Building our retirement home

[farmer2009]

We're designing this home for our future needs. The stairwell into the basement has been made 5' wide, to facilitate the later installation of a lift. BTW ... I have no idea why the pics in my last post appear as links and not thumbnails :confused3:

For the pictures it says invalid link. Might try them again. Been some problems with the photo loader.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

Fixed my photo links in post 114

 

[IXLR8]

Two coats of water-proofing were applied. The external perimeter drain was put in place and back-fill has begun. Next step will be preparing to pour the floor, which will probably happen along with the house footings.

What are you using for water-proofing?

 

[KubotainNH]

Looking good, it's amazing how fast things move once the framing starts then things go slow again. One thing I'm glad I did was take tons of pictures of the interior walls and ceilings before insulation and drywall went up. So many times I have gone back to those pictures to see where a certain pipe or wire is. I also ran a PVC pipe from the basement into the attic on a wall that allowed for a straight pipe. I've already used it for an add-on.

 

[jk96]

ME TOO!!!

We've really been stuck on selecting our windows. The framer is going to expect dimensions in just a few days and we have yet to settle on the source. We're waiting on, what we hope, will be the proposal that works for us. We're not a fan of the typical vinyl windows on the market, instead wanting oak - or at least wood-clad oak. With luck we'll hear something tomorrow.

We went with Anderson 400 series. Vinyl outside and wood inside. Happy so far but will have to see how they fair in the long run. They did extremely well in our leakage tests.

One thing to mention is arched windows. You might get sticker shock if you are planning any. If so you can get a similar look with a standard window and arched transom for a fraction of the price.

 

[cat fever]

ME TOO!!!

We've really been stuck on selecting our windows. The framer is going to expect dimensions in just a few days and we have yet to settle on the source. We're waiting on, what we hope, will be the proposal that works for us. We're not a fan of the typical vinyl windows on the market, instead wanting oak - or at least wood-clad oak. With luck we'll hear something tomorrow.

Make sure you take lots of pictures from different angles. Not for this site but in the future you may want to find or locate something. The pictures we took of our septic system going in saved me this year. We would have been digging for days in the wrong place, after we looked at some pictures we found it right away.

 

[Country Geek]

You definitely do not want wood windows outside on any unprotected walls.

Five years after building my house I had to spend over $15K(*) replacing a three story wall of wood windows that were in a south facing facade. The weather (sun, wind, rain) just devastated them, and they were a decent brand (Anderson IIRC). I got metal clad wood, meaning they are wood windows but every part that's exposed to the elements is metal.

More than 10 years after the replacement they still look new. The wood windows I have left, which are all in protected areas (i.e., under eaves, porch roofs, etc) are OK but showing the wear.

(*) yes I could have spent less if I hadn't gone whole-hog with the roll-up screens and between-the-panes blinds, also in retrospect I should have used fixed instead of casement windows for every level but the bottom and saved even more.

 

[MacLawn]

I second the aluminum clad wood windows! I love the new ones I put in my new kitchen I built in '98. It's all I'd use from now on.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

We have wood windows in our current home. Love them. All are under roof and look great after 20+ years.

The bid we're waiting on is exactly as you say - metal outside and wood clad on the inside. What we saw looked good and is a cost-effective alternative to real oak.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

Make sure you take lots of pictures from different angles. Not for this site but in the future you may want to find or locate something. The pictures we took of our septic system going in saved me this year. We would have been digging for days in the wrong place, after we looked at some pictures we found it right away.

Yes, I'm trying to get a few shots of every step along the way. I thought posting this thread might also be something of interest upon completion. I wonder if there is a way to copy this thread and its links to my computer????