Cool features in your next house??

[poutanen]

Poutanen, I agree, I like the rainwater recovery idea. The key is to keep the construction costs down to make it a viable option. I do collect in 50g barrel in various locations. Here is saves cost on the sewer fees too. They are linked to water use, so more water from utilities means higher sewer costs.

I've thought about using plastic septic tanks for a new cistern. The concrete bunker idea isn't a bad one either, and if it's in the yard instead of the driveway, it's load bearing capacity doesn't have to be too high. Here's the ultimate plan for a new house for me.

1) Build it on a decent piece of land NW of Calgary, with a SW slope

2) Building will be a wide "ranch style" bungalow with about 2500 sq-ft main floor, walkout basement adds real living space downstairs.

3) Rainwater collection system for ALL water needs (easily done with a large roof unless you water the grass a lot, or have multiple teenaged daughters)

4) Septic for effluent

5) Large windows on SW face of house to collect light/heat energy in the winter

6) Concrete counters/high density surfaces (i.e. a rammed earth interior wall) in clear light paths from the windows, they'll absorb heat during the day, and act as a buffer during the night

7) If economically viable, a solar/wind generation system to avoid having to run expensive power cables in from the road, and avoid monthly bills

8) a dual fuel furnace, part propane/natural gas, part wood fired so that I can supplement the gas bill with wood when available

9) Wood heated sauna in the basement (I currently have an electric sauna I built from scratch in my basement), it could help supplement the heat on those cold winter days! And it warms the bones well...

10) Separate garage with an apartment (roughly 800 sq ft) above it. Rental opportunity without having to have renters living in your own house.

11) Retain as much natural landscape as possible, no point ripping up the natural ground and replacing with grass that requires a lot of maintenance/water/etc. Probably just use hearty perennial bushes so it doesn't look like a house built in the Alberta badlands... lol

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Update: Final electrical inspection was successful yesterday!! Moving along! Hope to have a final on the plumbing within the next month.

It is really exciting to finally see it start to look like a home. Can't wait to start hanging snowboards on the walls :)

[Allee]

Update: Final electrical inspection was successful yesterday!! Moving along! Hope to have a final on the plumbing within the next month.

It is really exciting to finally see it start to look like a home. Can't wait to start hanging snowboards on the walls :)

Congrats, Bryan, that's been a very long time coming. It's so nice when you're done with the tough stuff and can start with the fun - paint, lighting, furniture, etc. Post pics when it's done, I want to see.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Congrats, Bryan, that's been a very long time coming. It's so nice when you're done with the tough stuff and can start with the fun - paint, lighting, furniture, etc. Post pics when it's done, I want to see.

Allee, yes, it has been a long journey. The house is about 95% painted. I have some light fixtures up to meet code. I have a couple dozen more to look over and decide what will be final. 2 of the baths are partially functional. No flooring or interior doors. I have "Stored" some furniture in the house though. This is the fun part, however , pretty expensive to buy the appliances and flooring. Good fun though.

1st floor Living Room

1st floor Den

1st floor Bath

Edited May 27, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

2nd floor Family Room

2nd floor Master Bedroom

2nd floor hall bath

Edited May 27, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com

[floBoot]

Oldsnowboards....wow..your place is looking marvellous:biggthump...such a professional job...no doubt you're excited being on the home run..well done:)

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Thank you! Very much so. I am anxious to start living there for sure:)

I can tell you that I was surprised how hard it is to pick the colors and surfaces. Drove me crazy!! I am sure there will be a few changes

before it is all over. I have a surplus of really nice light fixtures I bought damaged or as "store pulls", demo, scratch and dent , that sort of thing. I am considering hanging some of them in the garage (high ceiling) and then changing them out in the house from time to time. Cycling them to keep things fresh. The daunting task of selecting what snowboards take what positions through out the house will also be a serious challenge. I have thought about doing "Theme" rooms. Example: The "Burton Bedroom" , The "Sims Salon" , "The Barfoot Bedroom". Perhaps eras? Like a family room of the "Day Glo Days" or "Pre edge" Living Room. Not to mention all the other artifacts, posters, boots, bindings, clothes, etc. Yes, this should be a blast.

Bryan

[floBoot]

"Sims salon, Burton bedroom".....love-it...you could get name plates for the doors too...Hahaha..

I've been in my house a few years, as it takes me time to know what needs doing..last summer I demolished upstairs bedroom..and this year the kitchen..so this year I'll put both rooms back into working order....damp been the main reason for ripping out walls and throwing stuff out...along with some sound proofing and insulatingto do too.

