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Klyith posted:If you are spending $$$$ I think you can avoid fuckery without having to supervise everything yourself. You probably just have to start with a good architect who can put you in touch with the people who are gonna build it right. Keep in mind I had what I thought as a good architect but they recommended what turned out to be a poo poo builder. There's a bootstrapping issue when dealing with areas of expertise you don't understand, because you also don't know enough to properly vet an expert to vet others for you.
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Jul 24, 2018 22:51
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Jaded Burnout posted:Keep in mind I had what I thought as a good architect but they recommended what turned out to be a poo poo builder. Ouch, that sucks. I guess I really don't know how to make that work best in residential construction. At one point I was working at a place that was having major renovations on a building, and things went to poo poo but they had clawbacks of some sort in the contracts. In that case it was the architects who hosed up royally and their plan for renovate + expansion ended up being unworkable, building ended up being taken down to the steel frame. More expensive than just demoing the whole thing, and this wasn't a historic building either. afaik the architects ended up being forced to pretty much refund everything they got paid. Of course that's a project that's like two orders of magnitude more expensive than building a house, so lots more lawyers involved.
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Jul 24, 2018 23:33
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Liquid Communism posted:So here's a question. Suppose you wanted a new construction house that isn't a cheapest possible builder grade material McMansion. Like a 1200 square foot craftsman bungalow, but with modern insulation, wiring, and hvac designed in. You could look at a company like The Bungalow Company, they do predesigned Craftsman-style houses. Most are larger than what you're looking for, but they have some smaller designs as well, and apparently they will alter designs for the client. I like their designs, Craftsman and Mission styles are attractive to me. https://thebungalowcompany.com/
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Jul 24, 2018 23:35
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You could find someone like Risinger & Co (Austin, TX) in your area. I've watched a bunch of his videos https://www.youtube.com/user/MattRisinger/videos , and have learned a ton about modern (read: cost is no issue) building methods. Basically, overbuild all of the framing, closed-cell spray foam the gently caress out of everything, consider HVACD a high priority, and use expensive/quality finishes. Personally, I think there's a point of diminishing returns that hits well before most of those suggestions. I mean, does it even make sense to pay $800,000 to build a house designed to last for 80 years vs. just cheaping out a bit and spending $500,000 with the understanding that tearing it down may make more sense 40 years later?
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Jul 25, 2018 00:43
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https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/450-W-Grixdale_Highland-Park_MI_48203_M37779-89409#photo8 oh. oh no.
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Jul 25, 2018 01:53
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That is a very fancy hoarder.
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Jul 25, 2018 01:55
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It's one big vaporwave album cover.
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Jul 25, 2018 02:06
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The comps I see are much closer to $100K (lovely area in one of the shittiest cities in the country.) Zillow agrees with me: "The list price and Zestimate for this home are very different, so we might be missing something." No, Zillow, you aren't missing anything.
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Jul 25, 2018 02:40
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Synthbuttrange posted:https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/450-W-Grixdale_Highland-Park_MI_48203_M37779-89409#photo8 Want that car tho.
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Jul 25, 2018 03:02
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B-Nasty posted:The comps I see are much closer to $100K (lovely area in one of the shittiest cities in the country.) Zillow agrees with me: Yeah there are some shenanigans afoot code:
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Jul 25, 2018 03:02
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That is a pool table, not a display stand you uncultured swine.
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Jul 25, 2018 03:33
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immoral_ posted:That is a pool table, not a display stand you uncultured swine. That is a garage, not a museum!
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Jul 25, 2018 04:06
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For how long is the buyer obligated to allow members access to the fully-appointed VFW post they’ve set up in the basement?
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Jul 25, 2018 04:30
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Pigsfeet on Rye posted:You could look at a company like The Bungalow Company, they do predesigned Craftsman-style houses. Most are larger than what you're looking for, but they have some smaller designs as well, and apparently they will alter designs for the client. I've no doubt there are some nice plans in there but holy poo poo they seem obsessed with the multiple different roof line thing, some also seem to have random roof tumors as well. That's not mentioning the obsession with ill proportioned columns.
