Finally Bought Some Land

[j44ke]

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.

Thanks! Though we aren't done yet. This morning they discovered the underground propane tank was empty. A bit worrying because everyone thought we'd had it filled. Someone on-site called the GC, the GC called me, and I called the gas people. We were all set up last November when they put the tank underground, but the gas company was waiting on the GC to give the green light and vice versa. So it never got filled.

Before that I got a call that the road wasn't plowed. So I texted our plow guy and asked his ETA. He said he'd stop the job he was doing and go over and plow the drive. Unnecessary but great that he'd do that.

This is Monday. My weeks sort of go like this 3 out of 5 days per and have been since about September when the windows and doors arrived. Now everyone is overdrive until January. Gives me better appreciation of our GC!

At the beginning, I wanted to understand everything in detail. Then my brain ran out of space, and I realized I could only absorb enough information to make a competent decision. So as the house has grown, my ability to give detailed explanations has started to shrink. "It makes the house more efficient" is sometimes as good as I can do. But right after I was presented the info by the architects, the GC and/or whatever trade was involved so I could make a decision, I was a genius. Often I got key pieces of info here from a number of people on this page that allowed me to actually seem like a real genius. And if I wasn't a genius, then my wife was a genius and she (re)made the right decision, especially when it involved money.

BTW, this was November 3, 2018. And we thought that was amazing then. It keeps getting better.

[j44ke]

Electrician got his truck stuck in the snow this morning. I told them the plow guy was on the way, but they went up the drive and got stuck, and then GC calls and wants the plow guy's number. I have really been trying not to let our GC talk directly to the plow guy, simply because the plow guy is a good one and I'd like to keep him. Fingers crossed.

[Ras72]

Jorn, I notice what I think are ICFs in that photo.
So, I went back a year ago to see where they were used. Aside from the little knee wall at the garage, it looks like you went full wood stud frame. Decided against ICFs (assuming I'm correct here)?

[j44ke]

Jorn, I notice what I think are ICFs in that photo.
So, I went back a year ago to see where they were used. Aside from the little knee wall at the garage, it looks like you went full wood stud frame. Decided against ICFs (assuming I'm correct here)?

I am pretty sure what you are seeing are the styrofoam molds for Fox Blocks. When we first bought the property (others may remember this story) we had our excavator at the time dig 4 holes within the house footprint to four foot depth. Turns out those are the only 4 places where we could dig 4 feet. The rest of the site is very hard rock. The one convenience was that it was on average very flat. So the architect, engineer and GC went back and designed the footer and foundation wall to sit right on top of the rock. The building inspector approved the design. That design used Fox Blocks to build the foundation wall.

The original design called for a roof built from CLT - cross laminated timbers. The whole roof would be big 16' laminated wood panels that were precut to get screwed together into one big piece that would be supported by the structures underneath - box-shaped-units that held closets, bathrooms, mechanicals, kitchen cabinets, etc, and a series of metal columns. However, regionally available materials were unsatisfactory and costs were too high.

So we decided to go with wood framing for everything. The GC had two genius framers and the costs were a lot better plus nearly everything, including the foundation, was easier to do. Any time you do a major redo of the design, you are still paying for all the design that went into the original building and then you are paying for the redesign, but that's part of the fun right? So final costs might be marginally different, but that's comparing projected with actual costs, and we definitely felt that CLT's had risks that would adversely affect actual costs above and beyond framing.

You look at the terrain, you look at the design, and then you look at the skillsets of the people doing the building. And we had A+ framing carpenters, A+ concrete guy, A+ excavator - why try to teach everyone new tricks? Build the house the way everyone can excel.

[Ras72]

Gotcha. Makes sense. Use the experience and skill of the folks doing the work. I don’t blame you there.

I asked because ICFs are on my short list for forming basement and a short retention wall.

I’m going into my design with a heavy focus on DIY. And I believe ICFs (although a little more in cost) are something I can accomplish.

