Sailing On Richland Chambers Lake

Yes it has been cold, cold and water sports, apart from duck hunting, are not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. So here is a reminder.  This is picture of some Richland Chambers Lake residents enjoying a sailing cruise on the the 3rd largest lake in the state. While it is not the open ocean, Richland Chambers Lake offers good opportunities for sailors to stretch out and enjoy an inland lake cruise.
The Richland arm of the lake has a pretty good area for sailing. From the center of the 'Y' to the damn is mostly clear of timber, about 6 1/2 to 7 miles long and at its widest a little more than 3 miles. Winds in the summer are pretty consistent at about 8-15 mph and the lake is always relatively uncrowded.
The Northshore Marina has good protected sailboat slips for lease with adequate water depths and is centrally located for easy access by land and from the water.
My best estimate is there are about 20-25 sailboats around the lake.
So get ready, warm weather will be here soon.

'Big Chill' coming to Richland Chambers

Rooter says "Bundle up!"

Like most of the country cold, cold temperatures are here at Richland Chambers Lake.  I actually saw a boat trailer at the ramp at  FM 2859 late yesterday afternoon.  The temperature was already in the upper 30's and the wind was blowing pretty good so talk about a hearty soul!  It takes true adventuresome spirit to be out on the lake in this weather.  

So we all know to take the necessary precautions in freezing temps, right?  Cover the outdoor spigots, bring in or cover the tender vegetation and make sure you have plenty of firewood.
What other things do you need to know about Lake Life in the extreme temps?  On Richland Chambers a lot of people have lake-fed irrigation systems.  The pumps are usually located in the boathouse or on the shoreline, normally in an enclosure.  These systems are susceptible to the freezing temperatures.  They need to be drained prior to freezing weather.  Usually a drain plug or drain valve is located somewhere in the system.  Removing the plug or opening the valve is all that is necessary.  The system drains and you're set.

Also it is common for a boathouse to be equipped with fresh water for fish cleaning and things like that. The water supply should be cut off and the drain valve should be opened to drain this system as well to keep from having to make costly plumbing repairs.
The low tonight is forecast to be around 21 degrees, wow that is cold for us!  Bundle up

Richland Chambers Lake Home Construction P4 - mechanicals

Construction on our house on Richland Chambers Lake moved along during the summer and into the fall of 2013.
After framing and sheathing we moved right into the mechanical items; electrical, plumbing, HVAC,  central vacuum and spider mister system.  The electrical work, like everything else is very important.  There are a lot of decisions to be made about receptacle and switch placement as well as how many, what kind and where to put light fixtures.

 Don't forget about things like under cabinet lighting, doorbell, communications, speakers and home automation. Be sure to take into consideration things like trash compactor, ice maker, microwave, floor plugs and areas that may have concentrated electrical usage.  The floor plug for the living room was one of those things I neglected and had to go back and cut the concrete to do.

While I'm on the subject another thing we had to go back and do was the control wires for the garage door openers.  Whoops!  It all came out OK and was not that bad to go back and do.

We  opted for pex pipe throughout the house for our water supply.  This is the blue and red high tech plastic pipe that runs through the walls and crawl spaces.  Also the water supply comes in to a manifold that allows you to individually control the water flow to every opening in the house and isolate it in the event of a leak. We are installing an on demand propane water heater sized large enough to supply the whole house.   Some other things to consider about plumbing are hose bib placement, salad sink, wet bar, coffee bar, utility sink, floor drains and garage sink. Obviously not every home has all these things but it is far easier and cheaper to do them in the rough in phase of construction that after.

HVAC systems are just as critical as any other thing. This one thing will determine the comfort and livability of your home. Choose a contractor that is experienced and does not cut corners. Multiple returns help move the air through your home more efficiently, thus creating more comfort and efficiency.  Also use careful consideration about the placement of your air handler units as this will affect you in the future every time you have to change the AC filter.

