We are going to be building a house this year, and I have begun to give thought to the cost of building. We live in Canada, so out of necessity we must build a very well insulated building. This alone adds dramatically to the price, as well as makes it necessary to design with energy-efficiency in mind.
What I would like to know from anyone here is if they have any building secrets they would like to share to help the average person or builder save money? I have read the very excellent book “Building an Affordable House “by Jose Pages Ruiz, and this is what got me going on this track.
I will take any ideas I can get! Anything. For instance, someone told me that instead of adding a ceiling tray into the truss design, simply use 2×8’s and site-build a drop-down tray. Gives the same effect without sacrificing cost for the trusses. That sort of a thing.
I greatly appreciate any and all advice I can get! This is the first house we have ever built, and we want to do it right from the start.
Thank you!
Replies
Don't go with a 12/12 pitch roof unless you are going to have rooms in the attic. THat will save alot of money.
I'm guessing this would be because of the extra lumber required for those trusses? Or is it labor related? Or perhaps both.
Labor and materials.
More shingles, more siding, more sheathing, more soffit and fascia.
Labor costs get higher too. Shingling a 12/12 roof is sometimes 3-4 times more expensive than say a 6/12.
Siding guys charge more the higher they get off the ground, at least I do.
Framing costs go up, decking the roof isn't easy on steep slopes.
Truss costs, steeper pitches may result in piggyback trusses due to shipping restrictions.
There is more I'm sure.
affordable building secrets. now dont tell nobody, its a secret,
it cheaper to buy one already built than to build one.....i do live in Alabama, so my advice might be worthless
Nice tagline, I've heard that somewhere before. I can't remember where. :)
problem with two story are, top floor be hot in summer, cold in winter.i do live in Alabama, so my advice might be worthless
"be hot in summer, cold in winter."How is that? heat rises in summer and in winter so a well insulated house costs nothing to heat the upstairs in winter. you heat the first floor and as heat rises, you get to re-use the heat before it leaves town and goes to Florida for the winter
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I hadn't heard about the change. When did Florida annex Alabama? will this affect the electoral college?
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Start by designing your kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, and water heater all clustered together in a central core. That keeps the length of plumbing runs to a minimum, and keeps pipes out of cold exterior walls. I actually prefer to shower in our guest bathroom because it's right upstairs from the W/H, and gets almost instant hot water. Put your furnace next to the W/H so they can share a flue and gas plumbing.
A two story house will give you more living space per insulation dollar than a one story. Wrap the stairs around that central utility core.
-- J.S.
The real trick is size. Don't build more space than you need nor feel like keeping clean.
A hip roof takes the same amount of shingles as a gable roof, A gable roof needs more siding.
There is actually a higher percentage of waste in a hip roof on the same sized footprint.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The critical point roof wise here is that the O.P. is in snow country. He has to find out what the local snow load is and design for it. It may be better to go steep enough to reliably shed the snow. A gable roof gives you a house with two ends on which you can put doors, decks, and porches without the danger of an avalanche from the roof.
Of course I'm no expert on snow -- I'm so glad I don't live in snow country.
-- J.S.
Wow-this is WAY beyond expected! You guys are awesome-keep it coming (makes for a good forum topic, anyway). Just some specs:We are from just North of the North Dakota Border, near Winnipeg (affectionately known as 'winterpeg' by us locals. Our frost goes down 4'. Our design loads for snow and such must exceed 55psf. Our walls are to be a minimum of R-20 (or equivalent), and our attics must meet or exceed R-40. The hydraulic pressure from the soil here is so great that engineering students from around the world come here to observe how bad it COULD be (apparently the worst of the populated areas in the world). As such, our foundations are very, very strong, and lots of work.Our windows are usually triple pane, argon filled. Our garages are ideally situated on the North side of the house (to deflect some of the -40 deg weather we typically have 4 months of the year. Our summers exceed 110 deg on a regular basis.A typical set of house plans costs $1500-$2000. A typical house package costs us $50/sq ft. This excludes land, kitchen, electrical, hvac, plumbing, or flooring. No labor either.Needless to say, building up here is a challenge to do effectively! We are striving to be in the house (2000 sq ft or so) for under $200k, which I am told is unrealistic, hence my post!My wife keeps telling me the only reason we still live here is Church, Friends, and Family. All good reasons!I so appreciate all the ideas, and please-more more!Sincerely,James (quintessential)
James - There are many ways to come at your situation. Since you posted in Fine Homebuilding, I am assuming some of the "out there" ideas ala Mother Earth News aren't in order.
