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The survey is great and your list is extremely helpful. That saves work going in for the design. If you don't have it already be prepared for a soils report, that's usually an owners cost and it'll be needed to confirm foundations. They'll bore the ground to see what kind of soils are there. If there's other homes around there's probably nothing unusual, but you are near a creek and wetlands. If that creek wandered in the past you might have some soils that are less favorable and need deeper foundations. For the large vs. contractor. Realistically there's probably going to be the same amount of "active" people on your home keeping oversight and the larger one more likely to be "brokers" and not "builders". Subs either way are doing a lot of the work. So I guess that's a detraction against a larger construction firm but they also may have the clout to push aspects through if there's a rush, which is a plus. Personally speaking of my feelings home builders are usually small and sub-1 million a larger firm might not be competitive in bids because your project is "small change" for them and not worth pulling workers of other larger more profitable projects.
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Mar 7, 2016 16:15
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Your architect will get a civil engineer on the job, especially if you request it. If you walked into my office with that site there's no way I'd accept the job without one. Part of having the civil engineer they can coordinate the foundations and drainage you may need. That's why I mentioned the soil borings and Geotechnical Engineer earlier... A geo-tech report gives perc test and the actual soil composition, bearing capacity, etc... which your civil engineer will look at for drainage and a structural engineer will look at for designing your foundations. These can all be rolled into your fee to the architect. Even if you could find the previous report it's probably too old to be acceptable, it'd need to be done again. My advice, if you think you'll save by getting a civil engineer and all the soils reports yourself, you may not. The Architect knowing they have to coordinate with another entity (that isn't contractually tied to them) will likely add a bit into their fee. I've professionally experienced this myself with other design professionals. They'll do their work and then check out. They'll be unresponsive because they already got paid and don't want to alter their work (lower their profit on the job because time = money). They also may ask for more money if changes are needed. If they're a consultant their coordination is expected and their payment is beholden to completing the job. galahan posted:This may be a tease because I don't know that anyone here knows how to build like this. If someone local doesn't know work with these things you're asking for issues. They'll inflate their bid and the likelihood of them messing it up are higher. Seriously OP... go along for the ride now. Without a design worrying about stuff like exotic insulation assemblies and windows is premature. Your Architect will lead you through this. You'll have a Schematic Design in a few weeks and then in Design Development you can get into some more planning things.
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Mar 8, 2016 14:05
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Yeah, until there's a firm plan they're all likely blowing smoke out... though 35'x80' is 2800 sq.ft. so with $350,000 you're at $125/sq.ft. all fees included. I don't know about there in MA but down here in FL that wouldn't get you much. Either way it'd probably be helpful to included a "what we could live without" portion to your program so that the Architect can reduce the scope of the build to meet your budget if necessary. Also finish expectations factor into that. If you want to have a fancy millwork cabinets in your kitchen you may have to sacrifice finishes elsewhere to maintain the budget.
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Mar 8, 2016 16:08
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Speaking as a young architect... hand-drafting is a dying art for sure. No one south of of 40-50's is still hand drafting for production though. In my office only the partner who's got one foot out of the door still hand drafts. He only does that at the very beginning before it's handed to someone else in the office to draft in a CAD program or to work on a render in 3D. We still learn hand drafting in school because it informs how to draft digitally... I'd say 80% of even young Architect's are good hand drafters as well. It's just a factor in your decision. There's plenty of older Architect's out there that have done wonderful stuff and are at the tail end of their career. If he's semi-retired you at least know he won't be distracted by a load of projects. He may even do a lot of the other engineering type stuff himself. I don't mind doing some home stuff like the electrical and plumbing, but some old architect's will do drat near all the drawings (civil, structural, etc...) For fee... until you get a proposal you won't know. Many architect's won't give hourly rates unless you have no clue what you want. You have a decent program and information I'd suspect a lump-sum fee. I would expect 5-10% of construction is a likely range (industry average is 8%-15) which is why I'd say you should shoot for $300K construction cost for stuff you have to cover yourself. xwing fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Mar 10, 2016 |
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Mar 10, 2016 14:24
