Just about settled on the universal two story. We will build it as a 20x45ish (still working on that), so that we will have five bedrooms. This is our effort to become debt free so costs are an issue.
I'm looking for ideas on how to keep build and operations cost down.
Some of the things that I have already thought of but aren't sure if they will work:
1. Build my own windows that don't open (as long as I have windows that open in the bedrooms for fire escape). I saw in the sunroom plans there are some simple ways to build large windows. I have done glass work before (stained and cut glass) and I think making my own windows would be a great way to have some nice large windows that don't need to be opened.
2. Is there a substantial benefit to keeping the room height 8'?
3. Would it be cheaper / better to keep all the plumbing on one wall?
4. We are in the south and I only turn on the heat at night during about 3 months of the year. I'm more concerned about cooling cost. Is there one foundation style that helps keep cooling costs down more than others.
5. I would assume pier and beam construction would be best and least expensive since I can do it all myself and would also be able to do all the plumbing myself. Would this be the case?
Any other ideas are welcome.
thanks
Austin
Hunt on Craigslist for as many components as possible. Hit your habitat for humanity ReStore shop too. Watch for clearance items at Lowe's and HD.
I think the only foundation choice that can have a significant impact on your heating / cooling cost is the foundation that you put over your head ;D If you can build into a hill or under ground it will save you money on heating / cooling. After that, the best thing to do is good insulation and radiant barriers. Can you build triple pane windows?
Putting all the plumbing into one wall might save a few bucks, but if you use PEX the cost to run 1/2" pipe is pretty cheap. Putting all the plumbing and subsequent fixtures on one wall might make the house feel odd. (Unless it was a small house!)
Buy used, and buy in advance if you find a deal.
8' walls instead of what... 9' walls or higher? Any increase in room volume will cost you in terms of heating and cooling. That being said, 8' high rooms seem sort of short to me these days, and may have a negative impact on resale. I think the way it looks depends on the overall size of the room too. For smaller rooms, it would probably be fine.
If cooling is an issue, orient your house to minimize the amount of sunlight on the west wall.
Save your money to buy high efficiency heat / AC.
Windows and doors seem to be the largest disparity in price vs. retail I have found on craigslist. I have found many large double paned casement windows for less than $50 on average. IIRC you don't have a building inspector so you don't have to worry if they don't have their U-Value stickers. You have the luxury that you are building from scratch so you can build to the windows that you find, not having to buy windows to fit your building.
Another item that I have found massive differences in is appliances. People change these all the time. They change the house from gas to electric or vice versa, or redo the kitchen or bathroom just because they want a different style not because it needed it.
8' walls are the shortest dimensional lumber you can buy. Going taller in odd sizes you will be paying for lumber you are not using and adding time and cost cutting it to fit. Going taller in even sizes just adds costs. I don't know many people taller than 8'. Taller ceilings also waste a lot of energy. You can usually find studs in 92.5 inches. This height allows for when you add the top and bottom plate to the stud to equal exactly 8 ft. This saves time and money with sheathing which comes in 4x8. Normally going shorter than 7 ft. is not to code in many areas.
Both for heating and cooling costs to be kept down you need insulation. Cold air falls, so the maximum amount of insulation you can put in the floors and walls is best. You can add rigid insulation under a slab, but blown in or fiberglass and thick beams is probably cheaper.
You can save a lot of money with pre-planning for passive solar orientation also in addition to a good insulation job. All of the above ideas are excellent, tried and true cost saving measures. One thing I think is good to keep in mind however is that cheap does not always translate into good value. Making your own windows are certainly an option, but weighing the cost vs. time, vs. efficientsy you may come up with different answeres. A lot of the time putting the money in up front initally will save you money over the long haul.
Thanks everyone. I was going to use passive solar ideas for sure. Shade and window placement is pretty important in June, July, Aug, and Sept here. I was going to try and place the septic to the north so I could put lots of trees close to the house on the south side. I was also going to try to put the AC condensor on the north side of the house so it would be in the shade as well.
It looks like the cost of dimensional lumber in the overall cost of the house is very low. That means I will be able to go with a taller wall upstairs and down. That will hurt me when it comes time to sheet rock but I think it might be worth it.
thanks
Austin
Sun angles. The right amount of overhang will shield the windows from direct summer sun yet permit the sun to strike the glass in the winter.
QuoteSun angles. The right amount of overhang will shield the windows from direct summer sun yet permit the sun to strike the glass in the winter.
That is what I was thinking. In a passive solar design you wouldn't want a lot of trees close to the south side, and only deciduous ones. I have heard that evergreens on the north side are good.
Ok, maybe I need to look into the solar thing more, but why would I not want trees on the south side? It would put the most shade on my roof and walls.
Also, why would I want trees on the north side? Being so far south, I'm not concerned with a north wind or anything like that.
I guess I need to read up.
If we don't know where you are we guess a lot. It helps to have your location in the sidebar as mine is.
How to... is here... http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=4973.0 (http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=4973.0)
If you mentioned someplace where you are, sorry I missed it or forgot between then and now.
Summer shade on a roof and walls is good; not so good in winter unless one is so far south that in winter you still don't want/need sun on the house. I'm in NM (ABQ and Jemez Mtns) Winter in both locations is cool/cold enough and we do use the sun to gain some heat. In summer I'd like a shade roof over everything down here in the desert; the mtns not so much, but I stilkl built the eves to overhang enough to keep the summer sun off the windows.
As Don stated, location does make a difference. I am in So. NM and though summers are hot, the sun angle is high in summertime so it is the east, and mostly the west side that get most of the summer sun. With the high sun a proper eave overhang (have to calculate it) will completely shade the south wall and windows while allowing light to enter in wintertime when the angle of the sun is much lower. Thats why if you do have any trees on the south they should be deciduous so as not to block winter sun. Trees on the east and west sides are very beneficial.
Ok, I think I have it added now. We will see with this post. Sorry Don, I have two threads going and I said where I was in the other one. I'm not sure where we are going to build right now. I would like to buy the land and start building with next year's tax return. It would be nice if what we found was within two hours of houston so we could go up there every weekend.
Down here the winter sun isn't too important. Heating the house in the winter is very cheap but cooling it in the summer is very expensive. My electric here in the summer (6 months of the year here is summer) is about $275 a month. That drops to $100 in the winter. I use $20 a month in natural gas in the summer months but that only goes up to $50 in the winter.
I'm planning on a metal roof and a light colored one at that. I don't think my wife will let me do straight white so it might have to be tan or something like that. No more black asphalt for me.
As for shading the south wall, I'm still figuring it out but I have picked up about the high summer sun. The house I'm in now faces north and we can't get any dirrect light on the front flower beds. If I can I would like to face the next house south so we can get the light on the close to the house flower beds.
thanks for all the info
Austin