House build!!!
 

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Well, it has been about 6 months of planning but tomorrow is the day we break ground! We are so excited! About 10 minutes after I took this pic some guys pulled up and started unloading some equipment. Hopefully they don't have to dig down 2' to find dry ground. Top of the slab has to be at 3'. Scrapping off only 6" will put me at 560 yards of dirt! I'll be crossing my fingers and praying tomorrow.

Break out the pocket book.... haha
I hauled 90-14yrd of clay to get the front of pad up 1' and back up 3' then another 10-14yrd loads of sand for forms and still have 30+ loads to haul to dress out, another words I have dug someone a nice pit

Man that is some great words of encouragement!! I hope that is not what I have to deal with. I don't know who came up with the saying cheaper then dirt cause that stuff is far from cheap!

Oh don't worry about the dirt because that is the cheap part:eek:...haha
Your place looks pretty level so hopefully you won't have so much to move in.

For the most part it is level but it is very saturated. The dirt guy met us out there today and said he can defiantly not put his 14 yard truck on it loaded. So we have to start with the driveway to get him to the pad.

Dirt is cheaper than concrete! Just make sure they build that pad in lifts

Do yourself a favor and use some good quality dirt spread out on the top 1" so you can grow some grass. If you have mostly clay you will be struggling for several years to get the grass to grow. Putting out sod is great but cost a lot, and still needs something good under it for the grass to grow.

Is that trailer going to be gone after you build your house?

I wish. But there is a 8' fence going from the back corners of the house around the back of the property so neither the double wide or the single wide will be visible. I have nothing against trailors but those people do live like Sanford and son. They were not there when we purchased the property. The shop you see to the left is a guy in a trailor but he will be building too. Nice and peaceful back there though. Nothing but cows, horses, and deer.

I'm in my final stages of building. You should come look at my house and I can give you names of some good contractors. I was lucky. My house pad was done when we bought the land.

I would love to but lake Charles is a little out the way! I hired a builder so he has all of his own contractors. I did get my own dirt though cause the quote he gave me was about double. We have probably looked at about 50 houses over the last 6 months just getting differant ideas on cabinets, floors, hardware, ect. You get a better like that instead of looking at it on shelves in the stores.

Well!!! I have finally started. I closed on the construction loan on the 22nd of January and finally started on dirt work last Wednesday. I've had to make a very hard decision to contract this thing out myself to get the ball rolling cause I was heading nowhere fast. So after 876 yards of dirt I will be setting up the form for the slab tomorrow and digging my footings the next day. Let the fun start!

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if 876 yrds is all you use you are lucky...... I am at around 1680 yrds and still have a few for finishing my yrd out....... good luck with your project

Yeah I know! That's just to get started. Not counting my parking pad, driveway, and dressing up the rest of the property at the end. That 17 days of straight rain when I first closed and 2 or 3 days a week after that really put me behind.

you are getting started at a good time though and it will go up fast... rain set me back and it took 2 months to finish my brick

i thought you hired a contractor? give me a call if you need some good subs

I did but I learned that he was not a very honest person. He cost me a lot of time and money and you can see the progress I made in 2 months.

Bout time!!!! You can't hide money!!!

You must be talking about pox! You know me I'm a damn scaffold builder! I'm scraping pennies fool!

Stan said you got big money!!!

Stan lies! He told me he ran into you a couple of weeks back.

If the weather will cooperate and all parties involved show up we will be pouring the slab Thursday or Friday!
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Alright guys. This sucks! Man I have had so many speed bumps to cross so far. I now have my 4th pour date and that is Saturday! Hauling mats in for the damn pump truck that I have already put gravel down for and they said it still is not good enough! Anyway my wife and I are having a big debate on appliances because now that I am subbing it myself I can possibly afford a top of the line kitchen. Maybe not subzero or wolf products but I am considering Viking. Any of you guys owned Viking appliances?

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Few pics

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Few more

I'm about to start one myself. Any reason why you didn't go post tension on the slab?

