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Our house build is finally almost ready to begin. We are heading to VT to watch them break ground and start digging the foundation, driveway, electric and water trenches, septic system, clear trees and an old camp. If all goes well, we should be moving in next summer. I'll post photos and updates. I can't wait to get started. This is 2 years in the making.
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Jul 6, 2020 22:02
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| # ? May 29, 2024 16:28 |
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he1ixx posted:Our house build is finally almost ready to begin. We are heading to VT to watch them break ground and start digging the foundation, driveway, electric and water trenches, septic system, clear trees and an old camp. If all goes well, we should be moving in next summer. I'll post photos and updates. I can't wait to get started. This is 2 years in the making. Awesome, congrats! That is our dream to do a full rebuild, someday.
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Jul 6, 2020 22:35
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how long did city planning/approval take, and how long did you plan prior to starting?
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Jul 7, 2020 03:41
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His Divine Shadow posted:Started on the shed build, prepping the ground And this is it done, earth dug out and moved around, replaced with gravel that's been compacted and leveled. Still need to get insulation and underground drainage pipes and the next step is building concrete forms:  David had a swell time last night  
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Jul 7, 2020 08:18
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ntan1 posted:how long did city planning/approval take, and how long did you plan prior to starting? We started this whole thing about 2 years ago, looking for a convention house but then transitioning to building our own. If we were building from scratch, we wanted a net-zero/passivehaus, powered by solar panels and basically no cost-no maintenance once it was done. So we looked at pre-fabs for a while, then started talking to what eventually became our architect in Jan/Feb of 2019. We started designing the house around then and booked a long trip to search for property in May of 2019. We found what we were looking for and started planning in earnest at that point. We booked another trip a few months later and found a local builder after interviewing about 6 of them. (oh we're trying to keep it all local to the area too. forgot to mention that). Fast forward to this year. Our architect completed construction drawings in the beginning of June. We had been kicking around design drawings from last summer until about January. There were many meetings with the architect and interior designer during the ensuing months, some with the builder added to discuss feasibility and cost implications and doing "value engineering". Each meeting brought things closer and closer to a final design. Once we hit the 100% design drawing phase, we handed it off to the builder for doing estimates on materials, getting quotes from sub-contractors and all of the work they needed to do. We are trying to do a fixed-cost build which might end up costing us a little more if things go perfectly but will save us money if there are surprises. The goal is the contain costs through planning (which my partner and I both do for a living). We submitted drawings and forms to the zoning board May 20 and it was approved June 15. There was a 15 day appeal period but we got no appeals so we're a "go". Last week we went back to the builder for final sub-contractor quotes. Because that's going to take a while, we're splitting the contract into two parts -- the site work and the house construction. The sitework is pretty well-defined and is being done by one company so it was easier to get a handle on quickly. I keep pushing to start ASAP because the supply delays due to COVID are unpredictable and we need to move into a finished house by next summer. If all goes well, the site-work will be done in a couple of weeks and we'll have the following ready: trees cut, cleared old camp on the property knocked down and cleared concrete foundation poured pad for garage (also concrete) and screened porch done trenches for water and electricity dug prep for well-digging septic system ready for installation driveway complete Then we should get final numbers from the builder, we approve it and he orders things like windows, doors, Zehnder, HVAC, and starts framing with the goal of getting things built up and enclosed before snow flies. 
he1ixx fucked around with this message at 13:55 on Jul 7, 2020 |
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Jul 7, 2020 13:50
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he1ixx posted:...goal of getting things built up and enclosed before snow flies. So all that done in 4 months then?  Are you coming from a warmer latitude? I assume from the 'camp' that was cleared you are moving to the middle of nowhere, have you got a plan to deal with plowing/snowblowing your very long driveway?