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Gounads posted:10% fee - $30k? When I was talking with the builders, I asked one of them if they had any ideas on how much architects might cost. I got guesses in the 5k-20k based on past experience, and he very frankly said that the $20k was absurd and was for a crazy house design. It all depends, but yes 10% of $300K for $30K. If you don't want fancy finish choices and such it could be lower for sure! You mention built-in furniture and you'll have kitchens that will have millwork. A lower fee might mean that he won't draw them and you'll rely on someone else like a "kitchen designer" that is a glorified sales rep and wants commission money off you. The last 8 years have been rough on Architectural fees but I wouldn't trust builders to know architectural fees. Unless their the type of builder that does really nice spec homes with an architect they simply aren't seeing architectural fees that are "normal". To be frank, we never share our fees in any of the offices I've been in. My last boss didn't even like sharing our fees with us in the office (longer story). Industry average for homes is 8-15%, but I guessed 5-10% because in semi-retirement he probably doesn't care about profit as much is probably the type that just doesn't know life without working in the field. EDIT: To expand, in my office I bill at $100/hr which is industry average. If our fee is $5K I could only spend 50 hours or around 6 days total on your project before I'm not making what I bill at. We might not be unprofitable, but we sure don't want to spend any extra time on it that's for sure. Not trying to scare you with that, but that's part of the field and why a vast majority of homes are "designed" by drafters. xwing fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Mar 10, 2016 |
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Mar 10, 2016 14:56
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Gounads posted:First architect's proposal came in the mail today. $14,850 - includes everything except site visits which would be billed hourly (but are usually not needed). That was right on the low end of what I said at about 5% of $300K.  You're going to want to have him come out to the site during construction, probably at milestones like framing and flying trusses. My current firm really doesn't do homes, but in my past ones we went out on our own accord to document construction for curiosity and liability concerns.
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Mar 14, 2016 21:15
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Gounads posted:I was correct in my law reading, the permit is good until 7/27 of this year due to that permit extension act. We have to start by then. Getting a building permit or starting site work would count towards starting, so it's not that bad. It might be worth looking into the possibility of early commencement... which is more or less sending a letter from a contractor that says "We're starting work" prior to being issued a permit. If it gets tight that may save you if the crunch gets tight. With four months it's feasible to get design work done for the whole home, but I'd suggest that you nail down your footprint so that you can get civil engineering design done and possibly a separate permit for that site work if that would count toward your deadline. As a side-note, I HATE planning boards with a passion.
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Mar 18, 2016 15:20
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Gounads posted:I'm not certain a letter would count. Apparently the statue is kind of vague and at the discretion of the planning board. A "Notice of Commencement" is a fairly standard form used by municipalities to officially have your start date of construction recorded, your permit issue date is separate and may not have bearing on when your site plan is still valid. I've seen a Notice of Early Commencement used a lot in commercial projects I've been on where the work is pretty standard and waiting potentially for weeks for the city to review and approve the permit means a tenant isn't paying another month of rent. It may help but not be necessary.
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Mar 18, 2016 15:53
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:because what kind of disaster is going to destroy your land? The kind that puts California into the sea.  Property values are always funny though. In my area values can triple over a few blocks if you're by the right lake or if you feed into a particular school.
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Mar 25, 2016 16:15
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OSU_Matthew posted:50k is just ridiculous in my book, I don't know what kind of mcmansion crowd they're banking on there. That design you linked, however, is just I already went over this before when it was first brought up... that's entirely reasonable and within the averages for architects. And the people that complain about the prices have usually never set foot in an architect designed home. MrEnigma posted:Edit: moving the garage doors may not be easy. They are on a gable end right now, on the side they will need a decent beam to support the roof as well. Which in turn will probably add a heel and raise up that side of the roof. Do you think garage doors are put in without beams? There's a beam/header no matter where it goes. It won't matter which side based on that old 80's drawing. Both exteriors would be bearing and it's just where the opening is going. Gounads posted:Price was something like this: Some architect's do it that way so they can firm up the cost once the plan is set and they know the scope of work fully. The bulk of cost comes in construction drawings (40% typically). $7000 is right on for schematic of a $50K fee. Schematics is usually 15%. If that's how they listed their proposal it's a bit off industry standards. There's usually 5 phases... sometimes more in larger or more detailed work. It's usually: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding and Negotiation and Construction Admin/Management. Schematics is usually a plan and elevations, maybe a section if there's a special space. Design Development is firming up the major systems of structure and other engineering and usually the point of no return for major changes. You get more sections and plans. Construction Documents is the bulk and lots of stuff the home owner usually doesn't understand like head-jamb-sill details, wall sections, and schedules. Bidding and Negotiation is giving a bid package out. It will include the Construction Documents, contracts (which include the rules and bonds required if your contractor is a bum), and bidding requirements to ensure when comparing bids that they are apples to apples. Construction Admin is when a contractor get questions they're forwarded to the architect and it is answered. They also should send submittals, which are samples and products they'll be using. It would be big things like roof material to tile samples. Unless you plan on being up the contractors backside dictating these things, this will ease your burden and ensure they aren't cheaping out. I may just be banging a gong for no one listening here though...
