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Thanks for everyone's opinions. We are set on this lot because we already bought it �� honestly though we love the area, it's 0.30 acres (which is much larger than our tract home), and there is NO HOA!!
Just out of curiosity, I wonder why people don't value quality in homes and why they aren't willing to pay more for it?
Have you ever worked with one of the truly Luxury builders that really does build quality? The one that brings in a crew of 10 guys just to sand mouldings for 7 days to a silky smooth finish. The one that hand cuts Limestone for 4 days in your backyard to build your fireplace and has to rent a hoist to raise the Limestone Blocks in place. The pool company who puts piers underneath a pool so the pool does not shift and cause it to crack in 10 years.
I could go on but I have and 99% of the people in this world have not. Most people look at something and say "That's nice" but they don't have any clue how to put a value on true quality.
I have a feeling if you are building a $750-800k house you're not really building true quality either. You're just building a home with really nice upgrades.
True quality starts over a million easily.
BTW.. Be careful what you pick. What's trendy today is out of favor in 8 years. Just ask anyone who bought a dark Tuscan home back in the 2004-2012 time frame.
Have you ever worked with one of the truly Luxury builders that really does build quality? The one that brings in a crew of 10 guys just to sand mouldings for 7 days to a silky smooth finish. The one that hand cuts Limestone for 4 days in your backyard to build your fireplace and has to rent a hoist to raise the Limestone Blocks in place. The pool company who puts piers underneath a pool so the pool does not shift and cause it to crack in 10 years.
I could go on but I have and 99% of the people in this world have not. Most people look at something and say "That's nice" but they don't have any clue how to put a value on true quality.
I have a feeling if you are building a $750-800k house you're not really building true quality either. You're just building a home with really nice upgrades.
True quality starts over a million easily.
BTW.. Be careful what you pick. What's trendy today is out of favor in 8 years. Just ask anyone who bought a dark Tuscan home back in the 2004-2012 time frame.
You're mixing what I said with what you read. I didn't say "luxury", I said "quality". I don't need handmade tiles from Italy to have something better than the builder standard crap. I am not concerned with having level 5 walls or marble countertops, that's luxury. I'm talking about building science that makes a better quality home: liquid applied flashing vs peel and stick tapes; advanced framing vs the ole 2x4 16 oc framing so that I can make sure there is better insulation; real wood windows (and making sure they are installed properly - ensuring they aren't taped at the bottom and have a 5% slope); I could go own...but I think you get my point. I'm talking about quality building, using quality materials, not that cheap junk builders use and seal up and call something a "custom" home. When we were looking for builders we would scout their construction sites and it was shocking to see what some "luxury" builders were missing on their site.
You're mixing what I said with what you read. I didn't say "luxury", I said "quality". I don't need handmade tiles from Italy to have something better than the builder standard crap. I am not concerned with having level 5 walls or marble countertops, that's luxury. I'm talking about building science that makes a better quality home: liquid applied flashing vs peel and stick tapes; advanced framing vs the ole 2x4 16 oc framing so that I can make sure there is better insulation; real wood windows (and making sure they are installed properly - ensuring they aren't taped at the bottom and have a 5% slope); I could go own...but I think you get my point. I'm talking about quality building, using quality materials, not that cheap junk builders use and seal up and call something a "custom" home. When we were looking for builders we would scout their construction sites and it was shocking to see what some "luxury" builders were missing on their site.
I think you’re exactly right on all of this. Our house was designed and built with all of this in mind. The foundation is reinforced concrete piers into the rock. The insulation is sprayed foam up the walls and then covering the bottom of the roof deck in a continuous enclosure. Then the walls were waterproofed with a liquid membrane and the roof with a self-adhering sheet membrane. The glass is all very high solar performance. The roof extends 4 feet to shade the glass where it faces south and west. The house is only around 2,000 SF so this might not be shocking, but our summer electric bills are under $100.
I think you’re exactly right on all of this. Our house was designed and built with all of this in mind. The foundation is reinforced concrete piers into the rock. The insulation is sprayed foam up the walls and then covering the bottom of the roof deck in a continuous enclosure. Then the walls were waterproofed with a liquid membrane and the roof with a self-adhering sheet membrane. The glass is all very high solar performance. The roof extends 4 feet to shade the glass where it faces south and west. The house is only around 2,000 SF so this might not be shocking, but our summer electric bills are under $100.
You know what I'm saying! Good on you for paying attention and knowing the difference between what actually makes a home quality built! Sounds like whoever buys your home one day will be lucky! Our personal style would be ultra modern but we are actually doing a 'modern prairie' so we can have large overhangs on the roof, coupled with triple pane, push out awning windows, set high on the wall so that (as you mentioned for your house) we can have the shade over the windows and cut down on the sun exposure (well that and privacy!). I love the look of the current modern houses with large glass window walls everywhere but I also like the idea of people not staring into my living room when I watch TV at night 😂
Neighborhood, but no HOA? IMO, .30 acres is small, septic or is sewer avail? Location is a MAJOR factor, however, unless there are other homes at or above what your are building in price range the lower priced homes will bring your price down. If you can accept that fact, then do as you please. A few people have mentioned here, add elements which will save time and money. I design sustainable passive solar homes, so start by working with the sun to minimize your cooling and heating loads, any energy oriented solutions will provide better payback. BTW those large glass windows could turn your home into a Solar Oven. We have one in our hood, large windows facing due west and it sells every couple of years as people get the CRAZY utility bills, I've heard to the tune of $600+ per month! Huge load difference in the summer especially between an R-19 wall with shade and R-3 windows with direct gain. Back to work. GOOD LUCK!
