New Home Begins

[dstig1]

And that's probably about the best you can do - ask them and ask to see some examples of already built houses like this in your area. Since you just got a bit of snow recently, it should be a very good time to look at an existing house built the same way and see what the roof looks like for melting patterns, if any. That will tell you exactly what you need to know.

 

[Obed]

Tom,
As you can tell, we all want to help you spend your money! When building my house, TBNers provided valuable input. However, if I had done everything that was recommended, the house would have cost $200/SF. You have to pick and choose and just make your best judgement call. You also have to balance getting quality work and keeping from running off all your subs. At least when you make your your choices, you are making well-informed decisions and are not acting out of ignorance.

Obed

 

[sdkubota]

I have a "hot" roof, ie: icynene spray foam insulation directly against the underside of the roof. I also have a small attic below the insulation. Anyhow, have lived here for 8 years in the extreme South Dakota temperatures and haven't had any issues whatsoever. Once in awhile when the weather is just right, I can see a slight pattern on the roof caused by the wooden rafters but it is minor and not very pronounced. Don't know if this helps or not and was initially freaking out about having a "hot roof" but haven't had any issues.

 

[KennyG]

I have an outside air heat recovery system. It essentially is a joke and if I ran it 24/7 like I supposed to would get zero benefits from my insulation. Could as easily leave a window open. It does strip some heat/cool energy but I would guess in the range of 10%.

Are you sure your system is running OK? I have a 50cfm heat recovery system. It's supposed to be 80% efficient. Right now it's about 15F outside and the inside supply doesn't feel noticeably cool. I also have inlets in the basement to let in enough air to make up for the basement negative pressure (stack effect). These are U-tube arrangements (trapped) so I only get enough air to equalize the pressure. That air feels very cool but it's a very small flow rate.

 

[sdkubota]

Are you sure your system is running OK? I have a 50cfm heat recovery system. It's supposed to be 80% efficient. Right now it's about 15F outside and the inside supply doesn't feel noticeably cool. I also have inlets in the basement to let in enough air to make up for the basement negative pressure (stack effect). These are U-tube arrangements (trapped) so I only get enough air to equalize the pressure. That air feels very cool but it's a very small flow rate.

Have the same set up...go measure the temperature of your exhaust air sometime on a cold day. I actually plugged mine into a timer that allows it to run for 4 hours every day during extreme temperature episodes. Well it transfers some heat/cool but as far as the 80% efficient...clever marketing.

 

[EddieWalker]

Dave,

I appreciate the insight and I am going to consider it. And I do not want to start a war like the earlier concrete fiasco several pages back.

Since I am the one responsible for the comments about your concrete, I apologize for creating a fiasco. That was not my intent.

Eddie

 

[KennyG]

Have the same set up...go measure the temperature of your exhaust air sometime on a cold day. I actually plugged mine into a timer that allows it to run for 4 hours every day during extreme temperature episodes. Well it transfers some heat/cool but as far as the 80% efficient...clever marketing.

Well, you got me curious. It's warm here today, up around 35F outside. The outside air supplied into the house is 68F. The inside air that I'm exhausting is about 72F. I'd have to go outside to measure the exhaust temperature and I don't feel like tromping around in the snow right now, but it looks to me like I'm around 80% from the numbers I have. That 33 degree temperature rise is coming from somewhere.

 

[tkappeler]

Since I am the one responsible for the comments about your concrete, I apologize for creating a fiasco. That was not my intent.

Eddie

Eddie,

I was kidding and I certainly was not offended. I only meant that it sparked quite a bit of discussion on lots of related points ... warm vs cool temps for curing, slumps, rebar vs wire, etc. Please, I have enjoyed it by seeing so many TBNers participate. What more can you ask for.

In hindsight, I should have put the word fiasco in quotes.

 

[sdkubota]

Well, you got me curious. It's warm here today, up around 35F outside. The outside air supplied into the house is 68F. The inside air that I'm exhausting is about 72F. I'd have to go outside to measure the exhaust temperature and I don't feel like tromping around in the snow right now, but it looks to me like I'm around 80% from the numbers I have. That 33 degree temperature rise is coming from somewhere.

Seems like at perfect heat transfer the incoming air would hit the midpoint of the two temps (incoming/exhaust) and the outlet air would also be at the midpoint of temps. That seems to me to be 50% efficient at the best possible transfer rate.

 

[KennyG]

Seems like at perfect heat transfer the incoming air would hit the midpoint of the two temps (incoming/exhaust) and the outlet air would also be at the midpoint of temps. That seems to me to be 50% efficient at the best possible transfer rate.

These heat exchangers are counterflow, not parallel flow. The theoretical maximum efficiency on a counterflow heat exchanger is 100%, although in the real world it's obviously less. To understand envision this as a very long pair of tubes fastened to each other. The very start inlet air (say 30 degrees) is picking up heat from the very last of the exhaust air path. The very last of the inlet air path is picking up heat from the very first of the exhaust air path (say 70 degrees).

 

[tkappeler]

Well, the 25-35 MPH winds yesterday made for a nerve wracking day. I am shocked that ANY tarps remained. My wife asked me last night what the sound was (wind rattling the cheap windows of the place we are renting) and I told her it was the sound of the tarps 2 miles away. :laughing:

Cold morning and the framers were grumbling this morning, but it is getting better. The winds died down through the day and it actually made it into the upper 30s. Almost shorts weather :laughing:

Lots going on over the weekend. 30 loads of fill were brought in. 15 were pushed around and 15 were staged for use in the back. Unfortunately, the ground was too muddy over the weekend to get it there. The garage is mostly filled and will have to push some around with my tractor after it dries out some.