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Mar 29, 2016 14:13
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MrEnigma posted:Keep in mind there is a bonus room up there, and the direction the trusses go mean the walls that currently carry the weight are the house side and the side without a door on it. You can certainly move a door to that side, but you're going to have a 2-3 foot beam above the door to carry that weight. The front wall will carry some weight, and carrying a garage door sized span usually means a 12" micro-lam. The gable end is bearing as well... it provides stability and takes a portion of the ridge load. It won't be a 2-3' beam no matter what. I've designed 30' spans for the windloads down here in Florida and they weren't even 3' deep glu-lams. You also don't have to span that direction either. You can do a girder in the middle and span perpendicular. This exactly how my old place was. But this is a single 80's looking plan online, it can be done a ton of ways. MrEnigma posted:Although my builder mentioned to me yesterday that some lumberyards are being sued by the home plan online/book companies, because they were redrawing some of the plans from the book and changing some things (without paying the money for customizable plan set). It varies locally, but here in Florida we had strong protection laws. If you're offering "architectural services" and not licensed you will be reported to the state even besides the copyright issues there.
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Mar 29, 2016 15:12
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Zhentar posted:Woodpeckers have been going at them, gotta figure that out this spring... First time a woodpecker came to my place he went at the aluminum gutters and scared the crap out of me. 90% is a stucco box down here but whenever I design and build my own home I'm going aluminum and cypress. Down here (florida) vinyl has gotten a really bad name with it a lot of ways. The older stuff got beat up in the sun and warped window frames.
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Mar 30, 2016 15:20
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I'm a modernist architect... I wouldn't fake stuff, which is a double strike against vinyl. Vinyl windows are at least gaining ground in Florida though because the new energy code requirements are making it hard to meet them and be cost effective. I'd still never spec vinyl though... I'd tell them to pony up for nicer glass and work with overhangs.
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Mar 30, 2016 16:07
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Gounads posted:I have no idea how much of a stickler the town would be when submitting plans, but would rather not chance it. Might be a good reason to pay an Architect... Gounads posted:I'm finding it hard to locate a local architect willing to do the review, modifications, and stamp the plans. I'd be surprised if you found anyone willing to do this that's an architect... if you called me, I wouldn't. It's not worth their time or liability and it's not as simple as you think it to be. You'd be better to seek out a "home designer" or engineer because no architect with self-respect would do that. In analogy form... you are in search of your dream pizza. You have a wish list and sought out two reputable licensed pizza makers in town to make your dream pizza. Upon hearing their price you bought a Digiorno with a few of your own toppings and came back to them asking to bake it in their ovens.
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Mar 31, 2016 00:24
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Suspect Bucket posted:I don't understand why every house in Florida's not an insulated white concrete box. My parent's 50's built condo is the coolest, most comfortable thing to live in ever, HVAC wise. This stupid loving mortgage bubble house leaks heat and aircon like a sive, and I wouldn't trust it to survive any kind of storm. The condo's survived 6 hurricanes and the only danger it's ever going to be in is if the condo association votes to disallow pets, then everyone's gonna drown in lawsuits. A bit off topic to their house thread... codes and cheapness. 90% are built to the cheapest thing the codes allow unless they think they can sell it for more. For example, at my last job locally ICF (insulated concrete boxes essentially) homes were doing well in the area because they could sell them as "efficient" homes that owners saw as having more value that drastically outset the cost of the extra steel and concrete. Only problem is inexperienced "stucco" workers that messed the synthetic stuff up and it fails fantastically. Pretty soon it'll be hard to make a lovely leaky box because of the codes, but I'm sure the contractors will surprise me.
