Custom Home Building Tips! : May 2015

Sunday, May 31, 2015

5 More Things To Consider Before Buying A Building Lot- Part 2

Floor Plan, Septic System, Front Drainage Swale, Existing Neighbors, Maintenance of Homes are all important items to consider before you buy a building lot for your new Custom Home.

Floor Plan- so do you want to live in your lot or your new home? What on earth does that mean? Too often, I'm contacted by lot owners that want me to build a home within the confines of their lot, only to inform them that their home has to be designed contrary to the floor plan they really want. Since the floor plan of you new Custom Home is the most important item, start with that and find a lot that fits your plan. Perhaps, you wanted a 1 story home, then find out after you buy your lot and consider all the site variables (septic system, set backs, pool etc.) that you can only build a 2 story home? Start with your FP and buy a lot that accommodates your design.

Septic System- some tight building lots require the Septic System to be designed 1st before a floor plan can even be considered? Others, require a large mound placed in the front of your home. Still others, will require you to provide a new drinking well for your next, door, neighbor, so you can place your septic drain field. These issue should all be worked out before you buy that lot, to avoid nasty and usually expensive surprises.

Front Drainage Swale- when in doubt, look about. The best indication of site conditions on a potential building lot is what you see in your neighborhood. Look for another lot that looks something like yours and see how their Builder managed the site conditions? Are there large swales (trenches) in front of the other homes? Did they install culvert pipes under their driveways and along the front property line? After a hard rain is there water standing in the driveway by the road. All indications of what you can expect when your home is constructed.

Existing Neighbors- after you buy your building lot, it's too late when you find out they throw wild parties every weekend or have a rock band. Visit the building lot at different times of day. Go meet the neighbors before you buy. There's no telling what information you can gather just by speaking with the potential neighbors.

Maintenance Of Homes- you can tell a great deal about a neighborhood just by looking at the homes in the community. Are the homes well maintained? Look at the landscaping, where the cars are parked and the condition of exterior paint. All indications of a healthy community or not.

It's best to have the eyes of an experienced Builder look at your building lot before you buy. If you already own the lot, hire a Builder to work out all the site issues before you design your home.

Contact Regal Classic Home for a no obligation site visit. With over 30 years of building experience we know what to look for to save you money and get the most out of your building lot.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Regal Classic Homes, Supports Our Troops!

Should I Upgrade to Energy Efficient Windows?

How energy efficient are windows? Frankly, not very energy efficient at all!

Most single pane windows have an energy efficiency rating of R-1. Ok, so let's really make the windows energy efficient and install high efficiency, insulated, double pane, (Thermopane) windows. Wow, we just doubled their efficiency to R-2!

Now let's really get tough and add Low E glass! We just increased the efficiency to R-3!

Sure, you can add Argon and triple pane windows to your New Custom Built Home but how much energy will you really save? Last time I checked, the payback period for adding double pane, low E glass windows to your home is way over 15 years. That's 15 years before you save a dime!

I'm not against insulated windows but I think it's important to know what you're getting for your investment. I provide information to my homeowners, it's up to them to decide where they want to spend their $$$.

To put R values into perspective, most homes have R-30 insulation blown into the attic and insulated block walls an R-11.

If you want to save money on your future power bills look carefully at every window that the Architect draws on your plans. Don't make any exterior windows or doors any bigger than necessary.

Remember, if you want to equal the efficiency of double pane, low E windows over single pane windows all you have to do is eliminate 18SF of glass on the outside of you home. That's just one 3' X 6' window!

One other thing to consider before you upgrade to double pane windows is seal failures. It's a common problem with insulated glass. Replacing one pane of insulated glass with a seal failure costs $200 each.

There's a joke among Realtors, don't show a home with insulated windows until afternoon. By then, the condensation in between the glass, due to broken seals, has evaporated.

If you decide to invest in insulated windows, check the warranty carefully to make sure that window seal failures are covered. Be careful of buying cheap windows as you usually get what you pay for.

Who Designs The Cabinets For Custom Homes, The Architect Or The Cabinet Company?

Frankly, most times, you can't get an Architect to design a kitchen. Sure, they draw the layout for cabinets in the kitchen, baths etc. while designing your home but it's not what they normally do. Architects basically provide the space for cabinets in their design but don't specialize in the actual cabinetry layout and design.

It's best to bring in your selected cabinetry company as you are having you house plans designed. Once you approve the preliminary plan but before the house design gets too far advanced, it's time to call in the experts, the cabinetry company. They will take your building plans and provide actual drawings of individual cabinetry units in the kitchen and baths. Then the Architect incorporates this design into the building plans.

This is where a design build agreement with your builder comes into play. As a Homeowner, you want as many professionals guiding your cabinet design as possible. Your Builders, Cabinet Company Designer, Interior Designer, Architect as well as the Builder himself. Each will be looking at your cabinetry from a different perspective with the goal being the very best layout and design for your families needs.

