House Building Forums

[BlackDogFarms]

I am looking for several house building forums to start reading... what does the garage journal folks use. Most of the garage journal is DIY or at least design it yourself. I am not seeing many actually home forums like this.

I have found gardenweb.com which seems to be the houzz app but nothing as extensive as Garage Journal.

more specifically interested in ICF buildings at the moment but would also do traditional framing.

Thanks

 

[yeldogt]

Are you looking for information to build a house?

I don't know of anything like the GF for home building -- many fewer people building a home.

Like SIP's few people build with ICF -- you end up having little information other than various manufacturer literature. It comes down to finding an architect and builder that works with the product.

Why do you want to use ICF -- Fire ? Wind? ... any odd construction ends up being expensive

 

[polizei1]

Are you wanting to actually do it yourself, or are you just looking for information on what materials to use for the building? There's TONS of people on here who have built houses and can offer their experiences with various materials.

If you're looking at having a house built by a builder, start looking at ones in your area and go to their website, see if they list a "minimum" build materials list and go from there. Architects can also help with this, some of which are independent and some who work for certain builders.

 

[BlackDogFarms]

yeldogt... living in eastern NC wind is a concern, plus a tornado went right through our property in 2011 messing up quite a bit - its not tornado alley but still. I also love the idea of the greater insulation value and the 4 hour fire resistance. So yes wind, fire, and insulation value...


polizei1.....I was going to build December 2015 but i had everything designed adn cost estimates and could swing it financially at the moment and decided to save more. My dad is a GC and has been in remodeling for 40 years and has built his share of homes. Her father is a master cabinet maker so we have professional assistance and we are quite handy ourselves.

Unfortunately, my area is pretty rural, while we have a slew of traditional builders few houses are made of concrete. I am stationed overseas for the next few years and will be able to hit the ground running when we return both financially and from a planning and design perspective regardless if we go with concrete or traditional.

Luckily my job will not be very demanding when i return to the states so I expect to be home by 4PM every weekday and have plenty of time off to work on our home. Not only do I like the overall concept and some advantages of ICF over traditional I also like the idea of being able to have the foundation poured and then allow me to place the walls and re-bar etc after work and take a week or so off to do the major alignments and the pour. Basically I can do it at my own pace with my "free" labor.

With that being said i could just as easily build wall sections on the weekdays and get a team together to raise walls on weekend etc.

My point is i have the time and will to do it on my own.

As an engineer by trade (not construction) i do understand having plans or designs approved and or completed by both engineers or architects... I am aware of their value.

 

[dw1]

I am looking for several house building forums to start reading... what does the garage journal folks use. Most of the garage journal is DIY or at least design it yourself. I am not seeing many actually home forums like this.

I have found gardenweb.com which seems to be the houzz app but nothing as extensive as Garage Journal.

more specifically interested in ICF buildings at the moment but would also do traditional framing.

Thanks

I am in the (Slow) process of doing this now. I bought a couple acre tract down the street from where we live now. It was a foreclosure jungle, I leveled most of it, tore down a horse barn, built a new pole barn, tore down a 117 Y.O farm house last fall. I just trucked in 63+/- tri axle loads of top soil so my ground would perk for a new septic system, all has passed inspection and needs to sit for about 9 more months. We are looking online now for house plans and I think we have picked one out??. Do you have your plans yet? I am going to build/sub this out myself (Except for septic install) I am three years into this so far, hopefully next spring we can start on the house. I have my excavator to dig my basement (traded work), my buddy is a small residential GC and has a really good framing contractor crew. I have been trading a lot of work with a mechanical contractor who will do my plumbing (he's not licensed for septic work, doesn't do any of that type of work) Not sure of $$ per square ft around your area. I have talked to a local bank about a construction loan and what I want to do, they seem to be O.K with it so far. Talk to local builders and see what price per sq ft is and go from there, talk to a bank if you need to.
I believe I have all my ducks in a row, have a daughter getting married this fall, so the house has taken the back burner until that is done.
Good Luck

 

[yeldogt]

They are an interesting idea --- concrete being used all over the world. Very few countries have the abundance of wood available for construction as the USA. My house in SA is mostly formed concrete -- it's not in a fire area ..... but, on the coast.

Building with thick walls requires thought -- as will how to frame/trim the interior.