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Mar 31, 2016 02:12
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Jordanis posted:has made me want to slap a lot of architects. Feeling is mutual for contractors. Haven't observed a single roof that was done to spec. I usually ask where drawings are on site... Pssh, who needs those? Need to flash that joint, let's throw up an angle for a stucco stop and slather it in caulk! The Gardenator posted:A guy (concrete contractor) in New England built his entire house out of concrete. Made a detailed care thread about it here: Now that's a modern home... not even near the same size/budget. Limestone floors? Concealed hinges on frameless doors? That's some good stuff!
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Mar 31, 2016 13:15
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froward posted:Also larger rooms are more expensive to heat/cool. Larger in height, not necessarily floor area if properly designed and executed. If the OP isn't paying an Architect he sure isn't going to pay a Mechanical Engineer to size and design the HVAC... so it's going to be a contractor or him dicking around with his home to get it balanced.
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Apr 1, 2016 02:02
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Motronic posted:This is basically unheard of in modern design and largely antiquated by proper exterior building envelopes. The laws of thermodynamics haven't changed... hot air rises. You have a multi-story home and upstairs will naturally be hotter (stratification). It can be compensated for, but it's still hotter. It has nothing to do with the envelope, it has to do with the loads inside the building. Liquid Communism posted:Too many of my friends own McMansions, and even with only 4-5 people in one of their living rooms the whole house seems loud. Is it cheaper? If no, do not pass go, do not collect $200. People now want bigger and don't give two shits about that if they can't have their 4th office room and 2nd grand-nieces play room.
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Apr 1, 2016 13:12
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Motronic posted:Nothing to do with the envelope? Then you haven't been in an 1800s house that isn't really any hotter upstairs during the heating season because all the hot air leaks int the attic and right on outside. You're conflating two different things. I'm well aware that's how older homes work... they actually used that to help snow melt. You're right that modern houses have mitigated the external causes of heat loss/gain of that very well, but stratification still exists and why a single zone system for a multi-story home wouldn't be ideal under any circumstances. This is academic anyway... the contractor is going give him whatever passes inspection and is cheapest for him to install. He'll end up dicking with the balance and dealing with whatever insulation is installed because "it's what the contractor bid". He doesn't have a professional designing his home.
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Apr 1, 2016 16:24
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MrEnigma posted:I know you have a bias here, but this is giving a lot of credit to architects and not a lot to the builder/contractor. A good contractor is going to want to do a good job on your house. Are there some out there that don't care and are out for the money? Of course, but the same can then be said for the architects/design side of things as well. There are of course various grades of contractors and designers. But any building is the culmination of number of factors: the site, builder, designer, budget... When you buy a set of plans out of a book and cut out the designers you're running a lot of risks. The drawings are a set of contracts between the owner and contractor... and the municipality as well when code review occurs. So say the contractor comes back and wants to build a different wall assembly than the "plan book" drawings have. The owner says, okay that sounds good. Their new assembly has issues because they built a wall that worked somewhere else but was ill-suited for this instance (it could even have been something built down the street!). The owner could be boned. The contractor could have totally built it right, but say something like he's near that creek and the hydrostatic pressure is too high for the assembly and the basement leaks. Even if the courts swallow that the change was agreed upon (though not drawn) the contractor isn't under a standard of care to know that it wasn't suited for there and could have no liability. So I will admit this has been a bit like banging my head against a wall, I say it because I fully believe it's in everyone's best interest to use professionals. Same as for contractors. You think $30K is too much? I bet you can find some unlicensed "contractor" out there who will say they can save you $30K on the home by doing "X" and I'd have the same stance that it's probably a bad idea.
