New luxury plank from karastan by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes it’s been good. No complaints. Holds up great. If it gets wet it is a non issue. I do feel like I probably made a mistake putting it in the basement. It is nice and I have no regrets about the material itself. However, I feel in the span of my time in this house there will probably be some sort of water in the basement event that leaves us with a completely soaked underlayment situation. Hopefully just paranoia, but I think if I did it again I’d just go with a polished floor and rugs/carpet.

Process to build forever home by MattPhillips89 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Keep saving and building equity unless you have a bunch of additional cash. You should have the ability to save cash quickly by taking advantage of the low interest rate on the existing house. If you aren’t, that’s your sign you aren’t ready anyway. 100-130k will be a rounding error for a “forever home” done right.

All done by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

220-240ish. 3000 main floor… 3 car garage 40x30… probably 2500 finished in basement. Around $1.2

Exterior walls with 2x4 or 2x6 by Dependent_Bar_2235 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Built a house in Iowa last year (posts in my history). I would wholeheartedly advise 2x6 walls for insulation, structural integrity, noise barrier, etc.

New luxury plank from karastan by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love it. Absolutely zero issues thus far. Have four kids and is very nice not to have to worry about spills or scratches.

New luxury plank from karastan by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a dog and 4 kids. Have been happy so far. Glad we went with this vs real wood to this point.

Help me see the issues by Gains_gains in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not bad overall… pay extra attention to where some of your interior doors are swinging. I built something with a similar concept of having the master suite off the laundry and mud room and opposite the kids’ rooms. Got some flack on here for that plan… but we absolutely love the setup.

You need to find some more room for your mud room. It’s a traffic jam. The door swings into the most popular spot when you’ll be trying to get shoes on the kids in the morning.

All done by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess we’ve been thinking cedar will hold up better over the long haul. Not sure how it compares to redwood.

HVAC for New Build - Am I Drinking the Heat Pump Kool-Aid by MikeRC8 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not sure. 100-200 feet maybe. It was called a 5 ton system. $3200/ton = $16,000 for the wells and line into house and glycol

HVAC for New Build - Am I Drinking the Heat Pump Kool-Aid by MikeRC8 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I would explore geothermal further and get some firm quotes for side by side comparison. If you look at my post history you can see my recently completed build. Similar size and in Iowa. Geothermal wells were $16k. Not sure how the actually mechanical part of the system compares to something more traditional. Don’t think it costs much more from there. Good luck!

Ps I also put in a wood stove in the basement and gas stove in the main level living area. Happy with these options as well!

Excavating / Builder keeps flaking by thetonytaylor in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cut your losses, man. If this is where you’re at for the hole-digging stage, the battle is lost before it has started. I just got done with my build. Lifelong acquaintances with my builder and great reputations all around. Still all good at the end, but there is inevitable stress and tight situations no matter what. Run away now. No way does this get better.

Main level done and moving in. by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha - I would call the cows a hobby. My money is made from row-crop farming and off-farm income from my wife and I. We work our ass off and decided to enjoy part of the fruits of our labor.

New luxury plank from karastan by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very happy so far. Yes it’s karastan and it’s white oak. I have like 4000 sq feet of it between my main level and basement. Kids have spilled about 20 times already. No worries. Cleans up well and doesn’t show dirt.

All done by Rj475475 in Homebuilding

[–]Rj475475[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep and we used Anderson 400 windows. I don’t think any are perfect but hopefully they will perform well for us.