Building a House--any advice?

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OSHAN

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I've been fortunate to have some land given to me by my father and I'll be building a home this summer. I've been renting all my life (32 in a couple weeks), and I'm currently in the process of getting a construction loan.

I already have the plans picked out and it is a small home, around 1250 sq ft. I'm curious if any gaffers have gone through this process and if they're any anecdotal Dos and Don'ts you'd like to share.

Any insight would be helpful.
 
Not sure what your design plans are, or where you are, but I've been talking with guy who teaches energy efficiency.

A couple of things you should do if possible:

1. Spray foam insulation. (Close cell if possible).
2. Solar Power. In Louisiana, you get a 50% rebate from the state and a 30% rebate from the federal government. This applies to both panels used for electricity and ones for heating water. Excess electricity is fed back into the grid where depending on your location, you either get credit on your bill or cash money.

We're buying in the summer, just finished taking a home buying class actually. Good luck.
 
Congrats on the land and new house.

Are you sure you want to build a house that small? It seems you'd be better off going with something larger (cost dependant of course) to future proof it. I don't know if you're married or have any kids but at 32 they'll be right around the corner if you plan on taking that route. 1300 SF is very small for kids.
 
Insulate the interior walls. Many builders will say this is an unneeded step, but for sound deadening in your home, it's fantastic.

Pre-run all of your wires that you may or may not use during the stick-frame phase. HDMI cables run across the room to that big screen over the fireplace? Run-em. Looking to add integrated speakers in the ceilings? Run those wires fool! Want ethernet in every room in the house, fuck it RUN EM! It will save you a lot of time and headache in the future if you ever want to upgrade any electronic systems you have.

Get quotes and dont always go with the first contractor you find. Lots of people are looking for work and will do what you need for cheaper.

If you know how to do something yourself, do it. It'll save you money.
 
NH Apache said:
Not sure what your design plans are, or where you are, but I've been talking with guy who teaches energy efficiency.

A couple of things you should do if possible:

1. Spray foam insulation. (Close cell if possible).
2. Solar Power. In Louisiana, you get a 50% rebate from the state and a 30% rebate from the federal government. This applies to both panels used for electricity and ones for heating water. Excess electricity is fed back into the grid where depending on your location, you either get credit on your bill or cash money.

We're buying in the summer, just finished taking a home buying class actually. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I'm in Maine. And I'm actually looking at solar panels and if the design I have will work. I really want to go in this direction but I may have to change plans.

RealityExists said:
Do not buy more house than you can afford. Make sure you know the monthly mortgage before you sign anything.
Click to expand...

Already done. Great advice, though.

Tapiozona said:
Congrats on the land and new house.

Are you sure you want to build a house that small? It seems you'd be better off going with something larger (cost dependant of course) to future proof it. I don't know if you're married or have any kids but at 32 they'll be right around the corner if you plan on taking that route. 1300 SF is very small for kids.
Click to expand...

Getting married this year so kids will be on the way, and it simply comes down to living within our means. If we go bigger, and one of us loses our job, we could potentially be in trouble. In short, the two bedrooms upstairs are 11 x 11, so quite small, but I have a room in my current apartment my fiance uses as a craft room that's the same size, so the kids will have to deal.
 
Congrats on buying a house!

speed-square.jpg


Buy one of these and check how square the ceilings are, as well as corners. I learned this lesson from a friend whose house was as unsquare as fuck.
 
OSHAN said:
I'm in Maine.
Click to expand...

Where in Maine?

Always expect to go over budget. It's expensive.
Edit: Thought of a few new things:
Maybe insist on a standard form contract or have a lawyer review the partial performance terms in case you need to bail.
Always use licensed contractors and check up on the permits.
 
Arizona, deep in the sticks, multiple log cabins, main house underground, livestock, crops, solar pannels, water well, lots of guns and medical supplies.
 
Davedough said:
Insulate the interior walls. Many builders will say this is an unneeded step, but for sound deadening in your home, it's fantastic.
Click to expand...

This will do little to stop sound transmission. Sound travels through dense materials, not soft ones. It's the studs and drywall which will carry sound through the wall from one room to another. Save your money and do not insulate interior walls. Instead pay the extra to decouple the walls, stagger the studs, or use double drywall with green glue between the sheets..
 
Tapiozona said:
This will do little to stop sound transmission. Sound travels through dense materials, not soft ones. It's the studs and drywall which will carry sound through the wall from one room to another. Save your money and do not insulate interior walls. Instead pay the extra to decouple the walls, stagger the studs, or use double drywall with green glue between the sheets..
Click to expand...

I know there is some divisive opinions on this subject, but I've personally remodeled a theater room and went from a room the bled noise like crazy to one that was almost air-tight simply by doing this. I've seen and heard the results first hand.
 
Davedough said:
Insulate the interior walls. Many builders will say this is an unneeded step, but for sound deadening in your home, it's fantastic.

Pre-run all of your wires that you may or may not use during the stick-frame phase. HDMI cables run across the room to that big screen over the fireplace? Run-em. Looking to add integrated speakers in the ceilings? Run those wires fool! Want ethernet in every room in the house, fuck it RUN EM! It will save you a lot of time and headache in the future if you ever want to upgrade any electronic systems you have.

Get quotes and dont always go with the first contractor you find. Lots of people are looking for work and will do what you need for cheaper.

If you know how to do something yourself, do it. It'll save you money.
Click to expand...

Listen to this guy. As someone who did construction, most builders will tell you interior insulation is unneeded because they don't want to do it.

Running wires now is also excellent advice. Everything gets so much harder once the drywall is hung. Even if you don't end up using it, the ethernet/speaker wire/hdmi aren't that expensive in the grand scheme of things.
 
