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Ask HN: Have you built a house?

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101–110 of 229 posts

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#101
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds cool, but the fire concern is very real and not so much flames as it is being unable to escape the smoke.

True. But like I said, there's not a lot to burn... just furniture and the kitchen cabinets. Everything else is concrete and metal. Of course, if there's a forest fire, you don't want to be on the mountain regardless.

People die in places like what you have described, and that's why there are codes against it. A bed or sofa on fire is enough to turn that place into a combination gas chamber and oven. Rooms need more than one egress for redundancy, since fire and smoke in another room may block your normal transit.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#102
You might find construction with Durisol blocks interesting - the end result is an insulated concrete house but the construction process is manageable by one or two people. There's an interesting article covering the building of such a house here: https://edinkist.wordpress.com/diary-of-the-build/

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#103
post #6

I've built a house, in the sense that I was working as the general contractor and hiring out crews and tradespeople to do the actual work. My involvement differed anywhere between hire-a-crew and pay them when they are done down to doing certain things myself 100%. A few takeaways: - Things seem simple from the outside, before you do them for the first time. They are in actuality quite complicated. Even something as…

> - Things seem simple from the outside, before you do them for the first time. They are in actuality quite complicated. Even something as straightforward as painting a wall will be hard when you are doing it for the first time. You will make mistakes if you do it yourself. Try to do it yourself only in areas where you can tolerate such mistakes. I'm not a home-builder but I am a home-owner. Let me add that any work…

As someone who has done some home renovation projects, this is so true. For example, if you mess up a grout line when you tile, your eyes will be drawn to it every time you see it.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#104
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you spout that last paragraph off the top of your head? That is a staggering bullet list that I suspect has several layers of unwritten sub-bullets. I have a whole new respect for home builders.

It's really crazy how much there is that you don't think about up front if you've never built a house. My first build (this summer) was a playhouse for the kids, 8 square meters single story. I built it mostly like you would a real house, omitting a few details (like insulation between inner and outer walls, since it's not heated anyway). I ended up with a budget overrun of 40% and spent close to twice the number of…

>budget overrun of 40% and spent close to twice the number of hours I estimated up front

Sounds typical for construction.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#105
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Even something as straightforward as painting a wall will be hard when you are doing it for the first time. Painting is one of the things I do myself, in part because it's something I do often enough that I more or less know the various gotchas, techniques, etc. It's also the case that, when redoing areas that were already painted which is most of what I do these days, I can take some very timesaving shortcuts that…

I've never hired anybody to do interior paint, so I'm wondering: do pros ever actually tape a ceiling border? I've always just cut in by hand. I've found that it's usually high enough that any minor imperfections aren't noticeable. The last time I did a wall or ceiling, the crown molding had been painted so many times, it would have been nigh impossible to tape it and get a satisfactory result. But I've been living i…

>Are you in a newer place with fewer uneven spots to tape around?

Hah. 200 years old.

I've used masking tape when I've been making changes in color or it's been around new cabinetry, windows, etc. As I say, when I'm touching up, I'm usually pretty sloppy. No crown moulding.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#106
My family built our house. It was while I was in highschool. We did everything except pour the foundation, the septic system, and stuff required by a certified folks like some electrical work and building code stuff. Unless you’re building in an un-zoned area with no permits required you’re not going to be able to truly “build it yourself”. We had the benefit of having big equipment available due to our family business. Also received a lot of help from a few friends. Real bonding experience.

It is still one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, though it was tough at the time.

There is a lot we didn’t get right the first time, and had to fix in subsequent years. Nothing that affected livability.

To that point. Concrete is difficult to re-work. It’s not very sustainable either, if that is a concern of yours.

Our house is made of straw bales. (It’s a thing). We visited a bunch before building. But straw bale houses are a lot like concrete houses. Once built difficult to re-work. Great for insulation. Horrible to re-work. I would not suggest concrete, from that perspective.

Anything that can cause you legal trouble or that would be expensive to re-work, pay a professional. Otherwise, have fun. Do it. You’ll be glad you did.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#107
I built my own house with no experience. It was very easy. Houses today are built out of crappy material like OSB and 2x6. Important factors are R-value for your area, Snow Load for the roof pitch, and frost level. I would start off with a shed and learn these things, plus framing a wall, building a load bearing wall, and roofing. Basically the hardest part is following the code, getting permits and inspection. If I were to do it all again, I would buy a steel house kit and then do everything else from that. I have since bought a backhoe and various construction equipment but I also own a farm. My dream home would be a "Californian Ranch Style" with Victorian inside crown trim, vaulted ceilings, built out the steel frame and redwood that I harvested, milled, and planed myself (which would required to get green tag) nickle, gold, and bronze plated cast iron decals and Gothic marble style polished epoxy cement flooring and fake ivory and 11 ft walls with vaulted ceiling and a huge fireplace. It would take me 15 years to make and I would have to learn how to use a wood lathe.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#108
I’ve built 25 basic homes (no insulation, electricity or plumbing) in Tijuana, Mexico. For each build, I organized 10-15 high school volunteers and 3-4 adult supervisors. Each home was built in one day, ~8 hours actually. Handing the home keys to an impoverished family at the end of the day was a great feeling for all concerned. Let someone else build your home. Look into prefab, for a lot of places it’s faster, cheaper and much better quality. Last, insulate like hell if you live in hot/cold climate. Your home will be quieter, too.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#109
Note my response is NOT based on someone trying to build a wood framed house, rather it is based on someone who wants to build a massive concrete structure.

Permits and Permission. You need to understand very clearly where and what you are allowed to build. You can go bankrupt trying to develop the wrong land before a single bucket of dirt is ever moved. Neighbor lawsuits, land use restrictions, easements, building review, public notice, taxes, etc...

Of course this depends on where you want to build and if you are starting with a developed lot. An existing structure on a residential lot has crossed a lot of red tape, permits, reviews, and has underground and above ground utilities (if needed). Work with a real estate agent to find suitable lots, if you already have a lot time to visit your local building department. Get a property map, building code checklist, and a permit application paperwork. A local architect will be your next stop. Before you can go much further, you need a site plan and a survey to determine soil condition. You'll need a soil engineer to verify your site can support a massive concrete building without some exotic foundation so it won't sink (that much). Next you'll submit a draft permit to get approval and they will give you a ton more paper work or may reject it or require public review.

Finally you will need a hire a concrete building and engineering contractor. Post tension concrete and concrete buildings are a specialty. Everything needed to build a concrete structure requires experience and purpose built hardware which is seldom available to the public because it will fail if not installed correctly. Also a concrete contractor will give you your first real estimate of building costs and can identify the cost centers of your project. Never relay on an architects building estimate, they are not the ones doing the work.

Re: Ask HN: Have you built a house?

#110
post #6

I've built a house, in the sense that I was working as the general contractor and hiring out crews and tradespeople to do the actual work. My involvement differed anywhere between hire-a-crew and pay them when they are done down to doing certain things myself 100%. A few takeaways: - Things seem simple from the outside, before you do them for the first time. They are in actuality quite complicated. Even something as…

Are we talking about software engineering or building? I've lost track.
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