I also started tearing down the cinder block shed in the back and putting that fill into the 4 x 14 x 9 porch cavity.

After speaking with the architect and Raycore, our climate is not so susceptible to thermal bridging and moisture so we are not putting the extra insulation on. That decision was based on their answers and the fact that I cannot afford additional delays to buy/deliver/wait for it. The weather is so "two steps forward, one step back" that I need to keep the framers moving ahead. It's a compromise and I have to go with the experts opinions.

The sheathing is all on all of the roof and the crickets have begun. It's possible that they can have them complete and ready for inspection tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest.

The windows and french doors are being delivered tomorrow and we will begin installing them as soon as we can. Friends are coming over to help later in the week to help with the double windows.

 

[dstig1]

As long as the architect and Raycore folks are willing to put their names to it, that is about all you can ask. They know the local conditions and applicable codes/standards much better, so go forth and finish building!

 

[tkappeler]

Framing is complete. The sheathing inspection was today. Roof passed just fine. The inspector did not like the amount of spacing on butt seams in some places on the OSB sheathing for the walls. He says that for about these 12 seams, the framers need to run a saw up the joint to make a 1/8" kerf.

The framers did have it done correctly ... I witnessed it. Unfortunately, with all of the rain, the OSB swelled and the 1/8" closed up ... as designed. It won't get any worse than it already is.

So the framers were none too happy to have to do this but they did it. The inspector will be back tomorrow to check it out.

In the meantime, 11 windows are in. Five more to go and the two french doors. These will have to be done on Sunday as they are calling for rain/snow starting tomorrow afternoon and clear on Sunday. We need to get them in by Monday night as the telehandler goes back on Tuesday.

The shingles go on starting on Monday.

Lots moving ahead now.

 

[tkappeler]

We finished getting all of the windows in before rain tomorrow. Sweet. Only the two french doors to go. Tomorrow will be preparing them (flanges, screen tracks, etc and building some staging depending on how much mud/muck we will have to deal with.

Eddie, if you are out there ... If I recall correctly, you wrapped the house for your parents in the Lowes housewrap? What is your opinion of it? I know it's about 1/2 the price of Tyvek but appears to be a woven material and tyvek is more solid.

We will get it wrapped soon and on to electrical and plumbing.

More pictures Monday after roofing is complete.

 

[tkappeler]

We finished getting all of the windows in before rain tomorrow. Sweet. Only the two french doors to go. Tomorrow will be preparing them (flanges, screen tracks, etc and building some staging depending on how much mud/muck we will have to deal with.

Eddie, if you are out there ... If I recall correctly, you wrapped the house for your parents in the Lowes housewrap? What is your opinion of it? I know it's about 1/2 the price of Tyvek but appears to be a woven material and tyvek is more solid.

We will get it wrapped soon and on to electrical and plumbing.

More pictures Monday after roofing is complete.

 

[Dr Dave]

Normaly the wrap, goes on before the windows and doors. I used the Menards wrap, that looks like the Lowes wrap. I had one wall that did not get sided before winter, the next summer, I noticed black spots on it, looked like mold? Made me wonder how the rest under the vinal siding looked? Next time I will spend the extra money for Tyveck.
The home looks great, I like your roof lines, it is something different.

Dave

 

[tkappeler]

Normaly the wrap, goes on before the windows and doors. I used the Menards wrap, that looks like the Lowes wrap. I had one wall that did not get sided before winter, the next summer, I noticed black spots on it, looked like mold? Made me wonder how the rest under the vinal siding looked? Next time I will spend the extra money for Tyveck.
The home looks great, I like your roof lines, it is something different.

Dave

Putting the wrap on before the windows is one way. It's also acceptable to install the windows before the wrap. Wrap the sills in vycor or flexwrap or something similar, going over the house wrap under the window. Caulk the nailing flange sides and top and install. Then vycor over the nailing flange on the the sides, then across the top. Housewrap over the vycor at the top.

Thanks for your input on the housewrap. Kind of leaning away from the Lowes version of the wrap. Just more expense.

 

[MasseyWV]

Normaly the wrap, goes on before the windows and doors.

This is how I've always done it, whenever possible.

 

[dave1949]

Putting the wrap on before the windows is one way. It's also acceptable to install the windows before the wrap. Wrap the sills in vycor or flexwrap or something similar, going over the house wrap under the window. Caulk the nailing flange sides and top and install. Then vycor over the nailing flange on the the sides, then across the top. Housewrap over the vycor at the top.

Thanks for your input on the housewrap. Kind of leaning away from the Lowes version of the wrap. Just more expense.

I'm glad you said this Tom. I pictured something far less informed and then I thought, well, it's too late now. :laughing: Hopefully you made good progress today.

 

[s219]

We put on the housewrap (Tyvek with logo of our building supply house on it), then windows (with a bead of caulk under flanges). Then flexible self-adhesive flashing membrane went on over the window flanges and housewrap (Fortiflash was the brand, about 6" wide).

I've seen it done so many different ways. They all have pros and cons. I did notice that before we got the roof flashed/shingled and things buttoned up, rain would get behind the housewrap in a few spots, run down the walls, and turn and go inside around the tops of the windows. I wasn't too happy about that, but in general I think you have to really relax when dealing with rain during homebuilding otherwise it will drive you insane. We got our roof flashed and shingled right before 5-days of rain arrived in January, and it was the biggest feeling of relief I can remember in a long time. The roofers were literally finishing up the porch and trimming all edges when the drizzle set in as the storm front arrived.

Here's a shot of the adhesive window flashing membrane: