|
Modus Man posted:Has anybody here built a house with 2x8 exterior walls? Opinions on wether it's worth it? I'm pretty sure I will have to cut every single board to stud length but I will be able to go with 24" stud spacing to mitigate thermal transfer. I live in Michigan where we regularly see sub zero temperatures in the winter and near 100 in the summer. 2x4 double stud 16 on center is probably a better idea, just to toss a really common assembly out there. Material cost won't be that much more (2x8's are expensive, at least where I am), it's a better thermal solution (you can make it as deep as you want, and it has a perfect thermal break between the studs), it's easier to put up for a small crew (less weight), you can buy studs to length depending on your ceiling height, and 16" on center is going to make finishing/hanging pictures/etc easier. I've never used any stud bigger than 2x6.
|
#
¿
Sep 20, 2017 18:29
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 7, 2024 20:36 |
|
|
Gorson posted:Doing some insulation and finishing on the stud walls in my garage. The corners look like this: You can add material or use what is called a 'drywall clip'. I prefer adding material, especially when you aren't concerned about energy efficiency (which you aren't in this case, given it's a solid corner). willroc7 posted:I'm in the midwest, the house is 1900sq ft, and there are probably 3-4 outlets in each of those rooms. It's a 4 bed 3 bath house where one bed and bath is part of addition that has grounded outlets already. This did not include lighting, pretty sure. That quote looks fine given the size of the home. I'm a residential estimator in the midwest. You may be able to find a cheaper quote, but it really comes down to the relationship. Did the electrician seem personable? Were they well organized? Were they referred to you by someone who has used them in the past? How long have they been in business? Did you feel like they explained the work to a level of understanding you found appropriate? Are they planning to pull a permit? Do you know how far they are booking work out? All these factors are more important than the estimate itself.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 6, 2018 18:29
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:I need the locksmith goon to come back and remind me what kind of exterior lock set I need to buy, because I feel like there was a brand recommendation but now I can't find it. (I did see what types NOT to buy.) Baldwins seem to be coming up in a lot of my searches. Baldwin is fine, but they had a bad back order issue a few months ago and I don't order enough from them to know whether it cleared up. Like, three months. Emtek is the brand I usually recommend, widely available and very few stock issues. Order fulfillment is around 2-3 weeks though at the moment which is unusually long. If you can't just swap the hardware because you need changes to how the door is prepared, talk to a locksmith and have them order it and install unless you are very handy.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 14, 2020 16:44
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:Thanks! At least on Build.com, seems like a lot of Baldwin stuff is in stock and Emtek has a status of "made to order", so I might end up with Baldwin. There is currently only a knob there so I'll need to drill a hole for the deadbolt. Luckily I am very handy so the biggest challenge will likely just be deciding what to do with the existing mortise strike plate and associated holes in the jamb. I am almost disappointed that someone filled in the mortise because getting a modern mortise lockset would have been kinda neat. Made to order for Emtek is really just "assembled to order". It's not a big deal, but still longer than "in stock". The delays we had with Baldwin were all split finish units which aren't ever stocked, so it sounds like you won't have the same issue.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 14, 2020 20:28
|
|
|
Some Guy From NY posted:I don't have an answer for your second question, but if you need to cut the rockwool to shape, you must buy some cheap bread knives. They cut rockwool like butter. The best roxul knife for DIY is the husky brand one at home depot, comes with a clip-on plastic belt sheath.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 2, 2020 00:21
|
|
|
tetrapyloctomy posted:Framing out walls to have a cavity suitable for insulation would be arduous and time-consuming; would encroach upon the opening to the garage door; and in general is considered a really bad idea in this type of stone construction where the walls regularly get damp, as it can cause accelerated freeze-thaw damage and destroy them. You mentioned that your source for this information was an energy auditor. I think you should take another shot at this research - insulating stone/rubble foundations is not simple and not common, but it can be done. Your space is currently unheated - this means that the exterior layer of the stone you are concerned about already gets wet and freezes every winter - is it falling apart? If it isn't, insulating the interior isn't going to change that. Here's a good case study on insulating a rubble foundation. The key is to make sure it's in good condition before you start (because it is going to become inaccessible) and then establish an excellent moisture barrier between the interior (heated) area and the foundation. You don't want the moisture content of either side of this equation to influence the other, as they will be operating at very different temperatures and conditions. https://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-041-rubble-foundations Very few contractors will have experience with this, as most people take the safe approach with rubble/stone foundations of just letting them be. There may be something special about your foundation that means this advice doesn't apply, if you figure it out let us know. This work isn't cheap, and it isn't conducive to DIY, mostly because of the spray foam component of the assembly. There are no other insulation products that will work properly in this application.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2020 04:48
|
|
|
tetrapyloctomy posted:Ugh. The only contractor who both has responded and is willing to even consider insulating the garage is quoting a little under eleven grand for flat-studded side walls (due to available space between the walls and the garage door rails) with rigid foam insulation, insulation board glued directly on ceiling, everything caulked and sealed "as possible," four outlets, two 220V baseboard heaters, and drywall. Seems steep, but it's going to be hard to tell if no one goddamned calls me back. It sounds like you talked to a general contractor since there is insulating, drywall, and electrical in the mix. I'm going to just nit-pick the insulating a bit, because rigid is a really unusual choice for in-fill between studs (is that what they are doing?). That method is typically called 'cut and cobble' and it's not a compliment. It's time consuming, annoying, and the result is always iffy because the cuts get sloppy as the day goes on. Why hasn't the contractor proposed closed cell spray foam? His Divine Shadow posted:Hell, your garage? I just nailed up the dry wall and painted it... Probably won't pass code enforcement without some treatment of the seams in the OP's case, as it's a fire separation wall. They could use E-Z Flame Fighter tape or equivalent if they don't care about it being ugly.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2020 00:53
