Mad County Build

Welcome to the Mad County Build series from Marshall Remodel. The first 10 months of this self-build were full of setbacks, difficulty, and ultimate victory as one man was determined to build his family a home. Watch and be inspired to Build Your Dream.

May 13, 2019 is where we begin. Our family purchased 30 acres near the iconic Bridges of Madison County. The first step of this project was to clear a space for the driveway and house. Getting into the property was a challenge, and all of the rain didn't help.

Since the land we bought had never been used, we needed to gain access to the build site. Getting the gravel drive was a big step. Thanks for watching as we build our dream.

While some trees were removed, most of what Paul cleared was brush and weeds. Clearing out a space for the house and yard will lead to being able to create a wonderful space for our family and wildlife. Paul talks about equipment rental and why that's a great option when you don't have the budget to purchase everything you need for a project.

This might be the most critical step of this build. If you're off by even a little at the beginning, by the end of the project you'll be off by a lot.

Part 1 of building the storm shelter. This is meant to be an underground room, and place to seek shelter in the event of a bad storm. Access to it will be from the garage. This episode covers the prep and foundation work.

Part 2 of building the storm shelter. Building the walls, and figuring out how to get 70 pound sheets of plywood into the foundation hole by yourself.

In this episode Paul builds a retaining wall around the windows of the storm shelter. Keep watching the series as this wall eventually goes away!

Foundation work is underway at the Mad County Build. Paul uses column footings and wet set brackets to prepare for framing. This way the wood posts will remain out of the ground, giving them a longer life span.

Walls are going up, and the structure of the house is being formed. The exterior walls for the house and garage will go up first since this is post frame construction.

A continuation of part 1 of the exterior wall framing. In post frame construction, the exterior walls are put up first and support the load of the roof.

The steel roof consists of multiple 30 foot by 10 foot pieces of steel. Getting those up with 1-2 people was still a challenge. We managed though.

Part 2 where Paul finishes up the roof and works on the trim and soffit. This will always remain one of the most challenging parts of the project. Doing this without a crew was risky, but thankfully some friends and family pitched in and we got it done.

Paul builds and installs the window frames for the many windows in the Mad County Build project.

Installing the windows on the Mad County Build was a monumental task. The home was designed to have a ton of natural light, and be able to take in the gorgeous countryside views.

Framing for the garage began once the house was complete. Paul shares a couple mistakes he made while building the storm shelter and garage.

Part 2 of the garage framing on the Mad County Build. Includes adding the metal to the roof.

Paul completed framing and the roof of the house and garage prior to preparing for concrete. Since this will be the final flooring of the home, he wanted to have it protected when it was poured. The first step was leveling the space with gravel.

Planning out and adding the plumbing underneath the slab. This is a critical step since it won't be accessible once the concrete is poured.

Radiant in floor heat was a must for the Mad County Build project. Preparing for it with insulation board and the tubing was a great part of the project.

Installing the septic system for the Mad County Build. Including leach field and tank.