Glad to be finished with this project!

Had to totally clear the pad area, and around it. Big oak trees and solid brush...



Stakes show house pad area.

Then I cleared down the hill through a huge live oak grove..




You can see what a solid wall of brush I was clearing, where my cleared area stops.

I plan to keep going and expose the live oaks and other good trees, and get rid of the brush. But for now it's enough. At least until the house is done.

Nice work! Find anything interesting in the ground? Curious about the foundation, what route are you taking?

It's going to be a doublewide.

Having base brought in, watered and vibrator rolled in and compacted.

No slab.

Exciting 👍

Thanks! I'll sure be glad when all of it is done.

Very cool Barry.

Move in date? When’s the party?

Maybe 2-3 weeks...??

Party starts as soon as we're all moved in!

Well done !! Looks great !!

Also looks like there could be some Rio gobblers hanging around there somewhere......... 😁

I was feeding out back awhile back, and there was a group of 10-12 gobblers out there.

I'm surprised I've not heard more gobblers in the area. Usually they light it up in the mornings here this time of year.

Is that Buster?

Barry, it's looking good. Gonna be a nice place.

Barry, it's been so wet here that you couldn't think about doing any dirt work. Looks like you've got things in good shape.

What do you have for water, drill a well, if so how deep ? It looks dry, we are knee deep in mud !

Buster passed away last year.

The grey one is Buster's brother, Bandit. He's 4 now.

The black one is actually a giant schnauzer... Bailey. She just turned 2. Rescued her.

Had to dig out a couple of root balls of large trees on the pad site last week. It was powder dry 4 feet down.

Need some rain badly.

The house well will be just a short trench to the new house. About 125 feet from well to hook up.

We have 2 wells at the ranch here. Both are drilled to about 120 feet. Water level is at 60 something feet.

The one in the pasture has a windmill and 3000 gallon storage tank... I also have a small pond for overflow there, but have it turned off and drying out so that I can dig it out and enlarge it some more. (The cattle like getting in the pond when it's 100+ degrees in the summer. )

Attach that chandelier real good Barry if any of that Seagram's is still about, the gals just might want to swing on it!

Too fancy for my blood, Richard!

Besides, I think the ceilings will be too low..

Now Barry, a long tale, they had these big ropes hanging from the ceiling of the old basement gymnasium back in our old school. The notion was to climb them.

So there was also a side balcony, some of the youths got the bright idea of swinging a rope up to a waiting coconspirator leaning way over the edge just to grasp the very end of the rope. . Now it is important that the receiver of said rope needed a helper clinging to his belt to keep our Tarzan want-to-be from failing.

The idea was for the hero/victim to swing across the space like, well swing. Jack, told Vern, "Now as soon as you get free, get your legs out in front of you, so you don't smack into the brick wall face first".

Remember, the low end of that rope had some coil on the floor when straight down. Care to make a guess how that worked out?

Lucky the youngster was not paralyzed when he hit that hardwood floor tailbone first.

At the end.

Got the pad finished yesterday afternoon.




Called the manager at the house company, and she called back and said the house will be here Sunday.

What are the dimensions of the home? What is the foundation?

Y'all do things differenter than up here!

Looking good!

Yeah, different methods for different areas...


House is 66x34. Foundation is steel I beams. They'll level it using concrete footers and concrete blocks and a water level system in 45 points.

Should be okay here. I picked a spot that is high ground with a natural crown.

Quick site plan I drew up..

Barry, you still need some of them fancy lights up on the ceiling fer when that Seagram's kicks in.

Richard, I'll probably die of old age without knowing what Seagram's 7 tastes like...

I don't figure I'm missing much.

Not you Barry, US!!!!! Me, an' Bob guard the booze!

Questions:

Didn't you just go thru a hurricane or some bad storm recently?

How is that new house going to be anchored?

Are you going to rent out the other house to snowbirds or hunters?

No, we're not going to rent out the other house. We like our privacy too much!

Yes, we had Harvey come right over the ranch here.

Anchors are drilled into the ground. A bunch of them. It ain't going anywhere.

Palm Harbor & Clayton here both had zero losses of homes from the hurricane. Pretty good record.

It's looking good.

It arrived yesterday!

Kind of a tight fit coming down the ranch road... But I'd already taken down trees and limbs that were too close. The crew had to trim a few small branches, but that didn't take long.



The first half was set...



Then they moved in the second half and fitted it, used a water level and anchored the entire house. (I was impressed with the amount of insulation in the home, attic included. It's constructed pretty much like any other home, except on a steel foundation.)



The guy positioning is using a track tug that operated by remote control. He was pretty good with it.

Looking Barry, I wish I could find a clip of Yosemite Sam having his new house built in nothing flat. Sam then celebrates by play his guitar. Of course, the house in sitting smack on Bugs bunny's rabbit hole.

Bugs bangs on the house floor. Sam says, "Mice!", then of course, it's of to the races. I love those old cartoons.

Hey, happy Sunday. I had that exact same building method done on 36 acres that I'd bought. Didn't get to stay there, bad luck, wife & I both got laid off at same time. Sold it rather than loose it. Ok let's have more pics please, ya must have it sitting up now???. Bill out. 🐾👣🐾👣🇨🇦

Yessir.

All put together. Waiting on water, elec. & septic to be done.

Finishing crew has been notified. (They come and put the seam splices, tape, texture and paint any damaged areas inside and out, and thoroughly clean the inside with a separate crew)

Nice!

PARTY AT BARRY'S HOUSE!

What are you going to skirt it with?

Going to do it myself.

(I know... in all my spare time, right)

Probably hardy board panels. That's why I wanted a completely level as possible pad, that way the gap doesn't vary much, and stays pretty constant all the way around.

How are the halves connected?

I was surprised and glad to see how.

There's 2x6 main beams on the floor and ceiling of both halves. They are made with connected three 2x6's, and run the entire length of both halves.

After the halves are positioned, they use three 9 inch lag bolts, screwed through in a triangle pattern, one on top, two in bottom, on about 2 inch spacing... They alternate the top/bottom pattern to give even strength. The triangle of lag bolts are spaced on 16" centers for the length of the main beams top and bottom.

I don't think it's gonna come apart in a breeze.

House is hurricane rated as Windzone 2.

One of the least expensive to live in and most comfortable houses I have ever lived in was a Lancer, double wide. Wish I never sold it . Rio7

I missed this somehow, Barry, but that's a great lookin' place. How long is your Hunny-Do list?

LOL!

Oh man...

Getting things checked off, slowly.

Have to put the new cell service booster in the new house today. Awaiting a furniture delivery this afternoon.

Clients are calling wanting ranch services done...

No rest for the wicked.

Did get the aerobic septic system installed day before yesterday.

Huge hole! Big backhoe with a 3' bucket did it pretty quick though.



Check out the size of the hydraulic cylinders on that crane... Crane truck and tank weigh 70,000 pounds rolling down the road.



Nearly done here..