Every day the house looks different. Today I pulled up to find most of the main floor interior framing complete. It was fun walking between the rooms and getting to see the plans come alive again. Rodney, my framer, works … Read More

Most residential floor framing systems are primarily made up of “joists,” horizontal framing members designed to span open spaces. Joists can be reinforced with “blocking” or “crush blocks” as needed, and tied together with floor sheathing. Floor joists are typically … Read More

The reframing is going smoothly and progress is visible every day. I’m happy we’re finally pushing forward, but framing in Anchorage during August and September does mean rain–sometimes lots of it. As I said in a previous post, most wood … Read More

Round two, begin! After months of setbacks, rabbit holes, and dead ends, it feels great to finally make certain progress on the house. I have to admit that the disastrous experience with my original framing contractor left me a little … Read More

A while back, Remote Alaska Solutions reached out to ask whether I’d considered ICF for my project, and they invited me to check out a couple of their job sites. ICF stands for “Insulated Concrete Forms.” In ICF construction, hollow … Read More

My housebuilding project more or less went on hold during July while I waited for the new framing crew. I loosely tarped the building materials to protect them from rain, cleaned up the jobsite, and did some long-overdue bookkeeping. I’d … Read More

Welcome! Documenting the owner-builder process for my first home in Anchorage, Alaska! Hoping to be as informative and transparent as possible about the ups, downs, and in-betweens. Most content is available both on Instagram and on the website. Feel free … Read More

Owner-builders should always take lots of photos (and videos, where appropriate) throughout the construction process. It’s easy, free, and you already have all the tools you need in your pocket. At minimum, it’ll be fun to look back on progress … Read More

We’d hoped to start rebuilding on top of the basement walls once the floor was off, but initial measurements showed that something was still wrong. By using a laser transit we found that the original framing contractor had built all … Read More

Framing documentation Address: 15540 Wind Song Drive, Anchorage, AKContractor: Erik Dawson, Dawson Development