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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 06:19am
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Hey all!
So, for the past five months, I've been in medical hell. First with a breast cancer scare and surgery. Lump was removed and benign, thank God! Now with bone tumors removed (hopefully also benign -- don't have pathology results yet) and dealing with a bad surgical infection and, consequently, an incision that refuses to close. Yay. Not.
Needless to say, my timetable for selling my house, packing up, moving and building has been shot to heck but I am NOT giving up/giving in! I'm too much of a damn Yankee to let a bad Texas hospital ruin my plans. No way, no how!
Everything on the Oregon side of things is actually working in my favor! First, the planning commission lifted its ban on camping and is permitting recreation use of the land for owners in the subdivision. This is big! It means that I don't need a permit that I'd have to renew to put an RV on my land and live there while we're working on building!
Secondly, I've come up with a Plan C, if I need one. I found a modular home builder in Washington State that has reciprocity with Oregon (and Idaho) for building codes and inspections. So, they could deliver an already inspected and approved home to be assembled on my foundation. They even do small cabins, which they call lodges. Customizable and reasonably affordable for nearly turnkey at about $65/square foot. Not as rustic and "cabin-like" as I want and a tad mobile-homey but def a good Plan C.
Back to my main plan, which I think will work out even with the late start. Modifying the plans I got from Toyota to a 14 X 20 and with my additional desire for a mudroom, but wanting to concentrate on finishing a main, livable space first -- here's what I'm looking at, though this one is smaller in both sections.
We will submit the plans and everything for the main cabin and put a door on each side and French doors on the back. When the cabin is completely finished, I will add on the 10 X 12 mudroom to one side. The mudroom won't have electric or plumbing so that little addition won't need a permit.
I've decided to do the cabin this way to allow for future changes, if need be. I want the mudroom, that's a given. But putting a door on the other side, as well, gives me the option of adding a downstairs bedroom if mobility problems in the future make an upstairs bedroom dangerous. I can always use the upstairs for storage. 
I do plan to have the little patio in front of the mudroom, and I'd like to cover the open beams over it with a creeping vine to provide living shade.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 06:30am
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Ugh, what I forgot to write is that my goal for this year is to get the main cabin built and the septic system in before winter sets in and then use winter to work on finishing the interior to my needs and liking!
Hopefully, I can have the mudroom added on early next spring in time for, well, mud! LOL. Because of its size, it could potentially be built off-site and brought over to be put on its foundation and attached to the house in a matter of hours.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 11:04am
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Julie2Oregon!
Whilst u were away-we did sell our house and got the heck out of town and into our woods!
So happy u are cancer free!
Hope u heal up soon and get to Oregon!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 03:56pm
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Thanks, cabingal3! And hooray for your house sale!!! I hope mine goes well! Fingers crossed!
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naturelover66
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 07:32pm
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Hi Julie.. I'm sorry to hear of.your serious health problems. I hope you heal up quickly and continue with your dreams of cabin life in Oregon. !! Keep thinking positive. Best wishes... Lisa
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rmak
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 10:27pm
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A person with a vision and a dream is hard to keep down. My best to you always. Prayers for your speedy and complete recovery.
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Just
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# Posted: 27 May 2015 10:41pm
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We got your back kid !
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 28 May 2015 02:30am
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Thanks, all!
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hattie
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# Posted: 28 May 2015 12:25pm
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Stubbornness is an amazing thing! I hope you have a full recovery quickly so you can start living your dream.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 29 May 2015 02:37am
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Thank you, hattie!
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 29 May 2015 07:46am
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Welcome back, glad the health is improving. Looks like Oregon is very "doable". You have done your homework, now its time to work the plan
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Nirky
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# Posted: 31 May 2015 10:10pm
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It's good to hear from you!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 31 May 2015 11:30pm
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Thanks, guys!
I'm just really chomping at the bit. I don't do well at being housebound, grrr. Especially when it's in a house I really should be SELLING, at this point! But not knowing how long it's going to take to get back on my feet, I can't even put it on the market.
So, I'm just reading and deciding on little details. Like, the dog that will suit my mountain homestead best and help protect my chickens and other creatures is ... the Great Pyrenees! LOL.
