Finally Bought Some Land

[Mabouya]

You're going to have the sound of running water there? Now I'm really jealous.

As long as it doesn't get too close to the house...

[j44ke]

They've started installing the concrete panels that will cover the entire exterior when they are done. Lower exterior will have to wait for a few items to finish up, but the upper room exterior may be enough to give a sense of what the whole house will look.

[pmac]

The landscaping should be sensational with those ridges of rock.

[bironi]

Wow!

[mnoble485]

Jorn,

Being a sidewalk superintendent on this project I sometimes wish you had sent me a set of drawings.It's really looking great and I wondered how you were "finishing" the exterior. The window system looks fantastic.

Mike

[j44ke]

Jorn,

Being a sidewalk superintendent on this project I sometimes wish you had sent me a set of drawings.It's really looking great and I wondered how you were "finishing" the exterior. The window system looks fantastic.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I appreciate it. I'll forward your compliments to the architects and the GC.

[72gmc]

I'm excited to see how the landscaping incorporates the rocks.

[j44ke]

I'm excited to see how the landscaping incorporates the rocks.

The Hotel Juvet was the original inspiration. That's the hotel in Norway that was the set for the movie Ex Machina.





We'll see what we can do. Hard to compete with Norway.

[BSUdude]

Mind posting a link to the concrete panel cladding system?

Also, you can tell you are using a good GC by the fact he is using sheathing as floor protection rather than rosin paper or masonite (although masonite would probably be fine).

Advantage of ZIP system is continuous insulation and sheathing in one product (aka contractor friendly). It's still better than tyvek over OSB IMO.

[j44ke]

Mind posting a link to the concrete panel cladding system?

Also, you can tell you are using a good GC by the fact he is using sheathing as floor protection rather than rosin paper or masonite (although masonite would probably be fine).

Advantage of ZIP system is continuous insulation and sheathing in one product (aka contractor friendly). It's still better than tyvek over OSB IMO.

No system. The wall structure was designed by the architects initially (the concrete board is one of their favorite products so they've been designing with it for 10 years or more,) with feedback from the engineer and general contractor on specific performance needs for local weather etc. But here is the company that makes the concrete board - they may make a cladding system based on their board, but again, afaik we aren't using it:

https://cementboardfabricators.com

The Zip system is used quite a bit up here, mostly to weather proof old houses (strip wooden clapboard off, install Zip, adjust sill depth etc, re-install clapboard or similar) but I have seen it on new buildings as well. However, when I asked about it, the 3 main guys working on our house said they don't use it or trust it. They said it is not as weatherproof as described, tends to disintegrate when exposed to moisture and does not have the longevity advertised - all things related to each other I guess. Their words, not mine, but each one of them have 25-30 years of experience and they all shook their heads when I asked. I was surprised, given how ubiquitous it is.

[j44ke]

...that should be "winter-proof old houses"...

[j44ke]

Jorn,
Reason you didn't go with ZIP System?
I'm looking into the pros and cons and it seems the pros out-weigh the cons...
FYI - I'm thinking of ZIP (with their tape and fastener sealants) as an exterior sheathing while using a double stud framing configuration - insulating with three layers of semi-rigid mineral wool.

Not to put words in our contractors' (general and subs) mouths, but this sheet from another source mirrors their reservations re: Zip. And what our contractors did instead resembles some of what is described at the bottom of the sheet.

Beware the Dangers of ZIP System Exterior Sheathing | Forst Consulting

[ides1056]

This is not a complaint:

How does a house with so much of the exterior sheathed in glass meet the energy guidelines of the building code?

[j44ke]

This is not a complaint:

How does a house with so much of the exterior sheathed in glass meet the energy guidelines of the building code?

Simply put (because I have heard and understood the explanations from the architect, engineer, HVAC expert and GC but do not absorb the appropriate language to repeat what they said) the windows are only slightly less efficient than regular exterior walls, and our exterior walls are more efficient that regular exterior walls.

[Mabouya]

Some info on low-U glass here:

https://www.architectmagazine.com/te...nt-as-a-wall_o

[rwsaunders]

This is not a complaint:

How does a house with so much of the exterior sheathed in glass meet the energy guidelines of the building code?

The glazing area alone is not used in determining if the home design is compliant with NY State’s building and energy code guidelines. They use an area weighted average calculation and look at the maximum allowable fenestration based on this calculation. The NY residential building code was just updated in 2016, taking into account many issues such envelope sealing, fireplace performance and HVAC intake/exhaust data...it’s pretty complex. To pull off Jorn’s design, which has plentiful glazing as we can tell, it took a very deep and detailed review of the overall home design by the architect and engineers in order to ensure full code compliance...that’s what one pays for.

AREA WEIGHTED AVERAGE. A mathematical technique for combining different amounts of various components, based on proportional relevance, into a single number. Weighted averaging may be used where there is more than one R-value for floor, wall, or ceiling insulation, or more than one U-factor for fenestration in a building. As an example, the area weighted average for window fenestration U-factors equals (Area 1 x U-factor 1) + (Area 2 x U-factor 2) + .../ Total Area = maximum allowable fenestration U-factor.

[j44ke]

Thanks RW.

It is confusing, but as above, that’s what we paid the skill guys for. There have been plus minus situations. The size of the front windows is narrower. Originally it not only spanned the front but it wrapped the corners at either side. Structural considerations changed that so the corners were framed, but it also helped on the energy code calculations, even though we probably only lost 6 linear feet of window on either end. And there was some aspect of the air exchange unit that by making it higher volume improved the calculations - and meant we lost a closet upstairs in the pop up room.

[Ras72]

Jorn, thank you for following up on this. Very insightful.

[j44ke]

Jorn, thank you for following up on this. Very insightful.

Good to hear. I decided to wait until I had several guys in one place to ask, so took a while!

[ides1056]

Simply put (because I have heard and understood the explanations from the architect, engineer, HVAC expert and GC but do not absorb the appropriate language to repeat what they said) the windows are only slightly less efficient than regular exterior walls, and our exterior walls are more efficient that regular exterior walls.

Thanks for the several comprehensive answers. I have wondered when wandering around NYC as well how a glass clad building makes sense, and have been told the overall volume is part of the calculation.

You certainly have built a dream house. Congratulations to you and your wife.