Building and Construction - Building New Home: Lots to Learn

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Building New Home: Lots to Learn

Bwana7@gmail.com

2006-03-17, 12:21 pm

Hi,

My wife and I will be building a new home in the next year or so.
Rather than just accept whatever the builder recommends for various
components, I'd like to have a lot of input. What I'm really looking
for are resources that list all the things that need to be considered
like: heating/cooling, water heaters, water filtration/softeners, air
cleaners, doors, windows, siding, etc.

I would like to have input on these decisions, but I don't even know
the full extent of what I should be looking into. Is there any source
of information that might show all of the things I should be thinking
about? I figure with a lot of these things the time to decide is well
before the house is built since it's not like a light fixture where
changing it after the fact isn't that big a deal.

Thanks in advance,
//Brian

RicodJour

2006-03-17, 12:21 pm

Bwana7@gmail.com wrote:
>
> My wife and I will be building a new home in the next year or so.
> Rather than just accept whatever the builder recommends for various
> components, I'd like to have a lot of input. What I'm really looking
> for are resources that list all the things that need to be considered
> like: heating/cooling, water heaters, water filtration/softeners, air
> cleaners, doors, windows, siding, etc.
>
> I would like to have input on these decisions, but I don't even know
> the full extent of what I should be looking into. Is there any source
> of information that might show all of the things I should be thinking
> about? I figure with a lot of these things the time to decide is well
> before the house is built since it's not like a light fixture where
> changing it after the fact isn't that big a deal.

Yep. It's called your local library. Check out two or three books,
and start reading. If your local branch doesn't have a book, an
interlibrary loan only takes about a week or two to get the book and
they'll be able to get you just about any book out there. It will take
you a lot less time and be a much more systematic way of approaching it
than bopping around on the internet.

Take notes as you read. When you have specific questions, or have
conflicting information from various sources, post a question here.

R

Bob Morrison

2006-03-17, 2:21 pm

In a previous post RicodJour wrote...
> Yep. It's called your local library. Check out two or three books,
> and start reading. If your local branch doesn't have a book, an
> interlibrary loan only takes about a week or two to get the book and
> they'll be able to get you just about any book out there. It will take
> you a lot less time and be a much more systematic way of approaching it
> than bopping around on the internet.
>

I second Rico's recommendation. I recommend you look for a book called
"Housebuilding Illustrated" by R.F Cristoforo. It's a Popular Science
book published by Book Division, Times Mirror Corp. in 1977.

This is a "How-To" book, so it may have more info than you really want,
but the drawings will help show you what's going on. There are other ways
to frame structures than what's shown in the book, but it will give you
the general idea.

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

newsman

2006-03-17, 2:21 pm

You need to put in a lot of time learning, but it will be worth it.
First, there are a lot of books on home building. Check your library
and Amazon. An excellent learning resource is a CD-ROM set of the back
issues of Journal of Light Construction; about $100 (google it).
In addition to reading, there's tons of free info on the net. See if
you can find other people in your area who have built recently and talk
to them. Be very careful about choice of builder. Check references
thoroughly.

You've got the right idea that infrastructure is most important.
Foundation, framing, roof, windows, wiring, plumbing, etc. are far more
important that dishwasher, floor coverings, trim, etc. The latter can
be expensive to replace, but at least replacing them is likely to be
within your budget down the road.

You don't say whether you are using an architect. I generally have a
low opinion of architects unless they are also a PE. They are too
concerned about the look and feel of a house and have too little
interest in and knowledge of infrastructure, materials, and building
techniques. If you've got a pretty good idea of the layout and look
that you want, a team of a draftsman plus a PE is a lot better than
using an architect.

Mike

Bwana7@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My wife and I will be building a new home in the next year or so.
> Rather than just accept whatever the builder recommends for various
> components, I'd like to have a lot of input. What I'm really looking
> for are resources that list all the things that need to be considered
> like: heating/cooling, water heaters, water filtration/softeners, air
> cleaners, doors, windows, siding, etc.
>
> I would like to have input on these decisions, but I don't even know
> the full extent of what I should be looking into. Is there any source
> of information that might show all of the things I should be thinking
> about? I figure with a lot of these things the time to decide is well
> before the house is built since it's not like a light fixture where
> changing it after the fact isn't that big a deal.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> //Brian
>

SteveF

2006-03-17, 6:21 pm

<Bwana7@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1142610159.678562.103690@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Hi,
>
> My wife and I will be building a new home in the next year or so.
> Rather than just accept whatever the builder recommends for various
> components, I'd like to have a lot of input. What I'm really looking
> for are resources that list all the things that need to be considered
> like: heating/cooling, water heaters, water filtration/softeners, air
> cleaners, doors, windows, siding, etc.
>
> I would like to have input on these decisions, but I don't even know
> the full extent of what I should be looking into. Is there any source
> of information that might show all of the things I should be thinking
> about? I figure with a lot of these things the time to decide is well
> before the house is built since it's not like a light fixture where
> changing it after the fact isn't that big a deal.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> //Brian

I strongly second the motion on the Journal of Light Construction CD. Get
it and read every article. That will keep you busy for a loooong time but
you will be very knowledgable when done. The other magazine is Fine
Homebuilding but they don't have a CD version.