Will you be the builder?
Will you do all or most of the labor?
Do you have experience building?
How much time do you have?
I am envisioning a square or rectangle house, made of ICFs to the eaves, full basement, garage on the north side, trusses (maybe attic trusses for a cape, but that could be hard to insulate well w/o spray foam), whatever siding and roofing is appropriate for your area/design, and simple kitchen/bath/appliances.
I built something similar 1920 s.f. for $105K last year, but that didn't include my 8 months of finding every free minute to build it myself labor. And inside the ICF walls, its really only 1712 s.f. But double the s.f. if we ever finish the basement, and with ICFs it nice down there.
With your soils - be sure to backfill with gravel!Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
With your soils - be sure to backfill with gravel!
Nice dry gravel is also an insulation compared to wet expansive soil.SamT
There are three kinds of people: Predaters, Prey, and Paladins. The really strange thing is that Prey feels safer from Predators by disarming Paladins.
Seeing more about what structural challenges you have due to your location, it looks like meeting those is gonna take a bigger chunk of the building budget than usual. So aside from the advice here that relates to size, design, and structure, where does that leave you to save?Do you folks use hydronic in floor radiant heat up there? If you do over a concrete slab you could just stain/seal the concrete and have one of the least expensive floor finishes around.That gets you down to interior finishes, appliances, lighting, etc. Anybody got any brainstorms for those?
I'm looking at much the same project except I'm building on some property that I've just bought in Onoway, near Edmonton, AB. I'm aiming for 2000 sq ft Logix ICF cape cod with full basement; (even though I read that same book). I'm at the architect stage having done a very rough budget but if you'd like to swap info as it comes in that would be a great help.
When deciding on where to use high end materials, plan to make them a highlight rather than an extensive feature. Doing one wall of stone in the foyer is an example. Your home gets that realistic texture in an area where it can make a strong first impression, yet the amount of stonework is relatively small. The foyer is a place which can be lit to enhance one wall.
I'm also in favor of placing expensive materials in contrasting settings, color and texture. A marble backsplash can enhance a tiled kitchen countertop and visa versa, when both color and texture play off of each other. Used in this way, the amount of marble may be limited to thirty square feet or less but when lit from under the wall cabinets it can visually take over the kitchen during evening hours, to great effect.
Woodwork too can be highlighted when used sparingly. Trimming only door openings with a specially selected, carefully finished wood can do wonders without adding substantially to the budget. This theme can also be carried through certain rooms and/or hallways by framing art with the same quality material.
One other point about expensive materials...go shopping for them yourselves, well before they're needed. Don't be afraid to call wholesale suppliers or go into their showrooms. Take your time and get as much education as you can by asking every question that comes to mind.
Small, Square or Rectangular, dimension matching common construction sizes.
Low pitch for roof as you can get away with (yet if using shingles not below 4/12).
Spend you money on the building , not the furnishings. Furnishings change easily , the building is as easy .
My advice would be to hire a local carpenter that will work with you and knows the climate, The local wood preferences, good subs etc, He will save you more then you could imagine if you get a good one.
Spend more on the things that are difficult/impossible to redo later. Examples include the foundation, the framing, insulation and airstopping details in the envelope, flashing at wall openings, the rough utilities, the design work.
Save money on aspects that can easily be changed later on. Examples include flooring, roof covering, countertops, toilets and sinks, lighting fixtures, etc.
