Starting New House Finally!

[Alan L.]

Hi Alan,

The house is sure comeing along nicely and it seems you've ony had a few small hic ups that you've fixed easily. No plan is ever perfect, but when you have a good builder, it's allot less painful.

You mentioned earlier that you can't move the drain for the tub. It's done all the time,but it does mean cutting the concrete and digging it out. Most plumbers don't even charge extra for this as they are the ones who put the drain in the wrong place. I've had to do it once to move a drain just a few inches in a home I was flipping. It's a pain, but usually only a few hours of work.

Are you happy with the roof line?

It looks odd to me with the garage giveing you a sort of hip and a gable on the other end. If you have any doubts about it, take care of it now. No matter what it costs, it's cheaper to change it now and get it exactly as you want it, than to have it fester on you for the rest of the time you live there. It's a major design element and probably the first thing you'll notice when you see your home. If you like it, awesome. If it bothers you now in the slightest, it will just get worse over time.

I'm not trying to be rude or insult you, but it looks out of place to me. It has the look of an afterthought that was added in at the last minute. I'm sorry, but maybe you feel the same way and are just not sure what to do to fix it.

If it was me, and I'm hoping you'll realize I'm not trying to be rude, just offering a suggestion, I'd carry your peak out to the end of the garage and gable it to match the other side. It's wasted space and more lumber, but it will balance off the house and add character to your garage.

With the lower roof peak on the garage, it will look like a giant dormer.

Again, I don't mean to insult you and apologize if I did so.

Eddie

Eddie, you can't insult me and I know exactly what you are talking about. We struggled with the design and actually had the gable coming out from the garage and, at least on the elevation drawing, we did not like it.

We tried it with gables both on the end and also on the front of the garage and it didn't look right. Then we decided to just use gables on the ends with no gable above the garage doors. The house looked a mile long and like a box car with a roof over it, especially since it is 89 feet long.

So, we settled on this. When you had a shed roof on the front, plus a sizable dormer, I think it balances out more. The way it looks is no surprise as we had settled on the design and had an elevation that looks just the way it looks in person. But the elevation looks much better when you put the dormer and shed roof on there.

It is a tough roof to design with the style of house combined with the attached garage.

 

[rox]

Alan,

I was so glad to hear about your multiple attics and good access. That is wonderfuland I'm sure your wife will love it. I bet you are going to love all that insulation.

This is so much fun watching your house get built, thanks for thinking of us and taking the time, especilly since ths is such a busy time for you, thanks.

 

[Alan L.]

Some new pics from today. Dormer and shed roofs framed now.

Wow, the cowboys defense looking terrible for 2 straight weeks.

 

[Alan L.]

More pics.

 

[EddieWalker]

Alan,

Your roofline sure is complicated. The detail is amazing. I bet your framers are loving you. hahahaha

What are the glulams going for? They look like 4x12's, but I'm not positive.

Thanks for the pics, they are fun see.

Eddie

 

[Alan L.]

Alan,

Your roofline sure is complicated. The detail is amazing. I bet your framers are loving you. hahahaha

What are the glulams going for? They look like 4x12's, but I'm not positive.

Thanks for the pics, they are fun see.

Eddie

I'm not sure how much the glulams are costing but I know its alot. There are two 5.5" by 15", one about 22' long and the other one 25', plus the two 3.5" beams across the living room and two more involved in holding up the loft.

Looks like we are going to get some delays from rain next week.

Eddie, are you familiar with Hardisoffit, the cornice material that has perforations in it? Other than shed roofs, my cornices are very narrow, and I saw a house with some of that on it today. My understanding had been that hardiplank material is as expensive as cedar, so I told the framer to just use masonite cornice where there is not T & G cedar (which goes under the back porch and balcony). The facia and frieze boards are hardiplank.

Now that I see this stuff and how narrow my cornices are, I don't see how it can cost all that much, so I think I am going to change my mind and have them use this stuff.

Below is a picture of some of this stuff we saw on a model home today. Also, the shingles we are leaning toward, called "Mountain Slate" from Tamko.

 

[rox]

Alan,
I lile those shingles for your roof. you are right, you do have a lot of roof. Shingles of the style you ahve picked with their color variations should break up the roof form being one solid coler. Nice selection.

 

[EddieWalker]

Alan,

I have no personal experience with Hardisoffit. I have used other James Hardi products and really like it. One thing that I have found is that if you can buy the lap siding with the wood grain and rip it down to a smaller size for exterio trim that is allot cheaper than the trip they sell. It's thinner than the Hardi trim or PT Lumber, but sometimes that's an advantage.

If you do decide to rip the lap siding on a table saw, be sure to have a good outfeed table to support it. If it extends out too far without support, it will break on you.

Normally for soffits I rip 4x8 sheets of a somthing I'm drawing a blank on what it's called right now. It's not plywood, but a dark brown material with a fake wood grain on one side and smooth on the other. Kind of like masonite, but not with the shiny smooth finish.

Then I cut and install soffet vents.

Do those Hardisoffits have screens on the inside of those holes? You want them to be able to keep out the smalles bugs out there.

Eddie

 

[Marlowe]

I spent the last couple of days putting up Hardie Soffit. Mine are 24" wide with the vent holes in them. Other than soffits being a real pain in general, the Hardie stuff simplified the process somewhat with the continuous venting already drilled in, and I keep telling myself it will never rot. It is expensive though. I needed to purchase 800 linear feet of the material and it cost just over $600. If you think that's expensive try paying someone to put it up for you.

