Monday, March 21, 2011
Custom Home Building
This is a term that is used pretty loose in our industry and can mean many things to many people. To some a custom home is one that is simply modified from an existing floor plan. To others a custom home is one that is created from just its most basic level in just thoughts to the final product. Custom home building in Southern MN takes on many other aspects as well. Whether or not to incorporate energy saving ideas or not and how to orientate a home to achieve the most desired result. Selecting a builder that allows you to explain your ideas and that listens to what you want vs what they might want is a tough choice for some people. One of the biggest obstacles I face day in and day out is to determine what people are trying to say when they are really not saying what they want. That has come from helping many clients design many homes and many hours up front with them figuring out how they wanted to get there. It happens during the design process and many times through the selection process. One of the biggest tips I can give any of my clients is to trust your gut feelings. I have taken many clients full circle only to end up doing exactly what they thought they wanted in the beginning. A true custom home builder's job is to make this idea a reality for you no matter what level of custom you feel you are on. Call anytime to get your dreams set in motion!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Attention Air Exchangers!!!!
Depending on the price points needed to be attained by my clients, I include Air to Air Exchange units as often as I can. On average, I install them in 85% of the homes I build. The clients I build homes for have these systems explained to them them several times during our many walk throughs, but as we all know our lives take over and we forget what we should be doing with them once we are in the home. One of the first things I try to make clear is the air exchanger is actually the diamond shaped center core inside the box hanging from the ceiling. The box around it has a fan that makes the center air exchanger an active system. That center core is where the heat is extracted from the warm moist air leaving the home and where it blends with the cold air coming in. This is the reason for the 2 screen filters on the unit. Once filter or screen is for the air coming in and one filter or screen is for the air going out. Both air flows have dust in them and both need to be filtered so they don't dirty the center core or air exchanger. By keeping the 2 screens around the center core or air exchanger clean, it will allow the system to do what we installed it for. If these screens get dirty, the air cannot go through the air exchanger as easily and it also can potentially clog it. To clean the screens, simply open the door on the unit and remove it. Then slide the two screens off the center core and tap out the dust or soak them in hot soapy water if very dirty. Make sure they are dry before installing them onto the center core or air exchanger and vacuum out any other dust you might see in the housing around the center core. This should be done at least monthly or whenever you change your furnace filter.
Once a year, I recommend removing the center core and soaking that in hot soapy water as well. Fall is a great time to do this just prior to turning the system on for the winter months. I described the running schedule in an earlier blog. Again, make sure this core is dry before putting it back into the housing. At this same time, I recommend cleaning the intake screen at the exterior of the home. The air exchanger will run in the summer months and will be bringing on dusts when running the bathroom controls to remove moisture. This is the reason fall is a good time to clean the filter to make sure the air coming into the homes air exchange unit is cleaned before it even gets to the unit.
One of the most important things to keep in mind with these systems is that they work best when kept clean. It is impossible for you to expect a dust free home if the appliance in your home responsible for bringing in the fresh air is clogged. A little bit of maintenance goes a long ways with these types of systems. They are designed for making a home more efficient, but one of the most beneficial things they do is cut down on air born allergens. If you keep it clean, your home will be healthier and greener!!!
Once a year, I recommend removing the center core and soaking that in hot soapy water as well. Fall is a great time to do this just prior to turning the system on for the winter months. I described the running schedule in an earlier blog. Again, make sure this core is dry before putting it back into the housing. At this same time, I recommend cleaning the intake screen at the exterior of the home. The air exchanger will run in the summer months and will be bringing on dusts when running the bathroom controls to remove moisture. This is the reason fall is a good time to clean the filter to make sure the air coming into the homes air exchange unit is cleaned before it even gets to the unit.
One of the most important things to keep in mind with these systems is that they work best when kept clean. It is impossible for you to expect a dust free home if the appliance in your home responsible for bringing in the fresh air is clogged. A little bit of maintenance goes a long ways with these types of systems. They are designed for making a home more efficient, but one of the most beneficial things they do is cut down on air born allergens. If you keep it clean, your home will be healthier and greener!!!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Block walls or Poured walls and my 2 cents...