Bill
Start at the beginning. Remember what Ruiz said in his book about designing the house on a module? Just like Frank Lloyd Wright did.
Use a 2 x 2 foot module. Design every window, door, stairway, wall intersection, etc. on the same module. Wherever materials will be used that come in a multiple of 4 feet, design to work within that. Maybe the folks here can tell you that.
An architect is designing our house, as we speak, to minimize our costs yet be energy efficient. Because we're not rich and retirement is around the corner and we'll be even more not-rich then. I'm in Atlanta, GA, and what you spend on heating costs up there we spend trying to cool and dehumidify in the long summer down here. (Already had to run the A/C here; then flip back to heat. Typical.)
I plan to make some compromises with the modular design, but only where I really think it's important for aesthetics. At least one side of an exterior door or a window will still butt up against a stud. On the inside there may need to be more compromises on the framing: ex., do I really want my closets on that module??
What you might want to do here, since you have an extremely valuable resource of knowledgeable builders, is bring any questions you have from Ruiz to this forum. Ruiz might be outdated. I also think he's speaking to the production--not custom--builder. So, a few of his ideas might not be worth doing on your own house; whereas for a production builder they'd pay off because of the volume of houses he builds. Check particulars out here with $ questions.
designing to a dimension is great theory but doesn't mean that much especially when it means making the people inside uncomfortable.
I design to the people since they are the ones living there, not the modules. The modules will never give me a compliment on how comfortable they are.
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and for god sakes, build green, green is the new method. The house is an envolope and and it aint nothing if its not green, find a contractor that only build green, that way it will cost you more in the green. You could paint it green so you could tell people you had a green house built. green is the way, green is the future. Its not a house unless its green. dont forget he green landscaping to.i do live in Alabama, so my advice might be worthless
Has it gotten green enough to mow yet down there in Floibama? It has just now turned from show white to mud brown up here in the land of mainiacs
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Been mowing since last week of januraryi do live in Alabama, so my advice might be worthless
That's why I'm making compromises to the module on the interior; it affects fewer building materials, esp. sheet goods. Designed well, I believe you can make those adjustments on the interior within the overall modular building envelope. At least, that's the instructions I gave to the architect. Each exception is handled individually, according to my feeling about it. Thus, the privilege of building "custom."
Consider doing a monolithic slab with infloor heat. From my experience they are 1/4 the cost of a full basement, you can incorporate your heating system in it, and your finished product isn't sitting on top of a swimming pool!!!
upnorthframer
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance"
Radiant heat in salb is a great heat but is far from inexpensive.As far as comparing that to a basement - then you do not have the space of the basement at all...This is one that depends on where you are and what kind of soils and climate
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design to the people since they are the ones living there, not the modules. The modules will never give me a compliment on how comfortable they are.
I like that piffen! I might add that anyone doing design work also ask enough questions to design to the home owners life style as much as possible.
That is design for living in the home, not just for the home to look good.. both can be done, but it take some extra work.
Dave
Consider and price out ICFs.
Forrest - gonna' do that one soon
A cape style home is the most efficient to live in and use space and surfaces.Minimizing exterior surface means less materials and energy loss. A Cape style does that very well. That is why it is so common amoung frugal Yankees.Think in terms of investment vs cost.Identify items according to which they are.
Insulation is an investment since it pays you back in the long run through energy savings.
A large trapezoidal window is a cost because it is a decoration that adds to cost vs a normal window and no gain to be had.
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Or SIPS.I don't Know what I am doing
But
I am VERY good at it!!
I have done this - gone over every detail to get what I want at the lowest cost.
Square houses (no halls needed) are more efficient users of space.
Smaller houses are cheaper.
ICF houses save money every year.
Good subs are key to keeping costs down and staying on schedule (loan interest costs $$ too)
Basements are real cheap, and let you build smaller upstairs b/c you need less storage etc.
