Small house vs Large house

[Robert_Flowers]

Next year Cindy an i will start look for land closer to her mom and dad to build a new house.
Our house now will be paided off in november this year. so we can build in 2007. Now the trouble cindy likes large houses i like small houses its just the two of us no kids we are both in our 40's so no kids are expected. Cindy wants a two bedroom ,two bath, living room, a diningroom to eat in,kitchen and a den ! all i want is a utility room for the washer and dryer now in the kitchen an to make it as energy efficient as i can. i printed off the plans for John's Solar Farmhouse but the bedroom is too small ! our present bedroom is  16x24 with a 8x12 walk-in-closet and a 8x12 master bath. Any help  i allready thought about a hammer to the back of her head   but i don't have a lot of insurance on her. how do i get her into a smaller house?    

[glenn-k]

Gosh, Robert --we have a hard time with that solution out here in the west too so generally have to find some  solution we can agree on amicably.

How about combining the living and dining area into one large area like you want then giving her some of the features she wants.

If that doesn't work maybe you can arm wrestle her (works best if she's not tougher than you) for an agreement.  Failing in that you could always give her her way a bit more (under duress of course) then every so often just sneak up behind her when she's unaware and give her a good wedgie just to get even.  --I like that word - unaware in this situation- could be mistaken for the word "unawears"--- that would be funny.
 

OK -looks like I lost it there. :-/

[Shelley]

You might study up on the books by Sarah Susanka if you haven't already.  She has a web site and writes regularly for Inspired House and Fine Homebuilding.

I personally like more space than many around here...but I hate wasted space.  I resent rooms that must be cleaned and are used infrequently.

Susanka has lots of tips for double duty rooms and making modest square footage appear bigger.  She didn't invent anything new, but she sure gets the point across.

So, the guest room could double as the den if designed right.  A dining room could double as a library.  An ofc can be an alcove.  The den can be an alcove off another room.  The utility room can have hobby or ofc space.  Things like that.

[Robert_Flowers]

Glenn (solution we can agree on amicably.)

Well down south that means she gets what she wants . S
Shelley  i've looked at Sarah Susanka book don't really find any that i like an most that i seen would cost too much to build.
Anyway got cindy looking at john's farmhouse.  If i could redo the second floor and add a bedrood on the first floor then maybe.
I do have a couple of questions about the farmhouse.
1. How would it do in middle Georgia? Long hot summers as i write temp 97  humidity74 and heat index 115

2. The crawlspace  plenum is that still a good idea with radon gas, fire ants , would a slab be better?

3. What do you thank of pre fabing some of the walls i could that thru-out next year and store them and haul the to the site the trip would only be about 10 miles?
 Robert

[glenn kangiser]

I'm sure the plans can be made to fit any special weather considerations you may have.

Here is one of John's books that may be helpful:
Superinsulated Design and Construction. J. Raabe, T. Lenchek, C. Mattock, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986. Still one of the best national books on high efficiency home building techniques. (Out of print but available from Amazon)  There is an Amazon link at the bottom of this page.
http://www.countryplans.com/books.html

As to pre-fabbing the wall sections - it is something I have considered and could do as I have a crane to handle the weight.  With help or some method of lifting you could do it.  

[Amanda_931]

Somebody on another list said that even in South Louisiana his family had light blankets on their un-air conditioned house all summer.

Basically they opened the house at night, closed it up pretty durned tight during the day.

I may have to go look at the specifics.

Keeping air moving was the key.

(My mother always thought that a big house would be more likely to stay less cluttered, and less cluttered = easier to clean.  Don't know if she was right or not.  But teensy can mean clutter beyond belief, especially if you're a pack rat like me)

[mark brown]

you just married the wrong girl!!

Built the house first and end of problem.

sorry, it is difficult to meet two peoples requirements

[Grovegrp]

Try looking at this site for plans / ideas.  They have a 3 bd 2 1/2bth cape that is around 1100 sq ft.  Might be a maffaige saver.  These have been favorites for a few years and there are several of them built around cape cod.

http://www.ksadesign.com/Coddages.html

Good luck.

[Jimmy C.]

Somebody on another list said that even in South Louisiana his family had light blankets on their un-air conditioned house all summer.

Basically they opened the house at night, closed it up pretty durned tight during the day.

Keeping air moving was the key.

That would not work here in Denton, Texas.
 
10:00pm  Aug.25th
88°F
Heat Index: 92°F
Humidity: 52 %


 

[John Raabe]

Any of the 20' wide house designs are set up for good insulation in walls, floors and ceilings — and for good natural cross ventilation. That works in any climate and for the lifetime of the house at zero additional cost.

Now, there will be climates where you need to have central air just as there are climates where you don't need central heating and can heat with a few oil-filled electric heaters.

Heating and cooling systems are more climate and location (fuel cost and availability) specific than almost anything else you will consider in your house. (Use of solar is another.)

Just another reason that any house plan you get will need to be customized in order to match your site and needs.

And that is usually the fun part anyway.

RE: subfloor plenum. Only the Solar Saltbox design has that feature in the plans. It can work well as a soil temp. modified distribution plenum for a forced air heating system. Climates with very cold or wet soils may not want to consider this option.

RE: prefab panels. Really experienced builders with good planning skills could probably save time this way. However, most of us learn as we go and with panels small mistakes can add up to big problems. Stick by stick framing allows a lot of room for easy changes and adjustments.