Who should have recognized the water table problem on a custom build?
pjderosa
5 years ago
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Drinking water problems (OT)
Comments (17)Hi Fruithack- WeÂre quite a bit off topic, but thatÂs cool with me, if itÂs cool with everyone else. Right... Radon will decay naturally in say a reservoir, and that's why people with city water don't usually have to worry about it. But, I think youÂd need a very big tank. The before and after testing I did on my water revealed that the filter removed 99.7% of the radon (43,000 --> 120 pCi/l). To get that type of reduction by natural decay would take about a month. (Radon half-life is about 3.8 days). Also, once youÂve pumped it up to your reservoir, the natural decay is done at atmospheric pressure so it can be vented. Thus, you need another pump to pump it back up to house pressure. (So, it may be easier on one pump, but you do need another pump) I guess if, in my case, I wanted to settle for the EPA limit of 10,000 pCi/l, IÂd need to hold it for just a bit more than a day. The average American uses 100 gallons of water per day, so for my family of 4, I figured IÂd need a 500 gallon tank. (In my mind IÂm visualizing this as nine 55 gallon drums.) And, that would barely get me to the EPA threshold. -Glenn Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.radon-water.com/...See MoreShould we build or remodel with an addition?
Comments (26)The plans are very very rough. First draft just to get an idea of layout, he even said we would probably move the Washer/dryer, toilet, sinks etc to fit our needs. It just to get an idea of how we could lay it out before he added all the details and to get an estimated price so we can make a decision. I agree with all of you, its not functional and it needs to be changed. We tried to maximize the views on the West side of the house with the living, dining, kitchen areas. We don't have a lot of stuff either. we do not need wall space. All we need is a bed and a closet, we have capsule wardrobes, we don't do TV, we don't need excess furniture. We spend our time outdoors, gardening and as a family. So we need a very functional mudroom that can be our catch all, be our winter potting room, house all of our summer produce so its not spread out in the kitchen, and be a place for homework. I'd say we are very different than many people who want to make sure they have space for all of their furniture and plenty of wall space for shelving and trinkets and curio cabinets etc. Thats just not us, to me that is just noise that stresses me out. I am hoping for an opinion from other minimalist minded people who can tell me that that A )this is too much space and we can do with less or B) that can help with layout). You all have talked me into just starting fresh with a new home. Even our architect recommended that. It becomes a problem when you can't get your husband on board. So if I can't, I need to rework this thing to the best of my abilities to make it work for us. I already mentioned to him that I am not interested in spending this much money on getting something that is not functional. I'd rather just keep it the way it is in that case. In my area, I do not think that $140 a sq ft is unreasonable. This is my neighbors house that just went up this summer. They ended up at $140 per the contractor and I would keep it more simple with roof pitches etc....See Morecustom vs semi custom build
Comments (15)For a spec home, the builder/developer typically writes their own generic list of specs and allowances for the project to build a plan that they have selected. This helps ensure they are able to control the building costs and process through their chosen team with as little input from the client as possible. A spec house builder proposes what they think you will want in the home and will usually make simple change order adjustments up or down based on your selections during the project. As a custom builder, I can tell you that simple process doesn’t cut it for most custom home building projects. Custom homes begin with the vision of the client and architect as a collaborative effort. The architect usually provides an extremely detailed set of building plans and an accompanying set of building specifications for each project. It’s best for the Owner to have selected their Builder early in the design process so that we may review the evolution of the project and suggest ways to control the budget. We have had a number of clients over the years who called in a panic after the plans were complete and they began receiving their first bids on the project from other builders that far exceeded the budget. They were painted into a corner without knowing how much the project would cost. Good architects help eliminate that problem early. Anyway, our job as a custom builder is to review all the plans and specs and develop a list of any problems we see that need to be addressed as well as evaluate the allowance values that are sometimes established by the architect during the bid process. Our job is to evaluate someone’s vision and assemble all of the details to make it happen. After a series of lengthy planning meetings between Owner and Builder before the contract is signed, we hash out as many potential selections, upgrades, value savings deducts as possible and then use the architects specs as a guideline to create our own contract set of specs for the owner. This process of getting to know the client is what defines most custom builders. The more we know about the client, what inspires them, their trigger points which may affect the project, the better. And when it comes time to build the home, every detail has to be perfect and the client owns your schedule until the home is done. We charge more because custom homes take up way more time than spec homes. As for allowances, we provide allowances for things like tile, flooring, cabinetry, countertops, appliances, water wells, etc. The appliance allowance includes a quote from our preferred vendor with all model numbers. When the time comes for the client to pick out certain products, they know the budget, and they are welcome to shop as many vendors as they wish. My time is included to help with coordination if they chose my preferred vendor. I charge extra for additional coordination time to evaluate multiple vendors because that process requires much more time. I hope this helps. Every builder has their own method that works for them. This is just how we approach the process. Best of luck!...See MoreNo inspection after custom home build?
Comments (14)I agree with the observation that all home inspector reports I've seen lately have pages and pages of boilerplate. I think this is for three reasons: 1) many things are pretty common from house to house; 2) it makes it easier to produce a superficially impressive document by pulling up standardized sections that are available in their report software; and 3) a lot of the language relates to enumerating all the things they didn't do or can't know (like take off the electrical panel cover to inspect the wiring, or inspect plumbing in the walls, or provide assurances that there are no insect infestations anywhere, etc.). I get this...they don't have X-ray vision, they don't want to take things apart, and they can't see hidden defects. The problem is that people think that a home inspector will ferret out most/all of a home's problems, when in fact many inspections are more limited than people realize. This is further underlined by the many disclaimers in most reports, and by a statement in most contracts that the maximum liability of the inspector is the cost of the inspection. I've had both good inspectors and those who knew less than I did...so I always approach these reports with a level of skepticism...See MoreVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agopjderosa thanked Virgil Carter Fine Artlittlebug zone 5 Missouri
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agopjderosa thanked littlebug zone 5 Missouripjderosa
5 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agopjderosa thanked Virgil Carter Fine ArtVirgil Carter Fine Art
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agopjderosa thanked Virgil Carter Fine ArtJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
5 years agopjderosa thanked Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractorpjderosa
5 years ago
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