[Drew]

Jorn - forgive me if this was already discussed in the last 825 posts somewhere and I missed it... but what is the square footage, of the final design? I am done - SO DONE - maintaining and cleaning the current house we have. My wife and I both want smaller when we ditch the kiddos and downsize. Probably around 1200sf, with a detached garage of about the same size (roughly half for cars and half for projects/bikes), on maybe 2-3 acres in the middle of nowhere. Likely western NC.

Now that I think about it, could you build a moat? Drawbridge? That would be cool... I joke about it with my wife, but I’m half serious.

[j44ke]

Gotcha. Makes sense. Use the experience and skill of the folks doing the work. I don’t blame you there.

I asked because ICFs are on my short list for forming basement and a short retention wall.

I’m going into my design with a heavy focus on DIY. And I believe ICFs (although a little more in cost) are something I can accomplish.

Right - sorry I got my acronyms mixed up. Fox Blocks are ICF's. Just a brand name. And I'd agree with the DIY, though others with direct experience will have to confirm. You can certainly lay out the Fox Block pretty easily yourself. Managing the pour (or pump really - a big concrete hose truck) and running the vibrating rod seemed to be a team operation. Rebar is a task too - bending tying cutting...

Jorn - forgive me if this was already discussed in the last 825 posts somewhere and I missed it... but what is the square footage, of the final design? I am done - SO DONE - maintaining and cleaning the current house we have. My wife and I both want smaller when we ditch the kiddos and downsize. Probably around 1200sf, with a detached garage of about the same size (roughly half for cars and half for projects/bikes), on maybe 2-3 acres in the middle of nowhere. Likely western NC.

Now that I think about it, could you build a moat? Drawbridge? That would be cool... I joke about it with my wife, but I’m half serious.

The house living space including the small upstairs room is about 2400 sq ft. The porch increases that 1000 sq ft. The house we had in Arizona was 1100 sq ft. I could vacuum it in 45 minutes to an hour.

[bironi]

When will you guys inhabit your new house?
Spring?

[Mabouya]

When will you guys inhabit your new house?
Spring?

Who said anything about living there? It's actually going to be a boutique AirBNB catering to high-end cyclists.

The "office" on the second floor is going to be for the Peleton bike when the weather's bad.

This entire thread has been a viral marketing campaign for when it opens.

[j44ke]

When will you guys inhabit your new house?
Spring?

We've been told first week of April. Fingers and toes crossed. Our yard will be a mud bog until landscaping catches up with the destruction, so it will be boots for everyone for a while.

Who said anything about living there? It's actually going to be a boutique AirBNB catering to high-end cyclists.

The "office" on the second floor is going to be for the Peleton bike when the weather's bad.

This entire thread has been a viral marketing campaign for when it opens.

Peloton Schmeloton. My wife has an endorsement deal with Tacx for one of these:



She said if it is good enough for Eddy, then it is good enough for her.

[bironi]

Even if it bleeds into summer,
so what.

[j44ke]

Summer sounds good. Though this is fun too. And we won't actually have to plow as much once the construction drive is dug up and planted. Just to the garage. Then we can ski down from the house.

[Mabouya]

And we won't actually have to plow as much once the construction drive is dug up and planted. Just to the garage. Then we can ski down from the house.

Jorn, something just occurred to me - this is going to be no home for old men...

My parents are in their 80's - my mother early, and my father mid. She still gets around fine and goes for a walk around the neighborhood every morning, but for him it's a struggle, especially the stairs, so my sister and I have been wondering how much longer he (or they) will be able to stay in their current house.

Have you given much thought to how you'll handle long-term issues like that?

[Mark Kelly]

Thanks RW.

It is confusing, but as above, that’s what we paid the skill guys for.

It's confusing because it is explained in an unnecessarily opaque manner.

IMO the easiest analogy is to parallel resistance in electronics: all the possible heat paths are parallel to one another so you simply calculate the resistance of each heat path (R value x area) and add them up like parallel resistances. Divide by the total area and you have the net R value.

I did all these calculations for the passive house we've just built in a single Excel spreadsheet.

[mjbabcock]

this is going to be no home for old men...
Have you given much thought to how you'll handle long-term issues like that?

