I'm having my first house built. Framing is complete, and they have begun HVAC, electric, and plumbing rough in's. What should I watch for as this stage of the house is completed, and on into drywall?
********************************************************* 09-16-02, 08:05 PM mozart56 Not that I am a professionnal in this but I remember when I had my first house built , the plumbing cie had forgotten to install all the "u" pipes underneath all drains(sinks , bathub,washing machine, shower...) .!So I ended up with filthy smells in the house, but the drywall and ceilings(basement), had already been installed .Imagine the troubles it caused.Hope this has been taken care of!
[This message was edited by mozart56 on 09-16-02 at 08:20 PM.]
09-17-02, 12:07 AM KesMan roll eyes Inspectors inspect each phase of building and should catch anything not done, or not done right.
09-17-02, 08:05 AM Northwind Dagas I should not worry about anything, and just assume that the building inspectors will catch any problems? confused
09-17-02, 08:14 AM Z281980 We just finished having a house built in March... I don't envy you right now ! May I suggest taking pictures once the electric is in (before the insulation and drywall) It helped us to not electrocute ourselves when we were hanging the heavy stuff.
Make sure you talk a LOT to your electrician !!! We have all sorts of switches in my house that do nothing at all !!! It's so aggravating. You should be able to tell them exactly where you want controls for ceiling lights and fans etc.
If your state is anything like Mass, there are a million and ten laws that tell elec/heating-air/plumbing guys exactly what they can and can't do (Like the law that says you have to have an outlet every 6 feet - I think I have upwords of 150 plugs in my house)
I would suggest (if you can) be there for all those inspections... Sometimes things that are done half ass are ignored because the inspector and the builder are the only ones there... We had our builder change a couple of things because the inspector mentioned a potential problem down the line with a few things... And since the inspector mentioned it we didn't get charged for the change.
Good luck with your house !!! And just keep telling yourself it will be over someday !!! That's how I got through it !
09-17-02, 12:13 PM donaldekliros Northwind Dagas:
(1). I would have to disagree with Kesman's assessment of Inspectors. Don't assume everything is as the inspectors says it is. All Inspectors are NOT GOOD Inspectors. They all make mistakes.
(2). The best advise I could give you is to request a copy of the Blueprints used to install your house.
These cost about $200.00 to $500.00, depending on the complexity of the house design.
However the cost is minimal when you want to do any modifications of any kind to your house after it is completed.
(3). Walk though the house when the Inspector makes his rounds.
Also, pay the Inspector so that he gives you a copy of his report that he gives to the builder.
Make sure the builder fixes/repairs any problems brought to light in the inspection.
Don't pay for the house until the builder fixes everything to your satisfaction.
Also, observe things youself. Many times you will spot things that are overlooked.
Make sure the builder corrects them before you sign on the dotted line.
I have bought new homes five times in my 73-years on this earth. These are the things I did. You won't regret doing what I say.
(4). If you ever have any problems with the house after you buy it the blueprints will come in mighty handy to tell you where everything is located.
[This message was edited by donaldekliros on 09-17-02 at 12:46 PM.]
09-21-02, 01:15 PM sae501 Northwind: Donald could not be more right; don’t leave it up to the inspectors (heaven forbid!). We have built three houses and have learned a lot from all of them. The last one my wife and I pretty much designed ourselves and as a result got a house that is just exactly what we wanted. I would strongly suggest that you be there every day to look at what the workers have done. This is a good stage to talk to your electrician and make certain that you have fixtures and switches and such in all of the places you want. If you have not already done it, have the house run with RG6 to accommodate your TV needs (cable, satellite, broadcast). If you are a stereo buff have the wiring for that run as needed as well. If you are putting in a security system, now’s the time. Get with your plumber and have him put a hot water spigot in the garage, you'll be amazed at how much you use that. As someone else mentioned, get the blueprints, they are most helpful. Take lots of pictures of all stages. In the future you may be wondering where a stud is or some wiring or plumbing item, these pictures are invaluable. Most importantly, go every day and look at their work. Good luck to you.
09-30-02, 10:38 PM DvdGStwrt
quote:Originally posted by Northwind Dagas: I'm having my first house built. Framing is complete, and they have begun HVAC, electric, and plumbing rough in's. What should I watch for as this stage of the house is completed, and on into drywall?
HVAC: The biggest problem that comes up with this is that the duct work is not installed properly, either it is loosely fitted, or just taped together, and in time it comes apart due to vibrations of AC and Furnace Fans. Most duct work comes with clips, or in other parts of the country are screwed together before duct tape is wrapped around the seams.
Insulating Ductwork is now Code in most parts of the country - if you have the option, insist on a higher R value than what Code recommends.
ELECTRICAL:
There should be an outlet every six feet on bed rooms, living rooms, etc. Kitchens need to have one every 4 feet for the counter. Microwaves, Refrigerators, hoods are dedicated circuits in some parts of the country.
Some areas require the metal conduit, the flexible metal type. While others insist on PVC (Gray) while others have no requirements for any conduit.
Any outlet for the kitchen counter has to be GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt) All outlets in bath rooms need be GFI.
In some parts of the country they are a bit lax on this when it comes to Laundry Areas - if you are in such an area, insist on having GFI in the laundry area.
Exterior outlets are GFI as well.
GFI can be done either at the circuit breaker or at the outlet(s). If you have the choice, have the GFI done at the breaker box.
If you have any say in the matter, insist on having a separate circuit for your entertainment center/TV/Stereo etc and ask to have the place where you have these being installed to have two outlets close together.
I would have the same request for the computer space - we all know how many plugs these things generate.
