Advice The Home Improvement/Automation Thread

Jehannum said:
The Big Lebowski Dude GIF by Working Title


At least with the rubber floor you won't need to worry about when the chinaman pisses on it, dude.
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Yeah, well, thats just, like, your opinion...man...
 
Domon said:
has anyone gone through the process of building a house? I've DIYed things my whole life, and thus had complete control over all the choices, I know I will lose a lot of that buying a house from a pre-existing set of plans that a builder has, but I dont know how much.

Like, do I only get to pick paint colors? I'd like to pick my own light switches as an example, id like interior insulation in certain rooms for sound isolation, etc.

I'm glad to pay extra for these things, but i dont even know if asking for them is an option. Its a smaller builder (aka, not Ryan, Lennar, Koch), but they still build dozens to hundreds of houses off of pre-set plans
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Met with the builder this morning. Went really well, I like them already

Theyre gonna send me their 40 page excel file with all the options they offer, its got pivot tables and everything. That way i can design everything offline and run scenarios for what i need rather than bugging them constantly.

That was an awesome way to start the relationship transparently. All the options are priced too, so I can directly evaluate cost.
 
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Domon said:
Met with the builder this morning. Went really well, I like them already

Theyre gonna send me their 40 page excel file with all the options they offer, its got pivot tables and everything. That way i can design everything offline and run scenarios for what i need rather than bugging them constantly.

That was an awesome way to start the relationship transparently. All the options are priced too, so I can directly evaluate cost.
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That's pretty sexy.
 
Domon said:
Met with the builder this morning. Went really well, I like them already

Theyre gonna send me their 40 page excel file with all the options they offer, its got pivot tables and everything. That way i can design everything offline and run scenarios for what i need rather than bugging them constantly.

That was an awesome way to start the relationship transparently. All the options are priced too, so I can directly evaluate cost.
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How much for them to make walls that are vertical and corners that are square?

Because I haven't seen that option exercised on any of the new construction around here.
 
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Jehannum said:
How much for them to make walls that are vertical and corners that are square?

Because I haven't seen that option exercised on any of the new construction around here.
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yeah.... thats always the catch right? I plan to bring my laser measure to spec house tour, and see how square a few rooms are
 
One downside was they seemed pretty weak on good building science (Zip + tape vs housewrap, air sealing, etc). But the dude was willing to take the question back and said they could modify techniques if needed as an addon. That stuff takes experience to do right though, and if their crews arent skilled at it, could be bad.
 
Domon said:
One downside was they seemed pretty weak on good building science (Zip + tape vs housewrap, air sealing, etc). But the dude was willing to take the question back and said they could modify techniques if needed as an addon. That stuff takes experience to do right though, and if their crews arent skilled at it, could be bad.
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New house here is zip system. It's cheaper than the separate OSB/tyvek/foamboard components and a lot less labor to boot. And there's a couple other brands of the same thing now. No reason not to go with it.

Beyond that, do a good job on vapor barrier, and spend the money on a good air exchanger. Went with a VanEE one with auto balancing and we can 100% tell when it's working - I have the thing set to recirculate most of the time, and have to put it on auto exchange or open up a window with the woodstove going, because the dryer/bathroom fans/range hoods/whatever will fuck up the woodstove draft if I don't.
 
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gee said:
New house here is zip system. It's cheaper than the separate OSB/tyvek/foamboard components and a lot less labor to boot. And there's a couple other brands of the same thing now. No reason not to go with it.

Beyond that, do a good job on vapor barrier, and spend the money on a good air exchanger. Went with a VanEE one with auto balancing and we can 100% tell when it's working - I have the thing set to recirculate most of the time, and have to put it on auto exchange or open up a window with the woodstove going, because the dryer/bathroom fans/range hoods/whatever will fuck up the woodstove draft if I don't.
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yeah, to the surprise of noone, canada has higher standards. Foamboard, vapor barrier? Totally not things in the USA unless you pay a premium.
 
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