Richland Chambers Lake Home Construction part 3 framing

Framing a house is the exciting part. Watching the "bones" of the house go up and the shape of it coming together is fun to watch. Framing is dramatically important in several ways.  The structure must be solid and sound with everything properly supported and connected.  2x4's and 2x6's are usually used for studs in the walls and window and door headers are normally larger pieces.  Depending on the spans of a particular area an engineer can determine the size and type of beams or trusses needed to carry the load.  In our house in The Shores on Richland Chambers we have 24" laminated beams in a couple of places.  A good framer can really help develop the looks of the house in several ways.  Window heights, opening sizes and locations just to name a few.  Take into consideration locations for breaker boxes, water heaters, AC units and built in cabinets during this stage. 

 Most framers will also install the roof decking, wall sheathing and build the soffits. Different types of house wrap and vapor barrier sheathing can be used.  We opted for regular house wrap since we are planning on using foam insulation.

Richland Chambers Lake, try before you buy

Thinking about property on Richland Chambers Lake?  Maybe you would like to see the lake and spend some time checking it out?  How about staying a couple of nights or more in a house or condo on the water?  We have 3 waterfront residences available for short term, vacation lease.  You can come and enjoy the peace and quiet of RC lake and experience the beauty the Lake has to offer.  All 3 of our residences are located in the central area of the lake, just a little more than an hour south of Dallas. There are 2 vacation rental homes in the Hidden Oaks neighborhood and one condo in the new Northshore Harbor Condominiums.  All 3 residences are fully outfitted for a relaxing stay at the lake.  For more information visit the webpage: http://www.buyrclake.com/richland-chambers-lake-vacation-rentals.aspx

Pier at 407 Hidden Oaks

Living area 407 Hidden Oaks

Northshore Harbor Condos

Northshore Harbor Condos

Richland Chambers Lake Level, the day after Thanksgiving 2013

Our boathouse is not the prettiest sight right now, however the water under it is a sight for sore eyes.  Today Richland Chambers is Lake at 307.79 which is 7.21 feet low, up from 304.74 on October 12, 2013, 10.26 feet low.  Three feet gained in a little over 6 weeks.  The low mark this year was the 2nd lowest the lake has been in its 24 year history.  The recent rains have now saturated the ground, filled ditches, tanks and streams and closed up all the cracks.  We have rain again in the forecast for next Thursday and Friday and we are hoping for significant amounts.  Historic graphs show the lake fills between now and the month of  March - first of April or so.  Check out the lake level at http://www.buyrclake.com/richland-chambers-lake-level.aspx.  When the lake fills we will have 8.5 ft of water under the boathouse and it will look much better.

Ok it has been a month since my last post and a lot of things have happened at our house in The Shores and on Richland Chambers lake in general.
 The outside is looking good.  The stone guys are just about through and the garage doors are in.  We have been working on drainage and sprinklers in the flower beds.  On the inside the sheet rock is up, tape, bed and texture has been taking place and the walls are primed.  We have also begun putting up doors and trim and building the fireplace.  Our cabinets are going to be ordered Monday as we have gone through 3 different drawing revisions.  Our wood floors have been delivered and we have been getting light fixtures, door knobs and things like that.  The move in date is getting closer and we are beginning to get a little excited.

Time goes by, and life goes on

A lot of time has passed, about a month since I posted. Once again life deals you all sorts of cards.  No matter how ready you think you are for the inevitable passing of a loved one it affects you.  My Father passed away about 2 weeks ago. At 85 years old he had been under hospice care for some time and was not doing very well.  My mother, sister, brother and I thought his time was not far off and I personally thought I was prepared.  I can't say I've ever been depressed but this has sure made me feel ways I've never known.  My Dad was a good man who taught us the value of family and hard work.  Mom and he were married 64 years and we were raised in a loving, caring environment our entire growing up.  Mom is doing Ok and my brother and sister and I are getting back to regular life.  Thanks to everyone who gave me kind words and supported us through this time. It was truly enjoyable to see so many old friends and family even under the circumstances and the tenderness and kindness from everyone truly touched us.  We will miss our Dad and look forward to being with him again in eternity.

