OFFA$$, building No. 1

[ARKANSAWYER]

The sight for the office.



Cleaned off and rocks dumped in spot.



Leveling the sills.



Sills leveled, view from highway.



First bent.



Corner joint.



Da rock foundation.



Second bent.

[Jim_Rogers]

I hope it doesn't get windy up there and blow that frame or building off that foundation.........

[beenthere]

Lookin like progress being made, and high enough that LBJ can keep the crawlspace clear of critters. Seems that foundation follows a pattern of a previous pic Arky posted.
The weather looks a bit more appealing to working outside than our thunderstorms and fog of recent weeks. Haen't seen the sun for a while now.

[logwalker]

Can you provide details on those angle brackets. They look interesting. Weldments maybe? LW

Are you anywhere near Pocahontas Ark. My birthplace. LW

[Tom]

The county would be here with a bulldozer burying and burning my stuff if I did that.   The next door neighbor's "approved" architect's, signed porch had to have a 24" x 3' deep solid concrete, steel reinforced poured footer with solid poured, steel reinforced piers every 6 feet, tied into the steel of the footer.  Topping that were laminated 2x12 treated SYP with 2x8 joists installed in metal hangers.  The porch structure is 2x6 and 2x8 with a 5/4 floor and 1x6 decking on the shingle covered roof.  It is all 4.0 CCA rough pine.

The county was adamant that it be done this way and seemed to give no thought that the porch is tied to his double-wide mobile home.   He had to actually insert heavier material into the roof-line of the home to tie the porch into it.

We laugh about it, but the expense almost put him under.   He says if a Hurricane actually does pass over us, he and  his wife are going to run outside and get on the porch.  :D

[ARKANSAWYER]

  This house has been sitting like this for about 100 years.   I used a tad bit bigger rocks since I have a 63hp 4x4 tractor to move them around with.   Worked for them so it is good enough for me.   If someone does say any thing I will just tell them it is a portable building.

Got the last bent up just before dark today.



  LW     Poka is about 100 miles east of me.  If you look down a few threads there is one about sockets or connectors that covers these things.   These are 4x4 that I make for my buildings.

  We normally get about 50 inches of rain a year but this year we have gotten 34.  Dry Dry here.   Waiting for the spark that sends it all up in smoke like out in OK and Texas.
 

[Dana]

Tom, It sounds like the inspector was planning on some seriously frozen ground and a lot of snow.  Maybe he had just left Michigan,what good luck!
Arky nice looking start on your office building.

[moosehunter]

Arky,
That looks like ifn ya sneezed in it, it would fall off them rocks! It is amazing the things that look solid that fall over in a slight wind and footers like yours last forever! I have seen barns on stones like that and always wondered how they stood for a hundred years!?
mh

[Frickman]

Good looking building you got going there Arky!  8) 8) Where are you going to install the safe, where you'll put all the money you'll be making? Maybe it should be one of those drop safes, like at the gas station. LBJ can lie underneath beside the safe and guard it for you.  ;)

[ScottAR]

Looking Good Arkie!

I wouldn't worry much about the footing...

Twisters out here blow down everything equally, footings or not...   

[KILROY]

ARKY,

Nice start on your office. Would you post a picture ( if you have one ) or describe how the bents are fastened to the sill.  Thanks

[ohsoloco]

Kilroy, check out the picture in Arky's first post that shows the corner joint.  Looks like he used tenons on the bottom of the bent posts to slip into those mortises  ;)

[ARKANSAWYER]

  KILROY the sills are 6x6's and the post are 4x4's.  The corners have a 2x2 mortise and the post have a 2x2x6 tenon.  The post just drop down and lock the corners together and I peg them with a 6 in timbertite screw.

  Around here we have "naters" and most of the time all that is left is the foundation.  People joke about mobile homes being "nater rollers" because the storms roll them across the fields.  But the houses are just blown to pieces and strung out through the trees.   If the office falls off of the rocks I will just take the loader back over and sit it back up.   Not likly to fall apart as all of the lumber was "STAMPED" so that makes it better.  ;D 

[KILROY]

Thanks for the reply and explanation, ohsoloco and ARKY.

