So yesterday was officially our first "missed deadline"...ah well. It's not that big of a deal. We're getting closer and closer to our permit applications and are expecting to submit things next week. Apparently from what I can gather, the City is most interested in what the external "look" of the house is like, as well as whether it violates any zoning issues (setbacks from property lines - i.e., where your building is vs. where your property line is; height, floor space ratio - i.e., the area of your land vs. the amount of liveable building area, etc.). According to what I'm told, they're less concerned with the internal layout of the place which can still be altered some. So, we'll get them the external look and things they're looking for and go from there as we haven't finalized all of the internal details yet.
We've had some challenging times of late working with our architects which has been difficult for all of us. From the outset, the hope was to have a collaborative team-based approach where Kris and I, Brett, and Bruce and Ian all contributed ideas and design thoughts towards a collective vision. In the end, I think there have been some misunderstandings on the extent to which any given party would be involved in the design phase. I was keen to be more involved (we're the owners!), and I believe Bruce and Ian felt that design was really their space (they're the design professionals!). We're working through some of the communication challenges so that we can come to a common understanding, but unfortunately it's added some stress to all of our lives (theirs included). Funny how communication is always at the heart of a relationship. Hopefully we can sort it out soon and move along.
One thing I have realized in recent weeks however, is that the federal EcoEnergy program deadline is just not realistic, so I'm officially giving up on that timeline (March 31st). The hope had been to take advantage of the $5-10K available from the federal government (since we'll be doing most of those things anyhow). Sadly, it will be money that will be lost...crappy timing, but then, that's life for you sometimes. Conversely, the decision to let go of the timeline definitely lifts a weight from our shoulders and lets us slow down a bit. The decisions had been coming fast and furious and no doubt have been adding stress to what should be a fun process - not a negative one.
That brings us back to the space of decisions....so what's left to decide? Well a few things in terms of design/layout.
(1) The ceiling. We heard back from our structural engineer and there are a bunch of seismic and structural upgrades that are required. Accordingly, we're evaluating their implications on the design - in particular the ceiling height and look/feel of the downstairs. Basically we have the option of going as I noted in my earlier posting with the exposed joists/beams, or we can cover them up and have a slightly lower ceiling. It's a bit loft vs. traditional and so I'm wrestling with that one a bit. Thoughts anyone?
(2) The mechanical room. In a small place, the mechanical room potentially eats up valuable space. We're trying to optimize its location, but are struggling somewhat to do so. I think it's going to mean moving the bathroom a bit, but so be it...
(3) DIY vs. not. The DIY question is one that looms large. Increasingly I'm thinking that we need to save money by having me do more DIY components. While I won't touch things like electrical and plumbing, I think there are some things that I can probably have a crack at including some of the demolition (which allows me to reclaim more materials, and save on dumping fees), as well as some relatively simple things like installing laminate click-in-place flooring on the upper level. I think these sorts of things will likely force an extension of the timeline, BUT will also allow us to save probably about $20K in total which, at this point, is pretty critical for us. So far, the DIY pieces include: some demolition (some interior, some exterior + non-asbestos containing vermiculite removal), re-finishing the lead-painted cedar siding, landscaping, finishing the floors, and installing the floating laminate floor upstairs. I know this seems like a good idea now...we'll see later on when I haven't had sleep because of work and life...
(4) Kitchen counters. Struggling with this one a bit as well - splurge or not...options are basically butcher block (looks decent, affordable, but degrades in time), Eco (composite quartz like Silestone - looks great, expensive, but lasts - or possibly IceStone), or a bit of a hybrid where we use some quartz and some wood. Thoughts anyone?
(5) Windows - this one will merit its own entry unto itself. There's a dizzying array of choices....I'll walk you through the options soon.
So - there you have some musings on a Friday afternoon. I'll post next week with the submitted drawings to show you what the final layout looks like.
Friday 16 December 2011
Thursday 8 December 2011
Back into the blogzone - the near-final house layout
Righty - I'm back in the blogzone - the zone between a beer at 8pm and the time to actually put up a post.
