) son, and my dog.  
The RMH I had planned on became a vented propane heater from Rinnai.  I felt like I would lose too much floor space with a RMH and also worried about safety and having to tend the fire too often.  I've been very happy with my propane heater though I think an RMH would have been more interesting and sustainable.

I ran out of time on this project and it became necessary to just get it done as soon as possible so that my wife and I could move into it ahead of the birth of my son this past June.  We moved in about a week before he was born (and a few days after his due date) so there wasn't any time to spare. Actually, a number of things aren't finished but it was livable and we needed a place to live so in we went. We've been living in the cabin for almost six months now and we've been quite happy there though it hasn't always been easy. I'll post some pictures and write whatever I can think of that would be helpful to others about my experiences with various aspect of our living situation when I get more time (hypothetically at least) later.

I just realized that I don't have recent photos available right now so I'll post a couple of old ones to show some of the progress and append some more later.

Hi Sarah,

I'm excited for you guys! The idea of building your own house is pretty intoxicating isn't it? =)

I'm definitely a novice builder and was almost completely green when I started. I had no idea what "drain to daylight" meant initially either, but that's what Google is for! Probably the most complicated things I had built before I got started on the cabin was a bunk bed or a book shelf (neither of which turned out too well). But I like big projects and was willing to spend time learning. I enjoyed it a lot. I tried to get over my mentality of "just get it done" and adopt the mantra of "it doesn't have to be done now, it has to be done right." Since it felt like any time I skipped steps it wound up just costing me time. Even when you go super slow to get things right at least you're always making forward progress. Everything took much more time than I thought. I was quite confident that I'd get the whole thing done last year and instead with a lot of work I finished the foundation, sills, and joists. But, everything is level and square and solid and I'm hopeful it will all come together this year (I started teaching at a community college so I have the luxury of having the summers off).

Anyway... you asked about resources. Here are the ones I found to be the most helpful.

Books
Timber Frame Construction - Jack Sobon - I based the plans for my cabin on an expansion of his woodshed (he includes instructions for making modifications).
Building The Timber Frame House - Tedd Benson
A Timber Framer's Workshop - Steve Chappell
Serious Strawbale - Paul Lacinski (Which is great for building with strawbale in the NorthEast US which is a wet and cold climate).
The Natural Building Companion - Jacob Deva Racusion (Which I'm planning to use to help with the earthen walls / floors.)

Videos
The YouTube by Wranglestar where he is building a timberframe were helpful to watch just to get a sense of how the details of how to timberframe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTwV5Je7BKQ&list=PLu9l40IymKw_lJnc6t6PU2IvTJ-TveOBN

Websites
I found this website to be quite helpful for getting started on the foundation: http://www.theyearofmud.com/2012/04/06/concrete-pier-foundation-layout/

One other note from me. I don't regret building a timberframe cabin, but I think I thought it would easier than convential 2x4 construction. I think it was easier to wrap my head around a few big pieces of wood rather than lots and lots of little ones. My sense now is that timberframing means taking a lot more time, especially on your first project. If I had to build something quickly I wouldn't timberframe it. That being said, I've loved learning the craft a bit and I'm looking forward to getting more experience. Understanding wood and how to work with precision brings a tremendous sense of competence and more than a bit of wonder (and also a great sense of anxiety that I might make a mistake). I also think timberframes are just beautiful. Anyway, I wish you the best whichever way you go, just wanted to let you know about my experience.

Hope that was helpful and best of luck!
Jesse

Hi Kirk,

I'm in zipcode 13803 and building my own timber-frame cabin currently (I had hoped to have it done last summer but that just didn't happen). I'm hoping to finish my cabin up this summer and may be building a more complete home for my fiance and I (and hopefully a slew of kids) in the years to come. Anyway, this is my first timber-framing project so I'm not very experienced but maybe we can help each other out in the future. If nothing else, it's always nice to have some extra hands on raising day. I'm going to be very busy over the next couple of months but will have more flexibility this Spring/Summer.

