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We're currently going through this same process, albeit a bit ahead of you. We purchased the land in Dec 2014. We went with a home designer (i.e. not an architect) and going back and forth took 2-3 months, had plans in hand around June 2015. Got 3 quotes from builders (took 2-3 months), selected one, and then went into the permit process and getting on everyone's schedules. Basement got dug and poured in December 2015 (we are in the Midwest, so this was to beat the frost), builder started framing in mid to late January. Currently trusses are going up on it. At some points it's felt overwhelming and crazy, and I'm sure it will again. The biggest takeaway is that things cost more than you think they should, and probably will take more time than you think they will. MrEnigma fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Mar 10, 2016 |
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Mar 10, 2016 15:39
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Some lumber yards will help you with a plan if you are buying from them. The plans out of the book never seemed designed with basements in mind, and had one or two weird issues. I really like there one you linked, but it only has a two car garage for instance (maybe this is ok?). Nothing hard to add, but then you're into shuffling things around 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.
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Mar 29, 2016 13:00
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xwing posted: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. 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. On the topic of plans. We had plans done by a local home designer (non-architect) and the lumberyard did most of the engineering/truss layout. There were a couple of small things that came up when building, but I think on a custom home that's going to be what happens (unless the build has done something very similar). 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). We found a few floor plans we liked, talked to our designer and he laid it all out after a few sessions. It wasn't completely ideal, but I think we're getting pretty close to what we want without much cost. Happy to dive into or answer any questions about that.
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Mar 29, 2016 14:45
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His Divine Shadow posted:Obviously not as I was showing how well good grades of wood would perform (and finest oils, please...) and the stuff in my parents and grandparents houses definitely isn't the high grade stuff. But even the cheapest shittiest wood is better than vinyl. Because it's not loving vinyl. I'm not going to disagree with any of that, because wood is great. And since I love the derails in this thread... There is so much against it here though. - Stigma -- (rotting, requiring lots of maintenance, etc -- some of this is from the past and not as true, but still there) - Cost -- I'm not even sure I know of a house that has had this done, much less someone to do it. But vinyl is something ridiculously cheap like $3k for a 2500sf house (just materials) - Availability - Like above, no clue where I'd even find someone to do this. Which means it's going to be a lot of money to get someone, or potentially it won't be done right since there just isn't enough experience. Ultimately being able to come in and side a house in a day or two, have it look how you want, not maintenance, and hardly pay anything, it's going to be pretty hard to get out of that. In the midwest we don't see much Stucco/Dryvit because of the climate. Our super fancy houses might be all brick or stone (or cultured stone), but a lot are at least partially vinyl.
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Mar 30, 2016 14:46
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xwing posted:First time a woodpecker came to my place he went at the aluminum gutters and scared the crap out of me. Seamless aluminum siding was all the rage here in the late 90's early 00's. I haven't heard of people using it for years though. One of the issues we have with it, is that when it hails, it's wrecked. Vinyl can get damaged as well, but it can take a lot of beating generally (although if it's cold it can break easier). Vinyl technology has come a long ways. The new high end lines are really thick, sun resistant, and now they are starting to add multiple colors in, basically trying to make it look like weathered wood. As of this year there are all kinds of blends available, and they are pretty close to looking like real wood. Still a bit fake looking, but it's getting so close. Edit: It's still vinyl fakery though. Like a laminate countertop shirt for your house. Like a laminate flooring for your countertops.
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Mar 30, 2016 15:40
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xwing posted: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. 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. Sometimes code is just simply good enough for a lot of people when factoring cost. For instance we purchased a 'spec' house, insulation done to state requirements. Small ranch house, heating bills totaled maybe $300-400 a year. House was always comfortable. Would more insulation, sealing, etc been better? Of course, but the returns diminish quite quickly. Personally I trust on both sides, good design can help a lot and prevent issues, but it's also good to rely on the installers/sub-contractors who do this professionally as well. (On a slight side note, I'd rather go with a product slightly worse that the sub was more comfortable with and knew the issues/kinks than something they weren't -- also cheaper and keeps your subs happy with you).
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Apr 1, 2016 16:48
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We're currently building a house, so I have a few comments on the contractor, just general things (Our house is ~3000sf above grade two story, with a full unfinished basement). We're at about 350k contract price without the lot. Looks like you have a lot of cost just because of your current site. Our plumbing came to roughly ~20k, including all all faucets, tubs, etc. It did not include the vanity sinks because they will come from the cabinet maker. Our electrical came to around ~18k That one is harder to compare. We didn't have to bury 325feet of cable, but we have ~40 can lights or so, plus lots of extra outlets. Out HVAC was ~18k, but slightly simpler, only one furnace, but 3 zones installed (4th wired up), garage heater as well. Fireplace allowance seems quite high at 13k, unless this is some stone/brick huge thing (I don't remember the final plan you were getting bid). Kitchen/Vanity Install is kind of weird. I'd recommend trying to find a custom cabinet maker, and they do the install for you as part of the price. Looks like they are blacktopping the driveway (165' is a lot..but blacktop is annoying).
