Anyone built or building House Plan Zone Coronado aka 51753HZ?
Loni Carter
6 years ago
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Comments (18)
PROAnglophilia
6 years ago
PROMark Bischak, Architect
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Altering your plan AFTER you receive a building permit?
Comments (22)"If you are following the code then there is no reason that an inspector would argue with you ." There are numerous things the code does not cover explicitly (LVLs, I-joists, steel beams) that mist AHJs want to see a stamp for. "Nothing. No questions about the steel beams, I joists, giant LVLs, etc. Even after we starting making changes to correct engineering issues the inspector never asks to see the engineer's drawings. But they were totally stressed about the height of the railing on the second level (code calls for 36" and they wanted me to make it 42" even though code didn't require it, I said no)." I would put them in the incompetent category unless they are actually PEs and checked the work themselves (pretty rare). Many of the I-joist and LVL companies supply free stamped plans to encourage use of their products. A steel beam without at least a quick analysis is trouble waiting to happen....See MoreList of Home Building Decisions? Next Steps?
Comments (23)All good feedback but if your heart is set on new then focus, learn and be prepared for mistakes. Personally I prefer older homes. I like the charm and character(aka flaws) an older home frequently offers. I am a commercial, high-rise demolition contractor and perform all of my renovations myself, so much as I can. I can't stand the residential contracting business. There's way too many "deadbeats" including an relative of mine. I haven't taken on the challenge your about to but I can offer some advise from a contractor's perspective. Many contractor's take on more than they can handle, It's the nature of the business. They rarely hit deadlines and will drag out your build while focusing on another project that is further behind schedule, or has a higher profit margin. Your best leverage is money. Negotiate into your contract(s) that you will not pay in advance for ANYTHING. If the contractor refuses to fund the purchase of materials then you should get the invoice from the supplier and issue a check to the supplier. You should be provided a Schedule of Values(SOV) upon selection of a contractor. This SOV is how you determine what is completed and how much the contractor is entitled to be paid. Be careful, many contractors will "front-load" the SOV to get most of their profit out in the 1st few tasks. For example, they will over-price the excavation, which is usually the easiest task so if the relationship sours, or you lose your financing, or whatever, he has made his money before anything happens. This is when ALL leverage is lost. It's also wise to negotiate that you will withhold "retainage". This is typically 10% of all progress payments and is intended to be your assurance that the work will get done properly, any damages will be fixed, all vendors will be paid and not lien your home. It will also give you time to see the little details that may be done poorly that need to be re-done. You WILL miss the little details from time to time. Upon 100% completion you will walk the entire home, flip every switch, test every outlet, flush each toilet, open & close each door and decide if you are satisfied. When satisfied and provided proper lien releases you can release the retainage. A "good" contractor will not be afraid to accept those terms. A "less than reliable" contractor likely will not. If you have little or no experience with contracting, building, etc. you would be wise to hire the architect or someone with the experience to manage this stuff for you or at least consult with you periodically to assist. Some contractors have mastered the art of the "change order". Fending this off is where someone with experience will help greatly. Things will come up that will cost the contractor additional money, you need to understand why it should cost YOU extra money before you agree to pay. For example, you choose a stove that requires 220 rather than 110 but the drawings show a 110 service in this location. This you pay for. While excavating they find bedrock that needs to be chopped out. This too you pay for unless the contractor was provided geotechnical reports showing the rock elevations. If the contractor has to reframe a floor to accommodate the toilet flange, this should not be your problem. Contractors will frequently use bully tactics to get their way. They will yell and berate unsuspecting homeowners to get paid when they are not entitled or to get the client to agree to pay for extra work which was really a result of their poor planning. Don't fall victim to these tactics. Your money is your money and not theirs. A friend used to just pay anytime a contractor claimed it was legit. After I yelled at him and explained he was being "taken" he let his wife handle it and they found that pushing back and not being accepting saved them thousands. Also remember, this is YOUR house and YOUR project, not theirs. If you don't like the way something is coming out, tell them to stop. Notify them in writing to stop, take pictures(MANY pictures) and document everything. If you tell them to stop installing the kitchen cabinets but they do so anyway, then when they request a change order for dismantling them and rehanging them you can reject it. It's YOUR house, it should be done to your satisfaction, not theirs. Moral of my long story... YOUR money is your only leverage. The more you hold back the more satisfaction your likely to get. Contractors can't be profitable if they cant get paid. Good luck....See MoreNewly built house... A/C running all the time to keep cool??
Comments (113)I mentioned way up thread that you should talk to friends or your real estate agent and ask for the name of an a/c company that they trust. Explain your situation and have them come out and do an inspection. It could be a very simple fix, like a duct tear. You are more likely to get someone to come out now when it is slow than in the dead of summer. Don't go into a long complicated explanation. Just say you feel like the a/c is not working properly, the builder is ignoring calls, will you come out and do inspection? If the a/c inspection finds a more complicated issue then take some photos and you will have ammo against the builder....See MoreCustom Home Plan Review Please!
Comments (45)First this is overall a nice house plan. Congrats! I think ODD had a very good thought and it would be a combo of what Mrs Pete suggested and she suggested. This photo below is not a true divider but imagine if it was placed as Mrs Pete suggested to give yourself an entry. On the entry side is a bench with the windows (as ODD suggested) above it. The look can of course be made more rustic, more contemporary, etc depending on your style of decorating but the overall idea is a good one.Here is another example using just a niche instead, but again, what if it were a bench in the niche? The divider wall doesn't go to the ceiling (although it could), has an opening to show you briefly what is beyond and creates a welcoming entry. On either side of the divider wall would be an entry into the living room. Here is another idea to break up the entry with peak-a-boo looks around. However it's not as welcoming IMO as the above two. Again notice how the wall doesn't extend to the ceiling. However again, i think the first two versions are more welcoming in the sense that they create better architectural interest. Another idea is to put panels or bookshelf dividers on the sides to break up the space so again you don't feel like you're immediately walking into the space. However, I personally feel the ideas above are better as it creates a real sense of entry. Here's a few ideas but there are hundreds of ways this could be achieved. Maybe even with glass pocket doors? Question: Which wall in the master are you planning on putting your bed on? Do you want windows on a second wall in bedrooms 2 and 3 to catch cross breezes? I would suggest flipping the bathroom next to bedroom 3 so the toilet and sink are on the west wall and not the east wall. This is so if there is a couple is sleeping in bedroom 3, one won't be woken by the toilet flushing in the middle of the night. I would also consider a high fixed window over the tub. Make it high enough so water doesn't spray and folks on the patio can't see in. I say this so you can get some natural light into the bathroom. I would highly recommend you vetting your kitchen in the kitchen forum. That corner pantry would be a no go in my book for lots of reasons, plus the flow of the kitchen could be so much better with small tweaks. (Why is it that architects tend to be bad at kitchen design?) Make sure the master toilet door either swings out, or swings both ways. I have a door leading to my lanai in my master bedroom and while I'm not living there yet, I love how it opens up the space to the backyard. You might want to consider Mrs Pete's idea to add a door out the back. On the front porch, I would keep all the columns the same. While I like the design detail in the front porch gable, I don't like it repeated in the rear gable because in the rear it will be competing visually with the fireplace chimney....See More
cpartist
6 years agoLoni Carter
6 years ago
One Devoted Dame
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
PROSummit Studio Architects
6 years agoLoni Carter
6 years agoLoni Carter
6 years ago- PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
6 years ago Loni Carter
6 years ago
Amy Gonzalez
6 years ago
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