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Apr 1, 2016 17:57
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OSU_Matthew posted:Also, smart locks are awesome, just throwing that out there. Which often rely on old mechanical keys as backup... but again "keeping honest people honest". I personally have the commercial grade Medeco locks, big freakin' doors, security hinges, screw threw frame into bucks, etc... in addition to an alarm. If you want my stuff you're going to need to work for it. None of that really needs to be incorporated into a home before hand unless you want to do things like controlling motorized blinds, something like an electric strike to "buzz" people inside, cameras, etc... things that need low voltage. Cool stuff, but superfluous for most.
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Apr 7, 2016 02:39
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Gounads posted:They do free top to bottom design work (cabinets, countertops, fixtures, lighting, etc.) so we'll probably take them up on that. Even if it's just to hand to the builder to give an idea of the style/quality that we want. They also mentioned it's good to do that early since you still have some control over things like window-placement and you can plan for standard cabinet designs and avoid custom work. I know it's a part of the business but that's kind of a jerk move and not even all that helpful for the contractor. They justify doing the "design work" (really they're pulling from a catalog, dragging and dropping, their probably using 20/20 which is like the Sketchup of millwork design) by being the supplier. I doubt they'll just hand over drawings that will be helpful for the next guy that is working from catalog B instead of catalog A that is actually getting the job. It's wasting their time if you don't intend to use them. You'd be better served to ask the contractor to have an allowance for kitchen install with whoever they prefer working with or to just leave it blank for the kitchen supplier to come in later. You'd also be surprised though. Locally there might be a millwork person that can do anything custom for about the same price because there's no middle man. When the kitchen people say it's custom they're kind of half lying out of their asses... they just mean it's not on a shelf made already on some other part of the country. It doesn't cost them a drat bit more to do it. It's just which file they hit "cut" on for their CNC routers pushing out the pieces.
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Apr 7, 2016 14:38
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Gounads posted:The guy we talked to suggested it. Said something like "After the design your builder can have us install, do it themselves, or go off and buy somewhere else." He was pretty confident they would be competitive with anyone else. It will be of value to us in figuring out what we want. That's quite a deal. As long as the contractor is cool with it. There's usually a bit of back scratching and no one likes being pushed out for a "favored" sub contractor so I'm surprised they'd do that without distinct advantage (like the "designer"/sales guy getting a commission).
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Apr 7, 2016 16:14
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Motronic posted:But we're not talking anywhere near engineered truss with gusset plates kinda bad. Depends on what is being called a "pre-fab floor joist". Because "flat trusses" sometimes used for floors are exactly that, but that's such a generic name it could just as easily be referring to a wood "I-beam". This preoccupation with fire is fascinating to me... is it some phenomenon in the rest of the country that there's a good chance your home will go up in flames? If you have a house fire your place is going to be wrecked short of a sprinkler system that puts it out early. Seems like a goofy thing to go out of your way for. Then again I've had to dissuade clients that a 8" core ICF home was unnecessary to survive a hurricane.
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Apr 11, 2016 13:20
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SouthShoreSamurai posted:I'm pretty sure Motronic is a Fire Marshall or something, so thinking of fire safety first makes sense for him. Makes sense. I was talking in general though because that's it's come up a few times in threads asking about residential sprinklers and really if your electrical contractor wires the home well fire is going to be negligence way more often than random defects (do you plan on storing hoverboards? or leaving a janky space heater on while you sleep next to curtains?). To me at least it doesn't seem like financially it makes sense over insuring your home well. I guess people who bring it up are more about the not dying part though...
