The Concrete Cottage – What on Earth are we Building Now? Day One
The Plan
Inspired by the classic Tudor Cottage style Phillips 66 buildings from the 30s, I have designed a small cottage suited for easy ICF construction. There are a few places where the Concrete Cottage differs from the classic stations, such as adding space to the corners for less form waste and higher ceilings, but otherwise I tried to keep the feel the same.
The foot print comes in at a comfortable 16′ x 21′ 8″. The odd 21′ 8″ width is again to waste as little ICF as possible and not have any odd cuts or joints.
Inside, the station features a kitchenette, full bath, and space for a bedroom or office depending on the intended use.
Traditional Framing
Below are elevations and a floorplan for a cottage style service station with traditional stick framing, based on Curve Station in Almena, KS.
Day One – Site Prep
Turkey Day
In traditional Whitlow fashion, we broke ground on Thanksgiving, much to the delight of the neighbors, I’m sure.
We were lucky to find a good spot for this build near a home on our land in Rogersville that has water and electric so we will not have to have utilities brought in from any great distance. It also means we have a warm place to work which is always a blessing.
We started the day by squaring up and outlining the footprint for the footings on the ground with marking spray.
While my dad dug the footings with the mini excavator, I started moving 2×10 boards closer to the site to use as forms for the footings. I also assembled little batter boards out of scrap 2x4s and steel form stakes. On top of each 2×4, I stuck a screw or two that we would use to string line and square up the exterior of the footings.
By the end of the day, we had the forms in place! By some delusion we though we could finish the footings in one day, but I think we are learning to pace ourselves. Next up, we will bring the utilities into the footprint, place the rebar in the footings, and prepare the upright dowels that will stick up into the ICF stem walls!