Yellow pine is cheaper than oak/cabinets don't need doors right away/doing your own excavation (if the site is simple) can save thousands.
I built my ICF house (4 bedrooms, nice details, only subbed drywall, well and attic insulation, Anderson 400s, hardie exterior) for $55 s.f Plus it has a full basement and 32x32 garage not in the s.f. figure. The price includes a 1600' lane, well and septic.
Experience (especially knowing subs and suppliers) can really pay off.
"Basements are real cheap, and let you build smaller upstairs b/c you need less storage etc."They can be cheap or they can be every expensive.In the frozen north where you need to go down 4ft for footings it is not not that expensive to make it a full basement.And places with a sloping lot so that you would have a walk out basement then it is often cheaper to have a basement than not.But frost free area with expansive soils or full of sand and high water levels trying to put in a basement is very expensive and might not work..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
OK, Ok, overstated. one size doesn't fit all.
If you want a basement in tidewater, more power to ya.
But my energy efficient house in Canada would have a basement, ICFs and radiant heat as a starting point.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
"If you want a basement in tidewater, more power to ya."here in the states, you can't get a permit to build a basement in tidewater. The finished floor of a living space must be built 12" above the floodplain elevation indicated on the maps.
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'twas my point - in my home town there are no basements...but everyone has a boat in the yard!
edit: I'm not in Canada, the OP is!
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Edited 4/17/2007 6:07 pm ET by Brian
"Smaller houses are cheaper."Only to a point and the s,maller you go the more it costs per square footFor example everyone needs a kitchen. That entails certain minimum fixtures and space. once you shrink beyond a cetain point, it can get four tiems as expensive per foot to minimize it.
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Couple of questions on the subject of ICF's, what brand did you use and did you do it your self? I am considering a diy ICF with FPSF type foundation on a single story ranch. Haven't decided if I am going with a sip hot roof or a truss cold. With the sip I believe I could reclaim some lost area as a bonus room or storage area. This will be done in Wasilla AK.
Thanks
Jim
Jim - I did them myself, if you have standard carpentry skills, you can do ICF - just brace every 4', stringline the tops, and use a trailer pump - lots of info available with a web search. I used Amvic - they were great, strong, easy to stack.
What are your reasons for FPSF?
I personally would frame with dimensional lumber and the spray foam the rafter bays before I would use sips, but if you have a reasonably priced supplier go for it.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Brian, FPSF appeals to me because primarily of cost. Planning RIFH with Wisbro. I took a weekend 16hr. class several years ago on ICF construction and now that FPSF is approved here was leaning towards that plan. My lot that I bought a couple of years ago is pretty flat and would have to go with a daylight basement or window wells which are problematic on a shallow lot. Also my wife does not want any stairs unless its to a storage room. Our current house has window wells and a basement but sits on a sloping lot with a steep driveway, which we will avoid the next time.
Jim
With your foundation plan, do you need to keep heat on to protect the foundation, or does the insulation simply perform the function of 3-4' of fill?
I think you will love your new ICF home. We do.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Brian, from everything I have read good preparation is of course key, the unheated building envelope will keep frost below the structure for up to 30+ days at zero outside temps. This is predicated of course that the building was previously heated to normal comfortable levels and stable. The site has to have good drainage (which it appears I have) and the pad is well insulated.
This link will provide some information.
http://www.toolbase.org/Design-Construction-Guides/Foundations/Design-Guide-Frost-Protected-Shallow-Foundation
It is my nature to "overkill" the requirments as a lot of the tables I have see are recommended "minimums" and I have not yet put a pencil to the total cost of the project. We are still hammering out the final design of the home. We found a floorplan in one of the online sites but all that I have read say that the online/magazine plans are worthless. We are still trying to figure out if I have to hire an archy. (cost prohibitive) or draw them up my self. I think the town and borough I am building in does not have much for building codes (at the present time) and I hope to do it largly out of pocket and with the proceeds of selling my present home so I may not need a loan.
