Lifted from Joe's Blog

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Building a House, Part 1, Bartlett Pond, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

 Recently we began the process to build a new house.  We plan to demolish the seasonal cottage shown above (850 sq ft) and replace it with a larger energy efficient full-time home (1200 sq ft). This blog will periodically, over the next year, show our progress (or lack thereof). We have completed or, are in process, on the following steps:

• Obtain land (1/4 acre - completed 12/2001)
• Develop basic footprint for building concept (cape style - 40x30 basic foundation - completed 8/2011)
• Have engineer survey property and develop site plan (completed 8/2011)
• Meet setback rules and obtain zoning approval (completed 9/2011)
• Obtain Conservation Commission variance approval for wetlands proximity (completed 11/2011)

 Next steps in coming months: 

• Obtain Board of Health approval for new footprint proximity to existing septic system 
• Finalize all design concepts  
• Get quotes from and select a modular or stick builder
• Complete final design tweaks
• Obtain building permit
• Select builder
• Find a temporary place to live during construction (6 months or so?)
• Remove and recycle old house parts (windows, doors, etc.)
• Demolish old house and prepare site (hope for shovels in the ground by May 1, 2012)
• Dig and pour new foundation (hope for May 15, 2012)
• Delivery of modular house or begin stick built (hope for June 1, 2012)
• On site finish work including deck (June through August)
• Certificate of Occupancy (hope for September 1, 2012)
• Move in!!

And No! - I will not make any bets that this project stays on schedule - in fact, I'll be stunned if we make the dates - the only accurate dates are the ones that have already passed.  Too many variables ahead.

Maybe an already completed condo near a warm beach somewhere would be a better choice............

By Joe.

November 2011 Foot Print for the Town of Plymouth

Our engineer, Don Bracken, has submitted the 34' x 40' footprint to the Town of Plymouth. The Conservation Board meeting is at the end of November. They don't care what we do to the inside, so I'm playing around with different options for using the space. This is only for the first floor, havn't tackled the roofline, or the second floor yet. Finished basement is last on the list.

 This has a nice separate TV area on the street side of the house. And the mud room has the option of being closed off from the rest of the house along with the stairway.

 More open floor plan, no separate mud room area,,, yet.

     Another version with a smaller bedroom and bathroom. Not sure how to get to the downstairs. Access the stairs in the middle??

  Version 2 measurements, but no components put in it yet. The 10' by 12' area at the top right is for a rug to hold the seating looking out to the pond.

The latest incarnation of our new cottage

We are now working with an engineer and the Conservation Board of Plymouth to come up with a reasonable footprint.

34 x 36, close to what we have now.

Need to be smaller: 30' x 45'

Joe and I staked out the 52 foot house yesterday at the cottage and it's too big!! Takes up most of the yard and loses that cute cottage feel.
So back to the drawing board. This is what I came up with last night. Everything seems to fit.

Using the Architecture Template

Floor plan for a 30 x 52 main floor with a sunroom. Second bath becomes a full bathroom and more accessible from the second bedroom/study. All with dimensions and text.

3D in the Making

The walls are not all up yet, and I have to learn how to put a roof on. Lots more to do, but it's moving along nicely. This version has a wider side and the extra 3 feet seem to make a big difference inside.
These dimensions are 53' x 30' without the sunroom.

I found Parallel Projection in SketchUp!

It's the little things that make it all easier. I found out how to make a 2D floor plan by using Camera View in the 'Top' mode, and today I learned about using 'Parallel Projection' to keep it from becoming a 3D view when I don't want 3D. Here's the result:

Floor Plan 2D Under Construction

Kind of a redundant title, it's ALL under construction!
Here's my first attempt at creating a 2D floor plan for our cottage to be in Manomet, MA.

Playing with Google's Sketchup 8

The latest version of my sketchup design, started learning how to use it yesterday. You can kinda see what it's going to look like, just need to look past the many flaws :-)