So a few updates on life in the house-maelstrom:
1) Cedar Siding: After mulling over whether to remove, strip the paint, refinish and stain the existing siding, I'm thinking I'm instead going to source out some recycled cedar siding instead. It should save me a considerable amount of time and effort. However, I'm still not sure on how much effort will be required even with recycled siding. It will certainly have more of a "weathered" patina and look unless we re-work it. It's all just a question of time and money...
2) Submission to City: We're pretty much set to go with all of our drawings at this point. We have a meeting with the architects tomorrow and so hopefully should finalize when we will submit to the City. Fingers crossed!
3) Windows: I'm still mulling over the pros and cons of vinyl vs. fiberglass. Seems like the former is cheaper with pretty comparable thermal performance. The big downsides of vinyl are that it's nastier to manufacture (worse for the environment - though improvements have been made in recent years), and that it undergoes more thermal contraction/expansion than fiberglass (which probably isn't as big an issue in Vancouver). Fiberglass can also be painted (whereas vinyl can't). The difference is about 25% more for the fiberglass (arguably there are some other aspects to the windows like locking points, warranties, etc.) , so I'm not sure I'll be able to justify it in the end. Also, for some mysterious reason, paint appears to cost a lot (25% upcharge!). Crazy.
4) Non-CFC/HCFC Styrofoam. Apparently there are a bunch of non-ozone depleting foam options now available. Seems like Dow and Dupont do hear environmentalists after all! Good news for the sub-slab insulation.
5) Kitchen planning: With my parents about to come out, we're in kitchen planning mode. Big decisions include: (A) whether to do just lower cabinets or do upper and lower cabinets, and (B) whether to buy some of our appliances from Ikea or not (there's a good incentive to do so). I'm still mulling over going to an induction range (~$1000), along with a gas oven. The induction system has a lot of pros to it (more energy efficient, safer, faster, etc.)...but would probably require an upgrade to a 200amp service (which will add another $2-$3K to the budget). However, I might be forced into the latter anyhow, which would make it a moot point. Decisions, decisions...
6) Sketchup: Been mucking around with Sketchup a bunch lately to try to model our house (our architects aren't doing a 3D model for us because we've apparently used up too much of their time). It's actually pretty easy to use, but does have a few weird interface issues and I'm struggling to make a few things work. I kind of wish it had a few more manoeuvring/navigating buttons because I find the ones they have a bit limiting. However, at least I now have a pretty good sense of what it will look like in 3D.
Lastly, another milestone - liquidated one of our kayaks today (the green Nimbus Telkwa Sport). One down, one to go. But at least we've got another chunk of $ in our pockets.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Building for the big one
Lately Kris and I have had the pleasure of hanging out more with one of her friends from her old job in New West at Urban Academy, Allison, and her partner Osmar (or just "Oz" as people call him). In addition to being lovely people, they're in the process of doing a lot of renovations to their own place. Oz is actually a structural engineer who is doing his PhD examining wall assemblies under earthquake scenarios and helping to inform how buildings "should" be built to make them not just safe (i.e., not fall down), but actually functional (i.e., be usable after the quake and not have to be torn down). I then happened to pick up a copy of Outside Magazine that had an article all about what the big one would look like here in the Pacific Northwest (with an estimated damage cost of over $30 billion!). So...it's got my mind thinking about the earthquake readiness of our place...
The good news:
1) We'll be building re-inforced concrete foundations and adding shearwalls to improve the structure considerably over what is there now.
2) We're cladding with stucco and it's a wood-framed house, both of which have some levels of quake-resistance.
3) We're located on decent soils and outside of a tsunami zone
4) We can also build in some other safety features like an easily accessible gas valve shut-off.
5) Vancouver is not as prone to big earthquakes as many other parts of the west coast and when the big one (a 9.0+ megathrust earthquake) does happen, it's likely to occur off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Accordingly, the effective size here will be closer to 8.5-8.7 (from what I'm told...) which is a lot less worse than a 9.0+! That said, it would still be massively destructive.
6) We're removing the chimney which is one big hazard in a quake
7) We've generally got the opportunity to build in as much earthquake proofing as we can.
The bad news:
1) Nothing really survives a 9.0+ earthquake without major damage.
2) We've got overhead electrical wires that can't be buried that will be live and come down in a bad scenario.
3) We're removing a whole bunch of walls in the front and back creating a so-called "soft story" structure (big openings on the bottom with house above) - these are a lot more vulnerable in an earthquake.
4) We can't afford to put in all of the earthquake proofing as one might like (don't worry Mom...we'll make sure it's safe).
Found a few neat sites including this one which we'll use as we go forward:
http://quake.abag.ca.gov/wp-
And yes, Mom, we're putting together an earthquake kit.
The good news:
1) We'll be building re-inforced concrete foundations and adding shearwalls to improve the structure considerably over what is there now.
2) We're cladding with stucco and it's a wood-framed house, both of which have some levels of quake-resistance.
3) We're located on decent soils and outside of a tsunami zone
4) We can also build in some other safety features like an easily accessible gas valve shut-off.
5) Vancouver is not as prone to big earthquakes as many other parts of the west coast and when the big one (a 9.0+ megathrust earthquake) does happen, it's likely to occur off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Accordingly, the effective size here will be closer to 8.5-8.7 (from what I'm told...) which is a lot less worse than a 9.0+! That said, it would still be massively destructive.