Earlier on this past month I discussed the concept of doing ICF foundations and how they rate on an efficiency scale. I mentioned my preference was not to use them and I preferred using a foundation wall construction that consisted of an exterior foam insulation design. There are a few ways we can construct foundation walls on new homes when we decide to move that insulation to the exterior. I commonly use two of them, block walls and poured walls. Both wall designs have their benefits.
The first one I will explain is the block foundation wall. We use the same type of footing depending on the plans designs for each of the wall designs. With a block wall, we can typically install them much faster than a poured wall. Layers or courses of block are added to achieve the desired ceiling height. Typically a 12 course block wall will give you an 8' ceiling when finished. A 13 course wall will give you an 8'6" finished ceiling height, and a 14 course will give you a true 9' ceiling height. Depending on the size of the home, a block wall can also save you money over a poured wall. Where they get their strength is from the open cores in the block we add steel rods to and pump them full of concrete. This is called core filling. This is also where the loads from the upper floors are transferred to the footing below the block wall. Block walls are very strong and have very few problems associated with them when backfilled properly.
Poured walls are the next wall I will discuss. Again, we use a footing similar to the block wall to begin setting up forms to design the poured wall. These forms allow us to build the walls to any desired height since we can regulate how much concrete actually goes in the forms. Prior to pouring the concrete, we add steel rods both vertically and horizontally. This attribute is what truly gives the poured walls the added strength over the block wall. When a load is being passed from the upper floors of the home to the foundation, it is transferred evenly over the footing instead of bearing on specific core filled points. Keep in mind when I say stronger, that doesn't mean a block wall will function any differently when we are completed. The concrete is then poured and cured in the form. Once cured, the forms are stripped from the concrete and we are left with the poured wall.
Both wall constructions allow us to work with Pre-stressed garages and both are capable of working with throughout most of the calendar year. If you have any thoughts or topics you'd like discussed in the future, feel free to drop us a line through our Facebook page or Website. Thanks for reading and heres to a super 2011!
The first one I will explain is the block foundation wall. We use the same type of footing depending on the plans designs for each of the wall designs. With a block wall, we can typically install them much faster than a poured wall. Layers or courses of block are added to achieve the desired ceiling height. Typically a 12 course block wall will give you an 8' ceiling when finished. A 13 course wall will give you an 8'6" finished ceiling height, and a 14 course will give you a true 9' ceiling height. Depending on the size of the home, a block wall can also save you money over a poured wall. Where they get their strength is from the open cores in the block we add steel rods to and pump them full of concrete. This is called core filling. This is also where the loads from the upper floors are transferred to the footing below the block wall. Block walls are very strong and have very few problems associated with them when backfilled properly.
Poured walls are the next wall I will discuss. Again, we use a footing similar to the block wall to begin setting up forms to design the poured wall. These forms allow us to build the walls to any desired height since we can regulate how much concrete actually goes in the forms. Prior to pouring the concrete, we add steel rods both vertically and horizontally. This attribute is what truly gives the poured walls the added strength over the block wall. When a load is being passed from the upper floors of the home to the foundation, it is transferred evenly over the footing instead of bearing on specific core filled points. Keep in mind when I say stronger, that doesn't mean a block wall will function any differently when we are completed. The concrete is then poured and cured in the form. Once cured, the forms are stripped from the concrete and we are left with the poured wall.
Both wall constructions allow us to work with Pre-stressed garages and both are capable of working with throughout most of the calendar year. If you have any thoughts or topics you'd like discussed in the future, feel free to drop us a line through our Facebook page or Website. Thanks for reading and heres to a super 2011!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Special thanks
I just wanted to put out a special thanks to all of the super artists in this years coloring contest. I plan on doing more of this throughout the upcoming year, so stay tuned. It was a huge success for us, considering we did the entire contest through Facebook. I expected the family members to get on board with their children, but didn't think it would escalate like it did. We now have well over 200 "Likes" to our page and hope that will continue to grow as you all tell your friends and family about my company. Thanks again and I will get back to a more construction orientated blog next week.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Afraid of the unknown??
