Step by step with Oak Hill. How to build a custom home.
Come along with us through the construction Oak Hill, a new home built on a 10 acre parcel in The Woods of Geneva National Resort. Started in August of 2007 and completed in August of 2008. MD properties will demonstrate our care and philosophy behind each step of this home building process, creating a new home that will last for generations, looking and living as well 10 years from now as it did the day you moved in.-
Step 2Before selecting and clearing trees for the building site, we met with the home owner, site superintendents, utility companies, excavators, landscape architects, water drainage specialists, forest preservationists, and arborists to determine the best building site while preserving the maximum number of trees. If applicable, contact your community association for permission to clear trees. -
Step 3Lot is cleared. Trees removed. Stumps ground out. -
Step 4Top soil is scraped and set aside for final landscaping - a Green Built Home Practice™ -
Title #5Preparing the building site according to Green Guidelines. Demarcate limits of clearing and grading. Create construction "no disturbance" zones using fencing or flagging to protect vegetation and sensitive areas from construction vehicles, material storage, and washout. -
Title #6We engaged an arborist to conduct deep root fertilization to protect trees near the building site. Deep root fertilization is a process where a high quality nutrient solution is injected into the root zone of trees. The materials are injected into the root zone under pressure which helps aerate or provide much needed oxygen to the root system. The soil injection begins just below the surface and goes to a depth of 12 – 14 inches. -
Title #7Minimize disturbance of and damage to trees and other vegetation designated for protection through installation of fencing and avoidance of trenching, significant changes in grade, and compaction of soil and critical root zones. Prepare designated existing trees and vegetation for the impacts of construction through pruning, root pruning, fertilizing, and watering. Fence off trees to prevent the weight of building crew trucks from damaging the existing root systems, a Green Built Home Practice -
Title #8Install and maintain sediment and erosion controls, a Green Built Home Practice™ -
Title #9Reduce soil compaction from construction equipment by laying mulch, chipped wood, or plywood sheets. We use chips from the building's site ground up limbs and stumps to further protect adjacent trees, a Green Built Home Practice™ -
Title #10Excavation -
Title #11Lay gravel base to support construction traffic. -
Title #12Install track pad. Cut the base in the site of the final driveway - lay with track pad to reduce the tracking of mud onto local street be construction crew vehicles - a "nice neighbor" practice. -
Title #11Pour footings. We use the form-a-drain-system. Form A Drain is a patented, all-in-one, stay in place, system that forms the foundation footing, provides drainage and can be adapted to provide a sub-slab radon reduction system. In addition to providing a superior footing, Form A Drain creates an ideal drainage system, one that is parallel to the footing and below the foundation wall. -
Title #14Basement walls set up for pouring. -
Title #15Wall set up continues -
Title #16Frost walls installed. -
Title #17Form A Drain system installed along with foundation. -
Title #18Description -
Title #19Begin pouring foundation walls. Continuous (stem wall) foundations are constructed poured concrete, supported by a continuous, reinforced-concrete spread footing. -
Title #20Foundation walls complete. -
Step 21Supports for future air conditioning units are installed. -
Step 22Insulate exterior foundation walls. -
Step 23Backfill footings. Although most building codes only require 12", we use from 2 to 3 feet of gravel. -
Step 24Lay gravel for basement floor. Due to the use of supporting grade beams, this floor will be poured earlier than usual in the building schedule. -
Step 25Trenching basement floor drains to alleviate ground water build up during and after construction, and to protect nearby trees from excess water run off, a Green Built Home Practice™ -
Title #6Installation of sewer drain. -
Title #7Sewer drain complete. -
Title #8Install rough plumbing in foundation prior to grade beams. -
Title #9We installed grade beam footings to help support the load of wide flooring spans and to facilitate the installation of heating ductwork later in construction. A grade beam footing is a continuous reinforced-concrete member used to support loads with minimal bending and are capable of spanning across non-load bearing areas. -
Title #10Basement crushed stone was graded and compacted. Then a vapor barrier was placed to cover the entire basement area. 2" Styrofoam was then placed on top to reduce thermal heat loss. -
Title #11In-floor heating tubes were installed in preparation for an on-demand hot water system, a Green Built Home Practice™ -
Title #12More prep for on demand hot water system. -
Title #13Pouring the basement floor. -
Title #14Basement floor poured and soft cut, then sealed the following day. -
Title #15Foundation is backfilled with stone -
Title #16Foundation backfill complete- delayed due to heavy rains. -
Title #17Lower level framed. -
Title #18Foundation is capped. -
Title #19Main floor layout. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing. -
Title #20Framing.