|
|
|
Elviscat posted:He's trying to insulate the masonry walls of a stone garage, not the dividing wall between it and his house. Sorry, I could have quoted more clearly. The OP I was referring to regarding fire separation is L0cke17. That wall is a separation wall, see below. L0cke17 posted:So I need to replace a pretty big stretch of drywall that was ripped out right before roni in my garage when they did a wiring repair/piping repairs. I want to just pay someone to come do it, but I don't know what's reasonable or not. It's about 1.5 sheets worth of repairs drywall total and I've gotten quotes as low as $650 and as high as $1800 and they all tell me they'll do the same thing: patch, float, tape, and paint-match for that price. I actually had forgotten exactly what tetrapyloctomy's project was, thanks for the reminder. I looked back at the pictures - if the contractor is constructing a flat-stud wall AFTER installing the rigid foam the choice makes more sense. I've had basements done that way when we want to keep the carpenters busy, it's only when you start ripping 14.5 inch slices to insert between each stud that labor costs start running away.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2020 02:48
|
|
|
tetrapyloctomy posted:In short, I don't know. I briefly asked about closed cell foam because there is one uninsulated four foot section of wall already in place (I put some in just to have places to hang barbells and cable attachments), and I wasn't sure if something like closed cell foam would be needed to insulate that portion and provide a moisture barrier. He handwaved it away and I never got a clear answer on the choice for the remaining fully exposed walls. Looking around I've seen it proposed as a way to allow an air gap between the insulation and the parge, but a) I don't know if that's valid or just Internet Folk Justifying Poor Choices, and b) I don't know if that's his thought process or he just doesn't like spray foam for some reason. Closed cell spray foam isn't really a moisture barrier. I mean, it works like one most of the time, but it's brittle so it can't hold up 'perfectly' like you want a moisture barrier to do. There's a lot of confusion about this in part because closed cell spray foam is often used as a 'vapor barrier', but when we are talking about 'moisture' we are really talking about 'water' which means that the small cracks that can form in the spray foam (usually where it meets another material) all of a sudden become a big deal. Your project is a tough one. If you were my client, I would tell you that this room is not a good candidate for insulating and see if we could find another solution (can we use this space as unheated storage and convert another space into a conditioned work out room?). Looking at your photos, what jumps out is all the discoloration on the parge coat - do you know why these areas are discolored? My concern is that there is something telegraphing through the parge, and if you are going to seal the wall behind insulation and drywall you really want to know that it is a stable finish before you make it impossible to inspect. The proposal to install an air gap between the new wall and the existing wall is an odd one. There are really very few places where air gaps make sense in a construction assembly, and this isn't one of them. It would only make sense if the contractor was proposing active ventilation of the gap for a particular reason (I can't think of one). If it's just going to be dead air, I'm guessing the contractor is just uncomfortable with the assembly and guessing on ways to make it safe. If you want to do this 'right', I would hire a masonry restoration company first to inspect the walls. Here is an example of one so you can see what keywords to look for: https://bbmsnry.com/. This leads you down the road towards an expensive project with a good outcome. I'm not sure there is a DIY or low-cost option that has a (predictable) good outcome. You could just assume the walls are fine and moisture isn't an issue. In this case, the only issue I see with your contractor's proposal is that the studs should not be in contact with the wall - they should stand off the wall a little bit (inch, two inches maybe). With closed cell spray foam you just spray the wall and it fills in between the studs and the wall creating a thermal break. With rigid insulation you install one layer of insulation board against the wall and then frame inside of this solid layer of foam.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 6, 2020 00:12
|
|
|
tetrapyloctomy posted:Regarding moisture, it would not surprise me in the slightest if some moisture gets through from the outside -- the walls are largely above grade (maybe 12-18" is not, due to slop from back to front of the home, and a small raised bed on one side that at least appears to have some drainage installed), but they get wet AF when it rains despite the gutters installed on the sides of the patio above the garage. Masonry experts have been around already a few years back for repointing, and they said that some isolated pieces of fieldstone could be in better shape but don't need to be replaced. My framework for giving building advice is that it's expensive, so whatever I advise should last a long time. In the case of your project, perhaps that guiding principle needs to get tossed, and you should just build something that is generally reversible so you can tear it out if something starts going sideways in a couple of years. You need a moisture barrier separating the new work from the existing wall. I would normally advise a peel and stick membrane like Grace Ice and Water or something, but that can be hard to reverse. Maybe just 6mil poly sheeting is the right call. Then you need insulation, rigid foam boards probably make sense because closed cell spray foam is a beast to tear out if there is an issue. I can't tell you how much to install without knowing your climate zone, and I'm guessing you won't be able to hit code next to the garage door. In areas next to the garage door where depth is an issue, put as much foam as you can and then 1x4s can be installed on top of the insulation as a nailing surface for drywall - you can even do that everywhere if you'd like. Usually the foam gets glued to the wall, but that may not be ideal for your situation if you want to tear it out in the future. Next you need a thermal barrier, just use drywall. It needs to be taped, but if you don't care how it looks and aren't planning to paint you can use fire tape like E-Z Flame Fighter. This gets you a reasonably reversible installation that isn't a huge fire hazard. It may not or does not meet code in the following ways: 1. Insulation probably isn't deep enough in certain areas like next to the garage door 2. Some codes don't let you heat a garage above 50F (or 55F?) under any circumstances 3. I haven't covered code required electrical 4. The vapor barrier is on the wrong side of the assembly (supposed to be on the 'warm in winter' side)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 6, 2020 19:17