Richland Chambers Lake Level after the rain..

We have been in the throws of an historic drought in our Great State for about 3 years or more, depending on who you listen to or what you read.  There are some 'dire' forecasts out there if you want to find them. Texas Lake Levels are at 67% capacity that much has been reported and documented.  Richland Chambers Lake Level was just about 10 feet below pool before the recent rains that fell across the State last Thursday and Friday.  I can tell you from being out and about that we were really crispy dry.

LakeSide Dreams last Friday

 The consensus on the rainfall we received at the lake is about 5".  I've heard from several Richland Chambers residents the last few days from all around the lake and that seems to be a safe estimate.  RC Lake itself came up about a quarter of a foot as a result of the about 24 hour deluge.  Though that is not much considering where we are, everything is a little bit greener and way less crispy.  This morning was cool, about 56 degrees, and the dew was very heavy, ah yes fall is just around the corner.

What's up with the house construction?

Central Vac rough in

Total of 320 amp service coming in, 2-200 amp breaker boxes

This is a real time update versus the 'catching up chronology ' of the last couple of blogs about the house construction.

As of today the house construction on Richland Chambers is moving right along.  We are in the 'mechanical ' stage on the interior.  The electrician has been working for several days, pulling wire, placing boxes for plugs, switches, fixtures and other stuff.  

We are having a central vacuum system installed by North Texas Central Vacuums.  They came and roughed in the system yesterday by running central vac pipe and control wires.  We will have a total of 7 vac inlets including one in the garage on the unit with a kit to clean out the cars.

Central Vac tubing in the walls

Rooter is checking out the 'sweep out' line that will come from under the cabinet

The plumber is still working on rough in and has set the tubs and is running the gas lines today.  They should be finished in the next day or two.  They are installing a manifold system in the house which will enable us to turn off the water supply to individual fixtures in the house from a central location.

Setting slope cans in the living room

The HVAC system is roughed in

I neglected to put conduit in the slab for floor plugs, so we are doing it the hard way

Plumbing rough in using pex pipe

The last thing to go in the walls is the rest of the 'Bug be Gone' system.  A3 Pest Solutions from Blooming Grove is installing the system.  They will come and finish running the tubing for the system to all of the outside eaves and soffits before we seal up the walls.  Everything is looking good so far and we hope to be spraying the foam insulation by the middle of next week.

Cut in the concrete for power to the island in the kitchen

Finished 'trench' for floor plug in living room

Our Home Construction on Richland Chambers The Slab

Plumbing rough-in, forms and beams

Post tension cables

This is the 2nd installment of the house building chronicle:   One of the requirements of building in The Shores on Richland Chambers is the engineering process for your slab.  We got the drawings and turned them over to the concrete contractor.  He took them and got started forming and digging the grade beams.  We selected a plumber after reviewing several bids and they came to rough in the slab.  Once the plumber was done I called our local Orkin franchise to 'pre-treat' the slab.  They came out and sprayed really good stuff around all the plumbing openings in the concrete.  This will seriously dissuade any bugs with the intention of coming inside form underneath.  This is step one of their process.  They will come back after the house is just about done and spray around the edge of the foundation.

Slab pre-treat

Slab pre-treat

Pump truck to place the concrete

 Once the pre-treat was done our concrete contractor came back and continued preparing the slab. They finished and reinforced the forms,  laid  plastic moisture barrier and placed the post tension cables along with some rebar.  Early the next morning  concrete trucks started to arrive.  Since our lot is fairly narrow and the slab is pretty large a pump truck was necessary to place the concrete.  All the concrete was poured at the same time for what is referred to as a 'monolithic' pour.  Which simply means it is all one big piece.

The truck is controlled remotely

Placing concrete

Placing concrete

Finished slab

Once concrete is poured it is there. You have to think through everything that needs to go in the floor. I would have done a couple of thing differently at this point, nothing earth shaking, but definitely causing a little extra work to get accomplished now.