Delores House

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Delores House

The site is growing by about 1K hits a week. Image event has reset the counter 3 different times.

I would appreciate it if some of you would take the time to sign the guestbook, possibly mentioning how you found this site.

It is free for all to look at, I just would like to know the background of some of the people that are looking, and why.

I have capabilities to password protect the album, and restrict access, but I dont want to do it.
Please sign the guestbook! Thank you.

I have the opportunity to help out a friend who is building a home for his mother. He has worked for me in the past and is very qualified to do the build. I do not have final say in the specifications of the house, but I do have input as to how it is going to be put together.

This is a photo album, with many different building science approaches integrated into this structure. You will see how to dig a foundation so water is being managed from day one. You will also see footing drains, water management systems, capillary moisture breaks, energy efficient details, air tight drywall details , vented rainscreens, proper roof to wall connections etc, and hopefully some explanations of why things are done the way they are.
Please sign the guestbook, and explain how you found the album.

Date(s): July 1, 2005. Album by Rollie Peschon. 1 - 24 of 224 Total. 19026 Visits.

Next 24 | Show all

1 Foundation, Water-managed: Systems for at or below-grade enclosure assemblies where gravity (drainage) is used to move liquid water away from the structure, relieving hydrostatic water forces. Basement subgrade dug to drain to sump area. Yes, this takes more rock in the basement, but you know that any water that enters the subslab area is headed towards the exit point.	2 Form A Drain forms for footings. Kind of a gimmicky product in my application, but they do work and dont have to be stripped. They also are in place, in case of a dirt cave in.	3 Sealed sump pump basin. Note 4 bolt holes for lid.	4 Sump pump basin is drilled (sides and bottom) for water entry, and sat on top of at least 4 inches of crushed rock, and backfilled with crushed rock. This, in conjunction with a graded dig, virtually guarantees that any water that enters the slab area, will be pumped out.
5 Sump area dug down prior to pouring. Added a couple of inches of pearock,in case it rains over the long weekend. 4th of July. Cant pour till Tuesday.	6 Since it is a crawlspace, with a slab, we raised this middle footing 3 1/2 inchs(slab thickness) so we could use it as a screed for the floor pour, and there is 4 inches of pearock below for water transfer under the footing. No formadrain needed here. Bearing wall will frame directly on top of footing here.	7 Footings formed and reinforcing steel installed, with chairs. Reinforcing steel wants to be in the bottom 2/3s of the footings.	8 Sump basin installed. Inlet from form a drain needs to be connected yet, but it is doubtful that any water will ever enter the footing drains, because of the pea rock underslab, and sub footing drainage bed.
9 3500 psi concrete being pored in footings.	10 Vertical reinforcing installed in footings.	11 Lines snapped on top of footings, and capillary moisture break installed on top of footings.	12 Capillary moisture break: Non-absorbent material or space that interrupts the flow of water from one material to another, or between like materials.
13 Placing capillary moisture break on footings	14 Capillary moisture break will fold up on ICF wall on exterior and get counterflashed with exterior membrane. On the inside, it will tie onto the subslab vapor barrier for a continous sealed vapor retarder underslab. "Rollie, I am an Badger tr..." "Capillary moisture breaks ..." View Comments...	15 Slab prep in store for tomorrow	16 Filling and leveling pea rock, and installing 1 1/2 foam insulation underslab.
17 1 1/2 Lb density extruded foam (Yellow, Pink,Gray in color) is acceptable in non structural applications, such as this. For structural situations, 2 lb density (Dow Blue) is specified.	18 Sub slab Vapor retarder rolled out, ready to install, Fold A Form ICf blocks starting to be installed. Vapor Retarder: A vapor retarder is the element that is designed and installed in an assembly to retard the movement of water by vapor diffusion. "IS THIS JUST STANDARD 6 MI..." "Gary, Yes, is is standard ..." View Comments...	19 Almost ready to pour. 10 am Wed.	20 Sealed vapor retarder underslab, and 4 inch slab being installed.
21	22	23 Finished pouring 2 pm	24

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Next 24 | Show all

Sign the Guestbook. Displaying 43 of 43 entries.

Found your site because it was mentioned on Gardweb.com forum as a great place to learn what good building practices should look like. As someone getting ready to have a custom home built, I figure the more I know to watch out for, the less likely I am to get badly burned. I chosen a builder that I trust ("knock wood") will do a good job for me but like the old saying once used in relation to the nuclear arms treaty, "trust and verify!"
Thanks for the info.
- Bev, Thu, 8 May 2008 10:55AM

very nice chronological construction photos
- Bert Thomas, Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:25AM

Who manufactures that foam gun & canister? Thanks.
- Dave, Thu, 18 Oct 2007 6:17PM

I wish we could clone you so more of us could take advantage of your knowledge!
- mary schneider, Mon, 15 Oct 2007 8:55PM

Just wanted to applaud your work, attention to detail, and efforts in creating this site with your documentation. You have given me a lot of insight as to how the buildup goes, and I look forward to using some of your strategies on my own work. Thank you again and good luck with your next project.
- Joseph Killen, Tue, 24 Apr 2007 8:51AM

Rollie,

Great service you have provided for homeowners here. I thank you and appreciate the time and effort you puet into making this available to all of us.