So what have a learned in the past 24 hrs about the house? Well - a few things:
1) We're actually closing in on a final design. Here's what it's looking like at present:
or this...
But back to realty (ooh that rant felt good!).
So, what kind of doors DO I like. Simple, clean, elegant and timeless. Examples? Voila.
Simple - elegant and pleasing. No need for silly lines or etching. Just a door.
If I'm looking for something more modern and contemporary, here's what I'm thinking:
Again - simple, and pleasing. Much more reasonable. And no giraffes or bald cats to boot. Weird thing about this particular door (from Crestview Doors) is that it's crazy cheap - a couple of hundred dollars even with a double glazed glass area (which raises another beef - "double glazed" ...when I think of "glazing" I think cake glazing...I don't think of "number of panes of glass". Why don't they call it "double paned"??). I'm guessing it's crap, but heck, it looks nice! The other one above is from Masonite and is a fiberglass door - and looks like quality (great R-value, looks good, well built). Might very well be the one we go with in the end.
3) Awesome website for US-Canada cross border shopping. As I get further into this, I'm increasingly realizing that there are so many deals to be had in the US. Not sure what they do down there, but they just seem to make things cheaper! This site is SUPER useful for all sorts of info on calculating duty, figuring out exemptions, etc. Check it out.
Ok. That's probably enough for now. Make these things too long and nobody read's 'em. Night all!
So what have a learned in the past 24 hrs about the house? Well - a few things:
1) We're actually closing in on a final design. Here's what it's looking like at present:
So - let me walk you through things: Starting on the left image at the bottom...
The front of the house has a series of windows and enters in on the ground level. The front door is in the bottom left (SW corner). Beside it is a closet, with a landing and a couple of stairs down to the main living area. To the right are the stairs leading upstairs. Looking out in front of you, there's the kitchen and off to your right is the main floor bathroom (full bathroom). Beyond those are the living room/family room/dining room - which is all open concept. At the back will be a full glass back end (8' high windows/doors) with two fixed glass panels and two doors (8' opening). We're guessing that there will be some storage on the walls, along with some storage possibly under the stairs. You can also see on here a set of dashed lines (tightly dashed and loosely dashed). The tightly dashed ones are our fancy new steel reinforcing beams...ooh black steel you say? You bet. We're high rollers. These will drop below our exposed wood joists (see last entry) and sit at roughly 9'. The loosely dashed lines are the new foundations that we need to add (ugghhh). Yep - those are the non-sexy expensive shit that you need to add so your house doesn't fall down (psshhaw..."fall down"...details).
Upstairs (the right hand image), leads you to the landing which is currently an office/guest bedroom. It will be my primary work area which will have a good amount of light via some big windows. The thinking is that this will be able to be converted (when needed) to a guest bedroom - so for all of you reading this that's where you'll be when you come to visit! We're not walling it in for now, so we'll probably put some kind of privacy screen / curtain, etc. to provide the necessary privacy. Going right from the top of the stairs, there's the bathroom (right) and mechanical room and laundry room (left). We've had to extend the size of the mechanical room (as you see in red) to make sure we've got the necessary room for all of the equipment...and if we need more space we've got some of the area under the stairs and/or the attic. If we don't use the space in the mechanical room, we'll just use it for linen. Continuing on, there's the second bedroom (straight ahead). That's going to be the kid's room. On the left is the master bedroom, with...wait for it...a freakin' WALK-IN closet! I can't say that I thought we could squeeze in a walk-in in a house this small, but we've managed it. In fact, despite going over budget, I think we've actually managed to put in the vast majority of the things we'd hoped for at the beginning of this. We'll see how much we regret that in time! The rest of the master bedroom...walk out (glass slider) to a second level deck that is above the new extension. We probably won't build this immediately (being totally out of money), but it shouldn't be hard to do at a later point as necessary.
So - that's the general layout...what do you think!?
2) Contemporary/modern doors are tough to find in Canada!
