Author: DickmanLegacyLodge

The final pieces  are laid.

The subfloor  sheathing is 3/4″ tongue and groove Norbord Pinnacle OSB, specifically engineered, and guaranteed against water damage for the first 100 days.  This is a crucial time during which the floor is exposed to the elements before the lodge is  enclosed.  The flooring is glued and nailed with rim shank nails.

With the best contractors, which I believe we have the best in South Georgia, there are details which can be improved upon.  Picture one shows where a TGI was notched to fit around a clashing j-bolt leaving less than an inch of bearing surface on the sill plate.  This was later remedied by adding a 4 x 4 support between the TGI and floor.  Picture 2 shows sill plate extensions, cantilevered  out under the LVL for support.  Initially, this beam missed those sill plates because of a clash with the fireplace foundation.  The last picture shows a TGI elevated off the sill plate.  All TGI’s were installed flush with the top of the Rim Boards, but this left several off the sill plates.  These were later shimmed so the TGI’s were sitting on the sill plate.

TGI’s (tongue and groove I-beams) are engineered structural members that provide greater strength and dimensional consistency that is superior to conventional 2X lumber.  They are also lighter and can be quickly modified on site providing benefits over engineered floor trusses.  TGI’s provide the structural rigidity that will prevent the floor from sagging, being spongy to walk on and cracking ceramic floor tiles.  TGI’s span the structure sitting on the main beams and sill plates.

I got a Home Depot Pro Card for purchasing some of the materials at a discount and getting itemized tracking of expenditures.  With the card you get fuel points.  I was pleasantly surprised the first several times i purchased gas.  When was the last time you got gas for 1.9 cents/gal?  A total of 38 cents for 20 gallons.

These pictures all show a 12″ rim board installed around the perimeter wall on the sill plate.  A ghost wall is built on the inside to provide greater structural support.  Pictures 2 and 3 show the main engineered beam that runs the length of the lodge sitting on the foundation piers.  The main beam is LVL (laminated venier lumber) which is stronger and straighter than a solid beam of the same dimensions.  Smaller LVL’s sit on the main beam, foundation piers and the sill plate to strengthen key areas needing additional structural support.

Sill plates, 2 x 8 pressure treated  boards, are bolted to the foundation walls.  A polymer caulking is first put down on the edges of the blocks to get a seal between the sill plate and foundation wall.  In new house construction, as much as 40% of air leakage into a home happens between the sill plate and foundation.

The top of the foundation walls are ground flat and smooth so that a good base is provided for the sill plates, and so they can be properly sealed.

The concrete pad in the crawl space floats between the walls.  Even though a moisture barrier was installed under the concrete slab, Blue Max is sprayed to fill the joint between the wall and the slab to prevent any moisture migration through the seam.  Blue Max will expand and contract with the slab to maintain its integrity.

Our lake lot slopes from the front to the back creating a potential drainage problem in the front.  In addition to waterproofing, a french drain is installed to carry off any water build up away from the foundation.  The first picture shows a filter sock being placed over the drain pipe to keep sand and silt from plugging up the drain pipe.  The second picture shows the drain pipe being laid on footing, and the third shows the  gravel which is back filled to filter and accelerate drainage into the pipe.