Narrator: After months of planning and countless hours dreaming of it.
Construction is now underway on Zach's custom Golden Eagle Log and Timber home.
Zach: It's a very exciting time in the process.
You start to see a lot of movement quickly.
It's just ah, it's an overwhelming sense of excitement.
It's hard to stop thinking about it.
Narrator: It's day one.
And the excavator has arrived on site.
And the crew begins digging into the soft sandy soil.
Zach: We have made a lot of progress out here.
First of all, we cleared off the topsoil.
The topsoil has a lot of rich nutrients in there, a lot of organic matter.
So we piled that over here to the side.
That is what we'll put down before we ever put the lawn in in the future.
It's also important to keep in mind that if I were building in the summertime.
The water would naturally drain into the sand.
It's very sandy around here.
But it's gonna be a winter build.
And with it being a winter build the ground will freeze.
So we want to make sure to grade everything away from the house so we don't get big puddles
up by the construction site.
What you can see is we've dug for a nine foot basement here.
And it all looks really good.
And tomorrow we'll be doing the footings.
Narrator: Before the footings can be poured.
The crew stakes in the perimeter of the foundation and all of the load-bearing walls.
Footings are poured pads that distribute the weight of the walls above it.
And they prevent the home from sinking or shifting into the ground.
Narrator: The aluminum forms where the concrete will be poured are now built on top of the
footings.
The forms will be removed once the concrete cures.
They also frame in the large egress windows.
Next the forms are filled with concrete.
And the foundation walls are now complete.
Zach: When a lot of us think of basements.
We often think of utilities as well as areas for storage.
But in today's homes.
We're able to incorporate a lot of natural light.
That allows us to finish off this space and make it feel like a continuation of the rest
of the home.
Narrator: With the forms now removed.
The crew back fills the exterior using the dirt they used when they first dug out the
foundation.
Now they're ready for the next phase of construction.
Zach: Today we're working on one of my favorite features the home and that is the in-floor
heat.
We are laying all the tubing in the floor here in the basement.
And eventually there will be tubing in the garage also.
All this will run off the same boiler.
So once it's all covered up you won't be able to see it.
But you'll definitely able to feel it.
It was really cool to see how they laid it all out.
Everything is intentional, it has a reason.
There's not going to be a cold spot in that floor.
Narrator: Meanwhile back at Golden Eagle Log and Timber Homes headquarters.
Shipment number one is already being prepared for delivery.
While some companies send the entire house in one shipment.
Builders prefer Golden Eagle's staggered shipping system.
That only send the materials needed in each phase of construction.
This process doesn't overwhelm the job site.
Or exposed finished materials to the elements outside for months on end.
Zach: Today is a big day at the jobsite.
We are receiving the first delivery.
So we left the Golden Eagle shipping Department know what we needed here to build the floor
system.
So we've got the floor trusses and the floor sheathing.
And all that is getting unloaded right now.
As you can see, we've got plenty of room around here to unload the truck.
So that's really nice.
And we only have what we need.
I'm looking forward to seeing all the progress.
It should only take a few days to get this floor system built.
Zach: What I like about floor trusses is that you're able to span a large area.
And you're also able to utilize these large cavities throughout the floor truss.
You can use these for your HVAC, your plumbing, or your electrical.
And it makes it real easy for those subcontractors.
You're also able to get better efficiency out of things like your HVAC because you could
have more straight runs.
It's easier on your furnace and your air conditioner and all of those systems.
Narrator: Because Golden Eagle designs and provides a complete package.
They engineer the floor system to account for heavy items.
Such as the fireplace, granite countertops, hot tubs, and quarry tile.
Homeowners won't have to worry that their floor will dip, sag, or fail in the future.
Narrator: Golden Eagle also takes into account Zach's zero barrier walk-in shower.
By lowering the subfloor for proper drainage.
Narrator: Today the home will undergo a massive transformation.
As the exterior walls will be framed and tipped up.
Narrator: The front and rear feature walls have been framed up using two by eight construction.
Which allows for better strength and rigidity.
The larger space within the wall also means more insulation can be added.
Next they continue framing up the exterior and begin the interior walls.
Narrator: Lastly OSB wall sheathing is added.
Zach: Now that the walls are up.
I can really start to see the house taking shape.
But the thing is on my mind is.
Let's get everything covered in case winter comes early.
Narrator: Which started out as an idea is now a tangible reality.
Zach's dream home is well underway.
And on the next episode.
We'll continue the journey as the roof system, porch, windows, and more are added to the
home.