new home construction

[Who Needs 8]

1.) Don't have the a/c unit near the M Bed. Have it on N side of the house.

Are you talking about the condensing unit outside? In that case, with copper prices the way they are, you're not going to have much of a choice with exception of not near the master bedroom. I try my best to keep it away from a Master Bed when I put one in.

[Who Needs 8]

Also, as an HVAC designer let me suggest this, there's no reason IMO Not to do the following on a New House:

FOAM AND SEAL THE ENTIRE ATTIC!!!! Fuck Barriers and Foils, Just seal the whole damn thing. Most of the higher SEER HVAC systems require this.

SEER, SEER, SEER!!!!! 14 Seer is the "trade" minimum, but there's no excuse to NOT have 16 Seer right now . . . but 19 Seer is Ideal . . . and 21 SEER will pay for itself. Think of it this way, SEER minimums always go up and by the time the house is 20-30 years old 19 SEER will be standard.

AIR BALANCE!!!! Don't worry about the Tonnage. If the system is designed right and the air flows are balanced upon completion, the tonnage is right. Don't freaking question the tonnages, despite common belief, YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT!!!! Tonnages are determined by an approx 1000+ PAGE BOOK!!!!(Sorry, people questioning tonnages is my new pet peeve)

WINDOWS, WINDOWS, WINDOWS!!!! If you don't mind the look, go with Vinyl Tinted Low-E windows. Look up the lowest SHGC rating and run with it. (SHGC = Solar Height Gain Coefficient)

And IF . . . and this is a big IF . . . if I had the choice, I'd have Metal Duct with minimal amounts of Flex Duct. But this will be the most difficult thing to have done, it's too costly and time consuming.

[paull]

Get 40 yr shingles, get electric temp controlled ridge fans, and have soffit vents installed every 4 feet around house.. Get low e vinyl windows.. Several GFI plugs on the outside of the house for yard work, christmas lights, etc.. Several hose bibs around the outside, much easier than having to use long hoses.. granite counter tops are worth the money, several plugs n the kitchen and in a island if u get one, tankless water heater, natural gas line out back for grill, gutter with screens and good drainage routing, oil base paint on trim and cabinets (last a lot longer with heavy use), get the attic floor decked so you can use it and not fall thru, Seal the attic off , forget cheap radiant barrier crap.. Get the a/c duct suspended and use as little as possible, no need for alot of slack .. foam the exterior walls instead of fiberglass, and foam the bottom plate on the inside of exterior walls to help seal air before base board is put in.. have a a/c duct ran to the garage so you can heat n cool it .. insult garage door.. 220 plug n garage is always nice if u work on cars or things.. get your garage as big as possible , they try to build em small now days.. exterior lighting , either spot lights or lamps.. AND go check on progress daily or few times a week so they dont slip up

[turbostang]

My take on the whole new house thing...

(my house is due to be done in a week and a half btw)

My upgrades included:

*front door (decorative glass, stained etc)
*3 car, extended 4' in depth
*porch option
*3 coach lights on front of garage
*mop sink in garage
*ceiling fan on back porch
*hose bib on back porch
*gas line on back porch
*fireplace
*garage FULLY insulated
*living room surround sound wired
*half wall in master shower
*front yard hose bib on the column of the porch, so it's not obstructing the walk way and is positioned in the center of the house for use in the hole yard.


I'm not sure about your builder, but for me - I had to go inspect EVERY day. They screwed up a LOT.

Plumbing in the slab was not correct, and even after I told them 4 days BEFORE they poured - they still poured and thus had to run two water lines in the attic.

There were 5 wall caps that were crooked as hell. The cap for the half wall on the shower was crooked as hell as well - they told me it was so water didn't stand on it - I thought that was a good enough reason and left it at that.. Then they put the glass portion on top of it and put the glass all the way towards the shower side of the wall, totally negating MY purpose of having the half wall in the first place (a handy storage ledge for shampoo, soap etc).. and totally negating the need for the crooked cap in the first place - now there's no way for water to stand anyways.

Most of the light fixtures are crooked as hell. Most of the wall plates are crooked as hell. My front door is not fitted squarely in the opening (ultimately will cause rubbing/binding issues on down the road)

Although it's not finished, the garage sheetrock looks like hell in some places. There's BIG pieces of chipped concret in corners of the garage (on the exterior of the house).

[dewayne6243]

Don't forget hot/cold water spicket to wash your car. It is nice to have warm water in the winter when washing you car.

[Vertnut]

My take on the whole new house thing...