|
|
|
Deviant posted:Let's talk laminate vs hardwood. I want to have all the laminate redone because PO did a lovely job and used cheap materials. There are a lot of low-end laminate and engineered hardwood flooring materials out there. A 'good' one will run as much as low-cost hardwood (2" wide white oak, red oak, maple) including finishing. So if you want a 'good' laminate or engineered floor, it's less of a cost question and more of an appearance question. Like, if you want a dark colored wide board looking floor, you'll find substantially less expensive options in the engineered wood family as compared to a real wood floor, but the engineered floor will still cost more than a low-cost hardwood. The above advice does not apply to flooring installed on a concrete slab.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2020 16:59
|
|
|
Deviant posted:Then it is of no use to me! Real wood flooring over a slab requires additional prep which likely isn't in place if you currently have a non-wood floor. Here's a good starting guide, you'll see that it requires substantial additional work and therefore my previous cost comparisons aren't going to be accurate. https://www.hardwoodinfo.com/specifying-professionals/project-support/flooring-guides/installing-hardwood-floor-concrete-slab-2/ Wood is sensitive to moisture and temperature, and slabs are notorious for issues in those two areas. Wood also will expand and contract, which then raises questions regarding how you attach it to concrete while still allowing movement. You can just glue it to the slab and hope for the best, but you may be unpleasantly surprised. For laminate and engineered wood flooring the manufacturer of the specific flooring should publish a guide on installation over concrete slabs, as opposed to wood floors where the advice is more general to the industry.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2020 18:37
|
|
|
eddiewalker posted:“LVP” vinyl plank is a nice option for going over concrete. It feels like laminate but doesn’t care about moisture. Certain LVP products react very poorly to sunlight. Damage to the finish as well as warping. There is no perfect guide to what LVP products perform well and which ones do not. I avoid the entire category as a result. My advice on LVP is that you should use a reputable installer who runs their own showroom and you should specifically ask them about LVP and sun damage. They should be able to point you towards a safer product, but even then read the manufacturers spec and make sure you are comfortable with the terms. It is nearly impossible to get a manufacturer warranty honored, they are all pro-rated, exclude labor, and some straight-up do not warranty areas installed in the sun or where elevated temperatures may occur.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2020 19:44
|
|
|
Network42 posted:I know the answer to this question is very dependant on lots of variables, but I'm just looking for ballparks here. Just guessing here - removing the existing tub will require impact to the tub, shower trim/rough valve, drain location, wall tile, floor tile, drywall (because the new layout probably isn't the same as the old layout), and then you'll end up painting the room because feathering in the drywall repair paint won't look quite right. That's a minimum - going to a shower might require even more drain modification depending on local codes (showers typically require larger drain than tubs), and then maybe now you need a tile shower floor, and lets put in a glass shower surround while we're here. Well, and now the new shower doesn't have good light, so lets install a new fixture inside the enclosure. With all this impact, there are just too many subcontractors who have to make too many trips to do this in $15k. The cheapest tub swap I've done was $10k and that was for an existing client who required no design, let us approve all the selections (ie - no drawings or design meetings, and we got to select stuff within their budget), and we were replacing a tub with a new tub that was exactly the same size with the same 4x4 tile surround, in a niche so there was zero impact outside of the footprint of the bathtub. We didn't even change the shower curtain rod. Post a picture and you might get some advice on how to limit scope, but it's not easy to do unless the project is very, very simple. Right now, with contractor's all pretty busy, if you don't have an existing relationship getting a deal will be unlikely, no matter if you go directly to a general contractor or work through a bathroom design shop.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2020 02:26
|
|
|
Network42 posted:This is the tub in question: What you're looking for is basically 100% new work. Since nothing can be saved or re-used including the rough plumbing, it's not going to be inexpensive. There are added complications like the floor tile - do you have extra kicking around? If not, you either need to patch it in with a tile that won't match, or redo the entire floor. If you want to go DIY or partial-DIY, the first step is to figure out exactly what you are doing. Draw a sketch of what you want, pick all the materials out (tile, plumbing fixtures, etc.), write down a step by step description of what work needs to be done (this will involve a lot of research if you haven't done it before - you should know exactly what tools are needed for each step), and then decide what part of that work list you want to perform, and what parts you are going to subcontract. If you partial DIY it, remember that everything is always going to be your fault. You are the general contractor in this scenario. If the plumber shows up and something isn't ready or doesn't quite fit, it's your fault. If the drywaller shows up and the rough plumbing hasn't been inspected yet, it's your fault. You are in charge, you are organizing the work, so you want to be very clear the order of operations involved. If you need help with this, take a shot at figuring it out and then post it here. mcgreenvegtables posted:Not trolling at all here, but could you explain how that adds up to $10k? I get that it is expensive to get a bunch of subs in the door, but just thinking about what is involved this seems like <$2k in materials and