Getting house built, need advice for insulation

[Tiamat]

tried to add poll to first post, but didnt find any option to do so...

 

[iGas]

Rule of thumb is to spend the least money on things that are behind walls and aren't moving, and spend the money on things that move such as windows and doors. Personally I would go with Roxul since it is relatively inexpensive and is a good compromise between fiberglass & spray foam.

Good luck with your construction, which product you end up using.

<--- In planing stage of building myself a house as well. I have procure 5 acres 25 minutes outside of town, and construction application is already prepare to go to the town council.

 

[Tiamat]

Rule of thumb is to spend the least money on things that are behind walls and aren't moving, and spend the money on things that move such as windows and doors. Personally I would go with Roxul since it is relatively inexpensive and is a good compromise between fiberglass & spray foam.

Good luck with your construction, which product you end up using.

<--- In planing stage of building myself a house as well. I have procure 5 acres 25 minutes outside of town, and construction application is already prepare to go to the town council.

5 acres is pretty nice. Its nearly impossible to get that kind of land where I am :/ I'm lucky to have 1/4 acre. Some homes have such a tiny lot that the space between each house is only 8'. I could never live in that situation!

 

[Vette73]

Yep I live in Springfield VA and have over 1/2 a acre and everytime I sell something on craigslist every person always say "wow, your lot is hugh..." But I always tell them in NC getting 1/2 a acre is not that hard so for me and my wife we like having land to do things with.

But Tiamat is right, 1/4 here (North VA) is considered a good size.

 

[alkemyst]

a quarter acre is a nice sized lot almost anywhere. The thing I get a kick out are those that talk about all the land they have and it ends up being either:

1) Swamp
2) right outside town (in reality a 2 hour drive from anywhere)
3) has no access, no water, no electricity
4) In "God's" country (living with immigrants and migrant farm workers in shacks).

It's funny because back in the late 80's out in Wellington, my parent's land was selling for about $80-90k...a mile next door you could pick up land for about $3-5k an acre and all these hicks jumped at the chance and it was even zoned to be able to put trailers as homes on them (along with pig and chicken farms).

Needless to say, I feel bad for those that put up real homes out there.

 

[Codewiz]

a quarter acre is a nice sized lot almost anywhere. The thing I get a kick out are those that talk about all the land they have and it ends up being either:

1) Swamp
2) right outside town (in reality a 2 hour drive from anywhere)
3) has no access, no water, no electricity
4) In "God's" country (living with immigrants and migrant farm workers in shacks).

It's funny because back in the late 80's out in Wellington, my parent's land was selling for about $80-90k...a mile next door you could pick up land for about $3-5k an acre and all these hicks jumped at the chance and it was even zoned to be able to put trailers as homes on them (along with pig and chicken farms).

Needless to say, I feel bad for those that put up real homes out there.

I think it is funny, you seem to be under the impression people all have the same goals as you.

Personally, I live in the suburbs and pretty much hate it. The type of suburbs I grew up in have pretty much died. You don't see close knit communities much anymore. People move too often these days.

My wife and I are currently looking to buy ~10-15 acres and on that land I plan to build a ~1-2 acre pond.

And as some people say, they aren't making anymore land.

 

[sdifox]

I think it is funny, you seem to be under the impression people all have the same goals as you.

Personally, I live in the suburbs and pretty much hate it. The type of suburbs I grew up in have pretty much died. You don't see close knit communities much anymore. People move too often these days.

My wife and I are currently looking to buy ~10-15 acres and on that land I plan to build a ~1-2 acre pond.

And as some people say, they aren't making anymore land.

Dubai seems to be the biggest landmaker around. Too bad they are broke :biggrin:

 

[Tiamat]

Dubai seems to be the biggest landmaker around. Too bad they are broke :biggrin:

... and have such a terrible climate.

 

[Tiamat]

I've sent an inquiry to the builders pertaining the rigid foam exterior boards. If they offer this option (they might not since it could require changing the design of how the windows are mounted onto the walls so that they are still flush with the siding), would it be "necessary" to also get spray foam for the exterior walls as well -- or will the use of external rigid foam boards render the spray foam unnecessary?

Thanks!

 

[alkemyst]

I think it is funny, you seem to be under the impression people all have the same goals as you.

Personally, I live in the suburbs and pretty much hate it. The type of suburbs I grew up in have pretty much died. You don't see close knit communities much anymore. People move too often these days.

My wife and I are currently looking to buy ~10-15 acres and on that land I plan to build a ~1-2 acre pond.

And as some people say, they aren't making anymore land.

Your last statement is usually said by those that don't understand it.

Don't get a 1-2 acre POND though...

Your community is what you make it though. All it takes is one person to gather up the savages.

 

[nsafreak]

I lived in Virginia for 16 years so I have a good idea of what kind of weather can be expected. I'd also put my vote in for option 2. It can get chilly in Virginia but the insulation is going to be the biggest help in keeping your house cool. A poorly insulated house will leak out cool air and you'll have to run your AC a whole lot more which will drive up your electric bill. And it can indeed get quite warm in Virginia, especially if you live closer to the coast like I did in Richmond. 90+ degree weather along with 85% and up humidity in a poorly insulated house is NOT fun.

 

[bruceb]

Rigid foam goes on the outside and normally is nowhere near the windows. It is usually used below grade level, along with a waterproofing membrane and drainage weeping tiles.
Spray foam goes on the Inside of the home and the garage ceiling. Attics will typically use either batt or blown in loose fill for insulation.

 

[Vette73]

I've sent an inquiry to the builders pertaining the rigid foam exterior boards. If they offer this option (they might not since it could require changing the design of how the windows are mounted onto the walls so that they are still flush with the siding), would it be "necessary" to also get spray foam for the exterior walls as well -- or will the use of external rigid foam boards render the spray foam unnecessary?

Thanks!

Well I think you know my opinion.


But for me I put the foam panels on the outside and used the regular Batts for the inside walls. Easy to install and does not slow things down. Esp if you need to add/remove wiring.


For those that don't know here is the foam panel you use instead of plywood/osb...

http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/insulation/tuffr.htm

1" adds another R6.5 and foam reduces sound as well. It also can be taped up to get rid of drafts.

 

[theflyingpig]

Just hire illegals to build your house and stuff their dead bodies in between the walls once their done. That way, you get your insulation and you don't have to pay for labor. Simple. Everyone knows this.

 

[iGas]

I would stick with the plan as close as possible because change order is where the builder make money. That mean stay with what ever the builder have quoted you, and do the enhancement in the preplan stage on the next house that you built.

PS. It is not uncommon for builder to double to triple the price on change order work than regular bid job/s.

Yeah, I'm lucky to have a nice lot around because 99&#37; of the population around here can't afford it or can't find large lots so close to town.

 

[Tiamat]

I would stick with the plan as close as possible because change order is where the builder make money. That mean stay with what ever the builder have quoted you, and do the enhancement in the preplan stage on the next house that you built.

PS. It is not uncommon for builder to double to triple the price on change order work than regular bid job/s.

Yeah, I'm lucky to have a nice lot around because 99% of the population around here can't afford it or can't find large lots so close to town.

Yeah, I'll definitely not be doing any change orders esp, this close to ground breaking.

I'm leaning towards doing Option #1 because I intend this to by "the" house. Certainly, I wouldn't feel bad doing Option #2, I guess it will depend on my mood as I am writing the check for this design option on monday

Thanks All!