Rain, Rain Go Away

We have had a higher than average rainfall kind of year, with August and September bringing the effects of Hurricanes Norbert and Odile to our area.  Timing the setting of trusses was tricky trying to predict when the winds would be calm enough to lift them with the crane.

 Sean-Paul Borg and crew of Mcs Enterprises, Llc. (801)556-2687 found a window of opportunity and got all the pre-fabricated trusses into place and mostly sheeted before the wind and rain came.

 View from back of the house.  You can see the large section of the house that requires stick-framing.

 View from front of the house.  Truss caps still need to be attached and sheeted as well as the center section of stick framing.

 All the rain at least helps us see where the low points in the lot are and naturally settle soaks the excavation work.  Let's hope most of the rain clears out before Monday so the framers can get the house closed in quickly.

Next up:  HVAC and Rough Plumbing.

Moving Along

The walls are going up quickly with Mcs Enterprise, Llc. (801)-556-2687, licensed and ensured, and owner Sean-Paul Borg has 20 years experience framing.  All outside walls are 2 x 6 as explained in the previous post.  Framing is scheduled to be complete September 26.

Storstad Concrete (801-358-0898) did another great job on the suspended porch cap and poured more point load spot footings in front of the garage on Monday, September 15.

Lot excavation continues by Osmond Development and Mike Little (801) 362-3227.  You can pay an excavator X amount of money to do a job and he will put in a rock wall.  And then you can pay a different excavator the same X amount of money and he will be creative and do amazing things.  That would be Osmond and Little.  The rock walls are beginning to go up and they are impressive.

Stay tuned for more pics of the roof trusses going up in the next week.  We'll also be talking about HVAC options for the best energy efficiency in your home.  Like us on Facebook to automatically get posts and industry information.  There are great rebates out there currently and you can check out our website for details on how you can save money right now.

Framing -- Should I use 2x4 or 2x6 or 2x8?

So you are contemplating building a house and want it to be as energy efficient as possible.  Did you ever consider that the width of the lumber you choose has a lot to do with the entire energy efficiency package?  It does.

Think about those old pioneer houses that were built with 2 foot thick walls of stone.  A great one I toured recently was the John Rowe Moyle house in Alpine, Utah. 

 It was built like fortress, and sure, they had Indian problems, but one of the reasons for making the walls so thick was to insulate the inside from the heat of the summer and the bitter cold of winter.  And it really works.  It was a hot summer day when I toured the home, and it was nice and cool inside without any aid of an air conditioner.

Framing your home with at least 2x6 walls will allow for a greater insulation barrier as well as provide better sound proofing.  It will create an overall stronger wall as opposed to 2x4 walls that can shudder when doors are slammed.  2x8 lumber is even better, but it will cost more, both on the lumber side, as well as calculating the cost of extra insulation.  You will make up for that cost and more later in your energy bills, however, and your home will be much more comfortable -- that is if you insulate and seal your home against air infiltration correctly.  But that's where Greenify Energy Savers' expertise can help you.

We recommend using a minimum of 2x6 framing, and be sure to check back for later posts about the best way to insulate.  You can like us on Facebook to automatically receive new posts as they happen.

B-Deck and Basement Slab Complete

 The basement slab has been poured.  But there was a lot of prep work involved in getting to this point:

Plumbing is being done by Mountain Side Plumbing, 801-281-3076, who requested that the backfill was done prior to sub-plumbing.  Mike Little, excavator and co-owner of O.L.E., did a great job on the backfill.  It was compacted so nicely, the plumbers had a hard time digging their lines and Mike came back to help them out.

In preparation to have a tankless water heater installed in this home, Mountain Side Plumbing will run soft-water lines to all faucets except the fridge, drinkable taps, and exterior hose bibs.

 The next day, crews installed the steel posts and I-beams which would support the B-decking on the suspended garage floor.

 If you are considering a suspended garage floor, Span Deck (concrete forms made off site and lifted by crane into place on the foundation) is one way of supporting your floor.  We initially explored Span Deck, but because of it's 18" thickness, it would require digging that portion of the basement an additional 2 feet, thus requiring 12' foundation walls.  B-deck eliminated that expense, and went in quickly.  We also would not have had enough slope for the sewer lines if we had dug down an additional 2 feet.