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Apr 11, 2016 16:28
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I'm pretty sure I've seen Motronic say that if your house has engineered trusses supporting the roof, the firefighters often aren't allowed to go into the house because it's too easy for the roof to collapse. It'd be pretty hard to tell and in practice and there's many areas they'd never go inside if that was a hard rule. Gounads posted:So, when I talk with the builder on Thursday, should I be talking about materials quality or anything? I know the plans specify what type, but should I be requesting a certain grade of lumber or not using OSB or anything similar? I'd like to make sure the bids I get are targeting the same quality in that regard. Tell them to bid the drawings exactly. In a typical situation, your contractors will send RFI's (requests for information) to the designer and the answers get published to everyone bidding it. They'll usually also supply a bid form (usually based on Masterspec divisions) to ensure that everyone is bidding uniformly and you can see differences. This helps you because if Contractor A has plumbing for 50% vs. Contractor B you might be able to beat Contractor B down on price if their bid is otherwise the lowest. A bid form might be overkill but whatever details you can get the better! Simple number isn't very helpful. Ask them to break out any additive or deductive alternates. Like if the drawings call out plywood sheathing and they say you can save money with OSB that should be written separately from the base bid. This way if they try to cheap out on you later, they can't say "I didn't bid that, you'll need to pay more." I've had contractors come back with this on major structural things like what type of beam to cast which is absurd. I wouldn't worry about quality otherwise though outside of maybe allowances for sitework and things like tiling. You may even want to have the bid include a cost + fee for areas like the kitchen. That way you see their cost or if you go with the kitchen people you have been talking with there's not some padding in their bid for the unknown scope of work. The #1 issue I see that messes stuff up is improper storage on site that messes you up for moisture issues which is regardless of quality of materials.
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Apr 11, 2016 17:04
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Motronic posted:It's not a hard and fast rule, and it's also not hard to tell when you have a ripping attic fire and the roof is distorted already. In that situation I don't let me guys go in, period. We don't trade lives. 99.9% of the time we find it was an engineered truss and the gusset plates had warped in the heat and popped off. Understandable, my father was a fireman and I have total respect for the job. When my father died on duty (heart attack) they took care of my family. If it hasn't made those visible signs for "HUGE FIRE BURNING MAH HOUSE" was what I was getting at though. I totally agree on the alarm and monitoring thing too from a security stand point as well as fire. My last place wasn't quite a duplex in the traditional sense. It was a tiny apartment (first Habitat home in the area that was made so the owner would donate the surrounding land for a park) and a two story garage/apartment that was mine. It shared maybe 200 sqft. of wall space, I loved that place other than the tiny mole of an apartment downstairs. The downstairs dolt drat near burned the place down leaving the stove on with his stupid vaping stuff sitting on it. Luckily it burned itself out because the stove was on an exterior between the fridge and the hood above. Melted a hole in the fridge, and the whole place wreaked for weeks but otherwise safe. Made me kick into high gear for getting an alarm system up though!
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Apr 11, 2016 17:45
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Nitrox posted:poo poo gets really ugly when GC, distributor and subs start to kick that blame ball back and forth. Totally. I had a $7mil clubhouse where they stored the ancillary restroom fixtures in a container on site... in Florida during the summer. Rust all over the fixtures. They tried to polish them before we performed our punch list and some poor bastard had to do that. The owner got real pissed when we brought this up and saw it themselves. As a homeowner you'll be real pissed if your cabinets start to peal apart or your walls and ceilings are wonky because they dumped the plywood on site. quote:For new construction, making sure the right material arrives at the right time seems like it would be a GC responsibility, right? Yes, The GC will want to get his costs off the books early though so that he can squeeze the profit out later. If they're good this won't be an issue, but stuff happens and it's a thing to watch out for. xwing fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Apr 11, 2016 |
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Apr 11, 2016 18:01
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If he's literally that small that he's up on ladders doing things I wouldn't be too off put, but I would let them know that's why they're not getting the job. If they don't care, it's they're loss, but if they're working on the same block you can't afford to get "bad press". You are exactly right in your assessment that the 2nd should be out. Things like the cost of plans review are a standard inclusion. That's why you get a local person so they know what those are. I'm sure they'd love to pass the cost to you, but it should be built in.
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May 12, 2016 14:04
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uXs posted:I guess some people would just prefer a quicker sale for a slightly lower amount vs. setting the price higher and not knowing if or when it would be sold. Yeah, my mother who just sold her home went through this. I felt she could have had $20-25K more easily, but she did get it sold in 1 day to a realtor (not as a spec, they were the same as us when we got it, a small family)... In my experience realtors are usually just marketers, not experts on local value by any means. Verify with other opinions, but what you think is probably just fine.
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Jun 3, 2016 19:38
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So you have like 20 feet of drop? Fun stuff...
