Vi's home construction blog: Spring 2011 Update - Landscape Torment

[vi edit]

Few more excavation pics:

http://cid-e46bb480e134a82a.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/house/IMG%5E_3926.jpg

They dug the *&#@ out of the back of this thing:
http://cid-e46bb480e134a82a.skydriv...ouse/IMG^_3926.jpg#resId/E46BB480E134A82A!273

Can I market it as "water views"?


http://cid-e46bb480e134a82a.skydriv...ouse/IMG^_3926.jpg#resId/E46BB480E134A82A!274

 

[Dubb]

After sitting around on a signed contract since last October we finally broke ground today on our house. Weather outlook is crummy for the next several days so footings & foundation will either be slowed or unable to move...but it's a start anyway!

At some point this mud pit:
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...gI6KwLr5P3jbnEqm5ecmPSQ6nnbAacxw/IMG_3917.jpg


Will have something similar to this sitting on it:
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...dbaWxrZaxyJeivxh48xBM1W4Lpdx9usLEA/house1.jpg

Yay!

<architect hat on>

you need to tell your builder to fix his f-ed up eave and transom details. That elevation is downright painful.

you really want the master bedroom opening to the entry? and a closet and a lawn garage in the prime corners?

 

[vi edit]

When you say fudged up eave and transom do you mean the roofline not being symetrical to each other and the transom (assuming arched window) being centered down the middle? If it's a look thing I really don't care. The framer has been in the business for decades and might switch it up on the fly if he doesn't like it.

And I have no idea what a prime corner is or why I would be concerned about what's placed there.

We're cool with the MB placement. It's close to the door to take the dog out at nights/mornings and 99% of the rest of the traffic will go through the garage entry. The door is almost always closed to keep the dog off the bed

We wanted it away from the main living space so it wasn't loud in the morning when somebody is making breakfast or watching TV in the mornings if the other wanted to sleep in.

 

[skyking]

so that low 'draw' they excavated out from the 6" drainpipe is your walkout area?

 

[vi edit]

so that low 'draw' they excavated out from the 6" drainpipe is your walkout area?

Yes. There's a 4" and a 6" pipe...plus the white one that's a floor drain. The 4" is for the drainage tile around the foundation and the 6" was to bring a couple downspouts into. Both the 4" and 6" pipe run about 100' out from the house and into the woods behind the house.

They were really trying to jockey the house/foundation elevation so that they can get a downhill feed to the septic tank that will back out behind the house and towards the woods.

 

[duragezic]

Man that looks awesome and exciting! Thanks for posting pics.

 

[Born2bwire]

When you say fudged up eave and transom do you mean the roofline not being symetrical to each other and the transom (assuming arched window) being centered down the middle? If it's a look thing I really don't care. The framer has been in the business for decades and might switch it up on the fly if he doesn't like it.

And I have no idea what a prime corner is or why I would be concerned about what's placed there.

We're cool with the MB placement. It's close to the door to take the dog out at nights/mornings and 99&#37; of the rest of the traffic will go through the garage entry. The door is almost always closed to keep the dog off the bed

We wanted it away from the main living space so it wasn't loud in the morning when somebody is making breakfast or watching TV in the mornings if the other wanted to sleep in.

I think he means that the corners are high value areas because you can get a nice arrangement with windows for lighting and views. I had the same impression, bringing the garage all the way to the back corner is a waste. It would have been nicer to have put in a room back there that would make better use of the corners. Imagine if you extended the kitchen, and especially the study, to the corners and used them for additional windows. The study looks woefully closed in with its solitary window.

Now that I think about it, what could happen is that you swap the kitchen and the nook and extended the nook to the corner. That would afforded you a nicely lit and windowed casual eating area. You would lose the linear space of the L-counter in the kitchen but you could try to compensate by the added floor space of the expansion.

 

[skyking]

Yes. There's a 4" and a 6" pipe...plus the white one that's a floor drain. The 4" is for the drainage tile around the foundation and the 6" was to bring a couple downspouts into. Both the 4" and 6" pipe run about 100' out from the house and into the woods behind the house.

They were really trying to jockey the house/foundation elevation so that they can get a downhill feed to the septic tank that will back out behind the house and towards the woods.

Fun stuff, I wish I were there to do the work. I like site development. These days I'm there after site development digging for commercial plumbers, unless it is my own place. I cleared the beach property a few days ago, and put in a couple of parking spots for RVs.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2055971&highlight=

 

[vi edit]

Windows are still negotiable, we'll go over those when the framer comes in. The floorplan is really a guideline at this point.

