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rky60
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2015 09:24pm - Edited by: rky60
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New guy here, only been lurking a few months and usually don't post to forums. This board has a lot of good info and helpful members, i'm sure ya'll know that. Anyhow, on to the story 
I've been telling the wife i'm on a 5 year plan to get property to build a cabin on since 2008, year I bought our main house. Well 5 years came and went and wouldn't know it, I went through the next several years of being asked when were we gonna start looking, almost daily! She had the poor real estate agent on speed dial and all but became a part of their family, great guy. Well we closed on 2.5 acres the end of May near Worlds End State Park, our favorite place.
Plans are for a 20X30 single story, probably a loft, with a 10X30 front porch. We started clearing the land a few days after closing. Nothing but rain for 2 months straight, just a muddy mess, it would suck your shoes off. I've never burned so much brush while in the middle of so many down pours, every weekend. Weather has finally started getting better and progress is starting to pick up.
All trees down and stacked, destumped everything, road in cleared and stoned, parking/staging area cleared and stoned, and the cabin site cleared. Took about 150 tons of large stone/shale for base and about 100 tons of driveway topper, also put geo fabric down. Electric was ran in on Tuesday, 3 new poles had to be put in. Sullivan Rural electric is the best. All they needed from me was where is the last pole going and to sign on the dotted line. Disconnect in place with an outlet for power while building. Using Perma Columns for a post and beam build. I work for a home remodeling company (desk jockey, book keeper and scheduling) and have had access to all our company's machinery, skid steer, excavator and so on. Also an endless list of vendors we're dealers for, such as metal roofing and windows directly from the plants. Has saved me a small fortune, without which it probably wouldn't be happening.
A few pics of course, nothing much yet, just some clearing out.
Mud!
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More mud!
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Timber, my dog
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Clearing
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rky60
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2015 09:42pm
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More pics
Letting the sun in
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Driveway leading out
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Previous color, polar bear white
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Rick clearing stumps
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AK Seabee
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2015 10:37pm
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It looks like you will have a wonderful place. Now the fun starts. Keep us posted on the status of the build.
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Shadyacres
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# Posted: 9 Aug 2015 04:49pm
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I build a 20 X 30 and I find it to be not to small and not to big. Seems like the mud may be gone of late. We are actually in need of rain down my way in Juniata County. Have fun !
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rky60
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# Posted: 10 Aug 2015 11:54am
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The wife still thinks it'll be to small. She's not the her the way or the highway type, she just wants it big enough to have everyone comfortable, the moms mostly.
Extremely dry huh, getting some rain today and tomorrow in our areas.
We started drilling holes this past Saturday, did not go well. The MT52 is a great little machine, it just didn't have the down force/weight to push through, I should have realized this before taking it up. Taking the Bobcat 630 up this weekend.
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rky60
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# Posted: 10 Aug 2015 11:56am
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And pics...
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rky60
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:34pm - Edited by: rky60
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I'm horrible at updates!
Got it all dried in last weekend, windows/door are set. Metal roof going on this weekend, maybe get to some siding also. Things have gone really smooth so far, weathers been great.
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UPLIBERTY
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# Posted: 24 Sep 2015 04:32pm
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Really coming along! Look forward to seeing more pics when available. BTW what kind of siding do you have in mind?
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rky60
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# Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:44pm
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It'll be live edge clap board, hope I don't regret this a few years from now There's a few cabins in the area with live edge and I think they look great just weathered. Probably stain it? I dunno, never worked with it or had any long term exposure to it
The roof will be 16" standing seam with minor rib in patriot red from Metal Sales Mfg., that'll add some color for sure
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Bevis
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# Posted: 24 Sep 2015 10:42pm
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Looks like a nice start there.
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rky60
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# Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24pm
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Just in time, suppose to rain all week here. All straight runs, took me and brother-in-law about a day. Also got the place insured today, $350 a yr, not bad.
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rky60
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:21pm
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Little update and some pics!
