*Thread* For Sept. class attendees...Bring it on~

[logsurfer]

Well, the deed is done. Hanging Ten-ready to ride the LHBA wave to the shores of Independence! The Lady Surfer and I just double finger clicked the 'confirm' button. (((Good Lord what have I done))) :D
Let's hear from you all out there>

[loghousenut]

Don't lose any sleep about it... The coral is deep in these waters.

Welcome aboard.

[JeffandSara]

Congratulations! It's the first step. : )

Sara

[Timberwolf]

Good on you guys.

Don't worry, you won't have any regrets. It's been 3 years, I still don't have any (at least not for taking the class). You'll be just fine.

[logsurfer]

Thank you all for your Support! I'm sure we will lean on you with all our weight...The 1st day of the rest of our lives...The road goes ever on and on~

[Zetmandu]

Logsurfer,
Like the rest have just mentioned, it wont be anything you will regret.
I just took the class in Feb and have officially now gotten started. I am harvesting my own logs and while its back breaking work, I am lucky enough to live just a few hundred yards from where Im harvesting and where the log home will eventually be. So at the end of normal work day for the last almost 2 weeks, as soon as I can I head out the door and into the woods and start skidding logs and I couldnt be happier to be doing it. Just looking at those things laying on the ground and thinking of all the work ahead of me yet can be a bit mind boggling, but with the help of the great folks on this site I know that at some point down the road im not just looking at logs on the ground, but walls to my next home so it will make it all worthwhile

[logsurfer]

Logsurfer,
Like the rest have just mentioned, it wont be anything you will regret.
I just took the class in Feb and have officially now gotten started. I am harvesting my own logs and while its back breaking work, I am lucky enough to live just a few hundred yards from where Im harvesting and where the log home will eventually be. So at the end of normal work day for the last almost 2 weeks, as soon as I can I head out the door and into the woods and start skidding logs and I couldnt be happier to be doing it. Just looking at those things laying on the ground and thinking of all the work ahead of me yet can be a bit mind boggling, but with the help of the great folks on this site I know that at some point down the road im not just looking at logs on the ground, but walls to my next home so it will make it all worthwhile

That sounds ideal! So your waaaay ahead of the game. You already owned the property then? ENVY :D

[Zetmandu]

Well I dont know how far ahead of the game I am. I look at these logs on the ground in the woods and wonder how in the world Im going to get some of them skidded up into the field, lol...but at least Im making progress.

I did get extremely lucky with the property as it is about 11 acres that came as an early inheritance, but was just sitting there unused pretty much my whole life. Once I decided to take this challenge on, I decided right then this was the perfect place to put a log home. I did the stock 30x30 with just a few interior modifications and had it all engineered and stamped and as of this very moment the plans are in the hands of the building inspections dept and hopefully by the end of the week will have my building permit. I can only hope that part goes smooth as Im holding my breath now to see what, if anything, the inspector has issues with.

I see you are out in the San Jose area. I was just out that way a few months ago, flew into the airport in San Jose and working on a job up just north (i think) of that in Union City, absolutely beautiful area up that way

[logsurfer]

Well I dont know how far ahead of the game I am. I look at these logs on the ground in the woods and wonder how in the world Im going to get some of them skidded up into the field, lol...but at least Im making progress.

I did get extremely lucky with the property as it is about 11 acres that came as an early inheritance, but was just sitting there unused pretty much my whole life. Once I decided to take this challenge on, I decided right then this was the perfect place to put a log home. I did the stock 30x30 with just a few interior modifications and had it all engineered and stamped and as of this very moment the plans are in the hands of the building inspections dept and hopefully by the end of the week will have my building permit. I can only hope that part goes smooth as Im holding my breath now to see what, if anything, the inspector has issues with.

I see you are out in the San Jose area. I was just out that way a few months ago, flew into the airport in San Jose and working on a job up just north (i think) of that in Union City, absolutely beautiful area up that way

How cool is that! I can only just imagine the joy and frustrations involved in skidding/peeling/lifting those babies to their rightful place!
So, you bought the plans on the spot? Do you know how long you have to purchase those plans they carry?
There's some beauty and serious EXPENSE if I wanted to make it happen in the hills 'round' here! I'm beginning to feel that this MUST happen elsewhere :D
Fingers crossed for ya~ hope all is smooth on the permit front...what's a build permit cost there anyway? Do you already have water-septic-power in place?