Originally the garage was supposed to end at that 16x7 area and then just be another useless return from the rest of the house. I needed space for a lawn mower/workshop and instead of buying and putting up a storage shed or using up basement space I spent $2500 to extend the garage out. I might frame up that section in the back and make a dedicated workshop out of it. It's insulated, locked up, convenient and cheaper than about any shed I could have put in.

Everything is a trade off. I don't *need* more living space, don't want to pay the finishing cost of more living space, and get taxed on more living space.

And it's interesting seeing the difference of opinions between engineers/architech/math kinda guys vs. most others. Most guys that have seen that garage look at it and go "Holy crap....THAT'S AWESOME!".

 

[skyking]

I see that garage and get visions of building a kit plane. Plenty of room back there for wings and a fuselage

 

[Born2bwire]

Windows are still negotiable, we'll go over those when the framer comes in. The floorplan is really a guideline at this point.

Originally the garage was supposed to end at that 16x7 area and then just be another useless return from the rest of the house. I needed space for a lawn mower/workshop and instead of buying and putting up a storage shed or using up basement space I spent $2500 to extend the garage out. I might frame up that section in the back and make a dedicated workshop out of it. It's insulated, locked up, convenient and cheaper than about any shed I could have put in.

Everything is a trade off. I don't *need* more living space, don't want to pay the finishing cost of more living space, and get taxed on more living space.

And it's interesting seeing the difference of opinions between engineers/architech/math kinda guys vs. most others. Most guys that have seen that garage look at it and go "Holy crap....THAT'S AWESOME!".

I can easily see what you are trying to go with the garage, but since you seem to have a full basement I would have preferred to move a workshop down there, especially since you are going to get the floor radiant heated.

 

[vi edit]

The basement will likely get finished at some point down the road with a big rec area (bar, pool table, ect) and an "inlaw suite" in case we have to house a parent(s) later in their life. Plus my wife didn't like the idea of a table saw noise under a main living area.

 

[Born2bwire]

The basement will likely get finished at some point down the road with a big rec area (bar, pool table, ect) and an "inlaw suite" in case we have to house a parent(s) later in their life. Plus my wife didn't like the idea of a table saw noise under a main living area.

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

 

[Dubb]

When you say fudged up eave and transom do you mean the roofline not being symetrical to each other and the transom (assuming arched window) being centered down the middle? If it's a look thing I really don't care. The framer has been in the business for decades and might switch it up on the fly if he doesn't like it.

And I have no idea what a prime corner is or why I would be concerned about what's placed there.

We're cool with the MB placement. It's close to the door to take the dog out at nights/mornings and 99% of the rest of the traffic will go through the garage entry. The door is almost always closed to keep the dog off the bed

We wanted it away from the main living space so it wasn't loud in the morning when somebody is making breakfast or watching TV in the mornings if the other wanted to sleep in.

it's kind of a look thing, kind of a "just doing it right" thing. What your builder has done is mishmashed various historical styles and cut some corners along the way. Doing the eaves like that is quicker to build, but it's wrong - it doesn't match any of the historical styles being loosely referenced in the rest of the house. As a result the whole roof looks kludgey, or off.

Transom/window details are a similar story. They picked window arrangement and proportions from a mfg catalog without even trying to get it to match with the neocolonial /federal style the house more or less seems to be referencing. Neocolonial houses only have arched transoms in certain situations. Same goes for paired double hungs - fairly rare.

Floorplan wise, this is a house plan for a densely packed subdivision. I know that because there are no windows on either side of the house, and utility spaces (closets, bathrooms, garages) are pushed to those sides, insulating your public living spaces from your neighbors.

But from your pictures, you don't live in a densely packed subdivision. You have views from the sides and corners of your house. But you can't make use of them because you've got a closet and a garage taking up the best space.

Now if you tell me that the house faces East, that's really gonna be a facepalm.

 

[isekii]

Hopefully under $350k. And that includes damn near $30k in well & septic. My well is going to be over $20,000. Probably looking at 450ft before I hit water. Bleh. I don't care if city people have a water bill....I'll have the 30 year mortgage paid off before I come out ahead ahead on water bills.

Wow that sounds like a bargain. House like that in my neighborhood would be like 1mil + easy

 

[skyking]

Thanks a lot, man. I was up half the night looking at properties for our dream home

 

[vi edit]

Now if you tell me that the house faces East, that's really gonna be a facepalm.