I'll post a couple more pics when I've progressed a bit more...nothing I do will look as grand as what you've done but it'll be a vast improvement;)

[buster]

Were you wondering how long it would take someone to notice the carving king frame in the throne room?

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Were you wondering how long it would take someone to notice the carving king frame in the throne room?

You win!!

Very funny story behind that photo and frame. It seemed appropriate and the couple that gave it to me where planning on stopping by. That was several months ago and it stayed. First wall hanging in the new house. :)

[floBoot]

hahaha...glad I wasn't the first to comment on the pics in the loo;)...but like someone I knew Yonks ago..had a pic of her and her new husband staring at ya' in the loo! I just assumed Oldsnowboards didn't have a short enough snowboard to hang on the wall , so a scaled down pic sufficed ...this room could be called... "longboard loo":lol:

In the meantime here's another progression pic...things are looking:eek: pretty raw! I'm giving my back a rest at the moment but I have to get another 3 square metres done tonight, so I can shift stuff over to the tiled side of the room tomorrow and finish tiling the floor...so I can start building a framework...ymmv...i'm really not very good with right angles or the implementation of Pythagorean theory unless it's horizontal...I'll give it a go tho'

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Ok, so I get the hint, creepy to have my photo in the bathroom, the background colors did match though :)

Flo, what type of tile are you putting down?

Do you have a full set of knives (plastering spreaders) for the wall board work? I learned allot in the past watching the pros. Less is more. Starting with a small "narrow" knife then working up to a very wide knife. They end up sanding very little.

Looking good!!

[floBoot]

aye..I've got the correct plastering tools..can't find them though:p I don't mind a bit of extra sanding...I was more worried about getting a wrong line of tiles in the kitchen which would leave an awful line when the tiles run down the hall...I spent ages doing ...`dry-runs':)

forgot to say, they are ceramic tiles...half price in the sale..I do like a bargain:biggthump

Edited May 28, 2013 by floBoot

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Looks good! What is the flooring made of?

I have allot of that to do. It looks like slate but I see a razor knife so I am guessing it is linoleum?

[floBoot]

The tiles are ceramic..I have laid real slate before which was interesting when one end is 1cm thick and the other side 2! the razor/Stanley knife was in my hand when I happened to go to lay more tiles..so I left it on the floor..however to the front of the pic is a tile cutter on top of a spare tile... i'm really not a fan of lino..I can just about accept it in a bath room and that's it! Strangely enough the whole of my kitchen and hallway was done with cheap and nasty lino strips that tried to imitate wood ..yuk!!

Edited May 28, 2013 by floBoot

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Nice!! Yes , I see it now. A little hazy and blends into the tile gray. I actually didn't see the gray knife. I guessed the green handle was a knife. That is going to be really nice. This is the kitchen right? I am guessing you will be putting in extra outlets? I used allot of "Quads" in my house. Especially the kitchen and garage. "Quad" is just two double duplex outlets in the same box.

Edited May 28, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com

[floBoot]

Aye Oldsnowboards, it is the kitchen. I've never heard of quads, always very interesting to learn about these things...yes I will have at least 7 double sockets, a cooker switch, a fused switched for the under tile heating. The wall you can see further to the left has another double socket and the cooker switch.

Tbh,, i'm not a house-proud type person but I really have had enough of the damp in the house and I can't stand the crappy cupboards lino etc..so had no choice but to rip out and bring in the new...the stuff I have bought is pretty basic and I like it too.

Doing the work myself saves me an absolute fortune..I could never afford to pay someone to say, prep and tile the kitchen floor, treat damp walls, insulate and then plasterboard plus framework for plasterboard...and there's still the upstairs bed room to be done.. I love saving myself a fortune!

I have to get this done a) before the snow comes:biggthump b) I bought bedroom furniture some months ago but I it's still waiting for it's rightful place upstairs

I meant to say I like your colour schemes...i'm not so artistic and have gone for builders magnolia which I secretly like:rolleyes:

..oh the green thing in the photo is a highlighter pen...I couldn't fine a pencil to mark the tiles..just shows how unorganised I am...I still get there via a slightly different route to everyone else...hahaha

Edited May 28, 2013 by floBoot

[BobD]

Bryan, UK receptacles are a very different thing. At six bucks a pop you tend not to just throw them in. A duplex can supply two 3KW loads, has two interlocking safety mechanisms to prevent broken or damaged plugs from being inserted, is touch safe when unscrewed from the wall, and most are switched so you don't need to unplug appliances to prevent power drain when not in use. I installed a regular US 240v outlet in my kitchen so I could use a UK 3KW electric kettle for making tea.