a few days of labor. I ask because I am planning a larger remodel (~650sqft of master bedroom + absurdly oversized bathroom). I am not delusional about what it is going to cost to get a reputable GC to do the project, but if the reason it's so expensive is more about inefficiencies in how the construction industry works than fair costs for materials and skilled labor I am all the more willing to think about taking my time and doing it my self. I'm not clear what you mean by "inefficiencies in how the construction industry works" or "fair costs for materials and skilled labor." If you mean, people living in single family homes results in a lot of travel time for subcontractors, then yes, that is an inefficiency. I'm guessing that's not what you mean, and there seem to be significant assumptions baked into your mindset that will make it difficult to explain to your comfort why residential construction work with good outcomes costs what it does. Usually when someone starts talking about "fair costs" it is a thinly veiled statement indicating that the speaker believes pricing is too high, and often is polite code for "I think this industry is generally a rip off." When we get a prospective client who leads off with "What is a fair cost for a bathroom remodel?" I know they will almost never become a client (I can only think of one who has) because they are too focused on cost and not the outcome and process. If they say "I have $40k for this bathroom remodel, what can i do in that price range?" or "what does the average bathroom remodel cost?" they often become clients - it's the use of the word "fair" which is always a red flag. If that's not how you meant it, please expand on your thoughts. If you want to learn how to set tile and install plumbing (and are willing to buy the associated tools), then I think that is a good way for you to proceed. People who hire out this kind of work have a different approach to how they allocate their time. On that $10k tub replacement the breakdown was roughly: 20% plumbing including fixtures, 35% tile setting and materials, 25% drywall repairs and painting, 20% demolition/disposal/management/site protection/overhead. For a master suite including full bathroom renovation, historically those have cost $65-85k in my experience, with nothing below $65k and several above $85k. I work for a full-service design build firm where we have a project manager onsite full-time for all projects over around $100k and about half-time for stuff below that. The stated cost range is for construction only, design services are additional and average around 10% of final construction costs.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2020 19:25
|
|
|
mcgreenvegtables posted:This is helpful, thanks. I am not trying to say I think the industry is a ripoff. I actually meant fair in the opposite way you thought, I wanted to make sure the people doing the work were getting paid fairly for their skillset and that I am not expecting a bathroom can be redone by a random kid making $20/hr. Ah, one of the few times someone uses "fair" in a way I agree with. Also, you didn't piss me off - I have a pretty flat communication style which can be mistaken for being negative. There is a reason why I don't manage front-end sales activities (I handle pre-construction work primarily, which is all project managers/subcontractors/designers). You're right, if the poster wants their tub replaced with a shower and just needs it done now, at the lowest (fair) cost, a solo builder or handyman is going to get it done for the least amount of money. The tricky bit will be finding one who can do all of the trades involved to an acceptable standard. There are a lot of skills involved in this project (sensitive demolition, plumbing, rough carpentry, drywall, painting, tile - at a minimum) and finding a handyman who does them all well is difficult. There is only one person I've met in my metro area who I would put on a project like that, and he's a weird polymath who runs a "construction company" who you later learn is just him. So you'd never find him searching for a handyman. Also, if I was hiring a one-stop handyman for the shower replacement, I would specify a shower/bath surround with no tile. It's going to be much more approachable for a handyman, and avoids some serious problems down the road that can result if the tile isn't done properly. The handyman can probably recommend something, but a place to start is the Sterling brand which is owned by Kohler. If you have PMs, let me know generally where you live and I can see if I have any recommendations regarding contractors in your area, or at the very least I can give you some guidance on how to start filtering. I'm also happy to review some pictures and notes if you want an idea of what parts of your project might lend themselves to DIY. A key piece of advice is that you and your contractor need to be collaborators on the project. Being clear about your budget and what parts of the project you value or don't value (for example: you may need a shower, but don't care how fancy it is. You might need a vanity with tons of storage, but don't care about having two sinks) will help your contractor save you money. You'll save more money asking your contractor where the scope can be tweaked to that end, rather than trying to hardball any negotiation.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 14, 2020 02:22
|
|
|
The Slack Lagoon posted:Hoping this is the right thread. Just asking because you recently closed - are you sure that the condo association isn't responsible for exterior repairs? Even if they aren't responsible, have you checked to see if you need their review to proceed with the work?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2020 04:37
|
|
|
The Slack Lagoon posted:It's an association of two, so shouldn't be an issue. Ah, got it. You've got one of the harder types of projects - there is a ton of different skills required (or subcontractors), but it's a really small project so not a lot of money involved, and you don't have an existing relationship with a general contractor. One avenue to take would be to figure out what window you want installed (brand) and ask the local distributor for a contractor recommendation.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2020 18:28
|
|
|
peanut posted:Mircowaves are stored on the counter
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2021 16:45
|
|
|
