We started our build with Diyanni March 2021, framing good went well, drywall installation went well too We started seeing problems with our skill trades/sub contractors. Our color selection was wrong (inverted), when I attempted to ask them the response was, well you looked at the color sheet and there is nothing we can do about it. The estimated time to move in was so far off (we were told the house would be completed somewhere between the 2nd week to the end of September) so with that estimate, we sold our home and then paid the increase in price after signing the original contract agreement (YES, the price increase 15K after we begun construction), and we opted to stay in a rental for the month. The month turned into 2.5 months and we didn’t get the keys to the house until october 31. And even then we recieved a temporary permit. It was a complete and utter mess. The plumbers didn’t hook up our suppump and our basement took in water and the electrician( nice guy) has been the hardest to get a hold of to complete the extra’s we paid him for. So while new construction will have it’s share of problems, when you are dealing with sub contractors that you don’t get a chance to vett, there is little accountablity without your PM or the people who hired them keeping watch that the product is done correctly. So a word of caution for ANY builder who doesn’t do everything themselves with employees. I will add that we also had Jeff H on our project and while he was very busy, and he dropped the ball sometimes, he did try his best to recetify things. Was he the best ever, no…but he did try to have empathy and just flat out told us some of our issues were due to COVID, material shortage and just finding people who will work. I would hire Jeff again, but I would make sure to stay in constant communication as he doesn’t like buildertrend, which I use to document every issues in case of legal ramifications.

Look at Hydroment's Ultraset. It's a trowel-on membrane. An excellent adhesive, a moisture barrier, and a crack isolation barrier all in one. For the areas that will have RFH, you can use the Ultraset as an adhesive to set something like Cerazorb, a synthetic cork. Some folks do use 1/4" or 6mm thick true cork on the slab to act as a thermal break, just make sure it's not a low-density cork and that it's recommended for that purpose. There are RFH websites that sell a proper cork product. The RFH can then go over the Cerazorb/cork. OR you can use the Ultraset to adhere RPM mats (or equivalent) to the slab and install your RFH over that. RPM mats will act as a therma break, even though they have a negligible R-value. RPM mats are lugged mats, the lugs act as anchors for weaving RFH wire. While the RPM mat has little R-value, cork on the other hand has an R-value of about R3, so you'd get roughly R 0.75 from a roll of 1/4" cork. In the areas that won't get RFH, you can use Ultraset to adhere 1/4" cork/Cerazorb to the slab, then install a floating engineered flooring over the cork. 1/4" thick Wedi board can also be used instead of cork/Cerazorb, etc. All those are low-profile options. You'll get a bit of a thermal break but very little improvement in R-value. If you want more R-value, look at sheets of XPS. XPS comes in 4' by 8' sheets and is about R5 per inch. As you can see there are numerous ways to get this done. Some products have certain advantages over others.

We carpeted the office and rec room on our slab basement and love it. I would not have been brave enough to do that without the reassurances of my architect who has a lot of experience in the greater Baltimore area. No regrets on the carpet since 2006; we run the Roomba once a week and the carpet has stayed dry, soft, and clean. We also have wood-look laminate in the exercise area and ceramic tile in the kitchnette/bathroom. We do get significant water around the French drains in to the sump pump when it rains so we have both battery backup and an automatic standby generator for the house (including sump pump) to be sure that the basement does not flood when the power goes out.

We went with Roy Schlabach after interviewing about 20 different builders and am damn glad we did. He builds in all price ranges, from $100,000 to over a million. We got amazing Amish quality, high end finishes, great design advice, and with all this, he came in UNDER budget and ahead of schedule. I can't recommend him more highly. What he says he'll deliver, he delivers. He and his site foreman have stayed in touch with us and every now and then, we get a call asking if everything is still good and if we're still happy with everything. Amish builders are not cheap, but they are worth every dime in the long run. We have a very long driveway on 8 acres in the country and our mailbox is at the road. Our house sits on a little rise above a big lawn and a meadow area that we keep "wild" for the wildflowers and as a natural area for wildlife. When I walk down to get the mail, I've had people pull up and tell me our house is stunning and ask who built it. It's far from a million dollar house, but I feel like we have million dollar house quality. If I was building again, Roy Schlabach is the only builder I would call.