Really just word of mouth and a lot of research about them mainly on the net, I think they may be overrated. I could be wrong but I think what we are doing is great. We are going 24" deep on all the outside walls and 16" on the inside. We have 10"x4' holes every 6' on inside and outside walls with rebar in them. What I have learned about the 2 differant slabs is that either way, there is potential for your slab to crack. I'm taking my chances.

my entire kitchen is viking , 48" fridge, 48'range, drawer microwave, hood, bev fridge. call me i can get you a tour of the viking factory with paid hotel/meals, and they will let you play with/ learn about all viking products. to my viking/subzero/wolf is all the same except viking has a 3 year warranty not a 1 year like subzero and wolf

Slabs are going to crack. Most people concentrate more on the slab than the dirt underneath it. Poor dirt will result in a bad slab. I know round Lafayette there is no required compaction test for residential.

I had an option. Compaction test or those footings I have every 6' that go 12" below existing grade. The guy that hauled my dirt and built my pad was digging a big pond down the road and was also building another pad that was going with a compaction test. He built a couple pads with that dirt and all of his compaction tests were 97 to 98s. To me the dirt looks great and it did rain on it a couple of times before they covered it. It is hard as a rock.

Where is the factory?

Yeah sounds like you got it right. 95% of homes being built here get degrassed add a little sand to level it off then pour. We delivered sand to a site the other day they had 20" of form. Filled it with sand dug footings and that was it. This was a 500-750 home. People just don't know what they are buying.

Mississippi

I promise I'm the only builder in the neighborhood who proof rolls lots, gets geo-tech reports, uses a wacker packer in footings and on pads .

Stay away from Sears. My house is only 3 years old. Have already replaced dishwasher and fixing to replace fridg.

I bought everything in my house from Sears, all Kenmore except the Ice Box its a Frigidaire, 9 years ago and I had to change 1 part on my dishwasher so far. KNOCK ON WOOD!

Thanks, I didn't even know there was a such thing as a compaction test. We will be digging our pond for the dirt and don't plan to build for 2 years. It should be packed pretty good by then. I was just wondering the pros and cons of both. Thanks for the info!

do post tension, get a geo techicnal report done for home site and have a soil report done on the dirt you intend to use for fill dirt to make sure the organic makeup is corrrect to achieve good compaction . do compaction in 6" lifts . you need to keep this stuff documented that way if something goes wrong with postension slab, you have info to back up what you did prep wise and that is reqired to get warranty on post tension slab

What is the warranty on post tension slabs?

I got a slab!!!! 87 yards
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Sweet.... Now you will see progress.

Yeah buddy! My framers are rapping up a job on Monday so Tuesday or Wednesday the latest they will begin framing mine!

that rain comin tonight and tom,orrow will be the best thing that can happen to your slab!! i lovepouring this time of year...that rain keeps it cool ,slows it down and youll end up with less cracks !

Son of a B! I just got my quote for my cabinets! Now this is for the whole house excluding my outdoor which is small and not even the granite. $12,100 and if they stain them add 30%! I have seen this guys work in 2 houses and he does some beautiful work but does this seem high? I don't know cause I have not ever had cabinets built. This is for 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, mantal, and my media center on both sides of the fireplace. I was expecting about $8,000.

I have over $15000 worth the cabinets which are all painted but that includes a large corner pantry, built in hutch and my guy did alot of little trim on cabineta

Wow! I don't feel so bad now. We are getting 2 quotes but we have only received one. But this guy used to build for this company we are getting this other quote from and now he owns his own custom shop and he said what ever they quote you, I will beat them. So maybe they will be cheaper. I am a firm believer that good work ain't cheap and cheap work ain't good but I have to make sure I am getting a good deal.

I own a cabinet shop and that sounds reasonable depending on exactly what you are going with, wood species, door style, etc....

I've seen handmade entertainment centers for over $3k, for what your getting that doesn't sound bad at all as long as the work is what you say it is.

Doesn't sound bad at all...here's something to compare to in Lafayette market....
Picture of half of a $12,000 cypress kitchen with 3 baths and media center