Custom Built Home

[Elessar78]

When did the electrician weigh in? And let's face it mayne, you have an axe to grind with anything that involves renewable energy. 

 

 

[twa]

Solar certainly creates complications for realtors and sellers, but installing on new construction can make financial sense what with the subsides and power purchase programs....especially if you don't plan on moving.

 

Doesn't make sense for the folk subsidizing ya rich folk though 

[Elessar78]

8 minutes ago, twa said:

Solar certainly creates complications for realtors and sellers, but installing on new construction can make financial sense what with the subsides and power purchase programs....especially if you don't plan on moving.

 

Doesn't make sense for the folk subsidizing ya rich folk though 

Nothing more American than subsidizing the rich (of which I am not)

[Rocky21]

Ellessar looks like you're getting plenty of good advice.  Didn't know solar could be such a negative - you learn something every day. 

 

The only thing I wanted to add is designing and building a house from scratch was one of the biggest trials of my relationship with my girly.  If you go ahead with this know there is some tough relationship times ahead.   

[Popeman38]

IF you go solar, go solar shingles.

[Bang]

One other thing i'll add to the solar discussion is I watched a house in my neighborhood have a terrible fire, and it ended up a near-total loss, in large part because the fire dept. could not get the solar panels off the roof to get to the fire.

 

~Bang

[AsburySkinsFan]

From

On 5/2/2017 at 1:46 PM, Elessar78 said:

So far, we have a builder and relatively soon a piece of land. No timetable really for having this house move-in ready. Agains, super early. 

From a Realtor prespective...please for sake of all that is holy and good on this earth hire a GOOD architect!! 

Yes, they can be expensive but, and I'm speaking from experience here, custom homes built without an architect are normally awful. The layouts don't make sense, room sizes are too big or too small, the flow doesn't work...the list goes on and on!! 

 

Please, if not for yourself think of the many Realtors who will have to try and sell your home long after you are gone. Don't give us a reason to wonder about the sanity of the designer. 

 

And please, as you build, be consistent with your finishing standards. Nothing is more annoying than walking into a wonderfully finished great room only to find that the guest rooms and secondary rooms got cheated.

 

But for real...hire an architect...you will onlu cry once if you do. If you don't you'll cry much more. 

[zoony]

I second the advice to customize existing plans.  Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

 

I would much rather have a house constructed with all of the latest in building science, put my money there.  

1.  Geothermal hvac

2  stego wrap and eps insulated slab

3.  Closed cell spray foam

 The above are just three examples that make all the difference in the world but that builders never do, because wives dont notice it when they tour the model.  

 

Also, i would dump a fortune into flooring, kitchens, and bath, and perhaps above all, an awesome finish carpenter

 

Just my opinion, good luck!

[AsburySkinsFan]

I second...no wait...I tenth the "modify an existing floorplan" but do so with an architect those designs work for a reason. They are tested an re-tested. And even with some modifications they work better.  And if you aren't planning on dying in this home, then you will be selling it some time, at that point you will get max dollar going with proven designs.

Oh, and tour some homes built by your builder. And by the finishing carpenter. Look at their work closely.

[Elessar78]

17 minutes ago, zoony said:

I second the advice to customize existing plans.  Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

 

I would much rather have a house constructed with all of the latest in building science, put my money there.  

1.  Geothermal hvac

2  stego wrap and eps insulated slab

3.  Closed cell spray foam

 The above are just three examples that make all the difference in the world but that builders never do, because wives dont notice it when they tour the model.  

 

Also, i would dump a fortune into flooring, kitchens, and bath, and perhaps above all, an awesome finish carpenter

 

Just my opinion, good luck!

Good stuff. Yeah, because of my allergies, this bad boy will be hermetically sealed. 

 

We get mild summers and long, bad winters. Insulation is really key. 

[AsburySkinsFan]

Oh, also be careful to not "over build" your house in comparison to your neighborhood. It makes selling and finding comps a pain in the arse!

It'll also mean that you will have the most expensive house in the neighborhood and you'll be dragging their property values up while they drag yours down.

[LadySkinsFan]

Put solar panels on a tracker array system. It's on the ground for easier cleaning of the panels, plus you get more solar power from tracking the sun. You don't need a beefed up roof structure, you can also set up a separate battery/equipment shed next to the array

[zoony]

2 hours ago, Elessar78 said:

Good stuff. Yeah, because of my allergies, this bad boy will be hermetically sealed. 

 

We get mild summers and long, bad winters. Insulation is really key. 

 

I like to think of construction as ultimately, the management of water.  Everything ultimately comes back to that... foundation, slab, crawl, bqsement, siding, roofing, grade, stucco, block, brick, etone, etc. It always comes back to that.

 

Example... foundation not wept correctly (VERY COMMON), freeze thaw cycle creates a shift in the footer, which makes your windows not open correctly and cracks in your drywall.  You might think your window is broken or you have a drywall problem... rarely if ever the case

Or, correct vapor barrior (strongly recommend Stego) not used under your pour and you have moisture, mold, and even radon problems.

 

Now ask yourself, if a builder can save half a day and 1000 dollars by not properly digging a french drain and using correct weeping tile, and using a 5 mil vapor barrier on sale at the Home Depot, think he will?  Issues wont show up for 10 years and its covered with dirt.  I bet the builder spends more time on paint colors and cabinets.  (who can blame them?).  Will he use Zip board or OSB?  Will he properly flash but joints on the siding?  Will he use actual Tyvek, or crap they give free with the framing package at Home Cheapo?

 

Also, HVAC is one of the most important aspects of a home.   Many builders use dedicated installers who are often little more than an hvac tech moonlighting on weekends.  Choose a certified company to do this work and make certain there is a load calc done on the home before anything is suggested and or purchased in terms of layout or equipment.  Proper hvac is a SCIENCE and you dont want Bubba doing it.  Besides, make sure there is adtually a recourse for warranty.

 

Check out geothermal systems they are the future imho

I could drone on and on, but i will spare Major Harris the opportunity to call me a nerd