Heating Costs (general contractor, design, build)

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

That sounds great!

Is it in 'treegrowth'?

Not yet, and we are debating whether or not we want to put it into tree growth. As ugly as it is for me to say it, putting it into tree growth limits options in the future considerably. If it came to it, and we needed to sell a portion of the land to others to raise cash, it would be easy to do. Once in tree growth, the taxes that were deferred must be repaid, which can change the economics of a sale drastically. There is enough land to place some in tree growth...at least ten acres are required, but I think we will make that decision after we are actually living on the property.






I am curious though. How much roughly is this costing you per square foot?


Dunno right now. We have only a fair idea of the size of Deltec home that we would use, and part of the decision will depend on the topography of the area that we want to build in. It might require a two story, or it might not. We are also unsure of how we will construct a garage building and link it to the main house, and whether or not there will be an el that will provide additional living space...all of which has to do with the topography, and until the survey is completed we can only theorize.


I have also dealt with local workers and the mind-set that "this is the way my daddy did it, and this is the way I am doing it, ..." And regardless of what the customer wants, or how the customer wants it done, they have a hard time getting past their mindset.


Yes. "The way we always did it", is a serious limitation in many ways in Maine.





I agree that you should not actually purchase any land until after you have a good perc test completed. The first property that we went into escrow to buy, would not pass a perc. 30 acres and nowhere on it would a perc pass, too much ledge.


I'm not really concerned about this after having a septic system designed for a property on Swans Island. The soils guy said that a septic system can be placed virtually anywhere and that is only is limited by the size and complexity of hte pocketbook financing it. There are also new systems that can be used which completely change the old ways of establishing a leeching field...again, it is just a matter of money.





He had no idea what a heat-pump was. and he could not imagine why anyone would ever want more than a single well.

I have run into this once before. The well driller actually acted offended when I told him that the well would be filled in with bentonite and casing would not be necessary at all. He just didn't get it at all. BUT I must also say that I have recently had a discussion along these same lines with the same well driller, and he now understands how this kind of system works and it is no longer threatening to him. If we end up using a ground source heat pump system, I favor using a "closed loop" system which will require only one hole in the ground as the closed loop will be a heat exchanger, and water flow rates are unimportant. If we planned on an open loop system then we would have to have two holes and a primary water flow rate of at least 14 gallons per minute, which might or might not be easily established.





Well said.

I really like the spray-in-place foams.

Generally speaking so do I, and if we end up with a conventional stick built house...Deltec or otherwise, we will probably do it this way.

[forest beekeeper]

Acadianlion -

Is it in 'treegrowth'?

Not yet, and we are debating whether or not we want to put it into tree growth. As ugly as it is for me to say it, putting it into tree growth limits options in the future considerably. If it came to it, and we needed to sell a portion of the land to others to raise cash, it would be easy to do. Once in tree growth, the taxes that were deferred must be repaid, which can change the economics of a sale drastically. There is enough land to place some in tree growth...at least ten acres are required, but I think we will make that decision after we are actually living on the property.

Treegrowth penaltys are only paid when land comes out of treegrowth. They are not paid when you buy or sale land.

The land that I bought was already in treegrowth, and it still is in treegrowth.

I am curious though. How much roughly is this costing you per square foot

Dunno right now. We have only a fair idea of the size of Deltec home that we would use, and part of the decision will depend on the topography of the area that we want to build in. It might require a two story, or it might not. We are also unsure of how we will construct a garage building and link it to the main house, and whether or not there will be an el that will provide additional living space...all of which has to do with the topography, and until the survey is completed we can only theorize.

You do not know the size nor shape of the house you wish to build?

I agree that you should not actually purchase any land until after you have a good perc test completed. The first property that we went into escrow to buy, would not pass a perc. 30 acres and nowhere on it would a perc pass, too much ledge.

I'm not really concerned about this after having a septic system designed for a property on Swans Island. The soils guy said that a septic system can be placed virtually anywhere and that is only is limited by the size and complexity of hte pocketbook financing it. There are also new systems that can be used which completely change the old ways of establishing a leeching field...again, it is just a matter of money.

We tried some of those 'new ways'.

