Installed Stove Exhaust Vent

Today, my dad and I cut the hole and installed the ventilator cap on the roof for the stove exhaust. I'm rather proud of myself! It's the first time I've ever done anything like that. I hope it rains before the insulation is sprayed so I can be sure it's not leaking...

In other news, the electrical inspector apparently came by and saw a few things he wanted done differently. So my electrician was there today to finish those items. The inspector is scheduled to come back on Tuesday. My electrician is also going to do my exterior vinyl trim. That should be done between Monday & Thursday of next week. So assuming I can get the framing inspection and the sheetrocking done, I can have the insulation done next Friday.

Here are some photos of the stove exhaust cap on the roof, and one of the brick layers finishing the garage (from yesterday):

Random Insghts from This Point in the Process

I thought I'd take this time to go introspective for a bit and talk about what's going on inside my head. It's good to stop and think about what I've been thinking about once in a while!

When I first started the preparations for building the house, I did lots and lots of reading and online research. There's a stack of books in my closet. I remember reading them, and I still recall some specific nuggets of knowledge I learned. But the rest is just a blur. I know that I've forgotten much more than I remember. And at this point in the process, it would take too much time to page through each of them to find everything again. I haven't been reading anymore. I haven't even been doing much broad research. Now is the time when I take one emergency at a time and focus on it. I wish I had taken better notes while reading so I'd have a list in one place of all the good things I learned.

Since the activity happens in spurts, I find it's easy to let a slow period lull you into laziness. There have been a couple of times when I work hard to meet a deadline for one of my subs (ordering something, or researching & deciding on a specific item). Then it looks like I've got a few days to take it easy, so I let go of the reins. Later, I find that I'm dealing with something at the last minute again. When I have some breathing room, that's the time to think ahead and try to anticipate what I need to be working on next.

You hear of things described as either a marathon or a sprint. Your lifelong relationship with God is like a marathon. Studying for an exam is like a sprint. Well, building a house is like a marathon with a series of sprints built into it! Yes, you need to keep up a certain level of endurance and focus all the way through. In addition, there are the times when you need extra intensity to handle something at the last minute. You can't slack off when that's over.

There is always something to be doing even when there's no pending activity to prepare for. Categories include budget, record-keeping, organization, and scheduling. There are always receipts to process and numbers to update. I plan to create a separate blog entry for how I manage these areas.

So do I regret the decision to build? No way! Do I regret taking on the role of general contractor? Not at all. If I paid someone to do what I'm doing, I wouldn't trust them to give it the attention that I would anyway. I'd still be there more often than my contractor to check on things because he would have other projects to check on also. My attention is not divided like his would be. So I'm saving the money I would pay for his services, and I'm still getting everything that I want.

The subs know how the process is supposed to go. If I've ever been uncertain about what comes next or what I need to be doing now, they have been helpful to guide me. So I haven't felt like I'm lost or out of my league.

The hours of prep time up front are completely worth it. Before you get your plans done, take your time and research everything. Read books on house features and smart design. Read about the construction process. Once you get your plans, take lots of time to research sub-contractors. Get references and go and lay eyes on their work yourself before selecting your subs. Don't settle! If someone's work isn't excellent, then move on. Try not to get pressured (or pressure yourself) into moving too fast.

I realize that some people may not have the luxury of the time I had, but whenever possible take your time up front. It's going to make the process go more smoothly once you begin. I also realize that just because I haven't had any problems with my subs that you won't either. Even though you put a lot of effort into screening them ahead of time, you could still have trouble. But I think putting in the effort up front will minimize your chances.

Now on to cost. I had no frame of reference when I started, and no way to tell just how much my house would cost. Sure, I had some ballpark estimates. But nothing I could really manage a budget with. My dream was that I could get it done for a round $180k. As of my latest estimate, it's going to cost me close to $253k. (I'm sure that number will climb.) That comes to $73 per sqft. This figure includes costs such as driveway and landscaping, and also the entire square footage of the house, patio, and both garages.

That's all the insight I can muster for now. More later!

Latest Pictures!

The photos above show the bricks on the house almost complete. The only thing left is the two gables (peaks) in the front. Notice the tall scaffolding with all the bricks up there. That sagging board makes me nervous. I wish they'd finish that up!

They started on the back garage today. The bottom half is done all the way around it. As usual, I'm a few days slow on my pictures! But these are what the house currently looks like.

