Building a house. Advice needed

awheelterd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Location
Kenly, NC
If you were building a house right now, how would you do it? My wife and I have land bought and a set of plans picked out that we are making changes to and are hoping to start construction in the spring. I've researched so much on this stuff my head is swimming. 2x4 vs 2x6, rock wool vs fiberglass vs spray foam, exterior insulation, blown, sprayed or batts in the attic? Sealed crawlspace or not? Standing seam vs regulag screwed metal roof? Jeating and cooling options. Ive always loved the idea of geothermal but dont always hear the best real world experiosnces. Just like everyone else, I'm trying to weigh practicality vs performance and cost while trying to find the best bang for my buck.

Any other home building advice would be great too!
 
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I'll let the experts chime in on the insulation. Do whatever you can to get the most R value for the least $.

I'd seal the crawl space.
Metal roof is already more than shingles, unless it's a 6,000 sq ft high $ house, I don't think standing seam is worth the added cost over typical metal roof. Nothing wrong with exposed screws if they are installed correctly.
 
awheelterd said:
how would you do it?
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I wouldn't. Building your own house is a terrible fucking idea.

That said, what exterior finishes are planned for the house? How is the house laid out? How is it sited? What's the roof plan look like? Those questions affect cost and efficiency more than most things, and certainly more than what type of insulation is in the ceiling, or what the depth of the framing is.

I'm not easily persuaded that 2x6" exterior walls are going to have a benefit that outweighs the cost, but you could do a few energy analyses to see what makes a difference.

Likewise on geothermal. I saw a study based on houses in Durham several years ago that showed SEER 15 heat pumps were more cost effective. Can you get gas where the house is planned to go?
 
From what I've read geothermal gets a bad rap for heating and no one really talks about the cooling performance.
 
rockcity said:
Nothing wrong with exposed screws if they are installed correctly.
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The washers only last 20 years. So you have a 50yo roof with a few thousand 20 year holes in it.

Also, can't count the number of times I've seen a <10 yo metal roof ripped off because somebody decided to add a garage or family room or new bedroom, etc.
 
awheelterd said:
If you were building a house right now, how would you do it? My wife and I have land bought and a set of plans picked out that we are making changes to and are hoping to start construction in the spring. I've researched so much on this stuff my head is swimming. 2x4 vs 2x6, rock wool vs fiberglass vs spray foam, exterior insulation, blown, sprayed or batts in the attic? Depends on other factors but code dictates the minimum R values for new construction. Sealed crawlspace or not? Standing seam vs regulag screwed metal roof? Heating and cooling options. I've always loved the idea of geothermal but don't always hear the best real world experiences. Just like everyone else, I'm trying to weigh practicality vs performance and cost while trying to find the best bang for my buck.

Any other home building advice would be great too!
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What everyone else has said, plus above in red.

Use a good builder and make sure the details are provided so that it's built well and doesn't leak... that's the pinnacle of performance and practicality.

Does your plan set come with structural details or a header schedule? Most I've seen do not but should.
 
shawn said:
The washers only last 20 years. So you have a 50yo roof with a few thousand 20 year holes in it.

Also, can't count the number of times I've seen a <10 yo metal roof ripped off because somebody decided to add a garage or family room or new bedroom, etc.
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So do a little maintenance and switch out the washers after 20 years.

Ripping off a fairly new metal roof is dumb. That's just poor planning.
 
rockcity said:
Ripping off a fairly new metal roof is dumb. That's just poor planning
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The average American home is renovated every 18 years. Putting a 50yr roof on that house is dumb.
 
Please, elaborate on the don't build yourself. Say based on large enough track of land with little cost....what say ya'll?



Modular?

Custom built?

1200 sq. Feet give or take and no basement.
 
awheelterd said:
My wife and I
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Building a house is the single largest test of a marriage.

That said, I'm building in the next few years myself

More in the am when I'm at my work station about the other stuff
 
I have worked on one sealed crawlspace & it was wonderful. The HVAC equipment maintained it's pristine condition, everything under there from low voltage wiring, the control boxes I was "working", romex, etc was all just great.

I think there is some mold/insulation benefit as well...but my selfish opinion is it will make long-term maintenance much more pleasant.

My wife & I plan on building down in the sticks (family farm) in the somewhat distant future...the house in my mind will be 2x6 construction, single story, basement, simple roof design w. minimal changes in plane. Simplicity w/ long term sustainability is the goal, as we plan on staying there until the bitter end (most likely me blowing myself up in some fashion in the shop or freak tannerite mishap).

Good luck!
 
shawn said:
The average American home is renovated every 18 years. Putting a 50yr roof on that house is dumb.
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Renovated to the point where the entire roof is ripped off? At most, a portion of removed due to a significant addition. In that case, metal or shingles, that doesn't mean you benefit with one or the other. And that's a huge IF the renovation is done where it involves ripping the roof off. And, how many homes do you know undergo a major renovation every 18 years? Realistically?


Most renovations are inside and are mostly updating interiors and if they do the roof it's because it's a major addition going on or they are repairing rotted roofing sheathing or joists.


In fact, most try to do renovations that utilize existing roof layout unless rot has to be repaired due to added costs. That, or if the renovation involves an addition which required modifying the roof. At that point, the homeowner typically has already realized the current size and layout of the house no longer fits their needs. That significant of a renovation is only a small portion of renovated projects.

Most would rather just sell and move than do significant construction.




To each their own I guess. If a 50yr metal roof was dumb, there wouldn't be a significant market for it.
 