Anyway, keep me in mind and if you need some help building at some point let me know and I'd be happy to help if I'm free. Sounds like an exciting project!

Here's a link to the post on my current project: webpage

Jesse

Hi all,

Just wanted to post a (much belated) update on this project. Wow. Timber-framing has been taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Plus, I built that drainage ditch after all. It took about a week because I had to go 50 feet to a ridge that allowed me to drain to daylight. Lots of rocks and roots. Anyway, around the end of August I started a new job that been keeping my busy so I haven't made much progress since then. At this point all of the piers are done and the sill and joists are all in. I anchored the sills to the concrete piers using a anchor bolts (after drilling out holes in the concrete with a hammer drill and a masonry bit). That part wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Pretty much everything else took much much longer than I thought it would. Still, I've loved learning how to work with wood and I can't wait to live in my timber-frame structure.

Looks like I'm going to have to wait until next Spring to make more progress. Fortunately I'll have the summers off so there will be plenty of time to work (and hopefully complete) the project. I'll post some pictures of the progress though I actually don't have any of the very latest developments (having all of the joists in).

Thanks to everyone for offering up their expertise and advice.

Jesse

Thanks so much for your help Jay and Terry!

The mix I see on any video I can find of people working with concrete just looks wetter than the one I had. Particularly concerning was that when I put rebar in (to work out air bubbles), the holes didn't close back up, they just remained there until I tamped them in.

Jay, I haven't been doing a slump test, I'm hoping to go by the feel/sight (as well as the recommendations for the amount of water). Admittedly that has made things a bit dicey but the cones don't seem to be readily available to buy (for today) so I think I'll move forward without using the slump test. Just to double check, when you say "fully wetted" do you mean that the color of the concrete has all chanced from light gray to dark gray and is damp, with no discolored patches, or do you mean everything should be in a slightly liquid form?

Terry, thanks for your ideas, that's very helpful to get some ideas for how to mix should behave. I'll use that ball criteria to help guide me.

General updates:

1. The holes have dried up now. Once I remove the water from them 48 hours later they are just slightly damp or sometimes a very small amount of standing water is in them.

2. I'm putting cobbles at the bottom of the holes and I got gravel to put around the tubes to hold them in place.

3. I wish I had looked more into glass fibers before the project. After looking into it, I definitely would have used that instead of rebar.

4. I was able to remove that huge rock that wouldn't come out of one of my holes. I wish I could say it was due to my superhuman strength but really it was thanks to mother nature. As I belled out that hole and dug everything around the rock to depth I realized it didn't extend all the way to 48" below grade. So I dug out as much rock and earth as I could underneath it. I left that overnight and I think the little bit of seepage that was going on must have loosened up the soil around the rock. When I some more tamp iron workin the hole the next day I realized the rock was loose and was able to work it out of the hole. Had to put a towel down into the hole, with some strings to bring the ends up to my hands and work the rock onto that so that I could bring it out of the hole. I kind of want to post a picture of it but the one I took has me flipping the bird to the rock. Not sure if that's Permies appropriate.

5. Got one pier done yesterday. It took a LOT longer than I thought it would but it's perfectly level and right at the height of my batter boards so that makes me happy. Just 11 more to go.... uh oh.

Will write another update soon but was hoping to get a quick response. Does anyone know how I can tell if my concrete mix is right (using Quickcrete). I added the 3 quarts per 80lb bag, then about a pint more per bag, but it still seems to dry. It's not really hanging together. Wet, but a bit clumpy even after machine mixing for about 5 minutes.

One example of it seeming too dry is that if I poke rebar into it, the hole remains, the concrete doesn't flow back in to close up the hole.

Thanks R Scott, that's helpful! I didn't realize that's how it is typically done (good ol' fashioned lack of experience!). It certainly will simplify things. I guess with the piers that will be 3 feet from grade I'll just need to make sure I pile enough dirt around them to make sure they're completely stable during the curing process.

