House Build 2023

[EddieWalker]

ZIP Panels are a much higher quality OSB. When cutting them, they are more solid and they don't peal, like regular OSB does. Same with SMART Panels. When left exposed for awhile, I think ZIP Panels are worth the money, but if you are going to be moving along in a timely manner, then house wrap is a better value. The other advantage to ZIP Panels is the air seal is usually better because everything is taped with ZIP Tape. That tape is the best stuff ever invented, I use it for everything!!!! I couldn't get through life without a roll of it in my truck. The living area in my house is all ZIP, but my attached garage is done with house wrap.

ZIP System has a 5/8 panel that's reddish in color for roofs. Its probably the very best option out there, but also very price. I've never used it because of the cost. My house has metal roofing on purlins, so there isn't any decking of any kind on my roof. But just about every house out there is decked with regular 7/16's OSB or half inch plywood on trusses or rafters 24 inches on center. OSB holds nails better they plywood, but for some reason, there are people out there that have something against OSB, and they use plywood instead. I hate plywood for roofs because it has so many voids in it, and the third layer has a habit of blowing out when nailed, which only leaves two layers of wood to hold the nails in the shingle sin place.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

A little update. I don't think I have shared much progress yet. Here is a "start to finish" on the driveway.

I cut down the top soil with the dozer and hauled it to the back for use later. Then I made 2 lifts of shale. It was saved from the pond project last year. I'll wait as long as I can before I have gravel hauled in to cap it. I figure I'll have to grade it a few times from all the heavy concrete trucks and other deliveries.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Also it turns out it really takes longer than you would think to build a 450' driveway and house pad by yourself. Lots of climbing in and out of equipment. I think I hauled off easy 40+ loads of top soil and hauled back an easy 60+ loads of shale. I had help for the middle of 1 day. Other than that it was just me. In the track hoe, out of the track hoe and into the dump truck, back out of the truck and into the track hoe, then truck, then dozer, then truck, then back to hoe... and so it went for 2 full days and 2 evenings after work.

Worked on equipment all day Thursday. Dirt work from can-see to can't-see Friday and Saturday. Rained out Sunday. After work at my real job to can't-see Monday and Tuesday and finished Tuesday night. Tuesday felt like the longest day, I moved and graded 17 truck loads after working all day at my day job.

Builder said I would have had to pay around $10k if I had hired out the driveway build. I burned about $400 in diesel, so I think I ended up on the winning side.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Here's a little view of the water and electric service. I already had a big track hoe at the house so I decided to use it to trench for the utilities instead of renting something smaller. Turns out a 42" bucket makes a BIG trench. I'll rent a trencher if I ever have to do this again. Electric required 36" depth and water wanted 3 feet of separation from the power. The 42" bucket made the spacing easy. I just kicked the water to one side and the electric to the other. The bucket vertical in the hole was around that same 42" deep, so that's what I used as a gauge. With the small fluctuation in depth, the top of the conduit never got less than 36" deep. I used 20' sticks of bell-end schedule 40 - 1.25" for my water. Electric is 2", also bell end, sch 40 undergound, sch 80 sweeps and a small stub of sch 80 to get it above grade. I bought 420' of water pipe and 460' of conduit and used all but 1 stick of each.

 

[deezler]

Go with zip sheathing for walls and roof if you still have the choice to make! Far superior durability, long-term rot resistance, air sealing, etc.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I'm going zip on the walls. it looks like you either get zip for waterproofing on the roof panels or thermal barrier, not both. I'm opting for the thermal barrier.

 

[EddieWalker]

Did you pass inspection with both the water and electric in the same trench? Here, they have to be in separate tranches.

 

[deezler]

I'm going zip on the walls. it looks like you either get zip for waterproofing on the roof panels or thermal barrier, not both. I'm opting for the thermal barrier.

Not sure exactly what you mean by thermal barrier. But my roof has the 5/8" zip, fully taped of course, plus 1" polyiso insulation, also fully seam taped, then another 3/8" OSB layer atop that for better support and fastening of the standing-seam roofing. (it was a pricey roof assembly, no doubt).

In retrospect we probably didn't need the zip sheathing on the roof, since it has a fully taped layer of foil-back polyiso on top of it, BUT, certainly doesn't hurt either.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Did you pass inspection with both the water and electric in the same trench? Here, they have to be in separate tranches.

The water department only inspects the hookup at the meter and electric says they only need a foot of separation. I did send pics to the Entergy engineer assigned to my project and the inspector for the water department before I covered the trench and they both said they were good with it.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Not sure exactly what you mean by thermal barrier. But my roof has the 5/8" zip, fully taped of course, plus 1" polyiso insulation, also fully seam taped, then another 3/8" OSB layer atop that for better support and fastening of the standing-seam roofing. (it was a pricey roof assembly, no doubt).

In retrospect we probably didn't need the zip sheathing on the roof, since it has a fully taped layer of foil-back polyiso on top of it, BUT, certainly doesn't hurt either.

Thermal barrier is OSB with almost an aluminum foil looking backer that is supposed to reflect thermal heat radiation from the roof. Everyone I've talked to said it makes a big difference. I'm spending a small mint on this thing already. I can't go Cadillac on everything. I am going with high quality shingles and underlayment.