Calling all carpenters.

I know there are some experienced people on this site and I would love to hear your different views on any or all topics, or even on topics I have missed completely.

Insulation. Fiberglass with styrofoam on the outside? Blown in foam in 2x8 walls? Rock wool, forget brand name? It is my belief that a 2x6 stick framed wall with 6 inch fiberglass batt is grossly inadequate in this country for keeping heat in AND keeping heat out. Frankly, I think we build our houses wrong.

Slab on grade or basement?

Wood or geothermal? I know geothermal is the flavour of the day, but the inital installation cost around here is very high and we are not likley to live long enough to see any gains in our pocket book. Only gain that I can see would be the convenience of not having to spend all summer getting wood for all winter.

Single story rancher or story and a half?

Metal roof, which lasts a lifetime? Asphalt that does not let snow slide off and kill people. Would you sheet under a metal roof? We were told not to when we built this house, the trusses are strapped, papered and the tin sits over this. I think this was a mistake. I am a firm believer in slabbing everything together with a hefty layer of plywood, not particleboard or chip board.

Siding. Cedar? (oh yes, have easy access. Hubby works at cedar mill) or that concrete/wood composite? I am generally not a fan of things that try to look like what they're not. But don't mind that Hardiplank too much.

Does one build the house of one's dreams...or the house you can afford. In case you were wondering, in my case, they are not the same house! Does one build a livingroom with massive, sound proof doors to lock the deaf, tv watching husband behind? Or does one build a tv and sofa area into the shop, install a beer fridge and slowly move him out while he's not looking?

Wrap around porch and deep overhang or saltbox?

We have a 2.5 acre property, have had it for over 10 years now, and have fiddled and faddled and kicked tires. It is not the property of our dreams, but we cannot afford the property of our dreams. It has a newly drilled well and a flatish area for shop and house. Less slope than we deal with here! BUt more mosquitoes. Oh lord, the bugs! I have been drawing and discardng houses for years. I am frustrated and at my wits end. No..there is no plan book in existence that will suit my needs. This must be a house that springs forth from my own mired, sludge-like mind.

I seek opinion on building, inspiration and maybe energy. Definitely energy. The thought of starting over almost makes me want to weep with exhaustion. The thought of doing nothing fills me with dread and panic. Maybe I need a therapist and not a carpenter.

Sometimes it's best just to start...the longer you wait to start the more perfect you have to make it in the end and oh the pressure of it all!

There is a bit of the "born in the 50's, 60's and 70"s in this question as our ideas have changed. The house my parents had in a prairie city did not have any insulation between the outside stucco and the lath and plaster inside. For a time I lived in a mobile with 2 by 2 walls and a big appetite for propane. In the 70's I built a new house well insulated to the requirements of the day-R12 walls, R20 ceiling.

Over the years I've looked at many plans none of which were exactly what I would want, but plans are made to be changed. I like wood rather than chips which are not very fire resistant. I like wood siding, but hardiplank is better than plastic. I lkie timber frame construction with SIP walls (foam sandwiches). I would go for a metal roof as there are many shingled roofs here supporting a crop of moss. Our roof is just on strips of 1 by 4 with no tar paper. I wouldn't build a house without a wood stove or two even if I had geothermal heating. The new house here has a heat pump which is suppose to be efficent. I like multi storey houses, but my knee no longer likes stairs. I would put in a basement and would not use slab construction.

I haven't won the lottery so I'm just enjoying a comfortable home far removed from that old mobile.

Rosewood, you say the new house has a heat pump which is 'supposed' to be efficient. Do you doubt this claim? Why?

Here, even with a geothermal system, you still need backup heat since after a certain temp the geothermal just doesn't have enough oomph. I am skeptical of very high priced systems that leave you in the cold when the going gets tough. Neighbors have a geothermal system with in floor heating and it's all very complicated and it gets more complicated when something goes wrong. The people who intially installed and sold them their parts have since left geothermal work and are now drywallers. This tells me something. At least with our boring old wood furnace the maintenance guy usually just has to rummage around under the seat of his truck to find what we need. Pretty low tech.

