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

[Aharami]

i guess you decided to go with radiant heating. but in case you're still considering dricore, look into system platon as a dricore alternative. http://www.systemplaton.com.
it is basically the dimpled plastic that is the same as the bottom layer of dricore. It comes in rolls. You roll it out and lay 4x8 OSB on top of it and it acts the same as dricore. Usually comes out to nearly half the price of dricore

 

[vi edit]

i guess you decided to go with radiant heating. but in case you're still considering dricore, look into system platon as a dricore alternative. http://www.systemplaton.com.
it is basically the dimpled plastic that is the same as the bottom layer of dricore. It comes in rolls. You roll it out and lay 4x8 OSB on top of it and it acts the same as dricore. Usually comes out to nearly half the price of dricore

Yeh, I saw that. I had a lot of internal debate on "to radiant or not to radiant". Finally decided to suck it up and do it. I'm going the easy/passive route and putting up a heat exchanger off my home water heater. Then letting the radiant heat suck off of that for the warming. I'm going to be VERY well insulated, doing it in a slab, and maybe under joist in my master bath which is tile. So I don't need boat loads of efficieny or BTU's to make it work well. I'm just going for a little bit more comfort rather than a total alternative to forced air heating.

I'll have about $750 in foam, $500 in tubing, $200 in mesh underlayment, and another $800 is misc parts when it's all said and done. So a touch over $2200 in total for the system. Long term it will probably be worth it over other options. Everyone that has radiant gushes over how nice it is.

 

[child of wonder]

Very nice! We built our first home back in 2006 but it was just a starter pad. We're moving into a nicer place now due to relocation but there's something special about have your own place built.

What state do you live in?

 

[StageLeft]

 

[vi edit]

4/30 Update:

Foundation is done. 2000 sq/ft of rigid foam is delivered, 1500 feet of 3/4" pex is delivered, and my mesh rebar is here. I'll be installing foam and laying down 1500 feet of tubing this weekend for my radiant floors. They'll come in and pour the floor on Tuesday. Then likely start framing on Wednesday.

Pretty wild how they insulate:
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...sxVvo45JLM9sFnBukQIW3HiIBfbb_6BA/IMG_4152.jpg

Basment pan:
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com..._UqfN25rB_OMJ7-duITyAPmeDGh1xx3w/IMG_4145.jpg

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...HSnMsgSIUhxRRT3bv-zD2aelJywO-zKg/IMG_4146.jpg

Can't have a picture without the dog in it
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...r-CEPW-Sc9J113NFnlowc0dvPkGp4iGA/IMG_4147.jpg

 

[boomerang]

Maybe my coffee hasn't kicked in yet, but why is the rear wall stepped like that? I'm assuming you're going to have a walkout back there. Is it just to conform to the topography and allow for a maximum amount of windows in the lower level?

Heh, why do I think I just answered my own question?

 

[skyking]

cool, I mean warm man! Pex is the shiz, that stuff is very tough.

 

[vi edit]

cool, I mean warm man! Pex is the shiz, that stuff is very tough.

And heavy. It was about 70 pounds per 500ft roll. I wasn't expecting a 210 pound pile of tubing on my front porch earlier this week.

 

[skyking]

Word of advice; lay it out where the sun can get on it, and wait till later in the day to work it. Keep it inside if it will get cold at night. It is a bastige to work cold.

 

[vi edit]

Supposed to be about 75 & sunny tomorrow. Will put it out in the AM and let it get warmed up. Should be nice and cooperative when I get to it later in the afternoon.

 

[vi edit]

Doesn't look like much...but here's almost 10 hours worth of work...
http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...I6R8XAvhHur92oXSLBxH8-gP_Of6il7f/IMG_4153.jpg

http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...jmA3NZNmEa2ONE6aEk1wLvrBkU_ILoZX/IMG_4154.jpg

Got all the foam down and taped. That's like amost 1/4 of a mile of tape down there.

 

[Oceandevi]

I've seen that. It looks initially like they are begging for an accident or clowning around but I guess it's common.

I see guys driving bobcats around on the back wheels. Dudes can all drive.

 

[ProfJohn]

ummm why didn't you use something like warmboard for the radiant heating??

Send them your plan and they sent you the pieces all ready to go, you just have to put in the pipes.

BTW I really wanted to do radiant heating, but South Carolina doesn't cold enough for it to be worth the extra $$

 

[vi edit]

ummm why didn't you use something like warmboard for the radiant heating??

My 1.5" foam is $11 a sheet and actually has an R-value and acts as a thermal break to decouple the ground from the slab.

Warm board is $175 a sheet, still requires the foam, and has no where the thermal mass as PEX in the concrete. This required 60 sheets. Do the math on that one.

WB is "ok" for floors that aren't slabs...but it's still almost prohibitively expensive.

 

[ProfJohn]

Ok, so it is foam and then concrete to act as the thermal mass?? Makes sense now, especially in a cold climate where you need much more heat.

One thing I know for sure is that forced air heating sucks. But again no one does it in South Carolina since it doesn't get that cold.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

One of my friends used to announce that he was going to "lay some pipe." He meant something entirely different than you, I'm afraid.

GL with the building.

 

[ussfletcher]

Insulated garage doors.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

I have a house going up too. Maybe I should post a thread.

 

[chipy]

congrats on the house... it's not done but it still looks amazing! are you doing everything youself or did you hire contractors for some parts? either way, congrats and i'd love to be able to do that one day.

 

[StageLeft]

It looks nice so far. I bet Mike Holmes would thoroughly approve.

 

[Born2bwire]

One of my friends used to announce that he was going to "lay some pipe." He meant something entirely different than you, I'm afraid.

GL with the building.

Can't have a picture without the dog in it
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...r-CEPW-Sc9J113NFnlowc0dvPkGp4iGA/IMG_4147.jpg

D:

 

[vi edit]

Radiant is done!

http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...NrEff1e917q1xHhIZnqjeHIRt7Fb0Rtu/IMG_4160.jpg

http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...8_48nbrYI6SeprK5mDo78BR6lJLX-9Rq/IMG_4162.jpg

The footings for the support poles made it a pain in the ass to keep straight.

How's that for cable management?
http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...knrhmW-AdxkPgSrs2x2F2j6bH76WLr5p/IMG_4158.jpg

 

[StageLeft]

Radiant is done!

http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...NrEff1e917q1xHhIZnqjeHIRt7Fb0Rtu/IMG_4160.jpg

http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...8_48nbrYI6SeprK5mDo78BR6lJLX-9Rq/IMG_4162.jpg

The footings for the support poles made it a pain in the ass to keep straight.

How's that for cable management?
http://whlv4w.bay.livefilestore.com...knrhmW-AdxkPgSrs2x2F2j6bH76WLr5p/IMG_4158.jpg

Stuff like that just makes me glad it's possible to pay people to do things. Looks like a wicked pita!

 

[Pegun]

There's a been a number of threads on here about how people shouldn't get custom built homes, the contractors never do what they say, it ends up costing more in the long run...I'm assuming you didn't have this problem Vi? Also, where's the house located out of curiosity?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Is that all one zone?