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Jul 25, 2018 06:26
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Jaded Burnout posted:Keep in mind I had what I thought as a good architect but they recommended what turned out to be a poo poo builder. Generally I'd say you want a house designed by an engineer, not an architect. Simple, clean lines, general form follows function approach rather than the other way round. I don't like all these fancy roofs I keep seeing, ours is just one big rectangular box when it comes down to it, with one big roof. It's cheaper to build and there are less chances of making errors. Edit: Went looking at the manufacturer of our house and picked out some designs I think look sensible Basic: https://hartmankoti.fi/my-product/peippo-137-2/ (our house design) https://hartmankoti.fi/my-product/suvituuli-149/ https://hartmankoti.fi/my-product/citytundra-149/ Fancy: https://hartmankoti.fi/my-product/hopea-209/ https://hartmankoti.fi/my-product/safiirikoti-194/ http://hartmankoti.fi/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Hartman-Koti-Timanttikoti-1024x768.jpg His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Jul 25, 2018 |
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Jul 25, 2018 08:19
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His Divine Shadow posted:Generally I'd say you want a house designed by an engineer, not an architect. Simple, clean lines, general form follows function approach rather than the other way round. Check out this soulless Lego monstrosity:  It's the best house I've ever lived in (British housing set the bar low there though) warm, nothing leaks, everything's accessible, the fancier architectural detail are the stones at the corners of the gable end which sort-of mimic the ones on the surrounding 60 year old houses. Yes there's a bunch I'd change if I was involved in the design process but I don't regret buying it and I don't ever want to move out.
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Jul 25, 2018 09:46
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cakesmith handyman posted:Check out this soulless Lego monstrosity: I like it.
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Jul 25, 2018 09:50
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Synthbuttrange posted:https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/450-W-Grixdale_Highland-Park_MI_48203_M37779-89409#photo8 Don't. Even. Blink.
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Jul 25, 2018 10:37
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Jaded Burnout posted:Keep in mind I had what I thought as a good architect but they recommended what turned out to be a poo poo builder. Unless an Architect has a strong relationship with one or two builders, they often will see themselves as client advocates at odds with the builder. So they'll suggest going to competitive bid, which means they already aren't picking from the best (the best residential construction companies have enough work that they don't need to participate in competitive bids) and the builders that do reply are no longer working to make your dreams come true - their goal is now to win the bid and figure the rest out later. I prefer profit to be something I decide is reasonable during the estimate, not something I claw out of a project after low-bidding. The incentives that way are more geared towards client service as opposed to 'winning.' I'm not saying your situation was like that, just providing an example from the USA. I've worked design-build residential (current) and build-only residential. Some architects just don't know any good builders.
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Jul 25, 2018 13:56
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Tezer posted:Unless an Architect has a strong relationship with one or two builders, they often will see themselves as client advocates at odds with the builder. So they'll suggest going to competitive bid, which means they already aren't picking from the best (the best residential construction companies have enough work that they don't need to participate in competitive bids) and the builders that do reply are no longer working to make your dreams come true - their goal is now to win the bid and figure the rest out later. I prefer profit to be something I decide is reasonable during the estimate, not something I claw out of a project after low-bidding. The incentives that way are more geared towards client service as opposed to 'winning.' Thanks for the insight  In my case this was a strong, in fact the only, recommendation the architect gave. Whether they actually think he's good or they're getting a kickback I don't know. They certainly didn't seem to give a poo poo when I told them. If I did it again I'd try to build my own team of contractors and manage them directly since I've pretty much wound up doing that anyway, and it would allow more flexibility on both sides to arrange for milestone payments and swap people out and such. But I couldn't have done that at the start because I had no idea what I was doing.