Hi everyone, I'm moving up the timeline for the project a bit to take advantage of the good weather this week so hopefully the piers will all be poured by the end of the day Saturday (fingers crossed!). Was excited today when I ran at a nearby state park and found trout lilies, ramps, and may apples in abundance. Time for some foraging fun soon!

Jay: Thanks again for your thoughtful comments. For what it's worth, I was referring to the total height (minus the footer) of the piers when I was referring to 84". The highest piers will be 36" above grade, with the middle piers being about 24" above grade. Do you think it will help at all to put extra pieces of rebar in the piers on the high side? I was thinking about putting two pieces in but maybe I should put in 4 instead? In terms of the weight going to the piers, and the weight on the joists, girts, and beams, I think I should be alright. The design is based on the Sobon woodshed. I did expand it a bit but made the alterations in lumber dimensions that he suggested each time I made an alteration. Once I get the piers done I'll be in full timber-framing mode and will post my plans (I'd do it now but I don't have them available in an easily shareable form at the moment).

Terry Thanks very much for your help despite the imperfect nature of plans (or my imperfect execution... you can really take your pick). The soil description certainly fits what I've seen as I've dug down into the earth. I will go ahead and add an admixture (I had no idea such a thing existed) to improve the strength of the concrete. I'm also interested in using perlite and lime as you suggested to encase the piers. Any tips on where to look at a procedure for mixing it up? Good point that I should make sure the joint is as strong or stronger than the area outside of the joint. Make perfect sense to think of it that way. I should be able to accomplish that by using the tube within a tube idea + gorilla glue + duct tape. ...or at least I think I should. I'll report back on that. If all else fails I suppose I could always use 3 tubes with the ends fitting around the outside of the inner tube that is slightly smaller. That should be 100% stable.

Two quick questions for anyone who has a moment and some insight/experience:

1. My current landlord (who is a contractor who has done numerous project with pier foundations) suggested that I build up the middle of the footer a bit with gravel or cobbles so that the foot has slightly concave shape. He said that this was done on the footers for sky-scrapers and that it would give extra stability. On the face of if this seems to make a lot of sense, especially when I think about it in terms of what it would mean to have a convex footer, but I'm wary of doing something like that when only hearing about it from a single source. Once concern would be if the footer would get too weak since it will be thinner in some places if it has a concave shape. I'd be interested in any thoughts.

2. I had been planning on putting the bottom of my sonotubes 12" above the bottom of my holes because that's generally been suggested in the things I've read about it. However, it would be a lot easier for me if I could bring them up a bit higher, say 24 or 30 inches above the bottom, to cut down on the number of times I'll have to splint two sonotubes together to get to my final height. Anybody have thoughts and/or experience with that?

Thanks again everyone!

Thanks for the responses everyone!! I really appreciate the ideas, feedback, and encouragement! =) Sorry it took so long to respond. Claire and I were at a Rocket Mass Heater workshop with Ernie and Erica Wisner over the weekend (which was super helpful and informative!) and I got sick with a stomach bug on Sunday so I've been struggling to catch up again.

Just to give you a quick update on the project, I finished belling out all of the holes except the one with the big rock in it (I want to be able to spend time with that when my arms and mind are "fresh"). As long as the weather holds I'm planning on pouring my piers next weekend (I'm hoping to do it over a 3-day period but I may be over or under-estimating the time it will take).

Let's see, I guess I'll respond to all the replies more or less in order:

Dean: Thanks! I guess I should clarify that I'm planning on putting an earthen floor on top of a wooden subfloor. The base of The Study will be 12" to 36" off the ground, which I'm doing to control moisture for the strawbale/earthern plaster walls. Some of my friends/family have thought it was silly to put an earthen floor over a wooden sub-floor but I like the idea of the additional thermal mass, the feel and look of them, and I'm just curious and want to see if it's something I'd want to do for my "real" house later on.

