Back to the blue/green thing. This is stressing me out. I can't understand what looks good about the green. The blue seems timeless.
I shall refer you again to my design inspiration...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague
I think it looks great. That being said I have gone back and forth between the two colours at least a dozen times at this point. I think I'm slightly leaning blue now... I dunno, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and change my mind.
Couple of new things to ask about. The first is radon mitigation. Is it necessary out on an island in the pacific? Nope. Is it nonetheless mandated by the BC building code? Not until March. Is the municipality requiring that I do a rough in anyway? You bet they are. It seems to me though that this is a minimal cost - do the other builders here have a sense of how much I should expect to see on a change order for a couple of pipes and a couple of sheets of poly? Apparently this has to be done separately for the main floor and crawlspace (although possibly not the crawlspace because it's not conditioned?)
Second thing - I asked for pricing to do 3" exterior insulation around the whole building. Cost is a little over $5000. Now, this isn't a region where it gets super cold a lot of the time, but given the number of windows and everything, that seems reasonable. Thoughts of others on whether I pull the trigger on that? I am getting a little nervous with the way the costs for this thing are increasing.
Anyway, getting some good weather so progress has been solid (knock on wood).
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
I know it's just perspective, but that looks like the wonkiest wall ever.
It's a combination of the roof angle and the chimney cutout, yeah. Here's a couple other shots that give a better sense of scale etc.
Spoiler!
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
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Just caught up on this Corsi home building thread. It's been great so far! Looking forward to seeing the whole project over the next few months if you keep putting out updates.
We built in Calgary 11ish years ago, and the only major regrets I have with the build are all related to things I cut due to budget concerns. My advice would be that if there is any way to stretch the budget a little more and get everything you want then you'll be happier in the long run.
We built in Calgary 11ish years ago, and the only major regrets I have with the build are all related to things I cut due to budget concerns. My advice would be that if there is any way to stretch the budget a little more and get everything you want then you'll be happier in the long run.
Man, I hear you, and it's part of why I'm tempted to approve the exterior insulation, some extra cost now will result in comfort and savings over time... but I'm already stretching it so much. Like my original budget for windows and exterior doors was low 30,000s and I'm at about double that. Foundation was estimated at under 70k, now over 90k. And there's more to come I'm sure, I'm supposed to get a bunch more pricing this week.
I'm trying to just get the thing to a point where everything is roughed in and drywalled - sort of lockup plus stage - and I can deal with the floors, paint, millwork, applicances etc on my own once I have an occupancy certificate.
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
The radon rough-in shouldn't cost too much. Would depend on the square footage of the footprint. The vapour barrier is required by code either way. I'm actually surprised the radon piping isnt required currently. It's been a code item in the BC Building code since at least 2012.
As for the 3" rigid on the exterior, you should get a detail showing the wall assembly they would be providing.
There are many ways to do that, but I would be concerned about what type of insulation they are using and whether there is a rain screen, as you definitely don't want water getting in between the rigid and the wall sheathing.
PM me if you want to discuss.
Second thing - I asked for pricing to do 3" exterior insulation around the whole building. Cost is a little over $5000. Now, this isn't a region where it gets super cold a lot of the time, but given the number of windows and everything, that seems reasonable. Thoughts of others on whether I pull the trigger on that? I am getting a little nervous with the way the costs for this thing are increasing.
I wouldn't do it. The payback period for going much above code in the west coast climate if you're heating with a heat pump is usually ridiculously long.
Just as a point of reference, my house costs $400-450 a year to heat and cool in the same climate with heat pumps. And that's a 2,000 square foot house with a mix of 40 year old and 20 year old windows, 2x4 walls, and a mostly original envelope (I bumped up the attic insulation and did a bit of air sealing). So by any measure, your place should use a fair bit less energy to heat given that it's smaller and newer. But even if it didn't, the payback period would be crazy.