 

[rlk]

My understanding had been that hardiplank material is as expensive as cedar, so I told the framer to just use masonite cornice where there is not T & G cedar.

Alan, do yourself a favor and stay away from masonite products. Masonite or hardboard is cheap, but there is a reason - and that reason is they do not stand up to moisture. In a couple of years, if you don't keep masonite products painted every 2 - 3 years, you will be replacing it because moisture gets to it quickly.

Also, if your installer sinks the nails and does not caulk the nail head, masonite will quickly start taking on moisture which will cause it to deteriorate. If your installer leaves the nail heads on top of the siding like he is supposed to do, it looks like a sloppy installation.

There are a bunch of houses built with masonite siding in central NC, and a large percentage of them have moisture damage due to the owners not keeping the masonite well painted and/or the installer sinking the nail heads.

Bob

 

[Alan L.]

Alan, do yourself a favor and stay away from masonite products. Masonite or hardboard is cheap, but there is a reason - and that reason is they do not stand up to moisture. In a couple of years, if you don't keep masonite products painted every 2 - 3 years, you will be replacing it because moisture gets to it quickly.

Also, if your installer sinks the nails and does not caulk the nail head, masonite will quickly start taking on moisture which will cause it to deteriorate. If your installer leaves the nail heads on top of the siding like he is supposed to do, it looks like a sloppy installation.

There are a bunch of houses built with masonite siding in central NC, and a large percentage of them have moisture damage due to the owners not keeping the masonite well painted and/or the installer sinking the nail heads.

Bob

There certainly will be no masonite products on any walls or anywhere else that moisture can get in there. Strictly on the ceiling of the front porch, and perhaps the soffits. The lumber salesman says if it gets wet and causes problems there you have other problems you need to fix. My daughter's house has it on the soffits and its 6 years and still looks good as new, because it never sees any moisture.

My facia boards and frieze boards will be strictly hardiplank.

 

[Alan L.]

I spent the last couple of days putting up Hardie Soffit. Mine are 24" wide with the vent holes in them. Other than soffits being a real pain in general, the Hardie stuff simplified the process somewhat with the continuous venting already drilled in, and I keep telling myself it will never rot. It is expensive though. I needed to purchase 800 linear feet of the material and it cost just over $600. If you think that's expensive try paying someone to put it up for you.

Marlowe, the only soffits I would use them on are only 6" wide or so, as in the picture. Maybe this would be much less expensive than that 24". I'd sure hate to pay $.75 a linear foot for it.

The framers will be installing the soffits.

 

[Alan L.]

Some pics from today after the roof decking finished.

 

[Alan L.]

More pics. Not much gonna happen in the nest week. Hopefully we'll get felt paper on the roof tomorrow, but then the roofers won't be here until after New Years.

Windows and doors are to be delivered tomorrow, and I am meeting a foam insulation guy to show him what I want.

 

[EddieWalker]

Alan,

Nice to see all the progress. I'm loveing the balcony in the back and real curious to see how the two covered porches will tie in together. Those cedar posts are realy nice too!!!

Keep the pics coming,
Eddie

 

[Alan L.]

Alan,

Nice to see all the progress. I'm loveing the balcony in the back and real curious to see how the two covered porches will tie in together. Those cedar posts are realy nice too!!!

Keep the pics coming,
Eddie

The balcony currenty has 1 1/8" T & G plywood flooring. There is an outfit in Gainesville (TX) that will make a pan in which light weight concrete will be poured. The balcony floor is supported by framework of 2 x 12 pressure treated lumber.

The got the paper on today and some windows installed, and those Marvins look great! Also got the Andersen patio door in, although a metal "sill support" was bent on shipment and they are going to have to get me another one.

The roofers won't be back til after the 1st but hopefull we'll be sheetrocking in under 3 weeks.

 

[Alan L.]

Well, we had some delays on our contruction. Waiting for the balcony metal pan and concrete, holding up putting in the doors upstairs and upstairs cedar, plus the front door hasn't come in.

The framers did get some of the lap and gap cedar up on the back lower porch however, and I am posting some pics. Ceiling not done yet - it will be the smooth grooved side of the 1 x 8 material. We are very pleased with the look, and hope to get some transparent stain on there and try to keep the new look as long as possible.

Thanksfully the front door came in today also, and hopefully the roofers will get here this week.

 

[buckle97]

Keep the pictures coming Alan. Your house looks great. I love the windows!

Lawrence

 

[mikim]

Keep the pictures coming Alan...yeah Alan -- keep 'em coming ....you !@##$%^ yer building your house and I'm just getting a good start on our barndo......We have at least 3 years to wait yet for our house. I want to get the barndo finished this year so we can spend weekends in it for 2 years before we actually start living in it. If the plan comes together we won't live in the barn as long as you though. The house we're in and have been in for 15 years should net us some help with new construction. Sure like the back of your new house .....great views...

 

[rox]

Alan,

sure feel great to get in doors and windows doesn't it? Must be the camera angle but it looked like the roof of the porch was sloping towards the house. I am sure that can't be right and it jsut must be the camera angle. Do you have a name for your spread/property/house?