Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Pretty Good House

prettygoodhouse.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 339 posts

Re: The Pretty Good House

#261

Post by hanoz »

Gravityloss wrote: post #236

Here double pane has been the standard for about a century and triple pane after the eighties. No problems whatsoever. I don't even know what's the standard nowadays. Newer windows also quiet down traffic well and reduce the drafty feeling. So there are really very few excuses to not use them. But I don't know what's the name of the phenomenon when someone who uses some primitive technology comes out with all kinds o…

There are perfectly good reasons for preferring the primitive alternative for every example in your list, and as I can barely see out of my double glazed window due to condensation between the panes at the moment, they're not without their problems either.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#262

Post by mech987 »

hanoz wrote: post #261
Gravityloss wrote: post #236

Here double pane has been the standard for about a century and triple pane after the eighties. No problems whatsoever. I don't even know what's the standard nowadays. Newer windows also quiet down traffic well and reduce the drafty feeling. So there are really very few excuses to not use them. But I don't know what's the name of the phenomenon when someone who uses some primitive technology comes out with all kinds o…

There are perfectly good reasons for preferring the primitive alternative for every example in your list, and as I can barely see out of my double glazed window due to condensation between the panes at the moment, they're not without their problems either.

I think if there is condensation between the panes then the sealed air cavity inside the window has been compromised- you might want to get a new window put in.

The large double glazed sliding glass door in one of my previous apartments had that issue, and it eventually became mold trapped inside the glass that was uncleanable.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#263

Post by dkarl »

Gravityloss wrote: post #256
dkarl wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what to call it on the consumer end, but on the builder side, it's often just laziness and greed. If they don't know how to work with a material, then it sucks. If it's hard to hire subs that know how to build something, then it doesn't meet code and won't pass inspection. If they misbid it, it will never work and needs to be redesigned. In short, building contractors are a lot like software developers.…

If energy was predictably more expensive, that would be one way to sort it out. You wouldn't buy a house or an apartment without analyzing living costs. Contractors would suddenly get very interested in building more energy efficient housing. I've also heard that in Russia, pensioners get a free amount of energy per month. That leads to a lot of wastage. For example if the pensions could be in cash, then the person w…

You can measure the air-tightness of a house, and in the U.S, it has become more common to do so. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of anything else you can do to measure the quality of a build after the fact. The best way to monitor quality is for somebody knowledgable to keep an eye on construction.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#264

Post by DubiousPusher »

bradknowles wrote: post #252
joris wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That probably depends on where you are. Here in Amsterdam, our triple glazing is made out of all actual glass. In our house it’s made out of four 6-mm sheets of glass actually. So one double sheet that’s a sandwich with a glued layer of foil in between (like a windshield), used as a security component either on the outside (anti break-in) or on the upper floors on the inside as a way to prevent falling through the wi…

Yeah, I'm sure it does depend on where you are. For the nearly eight years that my wife and I lived in Brussels, Belgium, we lived in an old house (rented) that was built around 1910, and so we didn't have even double glazing, although we did have French Doors, and we had custom-made screens that had to be manually placed into the windows and then pinned in place with a nail instead of always attached to the outside.…

It's all about the UK but Grand Designs often features builds that have technology and equipment from the continent.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#265

Post by WC3w6pXxgGd »

georgeoliver wrote: post #4

It was fun to listen to Dan Kolbert a while back where he talked a little about this, https://www.keepcraftalive.org/keep-craft-alive-podcast-ep-1... , the (at least partly tongue-in-cheek) quote that still sticks in my mind is that his business was, until he got into high-performance building, "improving the lives of the bourgeoisie one kitchen at a time".

[dead]

Re: The Pretty Good House

#266

Post by archontes »

mech987 wrote: post #262
hanoz wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are perfectly good reasons for preferring the primitive alternative for every example in your list, and as I can barely see out of my double glazed window due to condensation between the panes at the moment, they're not without their problems either.

I think if there is condensation between the panes then the sealed air cavity inside the window has been compromised- you might want to get a new window put in. The large double glazed sliding glass door in one of my previous apartments had that issue, and it eventually became mold trapped inside the glass that was uncleanable.

I think in the context of this conversation, that failure mode is a reason for preferring the primitive option.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#267

Post by silverlake »

nordsieck wrote: post #110
jonasdegendt wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

This is true, but it can be improved. For example, offer a bonus for excellent air tightness and insulation, which can be tested once the home shell is complete. Hire an inspector 1 or 2 times to critique construction along the way.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#268

Post by dkarl »

mderazon wrote: post #246
heywire wrote: post #177

If building science is fascinating to you, check out Matt Risinger and The Build Show.

I don't like that channel so much to be honest. The production value is good but it is filled with product endorsements and shiny new high-tech products

I agree about the product endorsements, but I think the show is engaging and can be eye-opening for someone who is about to have a house built and doesn't realize how much scope there is for mistakes, for people to cut corners or accidentally get little details wrong. Something like installing a waterproofing system is complicated enough that it's very easy for subs to make mistakes, and you need the contractor to understand the system, monitor the work, and call out mistakes and get them corrected. I know the reason he's showing people this is because he wants them to see value in paying him a big premium over the lowest bidder, but it's true and useful information.

Also, on a personal level, I find his enthusiasm for quality to be infectious, and it puts me in a mood to write good software.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#269

Post by yojo »

Gravityloss wrote: post #236

Here double pane has been the standard for about a century and triple pane after the eighties. No problems whatsoever. I don't even know what's the standard nowadays. Newer windows also quiet down traffic well and reduce the drafty feeling. So there are really very few excuses to not use them. But I don't know what's the name of the phenomenon when someone who uses some primitive technology comes out with all kinds o…

On windows: the seal between single pane windows never fails, because it does not exist. The original windows in my house have been working for 110 years. I put storm windows over them in the winter to get a little extra efficiency.

Some of the double panes added during the 90s remodel have busted seals and need to be replaced.

It’s a minimum $1500 to get a window replaced around here with a quality modern replacement. Assuming a generous 50 year life, that’s still $30/window/year for a replacement, plus the opportunity cost of not investing that money. Economically it almost certainly does not pencil out to replace the original windows.

There are quality of life benefits as you mention, but I can understand how someone who likes the aesthetics of old single-pane wood windows would choose not to replace them.

Re: The Pretty Good House

#270

Post by poutine »

maxerickson wrote: post #167
poutine wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what a builder would do in North America, they're the general contractor and will generally budget for you, manage the project and the trades. They'll ensure quality and be your point of contact. Typically where I'm at they charge 15% of the total time and materials of the build.

My expectation is that the general contractor's attitude towards quality would be completely random. Some are gonna be great and some are gonna cut every corner they think they can hide from you. And then the buy side of the market isn't sophisticated enough for it to be easy to identify which is which. And like for renovations, lots will bid the easy project and do it as fast as they can vs ensuring that anything th…

It'll likely depend whether it's a fixed cost build or a cost plus. With cost plus this will not nearly be as much of an issue.
Post reply on HN