New Home Construction

fordmantpw · May 20, 2014

wmonroe said:
That's what it looked like, very nice layout.

Thanks! We debated quite a bit on whether to excavate under the upstairs garage or not, but after talking with the builder, the additional cost wasn't that much, so we went ahead with it for the extra space. I'm glad we did.

fordmantpw · May 24, 2014

Most of the exterior walls are up.

And the view from our sun room:

dave1949 · May 24, 2014

That's good progress.

I like it better when window headers are built as boxes filled with insulating foam. That brings the inside surface of the header flush with the wall studs and makes a solid backing for mounting curtain rod holders.

Now is a good time to make sure you have blocking between the studs for towel racks, tp roll holders, medicine cabinets, any heavy things you know will be mounted on a wall, and the like.

fordmantpw · May 24, 2014

I'm not sure why they did the header this way as that's not how I'm used to seeing it. Maybe they are going to add the foam and then another header inside? I will have to check with them as that's a good point.

Thanks for the tip on the blocking for stuff mounted on the walls. Will definitely make sure to get that in as I hadn't thought of that.

dave1949 · May 24, 2014

Stuff flopping around on loose drywall anchors is a pet peeve of mine. :laughing: A lot of interior stuff is not made for easy mounting on 16" centers; one of life's mysteries.

If you consult with the curtain boss for locations, it would still be easy to put in blocking for rod holders.

EddieWalker · May 25, 2014

All you need is two boards to create a header. With 2x4 construction a half inch piece of plywood is put between them for additional strength, but also to bring it out flush with the wall. With 2x6 walls, you still only need those two boards for the header, but usually you add another board and another piece of half inch plywood to bring it out flush. It's not wrong, it's just odd looking in your pics.

Eddie

Scooter78 · May 25, 2014

Don't forget to add blocking around windows for any future curtain rods as well. Did that in all my houses makes it really easy to hang them. Like was already said I hate dealing with dry wall anchors.

joemd11 · May 25, 2014

Will the upper garage have any floor drains? Sorry if this is a dumb question as I am not at all versed in construction. I want a garage but don't have much level property to build on. A garage with a suspended floor might be the only option for me. I am enjoying your thread!

TomSeller · May 25, 2014

It looks like it is moving right along. Nice view from the window.

fordmantpw · May 25, 2014

EddieWalker said:
All you need is two boards to create a header. With 2x4 construction a half inch piece of plywood is put between them for additional strength, but also to bring it out flush with the wall. With 2x6 walls, you still only need those two boards for the header, but usually you add another board and another piece of half inch plywood to bring it out flush. It's not wrong, it's just odd looking in your pics.

Eddie

Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with the headers. I know these guys are VERY particular, so I'm guessing they just aren't finished yet. I'm going to ask them on Tuesday.

Scooter78 said:
Don't forget to add blocking around windows for any future curtain rods as well. Did that in all my houses makes it really easy to hang them. Like was already said I hate dealing with dry wall anchors.

Good call! After the note on the tp holders and such, we are thinking about everywhere we want those things and will get them in where we want them.

joemd11 said:
Will the upper garage have any floor drains? Sorry if this is a dumb question as I am not at all versed in construction. I want a garage but don't have much level property to build on. A garage with a suspended floor might be the only option for me. I am enjoying your thread!

Not a dumb question at all. Yes, the upper garage has a floor drain in the center. Some contractors just drain the floor toward the door, but it doesn't come out as good as sloping to a center drain, and sloping it toward the door usually leaves puddles in certain areas. After it was poured, I gave the contractor a hard time saying the floor wasn't level.

Standing on the ground on the side of the house, the garage was right at eye level and you could see the slope toward the drain.

TomSeller said:
It looks like it is moving right along. Nice view from the window.

Thanks! My office (I work from home) will be right below that. It will make it hard to get work done with my desk facing the window!

hddnis · May 29, 2014

Looking good.

Mr. HE

Red Horse · May 29, 2014

Fordman- Outstanding! beautiful piece of property. Garage piece very interesting. Looks like you are using the "Zip" system for your exterior siding. Friend of mine is a very experienced builder and is currently building himself a new house after his was destroyed in a fire last Sept. He doesn't trust the Zip system as a stand alone moisture barrier so he took the added step of covering with Typar. The same old question whenever new building products come out..."this is a 100 year product"! Says who? The marketing guys?

