New House Tips please

[TresCrows]

"and the #1 thing I did right? FIRE THE BUILDER!!!"

Yep, same here. He has been warned that should he ever show his face he will be shot--I am serious. He thinks I owe him money--fine, I told him to sue me and of course he never did. I spent the money he claimed I owed him redoing most everyhting the way it should have been done. DO NOT TRUST any builder or worker. If they even look at you funny or complain that you are to particular or that "quality is hard to come by nowadays" remind them that money is even harder to come by nowadays and SEND them PACKING.
I will never again hire a house built--I will build my next house with my own hands. This is not my final home and in the end it turned out nice.
I have a three car garage, make one of the stall double long with a door on both ends to the backyard area. When you build the house go ahead and figure in a shop/garage at least 26X26. Plan circuitry to handle at least one 50 AMP for a welder and maybe another for a large air compressor.
Did I mention--if the builder give you any excuse to do so--FIRE HIM first and ask questions later.
Hire Mexican builders and workers--they still have a work ethic and are not lazy. Expect people to make a fair profit/wage.
Insist that the builder use a level, square and water level--if he does not--FIRE him on the spot and all his subs.
Never--ever--pay anyone till the work is complete and to your satisfaction. There is at least one sub who cursed me out on my property when I asked him to redo something the way I asked him to do it the first time and I even offered to pay for new materials--I am a scrawny character but I put my foot way up his rear and he is still running--wear good boots so that it hurts real good when you use them on their fat, beer gut, flabby red neck rearends. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Oh--good luck /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif J

 

[BrettW]

You Kansas guys are tough. Thanks, keep those ideas coming. I'm going back to the bank with this print out and asking for more cash to do it right. brett w

 

[hockeyhead]

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT!!! build a house with it's attatch garage 90 degrees to the house or "L" shaped on open ground. You want to talk about snow drifts, and the catch-all for anything the wind decides to blow around. I did not build it but I bought it and have been building wind-breaks ever since. good luck with your new home /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[rlk]

Brettw, here is a link from a year or so ago that contains a lot of good tips. New Home Tips

Bob

 

[crown]

Something I did that has not yet been mentioned, if you are using propane heat run a hook-up out to where you will eventually BBQ it makes things real nice and no more worring about running out of gas or messing with tanks.
Good luck it is a grueling process but can be fun so much so that I am considering building again on a new parcel in the spring. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[_RaT_]

Brett, I'm in much the same boat. I have not even got a set of plans. Thats hard for me to do because the endless options compound every decison.

I am going to do several extra things extra for myself

Install a 240V 30amp outlet on either side of the house. Just in case I want to purchase a Landa ( or other ) pressure washer that is electric I have a 13 HP pressure washer now, but after using a 6 HP Landa, I'm convinced for the home it's the best way to go.

Generator subpanel: this may not be important for some. You will know quickly if you need one. I would provide a circuit design this way in terms of importance.

#1 Any cold storage for perishables. That means a refrigerator and or freezer.
#2 Well pump if your on one. This generallly requires a 240V generator with a minimum of 3500 watts.
#3 Lights for the kitchen and bathrooms. After that, it's up to you.
#4 Microwave and if needed, a gas stove igniter, not necessary, but nice and you can tie it the microwave circuit during costruction.
After that, consider the TV and computers if you feel the need. Everything else is icing on the cake. Minuimum generator for all this would be a 5000 watt brushless like Dewalt or 6000 watt brush generator like Honda.

I run Cat 5 when I do electrical work. It's standard anymore. It's silly not too. Wireless will in all likelyhood displace much of this or the newer Cat 6 or even Cat 7. I plan to conduit many of those runs anyway so new wire could update the house quickly.

Don't forget about any sprinkler wiring if you do that. Consider running a 1" conduit from one side of the house to the other. Amazing how many times you wished you would have done that. Run it out to a lawn area on either end.

Have the electrician run 20 amp circuits in the garage.

Oh I have more, I'll have to make a list, perhaps even email you some of my findings. Rat...

 

[TresCrows]

"You Kansas guys are tough."

No, I am not from Kansas. You see, Bonny and Clyde made mince meat of these charaters, down in Louisiana we just shot the c&%p out of them. If you want to take on us Cajuns make it in the cold and snow, otherwise, good
luck /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif.