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Jul 25, 2018 14:11
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Tezer posted:Unless an Architect has a strong relationship with one or two builders, they often will see themselves as client advocates at odds with the builder. So they'll suggest going to competitive bid, which means they already aren't picking from the best (the best residential construction companies have enough work that they don't need to participate in competitive bids) and the builders that do reply are no longer working to make your dreams come true - their goal is now to win the bid and figure the rest out later. I prefer profit to be something I decide is reasonable during the estimate, not something I claw out of a project after low-bidding. The incentives that way are more geared towards client service as opposed to 'winning.' As an architect... true. I don't believe a simple competitive bid is the best for residential. A cost plus is better. And it's a poo poo architect that doesn't know the good builders in the area. The real problem, in my career, I have yet to have a client pay me to do the job that would get you a well built home. They poo poo on the price to design it properly. I've designed multi-million dollar homes on the water and they balk at paying me to come out on the job site to supervise progress. The contractor knows this and will do whatever they drat well please because the owner doesn't know better and the Architect has no power to do anything. I just talked with some people that "built" a home in a tract home neighborhood. The millwork work was great, but the electrical contractor didn't finish the job. If I had been involved with the contract and construction administration I could have withheld payment from the contractor until they did the job right. Since they didn't, her husband was screwing outlets in and installing faceplates...
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Jul 25, 2018 14:25
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B-Nasty posted:The comps I see are much closer to $100K (lovely area in one of the shittiest cities in the country.) Zillow agrees with me: The missing thing is that it includes the contents. You get the cars, the art, the memorabilia, and the furniture. Just bring your clothes and you are ready to go.   All this could be yours.
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Jul 25, 2018 17:12
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cakesmith handyman posted:Check out this soulless Lego monstrosity: Is this a loss edit?
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Jul 25, 2018 17:21
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Synthbuttrange posted:https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/450-W-Grixdale_Highland-Park_MI_48203_M37779-89409#photo8 I remember looking through the pictures of that house before. One thing that jumped out at me this time was that the ending of the description said it's "only shown on sunny days." I wonder how much of a difference losing daylight makes in how you feel in that place - it must go from "weirdo house" to "nightmare dreamscape".
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Jul 25, 2018 17:41
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cakesmith handyman posted:I've no doubt there are some nice plans in there but holy poo poo they seem obsessed with the multiple different roof line thing, some also seem to have random roof tumors as well. You just don't like craftsman style bungalows then. Those columns and rooflines are an intrinsic part of that style home. My whole neighborhood of craftsman style bungalows from the 20s is built like that.
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Jul 25, 2018 18:00
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I have an engineer friend who makes good money as a construction project manager. His job is to take care of this poo poo - he vets designs, manages the build, and advocates for the client. I'm really surprised that I don't hear about more firms offering that kind of service, because I see/hear this kind of conversation regularly, and he's busy all of the time.
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Jul 25, 2018 18:15
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Synthbuttrange posted:https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/450-W-Grixdale_Highland-Park_MI_48203_M37779-89409#photo8 
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Jul 25, 2018 18:21
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cakesmith handyman posted:I've no doubt there are some nice plans in there but holy poo poo they seem obsessed with the multiple different roof line thing, some also seem to have random roof tumors as well. Read less McMansion Hell if you see a good example of multiple rooflines and call it a roof tumor. American craftsman is a style that's all about elaborate structural elements, and making the construction itself into the decoration. It's not a simple or sparse style. If it's not to your taste that's fine, but if all you can do is regurgitate memes you just look ignorant. If you want plain jane houses you need american foursquare, or maybe some of the simpler types of victorian. edit: or your brick house which is a fine example of a no-particular-style house. I like it, I think brick looks good on it's own and doesn't really need much in the way of decor. I also live in a very simple brick house, though I rent so it doesn't have a lot to do with my personal taste. Mine has old copper gutters which I think are an attractive element against brick, though I can't imagine how much that would cost to do today. Klyith fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Jul 25, 2018 |
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Jul 25, 2018 18:54
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cakesmith handyman posted:I've no doubt there are some nice plans in there but holy poo poo they seem obsessed with the multiple different roof line thing, some also seem to have random roof tumors as well. Not that this was in there, but lol. Roof Tumors. It's intentional, dude  
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Jul 25, 2018 19:07
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I love that deck.