Hope you have a helmet ready...it faces Northeast. You make some interesting points but I don't really blame the builder. We looked at literally hundreds of floor plans...if not thousands online. We worked with a truely custom builder and a few others. The guy we went with we walked in with an idea of we wanted but then saw a book of others that he had done. This was the 2nd one we saw and my wife and I both looked at each other and said "that's the one". We just really liked how the floorplan was layed out. And the front elevation wasn't anything offensive to us. It was a safe look that played well with a lot of other construction in the area.

The builder met us at the lot and just to validate that there wouldn't be any issues with the layout/size/walkout/ect. He didn't pick the plan or the layout. We did based on layouts in previous homes and walkthroughs. We've always lived in "dense" neighborhoods so no second thought was given to windows or how things were set up. It's just what we've always known. And yes, a majority of his places that he's built are in a "McMansion" like tight lot line subdivision. He was happy to build on a lot that you could actually drive the equipment around the entire property.

If I was building a luxury home with a mountain view or overlooking something actually scenic I'd definitely give more thought to window placement and views...but it's just a house in a rural midwest subdivision. *shrug*

 

[Dubb]

Well, I certainly don't mean to disparage - if you're happy with it that's what's important. It looks like you'll have some nice wooded views regardless.

The point I'm trying to make is that had you hired a midrange Architect to fit a house to the site, you not only would have gotten a house that better suits you, but likely would have increased your resale value much beyond what the architect's fee was. But if you're already building the best house in the neighborhood, that last part might not apply.

Not sure of your exact area, but in round numbers a basic level of architectural service on a $350k construction budget (excluding lot) could run anywhere from $12-25K, less if you pull out things like construction observation and interior design. That would have gotten you any number of improvements, from better access to light and air, a more efficient plan (which may have lowered construction costs), better detailing, and a kitchen/breakfast nook that actually gets morning sunlight (this is why I mentioned the house facing east).

 

[Circlenaut]

This is exactly what the Mrs and I want in the future. And Dubb thanks for reinforcing the need for an architect. If that's the cost that you say, I think that's a good price to pay to get a well designed house. A bunch of shit has started hitting me lately now that we're both graduating and she's on her way to become a pharmacist and I got a great job at a pharmaceutical company. We're not in college anymore...

 

[daishi5]

Hope you have a helmet ready...it faces Northeast. You make some interesting points but I don't really blame the builder. We looked at literally hundreds of floor plans...if not thousands online. We worked with a truely custom builder and a few others. The guy we went with we walked in with an idea of we wanted but then saw a book of others that he had done. This was the 2nd one we saw and my wife and I both looked at each other and said "that's the one". We just really liked how the floorplan was layed out. And the front elevation wasn't anything offensive to us. It was a safe look that played well with a lot of other construction in the area.

The builder met us at the lot and just to validate that there wouldn't be any issues with the layout/size/walkout/ect. He didn't pick the plan or the layout. We did based on layouts in previous homes and walkthroughs. We've always lived in "dense" neighborhoods so no second thought was given to windows or how things were set up. It's just what we've always known. And yes, a majority of his places that he's built are in a "McMansion" like tight lot line subdivision. He was happy to build on a lot that you could actually drive the equipment around the entire property.

If I was building a luxury home with a mountain view or overlooking something actually scenic I'd definitely give more thought to window placement and views...but it's just a house in a rural midwest subdivision. *shrug*

I don't think there is any place around here, where a window makes a house nicer.

 

[BoberFett]

Sweet looking layout vi, those bedrooms upstairs are huge. Congrats!

 

[JS80]

cool beans. i hope to get started on mine 2nd half of this year.

 

[vi edit]

Got the footings poured yesterday. But between the excavator coming & going and the cement truck pouring the footings we tore the hell out of the road. It got so warm so fast (from like low 20's over night lows to 40's) that the road got mushy under it. You can actually feel the road squish under your feet as you walk. Heavy equipment is just shreading to bits.

Road commish has shut us down for a couple weeks.

 

[skyking]

Yup that shit happens in the spring especially. The mechanical action draws the moisture up into the top layer.
We call that squishy feel 'pumping', and a big scraper can push a wave in soil a foot high ahead of the tires.
On the bright side your footings will get a chance to cure out and get stronger before they start messing with them again.

 

[cliftonite]

Hopefully under $350k. And that includes damn near $30k in well & septic. My well is going to be over $20,000. Probably looking at 450ft before I hit water. Bleh. I don't care if city people have a water bill....I'll have the 30 year mortgage paid off before I come out ahead ahead on water bills.

Are you going to use geothermal cooling/heating? I think the biggest cost of those systems is the need to drill and since you are already paying for that couldn't you leverage it for the HVAC as well?