(my house is due to be done in a week and a half btw)

My upgrades included:

*front door (decorative glass, stained etc)
*3 car, extended 4' in depth
*porch option
*3 coach lights on front of garage
*mop sink in garage
*ceiling fan on back porch
*hose bib on back porch
*gas line on back porch
*fireplace
*garage FULLY insulated
*living room surround sound wired
*half wall in master shower
*front yard hose bib on the column of the porch, so it's not obstructing the walk way and is positioned in the center of the house for use in the hole yard.


I'm not sure about your builder, but for me - I had to go inspect EVERY day. They screwed up a LOT.

Plumbing in the slab was not correct, and even after I told them 4 days BEFORE they poured - they still poured and thus had to run two water lines in the attic.

There were 5 wall caps that were crooked as hell. The cap for the half wall on the shower was crooked as hell as well - they told me it was so water didn't stand on it - I thought that was a good enough reason and left it at that.. Then they put the glass portion on top of it and put the glass all the way towards the shower side of the wall, totally negating MY purpose of having the half wall in the first place (a handy storage ledge for shampoo, soap etc).. and totally negating the need for the crooked cap in the first place - now there's no way for water to stand anyways.

Most of the light fixtures are crooked as hell. Most of the wall plates are crooked as hell. My front door is not fitted squarely in the opening (ultimately will cause rubbing/binding issues on down the road)

Although it's not finished, the garage sheetrock looks like hell in some places. There's BIG pieces of chipped concret in corners of the garage (on the exterior of the house).

Make sure you make a punch list, and that they complete all legitimate issues BEFORE you close.

[fordracing19]

Don't forget hot/cold water spicket to wash your car. It is nice to have warm water in the winter when washing you car.

I also put a hot water hose bib by the driveway.

Use mine all the time.

[dbeau2]

If you foam up the walls and attic, which you should. Call Energywise out of Mckinney and have them design your hvac and consult with you on your houses energy. They offer a guarantee on what your biil will be! They only do super tight houses like ICF's, SIP's, and 2x construction that is foamed. Maybe it costs a little more to be that tight but it will be worth it. You can deduct your morgage but not your electricity payments. I will be building a Structurally Insulated Panel house very soon and they will be doing the hvac design.
Hidden cost: I just recieved the soils test and the PVR Potential Vertical Movement came back at 6'' to 8''. This is very high and may cause my slab to run alot more than originally budgeted. This house will be in The Colony which has high soil movement but I didn't think this bad.

[dewayne6243]

If you foam up the walls and attic, which you should. Call Energywise out of Mckinney and have them design your hvac and consult with you on your houses energy. They offer a guarantee on what your biil will be! They only do super tight houses like ICF's, SIP's, and 2x construction that is foamed. Maybe it costs a little more to be that tight but it will be worth it. You can deduct your morgage but not your electricity payments. I will be building a Structurally Insulated Panel house very soon and they will be doing the hvac design.
Hidden cost: I just recieved the soils test and the PVR Potential Vertical Movement came back at 6'' to 8''. This is very high and may cause my slab to run alot more than originally budgeted. This house will be in The Colony which has high soil movement but I didn't think this bad.

Foam is a waste of money. I proved it.

[KBScobravert]

My take on the whole new house thing...

(my house is due to be done in a week and a half btw)

My upgrades included:

*front door (decorative glass, stained etc)
*3 car, extended 4' in depth
*porch option
*3 coach lights on front of garage
*mop sink in garage
*ceiling fan on back porch
*hose bib on back porch
*gas line on back porch
*fireplace
*garage FULLY insulated
*living room surround sound wired
*half wall in master shower
*front yard hose bib on the column of the porch, so it's not obstructing the walk way and is positioned in the center of the house for use in the hole yard.


I'm not sure about your builder, but for me - I had to go inspect EVERY day. They screwed up a LOT.

Plumbing in the slab was not correct, and even after I told them 4 days BEFORE they poured - they still poured and thus had to run two water lines in the attic.

There were 5 wall caps that were crooked as hell. The cap for the half wall on the shower was crooked as hell as well - they told me it was so water didn't stand on it - I thought that was a good enough reason and left it at that.. Then they put the glass portion on top of it and put the glass all the way towards the shower side of the wall, totally negating MY purpose of having the half wall in the first place (a handy storage ledge for shampoo, soap etc).. and totally negating the need for the crooked cap in the first place - now there's no way for water to stand anyways.