In general, about 20% of heat loss in a house is through walls, but in a modern building with decent wall insulation and a lot of windows, it can be even less. And because R-value is linear, you start to hit diminishing returns by adding more insulation to an already decent wall [see chart below in spoiler tags]. With 2x6 walls, you'd probably be reducing the heat loss by 40% or so by adding 3" of insulation outside. But that's only 40% of the wall loss, so it'd be more like 8% on the whole building (assuming the 20% figure above). So using the figure for my house above, you'd be saving $30-35 a year with the 3" of extra insulation, which is a 150 or so year payback.
Granted, some energy upgrades will improve the comfort, so it's not a strict payback calculation. But I'm not sure exterior wall insulation will really do that to a well built modern home. The windows are going to be the weak point of the envelope in terms of heat loss and feeling colder if you're near them, and the insulation does nothing for that. With proper air sealing (which basically any modern house has), there isn't going to be enough heat loss through walls to impact comfort with or without the exterior insulation.
Spoiler!
You can see here that once you get to R16 or R18, the returns from adding more insulation are pretty minimal. In a cold enough climate it can still make a difference, but not really on the south coast of BC.
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The radon rough-in shouldn't cost too much. Would depend on the square footage of the footprint. The vapour barrier is required by code either way. I'm actually surprised the radon piping isnt required currently. It's been a code item in the BC Building code since at least 2012.
Some areas in BC (mainly the coast and Vancouver Island) were exempted from that because of generally low radon levels there. But the new code removes those exemptions.
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Thanks for that info, that's super helpful. The square footage of the footprint is about 1500 sq ft, but it's weird because it's almost a split level, with the slab for the west side of the building being poured like 6 feet higher than for the crawlspace. If I only need the rough in to be done on the higher slab then that's about half the size.
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
The correct answer is blue and any natural wood, whether pine or cedar, will age unevenly in about 2-3 years. Splurge for wood-like material now and save the hassle and maintenance down the road.
I believe that's what architects call "patina".
I would never pay more for a fake wood product. When we got some siding quotes a few years ago, the cedar option was the premium option. I could understand going with a composite product to save money but if the real deal is cheaper, save your money and use it on maintenance when you think it needs it.
I fully acknowledge that I'm likely in the minority with this one but natural products always look better than their imitations.
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I'd block off every cold air return in the house except the upstairs ones for a night to see if that fixes it. If the bedrooms don't have any, and you have carpet such that air can't enter the bedroom under the door, they just won't allow warmair to be pumped in. So to test you'd leave the doors open a bit too, if there are no returns.
Are you a home builder? I'm definitely interested in your experience on this. You'd suggest I go for a faux wood PVC even at the higher cost?
I am not a builder. I am a Residential Designer who designs custom homes for about 20 years now. I have worked for a builder in the past and I pushed for, and got, the removal of all natural wood on our exteriors by working with our warranty department. They were very happy to see the natural wood go away.
Natural wood will age differently depending on exposure, so an uneven look is guaranteed. Yes, I would recommend, and spec on all my work, a wood-like material. Aside from the uneven patina the natural wood develops over time, for a remote location such as your a wood-like material will add a fire-smart cladding to your home.
I usually recommend metal (aluminum or steel) as a wood-like material.
Manufacturers you could look explore:
MAC Architectural Siding, Lux, Rialux, AL13, Westform Steel & Forma Steel
There are some wood-plastic composites such as New Tech Wood, but it's not likely as fire-smart.
I hope this helps.
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usually recommend metal (aluminum or steel) as a wood-like material.
Manufacturers you could look explore:
MAC Architectural Siding, Lux, Rialux, AL13, Westform Steel & Forma Steel
What sort of price per square foot installed does this type of material generally come out to? I'm still waiting on pricing for wood soffit and accents that I was supposed to get on Friday, so a comparison would be great.
Also, I'm now trying to pick out some plumbing fixtures. It seems like there isn't really a way to get this stuff cheap, so I am thinking I just go to a wholesalers here in town and walk through the list of things I need and see if I can come out with a lower price than the supplier my builder has, save the GST at least. Anyone know of a better way to do this?