falz posted:My hot take of preferred Microwave location would be They make (1), I would say about 70% of the kitchens I do have one. Sharp and Wolf are the two that get spec'd the most often in the projects I work on. Number (4) just means you don't actually have a range hood. There does not exist a good range hood/microwave combo. The reason microwaves go on the countertop (or loose fit in a cabinet) is they are a replaceable consumer electronic. When they get built in, now you're talking to a general contractor in five years when you need to replace it because they stopped making the model you originally installed and the cabinet needs to be modified or replaced. No one buys built-in toasters. It's a good idea to avoid built-in appliances unless they don't make sense otherwise (range hoods - they need ventilation so they'll be in a fixed location no matter what), the install style is standardized across manufacturers (dishwashers, mostly), or you know the component can be repaired or replaced easily within the lifetime of your kitchen (like subzero). Half the laundry rooms I work on are triggered by new appliances not fitting into a appliance-sized hole carefully crafted in the 1980s. This winter, we are modifying a laundry room built in 2009 because the new appliances don't fit. EDIT: If you don't have room for a countertop microwave I totally get that, but just because you're forced by circumstances into a over-range microwave doesn't mean it's the right location in abstract. Compromises are always inefficient.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2021 20:01
|
|
|
BigPaddy posted:Starting to look at home builders and being a semi sensible adult decided to research the ones in the area I am looking to build in. It very much left me with a feeling that they all suck (page after page of BBB complaints about how the house was poorly built and no support), of course this is the Internet and no one will every leave a positive review unless they are coerced or paid to. Is this one of those have a lawyer and document everything just in case things? It won't be likely that I will be able to come inspect the work while it is being done as it would be a cross country move which would make the whole thing a bit harder. There are existing homes in the same area available but I was looking at new construction as there are certain things that the wife and I need in place to help with her condition and my expectation is having a new house with those taken into account in the design will be easier than retro fitting an existing house. A lawyer can help you with the transaction, but if you're already considering how you are likely to sue the person building your house, you should probably rethink your strategy. If you want to build remotely and are concerned about the quality and professionalism of the general contractor, you should hire what is known as an "owners representative". They should be local, and will do the inspections, etc. for you. Here is an example of an owners rep - this particular group goes beyond that and also can consult during design development. They need to be local though, so unless you're moving to Vermont they can't help you. https://www.buildhelm.com/ Broadly, there are three types of new home builders: big developers (veridian, etc.), small developers (usually a general contractor who has graduated to their own subdivisions), and custom builders. The big builders are probably not a good fit if you want specialized customization to support your wife - their customizations are usually "add a bay window" or "crown molding". They are also probably what you are looking at reviews for. A small developer building a single subdivision will likely be your best bet, as it will avoid needing to be involved with land acquisition and permitting. A custom builder (or design-build firm) is a good choice as well, but hard to make work if you don't live in the area or already have land/a tear down since they aren't really set up to help with that part of the process. A design-build firm can point you towards a realtor, but unlike the small developer they don't just have lots sitting around to sell you. I work in design-build. You're feeling the first few inches of the elephant tail here. If you are seeing BBB complaints, you're already looking at the wrong contractors and your experience is not going to improve until you start over.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2021 15:49
|
|
|
Motronic posted:The only way you get around this is having 20-ish percent of the total cost of your build in cash. And that's after you've already bought the land and are servicing that note. You're also probably paying another mortgage or rent while this is all happening. This is my only experience. I don't do a ton of financed builds, maybe one a year, and we always require 20% minimum down from the client and then the client provides proof of that payment to the bank to meet the bank loan's equity requirement. That downpayment then funds all work between disbursements. I wouldn't even take a job where I had to be out 20% of a project's value between disbursements. Risk is too high. I'm sure there are loans out there that put the risk on the builder, and I'm sure there are builders who take on that risk, and I'm sure that there are projects that just stall out between disbursements. I'm just saying that builders with any other source of work will ignore those projects, which makes you wonder about the builders who take them.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2021 17:50
|
|
|
BigPaddy posted:Thanks Tezer and Motronic. You pretty much hit on the things going on in my mind. A lot of expense and hassle and no guarantee that the outcome will be any better than buying an existing home. Won't go into details about my wife's condition but ramps and sit in tubs are needed. There are some credits for these things so I will see how it goes. Thanks again. If you are looking at pre-designed sub-divisions you might get lucky and find one that is designed around "aging in place" which covers a lot of accessibility ground. However, they're rare and there's no guarantee that they didn't just slap a full bathroom on the first floor and widen some doorways to 36 inches and called it good - so you'll really need to be aware of the exact accommodation details needed. If you look at existing homes, looks for ranch style homes (guaranteeing that single floor living is possible even before renovations), or look for homes where you can add an accessible addition reasonably easily. Some of the key factors for additions are lot size and set backs (can you build an addition), existing building massing and roof style (you want your addition to snap on to one side of the home with minimal disruption - if you need to reframe the whole roof because it's a cape style home you're in trouble), and accessing the addition once you're done since it will probably be where you spend most of your time. Tear downs are also an option if you're in a distressed area, but that will make financing difficult. Keep in mind that removing a home safety from a lot could run you $30-50k depending on any existing conditions that need to be mitigated during the removal process. Some people try to save the foundation, this doesn't work out very often. Blowjob Overtime posted:Is there a good resource you point people to explaining everything to expect through the process of a custom build? This and Motronic's bit have been great to read as we're planning to do a custom build in a few years after we finish renovating and sell the house we're in now. The conundrum is that custom building is such a local concern. You need to meet the right people, understand the local permitting process, and understand your local bank's financing requirements. To get a bit of the 'vibe' and an understanding of the process you can try reading "House" by Tracy Kidder that covers the process of building a specific home (like, you can't generalize a lot of it's contents). There is also "Last Harvest" by Witold Rybczynski that covers the development of a sub division.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2021 18:22
