Building a new house

jeeptj99 · Jul 9, 2018

money_pit_yj said:
Will be slick as heck coming in from the pool! I busted my butt so many times on ours when we had stained concrete. I walked in with wet crocs on, carrying a platter that had two hot smoked shoulders on it and slipped dumping bbq everywhere. Surely they make some kind of coating to make it less slickery??

That's what you get for wearing crocs :rolf:

kmcminn · Jul 9, 2018

jeeptj99 said:
That's what you get for wearing crocs

They don't require him to bend over and tie his shoes.

BustedKnucklefilms · Nov 18, 2018

A little update. Framing is mostly finished other than a few changes inside.
Ordered Windows and Doors.
Doing plumbing and Electrical Now.
Roof is done.

Anyone have suggestions for a security system?

We hope to be hanging Sheetrock by Christmas.

bbone · Nov 18, 2018

Only suggestion I have is to run cat5 everywhere for cameras, speakers, volume controls, etc. Even if you don't need it now, one day you might. Also if you have gas, run some lines to various outdoor spots and cap them for future outdoor fire features/cooking.

BustedKnucklefilms · Nov 18, 2018

bbone said:
Only suggestion I have is to run cat5 everywhere for cameras, speakers, volume controls, etc. Even if you don't need it now, one day you might. Also if you have gas, run some lines to various outdoor spots and cap them for future outdoor fire features/cooking.

Done and Done :dblthumb:

Fireplace on the screened in back porch and stubbed out for a firepit downstairs on the deck as well.

halcat · Nov 18, 2018

When I built mine....whole house vacuum....whole house surround sound....
Monitored alarm....and radio control lighting. You can control certain lights from a command center located anywhere in the house, even in your car coming up your driveway. Push one button and turn lights on to light a path to a certain area in your house. Be sure to install a good humidifier in your heat system and an electronic air filter. Humid air feels warmer in winter than dry air and your wife will love the electronic filter. ( hardly ever have to dust and no sinus issues)

CHASMAN9 · Nov 19, 2018

And chase pipes to key locations where wiring might be done, just in case something was to be added at a later date. As for your plumbing, make sure they put in cast iron drops between floors, nothing worse than listening to bad chinese buffet flowing between floors.

ADMINISTRATOR

LightBnDr · Nov 19, 2018

I'm building right now as well.

I'd recommend the Ring system. I honestly think constant surveillance from any corner or crevasse is super nice and you have the ability to control everything off sight.

I don't have experience with any other systems

Man building a home is tough. There's no way I'd go back and pay a builder for sure but it has consumed my entire life. Yours too I'm sure.

If you don't run cast iron, you can line those walls with Roxul, a rock wool product that works very well for sound deadening

These stages are by far the toughest in my opinion. You get a crew guys that come in and hack the snot out of each phase. You get one chance to do it right before it's covered by Sheetrock forever.

If you don't like the price tag of rock wool you can substitute fiberglass batting. It's 1/3 of the price

I know you have your dad helping so I'm sure you're gonna make it through just fine

What's funny is I can care less what my finish out looks like. That's my wife's deal. For me everything is about structural integrity and energy efficiency.

Holy smokes this industry is so far from that, I lose sleep every night over it. Lol

Enjoy brother. Looking great

bbone · Nov 19, 2018

Spray foam. Trust me

BustedKnucklefilms · Nov 19, 2018

bbone said:
Spray foam. Trust me

That is happening for sure. This place is going to be like a Yeti Cooler!

NOVI FED COUPE · Nov 19, 2018

BustedKnucklefilms said:
That is happening for sure. This place is going to be like a Yeti Cooler!

Since you are doing spray foam, make sure you do variable HVAC equipment so it can pull out the humidity. The spray foam works so good it will also hold humidity in.

BlackYJ · Nov 19, 2018

What is everyone's thoughts on spray foaming the attic ceiling? I opted not to do that on my house because I was afraid that when you have a leak in your roof you would never know until the decking was rotted and falling in.

bbone · Nov 19, 2018

Overlooked but very important, in the attic where the AC unit is housed, build a room for it and spray foam it so it's conditioned. It will be Love life being in a conditioned space instead of a hot ass atitic

NOVI FED COUPE · Nov 19, 2018

BlackYJ said:
What is everyone's thoughts on spray foaming the attic ceiling? I opted not to do that on my house because I was afraid that when you have a leak in your roof you would never know until the decking was rotted and falling in.

