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Yeah, D'oh, do talk with your structural engineer and make sure you have enough strength built into the house, based on the fact that you have seen so many structural problems I think there may be some sort of issue with the soil or geology in this town.
Another point would be to discuss with DW what featuers she really wants in the house - for example the pivoting windows -
Me, in your part of the country, I would definitely have a "real" chimney, I'd put a good woodstove in the fireplace but I would spec out a real masonry chimney. And I'd put it as centrally into the house as the floor plan allowed. In any case I would have the chimney meet the ridgeline of the roof so you don't have that 'pocket' on the 'uphill' side of the chimney that always 'wants' to leak.
So to paraphrase your awesome post (as always) here's what we got to look out for:
1) American dry wall only (none from China right? why is that again?)
2) Nails must be longer than 3.5", otherwise they ain't holding anything together that well, right?
3) Sheathing's gotta be 5/8" exterior grade plywood.
4) Roof deck should be 3/4" exterior grade plywood.
5) Basement walls gotta be 9 feet high *once finished* with drop floor.
6) Foundation's gotta be poured/formed concrete with 16" walls.
7) Prefer at least one if not two steel carrying beams that run the length in the basement.
Did I miss anything?
Yeah, don't put that cheap plastic interior trim junk in the house. Real wood is worth it.
Get the best roofing money can buy. If asphalt shingles go architectural (not 3 tab), high grade, 30 year warranty. Metal roofing has many good options too.
16" poured concrete basement walls might be over KILL, but it sure is a nice over KILL. Get a high quality mix too, none of that 300# crap they use for cheap sidewalks. You can also add additives for strength. Concrete is cheap compared to what happens if the basement is defective. Do not skimp there and ensure you do not get the "Standard Treatment". Wire mesh in the slab at a minimum. If I was building the house would spring for some 1/4" rebar too. I ain't getting no crack. BTW - junk concrete cracks ........... the good stuff never does. How many turbine / generator pedestals do you see with "Cracks"????????? Gees.....
3.5" nails are fine for many places, probably most places but there are lots of places you will see in a house where a 3.5" nail does not do the job. You need a spike of some length, won't be any even on the job, let alone in somebody tool pouch. Just a comment, but it is true. The only thing holding something together is gravity. Happens more than they pretend. Just one of those things to know about.
Lots of good recommendations in the other posts.
Over do the electrical systems a lot, go way above code. Even for my olde road shack, I did the main counter circuits 30 amp, two more 20 amps, circuit for dishwasher and fridge, electric range. Lots of juice for the kitchen. Same with lighting, over do it all over the house. For computer areas install a lot more outlets where they will be needed.
One very neat thing is look seriously at is home automation. Can be a real tickle. I did my last house. Computer controlled, monitoring, so much a fellow can do. Nothing like an automated house. More fun than a zillion monkey's dancing backwards. My mailbox was monitored, when the mail person delivered, the computer played mail call on the bugle.
My old house was a DOS based system. I lashed together all the hardware, computers, wrote all the code. Had all the analog monitoring of parameters (visible light, humidity, temperature, weather, mailbox, on and on.) That system used X-10, so much available today. Today you can monitor and control your house via the web, I could do mine via the telephone, keyboard, TV clicker and a bunch of pushbutton stations. You never can over do it. The technology goes in leaps and bounds.
Today if building a new house you want a lil room for wiring networking. Basically all the communications, entertainment, controls, automation, computers, etc, etc. are pulled thru this lil room (maybe size of comfortable closet) which has terminal panels, plugboard jumper panels, etc that allow for any time in the future basically doing major redesigns of most things involving wires without pulling new wires. Things can be reconfigured, patched, rerouted with this concept. Super important to have everything exactly labeled, super good diagrams.
Just so much available today. Stuff that required a lot of knowledge and experience in the past today is pretty canned. You can buy data modules that allow for environmental monitoring, control that basically do all the tricky stuff, you talk to them via a computer using ASCII commands on simple serial link. Example, can do temperature monitoring using thermocouples, modules do the cold junction compensation / data conversion, spit out the data in plain English as degrees F or C. Tons of sensors around. Fancy lighting controls, automated anything you wish. In the olde dazes I did it all myself, the electronics, programming, sensor design, never a dull moment, you never are completely done. Way too much fun.
Plus you can really get into entertainment. Computers, stereo, Digital DVD, etc, TV all are melding into one and if done right can be centralized in one location but accessed all over the house. Some of the dudes really into it seem to speak a foreign language. Some is high tech for the sake of being high tech, what is really needed is basic ability to signal switch. I will do a lot of this stuff if I finally get to build the new house.
Very important to wire it all first, you can not over wire a new house from so many perspectives. Along with the automation you can do incredible things with energy control / generation / usage. Lots and lots of data about everything, without data you know nothing. Sure can impress the babes too.
So you can be aware of a zillion things that can be put in a house. You must understand what MUST get installed during the inital construction phase and what could maybe be added later. Planning is the name of the game, along with knowledge in so many areas.