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
What sort of price per square foot installed does this type of material generally come out to? I'm still waiting on pricing for wood soffit and accents that I was supposed to get on Friday, so a comparison would be great.
Also, I'm now trying to pick out some plumbing fixtures. It seems like there isn't really a way to get this stuff cheap, so I am thinking I just go to a wholesalers here in town and walk through the list of things I need and see if I can come out with a lower price than the supplier my builder has, save the GST at least. Anyone know of a better way to do this?
The issue with plumbing fixtures is if you get then yourself and end up with one with an issue, then they'll stand around twiddling their thumbs and it ain't their fault. So make sure you spend a bit extra for a contingency if something shows up wonky.
One way to get plumbing fixtures and sinks for really cheap is to aim at open box/broken box and returns where someone just didn't like the look. You can potentially save thousands of dollars if you wait on certain premium fixtures to go on clearance when the entire line is going to be discontinued etc. That's what I did. Heck, I bought a bunch of extras the open box/returns etc. were so cheap. But a refresh where we could just switch gears to something different isn't potentially the same as a build where they get specific sub contractors.
The extra stuff, I tried returning or offered to do a barter trade with some of the subs for some other service. What I did wasn't always proper though. Perhaps smartass clever that just so happened to work out.
YMMV, but one option is getting a pro account at Home Depot and ordering everything you need +1 (issues or damage etc.) and taking advantage of the bulk discount if possible. Extras, return to Home Depot when done.
Grab a brand new cash back credit card gives 5% cash back intro offer. Usually maxes out around $3K. Pay the card off, cancel the card.
Look for quotes for the cost of ordering in Calgary, then handing it over to a shipper to send to a pick up point in Victoria or wherever. Assuming $5K order, saving PST of 7% of that is $350. Cash back adds to that savings. Even if you break even or pay slightly more, there's the possibility you can aim for some stuff that's available in Calgary that's not available through your builder or stuff you can see in person to decide vs looking at catalogs/pictures that you're not certain of how the product looks like IRL?
Temp option: Get the cheapest appropriate hole/positional plumbing fixture install possible through builder (ie: 1, 2 or 3 hole taps). Use that for a bit (few months to few years) while you casually keep an eye out for stuff you like that ends up going on sale/clearance etc. Sinks and toilets won't do well for this, but shower heads, taps etc. are worth considering. However, there are many brands where the anti-slam toilet seat is only like <$100 on Amazon (ie: Kohler) but the price of a basic Kohler vs premium Kohler is hundreds of dollars of difference. The bowl and tank may have a negligible difference in look (concerns decisions wise), but swapping out the seat and potentially swapping the handle to a compatible one with a nicer look would cost much less than the difference for some "features" you want. ie: a Kohler branded fill valve upgrade + lever + quiet close seat could cost $160-180 but allow you to go from 4 lpf to 6 lpf, upgrade the look and get quiet close for cheaper than the model up. So for perhaps slightly less price, you get what you want and have spare parts you can store for future repairs.
But something like a Moen one hole pull down sprayer tap... You can find those things ranging from $180-880 sale/clearance/open box etc. and they're not too bad to swap out yourself, so the temp option/DIY swap savings can make sense. Same as shower heads, assuming nothing ultra fancy, get something with passable pressure for <$50 ish and wait to potentially save hundreds of bucks on easily swapping them at a later time for a hand held/rain or massage head etc. It's really easy to DIY or DIY redo. Just make sure the basic shower arm is in the right spot/size. The swapping of such fixtures might even be less of a waste if some of the nearby properties (I think you mentioned other family properties?) are starting to need replacements (temporary or otherwise). That's what I did with some excess. I swapped it at my parents place for stuff that was 10+ years old and just not working well. If hand held, a stainless steel hose replacement is an upgrade that is really worth it IMO. It feels good, looks good, allows the head to sit in the holder without potentially slowly turning like a lightweight plastic hose...
