New House (your input wanted)

[40Kchicks]

I built our house using the insulated concrete forms. They were very easy to build with and the house is very energy efficient. If you spray the attic with foam don稚 put vents on it. I paid for them then the foam contractor sprayed over them. We put odorless toilets in the house and everybody loves them. They are cheap and work great. I got them from Odorless Toilet by Better Lifestyles, Inc. - Home. Another cool thing is the hide-a-hose system for central vacuums. The hose just sucks into the pipe in the wall always ready and available. Works great.

We like covered porches. They are great in summer and winter, provide fire escape from the second floor, and make it easy to maintenance the houses upper parts

 

[keegs]

keegs,

I was thinking more for over the winter. And yes you have to insulate and separate from basement floor plan with walls and a direct(controllable) source of exterior cold fresh air.

We have a rock wall foundation - 200 year old house. I mentioned to a carpenter friend years ago about putting in a 6" in-line fan and some duct work to bring colder air up to the house from the basement during the summer. He warned me that it would bring up too much moisture which could lead to mould. You would also have to run a dehumidifier. We installed small AC units and find it works great and not a lot of money per month. In fact we only use
the AC unit for about 20 days over the 4 month summer period.

Thanks Lloyd..I understood you were talking about food storage in your post earlier but it got me thinking about the cool basement up at the Maine house. The humidity in the basement is very high as you mentioned and so I agree I'd have to address that issue before considering any notion of circulating the cool air up into the house. Cheers..

 

[Travelover]

I used a single layer of drywall but put fiberglass insulation in the interior walls, and it did the same thing (but no vapor barrier).

The fiberglass helps with high frequencies, but you need the mass of the added drywall for low structurally transmitted frequencies. It helps to use a different thickness on each side of the wall to avoid acoustic coupling. So, you might use two layers of 1/2" on one side and one layer of 1/2" and one layer of 5/8" on the other side, for example.


Acoustical Mass Law - a Guide to Sound Theory & Solutions on board by Rockwool Marine & Offshore

 

[dmccarty]

Lots of excellent advice, but has the OP ever even come back..?

The OP is busy taking notes.

More things we did on our house. And things we should have done.... :laughing:

We ran coax and power out to certain areas on the eaves in case we ever wanted security systems. We also have flood lights and quite a bit of outdoor lighting on the house.

The MISTAKE I made was that we did not run Cat 5/6. It looks like many/most of the security cameras have all moved to Cat 5/6 connections. When I first designed the house this was not the case. We just got caught in the transition.

All Cat 5/6 and coax runs should terminate at one point so you can easily rewire connections. We have several TV's in the house sharing the same controller box. And we have changed this several times over the years. All I have to do is move some wire in the closet.

I DID NOT put in a coax for a TV/Radio antennae in the attic. I should have but I figured I was done with radio. I was only listening to Sat/Cable radio channels. Then I started listening to a morning radio show whose reception is problematic. I should have run a wire to the attic. The electrician asked. I said I don't need it. I need it now.

The electrician put in a couple of light fixtures in the attic. I don't know if it is code or not but I have been in too many attics without light. Put in light fixtures up there.

Regarding a sprinkler system. I long wanted one but the code USED to make it all but impossible to install a system in a rural house on a well. The code did change. I looked at the cost. Then I called the insurance company to see what discount I would get. No way the saving in insurance covers the cost of installation. Even over a few decades. So check with YOUR insurance company to see what they say.

We also used geotextile fabric under the driveways. This has saved me a small fortune in gravel. We had a budget line item when building the house to put down another layer of gravel on the driveway. The driveway held up so well because of the fabric we used the money else where. We need to put down a bit more gravel. But the money is always needed else where.

Later,
Dan

 

[gotrocks]

Just remembered , I put hot water faucet on exterior wall. Don't use it often but is nice to have when you would like some hot water outside.

 

[dave1949]

Just remembered , I put hot water faucet on exterior wall. Don't use it often but is nice to have when you would like some hot water outside.

I had hot and cold lines run to inside our attached garage. I use a wye hose connector so we can draw hot/warm/cold water there. It has been useful for scrub buckets, car cleaning, pre-soaking greasy clothes, etc.

I have been wondering what the most energy efficient set up is for a home in NE TX? Not very familiar with the climate, but I guess some winter storms and summer heat. I think it would be good to look around at local methods to find ways to make your house as energy efficient as possible.
Dave.

 

[Marlowe]

I've been working on my new house for several years now. I was talking with a buddy just a few days ago coincidentally and mentioned to him a few things that I would definitely do different the next time around. First thing I'd do after clearing the lot would be to put the water pump in. I just put the pump in a few weeks ago and I can't believe how backwards that is. Put it in very near the beginning of the project. Second thing I did wrong was to cut all the trees around the house first. Do that last. Trust me; shade is a wonderful thing. I laid 2300 blocks in the summer in the south in the sun. I prayed for a cloud. Leave the trees as long as you can and remember it takes many years for them to grow back.

