In-law suite build thread.

Hey mike bayerl , looks like you are progressing well. You are a very good Man for taking on the responsibility of your in-laws! My hat is off to you and I wish you the best of success through the process!

 

Day #1: Contractors smoothed out the access and started light excavation including finding all the utilities .

 

What a great thread and thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to checking in on the progress.

 

Update 2/28: Excavation continues. Plan for concrete pour on Monday.

 

How many yards what PSI concrete

 

Dunno. Left that to the builder and inspector.

 

Cool thread.

I like concrete when it's in pictures.

 

I am very intrigued by this stage (I’m doing a slab for a sugarhouse this spring).

insulation?
Depth of frost there?
Vapor barrier?
Drainage?
Any utilities (conduit) in the slab?

Please stay home from work and get lots of pics for us!

 

Well, since you say so, I think I'll take off work next week... Actually, I was supposed to go to an international conference LA, but given the uncertainty about the Coronavirus and my immunosuppression for rheumatoid arthritis, I decided to stay home for staycation. I'll take lots of pictures for ya. FWIW, you can see from the picture that we are not excavating a basement, just footers and a slab. That side of the house was walk-out at ground level already. As for utilities, only our water comes in across where they excavated. You can see the well cap in the picts. I think it is below where they had to excavate, so nothing to do there. They were tossing around the idea of re-routing that line if needed.

Have you looked into your local building codes? They will obviously be more relevant to your climate, frost depth, etc. We are much warmer than you, but we do get a little frost. Were are USDA plant hardiness 7a/7b and you look solidly in the 4-5 range. Interactive Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

 

Sorry to hear you’ll miss a big conference, but sounds prudent.

My daughter was in Mt Joy for a while, so I learned just how different our climate is from yours. When I see an experienced builder doing things differently than I would I get curious, because usually they know something I don’t. I say “usually” because I know firsthand the variability of the quality of work done, and most jobs are done with budget restrictions that cause some form of compromise.

We had to get a building permit, but that is it - only setback and height limitations, no inspections. I’m relying on a mix of personal experience, the experience of a neighbor who retired from his own concrete work business, some people here whose work over the years has impressed me, and what I can find to read. I won’t have the weight of a two-story on my footers like you, and if I were to get a cracked in the concrete down the road I’ll be greatly irked but otherwise unaffected.

I chuckled when I saw your first pic with the footprint markings and saw the well. It reminded me of my grandfather. When marking a board for cutting, he would wryly remark that it must be right since it landed in the middle of a knot. It is tempting to move the waterline, I’m sure, but I suspect it will outlive you as-is.

 

Mt. Joy. That's right next door. Sounds like you've got a good plan. Experience is always valuable.

 

...too bad you don't get to blow anything up....


...it's been a slow winter.....

 

But the builder said I'm welcome to run the trackhoe whenever I want... May need to take him up on that to move a couple pesky boulders elsewhere on the property.

 

My parents built their retirement home on our farm about 18 years ago. Mom's last teaching job was computers so she designed the whole thing on her laptop. WIDE doorways, no steps, hand rails everywhere (toilet, sinks, showers, near beds, mirrors). Walk in showers with rain head shower and another "bib" for a handheld shower. Dad could make his way from his scooter to the shower chair and then with the rain head and handheld, do a great job of being clean. Open floor plan for the walkers, power chairs, outlets for powered recliners and chargers. Different height counters in kitchen area in event in a wheelchair instead of standing. I converted a Harbor Freight hydraulic lift table into a full sized table that raises and lowers depending on use (extra table for large meals, lower for her sewing machine, little higher for cutting fabric, etc). We put infloor heat so they went with a cork floor. Easy to clean, has held up beautifully with the canes, walkers, powered scooter. No throw rugs.

Just throwing out some ideas that were incorporated into their home and work very well. Good luck and good for you on taking on this responsibility.

 

Sounds awesome! That thanks for sharing. Much appreciated. My wife is an Occupational Therapist who specializes in helping senior citizens "age in place." So, she's like a kid in a candy store getting to design everything from scratch.

 

Maybe this thread will serve as a repository for ideas for anyone dealing with friends, family or self aging in place.

 

Oh, taller toilets and armed (handicapped type handles) sink handles that a hand/wrist can operate (in the event the fingers are hurting or unable to grasp a twist type handle. Also, something we did not do, but in hindsight should have, dad fell four or five times. Couldn't get him up by myself. Seriously was considering converting an old hydraulic front end jack into a body lift but due to dad's passing this past Nov., not needed. But, a few well anchored eye bolts, bathroom, living room, bedroom, would have been convenient for a winch to lift him off of the floor. No steps, when pouring your concrete, just door thresholds, no steps. Makes your life and theirs easier. Anything you can build into it now, makes them feel less dependent thus more self sufficient.

 

No work today, but the Supervisor showed up for an impromptu site inspection.