We spent most of Memorial Day today cutting and mounting wood to go behind the sheetrock where I will nail things later (like cabinets, towel holders, etc.).

Clean-up and Prep Work

Today, it was HOT! I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie and then I was off to a graduation ceremony for my friend Barrett's daughter. Afterward, I met up with my parents who were already at the house. We cleaned up the sand, mortar, and sawdust on the floor, and my mom continued her quest to purge every leaf and piece of debris from under the wooden walls.

I also went around to every anchor bolt and made sure they were tight. These are the bolts embedded in the slab that attach to the floor plates for the walls. Almost every one of them was loose. I think it's because the wood has dried and shrunken a bit. But they're all tight now!

Some things are starting to disappear, like the blue painter's tape and a plastic bottle of wire staples.

I'm going back tomorrow to make a final checklist of things that need to be done before the insulation and sheetrocking. I'm still waiting on the electrical & framing inspections also. On Monday (Memorial Day), my dad and I will go back to take care of some other preparations.

Rain Delays, and Entering Home Stretch Before Insulation

I went by to take pictures today, but my camera batteries were out! So I'll try to go back after work today.

It rained all day yesterday after about 11AM. I went by in the morning. The guys were there setting up bricks around the back garage. I reminded them about how I want a solier course up each side of the front gables. I assume they understood. It sounded like he was already aware of it. They didn't lay any bricks. They must have left after setting up around the garage. It did not rain today, but they hadn't been back today as of 11:30 when I went by.

The insulation guy called to see if I'm still on course for next Friday (5/30) to start. We talked about what I have to get done before then:

- Electrical & framing inspection
- Vinyl in the overhangs, patio and porch
- Hole through the roof for stove vent
- Sheetrock on one side of each wall that will be sound-proofed
- Running remaining alarm wires (mostly needed before sheetrocking)

I've got one quote on the vinyl overhangs, etc. I can't get my other preferred contractor to call me back because he's busy. My friend who did the electrical work said he would quote on the job also. The insulation guy told me they can come out and do the walls on one day and come back to do the roofline another day. This would give me more time to get the overhangs done.

So that leaves the inspections and the sheetrocking to get done so we can proceed with the walls. I spoke to my sheetrock guy today. He indicated he could start the full job next week. He also said he could do the one side for the soundproof walls. That was no problem.

For my garage door frames, since no one seems to know how to do them with vinyl, it looks like one of my last options is to go with stucco here. Uggh! I do not like stucco and that's one thing I was glad that I wasn't going to have. My friend says they use a concrete substance that makes it completely hardened against dents and what have you. Looks like I need to start calling stucco contractors!

Keeping Brick-layers on Track

The guy who runs the brick-laying business and his son haven't been around since the first week of the job. The exception to this has been when they want me to give them a check to pay their workers. I've been trying to contact the head guy about a few things and I can't get in touch with him. His mobile phone goes directly to voicemail without ringing, and he apparently does not check his messages. I've left him two in the last 24 hrs.

I need to tell him that the address plaque is here and show him where I want it installed. I could just show the workers, but none of them speak English well enough to give me a good comfort level that the conversation will be productive. I've also got to ask him about the lop-sided arch on the garage. It's not their fault, but I want to know if he's seen occasions where something like that has been corrected after the bricks are laid. My framer says it can't be corrected from his end...

As I passed by yesterday afternoon, I noticed the workers had done the soldier course over the middle window in the front bay window. They had done it like the other soldiers on the house (with the bricks standing up and showing their long side). But I had covered twice with the owner of the business that I wanted that bay window done differently. I wanted the soldiers on these 3 windows to have the bricks showing their short end instead. This is why I wish the owner was around more often.

I went over first thing this morning with a photo of another house to show them what I was looking for. They seem to speak English well enough, but then something happens in the conversation to make you walk away and wonder if you just got your point across. I asked if their boss was there. "No." Was he going to be coming? "Maybe Friday." I showed them the photo and explained what I wanted. They understood. Then I asked if it was going to be hard to change it since they had already done it the day before. "Yes." But he said it in a tone that seemed too polite for the context. So I asked if they would be able to change it. "Yes." So I had doubts if I got my point across. Well, they changed it, so I guess it wasn't too bad! It looks fine now!

