Building a house. Advice needed

Since you already have the property your going to build. That said the cost of building has increased greatly in the last 5-10 years while the housing market has dropped. It cost more to build a house than to buy the same house already built.

If your property has houses that butt against it I would look at them and look into seeing what the chances are of them being sold


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Crawler Nut said:
I am a builder.
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.
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Haha. That is terrible advice.

There is no data that suggests a vented crawlspace is superior to a closed crawlspace.

However, There is tons of data that proves a closed crawlspace is far superior to a vented one.


You say you are a builder, but the Nc code doesn’t used the terms enveloped or sealed for crawlspace types.
 
I would build with a basement if possible, as it’s just a tall closed crawlspace.

If no basement, then definitely a closed crawlspace with a dehumidifier. There is not enough ROI of insulating the crawlspace walls. Just do whatever is cheaper to meet the code based on your sq footage. Crawlspace walls/vs floor. There isn’t a great enough temperature delta to achieve the ROI.

After looking at crawlspace temps after converting to closed, compared the temps of insulated vs non, No difference. Again no ROI on that extra cost to insulate the crawlspace walls. However if you have a short crawlspace wall with huge house sqft then it may be cheaper than insulating the floor.

Closed crawlspace with dehumidifier.

15-20% energy savings over a vented crawlspace. Not to mention the avoidance of moisture and mold related problems in the crawlspace. None of the other options will matter when floor joists are rotten in a few years with a vented space, unless you plan to keep the thermostat set above 78?

Gas heat, gas water heater, baseboard heat exchangers, good windows, insulation in the right places. If you can t get gas service, I’m not sure what the most efficient options there are. Gas heat wins. AC is Ac so no comparisons there. Supplement low load or highload times with the water heater and the baseboard heat exchangers.

Look at the building science site and definitely “go down the rabbit hole”, at least to what’s pertinent to you.

Look at where and how much insulation for your area, the same for walls, roof, etc. figure what products need to go where so you grasp the concept. Building new is the time to fix all that from the beginning.

You don’t have to go to any extremes, but getting it right from the start will pay off huge over the life of the house with your utilities.
 
If I ever build I will most likely go with modular. Seems like you can get better quality less money. And faster
 
**i didn’t read every reply as I’m short on time but I didn’t see where this was noted**

It seems obvious but slips some people’s minds. Pay close attention to the orientation of the house according to the sun. Don’t face the house at some rock or tree just cause you like it.
When I bought my house this never crossed my mind. I have a huge deck out back I built myself that is worthless during the summer months until after 7:30 cause it is in direct sun.
Me and my wife plan to buy land and build in the near future and I will plan to situate the house where both the front porch and back deck area are pleasant the maximum amount each day.
This may not matter if you have the option to utilize some trees.

Also, sealed crawl space is the only way to go if you must have a crawl. Yes you can cheap out and run poly real good, tape the seams, turn it up the wall and such. That will do, but a sealed crawl with a dehumidifier is proven to return your cost over time. And service folks and yourself won’t mind going under there.
 
Here are some calcs on 2x4 vs. 2x6 walls....

Going Beyond 2x4 Walls in a Warm Climate


And some interesting info about diminishing returns in a higher R-value... Controlling and sealing air leaks is way more important (and worthy of your money) than more insulation. That said, I still like the deeper window sills and other advantages of 2x6 walls.

The Diminishing Returns of Adding More Insulation


diminishing-returns-adding-more-insulation-1-resized-600-580x432.png
 
One more piece of practical advice.

I would never recommend building your first house on your forever dirt.

If you've previously bought a home, then you learned the lessons of "damn I hate this and I never noticed it when looking"

Well that magnified 10x when we built. Even though it was our 3rd house.
 
Mac5005 said:
Haha. That is terrible advice.

There is no data that suggests a vented crawlspace is superior to a closed crawlspace.

However, There is tons of data that proves a closed crawlspace is far superior to a vented one.


You say you are a builder, but the Nc code doesn’t used the terms enveloped or sealed for crawlspace types.
Click to expand...

Is there any where in my post did I say there was data that showed there was any proof either way about sealed crawl spaces ? NO. All I'm saying is it in not needed if you are on a budget. I'm speaking from experience for doing it over the last 20yrs and my father almost 50.
 
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Thanks for all the input everyone. I truly appreciate it.

A few points.

@shawn building was not my first choice. We've been looking for 5yrs and nothing we wanted has come up in the area we want to live. We live in norther johnston county and unless you want a double wide or a 70's ,1500 sqft ranch, 50ft off the road on 1/2 acre theres not much to choose from. We wanted acreage and found that last year. We got 26 acres on a road off the main road. 15 on the side of the road we want to build on and 10 across the street, nc dot occupies the other acre, yay! I have a pretty small area I "need" to libe in. I didn't want to be more than 5 mins away from our business bc we have shifts working at night and I have to go in if anyone has a problem. Yay family business!