Me and my brother-in-law decided to hold off on the clap board siding until spring. His shoulder got so bad in Oct. that he decided to have surgery on it in Dec. For just the 2 of us we got a lot done fast but paid the price physically. Cleared and under roof in about 4 months, weekend warriors! I only have use of one arm so my only good shoulder left to use was about done also, maybe his injury was contagious?
We moved inside to do some lighter work. Got most of the t&g done, and all the electrical. Maybe finish trimming out windows and doors this weekend. Or just go and relax for once and not do a thing..
Also had the well drilled. He started drilling New Years eve afternoon, kinda strange but whatever. Got to 65' that evening, only needing 20' of casing and was getting 2gpm when he left. He came back up the following week and finished but I have no idea how deep it went or what the final gpm are. Haven't heard from him, lol
And some pics...
Dog, in and out all day
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Harman P43
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2 9x9 or so bedrooms
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Well well well...how deep do you go?
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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:05pm
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One sweet design!
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Shadyacres
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2016 08:08am
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Interior looks familiar. Good choice on the t & g. Soon will be time to work less and enjoy more.
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adakseabee
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2016 08:08pm
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Hi, Risky60, I just saw your thread for the first time today and that your build is on the way to my cabin at the other end of US 220 in NYS. I love driving up or down the mountain from Sonestown to Laporte and enjoying the fabulous view of the PA mountains to the east and south. I do, however, keep my speed within the posted limit even though I know where Smokey like to hide out to catch the unsuspecting heading north. The scenery around your cabin site sure looks like the woods we had on the farm. I hear you about the brush. It seems that clearing brush that has overgrown fields and pastures is a never ending task. Wife like the "clean" look ever since she heard some snorting one night as she was clearing up the campsite kitchen and it wasn't me doing the snorting!
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rky60
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2016 05:06pm
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No kidding, small world eh, my brother-in-law got caught there about 3 weeks ago, doing 70. I warned them all about that stretch
I actually did relax this past weekend, only trimmed a few windows. And walked the dog a lot, Vet has him on a diet, 127lbs last weigh in
This week i'll be calling for a sand mound estimate. Not looking forward to that number $. It's not an install I think i'd willing to try...and possibly get wrong. But it has crossed my mind
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abby
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# Posted: 3 Feb 2016 07:36am
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it's absolutely wonderful!
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rky60
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2016 06:45pm
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Well the numbers are finally in...
Info from the invoice
124' total depth
12 gal per min
30' static water level and 94' water
Cost came in below expected at $1992
Gotta start researching pumps and installation, doesn't seem all to difficult. Any advice on pumps and such?
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Shadyacres
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2017 07:03am
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That is not a bad price for the well. Mine was about the same depth but I think I had like 60 -70 ft of casing. I came in at 2500 +/_ .
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rky60
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2017 05:54pm
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I was thrilled with the final cost Shady, for some reason the well had me more worried than the septic. A lot of iron in it however, stained everything almost instantly, but I put in a small water treatment plant. Wife couldn't tell the difference between bottled water and the well after that, pic below
Speaking of septic! I ended up doing the install myself. It was so much more simpler than I had expected. I under estimated material needed originally, then went overboard on it, figures huh. I just put the extra sand and fill on the mound, couldn't hurt, but did make it larger than needed, pics below..
Water Plant
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Tanks
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GSF Modules
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Covered
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Shadyacres
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2017 07:37pm
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Good deal. Yea , if you have the equipment, there is not a whole lot to a sand mound.
My water too has a sandy color to it. I was told when your at base of the mountain that is par for the course. I just bought one of those 40 dollar whole house filters and was very surprised it took all color out of the water. I still do want to get it checked for bacteria and such. We don't drink it but would like to know if we can.
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Shadyacres
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2017 03:44pm
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Also see you have a Harmon P43. I have one and love it. Flip a switch and walk away. I have been burning barefoot pellets. What brand do you use ?
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Kamn
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2017 04:55pm
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Could you give us a little more info on the water treatment system you have there?