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Jul 7, 2020 14:04
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Nevets posted:So all that done in 4 months then? Yeah its going to be a big push but our builder seems to think, if we get the sitework done over the next couple of weeks, its possible. We're coming from PA so we deal with snow but not Vermont levels of snow. The garage is sized for a Kubota L-series tractor with a snow-thrower and bucket which I've already planned and budgeted for (and super excited about). The land was part of a huge parcel that was subdivided into parcels of 12-25 acres. Ours is ~14 acres and has a weird cabin that a reclusive son of the original owner used to live in. He supposedly lived in it for years but it is mostly a vaguely propped up collection of old rotten lumber at this point. The property is pretty great because its a typical VT dirt road with houses on it that you can't see because they are buried down side roads or in the woods but its about 4 minutes from the center of Stowe or Waterbury depending on which way you go.
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Jul 7, 2020 14:28
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Small world, I graduated from Stowe High School! That sounds like a nice spot to be in, you're only about 10 minutes from I-89 then another 20 minutes from Williston where are all the shopping centers are, or 30 minutes to Burlington.
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Jul 7, 2020 14:51
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Nevets posted:Small world, I graduated from Stowe High School! That sounds like a nice spot to be in, you're only about 10 minutes from I-89 then another 20 minutes from Williston where are all the shopping centers are, or 30 minutes to Burlington. HA! That's wild. yeah its round the corner from Emily's bridge, if you know where that is. We were super lucky to be looking for properties in mud season so no one had seen this one but us. We looked at 40 properties or so all along the route 100 corridor (from Warren to Elmore, basically) but glad we settled on this one. South facing land on a hill overlooking a pond (not ours) should be perfect for a passivehaus.
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Jul 7, 2020 14:58
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he1ixx posted:The garage is sized for a Kubota L-series tractor with a snow-thrower and bucket which I've already planned and budgeted for (and super excited about). Are you getting the front mounted snow blower? And if so, is the garage sized for your loader to be hanging around taking up a bunch of space while it's not on the tractor?
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Jul 7, 2020 15:41
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I selfishly hope you do a massive build thread with lots of pictures.
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Jul 7, 2020 15:51
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Any recommended software for building out a house from floor plans? I am building soon and just want to test out furniture and stuff. Also, any must haves for upgrades? Meeting again with the builder this week to go over stuff. I've skimmed a few things online to ask for but wanted to ask here too. 
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Jul 7, 2020 16:22
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Vintersorg posted:Any recommended software for building out a house from floor plans? I am building soon and just want to test out furniture and stuff. Also, any must haves for upgrades? Meeting again with the builder this week to go over stuff. I've skimmed a few things online to ask for but wanted to ask here too. Most people recommended Sketchup to me. I’ve done some garage layout prototyping with it. The learning curve is no joke but it seems to work ok (and free for basic stuff).
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Jul 7, 2020 16:56
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H110Hawk posted:I selfishly hope you do a massive build thread with lots of pictures. I might do that! I find the process we're going through super interesting and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
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Jul 7, 2020 16:57
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Motronic posted:Are you getting the front mounted snow blower? And if so, is the garage sized for your loader to be hanging around taking up a bunch of space while it's not on the tractor? The "standard" setup for Vermont snow-plowing tractors is a front-mounted loader, rear-mounted snow-thrower. The bucket comes with a welded hitch loop on it for pulling cars out of ditches. It also comes with filled tires and chains as well as an engine block heater. We sized the garage to fit the fully-assembled tractor (both height and length) so we should be alllll good. It has always been a dream of mine (and my wife too!) to own a tractor so I'm having a ton of fun planning that whole side of things out.
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Jul 7, 2020 17:02
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Vintersorg posted:Any recommended software for building out a house from floor plans? I am building soon and just want to test out furniture and stuff. Also, any must haves for upgrades? Meeting again with the builder this week to go over stuff. I've skimmed a few things online to ask for but wanted to ask here too. Ethernet. Maybe not to every single room since wireless is good enough for most people’s use cases, but consider running some wires for optimal power over Ethernet access point placement back to wherever your telco service entrance is for a small patch panel/router setup.