Most welders and large compressors need 220 and 50 amps. Consider these new lifetime metal roof systems. Think about the new poured concrete building systems as well. As far as I am concerned, the more brick the better--does not need repainting constantly. Avoid sliding doors and install French type swinging doors. Consider a heated floor in your garage/workshop. Can you build in your home theator system? Do you ever do darkroom work? Running water and a sink in the garage is nice with hot water as well for cleanup. If you have dogs/critters install a mixer unit, I have seen them a Home Depot, so you can have warm water outside to bath the critters when it is cool. Use the new style rounded mud mouldings for your sheet rock instead of the sharp corners you have nice flowing corners, don't split your head open in the dark when you are stumbling around half awake either.
In my opinion, if you can find REAL carpenters then hand built trusses and joists are better than the prefab stuff. If you are building over a basement use either the concrete floor systems or a "silent" joist system.
I am not anti-Pergo and other laminate floor coverings but real stone or scribed and dyed concrete will be my next house floor and no stupid basement. I prefer a slab. If I need a storm room I will harden the master closet. Oh, howabout provisions for a gun/valuable safe built in.
One thing, if you buy an already built house you don't have to know about all the screwups but they are still there. You can have fun building--just keep a close eye on the contractor, expect him to make a fair profit and expect and demand quality work in return. J

 

[InlineDieselFan]

Three Crows,

I agree Brick and concrete are awsome! Just truy to get insurance on one near volcanoes and in earthquakes country.

This thread has been good as we are about to give up on finding a house and build one. well act as the general contractor.

steve

 

[Junkman]

Can't comment too much on the new things that have been added to houses in the past 10 - 15 years, but 23 years ago when I built my house, I put in a 10 foot foundation. After all the utilities and ductwork was done, there is still room to put in a drop ceiling and not feel like it is on top of your head. I also made a provision for a full bathroom in the cellar, but never got around to installing it. If it is a 2 story house, try to locate a place on the second floor for the laundry. No need to carry dirty clothes down and clean clothes up. Also consider putting a sub panel on each floor and have that floors wiring go to that panel. No need to go down the cellar to reset a circuit breaker for the second floor bedroom. Build a bigger garage than you need and if you have the head room, go with bigger doors.... both height and width... 8x8 or 9x9. While the ground is dug up, install 2" PVC pipe to any area that you think you might want to run electric to in the future. Put everything in PVC if it is in the ground. Makes it easier to replace in the future. Let in bracing in all the walls, eliminate future cracks in the plaster. 23 years and no cracks... I framed with 2x6 24" OC, but if I were to do it again, I would go 16" OC. Keep every receipt. I have Andersen windows and am always fighting with them for replacements because the tri pane glass keeps failing. They guarantee them for 20 years and they have been failing for every year of the 23 that we have live here. About 70% have been replace and now they say that the warranty is over this year. I took 3 years to finish construction, so I will have to do battle even more in the future. Keep every receipt to prove the purchase date. Don't take delivery of anything until you need it... that way, the warranty will not be running while it is in the garage waiting to be installed. Have the water tested before you move in and install any water treatment equipment while you are building..... What ever you are planning on spending, you will be over budget by 30 - 50 % for sure... Just expect it. Make sure that you are involved in every decision made by the builder and know the quality of the materials before they are delivered and installed. Saw a $500,000 house last week that had garage doors on it that weren't of the quality of the lowest priced door at one of the big box stores. Stamped metal without any insulation. Pick your lock hardware and have it keyed alike. Consider upgrade locks with security features such as core keys... Probably think of more tomorrow, but am tired now.....

 

[OkeeDon]

<font color="blue"> ...know the quality of the materials before they are delivered and installed. Saw a $500,000 house last week that had garage doors on it that weren't of the quality of the lowest priced door... </font>

Boy, I second that! Back when we were building custom outdoor kitchens in expensive houses, we shuddered at some of the materials and practices. Many of the houses had expensive surface materials (marble floors, for instance) built on frames that would be sloppy in a tract house. All show and no substance.

And, since I mentioned an outdoor kitchen, someone else mentioned plumbing the gas to the patio - be sure to plumb hot and cold water to the patio and install a drain pipe. Also, electrical outlets in the same general area, one low and at least one high (over 36"). Sooner or later you'll decide you want a nice built-in grill with a sink and fridge. You won't be able to add the drain later.

The result of seeing all the shoddy work was what convinced me to be my own contractor. I can get the quality I want by spending the GC's profit on the quality.