Build Your House Yourself University

For those of us who want to make our homes as safe possible, incorporating some fire resistant features is a smart idea. Interestingly, many ordinary, everyday homebuilding materials are either naturally fire resistant or they can become fire resistant with a few tweaks. Although most building materials are not 100% fireproof, many materials that we’ll talk about today will give your house a fighting chance if it’s ever threatened by fire. Homes built with the right materials, the right landscaping layout, and smart detailing have a far better chance of escaping a fire with less damage.

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Since windows are one of the most important design features and expensive line items in our new homes, it’s important that we know what window trends are current, so we don’t make the expensive mistake of purchasing windows that will take away from our homes curb appeal and resale value.  We want windows that will make our homes feel current and interesting and not tired and dated.  This week we’ll briefly discuss 7 window trends that you might consider for your project.

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You can’t beat the durability and the low maintenance advantages of synthetic, faux wood materials. But  I’ve seen lots of synthetic, wood look materials, and although a few of them look pretty realistic, some people feel like no synthetic material can match the natural beauty of real wood.

And for those people, that beauty is worth the extra maintenance required to use authentic wood for the exterior of their homes.  So, for those of us considering using real wood on our new homes, whether as decking, or as exterior wall cladding, fences or garage doors, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most popular wood species used for exterior applications to help us decide which wood might be best for our projects.   We’ll also briefly consider composite and plastic wood alternatives.

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Soffits and Fascia are parts of the house that don’t often get a lot of thought or attention from homeowners planning to build their dream homes.  But they’re important not only as design elements for your home but also because they protect your house.   And choosing the right materials for your fascia and soffits can reduce the required maintenance for your home. This week we’ll briefly talk about soffit and fascia options so you can make the best choice for your home.  Let’s start by establishing exactly what and where soffits and fascia are.

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Last week I traveled to Austin TX for their Parade of Homes.  I like going to different parts of the country to see what new homes features are popular in different areas.  If we incorporate some of our favorite features from different regions, it can make the homes we build more interesting.  As you know, too often designers and builders tend to do what they have always done and that can translate into all the houses in an area looking the same, void of character and uniqueness. Sometimes the only way to incorporate fresh ideas is for us homeowners to make fresh suggestions.  A great way to get new ideas and inspiration is by looking at houses in areas outside our region. 

This year’s parade of homes in Austin Tx had only 5 houses available to tour, and one was a tiny house.  But even with such a small number of houses, it was one of my favorite Parades of all time. The homes were examples of casual, timeless elegance at its best.  There were light, bright transitional interiors (remember transitional is a balance between traditional and contemporary features). There were lots of  clean lines, both inside and out, but the houses weren’t so clean that they felt minimalistic or cold

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Whether you believe in global warming or not, it seems that storms are becoming more and more prevalent and damaging.  And even if you don’t live in tornado alley or a coastal region that’s prone to hurricanes, you might want to consider adding some storm-proofing measures to your new house.   Storm resistant materials and techniques will not only make our homes stronger and more wind and water resistant but also more airtight and energy efficient, in many instances.

Since high winds and heavy rain can potentially occur in many regions outside of areas classified as “storm-prone,” it’s beneficial to learn about what we can do to protect our homes from even occasional, unexpected stormy weather.  Case and point: Hurricane Michael.  Not only did it bring hurricane force winds to coastal areas, but it also brought 155-mph winds and associated tornados to inland communities, far from the coast.  So take a listen to this week’s list of storm-proofing features to see if any of them makes sense for your new build. 

Before we move into our mini-lesson, a shout out goes to Trista, for giving me this great show idea.  Thanks, Trista.

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As we are continuing to prepare to start construction, I have been calling around for quotes for the insurance that will need to be in place before we begin work and I’ve run into some challenges.  There are two policies that you’ll need to protect yourself if you are acting as an owner-builder, one is builders risk insurance and the other is general liability insurance.  You may have trouble finding general liability insurance.  In this week’s episode, I’ll tell you how to overcome that trouble.

Show notes at  BYHYU.com

Building a tight house is the goal for most of us.  What that means is that the unintended openings, gaps, and holes in the home’s exterior shell and in the duct system should be sealed, to keep outside air from leaking in, and to keep inside air from leaking out. A tight house will be more comfortable and have increased energy efficiency and lower utility bills.  That’s because conditioned air produced by your HVAC system is less likely to escape and unconditioned outside air is less likely to sneak in through unwanted gaps.  A tight house is also quieter, cleaner, and has better indoor air quality because outside noise, pests and pollutants have fewer opportunities to enter the home. 

But if you’ve listened to past episodes, you know that if we build tight, we should also ventilate right.   You’ll hear old school contractors say that building a tight house is not a good idea because they argue that a house should breathe.  Modern building science has proven that old school contractors are wrong to avoid a tight building envelope.  But, that old adage that a house should breathe is actually right.  However, instead of house breathing through the uncontrolled air infiltration of a leaky house, we want a house with a tight building envelope that breathes through controlled ventilation.

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Uncontrolled moisture, in the forms of liquid water and water vapor, is huge enemies of any home.  If not controlled, moisture can cause heating and cooling inefficiencies, resulting in an uncomfortable house and higher utility costs.  Uncontrolled moisture can also lead to rot, mold, structural damage,  and poor air quality. 

What specific methods you use to control moisture will depend on the climate in your region and the design and construction of your home.  This week we’ll go over some moisture control strategies that will work for the majority of us, but always consult with local contractors to a make sure these strategies will work for your project. 

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I’ve gotten lots of emails from many of you stating that you love the show but that you decided to hire a builder.  It’s almost as if you were apologizing for hiring a builder, but this podcast is for anyone building a house, so we can all build a quality dream home with or without a general contractor. 

Some people just aren’t interested in contracting their own homes.  They don’t have the time or interest to make all the decisions that builders have to make.  They don’t feel comfortable hiring and managing subs, and, in that case, hiring a general contractor is the best course of action.   There should be no shame associated with hiring as much help as you need to build your house. 

The purpose of this podcast to help all of us make informed decisions and better understand the construction process, whether we use a builder or not.

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