 

[DC73]

I am looking for several house building forums to start reading... what does the garage journal folks use. Most of the garage journal is DIY or at least design it yourself. I am not seeing many actually home forums like this.

Check these out:

FineHomebuilding.com - they have a forum as well as many excellent articles on home building. The paper magazine is worth having as well.

GreenBuildingAdvisor.com - sister site to Fine Homebuilding. They have a good Q&A forum where some building science gurus hang out to help answer questions. Lots of good articles on this site as well.

Problem with both of the above sites is they want you to be a paid member to get to some of the content.

Another good site is BuildingScience.com - no forum but lots of good info. I would recommend purchasing their Builders Guide for your climate from their bookstore. Very good information contained in those guides.

This Old House website has a forum too but it's not very active. Plenty of good info on their site though.

Never participated but there is a builders forum called ContractorTalk.com

Good luck,

DC

 

[ard]

^ Ditto on FHB and Green Building Advisor.

Have a FHB subscription since #6. Online is great too.

 

[brownbagg]

i burned all my FHB magazine in a huge bone fire, about twenty years worth, best thing i ever did

 

[Notgrownup]

That ICF construction seems like it would work around here...looks like it would be tough...Hurricanes and Tornadoes are a risk...my wife lost everything in the 1984 tornado outbreak...when that NOAA radio goes off we're on alert.

 

[Stuart in MN]

The Fine Homebuilding Breaktime web board kind of went up in flames a few years ago after a management change at the magazine...most of the contributing board members have migrated to what is called Breaktime3. http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=Breaktime_3

 

[BlackDogFarms]

DW1

I have a basic idea of the plans, nothing finalized yet. My sight already has a septic permit that is valid for a few more years. While I can do that my self, being overseas I will pay for that to be done in my absence. You mention you are in the process of this now - does that mean ICF because you mentioned traditional framing??

yeldogt

The thickness of the walls does have a few qwerks to work around but with proper planning this shouldn't be a large issue... How do you enjoy your concrete home thus far?? I currently live in a large concrete home in Italy and love the "coolness" of the concrete temp.

DC73

Thanks for the forum links I will dive into those this evening.

Notgrownup

The tornadoes a few years back took out the middle school in Greene County aka Snow Hill they are an issue in this part of the state

Thanks STUART for the update on homebuilding

BDF

 

[MushCreek]

I designed and built my own ICF house in upstate SC. It's a great product. Our house takes very very little to heat and cool, and can coast for long periods without heat or A/C. It's also very quiet, and of course, strong. I spent a lot of time on greenbuildingtalk.com, and they have an ICF subforum. I also hang out at the forums at countryplans.com. Not much help for ICF, but it's a group of serious DIY'ers that discuss just what we're talking about.

I frequent Garden Web, too. Not much help for actual construction, but a great resource for design- laying out the floor plan and elevations to make a better house than your standard tract home. The Kitchen subforum in particular is great for helping get the 'perfect' kitchen. Feel free to pick my brain (or what's left of it) for specific building and ICF questions. I am NOT a builder, so I can give you some real-world advice for a DIY'er.

 

[BlackDogFarms]

I designed and built my own ICF house in upstate SC. It's a great product. Our house takes very very little to heat and cool, and can coast for long periods without heat or A/C. It's also very quiet, and of course, strong. I spent a lot of time on greenbuildingtalk.com, and they have an ICF subforum. I also hang out at the forums at countryplans.com. Not much help for ICF, but it's a group of serious DIY'ers that discuss just what we're talking about.

I frequent Garden Web, too. Not much help for actual construction, but a great resource for design- laying out the floor plan and elevations to make a better house than your standard tract home. The Kitchen subforum in particular is great for helping get the 'perfect' kitchen. Feel free to pick my brain (or what's left of it) for specific building and ICF questions. I am NOT a builder, so I can give you some real-world advice for a DIY'er.

This is exactly the experience I am looking for thanks for chiming in.

 

[Falcon67]

For house remodel and shop work, I looked at books - not so much the web. Technical books on framing , technical on plumbing, know enough about electric to do either, general reference on house construction. Web is a good place to search for floor plans and elevation evaluation.

 

[73RR]

BlackDog, in addition to folks in very hot or very cold climes, your tornado location is a perfect application for ICF construction.