Many peoples mis-conception of the building process makes them fear the unknown of what to expect in the building process. I often tell my clients that building a new home with a good builder is like buying an existing home that just doesn't exist yet. While the process of making selections can be overwhelming to some, others find this process completely enjoyable. You are able to make the home as personalized as you'd like. I personally make myself available as well to guide you through that part of the process.
Another fear I'm sure potential building clients have is the fear of cost overruns. When I start the process of working with clients, I try my best to pre-qualify them to know what they are looking for in their dream home. I have built many homes and have a firm grasp on what the amenities you are looking at will cost. This gets us very close to a final price. Before I even have my clients sign agreements to build, I take them on this guided tour I mentioned above. This alone pin points the costs on the home and allows us all to write an agreement that is detailed and extremely accurate. I average less than 2% in overages on all the homes I build and that is from the time we sign contracts to the time the home is completed. Most clients building homes worry about the horror stories that say they can expect 10 percent along the way in over runs. This simply doesn't occur with my company. Once the selection process is complete, my clients can enjoy the building process and watch all the hard work we all did come together. This too allows us to run a much tighter schedule.
I hope this helps explain the ways in which I can minimize your fears in the building process. My clients testimonials are the best way to ensure what I've said is the way I truly run my business.
Another fear I'm sure potential building clients have is the fear of cost overruns. When I start the process of working with clients, I try my best to pre-qualify them to know what they are looking for in their dream home. I have built many homes and have a firm grasp on what the amenities you are looking at will cost. This gets us very close to a final price. Before I even have my clients sign agreements to build, I take them on this guided tour I mentioned above. This alone pin points the costs on the home and allows us all to write an agreement that is detailed and extremely accurate. I average less than 2% in overages on all the homes I build and that is from the time we sign contracts to the time the home is completed. Most clients building homes worry about the horror stories that say they can expect 10 percent along the way in over runs. This simply doesn't occur with my company. Once the selection process is complete, my clients can enjoy the building process and watch all the hard work we all did come together. This too allows us to run a much tighter schedule.
I hope this helps explain the ways in which I can minimize your fears in the building process. My clients testimonials are the best way to ensure what I've said is the way I truly run my business.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Are ICF foundations better that others???
First of all, I'd like to say thanks to all who came out to the Rochester Area Builders Home Show this past weekend. It was a huge success and we had excellent traffic. In last years show, I built 2 custom homes for clients I met at the event. I hope to duplicate that this year and it is really looking positive with the feedback from the potential clients we met there.
One of the many topics this year that I had come from the people visiting my booth was regarding ICF foundations. Although many opinion may differ, they are not my choice for a couple reasons. The first being the added cost to the homeowner. In todays environment with appraisals being so difficult, this can be a factor right out of the gates for people. If the cost of the home is higher than the appraisal, other parts of the home need to be sacrificed in order to get the ICF's into the budget. The other problem I have with them is the mis-information on the efficiency. I think they are a great way to make a home efficient if they are taken all the way to the roof trusses(this is an extremely expensive way to use them), but if they stop at the foundation they are not. The State of MN has conducted studies proving that having more than R-5 insulation below grade is not necessarily a good thing. In MN, the average ground temperature is near 55 degrees all the time as long as it is below the frost line. 55 degrees can be good in the summer or the winter. I think of it this way. If in the summer it is 100 degrees outside and that temperature is trying to get into the home, having the 55 degree ground temp is good to allow the ground around the home to absorb the homes ever gaining heat. The opposite happens in the winter. If it is -10 degrees outside, the home is constantly taking in the 55 degree heat from the ground around the foundation. If the insulation level is higher than R-5, this cannot occur as easily. I look at this type of system as a built in Geo heating system. This is the reason I build my homes with an R-5 exterior insulation. By placing the foam insulation on the exterior, we move the condensation point to the exterior making the basement feel warmer yet. One last thing I recommend to my clients, but few do is to foam 4 feet away from the home to just below grade. This will prevent the frost from actually diving down on the homes foundation and keep the entire foundation wall at the magic 55 degree ground temp. This along with placing retaining walls in all areas that the foundation has taken a jump will keep your new home and its foundation working the most efficient way possible. I'm sure this is an area where many can and will disagree with me, but with my homes scoring on average less that 59 on the HERS Energy Star Scale it is hard to discredit.