Most of the light fixtures are crooked as hell. Most of the wall plates are crooked as hell. My front door is not fitted squarely in the opening (ultimately will cause rubbing/binding issues on down the road)

Although it's not finished, the garage sheetrock looks like hell in some places. There's BIG pieces of chipped concret in corners of the garage (on the exterior of the house).

Brooks it really does not sound like you are very happy. What is the builder doing for you compensate?

You sound like me. We had our house inspected before signing. I have 3 interior doors all missing one screw in the door handle. I have one door that will not latch shut at all. The water shut off valves under the sink were broken, the handle just turned and turned. I assume the bathrooms ones are going to be the same way but I am afraid to check just yet. I have so many dead plugs are random places in the house the wife is yelling at me (not really yelling but you get the point). None of my outdoor plugs work. I am sure there are other nitpick things I am missing. Point is the inspector did not mention any of them in his report and I discovered them all the first few days we were in the house.


I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but along with getting the biggest garage you can get a tall ceiling. 10' should be the minimum but if you can get them to vault the damn thing do it. I want a lift in the future in my garage and I might as well build a whole nother garage off the house while I am at it.

[Vertnut]

The reality is that ANY new home should be "Energy Star" certified. It won't mean that it's as efficient as it can be, but it will be very efficient. If it's built by a "production" builder, be sure your house is actually inspected. Large builders only require 1 out of every 5 have an actual inspector run the tests. It costs' them money (mine charges $100) to do the test on the house. Foam works best in extreme temperatures, so here in Texas, if someone says they save $200 every month, it's just not true. Dec, Jan, Feb, then June, July, and August will show good savings. The A/C systems that are engineered for those homes, also run a little more to have installed. Though there is less tonnage overall, when you encapsulate the house, other things come into play.
If I were going to live in a home for 30 years, it's probably worth the money. How many people live in a house for even 10 years? The national average was about 5.5 years. If you add that extra $5000 to your mortgage, I guess it's probably worth the extra $25 a month

[dbeau2]

Foam is a waste of money. I proved it.

What did you prove? Nothing! Were both houses sealed in the attic? Same square footage? Same type of homeowners ( 2 adults 2 kids)? Same Hvac and appliances? Same number and type of windows? It's been proven many times that a SIP house or a properly foamed house will out perform a conventional house with cellulose insulation. By the way foam isn't $30k more that regular insulation.

[Vertnut]

What did you prove? Nothing! Were both houses sealed in the attic? Same square footage? Same type of homeowners ( 2 adults 2 kids)? Same Hvac and appliances? Same number and type of windows? It's been proven many times that a SIP house or a properly foamed house will out perform a conventional house with cellulose insulation. By the way foam isn't $30k more that regular insulation.

On the type houses I build, foam is about 3X my typical cost of the isulation package.

[dewayne6243]

What did you prove? Nothing! Were both houses sealed in the attic? Same square footage? Same type of homeowners ( 2 adults 2 kids)? Same Hvac and appliances? Same number and type of windows? It's been proven many times that a SIP house or a properly foamed house will out perform a conventional house with cellulose insulation. By the way foam isn't $30k more that regular insulation.

Both houses were for sale for 6 months empty. Thermostats set on exact same temperature. 3" of foam is $2.50 a sq.ft and 1 foot of cellulose is .50 a sq.ft.

What part of identical homes do u not comprehend? I have built many homes. You're not talking to a rookie here.

[sdun]

I didn't read every post in detail so sorry if it's been said.

2x6 exterior walls on 24inch centers

I saw all of the foam arguments. So here is what I do. Optima in the walls on a 2x6 wall is an r23. Wrap the house with the radiant barrier foam( comes in 4x8 sheets foam with foil on both sides). At the corners and around windows/doors use the cool deck that you use on the roof decking except on the exterior walls turn the foil to the outside. Aluminum tape all of the seams.
With the 1 inch foam sheathing your exterior walls are a r29 That's better than most peoples attics!

R-49 in the attic

At least 19 seer hvac

The last several houses that I built were built like this. The smallest was 3200sp ft and the largest was 4600. Of the 4 home owners that I have talked to 1 house on 1 month had an electric bill over $200.

I saw something about water lines, heres the best that I have found. How many you use depends on the layout of the house you can use manifolds for the hot and cold watter. Some houses I use 4 (2 each) It's like a breaker panel for water. We used pex on the houses with the manifolds. Everything has it's own ball valve, the hose bibs can be turned off in the winter, you can turn off any water fixture in the house quickly in case of an emergency.

I'm tired of typing, if you have any energy saving questions pm me. I have taken a ton of test on this and have implemented a lot of ideas on houses with great success.