What type of roof did you go with and what type of heating and ventaliation?
I did trusses and architectural shingles - in retrospect, I wish I had done metal.
For insulation I had r50 fiberglass blown in (flat lid) That wasn't my first choice, but when the time came the funds were too low for foam. Someday I may go back up there and rake it to one side, foam and repeat.
I do not have an HRV right now - the ducts are in place, but with 11 of us in here, the doors are open enough that air changes happen!
Heat is radiant in the basement slab and staple up radiant in the first floor. The slab is easily enough heat for the entire house - the ICFs are really doing their job.
I drew my own plans - Its not too hard if you have been around building for a while - residential plans are way easier than most commercial ones. There are guys available who will do plans for less than an architect if you are close, but if you need design input, by all means hire one.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Brian, thanks for the quick reply. I suspect we will probably do the same as far as roof construction goes. We are defiantly planning on a metal roof though. I plan on doing some checking with a few local builders who build with ICF's and see what kind of "sweat equity" deal I can work with, it depends on of course time and money. The only real kicker is I have to have the exterior of the home finished in one year from the time I break ground to not run afoul of the covenants in the subdivision. I kind of doubt there is much they will do about it if I run over but I can appreciate it when the house is nicely finished rather than the typical "tyveck and lath" that you see in some of the rural areas around here.
We are planning on "Hardie Plank" siding and I will probably contract the roofing and siding out as it will allow me to focus on the interior finishing. What type of boiler are you using and does your domestic hot water come from a separate WH? I currently have that set up with a W/M Gold series for my base board heat,
I do keep a spare igniter around, last one failed Jan 14th 2pm -10f outside. Told the DW any idea what it costs to get a boiler repaired on Sunday? Took me about 15 min. to have the heat back on. I think that was the second one in 10 years. I added a filter to the intake air after hearing that any dust sucked in could possibly short the igniter as mine is in the garage/(wood-work shop.)
I used stainless screws to (bllind) attach the Hardie siding to the ICFs - McFeelys makes these for just this purpose - very solid. It looks good (not painted yet - too cold still) but I don't like working with the stuff. I had the interior done and moved in in 8 months. Then it took me another 4? to do the siding and soffits - motivation was gone, and everything else I had put on the back burner was demanding attention.
I have a Bock water heater/boiler from Hannel - its an oil burner, and so far, we think its great. Domestic HW mixed in - the infamous "open" system. We love it. YMMV.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Brian, what sold you on the "open" system? Everything I have heard it could lead to water quality problems with loops that stagnate over time and then open and feed that back to your domestic water. Correct me if I misunderstood the process.
Yeah I am fan of McFeelys too, I really like his products, I would use more of them but unfortinatly they only ship via UPS and the freight is a killer over HD & Lowes. I take it your Hardie is not primed? I would like to by prepainted but it depends again on budget. Did you buy shears to cut it with? What kind of membrane did you use between the Hardie and the ICF?
Thanks
Jim
Open System - Some folks are concerned about stagnant water and Legionellosis - there are at least three ways to avoid this: closed system, water above 115 degrees, and keep it flowing. I chose the second two - water is at 150 degrees, and we'll keep the water flowing year round. If this becomes a pain, I'll add a heat exchanger and pump. Most of the data on Legionairres make radiant heating systems sound like a pretty unlikely culprit. But, if anyone is concerned about this, please use a closed system!
I should add that we didn't have the system running until January, and we heated the house entirely with two plug in electric radiators through some very cold nights - ICFs work really well in my experience - the house stays warm. But the radiant floors are awesome - radiant and ICF are a great combination.
The Hardie...its pre-primed, thats all. We have Hardie shears - I never used them on the house - a diamond blade in an old 10" miter saw took care of all the cuts except a few rips with a circular saw. I didn't use any membrane, but the windows are all taped with 6" bituthane. $200 in SS screws did my entire house (with shipping) and the siding pulls in very tightly with the screws.