Current code requires that the old fashioned leech field be installed, and remain as a back-up, before you can go on to using a 'new' method.

I really like the spray-in-place foams.

Generally speaking so do I, and if we end up with a conventional stick built house...Deltec or otherwise, we will probably do it this way.

Well, I would never do a stick-built.

They are just so much more expensive.

We are very happy with our Spray-in-place foam.

[Acadianlion]

Treegrowth penaltys are only paid when land comes out of treegrowth. They are not paid when you buy or sale land.

The land that I bought was already in treegrowth, and it still is in treegrowth.


True enough. But with a maximum of eighteen acres, a minimum of ten is necessary to be placed in tree growth. Should be need or want to sell a portion of the property at some point in the future, such subdivision needs to be planned now, or the outsale could well mean that the parcel would come out of tree growth. The driveway will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300 feet in length, so the options for subdivision after five years down the road are there, and need to be anticipated with this initial purchase. Our purchase will be a subdivision of an existing lot. Hence without going through the subdivision permitting process, it will be five years before we could further divide the property. Right now, the taxes on this lot out of tree growth are not an issue. In five or six years that could change.




You do not know the size nor shape of the house you wish to build?

No. The size and shape of the house will be in part determined by the topography of the building site finally chosen. A Deltec home would work well, but whether we end up with one large circle, or two with a connector or even something different is still a matter of conjecture and subject for planning. There are many different issues involved. In the end we may build a Deltec round house as the main living area, and then an extension that will lead to a barn, gym and study for me. My wife's studio will be in the main structure we think. The barn may end up being built of granite, although depending on the topography and side lot lines, we may have a barn built in a different area of the lot, and develop about two or three acres around it as a field, which is another project that I want to do before I am too old to move around.

In the midst of doing this process, we have been approached by some folks who raise various products and are seeking a retail outlet. We own some commercial real estate on Route One, and the location is perfect for a farmer's market concept. Soooo, starting Friday night, we have begun developing a new business plan for a new venture, so the new house process may be pushed off another six months or so.

Too many projects, too little time!

[sfw1979]

Originally Posted by mikem101781

My family and I are moving to the Brunswick area in February. I was wondering what the average heating cost is during the winter time up there. I live in military housing in Virginia right now so I don't pay for heat. Any info would be a great big help. Thanks

Are you thinking of buying? Many military here are already trying to sell their houses now so there won't be a problem when the base starts shutting down. The heat is VERY high here so most military live in housing...

[JackieG]

My husband, Mike, and I went to the factory in Ashville, NC and had a wonderful weekend. We did put down a deposit on a two roof system and have just started working with a designer. We own 21 acres in North Mississippi and have the purfect home site. We are planning on taking delivery on the home sometime early next spring. We have decided on the 2500 square foot plan on one level that must be ADA compliant. There is electrical close and well water available. Within the next 4 to 6 weeks we have a 30x42 storage building to put up so now I'm working on getting concrete and "burn piles" taken care of. Wish me luck!!

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by sfw1979

Are you thinking of buying? Many military here are already trying to sell their houses now so there won't be a problem when the base starts shutting down. The heat is VERY high here so most military live in housing...

Most military live in base-housing everywhere.

If you are going to be at a base for three years tops, many do not see an advantage to buying for only three years.

I was a rarity in buying at most duty-stations that I went to.

[tabbott]

I'm so happy to hear about your Deltec home. I'm also interested in them myself. I've made it to Asheville, visited the model home there, and have gotten the plan catalog as well. I'd love to learn how to construct goes, etc... Stay in touch! Tom

[daveandsue]

My wife and I have successfully built a new 2400 sq.ft. Deltec home in the mountains of NC. We acted as our own contractor and have grave doubts about doing that again. The house did come out beautifully. I do believe the round house is energy efficient, but really have no data to support that claim. Actually our first floor is a Superior walls foundation. It consist of factory poured concrete walls that were trucked to our site and placed in with a crane. This is the one choice I am really glad I made. Our walkout basement/garage is dry and well insulated. Be sure to make your 1st floor walls at least 9 feet hight and preferably 10, to accommodate the plumbing and electrical. Remember drain pipes don't bend. We used PEX pipe for all of our hot and cold water. Another choice I am glad I made. The upstairs is an adapted version of 3 different Deltec floor plans. We have many windows, but with the extra insulated walls, ceiling, and radiant barrier under the roof and between the sub-floors, our home is quite cozy. The heat rarely comes on. You can see photos of our house in the 95% finished stage by going to this photo site. http://picasaweb.google.com/sueandave/OurNCHouse Would I build another Deltec home?, probably not by myself, but I do love living in it. Dave