The worst situation is when the architect completes a set of building plans and then sends the plans out to multiple Builders for a bid. Frankly, it's too late at this point to fix a poor set of plans and bad cabinet layouts. The best that anyone can do now is to take the completed plans and make the best of what you have. The end result will be a mediocre kitchen and bath design that you will regret.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Should I Get Propane Or Electric For My Custom Home?

Some building lots have natural gas available. If your home is one of them, natural gas is better as it's les expensive and available on demand as opposed to propane which has to be refilled.

The next choice is between gas and electric. If you grew up in the south then you are use to having all electric appliances. Everyone, in the north is use to having gas. Using electric to heat your home in the winter is prohibit ably expensive so northern homes pipe in gas to all their appliances.

If you are use to having all electric appliances the first thing you have to get past is the fear of using gas. Propane and natural gas is perfectly safe, millions of people use it in the US safely. The other fear, can you cook with it? With a little practice, you'll get use to it. As a matter of fact, all the top chefs use gas and actually prefer it.

Every appliance that you hook up to gas saves you 1/3 the total energy cost that you would pay if you were hooked up to electric. Like Joe Biden says, that's a big deal! Additionally, the recovery time for a gas water heater is much faster than electric. It's almost impossible to run out of hot water when you have a gas water heater.

Most Central Florida Homes have a water heater, stove, fireplace, spa heater and a BBQ grill. All of these can be connected to gas and save you lots of money. Additionally, you can get an outside fire pit, fireplace or torches.

Now you know, sometimes it's a good thing when you have gas!

Do I Need A Pool Heater?

After 28 years of marriage I've learned that if my wife is cold in the winter because it's cold outside and cold in the summer because we have air conditioning. Basically, most Central Florida women (under 50) are cold all the time!

I can't tell you how many homeowner discussions I've witnessed between husband and wife regarding the need for a pool heater. Basically, if the husband wins that argument and no pool heater is installed, he ends up swimming by himself.

Most women won't swim in their Florida pool until the water reaches 85 degrees. I know, the tourists from up north swim in the ocean in January but not the locals!

Guys, better get a pool heater unless you want to go swimming by yourself!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Something I Like To Do When I'm Not Building And Posting To The Blog

Our Most Popular Blog Posts

I started this Blog less than 4 months ago. To date, there have been over 5,000 views! Thank you for visiting and continued support. I hope the information I've provided has been helpful.

Below is a list of my most popular posts. If you would like to see me write about a particular topic please, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Florida Lifestyle

Sound Insulation For Your New Custom Built Home

The ideal lot is in a quiet, peaceful, neighborhood. Unfortunately, that is not always the real world circumstances. Many times, a building lot is closer to downtown Orlando, busy highway or even one of the local tourist attractions.

If you're sitting on you Lanai or front porch looking for some peace and quite a water feature such as a fountain or falling water will help. A bit of background music might do the trick too. You might even try a concrete block privacy wall or fast growing shrubs. Perhaps, a viburnum hedge that grows 15' high might be a solution. On the other hand, unless you're absolutely sure the bamboo plant you are selecting is the exact clumping variety you want, do not plant any bamboo on your property! Five years down the road you might need a front end loader to dig it out.

If you want quiet inside your home double pain windows, concrete block exterior walls and foam injected inside the block wall cavities will go a long way in making the inside of your home quieter. Avoid sliding patio doors as the air gaps lets in quite a bit of noise as well as outside air.

Sound control between rooms is a different story altogether. Avoid hard flooring surfaces such as tile and hardwood. Select wall to wall carpeting for a quieter room.

Solid core interior, swing, doors will make a big difference in sound control. Sliding pocket doors are very poor at sound attenuation. Have your Builder insulate the interior walls of all bedrooms and the space between the 1st and 2nd floors if your home is 2 story. Don't forget to insulate the walls on the utility and home theater rooms too!

Install insulation around PVC waste lines in your 2 story home. Years ago when cast iron piping was used in construction, water flushing down a 2nd story waste line was not an issue, now days it is. Listening to the sound of the upstairs toilet flushing is a big no, no.

Watch the gap under interior doorways. Before they changed the building code, Builders were obligated to provide a 1 1/2 " gap under all doors for air circulation. Now the code requires a return air vent inside each bedroom so the gap can be minimized.

What's My Motivation?

Whenever you read information about Building a Custom Home, ask yourself, What's In It For Them? In my case, I'm just sharing what I've learned over 30+ years of building homes. If you like my Blog perhaps, you'll call me when you are thinking of Building or Remodeling your home? I don't represent any other company or manufacturer. If I write something about a particular product I'm not invested in whether you buy that product or not, it's your decision. As I like to say, "I don't have a horse in the race". Even if I don't particularly care for a product if you want it in your new Custom Home I'll install it as long as I can warrant it in good faith.

On the other hand, if you read something on the Internet about spray foam insulation, tankless water heaters or vinyl windows that may not be the case. They may be trying to sell you something. Im' not saying they are lying, just that they may not be telling you everything. Their information "may not pass the smell test"! Hope you're standing upwind!