For some god-unknown reason, it seems that the vast majority of people seem to like stupidly ugly doors with weird notching in it? Which ranges (in my opinion) from ugly...
...to absolutely hideous...
It's like a giant ugly competition. I'm spoilt for choice of ugly.
In all honesty, front doors are ridiculous. Google them and you'll see! You find images like this:
Seriously??? A giraffe coming through your front door? "Honey, who's at the front door?", "Oh, just Fred Jones, the Jehovah's Witness Giraffe". Really, who thinks up these things? And moreover, where can I rent a giraffe for a photo shoot?!
Google "ugly doors" and you get this:
I mean really... what's wrong with humans. First we make ugly doors, then we breed cats to have no fur. We should be ashamed.
But back to realty (ooh that rant felt good!).
So, what kind of doors DO I like. Simple, clean, elegant and timeless. Examples? Voila.
If I'm looking for something more modern and contemporary, here's what I'm thinking:
Again - simple, and pleasing. Much more reasonable. And no giraffes or bald cats to boot. Weird thing about this particular door (from Crestview Doors) is that it's crazy cheap - a couple of hundred dollars even with a double glazed glass area (which raises another beef - "double glazed" ...when I think of "glazing" I think cake glazing...I don't think of "number of panes of glass". Why don't they call it "double paned"??). I'm guessing it's crap, but heck, it looks nice! The other one above is from Masonite and is a fiberglass door - and looks like quality (great R-value, looks good, well built). Might very well be the one we go with in the end.
3) Awesome website for US-Canada cross border shopping. As I get further into this, I'm increasingly realizing that there are so many deals to be had in the US. Not sure what they do down there, but they just seem to make things cheaper! This site is SUPER useful for all sorts of info on calculating duty, figuring out exemptions, etc. Check it out.
Ok. That's probably enough for now. Make these things too long and nobody read's 'em. Night all!
Wednesday 7 December 2011
The long overdue update
So in addition to my Hazmat update, I feel the need to update everyone the status of things as a LOT has transpired since my last posting. So...
1) Structural: We've hired a structural engineer - Henry Hsu from Formosa Engineering. He's someone that came recommended from Brett (our GC) and so far, he looks great. Today I met with him, Bruce and Ian (our architects) and went over the structural plans. Unfortunately the news on the structural front isn't the greatest: we're going to need shear walls (basically bracing walls for seismic purposes to stop the house moving side to side) at the front and back of the house, along with reinforcing steel beams and strengthened foundations in order to manage the open concept floor plan we've requested. Early estimates are another $12K (gulp), but I suppose the good news is that we won't have a house that will fall down in an earthquake.
2) Facade: We've gone around on the facade for a while now. Originally I had been intending to use fiber cement board (Hardieboard as it is commonly called). Made from cement, this facade is notably for its fire resistance and durability (not requiring much in the way of upkeep). While it has fairly high embodied energy demands, there's a pretty strong environmental argument to be made for it. I had also thought it was going to be a fair bit cheaper to install, but it seems that labour costs associated with it are very high. Accordingly, we've switched plans and will be doing mainly stucco (grey) with a bit of cedar at the front and back to give it some additional contrast and "spunk". The cedar is nice in that it's renewable, local, etc. but it definitely has a maintenance downside which is going to be a bit of bummer. The stucco I'm fine with - it's non-combustible as well (a requirement for our side walls) and has a long life span if properly done. Roughly speaking, it should have a bit of the look and feel of this shot:
I'm still fighting with my architect (and possibly the City) on putting 4" of exterior insulation on the place, but we'll save the outcome of that battle for another post.
I'm also hopeful that I might be able to reclaim some of my current wood siding. While covered in lead paint, I'm hoping that underneath it's in good condition and that it's cedar. If so, I might be able to strip it off, strip it down to wood again, and use it which would have multiple benefits: wouldn't have to buy new cedar siding ($), wouldn't have to pay for the removal of my current siding ($), and it saves landfill. However, it's going to take some luck (that it's indeed cedar), time (to strip the planks and then refinish them), and safety (safely dealing with the lead). We'll see what happens...but would be a nice story to tell if I can make it happen.
