Building a home and keeping workers happy
aziline
5 years ago
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Anyone build(ing) a 'New Old House'?
Comments (43)It was so much fun to read about everyone's paths to a "new old house." We are finishing our build in the next month, and I was very inspired by the concept of the new old house. For me, it was about capturing the classic proportions of old houses, rather than attempting to replicate them. For us, budget was a major concern, so I could not afford all of the materials that a true Versace-approved new old house would require. Instead, we focused on not making the mistakes that poorly done "new old houses" seem to really suffer from, like wrong roofing, wrong windows, etc. In some ways, it is just as important to focus on what NOT to do as it is to think about what TO do. I used two books, in addition to Versace's and lots of books of historic homes from our area, that gave detailed information about construction patterns. One is "Traditional Construction Patterns" but I can't recall the other right now. They are both on Amazon. (And I probably reviewed them there.) What they did was teach me what the obvious markers are of a poorly-done traditional construction...they are the things that - once you can recognize them - make the house obviously "wrong." By adhering to traditional construction practices and using new materials, we were able to avoid some of the mistakes that we would have inevitably made attempting to build a "new old house" on a budget. The homes in Versace's book and portfolio are gorgeous, but totally out of our reach. And, as other have suggested, really studying the home in the area helped me immensely. I paid attention to the size and placement of windows and doors, shape of window lights and number, trim details, porch raining profiles, etc. I was really obsessed! Good luck on your design and build. This is such an exciting process....See MoreAre you happy with the SIZE of the home you built? building?
Comments (62)We think we made the perfect decision. We really have two houses under one roof: our living quarters and a guest "house" with separate entrance. There are just the two of us and our living quarters are about 1800 Sq Ft, all on one level: great room, master suite, study with loft (where our younger grand kids who can't stay in the guest house can sleep over), good size kitchen/pantry (and, of course, my wine cellar). The guest house is about 1600 square feet: 2 storey, 2 BR/2BA, office area (for when we retire), family room with kitchen (no cooking, but everything for a party). It works perfectly for us. When we have guests, they have their own spaces. When we have parties, we can open up our great room and the guest area family room -- they open onto a deck and pool. When we don't have guests and we aren't having a party, we close up the guest area live in our 1800 foot apartment. It saves cleaning and energy. And if there ever comes a time when one or both of us will need a caretaker, the upper floor of the guest house will become a caretaker's residence....See MoreBuild a Garage Apt to live in while building home?
Comments (22)Hi all, Just wanted to chime in on this thread. I am starting my 3rd self-built home project. (Yes, I need to have my head examined) I run a remodeling company so it's not completely insane. Previous comments about kitchens and baths being core expenses are right on the money--- so to speak. They are expensive. Building one in an apartment and then a new one in your finished house is really shooting yourself in the foot. Try this instead. Build with the foot print of a 3 car garage, say 38 x 25, but only utilize the space a two car garage would generally take up as garage space--- 25x25. Use the 25x10 part to put your permanent stair, a foyer and your permanent kitchen in. Now you can think of the space over the garage as a second story of your finished home. You can get 2-3 bed rooms and a bonus out of the space with a hall bath. Unless you really need an apartment this approach can save a bunch of cash. Someone was asking about standing seam metal roofing. If you use the commercial folks you see on TV expect to be asked to pay $65 a square foot. I had one come out and give me a quote just to check it out. It was a real manipulative "hard sell" with all these "bonuses" and "programs" available "if you sign today." Be very careful. No matter how you slice it it's a rip. Either HD or Lowes will special order metal roofing for you. Its's not hard to install. (Be careful, wear sneakers and don't bend down on your knees, it is really slick.) If this is your forever house, install 40 year architectural asphalt. It looks nice and will likely outlive me. Good Luck and Be careful out there! Bruce...See MoreKeeping something from the teardown to keep the ghosts happy?
Comments (17)Ok, so here is a real ghost who was mad at the owner story my friend told me. She and her husband and kids live in a pretty old house. It's at least 100 years old but could be older. They know there is a presence in the house who throws toys and laundry around the basement (crazy stories). Other people in town who looked at the house while it was on the market have also said that there was a feeling that they were not welcome in the basement. My friend was at a party one time and received a call a few days later from another party guest. He then went on to tell her that there was a ghost/presence with her at the party. He then went on to say that the ghost wants "the brick put back". He actually accurately described her house layout and led her to the back wall of the house where they had recently ripped out the brick patio on the other side of the wall. I guess the ghost wasn't happy even though they had meticulously preserved most of the original details of the house....See MoreJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
5 years agoaziline thanked Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractoraziline
5 years agosuedonim75
5 years ago
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