Randy
- Randy Perry, Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:17AM

Nice pics so far. Hope to see more builders using sound "Building Science" techniques. That will make the selection of a contractor for my own arguably "superinsulated" home in NH that much easier. I have been researching technique and materials for some time. Project is two years away.
- Dick Russell, Wed, 6 Dec 2006 6:12PM

I am building a house in the next 3 months, and I want to be able to know if my contractor is doing the right thing
- ALICIA RODRIGUEZ, Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:20AM

Thank you so much. I am just learning about construction techniques and your site is inspiring.
- Veronica Hansen, Tue, 5 Sep 2006 8:58AM

Thanx for putting this pictorial together. Very educational, a must read for any construction student!
- J. Morales, Sat, 2 Sep 2006 7:25AM

GREAT web site. I found it on the Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings Headline News page. Everyone building a new home or doing remodeling should view this site and insist that the builder view it as well. www.hadd.com
- Nancy Seats | www.hadd.com, Sat, 5 Aug 2006 8:54AM

thank you so much for taking the time and effort to keep this site. i am here, invited by alison, as we are to begin building our panelized home in north central idaho within the next couple of years - we are in the land buying phase now and do not intned to move until 2010.

there is so very much to learn just know know enough to be an informed consumer when having someone else do the actual building.

thank you

angela
- angela , Sat, 1 Jul 2006 4:17PM

- bill mccomb, Fri, 17 Feb 2006 8:32PM

thanks for taking to post these pictures and details, it is very informative and has helped me more than you can imagine, thanks again
- Kerry, Thu, 5 Jan 2006 11:48AM

Thanks Rollie. I plan to build in mid '06 and this will be very helpful.
- Terry, Sat, 24 Dec 2005 7:53PM

Thank you! The pictures you took at every step for preperation and installation is very helpfull. Pictures do say a thousand words!
- angelb, Fri, 2 Dec 2005 11:22PM

good stuff, certainly not how it is done by most "production" builders
- chris, Tue, 29 Nov 2005 4:51AM

awesome job! thanks for sharing some alternative and extreme methods that differ from the "norm". very much needed. you are a great giver!!!
- mark & barbara, Sat, 26 Nov 2005 3:59PM

Wow, thanks for all your efforts. Makes me cringe when I think of our past window installs. Will definitly be showing this to the DH before we start the addition.
- Dian, Thu, 24 Nov 2005 4:05PM

great job!.. thanks for sharing bro!
- Mani, Sun, 20 Nov 2005 5:42AM

Dude, if I didn't think you were insanely busy, I'd ask you to consult on my house in Omaha. We start digging in July/Aug.
- jason, Sat, 19 Nov 2005 2:04AM

- Demeron, Fri, 18 Nov 2005 7:21AM

Pollie: WOW!! Great job. By all means please proceed. Thanks
- jimmac, Thu, 17 Nov 2005 11:49AM

Thank you for this...we want to build next year. We want to spend our time and money right the first time...thanks for helping us in that goal! (I found your site on gardenweb.com)
- Lais, Wed, 2 Nov 2005 7:51PM

Starting construction soon and I'll make sure the contractor looks at this -- especially the windows.
- Paco, Tue, 25 Oct 2005 4:51PM

Excellent!! Came here via a post on the Motley Fool home contruction board. Very useful--hope you can continue with other projects.
- Kabh, Fri, 21 Oct 2005 10:00PM

Definitely defines and details the importance of the parts the typical homeowner never sees. Great Job...Please continue
- Birdman, Wed, 19 Oct 2005 5:23PM

waiting to see your insulation photos! Thank you very much!
- New_in_FL, Fri, 7 Oct 2005 6:52PM

thankyou
- Al, Wed, 5 Oct 2005 11:48AM

GREAT!!!!!
- dman60, Sun, 25 Sep 2005 7:35PM

Great stuff - really appreciate the time you've taken to put into this!
- Joe, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 8:27PM

Good stuff Rollie you should publish this when you're done!
- Smokychimp, Thu, 8 Sep 2005 8:59AM

Thanks....VERY helpful and much appreciated!
- Reagan01, Wed, 7 Sep 2005 3:33PM

Thank you so much! A fantastic way for beginners like me to learn what to do - and what to watch out for!
- cal_dreamer, Tue, 6 Sep 2005 7:55PM

We're not worthy!!! Thanks for your awesome pictorial!
- HalfBarnRanchJake, Sat, 3 Sep 2005 7:24AM

Great stuff Rollie, many thanks for showing all of us the RIGHT way to build!
- ERLA, Wed, 31 Aug 2005 7:58AM

Wow! this is a wealth of knowledge, thanks for sharing with us all.
- jrubus, Wed, 24 Aug 2005 4:44AM

What a great resource! Thanks
- George, Thu, 18 Aug 2005 4:46AM

Great for a beginner just educating herself in the building process. Thanks.
- Barbara Wright, Tue, 9 Aug 2005 10:26AM

wish this showed stick built as that is what we will end up doing -- any books that give this close a teaching venue for home buyer's education.
- Loves2read, Sat, 6 Aug 2005 8:18PM

Thank you Rollie!!! This photo album is invaluable. It will show home buyers what the work their builder is doing should look like (in most cases). It will also teach the less than competent builders out there how to do the job right. Can you do one for each climate? :-)
- SuzieSnowflake, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 8:06AM

Thank you for my house we will make it. This info will really help others too.
- Happy Process, Sat, 9 Jul 2005 8:11PM

Visitors,
Please sign the guestbook. It will help me decide whether to proceed with this project or not.
- Rollie, Wed, 6 Jul 2005 12:34PM

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