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Piffin is right, design for the people!
Work on achieving an efficient floor floor plan, no matter how small or how large you want your home to be. An efficient floor plan can mean many things. Limit your hallways. Keep your furniture layout options flexible, by overlapping or keeping your plan very open (kitchen flowing into breakfast flowing into family room, living room flowing into dining room). 2x6 exterior framing is pennies more than 2x4 exterior framing and allows hight R value insulation. Insulate the perimeter ceiling/floor space at least 2' in from the perimeter. Don't size your HVAC on someone's gut feeling, designe the HVAC based on heat loss calculations, proper sizing and layout of ducts, supply and return registers.
Design to the site. Take advantage of views. Two three foot wide windows cost less than three two foot windows and provide more ventilation. Design for natural cross ventilation. If building a two story, provide operabale windows or operable skylights at the top of the stairway to create natural ventilation for your warm air rising in the spring and fall.
Don't put in a double bowl sink in a bathroom if the water closet is out in the open. Enclose the water closet in a seperate module with a door or behind a wall around the corner.
Provide wide roof overhangs to shade the suummer sun and better protect the exterior wall from the elements.
Boy we can go on and on and on with this.
Let's do go on and on with this.JoeArchitect: what about Advance Framing and the use of Icynene insulation in an unvented cathedralized attic application? What about Airtight Drywall Approach? Any other tricks from an OVE approach?
I know there's more stuff at the design stage; just don't know what it is.quintessential: have you done any research over at http://www.buildingscience.com? And, when I looked for a designer I looked for someone whose strength is in the building science end of design; I figured I could steer the aesthetics. The architect I chose has that strength, and has done a lot of LEEDs work, all commercial; is very dedicated personally to the green movement. Well, LEEDs is just now rolling out their certification for homes. Figured if he could get the higher levels of LEEDs he could help me. The one thing I got clear before we started: I said to the architect, "If it comes to a choice between what I want, and what your personal commitment to green building is, what I want will have to win out. Would that create a feeling of personal compromise for you?" Had the answer been 'yes' I would've looked elsewhere. This architect has plenty of work so I thought I'd get a pretty honest answer.Oh--solid fiberglass window frames. The best frame for energy efficiency.
Spend whatever it takes to make sure the foundation is legally sited on the lot and is level, square, and to the corrrect dimensions. A 1" mistake here can add thousands to your final cost.
If your footings are 3' or deeper, add a finished basement instead of a second floor.
Build the outsides to 2' modules, sheathing is much more expensive than drywall.
SamT
There are three kinds of people: Predaters, Prey, and Paladins. The really strange thing is that Prey feels safer from Predators by disarming Paladins.
keep it simple, yet smart
use common materials in an uncommon way instead of vice versa
use all spaces efficiently (avoid unused attic/basement/garage space)
use built-ins and elements to divide spaces
be aware of operating costs
be flexible and efficient, not cheap
"use common materials in an uncommon way instead of vice versa"Got any examples?
