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Recommended reading for first time owner/builder?

14 years ago

For those of you who were/are owner/builders, did you have any particular favorite research books on the subject?

TIA,

Ann

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Comments (6)

macv
14 years ago
How much of the work will you be doing yourself or with your own forces?
energy_rater_la
14 years ago
www.buildingscience.com
look for your location as there are climate differences
in different locations. read the info on your area and bookmark the site.
best of luck.
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Dojey - don't be embarrassed, I think sometimes that we can become so accustomed to having our homes in a state of disruption and dysfunction that we forget how we used to cook and have real food in the house. I think that happened to us last time. We still have not reverted back to getting into cooking everyday, and it has been two and a half years since we got the kitchen back functioning. Sometimes renovation just sits and we do other things instead. I still have one kitchen cabinet door to sand and stain. Out of 30 doors and 20 drawer fronts, I missed one. Turns out it was sitting at my carpenter's shop. Two summers I have not gotten it done. THIS summer, I am going to do it. And I will sand and re-stain old trim and install it, too. I used a re-used kitchen in my remodel. I like your plan. The work area is big enough to not feel cramped. You have the island to "defend" your space from interlopers, you have extra space on the right side of the stove, and you have LOTS of storage. The horizontal upper cabs are nice and modern. In my first kitchen remodel, in 2003, I had 6 running feet of 8 ft. tall pantry cabinets. They were just cabinets with shelves, no pull-outs. We only had room for 12 inch deep cabs, and they worked fine. I did have room at the end for a utility cab, and it was 2 ft deep. It held the vacuum cleaner and other cleaning supplies. In my experience, a 2 ft deep cabinet that is just shelving is TOO deep for storing foodstuffs. Cans and boxes will get lost. Your cabs by the garage look like they might be that deep, so I wanted to warn you. If you use pull-outs for food, that deep is good. Deep cabs are good for appliances, but not for food. My current home had a horrendous 40" deep by 30" wide pantry cab. I had to stack foodstuffs on stair-step shelves along the sidewalls, put anything in the middle in baskets, and use a grabber to pull baskets to the front to get things. It was one of the reasons we remodeled. They should make the builders who create such stupid designs live in them before they sell them to an unsuspecting public! Welcome back. Are you feeling excited to get working on your new kitchen?
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macv
14 years ago
Are you going to design the house as well as act as the GC? Who will produce the documents? How much work will you direct or perform yourself? Your question covers far too much territory to give you a concise answer.
spacific
Original Author
14 years ago
Sorry about that macv. We were out most the day. The project is a garage with a studio apartment above it. We live in the main house on the property and I work from home, so I will be on site every day. I will be drawing the rough layout and sketches. My FIL is a professor of architecture and will oversee my design, but we will hire a draftsperson to produce the working drawings, one we have worked with before for on an extensive remodel/addition to our main house.

As for the work that will be done by us, my DH will do all the electrical work. We have subs we have hired before and work well with for plumbing, finish carpentry and flooring.
We're both willing to do alot of sweat equity, but are not skilled tradespersons. I have extensive experience in project management, but not of home construction.

Thanks energy rater la. I forgot to mention websites as well.
macv
14 years ago
I would buy a copy of the zoning code, the building code and any amendments rather than looking it up online. Read then carefully because you are the only person responsible for meeting those laws and your FIL and draftsman might not be familiar with them. These documents are frequently misquoted even by so-called experts so find the answers yourself and mark the pages. You will be responsible for quality control on the project not the subs or the building inspector.

The book linked below may be helpful. It assumes you know nothing but it is comprehensive and cheap.

Here is a link that might be useful: book
spacific
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks macv. Good idea about the code books. I was back and forth online so much just to get everything correct re: zoning, setbacks, parking spaces required, height restrictions, etc. I haven't even started on the building codes. And based on past remodeling experience, the answers from the building inspectors can vary wildly.

The book you suggested looks like the right place to start for my current level of knowledge. Thanks.

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