Now for things to spend money on without hesitation. First on my list; the foundation. You will never regret the extra depth, rebar, or concrete you put into the foundation. I also believe you cannot have too much supporting piers and the piers can't be too big. Every time the inspector told me I was over doing it, I said thanks. In the scheme of things the stuff holding your home up is cheap, and a real pain to repair if you cut corners.

There's really no good reason to use 2X4's in exterior walls.

It's way easier to run plumbing in any wall using 2x6 framing. And a little easier to run electricals.

It's really hard to plan too much for future electrical needs.

Plumbing is easier to run before sheetrock.

Plumbing fixtures are a great place to forget about shaving costs.

You can't take too many notes, or pictures.

Ask you wife what she wants more than once.

Buy a good sawzall and good demo blades. She will change her mind, and blame it on you.

The first color you paint the house will be wrong. Consider it primer.

Never, ever simply do it your way, unless you have a good sawzall and fresh blades.

Always check the scratch and dent areas at the hardware store, even if you only need nails.

 

[Redneck in training]

2x the amount you estimate it will cost.

I second that. Very true.

 

[Redneck in training]

Ever thought about building a modular house (not mobile home)?
It's made in sections in a factory out of the weather with supervised labor and regular inspections (especially for energy efficiency certifications).
Then all you need to do is have a builder handy to do the on site finish work.
If you do that, visit the factory and meet the people - know what you are buying.

Those are quite popular in Europe. I think there are several European manufacturers pushing in US market. The houses are, in general, well designed and made, energy efficient, low maintenance and once you have the slab done it takes only short time to erect them.

 

[Redneck in training]

If I could, my house would be rotated 90 degrees to take advantage of the winter sun. Have the side with the most windows facing the sun.

It all depends where you live. In some places you don't want south windows.

 

[CurlyDave]

It all depends where you live. In some places you don't want south windows.

Our main windows face North, and it is a real blessing to not have the sun come in the windows, and to always look at a spectacular view which is lit by the sun at your back.

I designed the house this way and when I hired the contractor I told him I was picky. He said that was fine and that he could work with it. Then I told him that I wanted the house square to the points of the compass within +/- 1 degree. Told him that I meant true North, not magnetic.

He asked how he was ever going to do that and I told him that a surveyor could probably establish a baseline for him.

 

[Alan L.]

Don't short yourself on quality building materials. Later on you will regret what you didn't do and rarely regret having spent the money on an upgrade. Good windows, doors, and metal roofing comes to mind.

Go with low density foam insulation such as Sealection 500. Roof and everything with the attic within the insulated space.

Separate A/C units for upstairs and downstairs and consider a minisplit for the master bedroom if you like it cold in there at night.

Have the window manufacturer install, shim, and flash your windows. Most framers don't know how to install a quality window, or I should say they don't care.

Go over your costs and go over it again - BEFORE construction begins. Make sure your loans are enough to get what you want.

 

[bdeboer]

Try to picture the rooms with you're furniture in them or have an architect/designer do it electronically. If they look too small or cramped they will be worse in real life. Have additional outlets etc. added where TV's and reading lamps will be. The code minimum outlets will always be in the wrong place.

The more time you spend up front looking at details will save you money in change orders and retrofits as the project progresses.

Local practices, soils and climate seem to dictate standard sizing. Talk to the local builders also. The county here will allow 7/16" OSB sheeting on 24" trusses. I would not consider this as an option on dog house, but can guarantee that the tract builders here are doing this.

 

[pharmvet]

Lots of excellent advice, but has the OP ever even come back..?


Please dont mistake my absence of posts for absence of interest. Like another member said. Im printing these notes and scouring through them. They are in my "new house" folder. thanks a million guys and gals.

 

[dodge man]

Curly Dave, its weird you bring up making the house being true north. I had a client request that from me once. I told him I could go out with a compass, figure the deviation from magnetic north, and it would only cost him a $100 or less. I told him to get an exact true north I would have to take a star shot at night and it would cost more like $500. It seemed important to him and he wanted it done, but the house project fell apart on him and it never got done. This was before GPS was common, with survey grade GPS its a lot easier.

To answer the OP's question, I can't imagine having a house without at least a partial basement, but they may not be very common in Texas.

 

[sodamo]

One of the things the wife and I did was make a written list of Pros and Cons. This was before any drawing of layouts, floor plans, etc. Once we were comfortable with that list it was easy to apply to any plans. Most of our list pertained more to function than form, such as privacy, or capability of a nurse to tend to me in my dotage, accessibility. Some were more form, such as no stairs, no hallways, wide doors. My wife had her own master list of only 3 items: pool, fireplace, and garage - anything else was optional. It became very easy to evaluate any plan against the list. Had to meet all the pros and non of the cons, if not, could it? The house we finally built is our own design. Still need to do some trim and cabinet work. After living in it almost 3 years, there is only one, relatively minor, but almost impossible to correct item that irritates me. It mostly irritates me because it was a change made by the draftsman and I didn't catch it until too late. Of course, if you were to visit, you'd likely never see it. :laughing:

Funny thing, up until about 5 years ago, knowing someone that was actively building a house was something of a rarity in my life. Since then the overwhelming majority of my friends, neighbors, and even acquaintances have either recently built their house, had their house recently built, or are currently engaged in either of the two. For the last 4 years, we've hosted a 4th of July gathering with these folks. This year that included 38 couples of that description.