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oh sure . . . . make me work :)i'll preface this with a realization that the labor involved might negate the savings of the material. But i'm always impressed by how people can come up with different uses for materials. Remember an FH issue years ago where someone used exposed plywood as flooring (with thin strips of aluminum at the seams). Also polished/colored concrete as a floor material often looks better (to me) than covering it up with something else. Universities are big proponents of this. Kansas State does a new house each year that's sold for charity. The design from 2004 uses a horizontal wood strip rainscreen on the exterior, over a black rubber roof membrane covering the sheathing. Very sharp, but you have to like the modern look. Also, Samuel Mockbee's Rural Studio continually comes up with interesting uses for discarded materials.Had a design professor who built award-winning houses with exposed concrete block. Insulation and detailing were issues, and labor went up because more effort had to go into the mortar joints. But the final effect was simple and sharp (again, though, you'd have to like that kind of aesthetic).i built a wood fence last summer from 1 x 3 red cedar planks bought at an auction. Also had a pile of pt planks, and a number of pt plywood boards ripped down into various widths. Threw in some more 1 x 6 white cedar planks a neighbor was getting rid of, and made a series of alternating verticals and horizontals that actually turned out pretty well. Also built all the interior walls and shelving in our office. The walls don't have wiring, so the studs are staggered in a random pattern, with translucent plastic on one side. Shelving and work tables are all exposed wood studs/exposed plywood (some paint on 1/8" plywood sheathing used as an accent). All of it meant thinking ahead and having to pick materials by sight since it was all exposed, and some extra labor on my part. But the final product came out very well. We still get compliments on it.included the sites for Kansas State (Studio 804) and the Rural Studio below:http://www.studio804.com/http://www.cadc.auburn.edu/soa/rural-studio/mockbee.htm
Edited 4/17/2007 2:11 pm ET by draftguy
I suspected something like that. for instance a floor can be done cheap on materials if you cut end grain ona band saw but the labour will be feroucious. Fine if you are working free.
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Piffin, I have a home owner/client who got beam ends and "junk " beams from a local LY for next to nothing. Used a radial arm saw to cut slices off of them and used the slices as end grain flooring. Came out sweet, sanding was a pain though I guess.
"included the sites for Kansas State (Studio 804) and the Rural Studio below"That is actually The University of Kansas Not Kansas State.KU Architecture School Grad
my 2nd faux pas of the daymy apologies :)
quintessential,
4000sq.ft for under $100,000 super efficent!
here's how he did it..
1st. ICF's
He poured his own ICF walls.. they are about as simple as it gets.. if you can build a house with Leggos you can build a house with ICF's. They weigh next to nothing take little time to assemble and give you great insulational value!
Second Build with sawmill wood instead of lumberyard wood..
a typical lumberyard bill for that size home would be around $80,000 He spent under $8,000 to do his whole house.
third Recycle!
He bought windows from a surplus store that had overstocked and returned windows from several major manufactures. Instead of a $10,000 window bill he spent only $2500 and got every window he wanted. . He bought the windows and then planned for their use. He bought doors from the same sort of place. A entryway door that sold for $1800 cost him $350.00 interior doors that normally sold for $99.00 at the big box stores cost $33.00 each. (they were cherry , real cherry!)
4th Go up not out..
His second story cost him $9200 if he'd built a rambler that big it would have been nearly 4 times that just for materials.. (not to mention land)
5th,be patient.
He worked a deal whereby the plumber would stop by and show him what to do next and how to run the Pex etc. The plumber did the final connection and charged him only for his time. He did the same with an electrician running all the cable and putting boxes etc. where they wanted them.. The electrician did the final connections.. He had to work with their schedule and it probably added a month to the time involved.
6th SIPs for ceiling panels. Go on quickly and save the cost of having insulation blown/sprayed in. Once in place used as a base to build their own rafters,
7th buy your tools second hand, sell when you are finished.. should have a minimal cost of tools and plus you will have pro quaity tools that help do a job quickly..
8th Shallow roofs But build your own rafters etc..
he used solid wood for roofing and saved both his back and his pocket book.. It's so much easier to put up a 1x6 than to wrestle with a 4x8 sheet of plywood or OSB.. His flooring is planking because sawmill planking is a fraction of 3/4 inch tongue and groove plywood..
Haven't read the book, but the three basic ways that I see on this site over and over again are: 1) reduce the number of bathrooms. Does one house really need 5 bedrooms and 5 baths? Plumbed rooms are the most expensive rooms in the home, so reducing the number of these is good way to save. 2) Simple square foundation - the more corners there are the more cost. 3) Simple roof. The more a roof is cut up the more expensive it becomes.
Just ran across this in my files. Check the article titled Frugal Framing from Feb. 1. Here's where it is:
http://www.builderonline.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=28&articleID=434561
I wonder how widely adopted advanced framing is within the industry; it makes sense.
