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Follow Woodhouse owner Pat Seaman through every step of his Forever Home build….

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You’ll find all new updates to the project here, and as a reminder we’ll email you to let you know when we’ve posted new content.

Join us as we delve into the details of the new home build process, where each episode unravels the details behind creating a timber frame dream home. From crafting the custom design to laying the foundation, “The Forever Home” showcases all the steps owner Pat Seaman takes to realize the building of his dream home. Immerse yourself in the captivating process of construction, from laying the foundation to the final brushstroke.

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Step 1: Pre-Woodhouse Delivery

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We’re really excited to launch our Forever Home series of posts with this first one that reviews the Woodhouse construction drawings.
My wife, Tracy, and I worked with Diana and her design team at Woodhouse over a couple of years to create the perfect home for us. The culmination of that effort is a 2,300 square foot, single story home with no steps anywhere, 3 feet wide doors, and the ability to have bathrooms ADA compliant if it ever becomes necessary. The home has fantastic outdoor entertaining spaces and we’re looking forward to
when it’s complete which I hope is less than one year.

Thank you for following along with us and please feel free to ask questions in the comment section below. I will try to get answers as quickly as possible. And make sure to join us for the next installment which reviews budgeting.

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The permit process is wildly variable depending on where you are building.  Some municipalities require far more documentation and it can take more than a year to get a building permit.  Luckily, my little town in upstate NY makes it relatively easy and fast.  In this short video, I review the documentation I had to provide in order to get my building permit and show you the result.  I hope you find it helpful.

[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Bonus Content – Solar Kiln” icon_color=”#AE7315″ admin_label=”Bouns Kiln” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ border_width_all=”0px” border_color_all=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” global_colors_info=”{}”]

As a small bonus video, I hope you enjoy this description of a solar kiln we made and have been using to dry the maple and ash lumber we sawed from the logs we cut down for the driveway and will ultimately use as trim for the new home.

[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”6. Foundation ” icon_color=”#AE7315″ admin_label=”6. Foundation” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]

This was an exciting week.  We installed our foundation system!  I hope you enjoy this video and find it informative.  It’s the first really big step in being able to envision the finished home!

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Preparation continues for pouring the lower-level concrete slab and building the first-floor system – both of which must be in place before we can backfill.  In this video, I talk about the in-slab plumbing.  I hope you enjoy it.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company

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This was a big week for the project.  Bob, Jeremy, and their crew poured the basement slab over three rain-filled days.  Because of their hard work staying to carefully finish the concrete while it drizzled, we have a beautiful, level, finished concrete floor in the lower level.  I hope you enjoy the video!

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The floor system is basically finished (as you’ll see at the end of this video) and I built temporary stairs which will suffice until the end of the interior finish when the Woodhouse stairs will be installed.  I’m waiting for delayed lally columns to call it 100% finished.  Also, the excavator, Jim, and his crew trenched for electric and laid conduit for fiberoptics.  I hope you find it interesting.

 

 

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This post is a review of the way I, personally, budget a house.  It’s not anything professional – just something I’ve developed over the years.  The numbers I’m quoting are for the upstate NY area and are not applicable everywhere.  Some areas might be less and most areas in the US will have higher costs.  Also, my numbers do not include overhead and profit for a general contractor as I am doing that job myself on this project.  With all that being said, I hope you enjoy the budget process review.

 

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This project has a really long, beautiful driveway that winds its way through mature forest toward the homesite featuring beautiful lake views.  In this segment, I’ll walk the driveway describing some of the features and we’ll see the actual homesite being cleared.  I hope you find it helpful and enjoyable.

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We have officially “broke ground!”  Watch this week as our friend, Jim (who I have known for something like 50 years) and his guys dig the hole for the foundation, lay the gravel footers, and peg the corners for our Superior Wall foundation.  I hope you find it informative and interesting.

 

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Just a neat detail of the Superior Wall foundation system.  I hope you enjoy this short bonus video.

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This week was spent preparing for the pour of the concrete slab in the lower level and the installation of the floor system on the main floor by installing the sill plate.  And the drilling rig showed up to drill the well.  I hope you enjoy it.

[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”11. Floor System” icon_color=”#AE7315″ admin_label=”11. First Floor System” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” custom_margin=”|10px||10px|false|false” custom_padding=”|||25px|false|false” sticky_enabled=”0″]

We started the floor system this week – three 60-year-old guys – and made some progress on Monday, got rained out on Tuesday, and then an Amish friend and helpers arrived on Wednesday and things took off.  Each day he brought one of his adorable children and the photo below is Daniel, age 9, who slept soundly through the noise of the saws, impact drivers, and telehandler.  Really good progress and we’ll finish next week.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company

 

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We continue to work through the things that must be done prior to the delivery of the Woodhouse building system which is now less than 2 weeks away!  This week we finished the floor system, laid out the frame on the subfloor, and cut away the subfloor for every post.  We began attaching framing to the outside of the foundation on the rear of the house so siding can be installed over the foundation and we also began pre-finishing the tongue and groove that goes over the rafters.  Next up – backfilling and rough grading!

 

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This week we’re buttoning up the final preparations for the delivery of the timber frame on Monday which includes backfill and rough grade as well as pre-finishing the tongue and groove pine which will form the finished ceiling over the timber rafters.  Next week’s post will have footage of the interior frame being cut and pre-assembled in the Woodhouse joinery shop!

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator

[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”15. Cutting Timbers ” icon_color=”#AE7315″ admin_label=”15. Cutting Timbers” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]

An exciting step in the process – the interior frame was cut and pre-fit in the joinery shop, loaded on a truck and ready to be delivered!  This week has some aerial footage of the Woodhouse campus, video of the frame being cut, planed, and pre-fit, and leaving the shop on a truck.  We also show how we are pre-finishing the tongue and groove pine to go over the frame rafters.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator

[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”16. Timbers & Wall Panels” icon_color=”#AE7315″ admin_label=”16. Timbers & Wall Panels” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]

A major milestone in this week’s post.  The timber frame was erected and wall panels installed.  The crew is incredible – experienced, fast, and paying close attention to quality.  I hope you enjoy the video.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator 

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Another fantastic week of progress for Israel and his crew. They constructed the connector walls, nailed all the prefinished T&G over the frames, installed roof panels, conventional trusses over the master bath, the connector between the master bedroom and great room, and the connector to the garage, and sheathed everything but the connector and garage. We’re ahead of schedule.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator 

[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”18. Garage & Interior Framing” icon_color=”#AE7315″ admin_label=”18. Garage & Interior Framing” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ global_colors_info=”{}”]

The basic structure and sheathing of the home is now complete and interior framing is about halfway done. In this video, I walk you through the interior showing ceiling panels and interior framing.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator 

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The crew has left for a month and we’re working on preparing for concrete pours while rough plumbing and electric are installed.

-Pat Seaman
Owner, Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company
Book an Appointment with Woodhouse | Try the Budget Calculator

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Comments and Questions

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Book a Discovery Meeting

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Try the Budget Calculator

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