|
Post by Bentley on Jan 7, 2014 1:39:32 GMT 10
Relocating to Culpeper, Virginia after 35 years in Fresno, California, in Central San Joaquin Valley of California, and the last 12 years in Pasadena. Culpeper is about 100km Southwest of Washington, D.C. For the last 220 years primarily a farming community, in the last 20, it is becoming a bedroom community for lots of DC workers. Below is a Google Earth shot of the 15 acre plot of land the house will sit on. To the right of that is a plot of land that used to be cow pasture 50 years ago. It was all grass, but as you can see, 50 years of unchecked growth makes it a forest. We are trying to clear it so it will look more like our neighbors land, and have a "Park" like look. A couple of shots of the surrounding area. The 1st being Old House Vineyard's, to the West of us. A shot to the West, with a picture of the Legendary Blue Ridge Mountain in the background...60km behind them is the Shenandoah Valley! And now for the real fun, clearing and burning 11 acre's of Hardwoods... There is an old pond for watering the cow. That is what we are trying to clear around now...hope to have it ready to be enlarged by March...The white circle shows about where the pond is and the other the clearing we are doing around it! Thursday
Saturday
|
|
|
Post by 420kev on Jan 7, 2014 5:46:02 GMT 10
strooth Bentley.
just looking at the enormity of your task makes me feel older already.
and the good thing in all this is............................lots and lots of Q...................
you might just have to invest in an evil stick burner again.
good luck with your build
kevin
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on Mar 7, 2014 5:14:05 GMT 10
Winter is a long time leaving this year! Contractor is selected. Permits are being issued. His contract calls for a an April 3 to October 3 build schedule, if we are in October 3rd I will be overjoyed! I zoomed on 1st photo and missed the area of where the home will go, the steaks are off to the right. 2nd shot is a wider view. If they ever get started, I will post pictures as it develops. Septic will go in 1st, then the home goes up. The average temperatures for this time of year are supposed to be high teens C°, but it is sunny and 3° right now. Supposed to be as high as 20° on Tuesday, so if that happens all the snow will be gone, and that will hopefully be it for this winter.
|
|
|
Post by smokey on Mar 7, 2014 13:48:32 GMT 10
Thumbs up mate, Looking forward to the build pics. Did you think about barbecue when you designed the layout? EG, Cover, common winds etc.
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on Mar 8, 2014 0:53:03 GMT 10
There will be a covered patio facing the West, that would be to the right of the steaks. It will have a very modest outside kitchen area we will work in. No real incorporation of anything into the plans.
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 7, 2014 3:04:10 GMT 10
April 3rd, that was good one! With all the Wankers handling the permit process, we did not get them till last week! Then 3 days and 5 inches of rain pushed start back another week! So...tomorrow they come to break ground! If we are in the home before 2015 I will be surprised! They way things have been going, a Volcano will probably spout up later this afternoon! And the timing could not be better! We leave Sunday to drive to Las Vegas to get the furniture and put the house on the market! So, drive from Virginia to Las Vegas (3832km). Next day load 26ft truck and drive from Las Vegas to Virginia. Unload, next day fly back to Las Vegas...hope that the remaining items fit in 12 x 6 trailer and next day drive from Las Vegas to Virginia...11,496km in about 15 days! Oh Joy! Ask God to keep me safe if you are a praying person! Even if you aren't ask Him, cuz he hears everyone! Winter is a long time leaving this year! Contractor is selected. Permits are being issued. His contract calls for a an April 3 to October 3 build schedule, if we are in October 3rd I will be overjoyed!
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 7, 2014 7:22:24 GMT 10
Looking at the front of the home...Entry and Study on left...garage on right. Looking at the back of the house. Master Bedroom will be on right, then family room, kitchen and one bedroom far left. Back will have a full concrete covered patio for BBQ cooking! What will be the driveway!
|
|
|
Post by chrisg on May 7, 2014 12:50:14 GMT 10
Have fun!!! Decent sort of drive in the country Cheers
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 8, 2014 9:26:28 GMT 10
|
|
|
Post by golly on May 10, 2014 6:28:14 GMT 10
what an awsum thread
being a licenced builder here in oz i will be watching this with great interest to see the building ways of the yankees
do you have generic spots you will be taking photos from?
have you thought about a time lapse video of your build
|
|
|
Post by smokey on May 10, 2014 12:15:29 GMT 10
Yeh mate, I'm interested in how they do things as well. Particularly how they deal with tornado standards. I built about four years ago and wished I took pics of where I ran surround sound speaker wires in the TV room Good to have you swing by BTW Golly , Your welcome to join as a founding member. Founding members have a big say on how the forum is run and the direction taken. I hope that you can see my hopes for this forum being directed at all sorts of Cue but for the members and not for Commercial interests. Not just American food and cookers but world stage. Aussie Cue
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 11, 2014 9:39:46 GMT 10
Unfortunately, this build was supposed to have started 5 weeks ago! We leave for Las Vegas tomorrow to put the last house on the market and get the home furnishing back here. I wont be back until May 20...and then leave again to head back to Vegas on the 21st. I have asked the contractor to take a photo of the lot each day so I have a record of it. When I get back on May 26th, I will again take up daily shots. If there are specific points you would like to see feel free to tell me. I had thought about taking a 5 second video each day, and may do that when I get back! I know very little about construction. This home, except for the garage (it will sit on a 4inch? concrete slab as you can see it has only been skimmed), the main home will be a "crawl" space. A technique that went out in about the 50's in California where I am from. Everything there now is slab. According to the guy that did the excavation, they will come Monday and put an 8 inch thick walls up each one of those 24 inch deep sides. My sister says she thinks he is wrong and the contractor will use cinderblock, I guess we will all know by the end of next week. The rock for the driveway is what they call #3, as large a rock as I have ever seen used, but I am told it is now code, that all the construction vehicles will force it down into this funky Virginia clay, and then a much smaller base rock, maybe 3/4 inch will be spread on top! what an awsum thread being a licenced builder here in oz i will be watching this with great interest to see the building ways of the yankees do you have generic spots you will be taking photos from? have you thought about a time lapse video of your build
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 11, 2014 9:52:41 GMT 10
Mick, not much, if any worries here...once in 100 years, and no where near the velocity of say Mid-west like Oklahoma, or even the Southeast in Alabama...I don't even believe they have a code for it! Will have to ask contractor... Yeh mate, I'm interested in how they do things as well. Particularly how they deal with tornado standards.
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 21, 2014 7:47:15 GMT 10
Golly, or anyone that has Construction background or just gets what's going on, maybe you can help me with this! I have asked the same questions on another forum! Any of you all that see this and can explain to we what is going on I would appreciate it! I am here now watching it and I don't get it! I even went down today and ask the guy questions, and I still don't get it! I will try and explain what I am talking about now and with blurps in each picture, if you can follow my train of though, maybe you can tell me what is to come?
|
|
|
Post by Bentley on May 21, 2014 7:48:34 GMT 10
|
|