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Jul 25, 2018 20:21
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I think the way to go with a good 1200 sq ft bungalow is to pull some authentic architectural plans for a Craftsman bungalow out of the public domain and hire an architect to make slight adjustments and bring the design up to code. Here are some: http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/craftsmanplan-index.htm If you compare these to the Bungalow Company plans, you can see some important differences in the designs and the finishes. The authentic houses generally have simpler footprints and rooflines - the architects of yore were well-versed in the now-lost art of making all the rooms fit into a rectangle - and the details and finishes have a sense of dimensionality that the contemporary ones lack (i.e. old designs utilize true divided light widows with real mullions that look so much better fake-mullion vinyl windows it's not even funny, more detailed trim/millwork, etc). The Bungalow Company has some nice designs for small cottages, but the worst of their bigger houses just look like lumpy tract houses with superficial Craftsman details glued on. If you take a design from them for one of their smaller houses, which seem quite nice, you could spiff it up with better details and finishes. However, it is my personal opinion that the new plans have inferior interior layouts, mostly because dining space gets deemphasized in favor of bigger/open kitchens and sometimes "great room" space. But my opinion is that formal dining rooms are the best and "open concept" kitchens are the worst, so take that as you may. Old plans could use slightly larger bathrooms and closets, but other than that, I think they are highly optimal and make very efficient use of the square footage. Aside from a few of those terrible lumpy tract house designs, I don't think the Bungalow Company designs are all that bad, more so that it goes to show how much our priorities have evolved in terms of living space and how the house presents. Nice footprint and cohesive exterior form takes a backseat to interior layout, things like that.
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Jul 25, 2018 20:43
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Yeah, it pretty much comes down to this: nobody wants to pay for anything. Disclosure: I work in a construction related field, (geotechnical drilling) and do a lot of residential work. Profit margins are, shall we say, thin.
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Jul 25, 2018 21:08
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Zil posted:I love that deck. The whole house is like that, inside and out.
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Jul 25, 2018 22:39
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schmug posted:The whole house is like that, inside and out. Have any more pictures of it to share?
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Jul 25, 2018 22:46
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Zil posted:Have any more pictures of it to share? You can just watch the historical documentary "Back to the Future". 
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Jul 25, 2018 22:56
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Zil posted:Have any more pictures of it to share? I'm not gonna hotlink or upload to imgur because I think they are still "non profit" and charge for this poo poo, but here are a couple links: http://gamblehouse.org/interior/ http://gamblehouse.org/exterior/ Pretty sweet place. I highly recommend a tour if you're ever in SoCal.
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Jul 25, 2018 23:05
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FCKGW posted:You can just watch the historical documentary "Back to the Future". lol. Is that an actual scene? Nice. no poo poo. that was the doctors place. Learn something new...
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Jul 25, 2018 23:06
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Woah
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Jul 25, 2018 23:09
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Leviathan Song posted:You just don't like craftsman style bungalows then. Those columns and rooflines are an intrinsic part of that style home. My whole neighborhood of craftsman style bungalows from the 20s is built like that. If that's that style then fair enough. Klyith posted:Read less McMansion Hell if you see a good example of multiple rooflines and call it a roof tumor. American craftsman is a style that's all about elaborate structural elements, and making the construction itself into the decoration. It's not a simple or sparse style. If it's not to your taste that's fine, but if all you can do is regurgitate memes you just look ignorant. The only mcmansion hell I read is what's posted here. Yes I like some Victorian and Georgian style elements. I'm well aware my house isn't pretty, I think extending the eaves and decorative stone window lintels/sills would have made it look nicer without being tacky or compromising what makes the house a great home (space, light, comfort). Do you think the following are "good examples of multiple rooflines"?  What is gained with that extra bit? Is that useable space? It looks like it's tacked on after the fact. Only the bottom half of that window appears to open, maybe the other half can't be reached.  There is an estate of houses with this roof structure near me (minus the columns). They were all built this way but still manage to look like a too-small house was shoddily extended.  I want to joke about three different houses clipping through each other but I'm worried I'll just be regurgitating memes. Instead rotate the main roof structure direction 90° and you can accommodate all the rooms within the house with a single simpler roof structure that'll be less likely to leak or collect ice dams or rotting leaf piles or rodents.
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Jul 25, 2018 23:56
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Leviathan Song posted:You just don't like craftsman style bungalows then. Those columns and rooflines are an intrinsic part of that style home. My whole neighborhood of craftsman style bungalows from the 20s is built like that.
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Jul 25, 2018 23:58
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