|
|
|
Blowjob Overtime posted:I'll pick it up for sure. Is something that uses a lot of figures and images, or am I good just picking it up on Kindle? Could see something about construction using a fair amount of visual aides, but maybe not if it's narrative. I just flipped through it - maybe 25 diagrams and they're almost all details (not page spanning plans or anything). It's a buck plus shipping on Alibris. It will probably be fine on kindle. https://www.alibris.com/House-Tracy-Kidder/book/2998594
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2021 21:51
|
|
|
Steve French posted:Are there particular recommendations for options to start researching? Pitfalls to avoid? The construction loan detail was very helpful. You live in your house, your builder will live near your house, so try and find a lender who works in your area. Just call around and ask if they do residential construction loans for additions and see what they say. Construction is expensive and it's a process - you'll have people onsite for months, so it's a good idea to have someone local to call if something goes sideways in month two. The last thing you want is some unaccountable generic email address that you're frantically emailing trying to get a loan disbursed. That Renofi site is all about promises about getting the most money and paying the least, but what really matters is "will I be left with a hole in my house when everyone stops answering the phone".
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2021 21:55
|
|
|
Steve French posted:Makes quite a bit of sense, thanks for the insight. In your experience, are the aforementioned concerns re: construction loans still applicable and a big obstacle if I did have enough cash on hand to make sure that the builders are getting paid, with the inspection requirements and all of that? Or is it primarily a big stumbling block when that money is absolutely needed at every step of the way? I'm not sure I wholly understand the question, so if I don't seem to answer it to your satisfaction try rephrasing. The only construction loans on projects I've built (maybe eight where I built stuff for clients, plus one loan I pulled myself) involved pre-payment. So there wasn't much of an issue - I had 20% of the clients money, I did about 20% of the work, then I got another 20%, then I did another 20% of the work, etc. These were also all local banks, so I knew they couldn't just disappear, so if I did 24% of the work before I got a disbursement I didn't worry about it. I was never exposed to much of the project in terms of risk through this method. Weirdly, the one construction loan I took out personally did not have an inspection requirement. I had an existing banking relationship, it was only $120k, and the lender already held the mortgage on the property as part of their commercial loan portfolio. On the others, the banks farmed out the inspections to a local inspection subcontractor. In every case they has a particular set of forms they wanted filled out, but were efficient and never strung me along. Scheduling an inspection never took more than a week, so it really didn't move the needle on disbursement timing. The only one that took a bit of teeth pulling was a small, no-name bank running construction loans for a much bigger territory than they should. They were hard to contact, although their inspector was great. So you want a respectable bank with experience making these loans, an inspector that has a good reputation (they can probably tell you who they use), and a transaction that does not require the builder to finance the build between disbursements (most builders wont even agree to this). What you'll note from that list is that I'm talking about making sure you are working with professionals - the only 'concrete' non-relationship advice is to make sure your builder isn't put in a position to take risk on your project, because that will lead to them walking off if disbursements aren't on time. Once you have 20% of the project as a down payment any extra funds available are essentially for emergencies (the inspector gets hit by a bus and you need to pay the window invoice before a manufacturer's price increase) or funding project components that the bank won't fund or which developed after your bank loan was approved.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2021 22:36
|
|
|
Steve French posted:Sure; the additional detail you shared was helpful. But what I was wondering about was mostly in response to Motronic's earlier post: If you have the 20% and the bank allows that 20% to be pre-paid to the builder, that avoids the majority of the project schedule/payment schedule mismatch issue. Something could still come up, building is complicated and I'm not your builder, but if those two conditions are met I've never had to pause a project (and I've never taken a project with less than 20% pre-payment). There was an issue at the beginning of COVID where occupied buildings couldn't get inspected which paused a lot of renovation projects, but new construction was always exempt and we are back to normal inspection schedules. I've never turned down a project that has a financing component, but it does result in higher administration fees just because there is a lot more paperwork. I'm guessing there are some builders who just don't want to bother with that stuff, that's their call. I wouldn't say good builders only accept cash, I also wouldn't say that only bad builders accept loans. Some builders just really don't do paperwork well is probably the heart of the issue. Regarding time to completion, definitely talk with builders about anticipated timelines and ask their references how well they stuck to timelines and communicated changes in timeline. I'm booking in 2022 right now, for example. Motronic posted:This is partially dependent on jurisdiction, partially dependent on your contractor and what experience they have in that jurisdiction (i.e. their reputation with the AHJs) and.....the big one......everything about the supply chain is hosed now. Even when not EVERYTHING is hosed, building an entire house is a major project with a lot of pieces and moving parts. The more of those parts that aren't common/need to be special ordered the more likely it is for things to go wrong. The supply chain stuff is workable, but