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Jul 7, 2020 17:04
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he1ixx posted:The "standard" setup for Vermont snow-plowing tractors is a front-mounted loader, rear-mounted snow-thrower. The bucket comes with a welded hitch loop on it for pulling cars out of ditches. It also comes with filled tires and chains as well as an engine block heater. We sized the garage to fit the fully-assembled tractor (both height and length) so we should be alllll good. It has always been a dream of mine (and my wife too!) to own a tractor so I'm having a ton of fun planning that whole side of things out. Ahhh, okay. I kinda hate rear mounted throwers (driving backwards forever). But to each their own. Kubota makes a nice tractor, so I'm sure you'll be happy. I've got a B2650 with a cab, but I'm in PA so I run with a quick attach plow on the loader (you need to be careful with this setup - you can bend the loader arms easily since they aren't designed for side to side stress) and a box blade on the back. Pro-tip: your homeowners insurance stops covering your tractor the second it's off your property. KTAC insurance is very inexpensive and covers all KINDS of stuff. It's got to be subsidized by Kubota somehow. I'm paying about $550/year for the tractor, loader and a zero turn mower. Covers even gross stupidity and replacement glass. E: Kubota is still putting incandescent works lights on all of their stuff. Remove them and put them directly into the trash and buy some $25/pair LEDs on Amazon and they will be 4x as bright.
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Jul 7, 2020 17:50
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Motronic posted:Ahhh, okay. I kinda hate rear mounted throwers (driving backwards forever). But to each their own. Yeah the rear-mount always seemed suboptimal to me but they said that since you're doing a lot of lifting of the heavy end-of-driveway snow and moving big drifts around during the winter the rear-mount ends up being way less work as far as switching things around. With this setup, you just pull it out of the garage and you're ready for whatever baloney nature throws at you. Great info on the homeowners. I hadn't even thought of it. (we are buying the zero-turn from kubota too since they are giving a deal on both). Also good advice on the headlights. I see plowing in the dark definitely being a thing in my future.
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Jul 7, 2020 18:01
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he1ixx posted:Also good advice on the headlights. I see plowing in the dark definitely being a thing in my future. The back was pretty simple to replace. In fact, I didn't even order them for the back, but the entire thing was pre-wired. All I had to do was buy a switch for the dashboard and plug it in:  I'm still messing with what I want to do in the front. I made up a bracket to mount the same ones I have in the back, but looking around the barn realized I have this still mounted on a basket rack I never use anymore:  ....and that thing throws out some LIGHT. So I'm gonna eventually get around to making a different set of brackets and fit that on. Also, assuming you got a cab model, do NOT pay for the radio. Again, the entire thing is pre-wired. The antenna is mounted and wired. The speakers are installed and wired. Some dude on eBay makes a plug/harness side so you can put it any radio you want without cutting the tractor wiring harness. The radio they put in there is overpriced and absolute garbage. I put in a Jensen Heavy Duty water/shock proof that has bluetooth. Yes, I've taken calls/done meetings from the tractor.
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Jul 7, 2020 18:11
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he1ixx posted:HA! That's wild. yeah its round the corner from Emily's bridge, if you know where that is. We were super lucky to be looking for properties in mud season so no one had seen this one but us. We looked at 40 properties or so all along the route 100 corridor (from Warren to Elmore, basically) but glad we settled on this one. South facing land on a hill overlooking a pond (not ours) should be perfect for a passivehaus. So, I can't be 100% sure obviously, but there's a chance you bought land from one of the managing partners/owners of the company I work for. And given the area you're building, there's a chance that one of the contractors you're using is one of my company's clients. Small world.