3) Interior modifications - ceilings: So found out today that the architects have planned to leave the floor joists (the cross "beams" running from one side of the house to the other that keep the floor in place). I had been thinking that we would have a flat, white ceiling with pot lights, but this is an interesting twist that I do think is probably a good call. It respects (and reflects) the history and bones of the old house - something we're shelling out for! - and at the same time, is probably more cost effective (cost of pot lights alone). Here's a shot of roughly what we think it will look like (joists will be like the ones in the background, not the ones in the foreground which go front to back). In fact this shot should give a pretty good feel of what the main part of our house will feel like - long(ish), narrow, with glass at the back (and front), and concrete floors.
4) Interior modifications - windows: Still sorting windows, but we're going back and forth with two suppliers at this point: Centra and Innotech. Both seem to make pretty solid vinyl windows. I've sadly had to eliminate fiberglass windows (my first choice) because they were just too cost prohibitive. PVC isn't the best product from an environmental perspective, but it does offer some good energy savings. The windows and doors are all rated to at least U 0.28 (which is an R-value of about 3-4...not great when you consider that walls are required to be about 20, but not bad when you consider that my current walls are about R-8). Furthermore, we're down to two options for the back window: Centra is quoting about $6K (basic, but good windows), while Innotech is quoting about $9K (more tilt-and-turn). We also need to decide whether to go with white frames or pay a 15% premium and get charcoal grey frames.
A) Canfold: Folding windows from the UK which aren't as good quality U-0.56, but do offer folding doors for under $10,000 (yes, large sets of folding doors are expensive!!). This was going to be one of the premium features of our place (and still will be to some extent), but we're thinking about different options at this point. Pros: Full 14'-16' span would open, roughly $10K installed, decent U values. Cons: only 7' tall, not as good quality, could have a delay in getting 16' version.
B) Innotech: A combination of two 4' fixed windows combined with a double door in between (8' span). While it wouldn't have quite the same "open feel" as the Canfold, it would much of the same look for most of the year.
Pros: Cheaper, better U-values, 8' tall, better quality. Cons: Don't open the full way.
Other brief updates:
- My parents have been INCREDIBLY generous (again) and will be helping us out with our kitchen (thanks!!!)
- Kris's dad visited and provided a bunch of good suggestions on layout, etc. (thanks!!!)
- I've gone back and forth on solar hot water - there's a great deal on with the City of Vancouver right now, but it's yet more money (which we're more than out of), so it will probably not happen.
- I've been going back and forth on water heating systems as a whole as well, and sadly I think we'll have to opt for whatever the cheapest system is because again...we're out of money.
- I'm coming to realize that I'll have to put in a lot of sweat equity ($10-$20K's worth). Not sure how this is going to happen, but it's going to have to because we're past our limits financially.
- I'm still hopeful that we can get some of the federal/provincial energy rebate money that's going to be made available - I basically am in a race against the clock for March 31st. We'll see how much we can get done by then! Accordingly, we're shooting to submit for development and building permits by December 15th (yikes!). It's all systems go!
- I'm finalizing contract agreements with Brett as things begin to pick up. There's more time in the contract than I had thought (it's a combination of project management and site supervision), but Brett's been amazing so far and I'm sure we can figure things out in terms of me taking over some of those roles as budget begins to wear down.
- Have also had help from my Mom and cousin on plant ID (thanks), old neighbour (thanks Mario!) and friends on a bunch of fronts providing advice and kind offers. All of it will be necessary if we're going to survive this thing.
Lastly, wanted to flag another blog post that I found the other day that is an excellent read (or at least was for me). Made me a little scared, but that's probably a good thing. Have a look and check it out yourself:
http://vreaa.wordpress.com/
So, in summary, things are going ok - over-budget, stressful, but moving quickly and aside from some sleepless nights, it's all on track overall. While there's more to update on, I'm exhausted, so I'm heading to bed for the night. Will post more drawings soon with updated plans.
