Updated Home Page

Griff · 01-02-2002, 07:54 AM

We finally put new pictures up on the home page. There are a few shots of my fireplace project under the heading more photos. Time to get back on the stick... lumber run...

http://home.epix.net/~griffins/index.html

01-02-2002, 09:56 AM

Good work on the house, chap.

Where you at in the world? Looks rather... cold.

Also, you planning on building stairs up to that door or what?

Griff · 01-02-2002, 11:21 AM

Thanks d.

We're in Northeast Pennsyltucky, its been pretty cold for the last couple weeks, after a much warmer than normal fall, but we've lacked any significant snowfall so far. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but PA seems to have two distinct weather patterns which meet north of Allentown right at the Lehigh tunnel. When I was living there in Allentown, (still catchy), I couldn't believe how much warmer the weather was than even the Wyoming Valley just up the pike.

The door... You have to have a minimum inseam to visit.

That whole side of the house will have a deck with stairs sometime next summer. When you live in it while you're building you have to put up with some annoyances, if you don't want a morgage.

elSicomoro · 01-02-2002, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Griff
We're in Northeast Pennsyltucky

*laughs*

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle.

01-02-2002, 11:40 AM

It seriously looks really good. The only concern I'd have about the door is one of the kids opening it and falling out, but I assume you keep it deadbolted (or locked really well) to prevent that from happening.

A friend and teacher of mine built his own home - by himself. No help from the wife, dad, anything. Bought the land and built it. Took him a while, but he's got one of the most amazing houses I've ever seen. Of course, he's always adding something to it. But he's got a koi pond outside, etc. One story he tells, which I can verify: he never had a skylight in the house. Well, he and his wife were lying in bed one night and she said "Robert, we really should have a skylight here. It'd be nice to look up at the stars from bed." So the next day, she goes to work and he gets out the chainsaw... put in a skylight that day

Did a damn fine job too, just like the rest of the house. And it definitely makes his house that more special to him, as I'm sure yours is to your family. I'd like to do it some day, but I doubt I'll ever have the time - maybe if I'm retired by 40 I can swing it. One can only hope.

Anyway, good luck with it, and keep us updated - it definitely looks like you're making great progress.

Question - how long (weeks, months, etc) have you put in on it so far? And do you have any outside help? Just curious.

Griff · 01-02-2002, 12:24 PM

I got the property from my Dad, after searching high and low for the perfect place. I designed it all myself, ran the strength of materials numbers through the various formulae...You can still get land here for less than $1K an acre so thats a barrier which can be overcome. All the major timbers you see there, I cut from the woods on the property and sawed them with my uncle at his mill, trading my labor in his hayfields for his saw time. The basement was poured at cost by another cousin, who now has the right to call on me for whatever/whenever. Thats another cousins (see a pattern here?)log picker we're lifting the bents with and all the guys are volunteers, because its not everyday you get a chance to assemble something like that. I cut all the joinery and have done the rest of the carpentry, electrical and plumbing, while my wife pays the bills and does a lot of the fussy work, paint, spackle, etc... We've been at this on and off for about three years, working part-time, paying cash and going slow, with the only loan being under $10K for the mandated sand mound septic system... don't get me started... See that Ted shed... we lived in that man... no water/septic he he maybe I don't follow all the stupid laws....

01-02-2002, 01:08 PM

You're lucky, man. My family are all stupid engineers and shit. The only thing I can ask them for is if I need to be reminded exactly what a resistor or a capacitor is.

Actually, my dad's a pretty good handyman, and my uncle owns his own carpentry business. He's really sharp, but he just decided that he wanted to be a carpenter, so he dropped out of college and went to work. If you're ever in Florida and need something built, look up Richard Ham and give him a holler. I think he's expensive though - he's one of the best carpenters in the state, I do believe. Got a pretty big business actually.

Which leads me to another thing - he just bought an island so he could build it up and have his retirement there. I think that's pretty slick - he rows out there and works on it in his free time. I wouldn't mind having an island...

warch · 01-02-2002, 04:31 PM

Amazing work! Thanks for the pictures. I love the stone fireplace. and the handwrought house is wonderful.Is the fireplace your only heat?

The happy little griffins seem mighty well crafted too!

my complements to you and Ms. Griff on your home.

Mr Warch and I have discussed the possiblilities of bugging out to rural Manitoba...raising sunflowers and flax. But for now we continue to nurture our 82 year old house. We love it, creaky floors and all.

jaguar · 01-02-2002, 04:33 PM

THat is some very ,very cool seriously hardcore construction. Good work!!

Griff · 01-02-2002, 04:47 PM

The only heat we've used since I built it is the fireplace, two armloads of wood per day during the cold snap, pretty efficient. We used kerosene last winter which was nasty but effective. I installed baseboard electric in the bath and basement for insurance purposes but I am a tightwad so, "If you're cold put on a sweater."

Highest compliment I've gotten so far was from a 7 year old boy. He told my daughter, "You've got the coolest house in the class!" That kids not half bad, for a boy, as you can see we're partial to girls here.

Mamamamaninitobaba. Yikes talk about cold. You'll need much more wood up there.

verbatim · 01-02-2002, 04:50 PM

When its done, we should have a "beaking in" party there.

Just kidding. If someone ever came to my house expecting a party, (unless they bring beer/hot chicks) they're gonna get shot at. You should put up one of these signs out front (attached it, dunno if it will work. things like this tend not to for me).

Undertoad · 01-02-2002, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by warch

The happy little griffins seem mighty well crafted too!

Yes, Griff, tell us about your custom joinery work for THAT project! :)

Griff · 01-02-2002, 06:17 PM

Its really the simplest joint known to man, unfortunately its not permanent, no matter what the viagra people try to tell yah.