What is your motivation for building? Not looking for an answer here, just that you and wife your know. We built this as our last home, others have built knowing they intend to sell at some future time. The whole process is a continuing series of choices. Your motivation will direct many of these choices. Some may be because of the investment aspect, others many be because of future personal concerns.

Whatever you do, enjoy the trip - it can be awesome.

 

[dmccarty]

Try to picture the rooms with you're furniture in them or have an architect/designer do it electronically. If they look too small or cramped they will be worse in real life. Have additional outlets etc. added where TV's and reading lamps will be. The code minimum outlets will always be in the wrong place.

Good advice but you don't have to have the designer or architect do the work.

Get some graph paper. Now days with the laser printer I make my own graph paper. I get the size, darkness/lightness, and graduations just they way I want the graph paper.

Take said graph paper and draw out the rooms/house. With 1/4 graph paper scaling each square at 2 feet works well. Then measure your furniture or likely furniture and draw it up on another piece of graph paper. Cut the furniture out of the graph paper. Since the the rooms and furniture are drawn at the same scale you can see how the room sizes and furniture works in the room.

This is fast, easy and cheap.

Regarding trees. We wish we had cut down MORE trees than we did. One day I will have to do it our hire an excevator to do the work. The trees are a good distance from the house but if the trees fall they could hit the house. We don't need a tree on the house. And we need the space for more garden and to plant fruit trees.:thumbsup:

Outside hot water. We have it. Worked for a week or two after we moved in. Tain't worked since.

Not the fault of the hot water. Or the plumber. The fault is all mine. We moved into the house in January. I got muddy working one day and hosed of with WARM water on the porch! Woo Hoo. Great idea I had! We were in a warm spell. I used a short piece of hose 4-6 feet long. Left it attached to the faucet....

Do ya see what happened?

Yep it froze.

The plumber who built the house is too busy to come fix it. Since it is a freeze less faucet, what a lie, the drywall has to be torn out to fix the faucet.

I wish I had thought to have an access door to the faucet. Once it get fixed I likely will put in an access door.

Later,
Dan

 

[eepete]

Our main windows face North, and it is a real blessing to not have the sun come in the windows, and to always look at a spectacular view which is lit by the sun at your back.

I designed the house this way and when I hired the contractor I told him I was picky. He said that was fine and that he could work with it. Then I told him that I wanted the house square to the points of the compass within +/- 1 degree. Told him that I meant true North, not magnetic.

He asked how he was ever going to do that and I told him that a surveyor could probably establish a baseline for him.

Within a degree is just fine, and the accuracy of any good surveyor will be all you need. I took this picture at sunrise on the spring equinox. Other than having fun sending the survayor an email asking what the arc width of the sun was, becuase it looked like he was off by about half the width of the sun, this picture told me all I needed to know. It's still fun to complain that I might be off by .15 degrees or so.

If your timetable and state of site preporation allow, you can do the sunrise on the equninox and get a line that can be referanced while siting the house. Cheap to do, good results :thumbsup:. You'll have to do a little extrapolation guess work unless you have a really flat, clean horizon. But for the purpose of where windows face and how overhangs help it will be just fine.

Pete

 

[bdeboer]

Good advice but you don't have to have the designer or architect do the work.

Get some graph paper. Now days with the laser printer I make my own graph paper. I get the size, darkness/lightness, and graduations just they way I want the graph paper.

Take said graph paper and draw out the rooms/house. With 1/4 graph paper scaling each square at 2 feet works well. Then measure your furniture or likely furniture and draw it up on another piece of graph paper. Cut the furniture out of the graph paper. Since the the rooms and furniture are drawn at the same scale you can see how the room sizes and furniture works in the room.

This is fast, easy and cheap.

Later,
Dan

I have an old computer at home with a program called 3D home architect that lets you put furniture etc. in rooms. Modify floor plans etc., this is what I use. I have not tried the newer versions, costs about $40.

 

[dmccarty]

I have an old computer at home with a program called 3D home architect that lets you put furniture etc. in rooms. Modify floor plans etc., this is what I use. I have not tried the newer versions, costs about $40.

I think I tried that software until I found my old CAD program had been sorta migrated from DOS to Windows. I designed our house on the "new" CAD program.

I still sketch things out on graph paper first. It is still faster than even CAD to get ideas down and run some numbers/ideas. And it was far faster for SWMBO and I to sit down with a sketch of the house and our graph paper furniture while she figure out if she liked the room sizes. SHE got to move the furniture this way and that as SHE wised. And if the wall needed to be moved out 2 feet that was just an erase and new line away. SWMBO then could move the furniture around again and tell me nope, the first wall was ok.

Or I could tell her that the extra two feet she wanted in the living would add 100 square feet in the house and at 100 per square foot did she REALLY want to pay 10K for that extra two feet for the couch to be just right?

I forgot how many sketch designs we had before we started getting serious on a specific house plan but we easily had 40 designs on graph paper.

Later,
Dan