I know you mentioned some concerns earlier for certain cost savings or schedule savings. This might not apply to your situation, but here are a few ideas that might help that contractors and builders occasionally don't think about:
Spoiler!
Door handles. If tempted to, DO NOT cheap out on door handles or door hinges for savings. It'll bite you later. Swapping door handles later on potentially has issues with losing the tight fit, alignment etc. I wish I did it right the first time because it's obvious it was messed with later on. Cheap door handles ended up jamming or failing within two years. $40-60 on something like Schlage isn't even that bad in the big picture.
Please make sure that whoever is doing the doors at minimum has something similar to the Ryobi door hinge and lock kit. I had like 30+ doors in my house for my refresh and the guy was carefully chiseling out each slot for the hinges. The door hinge kit (basically a stamping template) was helping him save 20-30 minutes a door on his chiseling. Dude immediately went out and bought himself a kit for future projects.
I usually ask the workers if there's something that's a pain in the ass and not ideal for the work they have to do and if I could find an agreeable solution for both sides, I'd consider it.
Other operational efficiencies could be allowing them to do the work inside the house and paying a few hundred bucks extra in moving blankets and cleaning costs vs potentially thousands of dollars extra in inefficiencies (ie: dudes spending hours a week walking up and down stairs to the garage to do re-cuts of baseboard/lumber/extra supplies etc. vs allowing them to set up the mitre saw and supplies in a specific room upstairs).
I watched dudes spend an inordinate amount of time wandering around a lilac bush that was narrowing and getting in the way of the walk way or taking turns passing it when they were doing some work for me. The bush extending into a high traffic area. A few minutes of pruning was saving like 20-30 minutes a day for a multi week job. I also saw them slow down and navigate a wheelbarrow around a huge divot/hole which was again, perhaps slowing them down 20-30 minutes a day. A few bucks of sand later, there were far less slow downs. Other stuff like slowly sweeping saw dust for 20-30+ minutes a day vs getting a leaf blower and blowing everything to a corner within seconds and then an extra minute or two to sweep the pile. Garbage off a roof was another time saver.
Another, they were storing the windows outside and didn't have enough tarps so they were doing more trips to pick up the windows. I offered my personal tarps for their use ($20-30 of tarps) and they did one trip a day instead of two.
A week in, paid a few hundred bucks for a specific power tool that I heard the contractor mumble it'd make the job easier/faster. I lied and told him it was for me, but he could use it for the project. I guessed the time savings at his hourly rate would be more than the tool and in the end it was by a factor of 3-4x. In the end, I just gave him the tool as appreciation (I didn't need it anyways).
Another was that cheap ####ty green painters tape. The cheap stuff was ripping terribly and the guys were spending an extra hour picking at the tape to put up poly. $30-40 of good painters tape got rid of that stupidity.
I was hearing some swearing about the utility blades, and like $7 of Olfa heavy duty black blade replacements later, I heard "Holy ####, these blades are better than my other brand new utility blades". I taught the guys to secure and wrap things in plastic wrap from my experience in warehouses.
I was saving cost and time on some of the simplest of things by offering to do it out of pocket to make it easier to do the work. To be fair, I think many situations, they just did things like that because they were pre-emptively worried it'd upset the customer for the silliest things. But by resolving stuff like that, I got rid of situations in the project that were "penny wise, pound foolish".
It honestly sounds really dumb at times, but I've found ways to increase speed of work on all of the 5 refresh/renos/basement developments I've been involved in just by chatting with the subs over the GC. No one typically seems to want to step out of line or no one thinks of asking for an improved situation.
I have some yellowing and long cracks in my primary shower tiles in the grout. Should I keep it simple with:
- strong vinegar to whiten
- grout saw to remove the cracked grout
- new white grout to replace?
and let everything dry a few days after removing the old damaged grout?