Steve.

>

Matt Barrow

2006-03-17, 7:21 pm

"Bob Morrison" <SpamFighter@junk.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1e8497aee9b63bc4989ab1@news.west.earthlink.net...
> In a previous post RicodJour wrote...
>
> I second Rico's recommendation. I recommend you look for a book called
> "Housebuilding Illustrated" by R.F Cristoforo. It's a Popular Science
> book published by Book Division, Times Mirror Corp. in 1977.
>
> This is a "How-To" book, so it may have more info than you really want,
> but the drawings will help show you what's going on. There are other ways
> to frame structures than what's shown in the book, but it will give you
> the general idea.
>
I'll throw in my recommendation of "How to Plan, Contract and Build Your Own
Home" by Richard M. Scutella and Dave Heberle. This is a step by step guide
that details the entire process. Perhaps more info than one needs (it's 785
pages, but it's well organized from initial planning, site selection,
contractor selection, even pet and burglar proofing. It's all organized by
chapters, so you can skip a chapter that's irrelevant for your project. Lots
of pictures, they illustrate how all the pieces fit together.

--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

Al Bundy

2006-03-18, 12:21 am

Bwana7@gmail.com wrote in news:1142610159.678562.103690
@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

> Hi,
>
> My wife and I will be building a new home in the next year or so.
> Rather than just accept whatever the builder recommends for various
> components, I'd like to have a lot of input. What I'm really looking
> for are resources that list all the things that need to be considered
> like: heating/cooling, water heaters, water filtration/softeners, air
> cleaners, doors, windows, siding, etc.
>
> I would like to have input on these decisions, but I don't even know
> the full extent of what I should be looking into. Is there any source
> of information that might show all of the things I should be thinking
> about? I figure with a lot of these things the time to decide is well
> before the house is built since it's not like a light fixture where
> changing it after the fact isn't that big a deal.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> //Brian
>

Just remember. Your house will only be worth what similar houses in the
neighborhood have sold & closed in the past 6 months when you sell. Go
too much overboard and you will not get the $ back. It will just make the
house more desirable and quicker selling.

Brian

2006-03-18, 9:21 am

Thanks to all who replied. I appreciate the book and information
titles.

Al, I don't plan on going too overboard, but I don't want just
"contractor special" and I figure since it's my house I should have
some say in what components are used.

Concrete Is Green

2006-03-18, 12:21 pm

Brian,
Check out www.nudura.com
They have a fantastic dealer network that supplies training and
supplies to build very energy efficient and healthy concrete homes.
They are based in Cananda, but have dealers in most states.

Bwana7@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My wife and I will be building a new home in the next year or so.
> Rather than just accept whatever the builder recommends for various
> components, I'd like to have a lot of input. What I'm really looking
> for are resources that list all the things that need to be considered
> like: heating/cooling, water heaters, water filtration/softeners, air
> cleaners, doors, windows, siding, etc.
>
> I would like to have input on these decisions, but I don't even know
> the full extent of what I should be looking into. Is there any source
> of information that might show all of the things I should be thinking
> about? I figure with a lot of these things the time to decide is well
> before the house is built since it's not like a light fixture where
> changing it after the fact isn't that big a deal.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> //Brian

Concrete Is Green

2006-03-18, 12:21 pm

abshomes

2006-03-18, 1:21 pm

Hi Brian,

I would recommend starting with Tom Landis' site, www.ownerbuilder.com
and www.askthebuilder.com as both are 3rd party information sites that
you can ask questions and review responses already posted. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you may have as well.

Best Regards,

Larry J Clark Allpro Building Systems www.abshomes.com

SteveF

2006-03-18, 2:21 pm

"Al Bundy" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Xns9789E81BEEAEDAlBundy@216.196.97.142...
> Bwana7@gmail.com wrote in news:1142610159.678562.103690
> @z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
>
>
>
> Just remember. Your house will only be worth what similar houses in the
> neighborhood have sold & closed in the past 6 months when you sell. Go
> too much overboard and you will not get the $ back. It will just make the
> house more desirable and quicker selling.

But there is also the issue of making sure the house is being built
correctly. I just spent $6000 to repair a basement wall because the &*^#$#
contractor didn't put rebar and grout down the cores. Would have cost
around $400 if it was done when the house was built.