[dewwood]

Arky,

Looks like you are open for business!  The only problem I have when working on my own things is that it creates a revenue outgo instead of income.  Looking good maybe some day we can get down your way and have a look see.

Dewey

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Well I got back to do some work on the place.   This is the back wall of the building and it is Southern Yellow Pine.




  This is a close up of the gable end.




  This is the porch and it is made from ERC and will have a roof when I get time to saw it out.




   I have been waiting 3 weeks for Entergy to come hook up my power.   Seems Commercial takes alot longer then Residential even though it is a simple 110/240 single ph 100 amp setup.  The power pole is just 30 ft from the building so no real big deal.  They came out Friday and hooked the wire to the weather head and said they would be back next week to hook up the power.    :   Chewed my tounge abit but what could a body do? 

[Larry]

The gable is original and quite attractive.  I'm impressed. 8)

Your power company works same schedule as Ozark Electric...they took couple of months to plant 2 poles...after I paid them $900 to do it.

[sprucebunny]

Ya.... I really like your gable end, too. I'd like to build something like that.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  The siding used on the gable end is really expensive and hard to get.   But since it is my office I spared on expense for it is a show room as well.   It took me a spell to gather it up and get it planed but it does looke nice nailed up which is not as easy as one might think.   The front gable will be done in ERC the same way.

[scsmith42]

Arky - VERY NICE!  I've done some of my farm buildings in a similar manner; I really like the way that the natural edged wood looks under the eaves.  On my battens, I will use a 3/4 x 3" board - just seems to look better proportionally to me.

Did you really plane those gable end boards?  I've always left mine rough cut, but yours sure do look good!

Regards,

Scott

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Yes they were planed down to 3/4 thick.  The center cuts tend to cup a bit so I flattened them down.   I am waiting for them to yellow a bit then will seal them.

[Mr Mom]

     Hey thats what my dad wanted to do to the house about 5 years ago.
     Look great.




     Thanks Mr Mom

[TexasTimbers]

Arky that's nice. I like the use of those flitches. I guess they ar flitches.
Say, is the building itself anchored to the planet?
I want to use ERC for siding on some project too. Do you think 1/2" is too thin for siding or should I bump it to 3/4"?

[ARKANSAWYER]

  1/2 is a bit thin and I find 3/4 works better with battens that are 1 inch.  I have sold 1/2 board and battens for inside jobs.

  No the thing is just sitting on rocks.   The running joke in the area is when will it fall off or roll down the hill.   A week or so ago we had a bad wind day.  It gusted to over 50 mph and knocked trees down.  People told me they just drove by to see if the building was laying on it's side.  :   Entergy finally came and hooked up power.   The Lineman said at least the power wire will keep it from going to far.  :D :D
  See what happens when there are no building codes.  It would amaze you the number of people who tell me it will never stand.   The thing is the oldest buildings in the area are built the same way and have been here for 100 plus years.

[thedeeredude]

Nice place Arky!  I don't know if a foundation like that would work up here because of frost heave though.  Or doesnt it matter since nothing was put in the ground?  What size building is it too?

[hillbilly]

         ARKY ,
        is there a set width that you are using for your lap siding ?
         It looks great you've done a great job .
hillbilly

[thecfarm]

We have frost here in Maine and there are still old barns and building standing on rocks like that.Yes,some should be shored back up,but 100 years plus,what can one expect.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Inspectors expect 1000 years.  : : : :

  Get a real kick outta the people that move into Florida. Want concrete houses that are TUFF to heat and cool, unless ya got deep pockets.  Their statement when I tell 'em I would NEVER live in a concrete house, is, WELL, you don't see many OLD WOODEN houses standing, do you ????????

  My comeback is FLORIDA HAD VERY FEW RESIDENTS in the OLD days.  Didn't NEED lots of houses ???  : : :

[Raphael]

Here's what I had to do to keep our inspector happy.