I plan to sub at least part of it out myself. We just finished building a new plant at work and I really liked working with several of the subs and know a few others personally that I want to work with. The "builder" who will oversee it all is a guy Ive gone to church with for most of my life that builds a lot of really nice custom homes. He'll take care of everything that I l don't have a guy for. He was the one who suggested we do it this way to save me money. Also I'm anal as all get out and will be out there at least once a day, regardless of who's GC.

@Ron and @rockcity yup, eastern nc, high water table. Not fing with a basement. It's too flat and close to water to deal with that bs.

@Mac5005 I've been reading that website and it's part of what has my head spinning right now with what to do :lol: do you do sealed crawlspaces? I'm only 45 mins from rocky mt...

@kaiser715 thanks for the info/advice. I'm leaning towards 2x4. We'll be 200yds off the road with no neighbors in sight so the sound deadenin isn't too necessary. I guess price will really dictate that one.

Everyone who said it's going to be tough on our marriage... don't think I don't already know. Picking out and agreeing on house plans is tough enough. I'm sure the rest will be a joy. But like I said above, there aren't any other real options around here.
 
awheelterd said:
Thanks for all the input everyone. I truly appreciate it.

A few points.

@shawn building was not my first choice. We've been looking for 5yrs and nothing we wanted has come up in the area we want to live. We live in norther johnston county and unless you want a double wide or a 70's ,1500 sqft ranch, 50ft off the road on 1/2 acre theres not much to choose from. We wanted acreage and found that last year. We got 26 acres on a road off the main road. 15 on the side of the road we want to build on and 10 across the street, nc dot occupies the other acre, yay! I have a pretty small area I "need" to libe in. I didn't want to be more than 5 mins away from our business bc we have shifts working at night and I have to go in if anyone has a problem. Yay family business!

I plan to sub at least part of it out myself. We just finished building a new plant at work and I really liked working with several of the subs and know a few others personally that I want to work with. The "builder" who will oversee it all is a guy Ive gone to church with for most of my life that builds a lot of really nice custom homes. He'll take care of everything that I l don't have a guy for. He was the one who suggested we do it this way to save me money. Also I'm anal as all get out and will be out there at least once a day, regardless of who's GC.

@Ron and @rockcity yup, eastern nc, high water table. Not fing with a basement. It's too flat and close to water to deal with that bs.

@Mac5005 I've been reading that website and it's part of what has my head spinning right now with what to do :lol: do you do sealed crawlspaces? I'm only 45 mins from rocky mt...

@kaiser715 thanks for the info/advice. I'm leaning towards 2x4. We'll be 200yds off the road with no neighbors in sight so the sound deadenin isn't too necessary. I guess price will really dictate that one.

Everyone who said it's going to be tough on our marriage... don't think I don't already know. Picking out and agreeing on house plans is tough enough. I'm sure the rest will be a joy. But like I said above, there aren't any other real options around here.
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there's fix'n to be 5000+ homes built within 5 miles of you in the next several years, some body has gotta be building something you might like for a while ( bowing to the buy something first then decide what you do/don't like idea) So many homes the intersection and highway are gonna be widened and modernized soon all the way up thru Archer Lodge and at least halfway to you from Percy Flowers, should be 2-3 schools built in the near future as well

So much for living in the sticks !
 
awheelterd said:
We'll be 200yds off the road with no neighbors in sight so the sound deadenin isn't too necessary. I guess price will really dictate that one.
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You never know when you'll need to chain somebody up in the basement.
 
Yes we do closed crawlspaces.

Closer crawlspaces do generate a ROI over the life of the Home. That’s based on energy savings. Once you add to the cost of repairing and replacing floor joists less than 10yrs after the build, it becomes a no brainer to build closed.

Feel free to pm me any questions. I’ll be glad to help any way we can.
 
Crawler Nut said:
Is there any where in my post did I say there was data that showed there was any proof either way about sealed crawl spaces ? NO. All I'm saying is it in not needed if you are on a budget. I'm speaking from experience for doing it over the last 20yrs and my father almost 50.
Click to expand...

No, I was just pointing out it’s a terrible idea only led by tradional building practices established prior to central air conditioning in our humid climate.

The cost is offset by energy savings and doesn’t even compare to the cost of replacing the floor system in less than 10 years.
 
Blkvoodoo said:
there's fix'n to be 5000+ homes built within 5 miles of you in the next several years, some body has gotta be building something you might like for a while ( bowing to the buy something first then decide what you do/don't like idea) So many homes the intersection and highway are gonna be widened and modernized soon all the way up thru Archer Lodge and at least halfway to you from Percy Flowers, should be 2-3 schools built in the near future as well

So much for living in the sticks !
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Ughh. Don't remind me. Doesn't it suck? That's why we went ahead and bought 26acres. I figure no one else can put a house there if I own it. The longterm plan is to buy the farm beside ours if and when the owner ever wants to sell.
 