I also like metal, but if you want to get fancy up top with dormers and valleys, metal can be problematic. We've had ice dams twist the metal right off neighbour's roofs. (rooves?) I like fancy roofs, was just thinking that asphalt might be easier to work in tight corners. Flashing around our skylights with metal was a pain!

Miry, you're right. Sometimes the best way to begin is just to begin. But we made some mistakes here and we are scared to death of making more. We have been told you have to build 13 houses before you can do it mistake free. ANd that each time you'll make all new mistakes you never even thought of. Ugh.

A girlfriend had infloor heating installed in her apartment and it was all great - 12" tile all around for cleaning ease...until the infloor heating cacked in her bedroom.

Rosewood, you say the new house has a heat pump which is 'supposed' to be efficient. Do you doubt this claim? Why?

The heat pump is not fully installed at this time. The system operated most of the winter as a conventional furnace. The system vents under the west deck so the exhaust can be felt. As it was in its partially installed state the gas coming from the vent was cool which indicates that most of the energy was being used. A family member, a professional HVAC installer, is installing the system as time allows which is why the system is only partially installed. Like geothermal heat a heat pump has its thermal limits.

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Lazyfarmer, are you saying you do staggered stud wall construction with sprayed-in foam? And this needs no vapour barrier? You just spray the goop in and apply exterior siding and interior finish right against it? Can spray-in be used in attic spaces? Do you know what the cost difference is in your area for spray-in versus fiberglass bat?

I believe houses should have thermal mass, like stone or logs. BUt if you are not going that building route, then we need to beef up the insulation. Geothermal heating does provide air conditioning option. BUt I feel if your house is built right, it should stay cool all summer. We used to live in a log house with huge overhangs (it was very dark and depressing all winter) but it was so cold in that house, sometimes in the summer I had to go outside to warm up! No air conditioning needed, ever!

Yeah, FarmChiq, it's when things that are poured into your floors or under your tiles and they go wrong. Eeek. Don't like that idea.

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We went with expanded polyurethane (spray foam)SIP's on the current house. 6" wall panel had a R-40 rating; the exterior sheeting, insulation and drywall was complete on each panel, (next time I would not have the drywall on the interior, ended up a wet year during construction and had lot's of drywall damage).

Radiant in-floor heating (cement slab for a larger heat sink) and metal roof. Blizzards have ripped shingles off several homes in the past two years but so far I have not seen any metal come off.

Looking at similar system for the next project but one storey instead of two and reducing the size (downsizing) as we do not need as much as we mature.

Looking at similar system for the next project but one storey instead of two and reducing the size (downsizing) as we do not need as much as we mature.

Until the children start returning home with spouses and children of their own. The SIP materials can be had with OSB on both sides. The factory installs electrical runways, etc as needed.

rosewood wrote:

Looking at similar system for the next project but one storey instead of two and reducing the size (downsizing) as we do not need as much as we mature.

Until the children start returning home with spouses and children of their own. The SIP materials can be had with OSB on both sides. The factory installs electrical runways, etc as needed.

Thought of that, we won't have space for them.

For a while I was interested in the SIP, but then did some reading that said they have not much structural integrity on their own. If you cut a door or window into an SIP you seriously compromise its strength. That the SIP works best with a system that is self supporting, like timber frame. I would consider an SIP sandwiched between plywood, we simply refuse to use OSB for pretty much any reason. Plywood SIPs take a serious jump in price, and you have to special order them. Not standard from what I have been able to gather.