Around here, old loggers and farmers hit “Del Boca Vista” at 90-95 to die. Up til then, they are screwing around with hay bailers, burning weeds in ditches, splitting firewood... the work involved with living outside of suburban dwellings keeps them going.

Putzing around in the woods, fighting invasive vines and such, keeps you going. Sleeping on a recliner downstairs in the living room, who cares. Purpose gives us something to live for, and I hope I have some as I close out this ride.

[Mark Kelly]

calculate the resistance of each heat path (R value x area).

Oops, in trying to simplify* this I made a mistake. What was that about it not really being confusing?



The calulations I did are in U valuem the inverse of R value. The net admittance is U value x area.

[Tristan]

Oops, in trying to simplify* this I made a mistake. What was that about it not really being confusing?



The calulations I did are in U valuem the inverse of R value. The net admittance is U value x area.

Don't forget that these 'mericans are using different R values to you but I think U values are SI?

[Mark Kelly]

R = 1 / U, so SI units and septic units admit of both.

The fundamental equation for heat transfer is generally written as Q = U * A * Δt, so if A is in square metres and Δt is in Kelvins or Celsius you use the SI unit and get heat flow in watts, if A is in square feet and Δt in Fahrenheit you use the other unit and get heat flow in BTU / hour.


I am old enough to have studied engineering when both units were still in use in Aus (we went metric in the seventies), the joke was that 100 BTU = the energy expended brewing a cup of tea, it being the British Thermal Unit.

[Colinmclelland]

. Snip... if area is in square feet and Δt in Fahrenheit you use the other unit and get heat flow in the perfectly useless BTU / hour.

And the equation will be waayy harder...

[j44ke]

Jorn, something just occurred to me - this is going to be no home for old men...

My parents are in their 80's - my mother early, and my father mid. She still gets around fine and goes for a walk around the neighborhood every morning, but for him it's a struggle, especially the stairs, so my sister and I have been wondering how much longer he (or they) will be able to stay in their current house.

Have you given much thought to how you'll handle long-term issues like that?

Around here, old loggers and farmers hit “Del Boca Vista” at 90-95 to die. Up til then, they are screwing around with hay bailers, burning weeds in ditches, splitting firewood... the work involved with living outside of suburban dwellings keeps them going.

Putzing around in the woods, fighting invasive vines and such, keeps you going. Sleeping on a recliner downstairs in the living room, who cares. Purpose gives us something to live for, and I hope I have some as I close out this ride.

Yes, and Jason's got a big part of it. I just spent 4 hours in the snowy woods yesterday and came out feeling 5 years younger. I think if I can just spend about 3-4 hours every day, soon I will be 25 years old. I am only partially joking.

Cycling has really improved my health, and while I was more able to destroy myself cycling and recover in my youth, I don't think I've ever been as fit as I have been in the last 15 years after getting back into regular riding. But I have never been as strong as I was after killing our grass and converting our yard to desert landscaping when we lived in Arizona back in the late 1990's. Digging holes to plant trees and spreading 27 tons of desert soil will do that for you. So just being able to be active outdoors constantly is great physical and mental therapy.

However, my wife and I have friends whose lives changed after serious injuries to one partner, and all their plans got redirected. We've lived within our means for years, so we can build this house and then change things later as needed to be able to remain in the house. If we need a driveway up to the front door, we'll put one in. If we need more automation, we'll put that in. Etc. I think the benefits to our health of living mostly out of doors is greater than the risk we won't be able to use the house enough. As it is, other than the pop-up room, you could roll a marble on the floor through any room and into and out of the showers.

And if the house or our health becomes a problem, we'll sell the house and move someplace we can manage.

My dad just got back from Ghana two weeks ago. He's going to Uganda next year. After that I think it is Botswana. He has this goal to see one member of every bird family (scientific classification, not Mr. & Mrs. Bird and the kids) in the world before he dies. I think he's got a handful left. He turned 81 years old last weekend. I asked him about his last trip, and he said it was great but he was worried about the last day where they had some thousand(s) feet of climbing and whether he was going to have enough reserves left after a 10 day birdwatching trip but no problem, not sure what he was worried about.