6) We're removing the chimney which is one big hazard in a quake
7) We've generally got the opportunity to build in as much earthquake proofing as we can.
The bad news:
1) Nothing really survives a 9.0+ earthquake without major damage.
2) We've got overhead electrical wires that can't be buried that will be live and come down in a bad scenario.
3) We're removing a whole bunch of walls in the front and back creating a so-called "soft story" structure (big openings on the bottom with house above) - these are a lot more vulnerable in an earthquake.
4) We can't afford to put in all of the earthquake proofing as one might like (don't worry Mom...we'll make sure it's safe).
Found a few neat sites including this one which we'll use as we go forward:
http://quake.abag.ca.gov/wp-
And yes, Mom, we're putting together an earthquake kit.
New Year, New House?
Well - my first post of 2012 - and hopefully by the time January 1, 2013 rolls around, we'll be all set in our new place and I can reflect upon this whole thing.
The brief update on things: we're basically set with our designs, but there are a few little things that I'd like to modify before we submit them to the City. With Bruce on holiday and Ian not back in the office until Tuesday, it may be another week before we actually get things to the City, but we'll see.
In other news - here are some things I've learned since I last posted:
1) My foundation walls are too low. I had always kind of assumed that the foundation walls were buried behind the cladding, but no, in fact the cladding DOES go to the base of the foundations...which in turn are basically at ground level! Yikes! So, another $$ rolls along and means that we'll need to build up the foundations by at least 6-8" (you're supposed to have at least 8" of your foundation exposed where it meets the ground in order for it to breathe and keep things from your cladding - e.g., termites, moisture, etc.). Brett tells me that it will be about $1500 to extend the foundations to the necessary height...not the worst expense, but also the budget of one of our bathrooms!
2) My ceiling joists are actually smaller (in all directions) than I had originally assumed. They're 7" x 1.5" (I had been assuming 8"x10". Don't think there will be issues with that, but will need to double check. Found a kind of neat thing as well when I dug around under the ceiling tiles the other day (see pic - 1928 Steven Toth = previous owner and I'm assuming his birthdate). Definitely some history to the house!
3) I "think" we'll actually have a mountain view from the top level when all is said and done (at least in the winter). That's good news - mainly because I really like looking at the mountains - but also because it increases the value of the house.
4) There are lots of options out there in terms of toilets (the latest thing I've been looking at). At this point, I think the leaders are the Toto Aquia II and the Kohler Persuade (pictured). In looking at the various reviews out there, some people seem to complain about cleaning "skid marks" from the dual flush/low-flow toilets...which frankly we're kind of used to anyhow.
5) The latest thing in building wrap seems to be paint-on wraps. I'd been guided to this RGuard CAT5 product by a friend, and so I've been doing more digging on paint-on-WRBs (or Water-Resistant Barriers) and it would seem that DuPont now has a comparable product - "paint-on Tyvek" or Tyvek Fluid Applied WB as they call it. Still not sure if I trust it long term, but the idea of it is very appealing.
The brief update on things: we're basically set with our designs, but there are a few little things that I'd like to modify before we submit them to the City. With Bruce on holiday and Ian not back in the office until Tuesday, it may be another week before we actually get things to the City, but we'll see.
In other news - here are some things I've learned since I last posted:
1) My foundation walls are too low. I had always kind of assumed that the foundation walls were buried behind the cladding, but no, in fact the cladding DOES go to the base of the foundations...which in turn are basically at ground level! Yikes! So, another $$ rolls along and means that we'll need to build up the foundations by at least 6-8" (you're supposed to have at least 8" of your foundation exposed where it meets the ground in order for it to breathe and keep things from your cladding - e.g., termites, moisture, etc.). Brett tells me that it will be about $1500 to extend the foundations to the necessary height...not the worst expense, but also the budget of one of our bathrooms!
2) My ceiling joists are actually smaller (in all directions) than I had originally assumed. They're 7" x 1.5" (I had been assuming 8"x10". Don't think there will be issues with that, but will need to double check. Found a kind of neat thing as well when I dug around under the ceiling tiles the other day (see pic - 1928 Steven Toth = previous owner and I'm assuming his birthdate). Definitely some history to the house!
 |
| Oh Steven...why did you not cross your "t"? |
4) There are lots of options out there in terms of toilets (the latest thing I've been looking at). At this point, I think the leaders are the Toto Aquia II and the Kohler Persuade (pictured). In looking at the various reviews out there, some people seem to complain about cleaning "skid marks" from the dual flush/low-flow toilets...which frankly we're kind of used to anyhow.
 |
| Toto Aquia II |
 |
| Kohler Persuade |
5) The latest thing in building wrap seems to be paint-on wraps. I'd been guided to this RGuard CAT5 product by a friend, and so I've been doing more digging on paint-on-WRBs (or Water-Resistant Barriers) and it would seem that DuPont now has a comparable product - "paint-on Tyvek" or Tyvek Fluid Applied WB as they call it. Still not sure if I trust it long term, but the idea of it is very appealing.
Friday, 16 December 2011
Inching closer to our DE/BP (i.e., permit applications to the City)
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.
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.
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...
or this...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.
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!
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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