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Jul 7, 2020 19:14
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DrBouvenstein posted:So, I can't be 100% sure obviously, but there's a chance you bought land from one of the managing partners/owners of the company I work for. Very small world! That's wild. Its funny because we were talking to our builder about the excavation company and he said "Well the project manager for the excavation company lives two doors down from you. He walked over to do the estimate." Small world, indeed. We'll take any and all VT advice you folks have. We've been visiting for years, in fact I even have a kid up at Champlain in college(!) and we have wanted to move there since 2015 or 2016. I'm glad its finally looking like its going to work out. (FINGERS CROSSED because its super easy for stuff to go sideways)
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Jul 7, 2020 19:31
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he1ixx posted:Most people recommended Sketchup to me. I’ve done some garage layout prototyping with it. The learning curve is no joke but it seems to work ok (and free for basic stuff). Depending on how complex you want to get and what you're trying to do Tinkercad has a much shallower learning curve (and feature set). I've used it for quickly designing stuff like raised flower beds and other simple projects which it works well for—it definitely wouldn't work for reproducing your floor plan and placing perfectly modeled replicas of all of your furniture, but if you're just trying to figure out spacing and layout and stuff it should work fine and be much easier to get a handle on.
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Jul 7, 2020 20:02
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he1ixx posted:We'll take any and all VT advice you folks have. Make friends with somebody who sugars, you'll probably get 1/2 gallon of syrup every spring as a gift. If you want more, offer to help checking lines or emptying buckets or whatever and you'll probably be set all year. Also watch out for ticks, I don't know how bad they are in PA but in the last few years they've gotten terrible in VT. Protect your pets, and wear long sleeved shirts & full pants when working in long grass or the woods. Lyme disease can be chronic in some cases.
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Jul 7, 2020 20:05
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Nevets posted:Also watch out for ticks, I don't know how bad they are in PA but in the last few years they've gotten terrible in VT. I live in Southeast PA, and I pulled a deer tick out of my stomach last week. This is even with my spraying of the brush line with bifenthrin, showering immediately after yard work, and generally staying out of woods/tall grasses. Our deer population is completely out of control; Daily I'll see herds of a half-dozen or more chillin in my suburban (though 1.5 acre) backyard.
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Jul 7, 2020 20:52
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B-Nasty posted:I live in Southeast PA, and I pulled a deer tick out of my stomach last week. This is even with my spraying of the brush line with bifenthrin, showering immediately after yard work, and generally staying out of woods/tall grasses. I have to go into my backyard every morning and do a good ole fashioned "go on now GIT!" To scare the heard out of my yard. I live in the burbs to but my street backs up to a small forested lot that separates the neighbors million dollar home from mine. I have a fence too but deer give no gently caress and jump it constantly.
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Jul 7, 2020 20:55
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I grew up in Vermont. Everything takes three times longer than it should because of act 250. And no one can drive.
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Jul 7, 2020 21:09
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BonoMan posted:I have to go into my backyard every morning and do a good ole fashioned "go on now GIT!" To scare the heard out of my yard. I live in the burbs to but my street backs up to a small forested lot that separates the neighbors million dollar home from mine. I have a fence too but deer give no gently caress and jump it constantly. They will stop doing this after you shoot and eat them.
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Jul 7, 2020 21:13
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daslog posted:I grew up in Vermont. Everything takes three times longer than it should because of act 250. And no one can drive. It's funny but we're moving to VT because of most of the things that Act 250 provides for -- cleaner air, more trees, less building, etc. I'm sure its not perfect but I submit pretty much any other state as proof of what happens when you don't do that stuff. And as far as people's lack of ability to drive -- yes, I've seen some real doozies in Vermont, that's for sure. Usually pickup trucks in a big hurry for some reason. For "state with worst drivers" though, I used to live in NJ and have driven through Massachusetts and holy crap.
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Jul 7, 2020 22:16
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Nevets posted:Make friends with somebody who sugars, you'll probably get 1/2 gallon of syrup every spring as a gift. If you want more, offer to help checking lines or emptying buckets or whatever and you'll probably be set all year. We have a lot of maples on our property so we are thinking about sugaring too. We have a neighbor with apple orchards who raises lab puppies and a pond so we're definitely going to make friends with them  . Ticks, yeah we stomped around on the land last summer and got a few ticks but luckily no lyme's. I just pemethrin'd our clothes and shoes to get ready for the trip up next week and we're definitely gearing up. I. hate. ticks. We had a ton in our current property until we got chickens. No chickens are going to happen in VT though because they'd basically be an appetizer for all manner of wildlife we've seen leave tracks in the snow last winter.