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May 12, 2016 19:32
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Gounads posted:Everyone around here does blacktop driveways. Concrete doesn't survive the winters. Pavers are too expensive. Huh interesting, I'm in the upper midwest, in Wisconsin, and we routinely have below 0 for a month or so. Any short stuff is all concrete, otherwise long driveways are blacktop. A few other things seem kind of high on there....we didn't go with any security system, so we didn't have that cost. But things like runoff fences and such, seem really high at 4k, but that might be due to the site itself. PM if you want any more info, I'll share whatever I have. Our contract isn't broke down that far, mostly just one chunk for concrete/framing/insulation/plaster/painting/trim, and then electric/plumbing/etc split out.
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May 12, 2016 22:45
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When we bid out our house, a lot of the contractors used the same subs, so we got the same bids back, so that helped out. For everything else I just went through and 'normalized' the bids, trying to make all the 'subbed' out parts equal, since those should be able to be equal. You may also have the option of using your own electric/plumbing/hvac/well/septic/etc subs if you want, keep in mind that the builder may then rely on you to schedule and setup everything if they aren't their preferred subs. Edit: Even if the subs are doing different things (i.e. different quotes), try to take the one you want, and then normalize the other bids with that amount. Some builders also like to show a lower bid, and then leave you on the hook for a driveway/lawn or whatever it may be. Some of the costs the builder we went with just absorbs, other builds pass them on. Our range was from about 350-400k to build, which is a fairly large difference. (We did end up going with the cheapest one, but it was also our best referral -- so that worked out nice). MrEnigma fucked around with this message at 17:04 on May 13, 2016 |
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May 13, 2016 17:01
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I'd make sure it comes back to you, there are lots of rules for cash out. Our escrow company did pay us back for a few things (we bought appliances on our own, and they sent a check). But for instance if we wanted to change something up on the house and things would cost more, and we paid out of pocket, the final closing on the loan (i.e. switching from construction -> regular) would not pay us back for that, we would have had to re-close on the construction loan, I don't think all the loans are setup this way. Our construction loan didn't take very long to close, just had to get all the pieces in. Our biggest issue was that we needed insurance (and we got normal insurance with builders risk 'stamp'), so to do that we needed an address, but to get the address we needed all the permits filed, giant series of things that all needed to be satisfied. Our builder worked right with the escrow company, I just had to sign all the paperwork. Basically subcontractors would send him a bill, he'd add it to the monthly sheet, i'd sign it, escrow company would pay him. Good luck, it should work out but of course it's all stressful. Let me know if I can be of any help, just went through it a few months back.
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Nov 14, 2016 20:36
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If you have a way to drain via gravity from the drain tile in/outside the foundation, I think you're good. Those of us that the ground doesn't drain out water fast enough, or have a way to drain via gravity need sump pumps. Our last house was on sand, no sump pump at all (and that was a ~5 year old house) and we never had an issue with water. Edit: If you have drain tile around the perimeter (in/out) you still can have a sump put in, or at least the pit. From my understanding generally they run a loop inside the house wall and a loop on the outside of the wall, and connect them between the footings. The pipes/foundation are in all in gravel, so it makes the water easily run into them. The sump pumps just hook into the inside run. If you're paranoid you could have them just add the plastic pit if you have drain tile, probably would be minimal cost (but an annoyance in the basement, depending on how you're finishing it). MrEnigma fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Nov 23, 2016 |
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Nov 23, 2016 22:25
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I assume the neighbor you can see through the trees is the one that had the most issues? Kind of explains why they were the most vocal, you'll end up pretty close to them. Start planting evergreens!
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Dec 8, 2016 20:03
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I took pictures of all the walls before they were sheetrocked, but I did forget to do the garage. Worst part is they added a layer of OSB where the house meets the garage, near impossible to find a stud without testing a few places first.
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Dec 11, 2016 22:23
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OSU_Matthew posted:
Our code here in Wisconsin specifies R20/21 for walls, which can only happen in a 2x6 frame (at least with conventional batts), so even our McMansions are built this way.
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Dec 29, 2016 15:32
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My LG Washer and Dryer both play the same pleasant little song. The washer though when it's playing it, right in the middle does a double unlock of the door, and it sounds like clapping. So of course I clap along each time.
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Jan 4, 2017 05:04
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I think they just have to be tempered. The one above our soaking tub is tempered to prevent bleeding yourself out.
