Building first home

Keep in mind how much Hydro has and is slated to go up when you choose your heating system . The heat pump / hydronic set up is efficient .

Your R values are the same as here

 

I meant , here wood is a completely viable option , we don't get the blazing heat that ruins it

 

I was wondering how that would work. House next door has done that. I was planning on paving a lane next to the house for access to the yard and extra parking. Could move it to the other side though.

 

The beach house was on my "builder bucket list" for decades.

It was a blast to build. A real carpenters build, and took every skill I had.

The project had literally thousands of man hours and over 100K in carpentry labor alone.

It has REAL standing seam roofing...REAL field finished pine floors...2x12 floor framing...2x6 walls...2x8 rafters...bla...bla...bla...built like a battle ship.

Inside & out, the home is a true gem...and sold only days from listing to an all cash buyer who is OCD and had been looking in our area for 3 years with a top broker.

 

Even just running a belly band across above the garage doors at the facia line of the two sides and changing to sidewall shingles in the gable end would break up that facade

 

I built my first house in 2007 (still live there because I'm stuck BAAHHH!) Once you build your own house, you will always want to build. My next house will either be a full gut renovation or I'll build another new house.

Wire every room you can think of for AV (audio video) before the drywall is done.

Use recessed lights wherever possible. I have converted and added over 20 recessed lights throughout my house to replace the builder grade stuff. I didn't opt to upgrade when it was being built because the builder wanted $50 per light to upgrade. Recessed lights are cheap in bulk. I've been buying them over the years when they go on clearance usually for $50 a 6 pack (with baffles)

As someone else said, go with at least 9' ceilings minimum.

Run two 20 amp circuits in your garage for receptacles and have receptacles on every wall. I had to add an additional circuit to my garage after the fact because it completely slipped my mind when the house was being built that there was only 2 receptacles and a 15amp circuit in there.

One alternative to the vinyl trim suggested which still requires paint but doesn't rot is the composite PVC stuff that's paintable. I used it for all of the trim on my screened porch. It was about twice the price of wood but I don't ever have to worry about it rotting, It looks just like wood (simulated grain), and it takes paint really well (pre-primed)

Another vote for Fiber Cement siding here. I have it on my house.

 

possibly.

however heat is not the only thing that ages wood.

actually it's the changes in temps and the expansion/contraction...absorption and drying of moisture, that decays most wood siding & trim.

this ^^^ is what makes Hardie work so well. It's lack of above noted also keeps the paint longer.

The beach house above, is covered in Hardie...built in 2008/2009...across the street from the beach...in one of THE most hostile environments a home can live in...

Place looks like new today.

 

Oh just remembered one thing. Go with a 16' wide garage door if you aren't already. We had the option of two seperate doors or one 16' door. I opted for the 16' and I love it. My neighbors who got the double doors hate them.

 

All valid points .

Here we tend to use semi transparent stain over cedar rather than paint

 

I don't know man...

I've done it so long...I believe I have finally hit a brick wall (no pun intended). however, I have made a VERY good living at it. Especially in the 80's & 90's.

sure glad I saved some of it.

I'm old...tired...and may have had enough. Plus, the trades are not what they used to be...and I'm tired of baby-sitting unskilled fools (and I'm paying top dollar for the best subs in the area)

 

Yeah. And that is probably cheaper which is a plus. Hoping the build comes in around 220k so I end up with some good equity right of the start.

 

agreed

I also go with an 8 foot tall door. It will require 9 or 10 foot walls (depending on overhang size and style)

I'm using 8-footers on both my house garage and my shop garage.

 

Love me some Cedar & trans stain...

just not in Florida.

 

16 foot door is a must. The taco will likely never see the interior but two doors seems I waste the space in the centre.

I love The look of semi transparent stain on cedar. And it seems to have a pretty long life before restaining is required. Also planning on river rock along the bottom section. Maybe even around the fireplace as well.

 

... ^^^ ... Ditto on above and "4" or 6" wide window wrap adhesive" on all outside openings.

You can buiid the same house 1000 times and still come up with "I shoulda done that" ...
.

 

Exactly, When I want to work on the truck I can just pull it right in the middle and have plenty of room on each side. Also, make the garage at least 20 ft deep. Mine is only 19' deep and 18' wide and I can barely fit my DC SB in there with my work bench in front. When I built the house, I was driving a Honda Accord so I didn't really think about that. The new builder in our subdivision is making the garages 20X20 now standard...I'm jealous.

 

My house garage is 24 X 26

Shop is 26 x 36

A garage is never large enough.

 

FACT

 

If you use Tyvek house-wrap...use the Tyvek tape around the window flanges. nothing sticks to Tyvek like Tyvek tape.

The "window wrap" like MFM brand is good, but you need to staple it to the wall unless you apply it right before the window trim, or it will come off in some weather conditions.

I used both

 

By all means make garages as big as you can. When we built Mom and Dad's place they couldn't afford a garage but Dad and I and another teacher later built a 28' X 28' one that works well for two cars. Dad used to use it for a shop too but got tired of moving tools and cars around so had a 32' X 72' shop put in next door.

It was in '79 when we built this house but the initial cost (including full basement and two lots) was only $36,000. However, a good much of the house is an old church that Dad got cheap for tearing it down and hauling it away and, of course, labor was free.

Might I suggest having a crew come pour your basement. We did everything else, including plumbing, electrical and outside concrete work but pouring a good, leak-free basement is not one of my skills, then or now.

Also, though cedar siding looks nice, it's a pain to have to re-seal it every three years. You can't see it in the pictures but Dad built all nine of the houses on the next block too and had every one bricked -- brick houses are much less maintenance intensive.

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