House Build 2023

[deezler]

I think your attic is bigger than my entire house.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Took a little break to the Pacific Northwest. Much needed rest.

 

[deezler]

Looks pretty dry there?

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Yeah. Most assuredly dry.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

The plumbing and AC had been coming together while i was gone. Bridges in place, all venting put in so far has been wrapped with insulation.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I did a little walkthrough video just a bit ago. This week should be insulation and sheetrock. I'm hoping the video will help if any questions come up after the walls are closed.

 

[EddieWalker]

Smart to have a video. I personally think pictures are easier to go back through and zoom in on when you are trying to figure out where something is.

I was surprised to see that you went with a one piece fiberglass tub/shower unit. That will probably be your first remodel sometime in the future.

Your dryer vent goes straight up. For a very long ways!!!! Dryer vents should never go up. Drier motors have only gotten weaker over the years and nothing wears out a drier faster then over working it with a vertical vent pipe. In homes that I've worked on where they got tired of replacing their drier every five years, I tunneled the pipe through cabinets to get it to go outside and remaining horizontal.

It's going to be a very nice house. The framing, plumbing and electrical all look top of the line!!!

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

As long as I don't mess up and delete the video I can pause, screenshot, zoom etc. The video should hopefully provide unlimited pictures in the future.

I figure the 1 piece tub on the guest side of the house will be just fine. We have almost grown kids, so they will not be using it for long. Then it will only be used very rarely. It seemed like an easy place to save a few dollars.

Dryer vent will have an electric blower motor in the attic to help with flow. I overlooked the dryer vent through the whole house design and build until it just showed up one day, running along the floor and through 2 closets. It was not bad in the main big closet but it ran diagonally through the entire floor of the under-stairs closet making it totally useless. I told my builder I hated it and wanted it gone. That was the best idea we could come up with in the short term. It may have to be changed later but it would not be a big deal if this ends up not working for the long term. Had I thought about it I would have run it under the slab in a straight shot outside. Though my builder said Arkansas has outlawed that, I would have snuck it in anyway.

 

[EddieWalker]

Seems like there is that little something that isn't thought about until it's happening, and there isn't a really good solution for doing it how you want it.

I had a client change the location of the dryer on a job after everything was just about done. It went from being on an exterior wall, to being against the back porch wall. I had to run the vent through the porch to get it to go outside. The wife loved the new location, the husband never stopped blaming me for not figuring out a better way to run the vent line so he wouldn't see it. In the end, I painted it to blend in and she put some furniture to hide it, so he sort of calmed down about it, but I know it will always bother him.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Does anyone have any thoughts on blue board (foam sheets) insulation around the blocks before bricks are laid? Not sure if it's worth messing with or not. Theoretically it *could* help insulate the floor from outside temperature?

 

[drumminj]

Does anyone have any thoughts on blue board (foam sheets) insulation around the blocks before bricks are laid? Not sure if it's worth messing with or not. Theoretically it *could* help insulate the floor from outside temperature?

View attachment 826301

I don't know about foam board (seems a good idea?) but I'd suggest taping the seams on your OSB and the sheathing to the block (use Siga Fentrim tape). Do you plan on doing air sealing?

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I wrapped it with Tyvec, taped anything that looked like water or wind could get through, and foamed all gaps, cracks, and holes. Bottom plates on the walls will be caulked before insulation.

 

[drumminj]

Sounds like you're on top of it.

I'd check greenbuildingadvisor to see if folks suggest putting foam board insulation on the block (many of the articles are behind a paywall, but the Q&A section is very helpful). You have a poured slab if I've followed correctly vs a crawl (which would likely be insulated on the inside), so I've not followed what building science advocates for these days.

 

[4570Man]

Smart to have a video. I personally think pictures are easier to go back through and zoom in on when you are trying to figure out where something is.

I was surprised to see that you went with a one piece fiberglass tub/shower unit. That will probably be your first remodel sometime in the future.

Your dryer vent goes straight up. For a very long ways!!!! Dryer vents should never go up. Drier motors have only gotten weaker over the years and nothing wears out a drier faster then over working it with a vertical vent pipe. In homes that I've worked on where they got tired of replacing their drier every five years, I tunneled the pipe through cabinets to get it to go outside and remaining horizontal.

It's going to be a very nice house. The framing, plumbing and electrical all look top of the line!!!

I actually like a basic fiberglass shower. Tile showers are too much cleaning. If I was going to do a nicer shower I’d do one with stone slabs that only have grout joints in the corners but those cost quite a bit more. Locally code requires booster fans on dryer vents over a certain length. I think it’s 35ft and every 90 fitting counts as 5 ft.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

What about canned spray foam around windows and doors?

 

[drumminj]

What about canned spray foam around windows and doors?

Your window/door installer should have done this? (at least mine did).

Definitely recommend this to stop air leaks. Use the yellow great stuff (window and door) vs the white loctite stuff...it's SOO much easier to use. Make sure to use the low-expansion window and door foam though.

(I feel I should always caveat -- I'm not a builder/trade at alll, but on the tail end of my house build and have read/researched a ton along the way)

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I’ve read foam on outside of basement walls is good.

 

[EddieWalker]

Definitely use window foam around the windows and doors.

The big misunderstanding about wall insulation is that does very little to control the outside temps from getting into the house. Wall's need to be made windproof. The wind is your bigger enemy in the walls. This is why taping the outside of the windows and doors is so important. Foam adds another layer of stopping the wind. If air gets through the walls, it defeats the insulation.

Attic insulation is what keeps the inside temp where you want it.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Does anyone have any thoughts on blue board (foam sheets) insulation around the blocks before bricks are laid? Not sure if it's worth messing with or not. Theoretically it *could* help insulate the floor from outside temperature?

View attachment 826301

I have a 20x30 garage that I work in. I dug 2 feet down all around the outside and installed 2 inch closed cell foam. It was well worth it. The floor is a lot warmer. It probably helped a lot that I sealed the foam to the house wrap.

 

[4570Man]

What about canned spray foam around windows and doors?

Buy the low expansion foam made for windows and take it easy with it. Excessive use of expanding foam will bow the windows.