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Jan 13, 2017 07:03
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Gounads posted:Went to the plumbing supply store to pick everything out. We bought our stuff off amazon and other places after we had picked it out. I had asked our plumber and he had said he was cool with it. However, it didn't come out to being that much different, since the place where you picked it out generally gives a kick back to the plumber, so they make sure to get that back into their price (more labor, or the discount/credit of the piece isn't as much as the cost). So if you decide to do this, really make sure you have a price locked in with the plumber first. Edit: We should have saved about $2000 from buying it ourselves. We ended up saving maybe $100, although we did upgrade quite a few different things as well, so probably $500-800 savings off the suppliers prices.
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Jan 21, 2017 05:03
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Gounads posted:It's amazing how difficult it can be to get answers like "How much can we spend on plumbing fixtures" or "What would it cost to do a full tile shower". We have a fairly small shower, probably 4x3, tiled completely (ceiling, around the front edge, bull nosed around the opening). Our builder quoted us $2600 for materials and labor, which I think is on the low end. I am not sure I know how much it ended up costing, probably a bit more since we did QuartzLock and nicer tile. But I would think your range is 2500-5000 or so depending on how nice/crazy it will be. Edit: That also does not include the glass door, which for us was another $500-600 (24" door, 70" w/ Aquapel costing), my dad works at a glass shop so he ordered the glass, got the hinges/sweeps off amazon/ebay. Total cost to get it installed is probably 1.5-2x that. Edit2: The cost stuff is pretty crazy though, just either trying to figure out how much something will cost (we had our entire loan itemized/bucketed out by type...), or what it actually ended up costing. If you're interested in our breakdowns, I can PM you all my numbers. MrEnigma fucked around with this message at 20:43 on Jan 25, 2017 |
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Jan 25, 2017 20:40
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Gounads posted:The tub was like $3k after you include the filler and drain, so we're going to amazon that. Is that the exact same tub? I've heard horror stories of people buying chinese made tubs that don't meet code, and having to get ripped out. In our case the Kohler tub (acrylic) ended up being quite a bit cheaper from the distributor than I could find it any other place.
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Jan 25, 2017 21:35
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KKKLIP ART posted:How can a tub not meet code? I'm actually not sure if it was code, or some certification, or just the plumber blowing smoke. Supposedly he had to take one out earlier that same year, the customer had purchased it themselves, wasn't caught until inspection. It does kind of sound like a lot of BS, I can't find anything online. There are a ton of cheaper tubs/faucets/etc, but maybe i'm just old school or being scammed, but I can't bring myself to put a cheap faucet in. If it decides to leak any time in the next 15-20 years I'm going to be super pissed and be annoyed with everything I saved on it, but I have a feeling a lot of domestic manufacturers want people to feel that way.
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Jan 26, 2017 18:09
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Gounads posted:Found out we've got $4/sqft to spend on hardwoods, that's pretty decent. Wife likes the look of hickory. Looking at samples on Tuesday. I assume that's for prefinished? Might be a bit low for non-prefinished..
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Mar 3, 2017 19:38
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A lot of times the plumber will run a pipe from the drain tile up through the roof. Electrician will sometimes add an outlet up there as well if you ever need to put a constant pressure fan on it for radon. We did it since it was a minor amount of money, and our last house triggered radon. If we ever get it tested and it fails we can easily add on the fan. Edit: No clue what "Radiation in place" means though, but it seems closer to Radon than ductwork.
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Mar 6, 2017 20:06
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sharkytm posted:Skim-coat Plaster is so far superior to drywall. I grew up in a drywall house, moved to MA into a 50/50 plaster/drywall. The main house is all plaster, but the garage and apartment are drywall. It's only about 10% more expensive to have plaster done, and it looks and wears a lot better. Good choice on doing plaster. The two major (ok fine minor) downsides: * Putting in nails make plaster go everywhere, and can chip off big holes (good news it's easy to fix). * WiFi Reception takes a huge beating with plaster.
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Mar 14, 2017 18:34
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Nitrox posted:What are the issues with drywall? Makes for a louder house. Quite a bit more fragile (put a knee into drywall you'll crack it, do it to plaster, and it might crack, but you probably will bust your knee instead). Textures aren't as cool 
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Mar 14, 2017 20:24
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Would you characterize plaster as being more or less effort to finish compared to drywall mudding? Im my experience it's quite a bit more work. Sometimes they also will do a two coats, bottom smooth layer, then come back a week or so later and do the top texture coat. Our house isn't huge, and there was a crew of 3-4 plasterers and it took them about 3-4 days for each coat, plus an extra day in the garage (that just got one coat). One nice benefit is there isn't any sanding that happens, so it's mostly your house just smelling like plaster (i think it smells amazing) for a week or so. I'd imagine a (smaller) drywall crew could have mudded the joints and sanded in a couple of days, plus another day or so to spray.