I have read all the replies to your post. I also notice you have not replied to any of them.
Nobody has any idea where in Canada you live.
Do you live on the East coast, and need to design for the wind?
How about in the golden triangle, and have to battle humidity plus cold?
Perhaps somewhere on the prairies, where you need an insulated basement?
Rockies? BC Interior?
Vancouver?
You have not entered any information so we can help you. I think you are jerking our chain.
Quality repairs for your home.
AaronR Construction
Vancouver, Canada
Apparently not all, Aaronhttp://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=88722.44How about actually reading the forum before making a judgement like this?James
Thank you all so much (with one notable exception) for your advice! Due to your input, we have decided that this may be the best way to go:Square foundation (as square as is aesthetically reasonable) constructed of ICF's to the roof. The roof will likely be about a 6:12 pitch. The interior will be designed so that a good part of the utility walls are grouped together.The foundation, although being rather heavy on the reinforcement, will be constructed on a footing (piles are expensive, and my engineer says we do not need for our excavation). Floating basement slab with floor heat (a la radiantec.com) with an open loop system.Unfortunately, our windows need to be well insulated, so the only cost savings I can have there will be to size down a bit.The placement and design of the house will be such that it takes the majority of its light and heat from the south, due to being up north here in Manitoba.I am also thinking 2 story. This will give me more square footage and less roof area-I believe this saves a bit on the roof?Garage to the north side as indicated previously.I have heard a lot about reflective rigid insulation, and I believe I would like to try it on the ceiling of the upper floor. Anybody got anything on this?There is more,I just don't have my notes on me at the moment!Any more from anybody would be greatly appreciated!James (quintessential)
with an open loop system
IMO, you should try really hard to find the funds to go closed loop for health safety reasons.SamT
There are three kinds of people: Predaters, Prey, and Paladins. The really strange thing is that Prey feels safer from Predators by disarming Paladins.
Sam can you elaborate? Currently our water supply is nearly spring quality, as for whatever reason we are tied into one of the largest fresh water aquifers in the province. I was under the impression that an open loop is actually safer, due to the water always being refreshed, besides being more energy efficient....?
in my opinion. . .
A single zone open loop might be safe if you always remember to flush the entire system thouroughly after every 48 hr non use period. After a week of nonuse, you would probably want to soak the system in chlorine for 1/2 hour before flushing.
I say "might" because in any fluid flow system with turns, there is the possibility of stagnant zones. A multizone system will almost always have stagnant areas under the low flow domestic demands.
I doubt the energy efficiency claim, but NRTRob can answer that one properly. My reasons are that, according to NRTRob, a condensing boiler is much more effecient than a domestic water heater. While this does not address the efficiency of DHW, it seperates the RH energy from the relatively low efficiency DHW.
If your supply water is at a lower temp than you desire for house temp, it will be cooling your heating zones, meaning you will have to heat the water or supply supplemental heat to the heating zones to compensate. This means that your cold water tap will be supplying not-so-cold water.SamT
Praise the Corporation, for the Corporations' highest concern is the well being of the public.
Hmm. Sounds like I had the wrong info on open loop systems. Eveything you say makes complete sense!I considered using a heat pump, too. Still working out cost vs efficiency.
Eveything you say makes complete sense!
Nope. You can't blame me. I
repeat what NRTRob says.But, only if it makes sense. LOLSamT
Praise the Corporation, for the Corporations' highest concern is the well being of the public.
James, i just separated the DHW and RFH systems in a friend's house. When it came time to drain the floor loops....that was some UGLY water.She'd earlier had a difficult time passing a water test required by the building department, and this from a private well. We shocked the system twice with chlorine and finally got a sample that passed, but my guess is that the chlorine never really reaches all the nooks and crannies of the RFH system. In fairness, one of the zones was rarely activated, but i wouldn't have believed water could go so 'bad' just sitting like that until i saw it myself. Imagine a mop bucket...