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Construction
of Our Log Home
On this page we will detail the
construction of our new log home. A construction crew from Satterwhite
Log Homes in Longview, TX will erect the house and get it in the
dry. At that time, we will take over and complete the interior.
Update 29 February
2008 - This
will be the final update for the exterior. Troy
Bass Roofing installed our metal roof on the 20th and it looks
great. Click
Here to see a video. The fireplace installer was back on the 28th
and completed the chimney for the fireplace which was the final effort
for completion of the exterior shell. We now start on the
interior.
Update 19 February
2008 - Sorry for the delay between
updates but the weather has been so bad here in North Texas that
progress has been very slow.
Russell Jones' crew
completed the sealing, staining, and clear coat on the
5th. I must say they did a fabulous job - the outside is
beautiful. Two days later the rain started and we have only
had a few short breaks from the rain since.
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Ken's Heating & Air
Conditioning completed the first phase of their installation
on the 7th. This included running all of the duct work through
the attic area with an opening into each room.
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The pre-fab for our fireplace had to
be completed by the 14th so I made a run to the local hardware/lumber
store and picked up cement blocks (haydite blocks) for the fireplace
to sit on and to form the hearth. I then completed the wood framework
for the fireplace. The framework to enclose the chimney will be
completed after the pipe has been installed.
The fireplace was installed on the
14th but the installer did not want to cut a hole in our roof until
the metal was on so he could seal the opening after installing the
chimney and bonnet. He will come back and finish the install when the
roof has been completed.
Our plumber was scheduled for the
6th but could not make it until the 13th due to being hospitalized
with the flu. But he was here on the 13th and completed his phase 2 of
the plumbing.
Harold Keller was also delayed a
week due to the manufacturer not completing the custom windows for the
East gable end. These were installed on the 15th and they are
great.
We are still waiting for our metal
roof, weather has been a major factor here as well as the delay in
receiving the material from the dealer. The crew is scheduled to start
tomorrow, but guess what - the weatherman is predicting rain. We
received 4 inches of rain between the 10th and 17th so all of the
ponds are overflowing and the ground is completely saturated.
Update 4 February
2008 - Before we move on to the
interior of the house, there are a few things that need to be
completed.
Russell Jones' crew will be taking
care of finishing the exterior walls. The men arrived today and
started cleaning and preparing the logs for stain. Because the
construction crew was careful when erecting the logs, there was a
minimal amount of cleaning and they were able to get a stain coat on
the logs. The process for preparing, sealing, staining, and
clear coating the logs is very precise. The western cedar used
on the house has a different process for finishing.
Our plumber, John Rowe, will be here
Wednesday to complete phase 2 of the plumbing (running pipes for water
through walls and ceilings, etc). I will post pictures of this before
the walls are closed up.
We also anticipate our HVAC company,
Ken's Heating & Air will be onsite sometime this week to do their
preliminary install including ducts.
We are patiently waiting for our
special windows for the east end of the house. They are the only
areas open to the weather and Mr. Keller is hoping to have them by
Thursday and will install them on Friday.
Our metal roof material has been
ordered but will not be here for another week so we are hoping that
the weather is nice until our roof can be installed.
You can see videos of the inside of
the shell by clicking
here
Update 30 January
2008 - This update will cover the
29th and today. The crew finished up this morning and headed
home. However, yesterday was another terrible weather day.
There are a couple of videos below to give you an idea of the battles
the crew fought with the wind. The weather bureau stated that
winds were gusting to 50 and 60 mph. It was a battle between
Mother Nature and the Satterwhite crew to keep our felt on the roof
decking. They solved the problem by attaching 2x4's on the edge
to keep the felt in place. Because so much time was spent
fighting the wind, the crew missed their completion time and had to
return this morning for a few final items and to clean up inside and
gather their tools. Check out the photos below. I will have
video of the inside tomorrow.
Update 28 January
2008 - Sorry for missing the update
yesterday but this will catch you up on our progress. The roof
is ready for the metal. Will now wait until the roofing
contractor can work us into his schedule. He also orders the metal
panels pre-cut to the length needed and there is a short wait time for
the delivery. We have the west gable wall completed except for a
little trim and the east gable has been framed and is ready for the
cedar. Our doors and windows arrived today and the crew wasted
no time at all installing the windows. The contractor is working
on the half-log stairs and advised they should be completely finished
with the house by tomorrow evening.
Here are some pictures of the
progress. There are also two videos.
Update 26 January
2008 - There was no update
yesterday because the weather finally got bad enough to stop the
crew. We had freezing rain all day and today the entire place is
one big mud hole. The crew was back this morning at daybreak and
have made quite a bit of progress today. We now have our loft
framed in and the subfloor is down. The front porch is complete with
decking and the back porch is almost completed. The overhang on
the west gable end has been framed. Western red cedar is absolutely
beautiful and that is what was used for my porch rafters and the
overhang on the gable. Here are a few pictures. The videos will
open in a new window.
Update 24 January
2008 - What a difference a day
makes! - In just 24 hours, the crew has completed all of the log
walls, interior partitions, and erected the trusses. Buddy Edney
has one fast working crew. No standing around gabbing or trying
to figure out what comes next. It's real obvious that they have
built a "lot" of log homes. The photos below will give
you a good look at the work accomplished. Let me explain the
black walls though. This is heavy black plastic and is being
used to protect my new logs from weather and sun until the sealer,
stain, and clear coat can be applied.
We are having miserable weather this
week. Today's high was only in the upper 40's and tonight we are
expecting a winter storm with freezing rain, sleet, etc. The
high tomorrow is not predicted to reach 40 but the crew will be on the
job anyway. Also, if you click on the video links now, a new
window will open for them to be viewed.
Update 23 January
2008 - Wow - our house is really
taking shape. The crew arrived at 7am (barely daylight here) and
worked till dark (almost 6pm). The weather was a little better
(not as much wind) but the temperature still hovered around 40o.
The temperature is going to remain in the 40's tomorrow with a winter
mix predicted for Friday. Our contractor said that wouldn't stop
them. Below are a few pictures from today. The first one
was taken as soon as it was light enough this morning to show how much
they accomplished the day before. I'll have to do the same
tomorrow morning since they worked until dark.
I'll also try to take a video of
them raising the trusses tomorrow and get it posted.
Update 22 January
2008 - Our construction crew
arrived about mid-morning and got right to work. Our temperature
did not reach 40o all day so the crew worked in insulated
coveralls, with caps and gloves. Really was a miserable day to
start but it didn't stop them or even slow them down. Below are
some pictures of the day unfolding along with a short video. It
was too dark by the time the crew quit for me to get another picture
to show their final progress but I will post one tomorrow. Come
back to see how fast it goes up!
Update 21 January
2008 - The first two loads of
material arrived this morning. There's not much to see in the
pictures below but I wanted everyone to see that we actually are ready
for the construction crew to arrive tomorrow morning. I will
post a short video of their progress tomorrow night.
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