1973 Blue Bird

Discussions about all things to do with buses, trucks, and the homes made within them.

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Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

That's a lot of work accomplished. I do have some concerns that no one on the crews is wearing proper safety gear, i.e. hard hats. If there was an accident, and any money is exchanging hands for the labor, OSHA would have a shit-fit and someone would get fined big time.

Maybe I could see the Amish brothers not thinking it was in keeping with their faith, but the rest of the crews are nuts for not protecting their heads.

Business Opportunity: If the Amish faithful need non-assuming headgear that also protects them adequately, perhaps someone should market a line of ANSI-compliant hard hats that look exactly like the straw ones we see them wearing in the photos. They already make cowboy-hat hard hats for construction workers who can't bear to doff their ten-gallon Stetsons.
dburt
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Post by dburt »

This house project is getting very interesting! I am most curious as to how they will treat the bottom of the poles to prevent rot from water and soil touching the post ends where they attach to the ground. This is a great project to watch- go Rudy! :)
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Post by Jones'n4chrome »

Yeah Rudy, hard hats are~VERY~ important!

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Rudy
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Post by Rudy »

Eventually, the house will be sheathed and roofed. The post bottoms will be indoors thereby being shielded from the elements. I think those cedar posts will last for a long time.
Last edited by Rudy on Sun Jun 19, 2011 3:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by dburt »

Rudy, are you saying the area where the posts attach to the ground will be in the basement area? Hadn't thought of that yet, I was figuring that the house would somehow be something like a daylight basement with the earth backfilled against one or more walls- I guess this is one of those projects where you really need to be there to understand what is going on. And, maby a look at the blueprints or plans would help too! :lol:
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Post by graydawg »

Those Cedar post will be absorbing moisture for many years from the rocks themselves it will wick it out slowly, you can dip them in tar or any number of things including concrete, it will only slow down the absortion process. the Cedar post they are using look to be 20 to 30 years old when cut, just count the growth rings and you will know their age, I am assuming there will be concrete being poured soon, and that will help. My Dad and I used cedar post in a barn shed that was built in the mid 70's they were 10 year old cedar set in concrete they lasted about 25 years in damp La soil, we raised the whole 16 x 36 ft building in 92 and put steel post in, to park my folks Motor home under, they were holding good still but had rotted in the moisture I have been around construction of some sort most of my life, hardhats are really only good for minor accidents, dropped bolts and light collisions with steel, or falling debris. They are more useful to be thrown at someone to get their attention most of the time, and worn on your head they are very convenient for that purpose. Safety glasses do help, if you are wearing them when needed, and not laying in your hardhat somewhere. I would wear one during any construction process myself, and they have saved a many bump on the head for me over the years. COMMON SENSE is more useful than any one item when building anything. Rudy do a little safety preaching before yaw start the day everyday, it works more than you would think, if nothing else awareness of the danger at hand.
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Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

graydawg wrote:hardhats are really only good for minor accidents, dropped bolts and light collisions with steel, or falling debris
Which is exactly my point, it would be pretty stupid for anyone on the crew to have a life-changing event simply because someone working above lost their grip on a hammer or dropped a small timber.

In my profession, hard hats are required on site anytime there is a crew working on a tower. A 3/8" lock washer, dropped from 600 feet up, punches a hole right through metal rain gutter, and a small end wrench will make a smoking crater in thick steel roofing. Anyone on site without at least the minimum safety protection of a hard hat causes the job foreman to shut down the work. When you have a $500/hour crew sitting around doing nothing because one (or more) individual(s) are on site without a $25 hard hat, the client gets unhappy in a hurry!

Most of the sites I visit will have a row of pegs next to the entry door with "guest" hard hats hanging on them for visitors and non-tower crew folk to wear - inside or outside the building - when tower work is underway. I carry my own in the truck when visiting sites, it's saved me from a few minor bumps and scrapes, and as such, has already paid for itself.
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ezrablu
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Post by ezrablu »

Jones'n4chrome....conehead hard hat :D

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ezrablu
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Rudy
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Post by Rudy »

Safety is always a good idea.
Last edited by Rudy on Sun Jun 19, 2011 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Rudy »

A REPORT:

The day before yesterday, I tested the waters, and braved playing the accordion. I played one song. It has taken almost a month for my arm and shoulder to heal.

Playing that one song exercised some muscles I hadn't used in a while. I was very sore that evening.

Yesterday I played six songs. My shoulder is loosening up, and there is not much pain at all.

Very soon, I will have full use of my arm and shoulder.
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Post by Rudy »

dburt wrote:Rudy, are you saying the area where the posts attach to the ground will be in the basement area? Hadn't thought of that yet, I was figuring that the house would somehow be something like a daylight basement with the earth backfilled against one or more walls- I guess this is one of those projects where you really need to be there to understand what is going on. And, maby a look at the blueprints or plans would help too! :lol:
DB, the bottom of the posts are sitting on the ground which is the floor level. There is no basement.

All of that is explained in the book titled The $50 & Up Underground House Book by Mike Oehler.

The book was written quite a few years back, and all the building techniques are tried and true. As of the seventh edition, the book has sold over 90,000 copies.
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Post by Rudy »

Yesterday, three girders (beams) were set, and five more poles (posts) were set.

Pictures coming soon.
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ezrablu
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Post by ezrablu »

Rudy...safety always first :thumbup:

We have several Amish stores out in the country here and yes, they do allow anybody to shop there and purchase everything they sell...including hats. I can buy a lb real butter there straight from the dairy for half the price it would be at Walmart. You're lucky to get photos of those Amish working. Up here they wouldn't allow it unless you sneak a shot...which is what I do when they aren't looking :roll:

Thanks for the title of that book. You might find this interesting about him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVAF-JjuYc4 and this one...a $15 house with him in this video too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTL0dkad ... ure=relmfu

Your friend is lucky to have all those trees to use...those cedar timbers are beautiful and naturally resistent to bugs and rotting. For my pole shop I had to go a different route which I'll explain soon in a new thread.

So awesome you are there first hand for this very cool house project.[/url]
ezrablu
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Rudy
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Post by Rudy »

The Time Frame:

As of today, excluding the original digging of the hole, which was done 2 years ago.

Straightening of dirt walls with tractors - one day

Cutting, de-limbing, and debarking oak trees - three days

Setting 20 posts and nine girders - eight days.
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Post by Rudy »

Ezrablu wrote,


"We have several Amish stores out in the country here and yes, they do allow anybody to shop there and purchase everything they sell...including hats. I can buy a lb real butter there straight from the dairy for half the price it would be at Walmart. You're lucky to get photos of those Amish working. Up here they wouldn't allow it unless you sneak a shot...which is what I do when they aren't looking."


The crew here does not want their picture taken either.
Last edited by Rudy on Sun Jun 19, 2011 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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