PLUMBING: The eldest trade in house building of these three. Todays supply lines are usually Copper. Some areas are now allowing CPVC (a yellowish PVC pipe rated for 120 degrees)
Most sewage is ABS (black plastic).
If you have a say in the matter, insist that your hot water supply is insulated through out - it will cost more, but the savings in running hot water from one end of the house to the other would pay for the extra insulation in no time.
Rough in plumbing is rather easy and rarely does anything go wrong.
Of course all of this is governed by your local Building Code. What Applies in the City may not apply in the county. What applies in one state may not apply in another state.
David
03-03-06, 07:22 PM Floridagirl I recommend you watch everything! Also, pay attention to mildew, I've seen it go in and nobody do or say anything about it, then it's covered up. Where I live, we're having a housing boom, but lots of questionable work too. Inspectors can't catch it all. Check builders reputation not only with other homeowners, but also with local officials.
11-06-06, 07:06 PM johnhad I am a little late in the discussion, however, I would let the builder know that you are intending to have the home tested for air infiltration. During the construction phase is the best time to air seal a home. Visit energystar.gov for more information.
The nominal cost air sealing your home is more important than the insulation. If you don't air seal your home, moist conditioned air will travel into the cavities where the insulation is degrading the R-Value, thus making your home less energy efficient. If you want more information just ask.
01-20-07, 01:02 PM PlumbBob Boy, that's almost an impossible questions to answer for a newbie.
Best you hire someone to help you. I don't know if these guys are in your area or not, but they have a very informative website for anyone thinking about buying or building a home. New Home Construction Bob
01-20-07, 01:36 PM babthrower You should absolutely not trust building inspectors. They vary, as do all public servants, in their ability and their conscientiousness and their willingness to 'make waves'.
I saw to the building of our house. (My husband didn't really want to move from the city so he said, "Ok, you want it, tell me when it's done." Bad move on his part. I took him up on the challenge, and lived in a tent on our rural property and hired the sub-contractors and worked along side them. The septic system inspector (who was excellent, by the way) said to me, "Well, I guess you're the General Contractor on this job." "No," I said, "I'm the gopher."
Anyhow, I specified certain things: 2x6 instead of 2x4 framing, 1.5 x the usual insulation, 2x8 tongue&groove red cedar pressure-treated siding (never needs painting, looks cool) , and I was there all day, every day, and cleaned up the worksite at night. And I've had reason to be glad: when they were installing the top windows, I saw they were putting non-opening windows on one gable end, and casement opening windows on the other end. When I asked why (I had specified one of each on each end) they said it would look better that way, for resale value. I said, "Do it as specified, please. I want a through-breeze (the top story is all one room) and I intend to die here, so my heirs can worry about resale value." They did. It looks fine, by the way.
And so on. On one point I did not insist. I had hired a young man to come over to dampen and cover the poured concrete basement walls, to slow the curing of the concrete and make it stronger. The young man phoned me (I had made a rare trip to the city) to say the carpenter told him not to. I said, "Okay, let it go." Sure enough, our basement wall cracked at one end, and leaks a little.
You can buy a copy of the building code. I bought one, and read it cover-to-cover. Same for the electrical code. Don't let anything be closed up until you've seen it. I took pictures. This came in handy later when I was looking for the wall studs to mount my curtain rods, and once when we were upgrading out electics.
A friend of mine hired a cheap carpenter to do his retirement bungalow. The contractor put the vapor barrier on the 'cold' side. Result: dry rot and moldy insulation.
01-20-07, 01:36 PM Northwind Dagas Oh, wow. I asked that question back in 2002. I subsequently lost my job, and then lost the house, so not really an issue anymore. But thanks anyway!
01-20-07, 01:40 PM babthrower Red Face forgot to check the date Confused
01-20-07, 03:04 PM Sherasi Babs, the answer was excellent and very informative. Did you know anything about construction before you 'camped' out on the site? Besides reading the manual?
01-20-07, 03:40 PM babthrower Thank you, Sher. No, not really, aside from what most people know. I had a book on building log cabins and I read that, too. And I lived in an uninsulated house once, in Northern Ontario. That'll larn yuh.
But the plan of the house was very simple, just a 2-storey chalet, really. Actually wood frame construction is not complicated. You need to know things like how far apart the 2x6's (or, more usually, 2x4's) should be, and how big the joints in the floor should be, and so forth. But the booklet tells you that. And we used slightly thicker plywood for the roof sheathing, because the local building inspector told us that heavy snowfalls are not uncommon here, and she thought the small difference in cost was well worth it. So it's good to check local sources of information.
Just don't pay too much attention to the sales weasels.
The books I used are: -C.M.H.C.'s "Problem Lands: Conditions to Avoid" $1 - C.M.H.C.'s "Canadian Wood Frame House Construction" $7 - C.M.H.C.'s "Energy-Efficient Housing Construction $3 - Canadian Electrical Code and B.C. Amendments, 16th edition, $7.95
C.M.H.C. stands for " Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation". Their books are for anyone, not just people who get a C.M.H.C. mortgage. For example we didn't need a mortgage, just bought the books. Maybe Americans can buy them, I don't see why not, though the postage may be a little higher than you're used to.
With these four books and a plumber, anyone can build a frame house unless you go wild on circular staircases or roofs with lots of gables or other fancy stuff.
One thing worked out really well. Our electric heating costs run about $55 a month (average) which is less than our (large) apartment in Vancover had been. That $55 includes the occasional cord of firewood, since we use a wood stove for backup. So the good insulation paid off. The roof has 13". And my husband and I actually did the insulation, so there are no cold spots. We have argon-stuffed double-glazed low-e windows, too, with wooden frames (better insulation with the wood, as opposed to plastic or metal for window framing).
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