Look at geo-thermal heating and cooling system. Just about get free hot water too. Only game in town for the future. Lots of considerations in the entire field of energy efficiency, reliablity, costs.
Certainteed makes a very nice shingle called the Grand Manor Shangle. It is nice looking and has a lifetime warranty (whatever that means).
Be sure that you have a really good drainage system around and under your basement. We ended up putting in two sump pumps and are adding ater powered back up pumps.
Look at geo-thermal heating and cooling system. Just about get free hot water too. Only game in town for the future. Lots of considerations in the entire field of energy efficiency, reliablity, costs.
You bet!!! I have had geo for three years now, love it!!!!! I have back up propane, it came on four or five times all year. In the summer the house is very cool.
Lot of good ideas here, but what is your price per square foot? You're going to make compromises (most everyone does, in building) and the trick is understanding when you are making one.
I'd have preferred wood windows, but when I started to pencil out costs, it was one of the things that I passed on. It was the difference between $35,000 in windows and $68,000 in windows. I got a good quality vinyl, paid attention to the glazing (had to order custom) and made some key windows casement or awning and some less important windows standard slider and then spent the difference on a radiant floor, a built-in cold cellar, interior doors of straight Doug fir, serious insulation in the attic and raised-heel trusses (plus upgrading the floor materials).
How could you ever spend $68,000 for windows......
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal
Lot of good ideas here, but what is your price per square foot? You're going to make compromises (most everyone does, in building) and the trick is understanding when you are making one.
I'd have preferred wood windows, but when I started to pencil out costs, it was one of the things that I passed on. It was the difference between $35,000 in windows and $68,000 in windows. I got a good quality vinyl, paid attention to the glazing (had to order custom) and made some key windows casement or awning and some less important windows standard slider and then spent the difference on a radiant floor, a built-in cold cellar, interior doors of straight Doug fir, serious insulation in the attic and raised-heel trusses (plus upgrading the floor materials).
I hope there was gold in them somewhere. A complete window job over $10K must be really something. On average, common Sunday go meeting window job is maybe like $8000 and that probably cost like $4000 for the actual windows. 100% markup is typical if installed by a contractor.
One other approach is you can make your wish list and then figure out what must be done immediately on initial construction. What can be deferred but must have some planning / considerations done in the initial construction. What can be deferred and done later.
Lots of those builders will really rape you on simple additions to standard plans. Better to do them later as a remodel.
There was this one guy building a new house. He wanted the builder to give him a price for finishing out the attic. The one he got was out of sight. I told him to go to the sub for drywall, just get some extra sheets put in the attic. After the house was built, we did the extra work for him for a mere fraction of that cost and he let us do it over the Xmas holidays. Everybody wins, except the greedy ones if you can plan it right and execute.
Lots of those figures thrown around for building houses and adding this or that are from another planet. Never pay retail or trendy prices. Where there is a will, there is a way. All you typically want from the builder is the basic shell. How common sense thinking out of the box folks do it around my way. Biggest trick to control costs. Then they bargain hard for the rest or do it themselves. They sure don't even pay $35K for windows, Hell the entire shell don't cost that much. Enough left over for a huge tip and lots of beer and ice cream.
Also he is in NH. Roof trusses are not that popular in New England. Any good old Yankee is going to want ridge beams and beefy rafters. Plus it is a lot of fun to figure out how to cut those bird mouth's on the tails within a 1/64" fit up tolerance. Show your stuff.
Too much snow in Yankee Land. Murphy's Laws also work against trusses, something will go wrong in the life of the house. I never would use them. Not the better mousetrap.
I hope there was gold in them somewhere. A complete window job over $10K must be really something. On average, common Sunday go meeting window job is maybe like $8000 and that probably cost like $4000 for the actual windows. 100% markup is typical if installed by a contractor.
One other approach is you can make your wish list and then figure out what must be done immediately on initial construction. What can be deferred but must have some planning / considerations done in the initial construction. What can be deferred and done later.
Lots of those builders will really rape you on simple additions to standard plans. Better to do them later as a remodel.
There was this one guy building a new house. He wanted the builder to give him a price for finishing out the attic. The one he got was out of sight. I told him to go to the sub for drywall, just get some extra sheets put in the attic. After the house was built, we did the extra work for him for a mere fraction of that cost and he let us do it over the Xmas holidays. Everybody wins, except the greedy ones if you can plan it right and execute.
Lots of those figures thrown around for building houses and adding this or that are from another planet. Never pay retail or trendy prices. Where there is a will, there is a way. All you typically want from the builder is the basic shell. How common sense thinking out of the box folks do it around my way. Biggest trick to control costs. Then they bargain hard for the rest or do it themselves. They sure don't even pay $35K for windows, Hell the entire shell don't cost that much. Enough left over for a huge tip and lots of beer and ice cream.
35-68 k for windows is not that unheard of. You should see some of the window schedules with prices we get for some of our home designs, they can get high very quickly.
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Do the fun stuff too.....................