There are several guys on this forum who have or are currently building with ICFs so look around for posts. Don't be afraid to ask 'silly' questions or ponder using 'odd' solutions to situations that arise.
I have built several ICF structures and am in the middle of our new house project so can help answer some of your questions if you want to 'talk' on the email or phone.

 

[BlackDogFarms]

Are you looking for information to build a house?

I don't know of anything like the GF for home building -- many fewer people building a home.

Like SIP's few people build with ICF -- you end up having little information other than various manufacturer literature. It comes down to finding an architect and builder that works with the product.

Why do you want to use ICF -- Fire ? Wind? ... any odd construction ends up being expensive

Are you wanting to actually do it yourself, or are you just looking for information on what materials to use for the building? There's TONS of people on here who have built houses and can offer their experiences with various materials.

If you're looking at having a house built by a builder, start looking at ones in your area and go to their website, see if they list a "minimum" build materials list and go from there. Architects can also help with this, some of which are independent and some who work for certain builders.

BlackDog, in addition to folks in very hot or very cold climes, your tornado location is a perfect application for ICF construction.

There are several guys on this forum who have or are currently building with ICFs so look around for posts. Don't be afraid to ask 'silly' questions or ponder using 'odd' solutions to situations that arise.
I have built several ICF structures and am in the middle of our new house project so can help answer some of your questions if you want to 'talk' on the email or phone.

73RR:

I continue to search for ICF builds. Hard to come by but the tech manuals and installation manuals as mentioned above are what i am concentrating on next. I will reach out soon for more specifics on your build.

Grazie "Thank you" from Italy

 

[yeldogt]

DW1

I have a basic idea of the plans, nothing finalized yet. My sight already has a septic permit that is valid for a few more years. While I can do that my self, being overseas I will pay for that to be done in my absence. You mention you are in the process of this now - does that mean ICF because you mentioned traditional framing??

yeldogt

The thickness of the walls does have a few qwerks to work around but with proper planning this shouldn't be a large issue... How do you enjoy your concrete home thus far?? I currently live in a large concrete home in Italy and love the "coolness" of the concrete temp.

DC73

Thanks for the forum links I will dive into those this evening.

Notgrownup

The tornadoes a few years back took out the middle school in Greene County aka Snow Hill they are an issue in this part of the state

Thanks STUART for the update on homebuilding

BDF

IMO -- There is no "one best building way" . I have lived in and built almost everything from 1750 30" thick stone to foam and CorTen steel. There is however good and bad design. Most design/build and almost all homeowner is bad. Take some advise -- find an architect versed in ICF or if not possible one who designs the type of house you want and get them involved .. even if its as a consultant.

You don't know what you don't know ...

My concrete house is fine -- that's how they build them here. It's not the greatest house I have live in (the location maybe). I'm currently rebuilding and building onto a 1873 stone building in PA -- conventional construction w/ spray foam.

In my mind spray foam (closed) changed the building game -- 3 or 4" of properly applied foam makes many of the "high tech" building ideas questionable IMO.

In your case you have an overriding thought about wind damage -- that's driving the choice. But, you don't want to create a concrete box.

Getting a professional involved early will get you going down the correct road.

 

[dw1]

DW1

I have a basic idea of the plans, nothing finalized yet. My sight already has a septic permit that is valid for a few more years. While I can do that my self, being overseas I will pay for that to be done in my absence. You mention you are in the process of this now - does that mean ICF because you mentioned traditional framing.

BDF

Most likely I will be doing traditional framing, I have looked at ICF. Septic systems in my area have to be installed by a licensed installer so I will have to hire that out, I have a $11,500 quote on it. I would like to get the septic system in next spring and then start on the house after that or next summer. I want to see about spray foam insulation and see if it wont break the bank, we are looking at a 2050 sq ft house craftsman style ranch house, concrete basement walls (8' or 9' walls) I was told "about $10K difference" in concrete from 8' to 9' walls, seems kind of pricey, but was second hand quote.