[Zetmandu]

Yes, trust me thee are joys AND frustrations in the skidding process, luckily the joys far outweigh the frustrations, at this point anyway. I havent started peeling yet, other than just a few test peels to see how it felt, but my plan is to get a few more logs out then peel them. I have a good friend of mines son lined up to help with the peeling as soon as Im ready, he is 16, full of testosterone and wants to build some muscle up for a wresting camp in August, now talk about a perfect prospect,lol

As for the permit costs etc, I have read on others post about the cost involved in a lot of the areas in CA and you are correct, unless you have a pretty steep wallet to get things started before you ever lay the 1st log, it sounds like its a pretty tough thing to do. And the next part, I write in disregard of my own safety, lol, since some on here might want to just shoot me after hearing of their permit cost, but looks like my building permit is going to cost less than $400.00. The rest of the permits required when the time comes, of which there is only insulation, electrical, HVAC and one more that I cant remember right of the top of my head, but total for everything should be less than $1500.00. For septic and well, I've already had it perk tested, and as I've come to find out by reading others posts on here, I had that pretty easy too. I read one, (Rod) maybe where he had to hire someone to come out and dig a very large hole, hire to get some water brought in to fill the hole etc for his septic test, but for mine, I paid $175.00 for the inspection. The guy comes out with one of those looks like something you shove down into the ground to pull out a circular tube of soil about a 6" long (i sure there is an official name for the tool, just dont know what it is) and walks around doing this until he finds an acceptable area for the septic tank. He then draws out the design on a piece of paper and submits it and you have a permit a few days later. Now this is not to say we have great soil in the area for a septic tank, we dont, and it was less than 50-50 as to whether there would be a suitable spot on this land for a septic tank or not.

For the well, there are a couple of well drillers in the area that you can contract with or pay by the foot to hit water. You can contract for $2700.00 and they drill until they hit water at an agreed GPM, which generally is around 10GPM, or you can just pay by the foot until they hit it. its a gamble either way, as Ive known people who it it in less than 100ft and some that had to go down more than 700ft. Its about $7 per foot if you go the pay by foot route. So ive come to learn that in a lot of ways, Ive got it pretty lucky to build here based on the expenses. What i do lose out on though, are some of the gigantic trees some of the folks get to build with in other areas though. It looks like most of mine will be in the 10-12" range at the small end and will more than likely have to mix species, with most being SYP but think before its all over with, I will need to mix in some Poplar and maybe oak

[LogLover]

Zet --- at the 12" you still will be bigger than some of the lodgs these folks used. Small scale, different method but shows one can dang near do anything if they really want to

http://www.alaskaantlerworks.com/Alaska_log_cabin_%20starting%20out.htm

[Zetmandu]

Logsurfer,
yes, and in the end that seems to be pretty much what this whole course is about, using what ya got and making the best of it and at the end of things, coming out with a home that you can proudly say is all yours

[logsurfer]

Yes, trust me thee are joys AND frustrations in the skidding process, luckily the joys far outweigh the frustrations, at this point anyway. I havent started peeling yet, other than just a few test peels to see how it felt, but my plan is to get a few more logs out then peel them. I have a good friend of mines son lined up to help with the peeling as soon as Im ready, he is 16, full of testosterone and wants to build some muscle up for a wresting camp in August, now talk about a perfect prospect,lol

As for the permit costs etc, I have read on others post about the cost involved in a lot of the areas in CA and you are correct, unless you have a pretty steep wallet to get things started before you ever lay the 1st log, it sounds like its a pretty tough thing to do. And the next part, I write in disregard of my own safety, lol, since some on here might want to just shoot me after hearing of their permit cost, but looks like my building permit is going to cost less than $400.00. The rest of the permits required when the time comes, of which there is only insulation, electrical, HVAC and one more that I cant remember right of the top of my head, but total for everything should be less than $1500.00. For septic and well, I've already had it perk tested, and as I've come to find out by reading others posts on here, I had that pretty easy too. I read one, (Rod) maybe where he had to hire someone to come out and dig a very large hole, hire to get some water brought in to fill the hole etc for his septic test, but for mine, I paid $175.00 for the inspection. The guy comes out with one of those looks like something you shove down into the ground to pull out a circular tube of soil about a 6" long (i sure there is an official name for the tool, just dont know what it is) and walks around doing this until he finds an acceptable area for the septic tank. He then draws out the design on a piece of paper and submits it and you have a permit a few days later. Now this is not to say we have great soil in the area for a septic tank, we dont, and it was less than 50-50 as to whether there would be a suitable spot on this land for a septic tank or not.

For the well, there are a couple of well drillers in the area that you can contract with or pay by the foot to hit water. You can contract for $2700.00 and they drill until they hit water at an agreed GPM, which generally is around 10GPM, or you can just pay by the foot until they hit it. its a gamble either way, as Ive known people who it it in less than 100ft and some that had to go down more than 700ft. Its about $7 per foot if you go the pay by foot route. So ive come to learn that in a lot of ways, Ive got it pretty lucky to build here based on the expenses. What i do lose out on though, are some of the gigantic trees some of the folks get to build with in other areas though. It looks like most of mine will be in the 10-12" range at the small end and will more than likely have to mix species, with most being SYP but think before its all over with, I will need to mix in some Poplar and maybe oak

Holy Buckshot!! Bro', that's just not fair! :D I'm kicking rocks just thinking 'bout it!