Have you ever worked with one of the truly Luxury builders that really does build quality? The one that brings in a crew of 10 guys just to sand mouldings for 7 days to a silky smooth finish. The one that hand cuts Limestone for 4 days in your backyard to build your fireplace and has to rent a hoist to raise the Limestone Blocks in place. The pool company who puts piers underneath a pool so the pool does not shift and cause it to crack in 10 years.
I could go on but I have and 99% of the people in this world have not. Most people look at something and say "That's nice" but they don't have any clue how to put a value on true quality.
I have a feeling if you are building a $750-800k house you're not really building true quality either. You're just building a home with really nice upgrades.
True quality starts over a million easily.
BTW.. Be careful what you pick. What's trendy today is out of favor in 8 years. Just ask anyone who bought a dark Tuscan home back in the 2004-2012 time frame.
I have to agree with dreaminofvickery. Build quality does not only come over a million dollars. I have helped friends build extremely high quality, energy star certified and/or passive homes for $3-400k in other locations that are better quality than a lot of million dollar homes in those same areas. What is being discussed here is build quality, not build luxury or finish/fit-out quality.
Quality comes in proper foundations, proper vapor barriers, proper insulation, proper home orientation on the site, proper sizing of HVAC equipment, etc. That has nothing to do with size of the home, thus, you can't really put a cost on this until you understand the size. There are lots of 1500 ft2 homes out there that are of a higher build quality and more energy efficient (to scale) than some 3000 ft2 million dollar home, regardless of the molding and limestone on the property.
You're mixing what I said with what you read. I didn't say "luxury", I said "quality". I don't need handmade tiles from Italy to have something better than the builder standard crap. I am not concerned with having level 5 walls or marble countertops, that's luxury. I'm talking about building science that makes a better quality home: liquid applied flashing vs peel and stick tapes; advanced framing vs the ole 2x4 16 oc framing so that I can make sure there is better insulation; real wood windows (and making sure they are installed properly - ensuring they aren't taped at the bottom and have a 5% slope); I could go own...but I think you get my point. I'm talking about quality building, using quality materials, not that cheap junk builders use and seal up and call something a "custom" home. When we were looking for builders we would scout their construction sites and it was shocking to see what some "luxury" builders were missing on their site.
It's up to you to "science" the hades out of these things and make informed decisions but I have a couple of comments.
1). Regarding liquid flashing v. tapes. According to hunting buddy who owns a very large commercial glass company around here liquid flashings have caught on in residential after long use in commercial because any one with an IQ over about 50 can smear a squiggly bead of caulk or paint like liquid flashing down fast yielding a good result. Tapes go down slower, require a bit more skill and in the end cost more. This guy says between well applied tapes and well applied liquid tapes are better. But if you have no skill, no care workers liquids are better.
2). I'd be very careful regarding 2x6 as better than 2x4 walls due to higher insulation capacity. Research that hard including firebreak/firestop analysis and payback periods and remember this is a hot climate not a cold one.
It's up to you to "science" the hades out of these things and make informed decisions but I have a couple of comments.
1). Regarding liquid flashing v. tapes. According to hunting buddy who owns a very large commercial glass company around here liquid flashings have caught on in residential after long use in commercial because any one with an IQ over about 50 can smear a squiggly bead of caulk or paint like liquid flashing down fast yielding a good result. Tapes go down slower, require a bit more skill and in the end cost more. This guy says between well applied tapes and well applied liquid tapes are better. But if you have no skill, no care workers liquids are better.
2). I'd be very careful regarding 2x6 as better than 2x4 walls due to higher insulation capacity. Research that hard including firebreak/firestop analysis and payback periods and remember this is a hot climate not a cold one.
Good luck.
Agreed. It definitely makes sense in some climates but not all. Same goes for vapor barriers, window shading etc. I know I'm preaching to the choir here though
My own opinion after running many efficiency calculations is that 2x6 wall framing won’t save anything on energy. Good for structural engineering, though.
Both 2x4 and 2x6 are compromised by the gaps and thermal bridges, but it’s a minor problem in Dallas because the temperature change from interior to exterior spends so much time at less than 20 degrees or so. There’s no magic to 20, it’s just an example of what we have when it’s 95 outside and 75 inside. Look at what kind of temperature difference the north has to deal with. You’re not getting a true R-19 wall with R-19 cavity insulation, but the reality is it doesn’t matter that much in a cooling climate with mild winters. Controversial opinion perhaps, but well considered.
My own opinion after running many efficiency calculations is that 2x6 wall framing won’t save anything on energy. Good for structural engineering, though.
Everything I've ever read says 2X4 is fine, and if you want more insulation, then exterior rigid insulation is better than 2X6 interiors.
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Good on you for paying attention and knowing the difference between what actually makes a home quality built! Sounds like whoever buys your home one day will be lucky! Our personal style would be ultra modern but we are actually doing a 'modern prairie' so we can have large overhangs on the roof, coupled with triple pane, push out awning windows, set high on the wall so that (as you mentioned for your house) we can have the shade over the windows and cut down on the sun exposure (well that and privacy!). I love the look of the current modern houses with large glass window walls everywhere but I also like the idea of people not staring into my living room when I watch TV at night 😂