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Mar 14, 2017 22:01
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Gounads posted:So this wifi/cell thing... is that true of modern plaster, or mostly the older super thick stuff? I won't even consider the chicken-wire stuff. Old plaster would be much worse, but essentially anything that is dense eats radio waves (and sound waves so yay). Our house has two coats of plaster. Bonus room that's connected to the 2nd floor, and I have to have an AP in there and one out in the main part of the house, without that it wouldn't reach very well. Up/Down isn't as bad since it seems to travel through the open staircase and such as well. I do have a ceiling mounted Ubiquiti AP in the bonus room, and the one on each floor, and I get good coverage. The one on the main floor doesn't really do much though, i put it on the wrong side of the house, and in a hallway area that has lots of walls, so the signal doesn't seem to make it out.
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Mar 15, 2017 20:56
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couldcareless posted:As an IT guy, I personal hate wifi but have accepted it as a necessary evil. I mostly still do, but having ceiling mounted AP's that cover the entire house, I connect at 1000-1200mbps via wifi, and it's almost never an issue. I'll hardwire eventually still, but made it 6-7 months streaming 720p video over wifi without issue, running plex, etc.
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Mar 29, 2017 03:29
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n0tqu1tesane posted:Passive PoE just seems like a good way to send 12-48v through a device that wasn't designed for it on accident, potentially frying the device. Since this has turned into wifi chat... The Ubiquiti AP's have switched to all using 802.3af/at (PoE and PoE+ respectively). Even the older UAP-AC-LITE use PoE now, UAP-AC-PRO always supported PoE, and the new UAP-AC-HD requires PoE+ (although it ran fine on my PoE switch). The new Ubiquiti 8 port switch only supports PoE/PoE+ now as well, no passive. So that's all good news.
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Mar 29, 2017 17:15
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Jusupov posted:Does the foundation waterproofing have to be up to the ground level? I know from that earlier pic that there's some but those pics show moisture from the ground level making the above ground part wet I don't think it's required above grade, usually there is something that is added, some sort of mortar board or vinyl (rolled) product, but that's usually just for looks. In other questions: Two furnaces? Or HE water heater? I see two sets of intake/exhaust pipes back there.
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Apr 6, 2017 16:50
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I'm amazed at how much it's taken over SA. Reminds me of the days of the P-P-P-P-P-Powerbook and the giant Purple Dildo. Edit: So tempted to new page sniper this for old times sake.
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Apr 6, 2017 18:43
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They trimmed it out before finishing painting? Good luck on the handrail. That stuff is really expensive, hopefully you get something that looks nice.
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May 2, 2017 15:29
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Gounads posted:Yup. I bet your painter is stoked about that 
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May 2, 2017 21:23
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Generally almost everything is ordered through someone like L. J. Smith (or really a vendor who orders through them). They offer insane amounts of types of railing and connectors. http://www.ljsmith.com/products.aspx?category=1&page=84 They are also amazingly pricey, but they all work together fairly easily, and are solid. Edit: The shutters look good I think. My biggest hate with shutters are when they couldn't possibly work on the window if they were real. Yours could pass for legit (not sure why that matters really, but it feels better anyways). Edit2: We have wood floor on the first floor, and all white trim. We ended up going with painted white posts/ballusters/railing for the landing area (and top of the stairs). But the railing itself is stained. Kind of wish we would have kept with the white posts and done stained handrails for everything. They look really nice in white, but get dirty, probably like your toe kick areas on your stairs will get. MrEnigma fucked around with this message at 19:08 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 19:04
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My install wasn't too bad all things considered. Just pulled it into the basement, asked for ~20 feet of cable. He gave me..10? Then forgot to put the order in to bury the cable. And then Charter bought TWC and I got 300/20 service. So not that bad.
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May 22, 2017 21:48
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th vwls hv scpd posted:I think you'll make that deadline. Construction is always like that. Nothing seems to be coming together and then a day or two out it all clicks together and you wind up with a small punch list that takes 3 guys an afternoon to correct. Yeah, you'll have all the trades in there knocking stuff out. Plus you can move in without a yard, final driveway (heck we moved in 9 months ago and our driveway went in last week because of winter, lawn going in a few weeks). So they'll just focus on the things you need. And it's summer, you could even go without the propane tank (unless of course you have a gas water heater).
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May 28, 2017 01:52
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I think it depends on the brand. Current ones are no lights until they trip, then it's red. Last ones were green when on. Edit: I've also seen red lights on as non tripped.
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Jun 12, 2017 13:24
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Do you have reflectors on that wooden fence thingy at the turn? Personally I think bolting a set of wheels to that side of the car would work better. Then you can do it at speed. Edit: Does the house face towards the driveway, or back the other way? Are you going to try to put dirt on that giant pile of rocks, and somehow figure out how to mow it?
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Jun 13, 2017 21:04
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