Ours is almost complete. Most fun wife and I have had working together on planning and decision making. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

We went 2x6 walls for a few reasons. For 3000sf, single level, it only added 1200 bucks. One reason is slightly better insulation. Second, it is quieter (our current house we did in 2x6, all other houses in neighborhood are 2x4...neighbors that have visited in our house have commented on how quiet it is). Third, I think the deeper window sills look better....venetian blinds will sit inside the sill, not outside, and you have a little bit of a ledge to set things.

Our goal was to build a "little bit better house". Not bone stock/spec/code, but a little better than standard, but not over the top to where I'd never see a payback. I figured and calculated a lot of the cost vs. payback on many alternatives, and it just didn't make sense. Looked at geothermal, BIBS, spray foam, etc, etc, etc.

On the plans....look at all the plans online, etc...then chuck them. Get out some paper, and start sketching your own ideas. Once I got some ideas on paper, I got a cheap floorplan drafting program (fifty bucks or so), got the plans all worked up nice, then paid a local draftsman $600 to do me a set of construction prints, which I then took to various builders to get quotes. By doing this, you can get exactly what you like, and you'll have a house that is your own....and only your own. And won't look like every other cookie-cutter house in town.

We were thinking metal roof....but went with shingles. Just didn't see the value vs. the cost. Shingles will last a long time now. One thing to consider....a friend put on a metal roof a few years ago. Cell phones won't work in the house now, unless you are at a window. A repeater/extender would fix that though.
 
I am a builder. Have seen several studies on 2x4 versus 2x6. A 2x4 wall has a R-value of 13 a 2x6 has a value of R-19. They have came out with a 2x4 batten that now has a R-value of R-15. It is a very proven fact that you will never live to see the cost difference in going to a 2x6 wall. Go with a craft faced R-15 fiberglass 2x4 wall and don't look back. DO NOT let them use a none craft face and then do a poly moisture barrier. The wall will be to air tight and condensate between the vapor barrier and the outside of the wall and rote your house down. Blow the ceiling and batten the floors.
HVAC. The new heat pumps are very efficient. Go with the highest seer you can afford. If you can go with a propane or natural gas back up.
Roofing. Depends on what style of house you are building. Standing seem is quite a bit more expensive. In my opinion it is more a leak proof system. Reg metal is also ok, just make sure you go with a minimum 26guage metal.
Crawl space. Don't waste your money on a enveloped or sealed crawl. Put 6 mil Polly and the ground and turn it up the walls a few inches and be done.
Geo Thermal. Not a fan at all. Very expensive and have not seen many people happy with it.
Don't try and be your on General Contractor. It all looks real good. But I promise you it will cost you more in the end. Find you a highly recommended GC that you trust and let him do his job.
Hope that helps. If you need any more info message me and maybe I can answer some of your questions.
 
As someone who built their own home, I will say this. It will be twice as much work as you think, but the hard part is dealing with the people you have to use to do the work you aren't allowed too. People never do what they say they will when they say will do it.

I learned more building my house than in all the years I spent in school.
But those 2 years felt like they aged me by 20 years.....
 
Bunch of better experts than I in here.

One thing is add, strongly strongly consider a basement instead of crawl space.
Regardless of r values, ROI or a y other tangible value. It adds a lot of satisfaction and utility to our home
 
On selecting a builder.....

We talked to several builders before I chose one (who I have known for 35 years, and already knew he built a good house).

If a prospective contractor won't answer immediately, or return your calls promptly BEFORE you sign a contract, what do you think will happen later? An otherwise good contractor dropped off our prospect list, because, even though he wasn't "too busy at that time", we never could set up a second meeting to go over the plans.

To help narrow your list of prospects down, ask lots of questions. A google search will find you good lists of "questions to ask your contractor".

Once you are down to two or three prospective contractors, go out and look at some of their construction projects. As many as you can, especially in-process jobs, but also completed. Talk to the homeowners if you can. If the contractor doesn't want you on his sites, or won't give you names of folks he's built for recently, drop him.

Finally, read....building techniques, and building science are constantly growing and changing. I had to fight a lot of "we do it this way because we've always done it this way". Not all builders are readers and learners. On some items, I decided it was better to go with the builders way, rather than him doing a guinna pig experiment trying something new. I subbed to Fine Homebuilding and a couple of other mags for a couple of years prior to starting construction. Well worth the $$ and time to learn and study what they had to offer. And, of course, hours on the building science website, forums, etc, etc.
 
Ron said:
Bunch of better experts than I in here.

One thing is add, strongly strongly consider a basement instead of crawl space.
Regardless of r values, ROI or a y other tangible value. It adds a lot of satisfaction and utility to our home
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Unless you hit rock.

Crawlspace became the better option.
 
Mac5005 said:
Building Science Corporation

Start here.
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If you go too far down that rabbit hole, your budget will evaporate very fast. You will end up with a nice house though. The money is in good design and good detailing, both of which usually fall by the wayside to lower costs. I can't currently afford to build a house of the level of build quality that I actually want, no matter what the size.
 
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From someone that seriously considered building 12-15 months ago, the wife and I decided against it because we weren’t prepared to deal with the stress. We were looking at 2-5 acre lots within 10 minutes of our families and I already have 100 acres 30 minutes from family...so we were in a similar situation. Beyond that, advice I got here and basically every where else, take your budget, and add 50% to it...so much stuff I didn’t even have considered, driveway aprons, wells drilled, etc etc. I went as far as getting 3 different build quotes, and the numbers worked out to me being able to buy much more house than I could build for the same money. Some day, when there’s a 0% chance of moving again and I’m near(ish) retirement, I’ll probably give it a go...but building just doesn’t seem worth it, I’d just as soon find something close to what I’d do under budget and renovate as necessary.
 
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