One of the many topics this year that I had come from the people visiting my booth was regarding ICF foundations. Although many opinion may differ, they are not my choice for a couple reasons. The first being the added cost to the homeowner. In todays environment with appraisals being so difficult, this can be a factor right out of the gates for people. If the cost of the home is higher than the appraisal, other parts of the home need to be sacrificed in order to get the ICF's into the budget. The other problem I have with them is the mis-information on the efficiency. I think they are a great way to make a home efficient if they are taken all the way to the roof trusses(this is an extremely expensive way to use them), but if they stop at the foundation they are not. The State of MN has conducted studies proving that having more than R-5 insulation below grade is not necessarily a good thing. In MN, the average ground temperature is near 55 degrees all the time as long as it is below the frost line. 55 degrees can be good in the summer or the winter. I think of it this way. If in the summer it is 100 degrees outside and that temperature is trying to get into the home, having the 55 degree ground temp is good to allow the ground around the home to absorb the homes ever gaining heat. The opposite happens in the winter. If it is -10 degrees outside, the home is constantly taking in the 55 degree heat from the ground around the foundation. If the insulation level is higher than R-5, this cannot occur as easily. I look at this type of system as a built in Geo heating system. This is the reason I build my homes with an R-5 exterior insulation. By placing the foam insulation on the exterior, we move the condensation point to the exterior making the basement feel warmer yet. One last thing I recommend to my clients, but few do is to foam 4 feet away from the home to just below grade. This will prevent the frost from actually diving down on the homes foundation and keep the entire foundation wall at the magic 55 degree ground temp. This along with placing retaining walls in all areas that the foundation has taken a jump will keep your new home and its foundation working the most efficient way possible. I'm sure this is an area where many can and will disagree with me, but with my homes scoring on average less that 59 on the HERS Energy Star Scale it is hard to discredit.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Win a $100 gift card from Med City Builders this weekend!
Just a quick note to remind all of you about the Rochester Area Builders Home Show this upcoming weekend. I will be busy getting ready for this as well as heading off to tour the latest products at the Anderson Window plant this Wednesday. Therefore, I will keep the Blog this week short and sweet. This weekends event is a great opportunity for you to stop in to discuss your potential building plans or just talk about previous Blogs you have read. I plan on having plenty of previous homes interior and exterior pictures. I also carry a large book of previous home plans for you to get some great ideas. One of the activities I will be offering this year is a coloring contest for your children. I will be accepting the colored Med City Builders homes after the Home Show and will put the 3 finalists on my companies Facebook page. We will be announcing the winner through my website as well as Facebook. Your child can win getting the most "Likes" on his or her picture. You must only "Like" Med City Builders yourself in order to enter your child. More information will be given at the Home Show so stop by for details!
Last year, the traffic was really positive for us and we hope to see the same this year. I truly feel like there is a tremendous backlog of clients wanting to build a new home. The road block tends to fall in line with their existing home. Having success in the past and present with selling existing homes, I'd be happy to discuss this process with you at the Show as well. You may be surprised, but in talking with other Real Estate agents in the area as well as my own involvement we have really seen an upsurge in the existing market. So feel free to stop by to see all of the latest trends in the building industry, meet knowledgeable people in the trades, and discuss your current situation to see if now is a good time for you to make the move on a new home. To me, it seems like it was a less stressful way for you the client to interview the builders while meeting us at an event like this.
Last year, the traffic was really positive for us and we hope to see the same this year. I truly feel like there is a tremendous backlog of clients wanting to build a new home. The road block tends to fall in line with their existing home. Having success in the past and present with selling existing homes, I'd be happy to discuss this process with you at the Show as well. You may be surprised, but in talking with other Real Estate agents in the area as well as my own involvement we have really seen an upsurge in the existing market. So feel free to stop by to see all of the latest trends in the building industry, meet knowledgeable people in the trades, and discuss your current situation to see if now is a good time for you to make the move on a new home. To me, it seems like it was a less stressful way for you the client to interview the builders while meeting us at an event like this.
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