Just had a new shop built and I pulled the permits and acted as the GC.
Bought galvanized nails for the framing crew to use in the sill plate and
got the old "been doing this for 30 years and never used galvanized nails in
a sill plate before". Since this is something that can't be checked by
building inspectors I'll be real curious to see what happens in 10 years in
coastal areas when low strength hurricanes starting hitting houses where the
nails holding the bottom of the studs have long since rusted away. Added a
whopping $30 to my materials bill.

Steve.

Grumman-581

2006-03-18, 6:21 pm

"Concrete Is Green" <blutey@irmca.com> wrote in message
news:1142697269.040261.149420@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
> Brian,
> Check out www.nudura.com
> They have a fantastic dealer network that supplies training and
> supplies to build very energy efficient and healthy concrete homes.
> They are based in Cananda, but have dealers in most states.

There are a few different concrete building techniques / systems out there
these days... I stumbled across a dry-stack method recently
(http://www.vobb.com) and was tempted to use it for my outdoor kitchen /
BBQ, but since they didn't have a local manufacturer, I decided to just go
with regular 8x8x16 CMUs mortared together and then filled with concrete...
I even found a study where they used normal 8x8x16 CMUs without mortar and
then fiber reinforced surface bonding cement to hold everything together...
Supposedly it was as good as mortared jointed blocks... For my BBQ area, I
had every block tied into a 6" slab with 3/8" rebar in addition to every
cell having at least one piece of rebar in it... The rebar was at least 18"
longer than the height of the wall so that I will be able to bend it to tie
it into a poured in place 2"+ concrete countertop... Next hurricane we get
through here might destroy my house, but my BBQ is going to still be here...
Gotta set your priorities, ya' know...

frippletoot@hotmail.com

2006-03-19, 12:21 pm

I also agree that Journal of Light Construction is a great resource:
http://www.jlconline.com IMO no one should build a house without
knowing how to do it correctly, first, even if they plan on hiring
others to do the work. Too many problems in new construction, and if
you don't know mistakes when you see them, they just go on building and
cover them up. Don't count on there being any legal recourse if they
mess up, either. And, please don't agree to an arbitration clause with
any contractors you hire. That right there negates your legal
recourse. Another suggestion is the book "Your New House" by Fields.
This is not about how to build a house but how to plan for building a
house so all your ducks are in a row. Financing, researching
contractors, etc. IMO a must read.

Brian

2006-03-20, 10:21 am

Larry,

Thanks. Yes, I've had askthebuilder.com bookmarked for quite some time
now. I've found it to be very informative. My one peeve about it would
be that he doesn't date his articles so it's hard to tell which article
is the most recent for those topics that have 2-3 articles.

//Brian

3D Peruna

2006-03-24, 12:21 am

newsman wrote:
> You don't say whether you are using an architect. I generally have a
> low opinion of architects unless they are also a PE. They are too
> concerned about the look and feel of a house and have too little
> interest in and knowledge of infrastructure, materials, and building
> techniques. If you've got a pretty good idea of the layout and look
> that you want, a team of a draftsman plus a PE is a lot better than
> using an architect.

Depends on the architect. I'm keenly aware of constructability issues
and work with contractors as I'm designing to work things out. It's
also a process of educating contractors about new materials and methods,
along with code requirements.

But an architect helps with much more than just the "touchy-feely"
stuff. A draftsman & PE won't know even half the questions to ask that
make the difference between an average home and something unique.

Having an architect who's NOT a PE isn't all bad (sometimes it might
even be better). Having an architect who knows when he needs a PE,
that's key.

Verizon

2006-03-29, 7:21 pm

Unless you used a pressure-treated sill,I would have to agree with your
contractor. (And different types of treated wood require different degrees
of galv fasteners).
Anyway, homes over a hundred years old have been torn down and found that
the old steel nails were doing just fine (I've never known regular nails
used to make connections sill to studs to have rusted to any degree at all.)
If they did rust out, the structures would have failed decades ago and the
codes would have required galv fasteners.

For hurricane areas, it takes more than a couple of 16d nails in withdrawl
to hold the sidwall together.

> Just had a new shop built and I pulled the permits and acted as the GC.
> Bought galvanized nails for the framing crew to use in the sill plate and
> got the old "been doing this for 30 years and never used galvanized nails
> in a sill plate before". Since this is something that can't be checked by
> building inspectors I'll be real curious to see what happens in 10 years
> in coastal areas when low strength hurricanes starting hitting houses
> where the nails holding the bottom of the studs have long since rusted
> away. Added a whopping $30 to my materials bill.
>
> Steve.
>
>
>
>
>

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