OT Building a house--looking for infomation resources

[crl]

We are considering building a house down the road. I'd really appreciate suggestions for resources: books, magazines, forums, blogs, etc. We have just begun thinking about this seriously and have not narrowed down things much at all. Still considering modular/prefab, custom. . . . We're interested in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainable building materials, etc.

In case anyone else is interested here are a couple of things I've found on the web: forums at www.gardenweb.com , a blog at http://www.inhabitat.com/prefabhousing.php , modern style prefab at http://www.flatpakhouse.com/flatpak.htm , more traditional style prefab at http://www.empyreanapf.com

Thanks for any resource suggestions!

[brittone2]

Have you ever read/seen the book The Not So Big House?

It has been ages since I've looked through it but very inspirational. Even for someone planning a larger house, IIRC there is a lot of good info on using space efficiently, etc.

There are also some magazines on building with sustainable materials, etc. The name of one of the better known ones escapes me right now, but I've seen it at Whole Foods and my co-op :)

Sounds like a fabulous project. DH grew up helping build his family's houses (they built 3-4 with just him, his dad, and his brother for the most part) and we dream of building eventually. We're very interested in reclaimed materials, sustainable materials, efficient use of space, etc.

I'm envious :)

[MarisaSF]

I love the Sarah Susanka books --- every single one in the "Not So Big House" series plus anything else she's written!

For "natural house" stuff, I've read this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684847337/sr=8-2/qid=1149458086/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-8173097-2408829?%5Fencoding=UTF8. I didn't find it all that helpful for owning a home, but you might check it out for building a home.

I also just saw this one on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890132578/sr=8-1/qid=1149458086/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8173097-2408829?%5Fencoding=UTF8

For magazines, I am loving Natural Home and Garden.

[miki]

This magazine: http://www.dwellmag.com/ has run contests in designing prefab homes and green prefab. They also teamed up with Empyrean to create more contemporary looking prefab: http://www.thedwellhome.com/ .

[crl]

Thanks! I love The Not So Big House book--it is so in line with our thinking on houses. Quality over quantity. And the Dwell Houses are fabulous. That's actually how I got to the Empyrean site. We went to see the nearby Acron and Deck houses yesterday, but they don't have the Dwell model built yet. I'm excited to check out the other suggestions!

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Just wanted to tell you that when I served as the general contractor for the home we are living in now I found the gardenweb to be hugely helpful. Many members have left and gone to the site I am linking to here. Better advice there now, I think.

One HUGE mistake I made is in picking our lot in a new neighborhood. I picked a lot that did not have a home on either side yet. It soon became apparent that the house next to the vacant lot next to us is set back about the same feet from the road as our home but since the street in front of us curves sharply they actually sit well behind us. I just know that when the lot between us is sold that the new home will sit somewhere between our and thiers and will be extremely visible from our backyard. Actually the windows will probably be looking into our yard. Never occured to me to think about this.
It would also be nice to know what the homes on either side of you will look like style-wise and how your neighbors actully care for the home.

Another thing to really study is if you will be paying your builder a set fee or on a cost plus basis. Many people are very surprised and angry when they choose a $10000 upgrade and end up paying $12000 for it.(ocst plus) That home site has many great threads devoted to this.
Good luck to you and hope you enjoy the process.

Do not trust BBB or like info when you check out your builder. Go into a neighborhood where he has built and go door to door and ask how the builder resolved the problems that came up during the build. Every build will have problems, the key is were they resolved in a timely and acceptble manner.

Oh, one other small thing.. do not pick inset cabinets they can not be babyproofed and have become the bain of my existance.






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Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 Kate 04-26-06

[DebbieJ]

>Oh, one other small thing.. do not pick inset cabinets they
>can not be babyproofed and have become the bain of my
>existance.
>

The same thing for lever door handles!!!!!!

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[dawell0]

Catherine, Unsolicited advice: Be sure to talk to people who have built with your builder and see some of their work. Also, be sure that the site coordinator that you get has been working with the builder for awhile. It is also good to check each subcontractor. Don't waste your time with the BBB or the Homebuilders Association because the builders can get around those, talk to homeowners and insist that you get a list of more than just a couple of references. I was able to get a list of EVERY home our builder had built and I called a number of the people and visited a few. The Fields have a good book and I started to follow their advice but got busy and lazy and that's why I had problems.

Why do I tell you this? I have a house-building horror story where we lost about $40,000 because the subcontractor poured a foundation that was all cracked, all the way around the edges. After going through a lot of time and money, we ended up settling out of court because in our state clients have to prove that the contractors maliciously intended for the problems to occur. Since they could "piecemeal" it together and support it so that it would be structurally sound, the building dept said that it was marginally OK and that we couldn't get completely reimbursed for this issue. We just ended up firing the builder and getting a new one who refused to build on the cracked foundation. I know that I am only ONE of many people throughout the country who have had problems. This is just one small custom builder, but others have struggled with big builders and others who try to cut corners. Being our own contractor didn't work in our city because the subs are too busy for a one-shot job, sadly enough. I wish you good luck!!!

[crl]

Such great information! Thank you all. BTW, I would never have know about the inset cabinets, and I really like how they look so that's extremely useful!

In case anyone is interested, there is an exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington DC right now called The Green House, New Directions in Sustainable Architecture & Design. It includeds a Glide house ("A prefabricated house you can build anywhere") along with photos,etc of projects around the world and samples of green building material--mostly interior finishes like paint and flooring). It was interesting and free. It will be there until June 3, 2007.