In considering damp proofing the garage floor, we talked to a company that recommended we pour half the thickness of the garage slab over the B-deck, spray it with a waterproof substance called Temproof 250, and then complete the rest of the pour 3 days later.  However, talking with our engineer, he said absolutely NO to that idea.  Doing that would negate the strength of the floor and the bond between the layers.  In talking with a builder friend who has done these B-deck floors for 15 years with no problems, he said you have to pour the entire slab with the slope from 7" down to 4" and essentially create your own Span Deck on site.  The framed walls and drywall will sit directly on the slab, and then a big radius of caulk will be run along the inside edge where drywall meets the slab, followed by an industrial strength epoxy treatment on the slab which runs 4" up the walls.  That is the strongest and best way to damp proof a suspended garage.  Keep the moisture from penetrating in the first place.

 The B-Deck makes for a nice industrial ceiling if this room remains unfinished, too.

Sub-Plumb in, backfill completed, and everything is ready for the basement slabs to be poured, which Darren Storstad of Storstad Conrete completed without the use of a concrete pump truck.  Very impressive, and the floor is beautifully level and scored to prevent cracking.

If You Are Thinking About A Tankless Water Heater...

So you are building a new home, or maybe you are just tired of running out of hot water in your current home.  Thinking about getting a tankless water heater?  Planning for that comes in the very beginning stages of your home.  How many showers will you have?  How many people live and use water in the home?  This will determine the size of your tankless water unit.  Will you have an electric or a gas tankless water unit?

While buying a tankless water unit may be a bit of an investment up front, it will save you a lot of energy consumption (and money) since it only heats water when it is needed, not like a traditional water heater which keeps a huge tank of water hot at all times by burning gas continuously. Much like a car idling in the garage, you wouldn't want to leave it running all night, only when you needed it, right?

Tankless water heaters are also built to last 15-20 years.  These units take up a lot less space and are mounted on the wall, something to take into consideration when drawing up your plans.

Here's another consideration if you are in an area with hard water:  lime scale tends to build up over time.  If you have a traditional water heater and you sliced it open, you would see a large chunk of lime scale at the bottom of your tank.  It just happens over time.  The same thing will happen inside the pipes of your home if you are using a tankless water heater and do not have soft water.  If you are building a new home, you should have your sub-plumbing done to accommodate a water softener to all areas of your home except the refrigerator lines, other drinkable faucets, and the outside hose bibs.  If you are retrofitting your home with a tankless water heater, you can buy "Un-Clog-It-Kits" to descale your pipes periodically.  Also make sure you have a minimum of a 3/4" gas line to the unit if you are choosing a gas tankless water heater.

Give Greenify a call at 801-948-4464 and let us help you determine which tankless water heater would be the best for your family's needs.
http://www.greenifyenergysavers.com/tankless-water-heater

Damp Proofing, Gravel Slinging, and Slab Pouring

The foundation was poured and left to rest over night before Storstad's crew came back to strip the wall forms down.  

 They worked hard and fast to strip the forms on the north side of the house first so Percy Johnson, 801-318-7111, could damp proof that side of the house first before the holiday began the next morning.  Percy began damp proofing at 4:00 pm to get his portion done, even though he was leaving town later that evening.  Nice job.

 Also coming to the job site late in the day was Stone Pro Slingers, 801-602-8785, who sent a gravel truck out at 4:00 pm to fill the garage basement and cold storage floors with pea gravel.  We wanted to pour those floors first thing Friday morning ahead of the other basement slabs in preparation for I-beams and b-decking to be put in as the suspended garage floor next week.  Stone Pro Slingers were an important piece in the string of details needing to run like clockwork.  One piece missing, and it would cause a domino effect on everybody coming up the line.

Dean arrived right on time, and did the best with what he could.  We had miscalculated how much gravel we would need, and came up short.  The gravel pit was closed so finishing the job would have to wait until Friday morning -- right before the concrete was scheduled to be poured.  Timing was going to be tight, but Stone Pro Slingers pulled through and were there ahead of schedule Friday morning to finish up both garage basement floor and the cold storage floor.  The slabs were poured and ready to cure over the weekend.

Footings and Foundation Poured - Storstad Concrete

Inspection passed and forms were ready to receive concrete July 17.  Footings and foundation were done by Storstad Concrete, Darren 801-358-0898, whose prices were very competitive.  His hardworking crew did a nice job laying out a difficult, custom footprint and were very reliable.  Concrete pumping was by Dudley Concrete Pumping, 801-763-1339.

 Foundation was scheduled to be poured Monday, July 21 at 9:00 am.  The Geneva Rock Concrete trucks showed up 20 minutes ahead of schedule, but the pump truck was late.  We waited as long as we could, but when the second concrete truck showed up, we knew we had to get creative or risk losing $1000 of concrete.  The concrete driver pulled his truck up as close to the hole as possible without sliding into it, and Storstad's crew was able to fill the foundation forms without the concrete pump truck until he came.  Mission accomplished.