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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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 Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:13 pm Post subject: Help, ideas, input etc. |
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Hi everyone.. My boyfriend and I are just starting to sketch out some plans for our home.. I have a feeling that in the long run we will have some VERY differing ideas and concepts about materials etc.
At any rate here are some of the basics of what I would like.. if anyone has experience with any of this please feel free to help *i'd greatly appreciate it*
Basic Rooms:
3 bedrooms *possibly 4*
1 1/2 baths *probably 2*
kitchen
dining room
library/study
living room
Layout:
I would like atleast 2 of the bedrooms *3 if we build 4* to be on the ground floor *firesafety reasons i would like my children to have ready access to the ground if they should need to jump out a window*
The kitchen and baths to be on the same wall of the house
lots of open space *essentially only the bathrooms and bedrooms to be totally closed off and possibly not all bedrooms*
Materials:
I would like to build as green and yet inexpensively as possible
We dont bet MUCH sun in our area but I would like to attempt to use as much of our South border for window space *double glazed glass*
I would like to use the massive amounts of stone strewn around our side yard for some of the flooring *i believe that MANY years ago the stream went through our yard where as now it goes beside our yard*
I've thaught about using plaster rather than sheetrock, and keep as many exposed beams as possible *would deffinately like info on this*
If there are important things i am missing, or anything you'd like to ask about or help with please dont hesitate
THANKS SO MUCH!!
Elle |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1745
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Elle,
So it sounds like you already have the land, what is your climate like?
Are you planning to build soon?
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 525
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:30 am Post subject: Re: Help, ideas, input etc. |
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Elle,
Here are some first pass, general comments.
| fathom.this wrote: |
Basic Rooms:
3 bedrooms *possibly 4*
1 1/2 baths *probably 2*
kitchen
dining room
library/study
living room
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You need to really define your program. Be specific about what you want in each space. Write it out.....
This is how I might expand your program:
Master bedroom with a adjoining master bath. Furnishings will include Queen size bed, two dressers, two night stands, TV/data/voice. Master bath should have double vanity, shower/tub combination, and toilet should be separated.
2 or 3 bedrooms with a single full bath serving these bedrooms. Bedrooms should be able to accommodate double bed, dresser, study/play areas. TV/data/voice provided in each room. Bath serving this area need to have double vanity with tub/shower combo unit. Toilet in separate area..
Powder room for guests (this is your 1/2 bath)
Kitchen should be open to the Living areas and have cooktop, double ovens, larger refrigerator, dishwasher, pantry cabinet, storage areas for mixer, coffee maker and other small appliances. TV/data/voice. Recycling area.
Dining Room to be used for everyday causal dining and formal dining.
Living room (again, list the furniture)
| fathom.this wrote: | Layout:
I would like atleast 2 of the bedrooms *3 if we build 4* to be on the ground floor *firesafety reasons i would like my children to have ready access to the ground if they should need to jump out a window* |
This is fine. However, depending on your local building code, windows in bedrooms are required to be a certain size for egress purposes. Also, smoke detectors(alarms) need to be located in each sleeping room and areas directly outside of each sleeping room. The smoke detectors have to be hardwired, meaning if one goes off they all go off. So, if a fire starts downstairs in the furnace room, all the smoke detectors go off in the house.
The reality of fire and children is this..... Children will not necessarily leave the house during a fire. They will hide under a bed or in their closet. When they are younger you need to be able to get to them yourself or reinforce that they have to leave the house through their window. Talk to your local fire department. The statics are there. The best thing you can do is you need to have and practice your escape plan. I have trained both of my boys how to remove the screens in their rooms and how to open the windows and exit the house. We have a predetermined location we will meet.
In others words, locating children's rooms on the first floor will not ensure their safety.
| fathom.this wrote: | | The kitchen and baths to be on the same wall of the house |
Everyone thinks you safe tons of money backing up all of the plumbing into a shared wall. The savings is smaller than you think. Locate rooms where they make the most sense. 10 foot of additional PVC waste line or 10 feet of copper is a couple hundred dollars, if that..........
| fathom.this wrote: | Materials:
I would like to build as green and yet inexpensively as possible
We dont bet MUCH sun in our area but I would like to attempt to use as much of our South border for window space *double glazed glass*
I would like to use the massive amounts of stone strewn around our side yard for some of the flooring *i believe that MANY years ago the stream went through our yard where as now it goes beside our yard*
I've thaught about using plaster rather than sheetrock, and keep as many exposed beams as possible *would deffinately like info on this* |
Green construction can come in many forms. It might be in selecting materials manufactured locally so that the embedded energy is less. It might be locating and siting your house to take advantage of the prevailing winds and sunlight. It could be in selecting products with the EnergyStar label or materials that are renewable or recyclable. It could be using reclaimed materials. Or any combination of these. The best thing you can do is use the best methods for insulating the house and using mechanical equipment (heating/cooling) that has a higher effieciency rating. And there is also geo-thermal.
