solver

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Posts posted by solver

  1. What matters is not what you estimate, but what the builder charges. 

     

    What are other homes selling for in the area?

     

    Do you really need 2600 sq ft in a retirement home? 

     

    A builder friend is just finishing a spec build of about the same size and price. I'll run your numbers by him and report back.

  2. I pushed the left side of the house back a bit to increase the size of the front porch.

     

    My first thought when looking at the plan would be to swap the kitchen/nook and family room. Family room gains windows on 2 sides.

     

    Bedrooms will need egress windows, so I enlarged the one facing the front. Added a 3rd window left of the front door just for looks.

     

    Lowered the roof pitch to 4/12.

     

     

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    lot C.plan

  3. Placing windows with the default separation of 2" results in the 2 on the left. You can override this by doing a copy and paste of a window and pasting close to the copied window. Results on the right.

     

    I've changed the default separation to 3-1/2" as that's how I trim them out if they are separate and not mulled.

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  4. Good luck  :)

     

    Post an accurate plan as Mick suggested, along with some side views of that front gable.

     

    It's important to have a good understanding of exactly what you are trying to model. You will need to coerce the program into building the roof and details will matter.

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  5. Building with a 2x4 wall gives you an additional 10 sq ft over a 2x6 wall in a 16x16 house. Make it a rectangle and the difference is greater because of the additional wall needed.

     

    From Building Green - How Much Insulation Is Enough?

     

     

    For example, if you install R-19 fiberglass batts in 2x6 frame walls, with the studs 16 inches on-center, double top-plates, and other elements of "standard" framing, the actual R-value of the whole wall with the R-19 insulation will be about R-15. The whole-wall R-value is lower because of "thermal bridging" through the wood framing.

     

    How will you use the house? If this is an occasional weekend getaway, then maybe standard insulation practices are good enough. Insulation is expensive and it would be easy to over insulate where the additional cost of insulation would never pay for itself.

     

    Air sealing is as important as insulation, and a well detailed, well sealed house will perform like it is better insulated.

     

    In your climate (Climate Zone 3) I would build the wall like this. Typically referred to as a rain screen wall. 

     

    The exterior foam eliminates thermal bridging and adds insulation. The furring strips space the siding away from the structure and create a vented channel for moisture to escape. 

     

    From the inside out. 

     

    1. Drywall
    2. 2x4 studs with cavity insulation
    3. Sheathing
    4. Rigid Foam
    5. House Wrap
    6. Vertical Furring Strips
    7. Siding

    See Building Science Corp and Green Building Advisor for lots more info.

     

    I mentioned REMOTE and PERSIST earlier. Both are used mostly in Alaska and Canada, although they perform well in warmer climates too. Expensive because they both depend on thick exterior rigid foam for insulation. 

  6. Arizona has a diverse climate, from Sahara like deserts, to thick green forest. Where I live, AC is optional, but heat is mandatory.

     

    Winter in my Arizona -- that's about 20" on the ground. This area burned in 2000, or you would be looking at a pine forest.

     

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    Lets look at your gambrel roof.

     

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    Push the roof sides out so they are vertical, add top plates, extend the rafters. You now have a conventional second floor space with a small increase in cost for the additional framing.

     

    Unless you like the look of the gambrel roof, I still don't see it as a way to save money, or to get a better structure.

     

    I just like the look of exposed framing. I'd build a timber framed house, if they were not so expensive. When I do build, I want to incorporate some exposed framing, just for the look. 

     

    Screen capture from an episode of Home Again by Bob Vila, showing the idea.

     

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    Will continue with insulation later.

     

     

     

     

  7. It depends on how accurately you wish to depict a cushion. 

     

    You can create the shape with a Custom Countertop, and apply a molding to the edge to create a rounded profile. Follow up with an application of fabric.

  8. I've tried multiple ways to fix without success. 

     

    Including deleting most of the floor and redrawing. As soon as the rooms are back in place, the brick is back.

     

    I'd send this to tech support. No matter how it got there, you should be able to reset the floor structure to the default.

  9. You might want to tell us which rooms are wrong  :)

     

    Your master bedroom has a 4" Red Brick floor, as does the master bath. Is this correct?

     

    I reset the odd rooms to the default without issue.

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  10. More details please. Could you post the plan file, or images of the room structure dialog?

     

    4" is a standard concrete slab. Is this checked somewhere?