In any case keep the pix coming:thumbsup:

fordmantpw · May 30, 2014

Thanks Red Horse! Yeah, I was a little skeptical of the Zip system, but the builders have assured me it works well and they've been using it for a while. However, it hasn't been out long and the long-term results are yet to be seen. I've done some more research and there are benefits over a house wrap, but also some drawbacks. Overall, I'm comfortable with it.

This week has been a slow week, so no updates so far. It was supposed to rain all week, so they took the week to go paint and finish another house they have in the works. Wouldn't you know, it hasn't rained a drop since Monday!

BuilderML · May 31, 2014

Red Horse said:
Fordman- Outstanding! beautiful piece of property. Garage piece very interesting. Looks like you are using the "Zip" system for your exterior siding. Friend of mine is a very experienced builder and is currently building himself a new house after his was destroyed in a fire last Sept. He doesn't trust the Zip system as a stand alone moisture barrier so he took the added step of covering with Typar. The same old question whenever new building products come out..."this is a 100 year product"! Says who? The marketing guys?

In any case keep the pix coming:thumbsup:

Its funny you say that. We just completed framing a home with the Zip system for the roof and walls. I was talking with the sales rep from that lumber yard about adding tyvek over the zip as a 2nd measure of protection. His reply was you may be voiding the warranty. Here is how i could see a warranty claim going. Lets say you do cover the zip panels with tyvek and the zip fails for some reason. Now you remove the walls covering and the rep comes out and sees you have tyvek over it. Sales rep replies " Sorry sir but seeing how you have another product over ours there is nothing we can do for you. Ours is a stand alone product". Again it may never play out that way but your just giving someone a reason not to cover the warranty.

EddieWalker · May 31, 2014

I like Zip System and have it on part of my house. I'm redoing my exterior one side at a time and Zip System allows me to end at a corner and not have to worry about it. I also like house wrap and use it quite a bit. I wouldn't use both on the same structure. My understanding is that the possibility exists to trap moisture between them and cause long term issues with mold and rot.

One of the biggest advantages to using Zip System is that you can get the panels in longer lengths then your standard 4ft x 8ft sizes that plywood and OSB come in. Being able to have one panel that goes from you bottom plates to your top plates is worth the additional cost!!!! I'm using 4ft x 9ft on my house.

The other advantage is there isn't anything loose at the bottom for air to get in through. With house wrap, I like to put it on before the soffits are built and then build the soffits over the wrap. This guarantees that no air or moisture can get it from the top. I've seen where it's put in after the soffits are built and you have that gap at the very top that you have to either tape up or hope for the best. At the bottom, it just hangs there or is held in place with staples or nails until the siding goes on, and then all that holds it in place is the siding. A strong wind will get in and up under the house wrap there. With Zip system, it's a solid seal!!!!

Eddie

fordmantpw · Jun 2, 2014

EddieWalker said:
One of the biggest advantages to using Zip System is that you can get the panels in longer lengths then your standard 4ft x 8ft sizes that plywood and OSB come in. Being able to have one panel that goes from you bottom plates to your top plates is worth the additional cost!!!! I'm using 4ft x 9ft on my house.

I noticed that the other day. I was looking and thought 'hey, where's the seam?' That's when I realized the Zip boards came in 9' lengths to cover the entire wall without a seam.

fordmantpw · Jun 6, 2014

Kinda hard to see much from these pics (I should have taken some from outside), but here are a few shots of the framing. Trusses scheduled to be here on Wednesday!

rustyshakelford · Jun 6, 2014

Looks good. Must be getting excited.

Brett

fordmantpw · Jun 11, 2014

Trusses showed up today! We've also got steps to the basement (my kids were super excited about this), and they poured the suspended concrete deck today (which I forgot to snap a pic of, but did get one of it formed up last night). They had to drill a few holes in the floor to push the 1/2" of water sitting on it down through. Hopefully it can stay dry until all the roof is on.