Joe, as others have said, you have been furnished a "list of features", not a construction specification. Such lists may often be as misleading and confusing for what they omit as for what they claim to proscribe. The language of your construction contract will determine the extent to which your "features" list governs and is binding, including recourse (if any) for errors, omissions and disagreements. For examples of construction specifications, visit the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). Here's the Wiki definition for "Specification--Technical Standard". A key element of a legitimate specification is its three parts for each and every area of Work--General, Products and Execution: Construction specifications in North America Specifications in North America form part of the contract documents that accompany and govern the construction of a building. The guiding master document is the latest edition of MasterFormat. It is a consensus document that is jointly sponsored by two professional organisations: Construction Specifications Canada and Construction Specifications Institute. While there is a tendency to believe that "Specs overrule Drawings" in the event of discrepancies between the text document and the drawings, the actual intent��"made explicit in the contract between the Owner and the Contractor��"is for the drawings and specifications to be complementary, together providing the information required for a complete facility. The Specifications fall into 50 Divisions, or broad categories of work results involved in construction. The Divisions are subdivided into Sections, each one addressing a narrow scope of the construction work. For instance, firestopping is addressed in Section 078400 - Firestopping. It forms part of Division 07, which is Thermal and Moisture Protection. Division 07 also addresses building envelope and fireproofing work. Each Section is subdivided into three distinct Parts: "General", "Products" and "Execution". The MasterFormat system can be successfully applied to residential, commercial, civil, and industrial construction. Specifications can be either "performance-based", whereby the specifier restricts the text to stating the performance that must be achieved by the completed work, or "prescriptive", whereby the specifier indicates specific products, vendors and even contractors that are acceptable for each workscope. Most construction specifications are a combination of performance-based and prescriptive types, naming acceptable manufacturers and products while also specifying certain standards and design criteria that must be met. While North American specifications are usually restricted to broad descriptions of the work, European ones can include actual work quantities, including such things as area of drywall to be built in square metres, like a bill of materials. This type of specification is a collaborative effort between a specwriter and a quantity surveyor. This approach is unusual in North America, where each bidder performs a quantity survey on the basis of both drawings and specifications. Although specifications are usually issued by the architect's office, specwriting itself is undertaken by the architect and the various engineers or by specialist specwriters. Specwriting is often a distinct professional trade, with professional certifications such as "Certified Construction Specifier" (CCS) through the professional organizations noted above. Specwriters are either employees of or sub-contractors to architects, engineers, or construction management companies. Specwriters frequently meet with manufacturers of building materials who seek to have their products specified on upcoming construction projects so that contractors can include their products in the estimates leading to their proposals. Good luck on your project.

Your purchase should be conditional on inspection up to the day of closing. Keep an eye out for four-legged critters too! These kind of deals are showing up north of the 48th too. See the following home near us. Just $1,749,000 for partially completed 9,500 sf. custom home in top neighbourhood. (39 Harrison Road, Toronto) FWIW, this home is built on the foundation of the prior exact home that was fully completed, sat empty for a year then burned down while vacant. So be sure to go over any offering in this category with extreme care! torontofirepics.com

The up front cost of our geo system was about $18k, A-Z - including re-landscaping; that was 7-years ago. It was maybe $8k -$10k more than a conventional system. However IâÂÂm sure we have already seen our payback. In retrospect I would certainly do it again - even at todayâÂÂs higher installation costs. The major difference in cost between a conventional system and a geothermal system is the ground loop. Your 1st costs of any system will be always be the lowest. These costs can be further reduced in new construction by planning to have the borehole(s) drilled within the envelope of the foundation right where the mechanical room is planned - before the slab is poured. That way your project will not require digging & trenching, insulated runouts etc.. I canâÂÂt understand why air-source heat pumps are not common for your climate as itâÂÂs not any colder than ours. Air-source heat pumps are very common here and are set to cut out at ~10ðF. However, your electrical rates are indeed higher. Keep in mind that even with your electrical rate of ~15â/kW and a 4-COP, with a geothermal HP, the cost per kW of heat delivered into your house would be ~3.75â/kW. Regarding the use of heat strips, remember that a 15kW heat strip can be staged so that not all 15kW come on at once, particularly if theyâÂÂre not all needed. Be sure to have ductwork that is properly designed and installed for the cfm required. Now would be the time to consider zoning, if it may be required. If your house will be tight and requires an HRV be sure to calculate some additional heat loss because of the HRV. If you choose an air-source HP and want to âÂÂup-sizeâ then perhaps choose a 2-stage HP and definitely a variable speed air-handler or furnace. Tigerdunes suggestion of a gas fireplace is an excellent suggestion since you plan to have propane anyway, but you still need a plan (plenum heater) in case you run out of propane. SR

Jackie, You started in the right place. Ask questions on this board. There are a lot of resources available from the experts and those who have been on both sides of the hammer. We will tell you when it's something to really worry about. Respect is a two way street. Hire the best people that you can find. Let them do their job. Monitor what they do. Question things if you don't understand them. Ask if there is an alternate way of doing things. Be flexible. Trust, but verify. Understand that the really good professionals are always busy, but never too busy to answer a sincere question. If something doesn't seem right, ask about it. Don't be afraid to ask why? Question every one of your decisions by asking if there is a better way to complete something? When you are asked to make a decision, give it quickly and decisively. If you don't know the answer, tell them you don't know or don't understand. If you encounter something that you don't like, and you will, talk about it with the GC. Let your GC handle the subs. It's his job to yell at them, not yours. That's what they get paid to do. The GC gets paid to answer to your satisfaction unlimited questions. Try not to bother the subs too much. Always be friendly. A sense of humor will go a long way to get through this process.