Mac5005 said:
Yes we do closed crawlspaces.

Closer crawlspaces do generate a ROI over the life of the Home. That’s based on energy savings. Once you add to the cost of repairing and replacing floor joists less than 10yrs after the build, it becomes a no brainer to build closed.

Feel free to pm me any questions. I’ll be glad to help any way we can.
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That's good to know. If I were to go that route, what is the process? Would this be a process I could do (have done) a year or two after the fact with no trouble or are there steps that need to be taken during initial construction to make finishing it at a later date less cost prohibitive? Do you just pump unregulated conditioned air down there or do you run a dehumidifier on a humidistat?
 
awheelterd said:
That's good to know. If I were to go that route, what is the process? Would this be a process I could do (have done) a year or two after the fact with no trouble or are there steps that need to be taken during initial construction to make finishing it at a later date less cost prohibitive? Do you just pump unregulated conditioned air down there or do you run a dehumidifier on a humidistat?
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There's a few ways to do it, a dehu is a common way. Sort of depends on where the insulation is located (crawlspace walls or under floor), which dictates whether the crawlspace is considered conditioned space or not.
There is nothing to say that it can't be done after construction (we did it 25 years after our house was built) but it's super easy before the floor system is built over it (especially with a low height crawlspace) and then there will be no need to add crawlspace vents just for temporary use. Also easy to level the crawlspace and add gravel for a surface drainage plane if wanted during the build. Add a sump, French drains, etc., if necessary during that process.
Also, you won't need to worry about any mold/mildew or moisture in your brand new floor insulation if it's kept dry from the beginning.

There are some minor logistics to deal with related to when it is done versus when the house will be at dry-in, because it's basically installing a swimming pool liner in the crawlspace. The waste/drain plumbing will need to be done first, water input, natural gas, etc., anything that comes in/out/under of the crawlspace wall and will get filled over with dirt. All the other plumbing, electrical, HVAC can be done before or after that. Those trades will love working in a clean crawlspace though.

I talked to a lot of people and did a lot of research before we did ours after we bought the house.
 
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Futbalfantic said:
If I ever build I will most likely go with modular. Seems like you can get better quality less money. And faster
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But long-term resale value isn't there. Lot's of folks won't even look at a not-new modular when house-shopping.
 
kaiser715 said:
But long-term resale value isn't there. Lot's of folks won't even look at a not-new modular when house-shopping.
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Not to derail ...But frame off frame on becomes a real conversation.

I've got a buddy with a 700k modular lake front on norman....I was totally opposed until I saw his. 2 stories and a basement. 45 days from contract to move in and a 20 year warranty that covers all the way down to drywall cracks.
 
Not much to add here, it's nearly all been covered. Now, you try to sort it out!:popcorn:I will say my brick house, is built into a hill, with a full drive-in basement. Rear of house is exposed. My floor is Not insulated, & that's fine with me. I don't seem to have cold floors, or wasted heat. Heat rises, right? OK, so 5-10 gets drawn down [maybe]. Basement stays around 60 F in winter, & 75-80 F/summer, based on how much I leave the 7x9' door open. And I can see / inspect /& work on any plumbing, or wiring problems that may occur.
I haven't done any cost analyze on 6" walls, but pretty sure it would be a Stronger house. And I'd want the framing strapped down for tornado code. Not that much cost for piece of mind!
As for owning the land & possibly buying more, cost must not be a problem. No experience here, but always heard it is Hard to get a Construction loan, if it based on some property. But that's Your business. Good Luck on what ever you decide!
 
Ron said:
Not to derail ...But frame off frame on becomes a real conversation.

I've got a buddy with a 700k modular lake front on norman....I was totally opposed until I saw his. 2 stories and a basement. 45 days from contract to move in and a 20 year warranty that covers all the way down to drywall cracks.
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What company did he use?
 
rodney eppes said:
Not much to add here, it's nearly all been covered. Now, you try to sort it out!:popcorn:I will say my brick house, is built into a hill, with a full drive-in basement. Rear of house is exposed. My floor is Not insulated, & that's fine with me.

As for owning the land & possibly buying more, cost must not be a problem. No experience here, but always heard it is Hard to get a Construction loan, if it based on some property. But that's Your business. Good Luck on what ever you decide!
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I'd love to have a basement. The problem for us flatlands like rob and I said before is our relatively high water table. On my 26 acres the lowest point is in a creek and the highest point is in the middle of the field and they are only 5ft elevation difference. There are re only a few people that in know of in this area with basements and they all have moisture problems.

We'll see what the bank man says, maybe he'll be good to me. I'm not rolling in it by any stretch of the imagination. Like i said, buying the neighboring farm is a longterm goal. I couldn't afford it now, and build a house, if he offered it to me for 2k/acre :lol:
 
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