BUt along the lines of an SIP is the Nascor wall. Perhaps they go by different names in different places. But your walls come pre-built, with doors and windows framed in, staggered stud 2x6 construction with rigid foam insulation. Neighbours have this and are very happy with it. None of your framing materials are exposed to the elements and you don't have piles of yard waste. A semi pulls up with everything on and you just pop it up. Yup. Just like that. (okay, I know nothing goes just like that!) They are very soundproof. I like this idea as more and more I lose confidence in fibreglass to do the job. Fibreglass is only as good as the installer, and some of the yard apes we've had show up with the local tradesmen...yikes! Quality work....NOT!

At least with some of the pre-framed wall systems, you get plumb and square products. The quality of the framing lumber from the local hardware is a nightmare! Hubby is a stickler for straight, solid wood and will NOT allow 80% of a lift of 2x6s into the house. It gets tedious hand picking through lift after lift and selecting what studs you will take. At least 20 years ago the hardware store was kind enough to allow us to do this. Now, different owners, different service, I doubt they will be opening lifts so we can select 20 boards.

Thanks all for input...I am open to all ideas...keep em coming!

Have you looked at modular homes? My sister is getting one and I went along. I was very impressed. They've come a long way in recent years. You can get a variety of styles/siding/flooring/cabinets etc and they usually have the different things on display so you buy nothing unseen.

Yes, we have looked into modular. Neighbours live in one. Oddly, there are restrictive covenants on our property against mobiles and modulars. But pfft, those covenants aren't worth the paper they're written on.

You are correct Fowler, construction methods have come a long way over the years! But we like to do our own finishing, install our own cabinets, pick our own flooring and the more you don't have done in-house, the less cost effective it becomes. So unless you are comfortable picking from what they have to offer, you lose out on the convenience and savings. I know, I"ve had this very talk with the modular factory
"I'd like it without drywall or flooring or a roof or windows and no doors..."
"Uh..then there is no savings to you, just have it site built."

I have seen people do very attractive things with modulars but my one peeve is..roof pitch. They all have that same, low pitch roof that screams FACTORY! Unless you go for one of the 2 story models, which I am not as impressed with. I think a 5/12 is the lowest slope I can tolerate and pretty sure that most modulars built around here are 4/12. And you can tell! If I ever get past this prejudice, I would indeed consider a modular for convenience sake...but then you're back to a standard frame wall and fibreglass insulation, which I think is just not up to snuff.

Have you thought about ICF blocks...Easy to build with...High R value....Sound proof and those thick walls leave great window sills.

Zenchicken, I'm pretty sure that for our next foundation, it will be ICF for sure. I was thinking a while ago about building a round house (still kicking that goofy idea around) and someone suggested ICFs. Maybe it was me! Lots of people locally have used ICFs and are very impressed with them.

I have seen some great 2 story houses made of all ICF with a roof on top....I love them warm and comfortable as well as very sound proof.....Round doesn't sound weird at all. We were building a bermed house until the bank just changed their minds...but thats a different story.... so now we have our dream holiday trailer and outhouse...lol. My only word of advise is if you do something different then make sure you have it in writing

Oh yes! Between the bank, the building inspector and the insurance company we are tied and gagged. One day when I have nothing but time...I will lead a movement to smack down the restrictive and STUPID bylaws we have in this regional district. When govt agencies think they are here to police us and keep us in line as opposed to serve us as we see fit, time for some boot to meet the sitting down place of some uppity bureaucrat!

They don't even know what to say when you tell them it won't burn, It won't be damaged by hail, high winds or tornados( my ins company loves it)....It is heated 75% by the sun...don't need septic as we have a composting toliet...so a good grey water system would do and them when you tell them there is 2 feet of dirt for a roof OMG you might as well say that you are building a spaceship to fly to the moon. I think Kermit said it best "It's not easy being green" Let me know when you start your movement I'll be there.

Round as in an igloo or yurt is supposed to be very energy efficient.

Look at ecodomes, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
We decided against them because of unlikely resale benefits.

Or Starblanket Homes, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
We are planning to talk with them this year.