My dad and I went over and put a few more pieces of wood in the walls where towel racks and toilet paper holders will go. We also spent a good deal of time cleaning the mortar and debris off the back patio. It's amazing how much extra mortar gets flung everywhere! When it's piled up in big clumps and dried, it's hard to get off the concrete. When it's just a small splatter, one hit with a hammer breaks it up. So we got it all off and hosed down the patio. It looks nice again!

I had a guy come and look at the exterior trim and gutters. His quote was $8,100. There's another guy I've been trying to get. He's busy and hasn't come over yet.

Over the next few days, I'll start looking at the columns I'll need for the patio. The trim guy said I should find out what the new codes are for how those get fastened. A neighboring parish makes you do all kinds of things with it to resist uplift in high winds.

Scrutinizing Bricks on Front Garage

They're continuing to lay bricks at the house today. Yesterday, they finished the walls on the patio and the rear wall. They had also finished the arch on the front garage. I'm a bit disappointed that it didn't come out smooth and symmetrical. Here's a photo:

I added my own white curve to this picture with the true center highlighted. You can see where the highest point in the arch is to the right of center. And it's not a nice consistent arch. Instead it's a little pointed in the middle. That's going to irk me!

It doesn't appear to be the fault of the brick layers. They're just setting brick on top of the wood the framer built for them. And I'm not sure if the framer would have done a better job with his cut if he had known up front that he needed the wood in the threshhold like this.

If you're in front of the house looking at it from an angle on either side, it's not that pronounced. But when you look at it straight on like in this picture, you notice it.

I was afraid of this. Whenever I've seen an arched garage like this, it's either been a perfect arch or it's been this pointed version. It's not that what I have is terrible, but I was hoping I'd wind up with a perfect one.

In better news, a careful look at the wider arched door on the back garage reveals a much better wooden curve. So I think that one will look fine when they're finished.

Today, they also started the window and door sills. The ones on the patio are done, and they're cutting the pieces and laying them out for some of the others. They're also working on the front wall around the bay window. More photos to come in the next couple of days.

Bricks and Rain Delays

It rained on Thursday and Friday of last week, so no brick work happened on those days. They are back at work today. The two longer sides of the house are complete. As of this morning, they had completed the bottom 4 feet of wall around the patio and back of the house. Here's a picture I took this morning:

They were starting to work on the front by the garage door. I told them how we had to move one wire (the AC electrical feed) from the rear wall to around the corner on the side wall. So they have a hole to plug up with mortar.

The son had called this morning asking for another draw so he could pay his workers. Last time, I gave them $3,000. This time he asked for another $3,000, but I gave him a check for $2,500. I don't want to get into a position where I've paid for more of the work than has been done. They still have the front and back to finish, as well as the entire garage and the flatwork on the porch and patio. What I paid them today brings me to about 50% of the total price. I figure they've done roughly 50% of the work.

My address number plaque was shipped on Friday. I have the FedEx tracking number. The logging ends on Saturday, so I don't know how close it is to being delivered. The brick layer assures me that doing the wall with brick first and then cutting out a place to fit the address plaque is just fine.

I also called the engineer that did my wind load inspection. He had sent a letter stating that it's okay to lay brick down on the front garage floor. But I will probably pour a 2.5 inch layer of concrete instead. So I need another letter explicitly stating that concrete is okay. The woman on the phone was great. Within an hour she called back to say the new letter was ready and she's mailing it to me.

Brick Progress

Here are some pictures I took today:

They've completed the bricks on the alley side of the house and around the front door. I like the soldier course they've done above the door. The one over the garage should be the same, but the one over the bay windows should use the end of the brick instead of the tall side like this one does.

My AC guy was there today to vent the bathroom fans to the soffit. He's done now, and he's calling for his inspection. My electrician will come hopefully next week to finish the outlets and then he can get his inspection done. That will leave the framing inspection before I can insulate. By the way, I chose my insulator today. I decided to go with Energy and Comfort Solutions. They're only $100 dollars more expensive than my other favorite bid, and they're going to do a caulk package when they're done. That's sealing around all the window and door headers and other cracks and crevices. They use Demilec spray foam, which is supposed to be very similar to Icynene.

I thought I had my first instance of some of my tools going "missing" yesterday. We couldn't find a hammer and a pair of wire cutters. Well, the wire cutters turned out to be right where we left them (someone just didn't know where that was!) and the brick layers had used the hammer. But they didn't take it. They left it at the site when the left for the day. My dad didn't like that one bit and wanted to remove every one of our tools, brooms, etc. But I like having them there in case I want to go over there and work by myself. That way I don't need to dig them out of his piles of stuff. So we put the tools in more of a secluded place. The brick layers like to make themselves at home in the kitchen and breakfast area, which is where we've usually kept our tools.

