Before I answer your second question I need to make a correction to my previous post. I previously stated that you would install a "PVC female thread adapter" into the copper fitting. Shame on me! The copper fitting you described is a cleanout therefore it is obvious that you would install a "PVC male thread adapter" screwed into the copper female threads, not to mention the fact that code expressly prohibits using any "PVC female thread adapters" without exception. Now for your question about running a vent in an outside wall cavity. There is nothing in the code that would prevent you from doing so, however, if you do find it necessary to run the vent in an outside wall in a cold region I would suggest you make the vent line a minimum of 2" to help prevent frost closure. Also, when insulating the wall, place insulation between the pipe and the exterior sheeting, but no insulation of the interior side of the pipe. The will allow a bit of heat to migrate through the interior wall and keep the pipe warm enough to prevent frost closure. Code also requires that in regions subject to frost closure all vents must be increased to 3" diameter at least 12" inside the structure before passing through the roof. The 12" is fine for older homes that had little to no insulation in the attic space, but with the state of the art trends to place thick insulation in the attic space I prefer to increase the line to 3" as soon as it passing through the top floor ceiling into the attic space. If your running the vent in an outside wall there is one code issue you should be aware of. The code says we cannot terminate a vent within 10 horizontal of the property line. Here again, this is generally a non-issue today because most jurisdictions require a 10' setback from the property line, but in some areas where houses are very close together, of where a house is built very close to the property line we must keep this rule in mind.

Rocky, for the time being we will use our architect's plans. Our plans are not currently final but I think that our house will be quite close to our current plans. So it will be a custom home and the modular builder's price reflects that. Our plans have a lot of features that I would want (considering the $$'s that we are spending) -- such as a formal entry area, and it's hard for us to find stock plans that offer all this anyway. That said, I would highly recommend going through stock plans first to check if they have what you are looking for, and if needed, make minimal modifications to them. That would save design costs for you. Just my 2c. And shop, shop shop! We had one of the contractors who told us that painting alone may cost 40K and considering that it "shows", we should get a good quality painter, even though it's expensive. I agree in principle, but I found someone who has excellent workmanship and he has quoted 25K for exact same job. Prices do vary a lot. Lastly, regarding your comment about the area supporting the route: yes our area supports either route price-wise, and we will get our money back. Our main problem is not recouping the costs, but it's more like raising so much cash without touching other important investments such as retirement etc.

The house is actually about 2000 sq ft as is, and a fully remodeled interior. The goal is more so to add some height because the neighbor hoses on both sides tower over it. Also to add a wanted open loft area. I think this is a case where you're making a mistake. You don't need to match the other houses in the neighborhood and in fact being the one different house with 2000 square feet could be a huge selling advantage when the time come if someone wants a one floor house within the neighborhood.

Hi, @Anglophilia Thanks for your reply. It's not about the money. We're a military family stationed in CO and are on a travel ban for at least the next four weeks. Before closing, we visited the house several times. It's such a long story...knowing we were moving to the Fort Hood area, we started searching online and found the home. Our daughter viewed it for us. We went to TX, did a home inspection, and were aware of all issues before purchasing. The previous owners allowed farm animals to live in the property...goats, chickens, poo, and pee everywhere! The stench was unbearable, lots of damage and everything from the floor up to 4' needed gutting/replacing, plus a redesign of kitchen and baths. The house is a diamond in the rough, sits on 5 acres, close to our daughter and two grandkids, and priced well below market value. It is a dream home for us and really suits our lifestyle. We hope to decide on the floorplan while homebound in CO so that once we get to TX, we can move ahead with construction. @millworkman - spiral stairs can be a pain for sure! Yet not a dealbreaker for us. Whoever had this custom house built seemed thoughtful of that specific stair. Downstairs, there is a living room, an open space for dining and kitchenette, laundry, office, and a jack and jill bath with two separate toilets and sinks. For us empty nesters, it's a great floorplan. Our grandkids will have the lower level to themselves when they visit. There will be a washer and dryer added to the master bath, so no lugging laundry up and down those stairs! @Patricia Colwell Consulting, we have a construction loan in place, ready to go, and have allocated more than enough to cover the entire reno. My husband and I have years of experience working on houses with an understanding of expenses, so budgeted accordingly. We drove to TX for closing - right before the virus hit full force and impacted the U.S. We brought our tools with plans to stay a few weeks to demo, meet with contractors and an architect, yet got word of our post lockdown and had to get back to CO quickly, leaving many loose ends. Wanting to move things along and to help family, we've hired our son in law to demo what's definitely not staying and to meet with contractors. He's a muscular guy, is loving the work. Plus is surprising us with his quickness! I'm a home stager by trade @ANNARTHUR HOMES | Home Staging + Design, and we've reworked rooms before, yet adding a bath to this situation is a challenge, and we felt it'd be money well spent to hire an architect. He talked with us while visiting the property...went over our wishes and design ideas in great detail. We received the rough floorplan, and we're working on tweaking particulars with him. Meanwhile, my hope is another professional will see the floorplan and share ideas on how to best to work in a guest bath and redesign the kitchen layout. Thank you all. Very grateful for advice