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old old buddy
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2015 09:22am
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Julie2Oregon
Hi Julie. I haven't been on here for six months, but was fairly active for a solid three years with my son and grandson(s). My wife had a cancer scare (I guess it would be more appropriate to say we all did) in March-April of 2014. It was early detection, the lumpectomy turned out to reveal two different cancers...one being very aggressive and the surgeon told us he needed to go back in and " scoop" a little more tissue out" and my wife said "no dice" in effect. After hearing the surgeon said we would really need to keep an eye on the right breast, she said no dice and elected to have a double mastectomy and I truly believe it was the smartest move. She was 58 at the time and absolutely would not consider reconstruction....and I supported her 110 percent. The great news....no cancer in the sentinel nodes, no radiation, no chemo and I am so proud of her. She watched her mom die of breast cancer eighteen years ago and had been very vigilant..ever since. She is doing great except for the pain from taking the anti-estrogen pills daily.
We have been pretty active on here in the past but our last year sounds like yours....medical, moving, and I just retired close to two months ago. I can tell you that building that little Cabin in the Woods was the single most important thing a family can ever do together. My son helped me for three years straight while he attened one year of taking pre-requisite courses and two more years of Registered Nursing a School! Believe me...it was a labor of love. It isn't fancy (no plumbing...no running water) but we love it as a getaway from the world. First we built the cabin (12X16), then the front porch and lastly, the 8X16 step-down room for sleeping. We have only been there about 2-3 times in the past year but after yesterday, we vowed to go back within the next few weeks. Tristin, my six year old grandson, has been going to the cabin since he was big enough to walk and absolutely loves it.
I sincerely hope things work out for you and you get your little piece of Heaven...sooner than later! Good luck and I will keep you in my prayers. Old Old Buddy
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2015 12:46pm
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Thank you, Old Buddy! I'm so sorry your wife has been through so much but am glad she's doing well now!
It's been almost a month since my bone tumor surgery. I have a 5-inch incision and the top inch or so of it refuses to close. I've been bleeding from it all this time. A pocket of infection, blood, and fluid formed under the incision and just won't go away, even though I've been on antibiotics. The reason? The hospital sent me home 3 hours after the surgery.
I was in pain, bleeding, and barely able to walk. And we had a 175-mile trip home! At the pre-op appointment, I was told that I would be in the hospital 3-5 days. I have no idea why they just tossed me out. Insurance decision, maybe? Nobody's talking. I'm beginning to wonder if they botched my surgery and just wanted to get me out of there.
Anyhoo, I want to get well, regain my strength and say goodbye to Texas. Live a peaceful, happier life on my beautiful land, in my little cabin.
I'm so glad you have your place to enjoy, Old Buddy! And I hope you and your family have wonderful times there for many years to come!
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old old buddy
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2015 04:01pm
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Well...Have you sold the house and moved to Oregon yet? I hope your incision is completely healed and you are in good spirits. I have decided to have our 25 page blog (with it's 397 color photos) made into a hardback, bound, book! I am told it will be nearly 235 pages . I am so excited about it. Within the next two weeks, I plan to get our immediate family up to the cabin ( my wife, son and his wife, daughter and her husband, four grandchildren and I) to have our picture taken on the front porch, before having the book printed. It will be one of one! I'm really excited about it. Something to think about. Everyone that has ever made a comment on our site (blog) will be in the book. The format will be almost identical to the cabin forum.
So...what's been going on?
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rockies
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2015 07:49pm
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Do you have any plans for the cabin? I'm interested in how you're going to go about building the first module and then adding on. That's basically what I'm going to do.
Also, what is the link for the "Plan C" builder you found?
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2015 08:59pm
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old old buddy
Oh, that IS exciting!!! Do you have a link to your blog, if it's still up online? I'd love to see it! That book will be a wonderful keepsake to be passed down through the generations! Along with the cabin, of course!
After writing the initial post of this thread, I had yet another setback. My doctors discovered that the source of the infection was inside the bone itself, and it was due to poor surgical technique and non-existent care at the hospital.  I had a full-blown case of osteomyelitis.
SO, I was hustled BACK into the hospital (this time locally) and my trusted orthopedic surgeon here had to operate -- clean out all of the infection, scrape/debride the infected bone, and sew me back up. I then had to remain in the hospital for an additional 6 weeks to receive several antibiotic infusions daily to kill the infection in my bones and prevent it from spreading.