So far, the brick layers are doing a very nice job. The owner of the company has mostly been there himself, and his son has also been there. They are Mexican, and the only one out of the group who speaks English well is the son. When he's not there, I can't communicate very well with them. For example, yesterday they were attaching their hose to one of my hose faucets outside. By the time they left, the valve mechanism was broken and leaking. When I stopped by today to drop off a check for the boss, he wasn't there but one of his guys got him on the phone. I tried asking him what happened to the hose. What I got back was something I couldn't understand. Oh well, the plumber came out and fixed it today anyway. I just hope they don't break that one (or any of the others) again.

Begun this Brick Job Has

So they're laying my bricks! After setting up on Tuesday, they came back and started the job in ernest on Wednesday. (Photos to come.) I got my hole cut for the dryer vent on Tuesday, and I determined that I'll put the stove exhaust vent through the roof instead of the wall. A call to my roofer about helping with that hasn't been returned.

My friend who reminded me about these vents also reminded me that I need an electrical outlet to power the range hood. So that gets added to the other outlets for my electrician to finish. He said he'll be here sometime this week if he can. In the meantime, my HVAC guy measured for what he needs to vent the bathroom fans to the soffit. But my electrician has installed a couple of the fans where the vent opening if facing the wrong way (toward the center of the house). So either my electrician or I need to take them down and mount them in the other direction.

Another thing I remembered at the very last minute is the way I wanted to post my house number outside. I want to use a cast stone plaque that gets mortared into the wall with the bricks. It looks like this:



I found a place online that sells them online (Springfield Brick Co.). Look on their products page under cast stone. I ordered mine this morning. If it doesn't arrive before the brick layers finish the front of the house, they say it's no problem for them to cut a hole later and put the plaque in place.

Tomorrow's Emergency: Ducting for Dryer and Stove

The brick layers called this morning to say they're going to start tomorrow morning. That's fine. Technically, they're still coming earlier than what we originally talked about, which was May 12.

The spa tub and the garage bathroom shower will be delivered tomorrow afternoon.

I had thought we addressed everything that needs to be done before the bricks., but I was wrong. While I was having dinner with two friends Leslie and Ken tonight, another friend called to point out that I don't have a duct in place to vent the clothes dryer out the wall. Then I remembered that I don't have a duct for the exhaust fan over the stove either. So I picked up what I think I'm going to need from Home Depot. My plumber says he'll come by and install the one for the dryer tomorrow since he's coming by to install the tub & shower anyway.

That leaves the vent above the stove. If I had been thinking, I would have had that going out the roof before the shingles were laid. Now, I'd have to bust through the shingles to install the vent and flashing before repairng the shingles around it. I wonder if I can vent it straight out the wall? If so, I'm guessing I'll probably need to know exactly which hood vent I'm going to use so I can determine where to make the hole fot that vent.

So lesson learned: think more carefully about what venting you need in addition to plumbing before laying the bricks. Also, choose the range hood early so you know where & how the vent needs to be run.

Bricking to Start Tomorrow

I feel as if I'm letting things slide by too much this week. The brick layers are scheduled to start tomorrow, and I haven't decided for sure how I want the soldiering to look on top of the arched windows and garage doors... Stuff like that. I have a general idea, but I wanted to hunt down the ideal house and take a picture so I can show these guys what I want. Maybe I'm trying to push myself too hard.



Here's a picture of the first batch of bricks that were delivered last week:



Since this picture was taken, they've delivered two truck loads of sand and all the mortar mix for the job.


My dad and I started cutting and placing wood between studs where I know I'll need to mount something on the wall later. This includes curtain rails, towel racks, toilet paper holders, the hand-hold bar in the shower, and wall-mounted televisions.


It rained incredibly hard on Saturday morning. The roof showed no signs of leaking, so I think I'm okay on that one! I'm glad I was able to see the results after a good hard rain before the insulation gets sprayed in the roofline and makes it hard to see any water leakage.


For the bricks, I bought something called Mortar Net. It's something that's installed behind the bricks at the lowest level to keep excess mortar from falling behind the bricks during installation and blocking the drainage path for water. It's a spongy, SOS-pad kind of material that has alternating heights like the ridge on top of a castle wall. Look at the website for a better idea of what I mean.