Jeramie Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 My wife and I bought our house about 8-years ago (almost 8- years). When we bought it we had 1200 sqft. We bought it knowing we would add on. Almost immediately we added a new master bedroom, bath, etc. That took our sqft up to 1468. Around a year later we had our first daughter. A few years later we had our second and QUICKLY outgrew our 1468 square feet. We new it would be a lot of work but we decided to take taxes, my bonus, and what savings we had and add on instead of borrowing money. Residential construction is 100/ sqft here so it was an estimated cost of $54,000.00 for the addition. My wife and I did 99% of the work. It took time, stress, and I aged 5 years in that amount of time but this coming friday I am laying carpet. I couldnt wait until the carpet to post pictures. We have literally worked every weekend and every free minute for the past 1 1/2 years. We are tired, stressed, and so much more but thrilled we are almost done. Here is the floorplan of our house. I drew it but didnt highlight the bedrooms over to the right (west). The two large bedrooms and new bath are what we added. The lines are the spider system heat and air I re-ducted. We also added a new heat and air unit this year. Our other wasnt nearly large enough to handle 2008 square feet. Breaking ground. I dug the footings with a trackhoe with a 12" bucket (rental). Later that week I tied rebar and we poured the footings. My wife and I came back a few days later, formed, plumbed, built the pad, had it sprayed, put down plastic, and then tied rebar for the pad in just 36 hours with just the two of us! I finished tieing rebar at 2:00 a.m. At 7:00 a.m. My dad, brother, uncle, and I were standing at the back of a concrete truck pouring mud. My foreman keeping an eye on my mad trackhoe skills. And we start framing including wrestling 23' 2x8's for the cut in roof. Post concrete my wife and did everything else our selves. She was there step by step with the plumbing, electrical, heat and air, insuation, sheetock, mud and tape, paint, trim, etc. Begin the Insulation, sheetrock, mud/ tape, texture, trim, etc. Opening the wall from the old house to the new addition and then the restults one week later. 2x8 laminated beam..... Opened, cased, stained, and paint/ texture/ lights/ trim, etc. in the entry. Nearly done... Only one weekend to go! And of course work is almost never done. We also changed the cheap siding the contractor put on to Hardi Board lap siding. We have to paint and trim the entire house soon. This coming spring im changing the entire metal roof to 29ga galvanized ag panel so it looks like a country home. We have a list of other things to do soon but after I get the carpet down this weekend we are taking a LOOOOOOOONG break and I am actually doing some hunting this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
535hunter Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I got to say that's a **** of job to take on yourself and you all pulled it off. Congratulations to you and the wife for a great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Nice work Jeramie! The place looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 That's awesome. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I know what you're going though bud, been at it all myself over the last 12 months, though to a little lesser extent. Didn't take a lot of before pics, just gutted rooms, floored, painted, trimmed, etc. It gets pretty tiring for sure when you come home night after night plus weekends and either plumbing, laying tile, wiring, or painting. My hat's off to you, you deserve a break for sure. PS - you always case your windows/doors out then stain? I always stain/poly, then cut and trim out after I've painted the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I didnt nail fill the base trim so it was stained and cut, then hung. However, the cased openings and windows all got nail filler so I waited so I could fill the holes, sand it, and then stain. Otherwise you have to sand off stain and try to re-stain without leaving darker spots from the touch up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I gotcha. I don't usually fill them, shoot them up with an 18ga brad and try to set the heads to flush out as best as possible, and shoot a brown-headed nail. Not too noticeable, or at least not any difference in my hole patching, lol. Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrich Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Great work you guys! I'm glad that you all are finally going to get a "break", and just in time for hunting season too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Great work you guys! I'm glad that you all are finally going to get a "break", and just in time for hunting season too!\ Funny how that works out isnt it..... There were several late, late nights but I told her I would be done by season and wasnt messing around. Im still going this weekend even though im laying carpet on Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texastrophies Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I'm impressed. Good job to both of you and to your kids for having the patience to put up with you two while all this was going on. Now go kill you a big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Very good job there Jeramie and Mrs too! Sweat equity cannot be bought. You guys earned that big time. One thing too about doing lots of work to "your" home. That connection is made. It is when a house become a home and the memories start to build. Enjoy your hard work and make the most of your time afield this fall. Lord knows you've earned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pruts Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Looks great. Congratulations on finishing your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 sure does look great to me. way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NS whitetail Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Looks Great !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbarcheryhunter Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Looking good !!! It sure feels good wen u work in a project just u and the family and u get the job completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 That purple looks familiar, looks like the same color in our 11 year olds room. Looks good Jeramie, you two did some real nice work there, you are better with drywall and paint than am I. You saved a bundle too. With what we have gone through with our house, kinda know a little about being ready to be done, contractor got us in the dry or at least close to it and we/I did everything else. Still fixing the contractor's messes, never ends. Don't think however that I will ever be done, just extended our back deck from 8x8 to 24x8 and put a roof over it, and seems the list goes on. Still have not finished all my trim work. Like John said, stain my boards first before putting them up. Next big project here when we have the funds is to finish out another room in the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbeck Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Nice work, It's really nice to be able to do the stuff yourself, not from just saving the cost but the fact that you did it. Your girls look like they like to help like my girls do. LOL Congrats, I got the kitchen finished this past spring, now looking forward to a deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Very impressive. What a sense of accomplishment!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Nice work, It's really nice to be able to do the stuff yourself, not from just saving the cost but the fact that you did it. Your girls look like they like to help like my girls do. LOL Congrats, I got the kitchen finished this past spring, now looking forward to a deck. They do like to help. They like to be in the middle of everything. I go feed horses, chickens, etc every night and they are on my hip. They actually cry when they have to get in the bath instead of helping dad. They want to know about everything too. If I bring home a dead duck, dove, deer, etc. they want to hold it, poke it, and ask a million questions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintlock1776 Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Looks great! Congrats! Interesting, I just changed my IP service to 15MB u 2 MG down and your pictures loaded up just fine. Quick too! All the best with the home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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