 

[Friendly Shark]

Wow guys, thanks, a lot of useful building related sites!
My problem is that I am struggling with the planks choice for a swimming pool area. I found one supplier of thermally treated wooden planks, he claims that it is extremely durable, doesn’t shrink and doesn’t need any oiling even, they install as well. The pool is going to be like in this luxury house in Spain https://tranio.com/spain/adt/1463139/, just mine is a little bit more modest . I like the wood idea because it looks very natural and beautiful, don’t want to use stone or plastic . Do you think it’s possible that this thermally treated wood is as durable as they promise: 15-20 years? Thanks

 

[ard]

Wow guys, thanks, a lot of useful building related sites!
My problem is that I am struggling with the planks choice for a swimming pool area. I found one supplier of thermally treated wooden planks, he claims that it is extremely durable, doesn’t shrink and doesn’t need any oiling even, they install as well. The pool is going to be like in this luxury house in Spain https://tranio.com/spain/adt/1463139/, just mine is a little bit more modest . I like the wood idea because it looks very natural and beautiful, don’t want to use stone or plastic . Do you think it’s possible that this thermally treated wood is as durable as they promise: 15-20 years? Thanks

Is that like a Japanese 'flaming' or burning of the wood surface (Shou Sugi Ban)??

I would be concerned with that for a deck.

I have an 18 year old trex deck that looks phenomenal...power wash every year, no visible fasteners (screwed from below). Isnt close to failing. Yes it is a 'not wood' look. But some of the grained, embossed materials they have now might have a different feel.

 

[SpaceDog5]

I suppose the average garagejournal visiter has experience about house building already. So some questions might be asked here. There's also a YouTube channel "Odell Complete Concrete" you might need take a look if you haven't started yet. And when it comes to the couplings better not to easy on the equipment. If you don't have good welder contact you can also try Hydraulic couplings pressing. It might save you some money and time ( that's from my personal experience). I think it'll be easier to understand what I'm talking about if you look by yourself. http://hardman-de.com

 

[PCMusicGuy]

Here is something I came across last year looking for some information on drywall.

https://www.diychatroom.com/

 

[jp_over]

I am looking for several house building forums to start reading... what does the garage journal folks use. Most of the garage journal is DIY or at least design it yourself. I am not seeing many actually home forums like this.

I have found gardenweb.com which seems to be the houzz app but nothing as extensive as Garage Journal.

more specifically interested in ICF buildings at the moment but would also do traditional framing.

Thanks

Any long term updates on which forums you found most helpful?

We're currently in the design phase of our build (using a top notch builder) and I want to make sure I'm asking all the right questions.

Thanks!

 

[benjamintmiller]

I've subscribed to Fine Homebuilding for years, but as a letter to the editor put it last year, they might as well change the name to "Fine Insulating." I think energy efficient homes are great, but most home improvement is remodeling and there's only so much we can do.

You might also try the Journal of Light Construction. They have a great magazine that is not cheap, and also forums at forums.jlconline.com. Some of their forum moderators are people who quite literally wrote the book on that subject.

 

[dw1]

Its like everything else, these 6 contractors lean this way and this 6 - that way. I was somewhat fortunate as I have been trading favors back and forth for many years, my buddy owns an excavating company, another a mechanical contractor, a guy I grew up with is a small GC. I subbed my house out myself and had great help from these guys. One thing that I'm glad I did, I had my house spray foamed and I believe it is well worth it, also I went with better windows and doors, we have been moved in one year, happy so far!!

 

[dcg9381]

Forums mentioned are good.
I highly recommend this forum for the one off trade tasks - on issues like HVAC, electrical - it's been the best I've found.

I have used GCs-ish - at least one who will let me get in there and get myself in trouble. So I've done "home builds" a few times. What I can tell you is that there is immense differences in information, costing, etc per geography.

It may be cost effective to build ICF or similar non-stick-brick construction in Michigan or in NY, but in Texas - the labor is very different - there are very few crews and guys familiar with ICF, so using those materials here, with an experienced crew, can run you 100%-300% more than stick and brick.... And for that difference, you can really go nuts with stick and brick, foam insulation, zip system, etc.

To some degree, it's about budget. You can build a home here at $90/sqft or $500/sqft.

Windows - there are literally 100 manufacturers. And you can look for the best U value per unit price, but it won't tell you a darn thing about how well the window is put together and how well it physically functions.

I dunno if I added any value (at all) - but it's one hell of an experience.

I will never use traditional insulation in a home - foam only for me.

