Foundation

If you don't mind a leaky basement, if you don't mind soggy carpet, a "smell" that you just can't get rid ... don't bother reading this post. Today I am going to show you one of those not so glamorous or fun tasks that you must do to build a house right. But it can effect the comfort and usability - not to mention value - of your home incredibly. Today, we are going to waterproof the below grade foundation of the Momplex!

The hill has a big hole in it. On Saturday morning, the big boss showed up at the top of the hill. And for the next two days, it pulsed a tiny red laser light around and around, watching what we were doing.The laser level has a buddy, called a detector, that you attach to a big measuring stick.  He's kind of the inside guy, with the inside scoop.  When the detector is level with the flashing red light, it beeps, and you know how deep to dig. But before we get to digging, w

Today's task?Build a perfectly level box 44 feet long and 44 feet wide on not so even ground.  Think of it as the most giant of raised garden beds.  Or you could just think of them as footers for the Momplex.We rented a compactor for $100.  It's about the size of a lawnmower with a flip up handle.  You run the compactor over wet ground and it compacts the soil.  That way when you build your footers and pour concrete, the footers don't sink in the soil due to lack of comp

It finally stopped raining. As if the weather knew that today mud was coming for the footers.You can tell it's early morning.  There are no clouds in front of the Alaska range.  And today is going to be a busy one.Onsite babysiter still on site.Footers backfilled for extra support and to keep the mud in place.And the concrete truck is here!The concrete truck has a spout on the front where the mud comes out.And what looks like waterslide pieces are attached to the spout to extend the

You know what makes for a good friend?Someone who comes through for you.And you, my friends, came through for us last week.When I asked your opinion on how we should divide up the bonus basement space in the Momplex, over 100 of you responded.  Thank you so much.OptionsSo what option did we end up choosing?  Did we choose the too big bathroom stealing the view window?  Or the dream open space a flight of stairs from plumbing?  Was it Option #1 or Option #2?Option #3: Your Opt

The next step for the Momplex is the basement slab.We could have poured the slab inside the footers, right after we put the footers in, but we ultimately decided to wait.  We wanted to elevate the slab above the footer so it is insulated on all sides, saving our Moms on future heating costs and removing the likelihood of cold floors closer to exterior walls.  Also, by waiting to pour the slab, we take away the risk of the slab being damaged by the bracing system, or worse yet

Most days we are pretty thankful to be working up on top of the Momplex hill.And we are usually pretty happy to just keep right on working into the evening.And sometimes we even run back up to enjoy a beautiful sunset.But beauty has it's price.And after three days of wind, especially terrible hilltop and with no barrier, gusting upwards of 60MPH on the top of the Momplex hill, we were downright frightened as we drove to assess the damage.Imagine holding a sheet of blueboard out the window as you

For a few weeks now, the Ram has been saying, "When it comes time to pour the slab at the Momplex, I'm just going to hire someone."  And while I've never said no, the do-it-yourself spirit in me felt like if we can get this far with family helping out, why can't we pour our own slab? Don't get me wrong, this is no easy task. The slab at the Momplex is 44 feet by 44 feet - quite large for a residential, and certainly a great challenge. Further progressing the challenge is the slab is p

When we poured the slab for the Momplex, we saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Or more appropriately, build two roof support foundation systems with one concrete slab pour.

It just started snowing. These past few weeks, it's been all hands on deck to get the Momplex as far along as possible before winter sets in, so I haven't had as much time to post plans and answer comments, and I do apologize. Thank you so much to everyone helping out - I am so thankful that our community of builders is not only very smart and innovative, but generous and helpful. Thank you thank you!But we have been making steady progress on the Momplex, and I'm excited to share with you

Do you remember last year when we poured the slab for the Momplex, that we used up the extra concrete to fill up these sonotubes?  (UPDATE: Thanks to all of you, I now know those are not spelled saunatubes!  hehe!)

Well, today, they are going to become more than just an obstacle to avoid in front of the Momplex.

Those posts are the foundations for the little roofs!

And today we are going anchor beams into those concrete fil

You all are just awesome. I feel especially thankful and appreciative today because I won't be calling these sono tubes "sauna tubes" today (thank you!) and because you have helped us solve the Great Gable Debate! Thank you all for you so very helpful comments, you have shown us solutions that we would never have even considered! It has taken us longer than we thought to put siding up on the Momplex, and although we are feeling confident about getting the Momplex completely sealed befor