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Jul 7, 2020 22:20
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Here's your new homeowner starter pack for that place: E: Speaking of which, my spray trailer for the zero turn just shipped. Should have it this week.
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Jul 7, 2020 22:33
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he1ixx posted:We have a lot of maples on our property so we are thinking about sugaring too. We have a neighbor with apple orchards who raises lab puppies and a pond so we're definitely going to make friends with them I think you should build a fort knox of a coop, especially if you're up for hearing rooster noises, and then let them out some during the daytime to eat ticks.
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Jul 8, 2020 00:34
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he1ixx posted:Very small world! That's wild. Its funny because we were talking to our builder about the excavation company and he said "Well the project manager for the excavation company lives two doors down from you. He walked over to do the estimate." Small world, indeed. Montpelier has Mad Taco, Three Penny Taproom, and less traffic than Burlington. Less stores, but that goes hand in hand. Grew up outside Burlington, lived in Montpelier a bit with my now wife. Good luck with the taxes, we now live a bit north of Philly.
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Jul 8, 2020 02:15
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Deer chat, west coast edition: I looked out my office window this morninh  Literally every day.
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Jul 8, 2020 03:15
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Ohhh...that buck owns your place. I had one of those at the old house. I'd come home late and he'd be standing in the tree line stomping and snorting at me. I'm like......poo poo you want to be dinner? I usually go elsewhere to hunt but I got a bow right in here dude. We came to terms after a while. I assume he's still running that area.
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Jul 8, 2020 03:49
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This was me this morning (and my wife says a buck was there yesterday) and every morning: https://i.imgur.com/QYCTErC.mp4
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Jul 8, 2020 03:51
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Alarbus posted:Montpelier has Mad Taco, Three Penny Taproom, and less traffic than Burlington. Less stores, but that goes hand in hand. I haven't been in Montpelier in a while, now, but the first time I went to Three Penny after moving there, I had a very nice chat with a woman - just generic social interaction. A year later, on my last visit to Mad Taco before I moved away, I had a chat with that same woman who recognized me from a year ago. Montpelier was a great place and also I wouldn't ever go back to Vermont as a single adult.
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Jul 8, 2020 04:02
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Those are introduced here in Finland since the 30s and there are now way too many of them, it is thought they are helping spread ticks fruther north as well as increasing their prevalence. I personally say the should be culled to the last individual, they don't belong here.
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Jul 8, 2020 04:58
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BonoMan posted:This was me this morning (and my wife says a buck was there yesterday) and every morning:  Well at least you don't have to mow it.
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Jul 8, 2020 11:33
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Alarbus posted:Montpelier has Mad Taco, Three Penny Taproom, and less traffic than Burlington. Less stores, but that goes hand in hand. We haven't explored Montpelier much but its on the list. We do love Mad Taco in Waitsfield so count me in for any Mad Taco I can get my hands on. The taxes are going to be brutal based on my projections. Absolutely brutal.
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Jul 8, 2020 12:32
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| # ? May 29, 2024 16:28 |
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My favorite place in Montpelier is Wilaiwan's Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/wilaiwan.kitchen/ https://wilaiwanskitchen.com/ An EXTREMELY authentic Thai place. They do a set menu each week, 3 items, $10 for each one, and only open for lunch. If they sell out of something that day, then they're out till tomorrow. Sometimes they also have spring rolls, and sometimes they're fried spring rolls, it seems to be totally random. And yeah, VT taxes are what t hey are. Just think of what you're getting for that. Cleaner air, beautiful views, no billboards, and Bernie Sanders personally delivering a "Welcome to Vermont" gift basket full of maple syrup, Ben and Jerry's, and Darn Tough socks.* *That last one may be a slight exaggeration. I live in Burlington, so I feel your pain. There are some smaller towns with lower taxes, but still likely not "south of New England/New York" levels.
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Jul 8, 2020 13:57
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