Well, wouldn’t you know it, but a day before the project is supposed to start we get our first snow! We sure hope warmer weather returns so we can get our foundation in...
First Snow
in Construction, Site
Job Site Sign
in Construction, Site
The temp electric is in, the permits are in place, the work is about to begin and now it’s time to put a proper job site sign up. Eyecandy Graphics did a great job printing the sign - hopefully it will hold up over the winter.
WE GOT THE PERMIT!
We’ve reached the biggest milestone yet. We got our plans approved by the City -- after 5 weeks! We were actually hoping to have started building LAST spring, but designing our own home took longer than we thought. In any case, looks like we’ll be starting mid-October!
Mechanical Ideas
1441SClarkson-current-mech
Since we had to forgo the radiant floor system, we’ve had to get serious about what we will be using for a forced-air mechanical system. We will be using a high-efficiency furnace (90% or better). Instead of using the “rule of thumb” type sizing, the more thorough “right sizing” or “Manual J” method will be used. In addition, we will hopefully add third party testing - blower door and duct leakage.
We are still on the fence about using the traditional compressor-based air conditioning unit (granted it would be high-efficiency - 15 SEER) or go for an efficient indirect swamp cooler. The trouble is we haven’t found a cost efficient method for combining these two very different systems.
For domestic hot water, we will be using a gas fired tankless water heater (on-demand). I think we will start with just one for the entire house, and probably rough-in for a second, considering we are also prepping for a future guest suite on the basement level.
Exterior Rendering Studies
We’ve been spending a lot of time exploring exterior finishes -- cladding colors, wood finish options, as well as natural landscape screening.
Thank you!
Now that we have submitted our plans to the building department, we would like to thank all those who have given input and feedback on our house project. Your thoughtful comments and critiques have all been very helpful in the creation of a home we will enjoy for years to come.
In no particular order:
Kelley
Olga and Marcel
Ranko, Stuart, Scott, Rick, Don, and the rest of the gang at AR7
Joan
Mita
Bothwell Davis George
and many others who we can’t remember through our haze right now.
THANK YOU!
Permit drawing set submitted!
in Codes, Contractors, SIPs, Zoning
Nancy and I submitted the plans to the City of Denver Building Department on August 14. We are relieved and very happy to have reached this milestone after nearly a year of work. We would like to thank Joe and Jason at KL&A for a great structural set, Julie and Judy at the Brendle Group for lots of assistance on energy analysis and mechanical specifications, Ron at CO Engineering for the surveys, and Mike at CO Geoscience for the soils and shoring report. We will keep our fingers crossed that the plans will make it through without any major hiccups.
We have selected Curtis Welch for the contractor on the project and are excited that we will be using SIPs for the exterior walls (Structural Insulated Panels). He brings valuable experience with this type of construction to the project, in that he is one of the few in Denver who has actually built projects using them!
Drawing Techniques
Using BIM (Building Information Model) software to produce drawings opens up a lot of new opportunities for envisioning spaces. As I document the project for the building permit, it pains me to have to deliver the standard 2-dimensional Plans, Elevations, and Sections. It’s not the way buildings are in reality, so why draw them them that way?! I will attempt to illustrate the project with more three dimensional drawings as a way to better describe and perceive spaces.
SIPs
We will be using SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) for the exterior and roof of the house. Although the cost is a bit more than conventional framing and cellulose insulation, the benefits are numerous: Increased insulating value with foam, straight and plumb walls (presumably), and reduced waste. Unfortunately, however, you cannot use recessed cans in the roof panels at the 2nd floor level, so we’ll make some adjustments to the original lighting scheme.
Note: For information on SIPs, visit www.sips.org
Contractor Selection
A big day for us - we’ve made the decision on which contractor to use for our project. It’s been a challenging process, as the final three were all very qualified, and some had experience in areas that we valued a lot.
Ultimately, the one with extensive SIPs experience won out, in that he is comfortable with them, and will not be charging us a significant premium for framing all the exterior walls with them. It’s amazing how many contractors in the Denver area do not even know what SIPs are!
Many of the custom home-builders are charging a premium for their services in Denver. Even though the market as a whole may be slowing, custom outfits in the metro area still aren’t hungry yet.
We are very happy to have made this milestone, and now the focus is on getting the permit set into the city and the project started ASAP!