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Jul 29, 2016 20:07
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Hollow Talk posted:Do you know how long the cement has to rest (and cure, I presume?) after pouring before you can move on? 1 week gets you to 70% of it's full strength. 28 days is what is specified usually for full strength. He has a lot of site work with the grade. It's probably convenient to get site work done while concrete is curing.
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Nov 10, 2016 01:49
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Motronic posted:28 days is design strength on average. For most mixes that's about 75% and it continues to get stronger for years. I know... I'm an architect, but he wasn't asking about concrete types or design strengths. This is residential and the contractor has only engaged an engineer enough to get the required permits. There's no reason to believe they're using anything other than the standard.
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Nov 10, 2016 15:40
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Motronic posted:Then you should also know better than to continue spreading this 28 day thing that every concrete guy cringes when they hear. And you should quit being pedantic. No one cringes at all, except maybe you. I was being kind and telling someone who doesn't know anything about concrete the every day usage. 28 days and 7 days is what is used in specifications. For all purposes it's the "full strength" that it's designed to. I know "full strength" is a bit nebulous and inaccurate... GUESS WHAT?!?! No one else cares. If it is stronger than that 2 years later, it doesn't matter to anyone. 28 days is not a myth... it's ASTM standards, it's specifications, concrete submittals quote 28-day strength, it's taught in structural classes, etc... You can walk on concrete on like day two without fear of gouging it. You shouldn't load it though until later which is why I said sitework would probably happen while the concrete "cures". You can never get all the framing and stuff done to load it anyway. It's mostly a non-issue. AND that link, SERIOUSLY?!? That link is a precast trade organisation. It marketing material to sell you on precast concrete. Precast is "cured" mechanically and ready to go when it's installed.
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Nov 10, 2016 17:41
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H110Hawk posted:But what if the concrete is being used to anchor a motorcycle? You'd need 400lbs... and 28 days.
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Nov 10, 2016 19:24
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Klogdor posted:as a non-american, I dont understand why the number of bedrooms would influence the cost of sewer hookups, care to explain to an outsider? What Safety Dance said. It's a form of an impact fee. You have a larger impact on the system you pay more. Huge McMansion with 8 bedrooms and baths would need more infrastructure support vs. a 2 bedroom cottage. He's at least lucky to have access. If you're too far from utilities it's not uncommon for a company to tell you you're out of luck... because they won't make back the investment to run the utility to your property.
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Dec 2, 2016 17:45
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Gounads posted:We re-arranged layout of upstairs bathroom. Plans had the tub against the window, which is stupid if you want a shower. Not really. Your tub is a large drain and it's nicer to have it on the exterior if possible. Being able to place all your plumbing as close as possible to the exterior is great for clearing clogs and venting. If your roof leaks it's going to be around a penetration like a vent and a leaking eave is a lot nicer than over a bedroom. That and putting your largest moisture producer (vapor producer) near the exterior and a window is best in case the exhaust fan doesn't work. The exhaust fan not a "fart fan" and is primarily about exhausting moisture. It can work any way you want, but having a tub/shower on the exterior near a window is not stupid by any means.
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Jan 7, 2017 14:42
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Magnus Praeda posted:Counter-counterpoint: that's what frosted glass and/or a higher window is for. But ultimately it's your house and you need to make decisions that you're comfortable with. This... I understand not wanting the neighbors to see the angle of your dangle or how much werewolf blood you have in you, but a window with a 4' sill means you can smile and wave at your perv neighbors without giving them a show.
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Jan 10, 2017 15:25
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At a normal height they wouldn't have to be tempered, but lower than that there are requirements. Those are for sidelites and such so if a kid knocks them out it's not a disaster. I can see why having a smaller window in the front facade wouldn't be desirable though. I've had clients adamant that they wanted a large window to see out of their tub... I guess they're more confident. :bigtran:
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Jan 13, 2017 18:48
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Gounads posted:It's like they want me to show up, ask permission, and keep trying until I get it right. Yes. A good reason why local politics matter? This is unfortunately not that unusual. Seems the logical course is the determination, if it's a no they'll tell you then. If it's a yes you have to do one of the others. If it's minor like you believe (not getting near an area of concern) then you get the abbreviated notice and it's rubber stamped.
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Jan 18, 2017 17:46
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