 

[jp_over]

Thanks for the updates - good info!

 

[stevenlancaster]

The Fine Homebuilding Breaktime web board kind of went up in flames a few years ago after a management change at the magazine...most of the contributing board members have migrated to what is called Breaktime3. <link>

Thanks for this

 

[paultribbiani]

Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that.

 

[Uncle murph]

i burned all my FHB magazine in a huge bone fire, about twenty years worth, best thing i ever did

Ditto,loved it at first,then the loonies took over and turned it into ****.

 

[tjansson]

Call me a ICF skeptic. ICFs have a low r-value per dollar ratio. You can build a 2x6 24 OC wall with R23 mineral wool for much cheaper, easy for a amateur, add some exterior foam if you want more R-value. Airsealing is not that hard to do with conventional stick built construction, pretty much comes down to alot of detail work on seams and penetrations, which is not hard, but takes time... perfect for a owner-builder IMO. Concrete also has a very high carbon footprint / high embodied energy if that sort of thing concerns you, though having to rebuild your stick built house due to tornado, etc, isn't very green either.

 

[brownbagg]

my concrete house has a high carbon footprint. My $49 pwerbills says, I really dont care about my carbon footprint

 

[jollygreengiant]

Ditto,loved it at first,then the loonies took over and turned it into ****.

I don't have a big issue with the FHB magazine. Yeah not all the articles are applicable for me but that's the nature of print media. I can still learn something from pretty much every issue I've got so far.

 

[dcg9381]

DW1

I have a basic idea of the plans, nothing finalized yet. My sight already has a septic permit that is valid for a few more years. While I can do that my self, being overseas I will pay for that to be done in my absence. You mention you are in the process of this now - does that mean ICF because you mentioned traditional framing??

Here, you can't get a septic permit without having the plans of what you're going to build. Size of the septic system depends on the house design. I guess you could just build an over-size septic system, but around here one of the FEW things that they really put the screws to you on is the design, engineering, and permitting for septic.

ICF is great! It's about finding the crew that can do it... You'll have more luck where you are than down south.

 

[Jarwop]

The Dirt Perfect youtube channel has a few ICF projects and he explains a lot of the pour issues.

 

[brownbagg]

I don't have a big issue with the FHB magazine. Yeah not all the articles are applicable for me but that's the nature of print media. I can still learn something from pretty much every issue I've got so far.

when the guy did a back flip off the roof, that was it, that was the last issue, I burn 12 years of magazine that weekend

 

[yeldogt]

my concrete house has a high carbon footprint. My $49 pwerbills says, I really dont care about my carbon footprint

There are many efficient systems

 

[yeldogt]

Call me a ICF skeptic. ICFs have a low r-value per dollar ratio. You can build a 2x6 24 OC wall with R23 mineral wool for much cheaper, easy for a amateur, add some exterior foam if you want more R-value. Airsealing is not that hard to do with conventional stick built construction, pretty much comes down to alot of detail work on seams and penetrations, which is not hard, but takes time... perfect for a owner-builder IMO. Concrete also has a very high carbon footprint / high embodied energy if that sort of thing concerns you, though having to rebuild your stick built house due to tornado, etc, isn't very green either.

My parents built an early one on the coast of SC back in the 80's -- it was a german design. My dad wanted storm survivability and had a local guy who was interested in taking on the project. I built a studio out of ISP's -- the product fit what I was doing. Basically a box/barn with few windows and a door. Most important -- had someone local that did them.

Building odd is a pain .... unless you have someone that does what you want on a regular basis. ICF have lots of odd details to follow at all the openings ... The thickness of the product reduces interior space. My parents project was best described as Brutalist .. embraced the concrete .... lots of glass.

 

[yeldogt]

Ditto,loved it at first,then the loonies took over and turned it into ****.

I'm getting it again because they sent me a $10 renew ... was a loyal follower years ago. Today ..... it's a flip through for a few seconds on some articles.

The double wall stud build with external insulation made me laugh .... try finding someone to build that. It had so many details .. detailes that have to be correct. Just putting rigid insulation on the outside of a building introduces all kinds of details that have to be done correctly ..

FHB really does not show much FHB anymore ..... rejoined Green Building Advisor last year just to take a look and it had not changed. Preach -- very little feedback loop.