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rky60
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2017 05:03pm
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Local Agway near cabin has Lignetics and Barefoots, which are great. At home it's some junk brand Lowes was selling, got 3 tons, but a lot of buildup in the burn pot with those. Got lazy, was at Lowes, impulse buy/deliver
Last year the local Agway at home was selling white pine pellets. Those soft wood pellets were the best I've had in the 10 years I've been burning, unfortunately they can't get them anymore
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rky60
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2017 07:48pm
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Kamn, it's a fairly straight forward setup. In the attached photo you'll see the 1" feed line from well on the far left. After that there's a T coupling that gets a water/soda ash injection into the main line from the white tank, it's wired to the pressure switch and only injects when the switch calls for water. Then onto the pressure tank, nothing to see here Then it flows into a Terminox 10" iron filter, also filters sulfur and manganese. From the Terminox it's ready to go wherever needed.
The soda ash injection is only needed if the Ph is lower than 7, mine was 5 something. The water "experts" insisted I needed to raise the Ph prior to it entering the iron filter. I'm not one to say otherwise...
I like the Terminox setup, media never needs replacing and it can be set to back wash at certain times or just manually when ya think it's needed
Iron filter http://www.budgetwater.com/iron-filters/
Injection Setup http://www.budgetwater.com/chlorine-injection/
The other photo attached shows exactly why it was needed. Most folks told me to just the run the hell out of the well and it'll clear, I did, it didn't. That buildup in the tank is only after moderate use
Tight, but it all fit..
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Ferric Iron
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phippz
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# Posted: 13 Jul 2017 06:37pm
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hi rky60,
could you share more in on your sandmound. are you in
PA? what did it end up costing you? thanks
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rky60
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# Posted: 13 Jul 2017 09:07pm
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phippz, yes i'm in PA. Sure, what kinda info? Cost was about
11.5k. Off the top of my head, break down would be...
$5400 for the Eljen stystem (gsf modules, time dosing unit, etc..) Everything needed but the 1.5" pvc
Tanks about $1800
Design cost and permit, $850
Septic pump, sand, topsoil, misc make up the rest
I could have gone a cheaper route but using the modules did cut down on the foot print. Wasn't really worried about length as much as width, the modules saved me a lot on the height and tapering of a standard mound according to the SEO and my septic engineer designer guy, since the perc rate was an issue. And a decent amount in length. And since I did things a bit backwards, such as building the cabin, setting up parking area and having future shed build plans near where the mound would go. A standard mound would have came out to far into an area I had already disturbed to much and stoned to death burying mud. And having another perc test up the hill, further away, was just something I didn't want to do.
As far as install goes, other than the manual labor, like leveling the initial base layer of sand, it was kinda simple I thought. Follow the septic design the engineer drew, its all spelled out right there for ya. The guys at expert septic where a big help to. They delivered and explained all the components of the system and how it all functions.
Anything more specific tho just let me know.
And some updated pics. I ended up stoning the front and went with Prodigy double 6 clapboard siding. Will use the live edge wood on shed build currently under way 
Stoned!
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Saddle color, dark bronze trim/soffit
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Mood lighting
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Shed, septic is to the left, worked out..
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rky60
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# Posted: 13 Jul 2017 09:36pm - Edited by: rky60
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A little better perspective on the layout of the area i'm talking about. To the right of the cabin and behind the shed i'm about 20 to 30" from the property line, i'm kinda nestled in the corner of my lot. But it sorta worked in the end. And who doesn't enjoy more pics?
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phippz
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# Posted: 16 Jul 2017 05:46pm
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great info. I really like your cabin design. That siding colors is awesome. I am just trying to get idea on the different types of septic systems. our perc test is scheduled for july 27. not sure what to expect. i think the ground in mostly clay. I am debating on doing the system myself. Seems fairly simple. i like the idea of the eljen being smaller footprint. did you buy the elgen components from expertseptic in newburg?
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tommcl79
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2018 10:55am
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Hi rky60,
Can't believe how lucky I am to have stumbled upon this thread. I am closing on a 2 acre piece of property later this month which I believe is VERY close to where your cabin is located. I'm about to go through all the same stuff you have detailed so nicely in this forum. That's a really nice cabin you have built. Hopefully I land up with something half as nice.
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