June 2022, Building a Home!
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Feedback for Blueprints (Semi-Custom Home Build April 2022)
Comments (16)Anything in bold you should rethink: The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling (What direction does your house face?) The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped. The best houses are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case. The best houses make sure kitchens have natural light, meaning windows so one doesn't have to have lighting 24/7 to use the kitchen. (And no, dining areas with windows 10' or more from the kitchen will not allow for natural light.) The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls. The best houses do not if possible put mechanical rooms, pantries or closets on outside walls The best houses keep public and private spaces separate. The best houses do not have you walk through the work zone of the kitchen to bring laundry to the laundry room. The best houses do not have the mudroom go through any of the work zones of the kitchen. The best houses do not use the kitchen as a hallway to any other rooms. The best houses do not put toilets or toilet rooms up against bedroom walls, public rooms or dining areas. The best houses do not have walk in closets too small to stand inside. The best houses have an organizing “spine” so it’s easy to determine how to get from room to room in the house and what makes sense....See MoreMarch 2022 Building a Home
Comments (597)Just wanted to comment on paint finishes in general since there seems to be a fair amount of confusion. For Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, you can always go to the TDS sheet for any paint and it will give you the amount of sheen as a % at a certain angle. This is much more accurate than the store sample display. The amount of sheen varies between brands and different lines within each brand. For example, Benjamin Moore "eggshell" in their contractor grade of "Ultra Spec 500", is lower than in their designer grade of Regal or Aura. Also, less scrubbable and harder to "touch up". To make it more confusing, their newer paint - Scuff X - (which I really like) is part of their Ultra Spec line! I believe SW paint has their TDS sheets posted on line as well. I have never used SW paint, but read many comments that SW sheens are lower compared to Benjamin Moore and others. This is most likely due to "lower solids". % of solids is also listed on the TDS, so easy to compare. If your builder lets you pick the exact paint, always go for the best quality paint. The labor is the most expensive part, and should be the same regardless. Cheap paint isn't cheap when it doesn't last....See MoreApril 2022 Building a Home
Comments (544)@revamp that's horrible and I second the idea of a security camera. I hope things get better. K Brown we are on a barrier island outside Wilmington NC. @jojabis your kitchen looks lovely. We've been fairly fortunte with keeping subs once they get started. We've had a few issues with the Mason coming and going, but he's been back for the last few days and worked all day yesterday as well so hoping he's here until he's done. Probably another week of work. @Ash M great job on the tile!! They started laying the flooring downstairs. We are doing a pre-finished engineer hardwood because of the water issues at the coast. I'm not sure why the installer chose the place to start he did, other then possibly because it's the longest straight run throughout the downstairs, but he started in our formal living room and ran about 3 board widths straight through the back hall and the kitchen ending at the dining area's back wall. It looks fantastic.... BUT..... because we are on a slab, it is a glue down floor, and he installed it right up snug to the opening of our living room fireplace which is supposed to have a small brick hearth. It's likely not going to be very easy to cut it out of there at this point without damaging a fair bit of it. It's always something....See MoreAdvice needed 2022 - building a home
Comments (9)I also think your numbers are way low, but it's worth asking around to see. We are in Alameda County and there is certainly a markup for work in the inner Bay Area, but we got quotes in that range just to add a very straightforward 1BR/1BA addition to an existing home. We dialed down to just adding a bathroom within the existing footprint and even for that, we had to shop and shop to find anyone to work within our budget--most quotes were $100-$200K. Solano should be cheaper, but it's not far enough away that contractors won't make the trek to work on higher-paying projects closer in. If you are content with the granny flat for now (which I agree is super cute!) another option is to start planning, but wait to build until the economy really starts to dip. We did a kitchen remodel in the depths of the housing bust and contractors were hungry for work, so it cost a fraction of what it would have a few years earlier or later. But for that to work, you have to have cash or secure access to financing....See MoreNaomi
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