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The Pretty Good House

prettygoodhouse.org

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Re: The Pretty Good House

#101

Post by darkwater »

ghouse wrote: post #68
reef84_ wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, architects are the ones who know. Source - construction oversight guy.

Not all architects know. Source -- Am in month 21 of a construction project. Have caught more than a dozen mistakes made by both the architect and the GC's subcontractors.

But that's normal, there are varying degrees of competence in each trade. If someone asks who should they hire to develop a software solution, the answer is "a software company", even if there are software companies that develop awful software full of bugs.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#102

Post by jonasdegendt »

toast0 wrote: post #66
carabiner wrote: post #11

I'm looking at building a home as a first time home owner in the next few years. One thing I'm wondering is how many headaches can I avoid if I just choose an expensive builder and not try to haggle or save a buck at every turn? I just want a 2-bedroom, 1,000 sq ft bungalow and am willing to pay 60-70% more than the average $/sqft in my city if they do a good job. I'd rather have a nice small place rather than a huge…

Unfortunately, if you want it done right, you really have to be involved. Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Which also means you need to know enough about construction to ask the right questions to figure out what's right or not. It's very hard to effectively contract that out. If you can date/marry someone in construction/architecture, and let them supervise, it helps. You can just pay…

> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it.

Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? If you're willing to pay top dollar you should be able to find one that's very hands on and coordinates the whole building process as your representative.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#103

Post by empiricus »

ssl232 wrote: post #90
bjarneh wrote: post #88

> Even the best windows and doors on the market perform much worse than even an average wall New windows here in Norway are often triple or quadruple glazed, and they have a pretty good R-value; so they are not that much worse than average walls at least.

TIL quadruple glazing is a thing. Is the light noticeably more attenuated through 4 panes of glass compared to 2 or 3?

It is a little worse than that: some triple glazed windows are intentionally made more opaque/green tint for 2 reasons: 1. easier on the eye when sunny outside, and 2. block up to half of solar radiation, to prevent overheating indoors

Re: The Pretty Good House

#104

Post by jnsaff2 »

ssl232 wrote: post #90
bjarneh wrote: post #88

> Even the best windows and doors on the market perform much worse than even an average wall New windows here in Norway are often triple or quadruple glazed, and they have a pretty good R-value; so they are not that much worse than average walls at least.

TIL quadruple glazing is a thing. Is the light noticeably more attenuated through 4 panes of glass compared to 2 or 3?

There are even products with 6 panes.

Edit: one such product http://www.reflex.si/en/q-air

Re: The Pretty Good House

#105

Post by samtho »

jonasdegendt wrote: post #102
toast0 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, if you want it done right, you really have to be involved. Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Which also means you need to know enough about construction to ask the right questions to figure out what's right or not. It's very hard to effectively contract that out. If you can date/marry someone in construction/architecture, and let them supervise, it helps. You can just pay…

> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? If you're willing to pay top dollar you should be able to find one that's very hands on and coordinates the whole building process as your representative.

I’ve worked in construction. For independent Architects, you get plan and some schematics, but that’s it. An architectural firm may provide the white glove treatment by managing the build, getting engineers involved, and basically making sure it’s done right. It is not cheap and most certainly not accessible to the average home builder.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#106

Post by roel_v »

reef84_ wrote: post #57
bboygravity wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought architects are designers who are not experts on the technical details of things like constructions (strength, earthquake proofness, wind proofing), heating/cooling, humidity issues, electrical installation building codes, proper tubing, insulation materials, sound proofing etc. That's the experience / knowledge I'd want to hire for oversight. I don't see how a designer is the best person for that but then m…

No, architects are the ones who know. Source - construction oversight guy.

You cannot state such things without specifying where you are. In some places (and/or industries or market segments, even), architects are 'just the design person', sometimes even not really doing technical design but just function and aesthetics. In others they are engineers who do (besides design) very hands-on oversight of all sorts of contractors.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#107

Post by gambiting »

bradknowles wrote: post #97
ssl232 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TIL quadruple glazing is a thing. Is the light noticeably more attenuated through 4 panes of glass compared to 2 or 3?

In triple and quadruple glazing, you frequently don't get three or four layers of actual glass. The two outer layers are still glass, but the inner layers are usually thin sheets of plastic, and the voids are frequently filled with noble gasses like Argon for improved insulation. Although I have seen in Alaska where they do double glazing windows on the outside as storm windows, then about six inches to a foot inside…

>>and the voids are frequently filled with noble gasses like Argon for improved insulation.

How long is such a window rated for? Surely the gas will eventually leak out?

Re: The Pretty Good House

#108

Post by bryanrasmussen »

empiricus wrote: post #103
ssl232 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TIL quadruple glazing is a thing. Is the light noticeably more attenuated through 4 panes of glass compared to 2 or 3?

It is a little worse than that: some triple glazed windows are intentionally made more opaque/green tint for 2 reasons: 1. easier on the eye when sunny outside, and 2. block up to half of solar radiation, to prevent overheating indoors

does Norway worry about overheating indoors though?

Re: The Pretty Good House

#109

Post by braingenious »

carabiner wrote: post #11

I'm looking at building a home as a first time home owner in the next few years. One thing I'm wondering is how many headaches can I avoid if I just choose an expensive builder and not try to haggle or save a buck at every turn? I just want a 2-bedroom, 1,000 sq ft bungalow and am willing to pay 60-70% more than the average $/sqft in my city if they do a good job. I'd rather have a nice small place rather than a huge…

No.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#110

Post by nordsieck »

jonasdegendt wrote: post #102
toast0 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, if you want it done right, you really have to be involved. Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Which also means you need to know enough about construction to ask the right questions to figure out what's right or not. It's very hard to effectively contract that out. If you can date/marry someone in construction/architecture, and let them supervise, it helps. You can just pay…

> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? If you're willing to pay top dollar you should be able to find one that's very hands on and coordinates the whole building process as your representative.

>> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it.

> Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for?

There simply isn't a way to eliminate the principal-agent problem.

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