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My family is planning on moving from Chicago to the Raleigh area (quality of life). Most of the home sites I have see visited have truss joists and plastic water supply lines. Drees Homes had I-joists (imagine an I-beam made out of 2x4s and OSB/plywood). In Illinois, the 120VAC wiring must be inside metal conduit. Besides containing electrical fires, conduit is great if you need to upgrade your wiring. All the new homes I saw had romex cable stapled to the 2x4s. Is there some reason (other than cost) why copper pipe isn’t used for the water supply? When I was in college, the plastic supply lines ruptured in the water closet next to my dorm room. That was probably PB (polybutylene). One builder says they never had a problem with PEX (cross-linked Polyethylene), but the plumber who did the piping in my college dorm said the same thing about PB…
1. Strong arguments can be made that dimensional lumber is an inferior product to good engineered framing members, besides being in shorter supply. But I'm not too crazy about I-joists either, particularly when the OSB web is completely voided for passage of flex duct or other systems. I do like truss joists very much, but that is a different animal.
2. Hard conduit for 120V electrical is absurdly over-engineered, IMO. ROMEX has proved itself for decades. Sounds to me like the IBEW had a good grip on the code committee, regardless of price to the homeowner.
3. PEX works. Actually, Polybutylene pipe worked well, particularly when the brass fittings were used. Celcon fittings with aluminum crimp rings just didn't make it. But failures due to workmanship are all to common. I basically rejected buying a PB plumbed home because the fitting workmanship was totally inept. Ticking bomb, regardless of the PB pipe.
I own one now, 13 years old, and first noted that the work on the fittings are right out of the manual.
You can certainly get what you want, but you should gird yourself for writing the check, as you likely will be paying a cu$tom builder. And you should assume the added cost will not improve the appraisal value of your home, as the items you mention do not offer increased market value.
Oh, FWIW, "In Illinois,..." is a first cousin to, "In New York..." Tough opener to making friends with folks who don't care how things are done where you come from. See, they have been bombarded with observations of superiority for the last few decades.
If you meet a forward local, the response may be, "I can appreciate that, Sir. And of course, that Interstate Highway runs both directions."
The building standard differences that I have seen in several states (NY, VA, PA) were more a matter of urban vs. rural/town than North vs. South. NYC requires BX for electrical. Most other places require Romex. Some of the other code differences seem to protect more against fire spread, which is a more serious concern in dense urban areas.
My family is planning on moving from Chicago to the Raleigh area (quality of life). Most of the home sites I have see visited have truss joists and plastic water supply lines. Drees Homes had I-joists (imagine an I-beam made out of 2x4s and OSB/plywood). In Illinois, the 120VAC wiring must be inside metal conduit. Besides containing electrical fires, conduit is great if you need to upgrade your wiring. All the new homes I saw had romex cable stapled to the 2x4s. Is there some reason (other than cost) why copper pipe isn’t used for the water supply? When I was in college, the plastic supply lines ruptured in the water closet next to my dorm room. That was probably PB (polybutylene). One builder says they never had a problem with PEX (cross-linked Polyethylene), but the plumber who did the piping in my college dorm said the same thing about PB…
You know, with engineered I-joists you actually get more sub-floor contact than with dimensional lumber, even at the greater spacing lengths
and when they get wet from the plumbing leak that we all get at some point in time, the osb fails and your joists are comprimised.
Well, I've never experienced any plumbing leaks first hand. I think the bottom line is that there are plusses and minusses to everything. But, b/c "that's the way my grandaddy did it" does not always mean it is the best way
Oh, FWIW, "In Illinois,..." is a first cousin to, "In New York..." Tough opener to making friends with folks who don't care how things are done where you come from. See, they have been bombarded with observations of superiority for the last few decades.
If you meet a forward local, the response may be, "I can appreciate that, Sir. And of course, that Interstate Highway runs both directions."
Too funny.
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