"Trying to nail each project,
As I hammer out a living,
And share a few thoughts
about what I saw."
(Why wood I ever be board?)
How to save money on custom plans
plans that have been used perhaps hundreds of times or from a set of plans that have been designed specifically for your new home.
Plans you would buy from a plan book or off the internet are stock plans and there are thousands available. Since this is such a huge industry, I would assume that this route is one that many people choose to take. With so many variations of floor plans it seems quite possible to find just the right one, or at least one that needs only a few modifications. If that is the case for you, find a builder and go.
But there are many that want to create something that is a unique expression of who they are as well as how they live. The problem is that while they know who they are and how they live, they don’t know the first thing about designing a new home and drafting floor plans. If you fit into this category then you need to get a set of house plans drawn by a professional before you and your builder can break ground. Here a few things to do
to make that as economical and painless as possible.
1.) Buy or borrow as many plan books and magazines as possible. You probably
already have a good idea of what you want, but have an open mind. Looking
at these books will get the creative juices flowing and give you ideas.
2.) Surf the net looking for plans and pictures. Set up a “house ideas” file in the
Favorites menu of your browser and bookmark the webpages you like there.
3.) Go to builders’ open houses. This is really where you get the feel of things.
Builders that have open houses are trying to sell in the current market and so
they know the latest trends and what other people want in new homes. Don’t be
afraid to take a tape measure and camera. For all they know, you could hire them
to build your new home once you have the plan.
4) Start tinkering with putting a floorplan together yourself. If you are computer
savvy, get a cheap house plan designing program or download a free one from the
Internet. They are usually simple and easy to learn. If you don’t want to bother
putting out that effort, then just get some graph paper and a ruler and start
drawing.
The truth is that you can design your own home, you just need to hire someone to draft a full set of house plans from the design that you came up with after doing your own homework. A big part of the cost in having custom home plans drawn is in the time it takes for the draftsman to figure out what you want. A hand drawn or digital floor plan that you bring in along with as many pictures as possible, should put your draftsman to work after one meeting. The more complete and thorough you are the less you should have to pay. Just make sure you find someone who will give you credit for doing your homework.
That is where Spokane Discount Drafting is a great choice. Click here to go to my drafting site.
Progress on our new home in Spokane Valley
Best way to buy blades for a multi-tool
I thought that once I paid the $400 for the tool, I would be done with draining my piggy bank to help support the Fien company. Then I went back to the Woodcraft store to buy some new blades after the ones that came with the tool finally wore out. If I had been wearing dentures at the time, they would have popped right out of my head when I saw the price for one blade. They are not made out of gold let alone carbide. That discovery took some of the thrill out owning my fine Fien, but I had no choice but to swallow hard and fork out $25 for a blade.
Since then everyone has started making a version of the multi-tool and so Fien is no longer the only game in town though their classic is still the best. But I am sorry Fien, your blades are no better than anyone else's though they still want way too much money. Now that there are a lot of brands making the tool, there are more companies offering replacement blades. I found Exchange-a-Blade at the local Windsor Plywood store and I am very glad that I did. After buying an adapter for the Fien, I am able to get a new blade for $6.99 with a trade-in or $9.99 without one. The blades are just as good as the authentic Fien blades and you won't have to use them to cut off your arm and a leg to buy new ones.
Sherrill Home Tour
Tips on crown molding
The jist of what I am trying to get across is that I try to cut a piece long when possible, make sure the joint is perfect and then mark the long end and cut it only after the prior fit is just like I want it.
Fortuitous Timing
Punching in a hole for a new home this time of year in this part of the country can be a nerve wracking experience. It is basically a race against the calender with fingers tightly crossed that Old Man Winter is in a kind mood this year. Turns out he was and he wasn't.
Some winters in Spokane are "open" all year long, meaning there is very little snow and the temperature is mild and the ground remains unfrozen and so building moves along fairly smoothly. That is the type of winter we had last year. But the two previous were winter wonderlands where we all wondered if Spring would land. The first of those two winters set a record for snowfall and then the next one came along and broke that record. Which was kind of amazing considering the old record had stood for many years.
Anyway, this winter was predicted by the squirrels and insects and meteorologists ( listed in descending order of intelligence and accuracy) to be another doozy. So I was quite nervous as we dug the hole on November 11 which was a Thursday. I then worked for the next 16 days straight putting in the footings, foundation and then the floor joist system. It had snowed some before and then a little during those 16 days, but over all weather was not a factor. Then Old Man Winter's demeanor turned foul.
It snowed so much during the week of Thanksgiving that a new record for snowfall for the month of November was set. It was also very cold and so we decided not to work since I was going out of town for Thanksgiving anyway.
When Eli and I got back to it the next Monday, the crawlspace had at least 11 inches of snow in it, but it would have taken forever to dig it out so we put on the subfloor and hoped it would melt on its own. Once we got the floor on and the site all dug out, it was time to get the rest of the crew back and start framing walls.
This is when snowfall is brutal. If it snows over night then you spend time shoveling so you can begin to work. If it snows during the day, everything gets wet and cold and slippery. When you get the walls up and start on the roof, snowfall is down right dangerous. On this job, Old Man Winter took a two-week nap and we were able to get the roof on working in mild temperatures and not one flake of snow. The timing was uncanny.
We had the roof done at the end of the day Thursday. The roofers got the whole thing papered on Friday. On Saturday morning it started snowing for the first time in two weeks. My house was in the dry by just a whisker and I couldn't help but singing "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..."
Working with my son
One of the things I love about being a small employer is being able to work with my children. I have always gotten a deep satisfaction teaching them and giving them an opportunity to earn money. I have employed all my four children at least part time and thoroughly enjoyed each of them.
Right now I am lucky to have my 20-year old son, Eli, working with us as we build houses. The foundation aspect of the project is particularly poignant for me because my dad was a foundation subcontractor and he put me to work for the first time during my spring vacation in 6th grade. After that, all my school vacations were working vacations.
Since we are hands-on builders and only build a few houses a year, Eli has only helped on two foundations and so he has a lot to learn. In the photo above, he is learning how to cut the form ties with a sharp cutting bar during the stripping process which we do the day after we pour the foundation.
I never have poured one our basements without my dad's help. I always bring him out of retirement for a few hours to help us because there are a lot of things that can go wrong. He comes out and inspects all the work and when he gives it the thumbs up, then I know we're ready.
You talk about experience. He first went to work in this field when he was around Eli's age which was 55 years ago. I hope someday Eli will have the chance to tell his kids about what it was like to work with and learn from a master like their great-grandfather.