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by daveandsue

My wife and I have successfully built a new 2400 sq.ft. Deltec home in the mountains of NC. We acted as our own contractor and have grave doubts about doing that again. The house did come out beautifully. I do believe the round house is energy efficient, but really have no data to support that claim. Actually our first floor is a Superior walls foundation. It consist of factory poured concrete walls that were trucked to our site and placed in with a crane. This is the one choice I am really glad I made. Our walkout basement/garage is dry and well insulated. Be sure to make your 1st floor walls at least 9 feet hight and preferably 10, to accommodate the plumbing and electrical. Remember drain pipes don't bend. We used PEX pipe for all of our hot and cold water. Another choice I am glad I made. The upstairs is an adapted version of 3 different Deltec floor plans. We have many windows, but with the extra insulated walls, ceiling, and radiant barrier under the roof and between the sub-floors, our home is quite cozy. The heat rarely comes on. You can see photos of our house in the 95% finished stage by going to this photo site. http://picasaweb.google.com/sueandave/OurNCHouse Would I build another Deltec home?, probably not by myself, but I do love living in it. Dave

Being a general contractor is not a job for the amateur, although a lot of people think that they can do it and try to to save some money. It takes a LOT of time and effort, and builders who build for a living understand their subcontractors and workforce better than an outsider ever can. I have been the general contractor on four projects of my own and all but one went very smoothly with exactly the results that I desired.

When we start to build the new house...probably next spring...there is NO way that I want to be the general contractor. There are several reasons for this. First of all, I will probably not be fully retired, and therefore not be able to be on site 100% of the time. The construction site is about 50 miles from where I live now, and I don't know any of the subcontractors who would be the logical hire in that area. I do have the advantage of knowing the excavation contractor who will do the driveway and site work well, and I already have a working relationship with the electrician who will do the electrical work. I will rely on these two firms for leads to the rest of the folks, but I would prefer to hire a builder to do this project and take care of most of the details. Distance can be a killer.

I have some serious reservations about Deltec Homes claims to energy efficiency. Basically these are conventional structures built to high tolerances possible by the factory assembly environment. But the energy efficiency of the structures will be entirely dependent upon the degree to which insulation is installed ON SITE, the type of insulation used and the source and efficiency of the heating/cooling equipment installed. I question the validity of the claims to energy efficiency made by Deltec simply because the house is round.

It will probably be at least two to three months before we have the survey work completed on the site. The survey work will consist of a boundary survey and a topographic survey and when we have that information we can plan the location and orientation of the house. We believe that we will locate the house on the high point of the property that will give the house full sun exposure from sunrise to sunset during the winter months. That will assist in passive solar heating. We are also exploring an active solar array and hopefully will give us a near zero cabon footprint by putting back into the electrical grid what we take out.

We are still researching heating sources. We do not want to burn any form of fossil fuel or wood if at all possible. Right now the we are waitiing for information about the heat pumps from Hallowell International, and we already have quite a lot of information about geothermal heatpumps. Of the two, I think my preference is for geothermal heatpumps because we would then have radiant heat. I am not particularly interested in ducted heating systems at all.

Your description of your foundation was very interesting. I am not aware that that system is even available in Maine, and our choice will be expanded polystyrene building forms filled with concrete. I am also wondering about building the entire house this way, and while we would not have a factory constructed Deltec product, we would have a house that would have been designed exactly for the site and exactly fit our needs. It might not be completely round, but in terms of energy efficiency, it would be superior to anything else.

I cannot bring up your pictures incidentally. The link continually fails, but I would love to see your work in progress!

[dramamama6685]

I hope we have enough saved to heat our place when we retire and move to Maine or it's back to work for us!