Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Build Your House Yourself University
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Build Your House Yourself University episodes
- Owner Builder Interview with Chris and Shacuna Jones, Part 2— BYHYU 019
In this week’s episode, we’ll hear the final part of an interview I did with owner builders Chris and Shacuna Jones. I spoke with them recently about them building their new home. They acted as the general contractor and have some great construction management and money saving tips for us.
Show notes at www.BYHYU.com
23 min - Owner Builder Interview with Chris and Shacuna Jones, Part 1--BYHYU 018
This week we have the first part of an interview with a Chris and Shacuna Jones who recently finished building a beautiful house for themselves and acted as their own general contractor. They’ll tell us about how they managed the construction of their dream home and give us some great money saving tips.
Show notes can be found at www.BYHYU.com
23 min - Size matters…but so does DESIGN. 20 design and construction features that can save you money when building your new house—BYHYU 017
Most people know that the square footage of a house will affect the cost of construction, but many people don’t realize that how a house is designed and laid out will also affect the bottom line. And since many of us are unaware of what design choices we can make to reduce our construction costs, I’ve compiled a list 20 money saving design and layout ideas.
The easiest way to save money DURING construction is to figure out how to reduce costs BEFORE construction even begins—during the design and planning phases. The cost to build two houses with the same square footage can vary greatly depending on how the houses are designed and constructed. Great savings can be hidden in small details, and a few dollars saved here and there can add up to thousands of dollars over the course of construction.
Show notes at www.BYHYU.com
24 min - It's called "advanced," so I should do it, right? Learn about the pros and cons of advanced framing — BYHYU 016
One of the most important decisions that will made about the construction of your home is what type of framing it will have. And granted, it’s not one of the most exciting decisions, but it is one of the most IMPORTANT ones. How your home is framed will significantly impact your wallet, both during and after construction. The framing impacts the energy efficiency and comfort of your home and it has some impact on the environment, depending to how much material is used and wasted during construction.
My goal, of course, is not to make us experts, not to train us to go to the job site with a hammer in hand and act as framing carpenters (that’s what the framing crew is for). My goal is to give you a good overview and foundation of knowledge that will help you intelligently converse with contractors about your construction options, in this case the option of advanced framing.
You know, I think it's such a shame that most people think more about the options on a car they are thinking about buying, or a vacation they are planning on taking than they do about the options for their new house, the biggest investments they will probably ever make. So, kudos to you for educating yourself.
See show notes at www.BYHYU.com
20 min - Size matters… but so does CLIMATE. Building a house for a hot or cold climate— BYHYU 015
Today’s episode covers some different design features and construction practices that are suited for either a cold or a hot climate. My goal is for us to get a general background about the differences in building a home in these different climates. We don’t have to know every detail about regional climate design, but I want us to learn enough to make educated decisions about our construction choices. Plus learn enough so we can ask about some cutting edge and common sense options that maybe our contractors might not typically offer.
Find show notes at www.BYHYU.com
18 min - What homeowners would do differently if they built again - advice from those who have already built a custom home--BYHYU 014
As we plan to build our homes, I thought it would be a good idea to scour several blogs and forums to get advice from those who have built before. I specifically wanted to find out what mistakes people had made in building their homes—what they would do differently if they were to build again. So I’ve compiled an extensive list which details the things that homeowners would do and DID DO differently when building their second, third and even fourth houses.
Let’s learn from the experiences of others, so we don’t make similar mistakes. Now, some of what others consider “misses” won’t matter to you in the least. Some features you’ll hear about today should not be included in YOUR house plans because they won’t enhance the way you live. And many of the suggestions are pretty luxurious in nature, so they may not fit everyone’s budget or style. Take suggestions that resonate most with you and the vision you have for your home. But listen with your current AND future lifestyle in mind. Think about how you CURRENTLY live in your home AND how you might live in 5, 10 or even 20 years.
Our Pro Terms for today are Eave, Fascia and Soffit. www.BYHYU.com
Show notes at www.BYHYU.com
25 min - How long does it take to build a house? What Happens and When? A Construction Overview and Timeline | BYHYU 013
In today’s episode we’ll go over the sequence and timeline of the major steps of building a home, so you get some idea of what to expect from the overall construction process. This is a general overview and we’ll go into more detail of the major phases of construction in future episodes. But today’s show is a broad outline of building a house.
It’s important to have an understanding of the overall project early in the planning phase, because when you know what to expect, you will know what to plan for. And, like I’ve said this before, knowing what to expect takes away the fear to the unknown and decreasing the fear to the unknown, decreases the stress associated with any process, including building a house. So you are super smart, to educate yourself and prepare BEFORE construction, so that building your home will be more enjoyable.
www.BYHYU.com
18 min - Energy Efficiency—Designing, Inspecting and Testing for it, Part 1—BYHYU 011
Today we have the first part of an interview with Ron Hughes of HERS, inc. He’ll tell us how companies like his can help us design and build more energy efficient homes.
www.BYHYU.com
20 min - Ben Adam-Smith of the House Planning Help Podcast tells us the basics of Green Building and Energy Efficiency— BYHYU 010
Today we’ll explore some concepts of green building and sustainable building with Ben Adam-Smith, host of the podcast, House Planning Help— one of my favorites. We’ll talk about what basic things we should consider if we want to build green.
www.BYHYU.com
www.houseplanninghelp.com
27 min - Building Permits and Inspections: Do you know what to expect?— BYHYU 009
Having a general idea about permits and inspections decreases some of the stress associated with building a new home. Whenever you educate yourself about the homebuilding process, you take away some of the mystery, some of fear of the unknown and THAT decreases stress. This week’s mini lesson is about permits and inspections, which are definitely not the most exciting parts of the design build process, but they are extremely important. Learn what to expect.
www.BYHYU.com
18 min
About Build Your House Yourself University
From the publisher's feed
Wish you knew more about the biggest investment you will most likely ever make? Build Your House Yourself University (byhyu) will teach you to save money and make smart decisions about the construction of the place you and your family will call HOME. We will help you understand residential construction— simplify and demystify the design build process. You’ll come away with successful strategies for building your own house, with or without a general contractor.
Become an educated consumer, even if you prefer to buy, rather than build a new house. Complex construction jargon and best practices will be explained in easy to understand terms. It’s not the typical DIY (do it yourself) show. You will learn how to MANAGE the labor, not DO the labor for your new house.
Join me, Michelle Nelson, host and fellow informal residential construction student. I’ll share the research I find on home design and building as I prepare to build my home. Together, our community of future home builders, will learn the tips, tricks and trends of experienced contractors and industry experts.
I’ll interview owner-builders and construction professionals. During our mini lessons, I’ll inform you about framing, flooring, windows, insulation, kitchen cabinets and countertops…almost anything having to do with new construction homes. You’ll hear about energy efficiency and green building too. There will be product reviews in which you will be introduced to cutting edge, as well as, tried and true products and services. And in keeping with the university theme, episodes will end with short, fun quizzes.
If we do our due diligence BEFORE we start construction, we will actually start construction with the most difficult part of the project behind us. Let’s put in the time, effort, preparation and research BEFORE we break ground and building our homes will be much easier and more enjoyable.