01-02-2002, 07:54 AM	#1
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Updated Home Page We finally put new pictures up on the home page. There are a few shots of my fireplace project under the heading more photos. Time to get back on the stick... lumber run... http://home.epix.net/~griffins/index.html

01-02-2002, 04:33 PM	#9
jaguar whig Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 5,075	THat is some very ,very cool seriously hardcore construction. Good work!! __________________ Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. - Twain

01-02-2002, 04:47 PM	#10
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	heat? The only heat we've used since I built it is the fireplace, two armloads of wood per day during the cold snap, pretty efficient. We used kerosene last winter which was nasty but effective. I installed baseboard electric in the bath and basement for insurance purposes but I am a tightwad so, "If you're cold put on a sweater." Highest compliment I've gotten so far was from a 7 year old boy. He told my daughter, "You've got the coolest house in the class!" That kids not half bad, for a boy, as you can see we're partial to girls here. Mamamamaninitobaba. Yikes talk about cold. You'll need much more wood up there.

01-02-2002, 04:50 PM	#11
verbatim Vice-President of Resentment Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Pennsultucky Posts: 199	When its done, we should have a "beaking in" party there. Just kidding. If someone ever came to my house expecting a party, (unless they bring beer/hot chicks) they're gonna get shot at. You should put up one of these signs out front (attached it, dunno if it will work. things like this tend not to for me). Attached Images __________________ <-- I'm with stupid

01-02-2002, 09:56 AM	#2
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Good work on the house, chap. Where you at in the world? Looks rather... cold. Also, you planning on building stairs up to that door or what?

01-02-2002, 11:21 AM	#3
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Thanks d. We're in Northeast Pennsyltucky, its been pretty cold for the last couple weeks, after a much warmer than normal fall, but we've lacked any significant snowfall so far. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but PA seems to have two distinct weather patterns which meet north of Allentown right at the Lehigh tunnel. When I was living there in Allentown, (still catchy), I couldn't believe how much warmer the weather was than even the Wyoming Valley just up the pike. The door... You have to have a minimum inseam to visit. That whole side of the house will have a deck with stairs sometime next summer. When you live in it while you're building you have to put up with some annoyances, if you don't want a morgage.

01-02-2002, 11:40 AM	#5
dave Guest Posts: n/a	It seriously looks really good. The only concern I'd have about the door is one of the kids opening it and falling out, but I assume you keep it deadbolted (or locked really well) to prevent that from happening. A friend and teacher of mine built his own home - by himself. No help from the wife, dad, anything. Bought the land and built it. Took him a while, but he's got one of the most amazing houses I've ever seen. Of course, he's always adding something to it. But he's got a koi pond outside, etc. One story he tells, which I can verify: he never had a skylight in the house. Well, he and his wife were lying in bed one night and she said "Robert, we really should have a skylight here. It'd be nice to look up at the stars from bed." So the next day, she goes to work and he gets out the chainsaw... put in a skylight that day Did a damn fine job too, just like the rest of the house. And it definitely makes his house that more special to him, as I'm sure yours is to your family. I'd like to do it some day, but I doubt I'll ever have the time - maybe if I'm retired by 40 I can swing it. One can only hope. Anyway, good luck with it, and keep us updated - it definitely looks like you're making great progress. Question - how long (weeks, months, etc) have you put in on it so far? And do you have any outside help? Just curious.

01-02-2002, 12:24 PM	#6
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	I got the property from my Dad, after searching high and low for the perfect place. I designed it all myself, ran the strength of materials numbers through the various formulae...You can still get land here for less than $1K an acre so thats a barrier which can be overcome. All the major timbers you see there, I cut from the woods on the property and sawed them with my uncle at his mill, trading my labor in his hayfields for his saw time. The basement was poured at cost by another cousin, who now has the right to call on me for whatever/whenever. Thats another cousins (see a pattern here?)log picker we're lifting the bents with and all the guys are volunteers, because its not everyday you get a chance to assemble something like that. I cut all the joinery and have done the rest of the carpentry, electrical and plumbing, while my wife pays the bills and does a lot of the fussy work, paint, spackle, etc... We've been at this on and off for about three years, working part-time, paying cash and going slow, with the only loan being under $10K for the mandated sand mound septic system... don't get me started... See that Ted shed... we lived in that man... no water/septic he he maybe I don't follow all the stupid laws....

01-02-2002, 01:08 PM	#7
dave Guest Posts: n/a	You're lucky, man. My family are all stupid engineers and shit. The only thing I can ask them for is if I need to be reminded exactly what a resistor or a capacitor is. Actually, my dad's a pretty good handyman, and my uncle owns his own carpentry business. He's really sharp, but he just decided that he wanted to be a carpenter, so he dropped out of college and went to work. If you're ever in Florida and need something built, look up Richard Ham and give him a holler. I think he's expensive though - he's one of the best carpenters in the state, I do believe. Got a pretty big business actually. Which leads me to another thing - he just bought an island so he could build it up and have his retirement there. I think that's pretty slick - he rows out there and works on it in his free time. I wouldn't mind having an island...

01-02-2002, 04:31 PM	#8
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Amazing work! Thanks for the pictures. I love the stone fireplace. and the handwrought house is wonderful.Is the fireplace your only heat? The happy little griffins seem mighty well crafted too! my complements to you and Ms. Griff on your home. Mr Warch and I have discussed the possiblilities of bugging out to rural Manitoba...raising sunflowers and flax. But for now we continue to nurture our 82 year old house. We love it, creaky floors and all.

01-02-2002, 06:17 PM	#13
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Its really the simplest joint known to man, unfortunately its not permanent, no matter what the viagra people try to tell yah.

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