1) Structural: We've hired a structural engineer - Henry Hsu from Formosa Engineering. He's someone that came recommended from Brett (our GC) and so far, he looks great. Today I met with him, Bruce and Ian (our architects) and went over the structural plans. Unfortunately the news on the structural front isn't the greatest: we're going to need shear walls (basically bracing walls for seismic purposes to stop the house moving side to side) at the front and back of the house, along with reinforcing steel beams and strengthened foundations in order to manage the open concept floor plan we've requested. Early estimates are another $12K (gulp), but I suppose the good news is that we won't have a house that will fall down in an earthquake.
2) Facade: We've gone around on the facade for a while now. Originally I had been intending to use fiber cement board (Hardieboard as it is commonly called). Made from cement, this facade is notably for its fire resistance and durability (not requiring much in the way of upkeep). While it has fairly high embodied energy demands, there's a pretty strong environmental argument to be made for it. I had also thought it was going to be a fair bit cheaper to install, but it seems that labour costs associated with it are very high. Accordingly, we've switched plans and will be doing mainly stucco (grey) with a bit of cedar at the front and back to give it some additional contrast and "spunk". The cedar is nice in that it's renewable, local, etc. but it definitely has a maintenance downside which is going to be a bit of bummer. The stucco I'm fine with - it's non-combustible as well (a requirement for our side walls) and has a long life span if properly done. Roughly speaking, it should have a bit of the look and feel of this shot:
 |
| The front of our house should look something like the right hand side of this house (probably the same size too!) |
I'm also hopeful that I might be able to reclaim some of my current wood siding. While covered in lead paint, I'm hoping that underneath it's in good condition and that it's cedar. If so, I might be able to strip it off, strip it down to wood again, and use it which would have multiple benefits: wouldn't have to buy new cedar siding ($), wouldn't have to pay for the removal of my current siding ($), and it saves landfill. However, it's going to take some luck (that it's indeed cedar), time (to strip the planks and then refinish them), and safety (safely dealing with the lead). We'll see what happens...but would be a nice story to tell if I can make it happen.
3) Interior modifications - ceilings: So found out today that the architects have planned to leave the floor joists (the cross "beams" running from one side of the house to the other that keep the floor in place). I had been thinking that we would have a flat, white ceiling with pot lights, but this is an interesting twist that I do think is probably a good call. It respects (and reflects) the history and bones of the old house - something we're shelling out for! - and at the same time, is probably more cost effective (cost of pot lights alone). Here's a shot of roughly what we think it will look like (joists will be like the ones in the background, not the ones in the foreground which go front to back). In fact this shot should give a pretty good feel of what the main part of our house will feel like - long(ish), narrow, with glass at the back (and front), and concrete floors.
4) Interior modifications - windows: Still sorting windows, but we're going back and forth with two suppliers at this point: Centra and Innotech. Both seem to make pretty solid vinyl windows. I've sadly had to eliminate fiberglass windows (my first choice) because they were just too cost prohibitive. PVC isn't the best product from an environmental perspective, but it does offer some good energy savings. The windows and doors are all rated to at least U 0.28 (which is an R-value of about 3-4...not great when you consider that walls are required to be about 20, but not bad when you consider that my current walls are about R-8). Furthermore, we're down to two options for the back window: Centra is quoting about $6K (basic, but good windows), while Innotech is quoting about $9K (more tilt-and-turn). We also need to decide whether to go with white frames or pay a 15% premium and get charcoal grey frames.
A) Canfold: Folding windows from the UK which aren't as good quality U-0.56, but do offer folding doors for under $10,000 (yes, large sets of folding doors are expensive!!). This was going to be one of the premium features of our place (and still will be to some extent), but we're thinking about different options at this point. Pros: Full 14'-16' span would open, roughly $10K installed, decent U values. Cons: only 7' tall, not as good quality, could have a delay in getting 16' version.
