Step 11: Electrical Rough-in

The electrical rough-in is a big job because we have to remember to put an electrical box wherever there is going to be a light or switch or plugin or any type of electrical device.  Then we had to run wires between all the boxes and connect it back to the main electrical panel in the Garage.  Finally, we are finishing up as I connect the wires to each electrical box.  The electrical inspection is today, so I hope the inspector doesn't find anything wrong with my electrical work - we will see!

Step 10: Pour Basement Concrete

Today we poured the concrete for the basement floor.  The concrete floor is so much cleaner then the mud and dirt that was there before.  But before we could pour the concrete we had to make sure all the plumbing under the floor was completed and inspected.  And then we had to put in an 8" layer of gravel and poly for vapor barrier.
Now that the concrete is done, we can start framing the basement walls and install the furnaces.

Step 9: Roofing

Now that the framing is done, it is time for roofing.  The roof keeps the water out and it is important to get our house water proof as soon as possible so we can start doing more work inside.
Our roof starts with a layer of tar paper and then we nail down the shingles.  These shingles are Dual Black colour in the Cambridge style.  I like how they look.

Step 8: Framing

The Framing began yesterday and it is progressing fast.  We already can see the basement walls
around the basement and are ready to put the floor on them main level.  Our framers use a crane to put everything in place.  It is really cool.



July 12, 2016 UPDATE: It has been 3 weeks of hard work, but the framing is almost done. Tomorrow we will start putting the trusses on. Check out the progress in this video:

Step 7: Backfill

The Backfill job is when they fill in the trench that was around the basement.  When we do this we also try to get the ground nice and smooth.  We had a little dirt left over but we will be using some of it if the ground sinks later. 

One important thing to remember is you have to make sure everything around the bottom of the house has been completed and inspected before filling in the dirt.

Now that the backfill is done, we are ready to start framing the house!

Step 6: Weeping Tile

Did you know weeping tile isn't actually tile?  Why do they call it weeping tile?  Actually they used
tile for this long ago, but now they use a flexible black pipe with small holes in it - I guess they forgot to change the name - so they call this pipe Weeping Tile.
The purpose of weeping tile is to catch any water on the outside of the house so it doesn't leak into the house.
There are 4 parts to the Weeping Tile job:
1- Spray tar on the concrete to make it waterproof
2- Place the pipe called Weeping Tile around the footings of the house
3- Pour lots of gravel on the Weeping Tile pipe so it doesn't get plugged with dirt
4- Install a tank below the basement floor for all the water to run into. Later we will install a pump in the tank to pump the water into the storm sewer.

Step 5: Hooking up the Services

With the basement walls finished, now it is time to connect the services to the house and run the sewer lines that will be under the concrete in the basement floor.
The services include Water, Sewer, Power, and Telephone.
The waterline is a flexable copper pipe that was coiled up in the dirt below the house.  We dug that up and then need to unwrap it as we run it over to the mechanical room.
The main sewer line is a green pipe that is also under the house.  We dug that up also and need to connect it to our new back-valve and then connect all the sewer pipes together and connect to the back-valve.  We have to get this all finished before they pour the concrete floor in the basement.
The power and telephone lines were wrapped up in a box under the ground outside.  We unrolled them around the house to where the power meter is going to be.  Now we have to bury the cables with sand and then put a board on top to protect the cable in case someone tries to dig into it.

Step 4: Foundation Walls

Today was another busy day on the house construction project.  The Cribbing crew started at 8:00 this morning.  First they removed the boards that were used to form the footings that were done yesterday.  Then a picker truck dropped off all these baskets of form plywood.  Then they spent the morning putting together the form plywood boards.  At 1:00, the pump truck and 2 giant concrete trucks showed up and started pumping the concrete into the walls.  The walls are 5' high and 8" wide.  There is also 10M rebar in the wall.  And on top of the wall, there is a ladder shaped 2X4 that is embedded into the concrete.  This 2X4 is to attach the walls to when the house is framed.

Tomorrow they will take off all the boards and cleanup so we will be able to see the finished concrete walls.

Step 3: Footings

Footings are what hold up the house.  They are made with concrete that is about 8" high and 16" wide
and have steel rods called rebar in it.

They use 2X6 boards to outline where the footings need to go.  And then they get a big pump truck to pump the concrete through a big pipe to where it has to go in the footings.   The big truck makes this job look pretty easy.

Step 2: Dig the Basement

Today we finished digging the basement.  We also connected the sewer pipes and dug a trench for the power and telephone cable.
The next job is to build the foundation with concrete and rebar.

Step 1: Draw Plans and get permits.

This year my family is building a house and I am here to tell you how we did it.

First my dad drew plans for the house.  I told him what I wanted in my bedroom.  After the plans were done he took them to the city office to get Permits.  A permit means they give us permission to build the house.
After getting the permits, the Surveyors came out to our lot and put pink stakes in the ground showing where the basement will be.  Now we just need to dig the hole in the ground!