I got out of the hospital at the end of August and am continuing to recover. The infection and the antibiotics also did a number on my body and caused other problems that will need to be followed for a while. I won't be able to sell my house, move, and build my cabin in Oregon until next spring.
BUT, my docs did clear me to travel so I'm flying up to Oregon in a few weeks to check on my land, meet with the builder and county officials, etc. I want to hit the ground running in the spring!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2015 09:19pm
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rockies
I have plans/blueprints for the main cabin. I'm going to discuss the second section with the builder when I go up in two weeks. Basically, I'm going to ask them for separate quotes -- building that design as all one building and as two sections. (I've already discussed a 16X18 cabin with them and have that quote.)
If I can afford it and we can do it seamlessly as one building but with that smaller room/section, that would be preferable. If not, then it will be an add-on later.
Foundation choices will come into play, probably. Because I'm on a mountain, at an altitude and most of the roads are gravel, a cement truck isn't happening. I'm planning on a crawlspace with cement block perimeter/curtain wall and piers. Considering ICFs, though, if I can find someone to do a stucco treatment on the outside of them for water/fireproofing.
The modular company is TLC. Here's the website link:
http://www.tlcmodularhomes.com/wordpress/
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neb
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2015 10:35pm
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I wish you the best Julie.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 28 Sep 2015 03:19am
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Thank you, neb!
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Don_P
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# Posted: 28 Sep 2015 08:18am
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Sorry you've been through such an ordeal Julie.
While you're there contact a local concrete company and get them to send someone out for a site visit. They can get into a lot of places that at first blush look inaccessible. We've had a bulldozer help them in on several jobs, including our house. ICF's require a pumper as well as a concrete truck but the concrete truck is usually the tougher to get in.
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old old buddy
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# Posted: 28 Sep 2015 11:53am
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If you click on "a 12X16 on a hilltop in Ohio" you can read all 25 pages...if you have a few hours..lol. I will keep you in my prayers that God watches over you and has you setting in your cabin within the year! Good luck..
Old Old Buddy
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2015 03:29am
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Don_P
Yikes, ICFs take that much concrete for basically a perimeter foundation on a 16 X 18 cabin?!  Wow. I thought that making batches in a portable mixer would work. I am going to be talking with people but I figured that the elevation, the gravel roads, and all of the road reconstruction the DOT is doing on the highway around the mountain would make it impossible for a cement mixer and pumper to get there. I'll find out soon, I guess!
Speaking of the mountain and the roads, here's a YouTube video of Bly Mountain, where my land is, and the work they're doing. Glad I'm not trying to build now with the one-lane traffic and all of the blasting!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQua_CxUAU
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2015 03:31am
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old old buddy
I will check it all out! Thank you for your prayers and good wishes!
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Don_P
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2015 08:05am - Edited by: Don_P
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That kind of road work is impressive. It really doesn't stop anything from moving though. Usually the last few hundred feet is the real problem. If there is a solid track 8' wide and 13' tall, you're in.
Quick and dirty,
Footing pour; about 2.5 yards... minimum truck here is 4 yds. Have other pads etc ready and pour at the same time, or upsize footing pour. This can be done by hand, about 100 bags if bag mixed, a seriously bad day. I'm usually willing to pay the truck charge beyond about a yard of hand mixing.
you'll get about 50 square feet of typical ICF wall area per cubic yard of concrete... that really varies by thickness and manufacturer. At 68 lineal feet of wall and counting on losing some to the pump and spillage, you won't be far off to call it 1.5 yards per foot of wall height. This is small but it does need to go in in one shot pretty quickly. If done by hand I would have 2 mixers and 2 crews to run them, 8 guys, then a couple to place... 10 people and a fine dinner, min crew is 12. With a pumper I can do this with just a helper.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2015 10:43am
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Julie, I hired all my concrete out. Guy came in, set up forms for a single pour, installed rebar. Inspector came in Monday AM, concrete was poured and forms off and guys headed home that Monday afternoon. It was 3.5 yrd, my footprint was 16X18 feet
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2015 02:08am
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I'll get the verdict soon!
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