New House Build in the Country!!!

[PILOON]

You lose more heat via the ceilings than the walls so put lots of R's up there.
Now with walls (and openings) what you want is a well sealed 'bag', so to speak.
Tape ALL the joints, foam seal around all door and window openings.
Lots of framers also caulk bead the lap joints and corners as well as tops and bottoms to assure a perfect seal.

Any hole, even smallest, in the vapor barrier 'bag' will allow humidity to escape into the insulation and (take it from personal observation) that come Jan/Feb that insulation will be all frosted and look just like a frozen bread loaf.

We generate much more humidity than we think, just look at windows on cold days, that moisture condenses on the cold glass.

 

[justinramani]

Framing on the main house is pretty much complete. They are wrapping up a few items and have moved onto the garage.

 

[AGRIMAN]

Justin make sure you blower door test before you sheetrock. This is something most people don't think about. It's not very expensive and will payoff for as long as you own your home. We tested three different times. 1st test was 3.2 Ach50, 2nd test 2.3, and 3rd test 1.9. It will be a lot easier to find and fix the leaks before the sheetrock goes up.

Is the blower door test required by code in your area or did you just to do it on your own?

 

[AGRIMAN]

I really like the idea of spray insulation, but it just isn't in the budget. We are about maxed out as it is. I can almost guarantee that this will become a "I wish I would have done that" down the road....

I think we can all understand a tight budget. Your biggest bang for the buck is your roof line. Your can always come back later an add foam.

 

[jk96]

Is the blower door test required by code in your area or did you just to do it on your own?

I'm outside of the city limits in the county and was my own GC. No code or inspections required other than a soil test for septic. With the high open ceilings and lots of glass I did it on my own to make sure that I did everything I could to minimize my utility bills. Since I was my own GC I was really **** about sealing our envelope. In addition to foam, anywhere two pieces of lumber met I either foamed between the lumber if there was a crack big enough to hold foam or sealed with caulk if not. I'm not a big mandate or required code type of person however any good general contractor should include blower door testing and ACH standards for their homes in my opinion. Proper air sealing especially in the roof line will pay off from day 1 and will continue to pay off for the life of the home. Our new home has more than twice the finished square footage of our previous home and my utility bills are lower.

 

[GPintheMitten]

As many times as I see it, it still amazes me what a group of men can do with a pile of sticks.

 

[justinramani]

As many times as I see it, it still amazes me what a group of men can do with a pile of sticks.

What's even harder to believe is that they had no forklift or crane assistance. They built platforms out of wood and were able to set HUGE LVL beams that spanned over 34 feet. Each beam must have weighed 300+ pounds.

 

[jlgurr]

If it was my house being built it would be difficult to pull myself away from watching them all day long. If they aren't artists, they are definitely craftsmen.

This an exciting and educational thread to follow. Thank you for taking your time to share with us!

Jeff

Sent from my iPhone 2.0 using TractorByNet

 

[justinramani]

Electricians started working today. They spent a lot of time with us discussing options, which was nice. The framers continued work on the detached garage.

I'm thinking about just having the electrician wire up a transfer switch so that we can run the essentials during a power outage. The Reliance 10 switch seems to have good reviews. Anyone have experience that they would be willing to share?

 

[mikefromnh]

Looking good

The framers used a full length header above the doors on the detached garage. Definately the way to go... Much stronger.

I'd definately have a gen tran switch wired in for your most used circuits, just don't go overboard with how much you want to run off a Genny. If you could get away with no 220 circuits you might be able to use a large inverter vs a loud gas hog.