Terry: I appreciate your advice, especially considering your qualifications. I was able to locate some interesting soil characteristics that seem to fit with my building site using the USDA website you linked me to:

Ap - 0 to 10 inches: channery silt loam
Bw - 10 to 17 inches: channery silt loam
E - 17 to 20 inches: channery silt loam
Bx1 - 20 to 49 inches: very flaggy silt loam

Depth to restrictive feature: 14 to 26 inches to fragipan
Natural drainage class: Moderately well drained
Capacity of the most limiting layer to transmit water (Ksat): Very low to moderately high (0.00 to 0.20 in/hr)
Depth to water table: About 12 to 19 inches
Frequency of flooding: None
Frequency of ponding: None
Available water storage in profile: Low (about 3.5 inches)


I'm going to take your advice of compacting large gravel into the holes though I think I'll still use the garbage bag idea for my footing. The idea is to tape them to the bottom of my sonotube this way (so they'll be supported on the bottom and won't ever have take the weight of the concrete): http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/video/build-a-deck-footings-piers.aspx

Bill: I think you're probably right about the best course being to excavate the site but unfortunately I don't think it's a possibility at this point. This is a little "guerrilla" structure that I'm hoping not to draw too much attention too. It doesn't need to last forever or be perfect. I'll pretty much be happy if Claire and I can live there safely and happily for 3-5 years without having to pay rent someplace else. It's mostly just a practice run for the larger project (which I will build to code). My current thinking is that I'll move ahead this year and plan to place a french drain around the site for drainage next year. Thanks for the input on the rock! It's good to get confirmation that it should help, not hurt, that pier.

Jay: I certainly appreciate your concerns and I'm sure you know a lot more about pouring piers than I do. That said, as I think you may have intuited already, I'm going to go ahead with the project largely as planned (with tweaks to prevent issues whenever possible). You certainly may be right about your concerns. I think my fallback, if things start to go horribly wrong down the line, will be to create a dry stacked stone foundation underneath the piers and then cut the piers out from the process completely. Hopefully if issues come up it will be 5+ years down the line after The Study has served it's primary purpose. I hope you don't feel your post was wasted. I really appreciate the input and will be more vigilant now to issues that may come up with the piers. If you have a moment I'd be curious if the idea of putting in a french drain relieves your concerns at all? Or if your basic message is more "Pouring piers is not a DIY project for the uninitiated." By the way, I will commit now to making sure that if things do go horribly wrong with the piers, even years later, I'll post the results to this thread so that others can learn from my mistakes.

Thanks everyone! I'll write another update after the pour. If anyone has experience pouring piers and has pieces of advice I'd be all ears. I'm planning on using a cement mixer to mix the cement and I'm imagining it will take about 120 80lbs bags of cement to pour all of them (12 piers the tallest of which will have a total height of about 84 inches and the lowest of which will be about 60 inches). A couple of quick questions I have if anyone is of the mind to answer:

1. My sono tubes are 48" long and my tallest pier will be 84". I'm planning on keeping the tubes 12" of the bottom of the pier so I'm missing about 24" of height for my tallest piers. Can I tape the tubes together and/or splint them in some way? I worry about them not staying in a straight line if I do that. Some of my tubes nest within each other even though they're all nominally 12" diameter. Maybe I should nest them to make a longer tube? Just curious if this is a normal issue or if I just need to source longer tubes somewhere.

2. How much do I need to worry about wet weather? I'm assuming rain is fine for the curing concrete (though probably not so good for the concrete still in bags) but will the sonotubes hold up to rain for 48 hours or so?

3. Does 3 days seem like a reasonable time frame for pouring 12 piers. I'm going to have to relevel my batter boards and redo my grid since I put those too close to my piers and wound up knocking them around as I was digging.

4. Darn it... I know there was another basic question I wanted to ask the community. I'll probably think of it the moment I submit this. ....grrrrr.


Thanks everyone!
Jesse