frustrating. Everything is messed up in different ways: Emtek hardware is often a couple weeks delayed due to staffing issues in fufillment, but they have stock Schlage and Baldwin have stock and fufillment sorted, but any non-stock items from their catalog are months delayed Cabinetry suppliers are running a couple weeks delayed, not a big deal for a house but messes with bathroom and kitchen timelines badly Composite decking is a question mark, they will accept orders and then sometimes not ship PT and Cedar are sometimes low/no stock, and pricing has gone waaaay up Appliances can't be guaranteed until they hit the local warehouse, even though they won't be marked out of stock. Wolf and SubZero are exceptions (another example of money solving everything) The lighting fixture market has always been weird, hasn't gotten weirder 95% of plumbing we purchase is Kohler, don't know about other brands. Kohler has been fine. I'm guessing it's much worse in places without regional forestry industries. Tezer fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Jan 21, 2021 |
|
#
¿
Jan 21, 2021 18:42
|
|
|
unlimited shrimp posted:I'm looking at a 1923 balloon framed foursquare, wood siding. I believe the walls for insulated in a recent-ish reno and I've read that simply insulating a balloon framed house as though it was a modern house can create all sorts of problems with moisture (or at least introduce modern moisture concerns into a house that didn't previously have them). Problems can occur but are rare and are usually due to bad decisions made during the remodel and not the age of the house, it doesn't really have anything to do with balloon framing, and an HRV/ERV (I assume that's what you mean by 'air exchanger') won't help or, at least, isn't required as part of any corrective action I can think of. If you have more details on what work was actually completed, and/or specific concerns, more specific feedback may be available.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2021 19:09
|
|
|
unlimited shrimp posted:What I was told was that they added fiberglass and roxul to the 4" bays, added a vapor barrier on top of that, and then shimmed out the studs so that there was a gap between the vapor barrier and drywall. A 1923 uninsulated house is a fault tolerant house. It's survived almost 100 years. When it comes to moisture management, it likely made it because any water that gets in (bad roof, bad siding, bad flashing, humid interior conditions, etc.) could dry out because the house was drafty and there was no material in the walls to act like a sponge. When you start adding insulation, vapor barriers, caulking - now the house starts to loose this drying potential. This is a good trade-off because we are more concerned about heating/cooling efficiency and comfort these days. A problem emerges when an old home has existing moisture issues (or new ones are introduced during the remodel) and the ability to dry is restricted. If it was a good renovation they would have addressed both (eliminating moisture issues and restricting the ability to dry). If it's a bad renovation they only restricted the ability to dry. It's hard to tell after the fact. The biggest issue you'll run into is uncontrolled bulk water penetration through siding, trim, and flashing. This doesn't mean that they should have replaced the siding or anything, it's just that bulk water can cause a ton of moisture damage in a short amount of time, is exacerbated by insulation absorbing and holding it against the framing, and is very difficult to identify early because it's hidden behind the siding on one side and the interior finish on the other.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2021 20:14
|
|
|
unlimited shrimp posted:Is there anything I can do to monitor for bulk water short of spending a pile of cash on a good infrared camera? Even that won't really help. Like, imagine every morning you measure out a 1/4 cup of water and carefully pour it into a funnel that dumps it into your wall cavity. That's not a lot of water, certainly not enough to show up on a thermal camera, but it's more than enough to wreck part of the wall over the course of a couple of years. You can get moisture sensors, but they tell you a lot about the micro (what is going on within 12 inches of the sensor) and nothing about the macro (what is happening in the rest of the wall), so acute issues like bulk water may never show up on a moisture sensor. I had a house where we took off this beautiful clapboard siding, like 70+ years old, looked great. Under one replacement window though, maybe done ten years earlier, they had hosed up a bit of the flashing and about 25 square feet of solid board sheathing was just trashed. Couldn't see it at all from the exterior. Have the exterior inspected, let the inspector know you are very interested in whether any of the siding or flashing doesn't look right even if it seems minor. Make sure the roof overhangs the walls, this will knock most of the moisture away from the siding and greatly reduce any possibility of problems. Don't let me frighten you though, it's just as easy if not easier to mess up a new house in the same ways. It's just with an old house you might be taking a really old mistake and turning it into a very new problem.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2021 21:31
|
|
|
VERTiG0 posted:Apologies if this isn't clear, the whole situation has me stressed out. Post pictures. If you didn't budget to redo the stairs, the affordable option is going to be reinstalling carpet on the stairs.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 26, 2021 01:54
|
|
|
DrBouvenstein posted:Oh man, well I did some research and it turns out the town's water main runs only 1/2" below Jenkl's basement...and on top of that, the grading with the surrounding basement would be messed up. There is a house on Peaks Island near Portland, Maine that was used by the island water utility as an office and central pumping location. It was decommissioned and went up for sale, I don't think the main was under the house at that point (it was in the side yard I think), but the basement still had all the valving and distro piping in it.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 27, 2021 17:50
|
|
|
Motronic posted:Uh.....that's so poorly installed I'd be afraid of what else is wrong. Is there a right cap for this application? I assume that any vent cap requires installing flashing/block where it penetrates the siding, except for perhaps stucco, composite panel siding, and... brick? Like, any siding with a significant texture should get a block cut in. I'm not surprised they didn't cut a block in though, I doubt the installers are trained to do that and it adds a layer of complexity.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 29, 2021 20:30
|
|
|