There are a lot opinions concerning green. Is bamboo flooring really green....... if everyone uses it and we deplete the entire supply before the 15 year grow back period are you being green, or if bamboo is the only food source for pandas, is it green to harvest it for flooring.
Using the stones found on your site is very green. However, they may not be suitable for flooring. You have to have someone who knows stone review the material and also determine if the stone needs to be "dressed" before you can use it. They might make better landscape elements. Who knows without seeing them.
I am not sure the aversion to sheetrock. No one really does plaster in the traditional sense anymore. They use a plaster veneer, like you see on This Old House. And you might not find plasters in your area. Even if you use plaster veneer, you will still need to use a sheetrock product (call blue board or green board) as backer.
I am not sure they even make single pane windows anymore. Most windows have a thermal pane. You might never realize a return for higher end/higher effiecency windows either.
The really big thing you can do to be green is try to control the waste stream. Make the builder have several dumpsters for the different types of waste products. Cardboard used in packing for products alone can take an entire dumpster and is recyclable. Metals can be recycled. Wood scraps can be turned into mulch or other byproducts. The list goes on and on. You HAVE to find a builder willing to build green.
I recommend (almost to the point of requiring) all of our residential clients to read Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House . It is at most libraries and now in paperback. Visit her website - www.notsobighouse.com |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| csintexas wrote: | | what is your climate like? Are you planning to build soon? |
We will be building right here on his parents land *there is plenty of privacy and space*
We live in upstate NY *about 30 minutes from the PA border* so while we have pretty cold winters the summers still get pretty hot *atleast for a few days*
We HOPE to start building really soon, though realistically we will probably purchase an old mobile home and save $ to build as we can *there isnt enough room for another person here and we're expecting again in the very end of August*
Thanks for the reply |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:58 am Post subject: Re: Help, ideas, input etc. |
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| phansford wrote: |
You need to really define your program.
The reality of fire and children is this..... Children will not necessarily leave the house during a fire.
10 foot of additional PVC waste line or 10 feet of copper is a couple hundred dollars, if that..........
if everyone uses it and we deplete the entire supply before the 15 year grow back period are you being green, or if bamboo is the only food source for pandas, is it green to harvest it for flooring.
You have to have someone who knows stone review the material and also determine if the stone needs to be "dressed" before you can use it.
No one really does plaster in the traditional sense anymore.
The really big thing you can do to be green is try to control the waste stream. |
Thank you so much for this.. I got a copy of some silly 3d home architect to play around *i'd like to have atleast 4 ideas to sit down w/ him about*
Hopefully that will help me define more about what i'd like to include, I'll make sure to try to get a better outline at some point today..
Your comment about children made me giggle, and you're right 
The same with PVC it's actually ironic that so far *w/ my 2 1/2 plans on paper* the bathroom usually ends up next to the kitchen.. atleast one bathroom does
I totally agree with what you said about bamboo.. i always start to say "we hope to" but really it's me, I'm not sure yet how he fully feels about using items from our local re-use center, or not using things that are nescisarily "in" when it comes to building.. I'd LOVE to use the trees that we have to tear down *so they dont fall on our house in 20 years* but I'm not sure what uses there are for green pine and popplar *i'm sure there are others i just am not sure what they are*
I honestly have NO idea who to ask about the stones.. we have a family member that is sometimes a mason *usually lazy*.. he's a really great man, but I dont fully trust his opinion as it will most deffinately be biased by someone who lives here or very near here... ::Scott's mother is very "buy it at Lowes or Home Depot... hippys need to come into the 20th century etc" (not that there's anything wrong w/ Home Depot for some things
As for finding someone to build green and control the waste.. The house that we are staying in currently was built totally by non-professional capeable hands *90%of whom are still living and able* My father built lakeside million dollar homes for many years and while he hasnt done anything big for a long time I know that he'd be here in a heartbeat.. So  i'm pretty sure that i can atleast monitor if not guarantee that the process will be green.. or atleast green-ish
I appreciate all of your help and I cant wait to get more responses after I fully or atleast partially define my outline further
Thanks again
Elle |
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lekizz
millennium club
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 1045
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:37 am Post subject: |
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You imply that you are thinking of building a single storey house. I appreciate that in the US land is not so precious, hence there is a tendency not to design compact homes. But if you think about it, you may save money, certainly in terms of future energy use, if you build compactly. A two storey home will have less external surface area through which to lose heat in the winter. And there is no great problem to putting your living areas upstairs and your bedrooms on the ground floor, particularly if you have a pleasant view from your plot.
And as for the south facing wall, there are several methods to improve the energy use and sustainability of your home, for instance you could create a glazed sunspace, which would be a source of warmed air in the cooler months. You have to remember that if you have too much south facing glazing it might make your home unpleasantly bright and hot in summer. |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1745
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Well I think your off to a good start Elle. It sounds like your father will be a very valuable asset for you. The most common problem my clients come in with is no defined budget and an unrealistic expectation of what things cost so also do some homework on that.
