Basement Construction

You have just completed installation of the footers and you are now ready to begin constructing the walls of the basement for your new small house. The footers have been set to exceed the thickness of the basement walls with all reinforcement rods in place. Read more…

Construction Site Erosion Control

For the most part you’re going to fall back on using silt fencing to control erosion and runoff around your building site. Silt fence is low profile geotextile (a lot like polyethylene tarp material) fabric strung between wooden stakes. Very flexible and easy to contour to the land.Read more…

Finding a Good Excavator

There are several things to consider when preparing your building lot for your small house. Some of the considerations will include determining the frost depth for your land parcel, staking out the location and position of your foundation, and hiring an excavator that is familiar with your soil type and setting up erosion control.Read more…

Hiring a Concrete Subcontractor

When you construct a concrete foundation for your small house it is very important to get it right the first time because back tracking over errors will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars later. Additionally, during peak season, concrete subcontractors are usually very busy people so you will want to do your homework and get an idea of what you want prior to approaching a concrete subcontractor for your project.Read more…

Staking Out the Corners of a Foundation

Once you have determined the frost depth and chosen a subcontractor who is knowledgeable about the soil in your building lot, you are now ready to stake out the corners of your foundation and approximate the location for your small house. Read more…

Surveying the Land for New House Building

Prior to preparing a to-scale map of your future small house and property, you will need to hire a surveyor to verify the location of your property lines and boundaries. Your land surveyor should also help you to establish land setbacks so you know what your limits are in building placement. Read more…