Modern Farmhouse Framing – Raising the Walls Thanks for joining us on our modern farmhouse framing post. This is a DIY home building project that we have in progress. Jim drew the plans and we all contribute to the design choices. The house is located in the Austin Lake Estates neighborhood in Austin. We enjoy visiting with […]
Modern Farmhouse Board and Batten
Modern Austin Modern Farmhouse Board and Batten Siding Thanks for joining our Modern Farmhouse Board and Batten post! Here is a message from Jim, our DIY designer and builder: “One of the themes of modern architecture has been the elegant use of commonplace, utilitarian materials. In the early 70s my mother, who taught design at UT, built […]
Board Formed Concrete – Modern Farmhouse
Board Formed Concrete – Modern Farmhouse The foundation on the front and right sides of this house is going to be about 5 to 6′ tall. This is more exposed concrete than we would prefer. The tall concrete walls result from having a side slope on the lot. We do not like small interior level […]
Modern Farmhouse Foundation Pouring
Modern Farmhouse Foundation Pouring Thanks for visiting our Modern farmhouse foundation pouring. Foundation pours are always exciting, but we did not expect a near disaster! All started out great – the day was cool and sunny with a beautiful sunrise. Jim and Matt were on hand at 6:00 am with coffee and breakfast tacos. […]
Copper vs PEX Water Pipes
Copper vs PEX Water Pipes It was time for installation of both the sewer and water lines in the slab. John Podolak, our plumber, laid the sewer lines (4″ PVC pipe) into the foundation before the pour is done. On the water lines we had to make some choices. The big choice was copper vs […]
Building Permits – What’s Required in Travis County
Building Permits in Travis County Getting the straight story on building permits in Travis County is not easy. When we do a project, we want to everything by the book, but where is the book? There is no central place to get a complete list of what permits you need. The checklist on Travis County’s […]
Modern Farmhouse – Squaring up the Foundation
Modern Farmhouse – Squaring Up the Foundation Thanks for joining our Modern Farmhouse Squaring up the Foundation post! After the lot is cleared it is time to lay out the foundation. This is a critical time in the construction, and mistakes at this point can become serious problems later. This lot has a side slope, […]
Modern Farmhouse Lot Clearing
Modern Farmhouse Lot Clearing Thanks for joining us on our modern farmhouse lot clearing post! We have always built or remodeled as a side hobby. Jim draws the plans, and does the contracting. He’s a very good designer and builder. So that’s the reason we do it. He gets to play his instrument, if you […]