Green is a popular term these days, even my regional power company is advertising themselves as "green" and all their power plants are coal burning.
The home design and building industry has generally lost most knowledge of passive energy efficiency but made up for it with better building materials. Frankly, most of my clients only want to be told their house is green, they don't actually want a green house. Green involves many unpopular things like limiting house size to pay for higher efficiency items (which is made up for mostly in lower energy costs), opening windows, allowing wider temperature and humidity variation, keeping the shape of the house simple, using windows correctly, etc.
If you really want an efficient house you will probably need to find someone who has experience designing that type of home in your area.
While the cost of materials is not a huge factor centralizing the plumbing is a good idea. A lot of water and energy is wasted waiting for hot water.
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:54 am Post subject: |
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| csintexas wrote: | | The home design and building industry has generally lost most knowledge of passive energy efficiency but made up for it with better building materials. Frankly, most of my clients only want to be told their house is green, they don't actually want a green house. |
My orriginal intention was to remodel a friends' dairy barn and live there.. However, w/ a 4 person family the u shaped loft just wasnt enough space. Not to mention we'd be moving 2 hours away from my boyfriend's job and both our families.. *and compared to living here in the almost wilderness a 2 college town just doesnt cut it for us*
I hope to try to incorporate some of the ideas from the basic layout of the barn in new-ish ways (ie the hay shoot from upstairs being used for laundry.. the funky angled stalls and floor *atleast in one 11x8 or whathave you stall* to be used for the restroom
I was wondering if you knew of any links where I could get information on grey water, and composting toilets
I also have NO idea how to find out what our local building codes are... ive looked online but havent been able to find anything.
Thanks again for all your help
Elle |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1745
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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hmm, all this talk about recycling, passive energy and composting toilets. You might get the 5 star hippie award
Sounds like you have many good ideas and a very realistic approach.
http://www.clivusmultrum.com/
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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| csintexas wrote: | | hmm, all this talk about recycling, passive energy and composting toilets. You might get the 5 star hippie award |
That is seriously the nicest thing.. my face is probably very red currently. I was wondering if you thaught Google's Sketch Up was any better than 3D Home Architect?
:: also, hopefully this fall I will be taking architectural drafting courses at our community college.. as well as Business and Restaurant courses::
Thanks again! |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1745
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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sketchup is good at rendering, massing, sketching types of things.
3d home architect is better at doing drafting. either will work (also I hear grid paper and pencils are still around)
I have fiddled with sketchup a bit not 3d home archi, I often have clients come in with plans they made on it though.
Are you going to try to do the plan yourself?
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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| csintexas wrote: | | Are you going to try to do the plan yourself? |
i'd like to do most of it, all of it if we can.. the 3dHA that we got has electric and lighting options which lol electric is the one hting that i have NO clue about
<3 |
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Weathered-Stone
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Fairhope, AL
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| Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:01 pm Post subject: Weathered Stone will complement real stone |
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Using real stone in a home requires sanding and sawing. This will be a problem with children and will create a huge mess. I recommend using a product called Weathered Stone. No sanding or sawing required, just the timeless beauty of stone.
Visit the website @ http://www.weathered-stone.com
_________________
Weathered Stone™ is a hand made stone and leather replica covering that is only 1/32nd of an inch thick. The product is manufactured in Fairhope, AL, and has 300 certified installers nationwide. |
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kmapro
Joined: 03 Mar 2006
Posts: 116
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| Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| fathom.this wrote: | | csintexas wrote: | | hmm, all this talk about recycling, passive energy and composting toilets. You might get the 5 star hippie award |
That is seriously the nicest thing.. my face is probably very red currently. I was wondering if you thaught Google's Sketch Up was any better than 3D Home Architect?
:: also, hopefully this fall I will be taking architectural drafting courses at our community college.. as well as Business and Restaurant courses::
Thanks again! |
I hope that by "doing them yourself" you are only wanting to get a general design platform down and then taking it to a design professional. there is a lot more to desiging a house than just drawing lines.
You have to understand construction, materials and load development before you can truly design a structure.
I mean no offense, and I appluad your wanting to do this on your own, but for your sake (and budget), I hope that you, at the very least, consult with a design professional (either an architect or someone skilled in residential design).
I know that you think doing it yourself will save you the cost of the plans, but a design professional will be able to design with consideration of how the framers in your area build. By desiging in this method, the designer/architect can better utilize the materials necessary for the construction of the home. Therefor, reducing the unnecessary materials and unneeded costs.
Again, please do not take my comments offensive, I am just trying to help. |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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I take no offense at all, I totally agree with you! Our computer crashed recently so I appologize for not having replied before.. the electric in our current residence is so... insert explitive here... my boyfriend's grandfather wired the house for it to be inspected, and then after it was okayed he undid and redid everything the way he wanted it..
my architectural education wont start for a while, so i deffinately will be going to a professional when we get to that stage..
i want to thank you so much for all of your help.. and i'm sorry again that it took me so long to reply
<3 Elle |
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