B) Innotech: A combination of two 4' fixed windows combined with a double door in between (8' span). While it wouldn't have quite the same "open feel" as the Canfold, it would much of the same look for most of the year.
Pros: Cheaper, better U-values, 8' tall, better quality. Cons: Don't open the full way.
Other brief updates:
- My parents have been INCREDIBLY generous (again) and will be helping us out with our kitchen (thanks!!!)
- Kris's dad visited and provided a bunch of good suggestions on layout, etc. (thanks!!!)
- I've gone back and forth on solar hot water - there's a great deal on with the City of Vancouver right now, but it's yet more money (which we're more than out of), so it will probably not happen.
- I've been going back and forth on water heating systems as a whole as well, and sadly I think we'll have to opt for whatever the cheapest system is because again...we're out of money.
- I'm coming to realize that I'll have to put in a lot of sweat equity ($10-$20K's worth). Not sure how this is going to happen, but it's going to have to because we're past our limits financially.
- I'm still hopeful that we can get some of the federal/provincial energy rebate money that's going to be made available - I basically am in a race against the clock for March 31st. We'll see how much we can get done by then! Accordingly, we're shooting to submit for development and building permits by December 15th (yikes!). It's all systems go!
- I'm finalizing contract agreements with Brett as things begin to pick up. There's more time in the contract than I had thought (it's a combination of project management and site supervision), but Brett's been amazing so far and I'm sure we can figure things out in terms of me taking over some of those roles as budget begins to wear down.
- Have also had help from my Mom and cousin on plant ID (thanks), old neighbour (thanks Mario!) and friends on a bunch of fronts providing advice and kind offers. All of it will be necessary if we're going to survive this thing.
Lastly, wanted to flag another blog post that I found the other day that is an excellent read (or at least was for me). Made me a little scared, but that's probably a good thing. Have a look and check it out yourself:
http://vreaa.wordpress.com/
So, in summary, things are going ok - over-budget, stressful, but moving quickly and aside from some sleepless nights, it's all on track overall. While there's more to update on, I'm exhausted, so I'm heading to bed for the night. Will post more drawings soon with updated plans.
Hazardous Materials Testing - B
It's well past due that I write in here, let alone update the status of the Hazmat report. While I had been very concerned about the information that would come back from the hazmat report (and frankly, rightly so!), the results were definitely on the "good" side of things.
Asbestos-containing:
1. Ducting tape around vents/furnace
2. Breeching cement around chimney
3. Linoleum in Kitchen flooring
4. Linoleum in Bathroom
Lead-containing:
1. Exterior siding paint
2. Kitchen paint
The good news you ask? The vermiculite in the attic was non-containing (apparently I won the "which mine did your vermiculite come from" lottery - about 70% of the world's vermiculite used for insulation came from the Libby Mine in Montana which had asbestos mixed into it). So, what's the bottom line?....well...depends on who you ask.
I solicited I think four or five quotes and they ranged by $10,000 - a pretty big delta! In the end, I'll be going with someone that our friend and semi-GC (general contractor), Brett, recommended and it's one of the few things thus far that's come in under budget. Sadly, there is much, much more news....
Asbestos-containing:
1. Ducting tape around vents/furnace
2. Breeching cement around chimney
3. Linoleum in Kitchen flooring
4. Linoleum in Bathroom
Lead-containing:
1. Exterior siding paint
2. Kitchen paint
The good news you ask? The vermiculite in the attic was non-containing (apparently I won the "which mine did your vermiculite come from" lottery - about 70% of the world's vermiculite used for insulation came from the Libby Mine in Montana which had asbestos mixed into it). So, what's the bottom line?....well...depends on who you ask.
I solicited I think four or five quotes and they ranged by $10,000 - a pretty big delta! In the end, I'll be going with someone that our friend and semi-GC (general contractor), Brett, recommended and it's one of the few things thus far that's come in under budget. Sadly, there is much, much more news....
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