I would def spray the attic and if on a budget do attic only. That's where most of the heat load gain and loss will be done.

clutchee · Nov 19, 2018

Spray foam is worth every penny!!
We used it in our walls, we have 6" of open cell in walls and sprayed roof, it has 8-10" across it.

Our heating/ cooling bills are 1/3 of our neighbors and friends with conventional insulation.

Bigred350 · Nov 19, 2018

Look into simpisafe for home security. And for cameras try reolink.

Bumpers · Nov 19, 2018

Spray foam is great. Just finished my house I sprayfoamed the attic and did roxwul in the walls and so far been really efficient. I emailed your wife about some fireplaces. It's cheaper and easier to do before sheetrock. And don't do any "ventless" fireplaces

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

BigCountry · Nov 20, 2018

BlackYJ said:
What is everyone's thoughts on spray foaming the attic ceiling? I opted not to do that on my house because I was afraid that when you have a leak in your roof you would never know until the decking was rotted and falling in.

I was concerned with this, as well as trapping moisture from humidity on the roof deck. We just finished our house. 3300 sqft total w/bonus on a crawl. I opted to blow in R44 in the ceiling and used open cell in the walls. We also did a sealed/conditioned crawl. So far seems to be very efficient, however I did have a little trouble with humidity when we first fired it up. The house would cool so quick that the ac didn't run long enough to pull out all the humidity. We installed a 4 ton variable system so we made a few adjustments to the fan speed so it would run longer and pull out more moisture. The main level is just under 2600 sqft, with high ceilings, however I often wonder if we may have over sized the ac due to the insulation. (The bonus room and garage have dedicated mini splits.) For heat we did a 2 stage gas furnace.

lt99ls1 · Nov 20, 2018

Arlo camera's are pretty sweet. We use them here at work. At home, I use a Blink XL system.

LightBnDr · Nov 20, 2018

Lol holy cow man this so ironic

I just finished my insulation stage, sheet rock showed up 7am yesterday and these guys are moving 100mph.

In terms of spray foam insulation Matt, you need to do your homework DILIGENTLY. As well as have an HVAC guy who is experienced with spray foam new construction installs.

Technically you need a mechanical engineer to design a truly great system for you home. 3rd party. Not the same guy that will do your install

Spray foam is an awesome product but I truly believe that the industry has not caught up with all of the effects of foam.

Insulation guys want to spray because it's fast and easy and good money. The HVAC guys are struggling to design systems to properly work with foam.

Open cell foam is a sponge and will drive moisture to a condensing surface. So you absolutely cannot use radiant barrier roof decking under spray foam. Moisture will gather at the barrier and create huge mold and mildew problems.

The same thing happens with bare OSB decking as well only it will begin to rot the decomposed wood.

Your HVAC guy will need to also install dehumidifiers both in your attic space and in your conditioned space. This is the only way to control that humidity.

If not the same effect occurs. Typically the system installed is too large for the square footage and the efficiency level of foam.
Just like others have said, your system will need to run longer but lower to maintain that conditioned climate.

You have to have a standard at least of an 8" fresh air intake for your system as well. Penetrates through a gable or soffit.

The amazing part to me is how fast the industry is pushing foam. The studies of harmful effects are nowhere yet.

You also DONOT want to add duct work in your attic that is shared by your conditioned living space. The chemicals from foam will off gas for who nows how long and it will mix with your breathable air.

Said above, if you are going to heat and cool your attic it needs to be a completely dedicated system to that space.

Anyway Matt, be very careful. Do your homework. There's a very serious reason the Midwest and east coast climates DONOT use spray foam.

I built 2x6" exterior walls 24" on center, California 3 stud corners, California T's. I sprayed open cell in my walls and roof lines. Full depth in all areas.

I run a 3 ton 2 stage system. Puts me at 845sq ft per ton. I run 2 dehumidifiers. 1 in my attic space as well as 1 in my living space.

It's a scary decision Matt. Long term for your family, choose wisely.