falz posted:What's your backup plan when the inspector inevitably says nah and then you have to replace it The inspector can say that, but is unlikely to. The only reason an inspector has to challenge an engineer's opinion is if they can find a calculation error. Building codes are largely prescriptive - they tell you what to do and how to do it and with what materials. You can build an entire building without an engineer, just by following the rules. However, there are sections of the code that have prescriptive as well as performance compliance paths. These areas can be satisfied by following the rules of the code (prescriptive) but they can also be satisfied by calculating that the proposed building method meets or exceeds (depending on how the section is written) the results met by following the rules (performance). An area of the code that is inflexible and has limited performance compliance options? Egress. An area of the code that is flexible and has extensive performance compliance options? Structural Engineering. So in this case, where we have two intersecting code requirements, the 'building stands up' requirement will be met by performance-based compliance and the 'exit paths must meet certain dimensions' requirement will be met by prescriptive-based compliance.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2021 00:58
|
|
|
Hed posted:I don’t know how engineering licensure works up there but down in the states (my states, at least) the AHJ better have a good freaking (documented) reason to try to override my stamp. Ya, I've never seen a stamped drawing not accepted - I figure it must be possible for them to get rejected, but I've never seen it. I did some remedial work on a house where the original owner/builder (an architect) had specifically passed the energy code requirement using the performance criteria. He put better than code insulation in the entire building, which mean that when he didn't insulate one section at all (literally just stacked concrete block walls without finishing on either side) it still passed the performance review. What was in this uninsulated section? Two bathrooms. In Wisconsin. The inspector accepted the performance calculation, the architect built it, and then sold it to the person who hired us to fix it. Oh, it also just had agricultural translucent corrugated plastic 4x8 panels for a roof, open to the interior to 'let light in'. Because there were no windows. The house was fine otherwise, just a huge misstep on the bathrooms.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2021 16:07
|
|
|
Jenkl posted:I... uh... wow. I have no words for this one. Did they have malaria? Is this the result of a very high fever? The rest of the house was designed to resemble a traditional midwestern farmhouse, and the wing with the bathrooms was designed to resemble traditional agricultural outbuildings (you know, barns and storage buildings). The result was a building that had 'deep agricultural character'. It's an idea that might get a good grade in a studio presentation, but should have never made it into the real world. When an architect builds their own house though, there really isn't a feedback mechanism available to squash bad ideas before they become reality. There were also some older plan drafts I found that had more reasonable concepts for the bathroom roof, so I think it was a bit of 'running out of money' as well.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2021 18:14
|
|
|
Applebees Appetizer posted:I'm having my kitchen remodeled and saved most of my old cabinets to use in the laundry room. Very creative, but I agree with Motronic. If you have a space conflict and you are faced with either modifying a cabinet or an appliance that spins, heats, and generates flammable lint.... modify the cabinet not the appliance.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2021 21:55
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:Anybody have closed cell spray foam put in their house? Can you tell me what it cost you? I realize I probably can't get an apples to apples comparison (unless you have a root cellar and have also had the ceiling and walls spray foamed), and prices will vary by region yadda yadda I just want a ballpark idea before I start calling for quotes. Are you in the USA? Use $1 per board foot to budget for the install itself. Removing existing insulation, etc. will cost more - so basically the $1/board foot is a good 'floor' on your budget. This assumes you are contracting directly with the insulator. A board foot is 1x1 foot, one inch thick. So just take the wall area square footage and multiply by the number of inches deep the insulation will be. Don't subtract studs or anything, this is a rough budget you're putting together so a square foot is a square foot.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 9, 2021 20:15
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:Ah ok that's actually way more reasonable than I was expecting. Trying to figure out how to deal with the cold room/root cellar in my basement which is just frigid right now with moisture accumulating on the ceiling, and spray foaming the exterior walls and ceiling and then making it a part of the "conditioned" part of the unfinished basement seems like the least terrible way to deal with things vs everything I would need to do to make it a properly ventilated root cellar. The room itself is probably not more than 10' x 6'. With really small spaces (like a single room) you'll also get hit with a trip charge. $1/board foot is for 'we are doing most of a house' or 'an entire attic' at the least. If you are in the United States you'll run into issues with the finished condition. If it is a space you use (ie - not just access to maintain utility systems) you will likely be required to install an thermal barrier between the spray foam and the interior space ( 1/2 inch drywall, or another material approved by your code enforcement officer). https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/insulation/making-sense-of-spray-foam-and-ignition-barriers_o That's where this project cost is going to start ballooning. Now you need to frame (to hold the drywall), insulate, and drywall the space - but the only cost we've talked about is that insulating part in the middle. The other two are going to have their own costs and the project may start sounding unreasonable, especially if you contract with a GC who is going to add their own overhead to the cost of the insulating subcontractor.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 9, 2021 20:58
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 7, 2024 20:36 |
|
|
Jenkl posted:I had a similar space spray foamed. It was an additional 700 CAD or so, but they were already doing another 2-3k of work on site. The spray-able/paint-able barriers are all ignition barriers, not thermal barriers. So they only meet code in specific circumstances (attics that are accessed only to maintain utility equipment, for example), and I don't think a basement room would qualify. I've been wrong before though.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2021 01:21
|
|