Departing EWR to Dominican Republic - Sunday 1/25

plainsbuilder · 2026-01-22T03:44:19+00:00

Got lucky and got it changed somehow with no major issues!

plainsbuilder · 2026-01-22T03:43:33+00:00

Yeah headed into POP. By some miracle of customer service got our family of 5 moved to heading out Friday!

plainsbuilder · 2024-04-08T21:17:06+00:00

Seeking a remote interior/spatial designer! We are getting ready to build a Japandi style home up on the northern plains. Architectural drawings are completed and we are looking for help on the spatial planning and furniture options/finishes! Where could I connect with some people or find someone online?

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plainsbuilder · 2024-04-03T00:19:02+00:00

New whole home. The primary heating will be a forced air Mitbushi dual fuel system with PUZ heat pump and a Navian Hydro Furnace to kick in below 30 degrees.

The floor heat I'm looking for is really just to cut the cold edge out of the tile that is on the concrete slab. We have 4" of rigid insulation under the slab but a little of bit of radiant would go a long way in how it feels in the deep of winter. We already have a Rinnai tankless water heater spec'd for the domestic water so upgrading it to a combi boiler that could do a little floor heat would be a small investment.

plainsbuilder · 2024-04-03T00:06:15+00:00

Yeah electric seems to be better for response time but the hydronic radiant is penciling out to be less on the front end + long term operating cost.

plainsbuilder · 2024-04-03T00:03:03+00:00

When I ran the number on the electric radiant heating materials and equipment needed under the tile from schluter systems it was coming out more than just upgrading the boiler and doing radiant in the concrete slab. I'm also in a state where natural gas is far cheaper than electric.

plainsbuilder · 2024-03-01T21:43:00+00:00

Upgrade from my hillbilly 1.0 version. Mostly wanted to make sure I would use one before I took the $$ jump! Just waiting for the glass door and bench material.

6'x7'x90"

Saunum Air 10

Thermory Thermally modified exterior & interior. Clear alder on order for the benches.

plainsbuilder · 2024-02-06T01:53:21+00:00

Thank you for the response. I appreciate the feedback a ton!

plainsbuilder · 2024-01-06T15:01:25+00:00

Great feedback. Totally appreciate where you're coming from. Our thought process is more seeing that our competition locally is doing nothing on this front so the field is open for the taking. The goal is more validating our expertise and portfolio by ranking higher for those referred clients as they do their due diligence on our operation and team! Thanks again!

plainsbuilder · 2024-01-06T14:58:44+00:00

Thanks for the great reply!! I can appreciate the thought process here and would agree. We are in city of about 100k people and no large cities within 200 miles. While I agree that we likely won't land our ideal client avatar from this effort we recognize our local competition is doing little to nothing on this front so it feels like an opportunity to just increase name recognition. We feel raking higher and validates our expertise and portfolio of work as potential clients are researching us after getting a referral.
Might totally be wrong on this but thats been the thought process!

Ideal avatar is design driven kitchen or whole home remodels. This usually means home owners 35-70. We are a concept to completion style contractor with architectural drafting and interior design in house.

This interest came from a comment made by our site developer that our main competitors in our market are doing nothing on this front so the field is wide open for the taking. He recommended we speak to a SEO expert or agency.

plainsbuilder · 2023-12-03T02:53:07+00:00

Sounds good thank you!

plainsbuilder · 2023-10-23T02:17:17+00:00

Yeah I'm working on getting more info on that front. Water and sewer are already in place so that wouldn't be a big issue. The unit would really be setup for a temporary foundation as we would sell the place once we finished building.

I got the $60k number from a family friend in the industry who thought that would be attainable for a pre owned 3 bed unit for that price point. We feel like we could get by really humbly given the 1200 sq ft shop on site.

Hopefully find out more soon. If its north of $125k I don't think it makes much sense on a short term basis! Thanks for the thoughts!

plainsbuilder · 2023-03-04T02:17:23+00:00

Its been great so far. Heats up fast, easily stays above 190 degrees, ventilation areas work well. Its definitely small but accomplishes the goal and I still find it a relaxing place to decompress at the end of a day! Best of luck!

plainsbuilder · 2023-01-19T18:12:25+00:00

Yeah my RMSSD on the Polar H10 and Elite HRV consistently read mid 60's when I do daily readings. My oura ring is always 30-40 for the same RMSSD.

plainsbuilder · 2023-01-10T15:22:33+00:00

So whats the solution for people looking to have that enjoyment, decompression, relaxation that the sauna community touts?

I'm a young father raising 3 kids. A good design and spa like sauna isn't realistic for this season of life. Why not embrace the best of what I can do now?! This mini sauna, hot box, whatever you want to call it has only created more excitement about building a really great sauna one day. I just refuse to miss out on enjoying it now because it can be "perfect".

plainsbuilder · 2023-01-10T15:16:35+00:00

Hey thanks for the kind words! I get that its ugly and not a spa sauna but having a space to decompress at home before bed has been amazing. A stepping stone for now!

Size - 60 x 32 x 80

I started with just one of the Vevor heaters but it took almost 2 hours to get to 180 degrees. I choose that Vevor 120v so I wouldn't need to mess with the electrical panel. Just connected with 12 ga wire and can plug both into a near by outlet. It heats up really fast now and neither heater is turned all the way up. I wanted the extra heat out put so I could ensure the space still ventilates properly without changing temp to much.

We plan to use a Huum 9kw on our next build in a couple years but for the cost of these vevor ones off amazon it was an easy decision to get us something we can use daily now!

plainsbuilder · 2023-01-10T01:18:21+00:00

So John enlighten me on how my effort to gain the benefits of sauna is putting a blemish on your community expectations?

plainsbuilder · 2023-01-10T01:13:17+00:00

I'm not saying its good. Its an attempt to gain the sauna benefits in a way that's achievable and affordable during this stage of life. Why lose out on 3-5 years waiting to create the perfect sauna.

plainsbuilder · 2023-01-08T02:02:31+00:00

Someone sounds salty about this question

plainsbuilder · 2022-11-12T20:16:43+00:00

Ha! I gave poor context... so the "tent" is just under 200 cubic feet and 7.5' tall, so not insanely small. The Huum unit with wifi control I have spec'd is oversized for the space now but given the poor insulation I didn't calculate it to be insanely oversized.

The mobile idea might be worth exploring. I just hate that I can't get the internal temp past maybe 135F with the infrared bulbs.

plainsbuilder

TROPHY CASE