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advice/help on building
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04-10-2010 6:16pm#1
Comments
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hello everyone.
im new to this site and my main reason for posting here is to get some advice/help with building my house. i do not know much about buildng a house and so i would like to hear other peoples views. i am currently at the planning stage (architect drawing up plans as we speak!). i am hoping to build a 4 bedroom house with large kitchen/dining area, sun room, sitting room and play room.
some questions i have are as follows;
A -sq footage? - is 3000 sq foot large or small for a modern house and how much on average would it cost to build?
B- timber frame v block? which is strongest/cheapest/warmest/safest etc
C - heating options? which are the most effective heating options today? underground heating, oil, etc?
D - contractors v direct labour? which is best? how much does contractor cost? do i need contractor if i dont know much about building a house?
i know there are a lot of questions there and answers are probably harder than a simple 'yes' or 'no' but any advice on building would be greatly appreciated as i want to build the right house without being ripped off.
thanks guys,
superoil
I'll have a go, like this.........- A - Size - 3000 sq ft is very large. Consider, the standard size for a 4 bed house in the 80's was 1250sq ft. We haven't got that much bigger, tbh !! And, bigger houses cost a lot more to finish. More tiles, more paint, more carpet/wood/laminate etc, bigger kitchen's.......the list goes on and on. Build a smarter, better, and more compact house, would be my advice, unless you have access to a Money Pit !
- B - All of the methods are equally strong for houses, block is cheaper (but takes more work to finish, timber based (TF or SIP) is a more naturally insulative house, as it's timber-based, and there is no safety issue with any of them. All houses are required to meet the same standards for strength, durability, sound, fire etc.
- C - ..down to personal preference, really. The higher the standard of insulation and especially airtightness, the less sensitive your house is to what you use to heat it, and you have greater options. Nothing wrong with oil/gas, if your house only needs a small amount, and the hardware is reasonable. Bigger systems like Wood Pellet and Geo/Aerothermal need more thought, as, in an efficient house, it may be a long, or never, payback period. As for rads vs UFH, well, I like UFH, 'cos, well, I like it ! Even if it cost me extra, I just like the way the whole house is comforatable, and I don't have to worry about whether furniture etc blocks rads. Good for kids etc, too, especially if they're small and crawling around. Often times have mine just fallen asleep where they stop !
- D - Ah, the Age Old Question. It depends on your circumstances, and ability to manage a project. If you have the time, and determination, you could save by going direct labour. You will have to do everything, from organising the work, the engineer, the individual contractor's, the scaffolding the insurance, maybe even take calls at work during the day from the site wanting to know what you want done about X or Y, or to get you to arrange more blocks/sand/timber. The list can be endless. Direct labour means it will (probably) take longer, and that you are your own 'warrantor'. They will only do what you tell/pay them to do. A contractor, otoh would cost 10% - 15% more, I'm estimating. And you don't have as much micro-management to do. Look at it this way: I work in the trade. I did my first house the hard way, the 2nd time I used a contractor...........finally, in this day and age, if you're sensible, and have your eyes open, and ask lots of questions - and question those things you don't understand, then you are unlikely to get ripped off.
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