I have no actual advice, but plant trees. Fast growing trees that will cover your house and help cool it in the summer, plus they just look badass too.
 
Dude you need to build a moat! If you are building a house from the ground up it needs a moat to protect you from invasions. You need to protect your castle.
 
Make sure you budget on the high side for all the countertops, appliances, cabinets, etc, as these costs can really creep up on you.
 
ElectricBlue187 said:
can't wait for housing crysis 2
Click to expand...

It is a much more linear Housing Crysis and it won't impress as much. It also won't strain computers built in the last 5 years.


I just bought a house in southern california! My rent was going from 1800 to 2200 (Rent rate laws are exempt due to a change in owners. My old landlord foreclosed). So I figured it was time to bail out.

So excited to own a yard to be responsible for. Also, I get to have a gaming room until we decide to have a second child.
 
Davedough said:
I know there is some divisive opinions on this subject, but I've personally remodeled a theater room and went from a room the bled noise like crazy to one that was almost air-tight simply by doing this. I've seen and heard the results first hand.
Click to expand...

I agree with the other poster's advice to stagger studs/green glue, etc or use resilient channels. Insulation in interior walls do little to stop noise transmission. I did this in my previous house.

Plus, when you insulate the interior walls, it makes it harder to fish wires in the future.

Rather than run extra wires all over the place, it's better to have pre-laid conduit (smurf tubes) in key locations so that you can change wires easily in the future. That's the only future-proof way.
 
I'd echo the sentiment that you should do as much as you are able to do and cut down on the labour costs. You should also try and buy as much of the raw material yourself as you can. There are a lot of creep contractors that will gladly take money up front for materials and you'll never see them again.

Don't forget to look at all of your federal and state tax deductions too. See what you can work in to you design and take advantage of programs that are available.
 
NH Apache said:
1. Spray foam insulation. (Close cell if possible).
Click to expand...

This x 100. It's really incredible. My in-laws can run their fireplace for an hour in the morning and it keeps the entire living room and kitchen area warm for hours, even in the dead of winter. That stuff is amazing.
 
Build where you can get the money back if you need to sell it.

alot of people buy a house for alot of cash, build it on a plot of land where they will never get the money back if they need to sell it.
 
ctrl-f secret room

What the hell, gaf.

OP, secret room. Hidden staircase/bookshelf methods are all good. Put awesome stuff in there.
 
I'd make sure you run any wires you might think you'll possibly use. Speaker Wires, CAT 5, cable lines. I don't think any house I have ever lived in has had all the connections I would have liked. Also take a look at the corners of the house and have wire run for any extra floodlights/security lights you might want. Some of that stuff is a bitch to add later on.
 
RealityExists said:
Do not buy more house than you can afford. Make sure you know the monthly mortgage before you sign anything.
Click to expand...

Zyghost said:
I'd make sure you run any wires you might think you'll possibly use. Speaker Wires, CAT 5, cable lines. I don't think any house I have ever lived in has had all the connections I would have liked. Also take a look at the corners of the house and have wire run for any extra floodlights/security lights you might want. Some of that stuff is a bitch to add later on.
Click to expand...

These are great pieces of advice.


Also, research the crap out of the builder you select. Make sure they're not cutting any corners.
 
OSHAN said:
I've been fortunate to have some land given to me by my father and I'll be building a home this summer. I've been renting all my life (32 in a couple weeks), and I'm currently in the process of getting a construction loan.

I already have the plans picked out and it is a small home, around 1250 sq ft. I'm curious if any gaffers have gone through this process and if they're any anecdotal Dos and Don'ts you'd like to share.

Any insight would be helpful.
Click to expand...

A few items I would not do without having experienced the alternatives in one new construction and one acquired rental:
  1. Insulated Concrete Form Construction (the small construction premium is far outweighed by the lifetime energy savings and structural strength increase)
  2. Complete Structured Wiring or at least PVC conduit in every wall (Preferably to a central vented or A/C'd hardware closet)
  3. Power outlets on EVERY wall (especially in the garage)
  4. Basement (at least a half-basement for storage and washer/dryer location)

If you consider yourself a "green" advocate, consider solar panels and/or a 220V outlet in the garage also.
 
Cat 6 or better in every room.

20 amp service everywhere, and if you're going to have a serious media/gaming/computer/office room, do separate 20 amp circuits on each wall in that room.

Radiant heating in the floor.

Water softener.

R/O system for the kitchen/drinking water.
 
i'm not a builder but when i bought my home i immediately regretted not recabling it before adding paint and fornitures.

wire each room for:
  • internet
  • phone
  • audio speakers
  • tv

and the usuals of course (energy...)

when in ten years you'll want to put a TV on your laundry room, beccause it happened to become your gym room, you'll thank me :)
 
OSHAN said:
I've been fortunate to have some land given to me by my father and I'll be building a home this summer. I've been renting all my life (32 in a couple weeks), and I'm currently in the process of getting a construction loan.

I already have the plans picked out and it is a small home, around 1250 sq ft. I'm curious if any gaffers have gone through this process and if they're any anecdotal Dos and Don'ts you'd like to share.

Any insight would be helpful.
Click to expand...

From a logical perspective, take stock of what your plans are in the future - if you're single, 1250 sqft may seem fine. If you don't plan on ever leaving the area and may end up getting married, having kids, etc, you may want to think longer term. That can mean either a bigger house ( construction up front is dirt cheap compared to expanding later) or making a modular plan where you can can have a Stage 1, and potentially Stages 2 and 3 depending on how much you might want to expand.
 
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