New Construction (Cookie Cutter Builder) not sure how much we can do?
Ryan Vallow
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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heatheron40
6 years agomy_four_sons
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Would you buy a lot in a neighborhood of cookie cutters?
Comments (13)Thanks Greg yes it was a joke. My parents have a house in a quiet neighborhood of small ranches and story and a halfs built in the early '60s. It is a blue collar neighborhood and can see the different 'templates' the builders used. I remember one time when one of my dad's best friends (who lives in a beautiful custom home on acreage just outside of the city) said to my dad "I could barely find your house because they all look alike." That has stuck with me so I was also being serious. We will build in a few years on a farm though, and I would think if you're going through the trouble you would want the area around your house perfect as can be. Even though DH and I have been together for 14 years he still has trouble remembering which house is my parent's house. Although that may be for different reasons. ;)...See More2 zone system in new construction..do it now or can do it later?
Comments (7)After some long discussions with York reps and with Honeywell (who does the zoning equipment), I think (if the HVAC guy doesn't come down on price) I may have them run 2 trunks in the basement, and feed the appropriate ducts into each. i.e. have all the 1st floor ducts go into the trunk for the 1st floor and the 2nd floor ducts into the trunk for the 2nd floor. Then have them put in a manual damper near the beginning of each trunk, and have them run a thermostat wire upstairs for future use. I can't imagine this would be much more work than what they're planning on doing anyway. Remember the main plenum/trunk isn't even run yet. That way I can go the first year and see how bad the temp differential is between floors. And I could simply manually adjust the dampers each season (likely close off the 1st floor by a certain percentage) so that more or less air flow goes where I need it. If it doesn't work out, or if it does but my manual adjusting is too much work, I can do the zoning in the future without too much more cost, since the trunks are already done. I figure at that point, they'd just have to add the zoning panel, hook up the 2nd floor thermostat, add the auto dampers etc. And at that point, I could at least have some other HVAC guys come in and get some competition and different ideas. Thoughts on this approach?...See MoreCounter top help for this cookie cutter kitchen..(pics)
Comments (15)Yea, the counters aren't in bad shape at all. Except there's some water damage around that wood trim. Which is also the part I hate the most. That trim! And with wanting to paint the cabs white, I can't leave that and I don't like the look of that part painted, either. You know how you walk in the room, and something just stands out and as eye sore, making you not like the entire room. That's what these counters do for me. I really wouldn't mind the kitchen at all, if it weren't for those. Heck..I'd probably not even paint the cabs, (a whole other fear there). But, the green with the red paint kills me. If we don't get them done in the next six months, we're painting the kitchen again. Just to get rid of the red and green. It's funny, one of the reasons we bought this house a yr ago over some of the others, was because of the counters. I was so sick of seeing the same granite everywhere, this was a nice change. I think if I could go to a granite yard, pick out a beautiful slab I'd consider doing granite. But, I'm really just tired of seeing it in every single house I go to. High end homes, to middle of the road ones like mine. I have no choice but to do something cheaper, from a box store. And I just can't see doing the thin, little granite slabs all the builders and flippers do around here....See MoreHow to add curb appeal to a Florida Cookie Cutter Home
Comments (5)I might consider upgrading the garage door to something more decorative with windows and maybe a pair of large handles in the center, and doing something with the driveway (stain or stamping if the neighbors do it) and/or hardscape curves (pavers?) between the driveway and the door. Then I would try to think of something to put below the windows: extra trim or window boxes? I don't know. The whole left side of the pic feels blank. I know this all sounds expensive. Keep thinking about it and researching it and eventually you'll come up with some ideas that may be more cost effective. You may want to hire a designer before you invest too much. You could also line the driveway with plants and flowers. Think about ways to introduce curves. Paths and plants and paint. Can you put a flower bed around the mailbox? I love to see flowers around a mailbox. A paver seating area in front of the windows? Would you use that? It might be nice surrounded by shrubs. So many directions you could go in. Take your time....See MoreRyan Vallow
6 years agoRyan Vallow
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