Flowbot, what's behind the plasterboard? Looks like the cable to that outlet is in a chase from the the floor, suggesting a block, brick, or stone wall behind.

Most pre-eighties houses in the UK have solid internal walls. You'll notice how low Flowbot's outlet is. Receptacles are low and switches are high to save some hammer and chisel time.

Edited May 30, 2013 by BobD

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Thanks for the explanation Bob. I knew that most outlets are 240v in Europe , different hz too.

I am wondering about the moisture Floboot mentioned. I hope that is addressed, mold can be a nightmare.

[floBoot]

Oldsnowboards,, Bobd....I hope you find the following interesting, as I did from a shock point of view...

Well moisture/ condensation is one issue I can deal with..build a framework from the outside wall (but not touching it) for plasterboard to go on...make sure there is a damp proof membrane, insulate between the two, leaving enough space for air to circulate..as said on some other post I found an outside leak and fixed it last year.

oh but how things get worse as I 'progress'..I found a swimming pool underneath my house:eek:...i'm a bit slow at times, as it took me several days to wonder why the water always sounds as though it's running...when my brain got in gear I thought 'I've got a leak somewhere under the house'..I thought I had nailed a pipe while putting down plywood..so I lifted a couple of tiles near the pipes, ripped up plywood, then floorboards , no sign of damage, couldn't hear hissing from a hole.but I could now hear a quick dripping sound, coming from about 4 feet away where water comes into the house..

..imho, turns put the previous owner knew there was a leak/damp some kind because in the pics below you can see NEW wood, where a floor joist was put in, along with a new plasterboard wall (which I ripped out as I knew something was wrong) but the leaking source was not fixed.

Where you see a pics with a drip, this is not the source but the lowest point to drop from:rolleyes:

So my tiling has been halted by the unforseen..better now than later though...my next job, after more cups of tea is to lift more floor boards...the soaking is now spreading to other joists and moving in a straight line towards the front of the house! Imho, I think the joists can be saved ...phew

Any tips, much appreciated.that's how l learn...:D

Bobd, are you an electrician..you know a fair bit about UK electrics:)...btw my

adjoining wall with next door is not a solid wall...makes me wonder if in the past the two houses were one because on the other side there are solid walls with my other neighbour.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Flo. I am having a hard time seeing what is going on . The photos are a bit hazy? Question. What is the source of the moisture.

Glad to see that you caught the issue, it definitely needs to be addressed. Not sure what I am looking at. Is that dirt under the floor joices? Is your home on a hill side , a low spot or ??

[floBoot]

yippee, I have just fixed the problem..the water is on, no sound of running water, no leaks. However, I obviously will be checking in the morning. I am soaked and my back is killing me from bending forward all day and hammering and chiselling away at the floor...I am not very strong so it takes me ages...my approach is a bit like an archaeological dig:rolleyes:

Sorry Oldsnowboards one of the pics was upside down! The first pics is looking through the kitchen floor to the ground underneath..on the right a very clean and new piece of joist with 2 shiny bolts locking it onto the old joist. Where water has been seeping in it has dampened the wall and thus the sand/cement mix has been falling of the wall and onto the waterproof membrane on the earth floor (but you cannot see it from the vast amount that has fallen. so that is 2 leaks that I have dealt with that had affected the same area..no wonder things were damp!

The second pics is upside down. It is a shot of the water dripping from the foam that insulated the pipes, onto the sand that had fallen onto the membrane. If you look closely, you'll see a stream of water too.

The third pic is the view you would have, simply standing in the kitchen and looking down at the hole, having lifted some floor boards.

Hope that helps visualize...oh and no i'm not on a hill..just on the flat.

As for the leak, the copper pipes were purposely bent, however, one had a bit of a dent which housed a crack, just off the bend where the water was leaking from. It is now blissfully silent with the water on:sleep:

Yesterday I was in Dundee for the day whilst my car was getting a timing belt fitted, . I was feeling quite upset, worried and down about the situation , especially after reading up on the internet and chatting to an experienced plumber in B&Q (one of our national diy stores). He said same thing, I asked loads of questions, bought extra plumbing bits..made my way into the shopping centre to cheer myself up with some outdoor clothing purchases and I came across these two...who made me laugh ....and lifted me out of my glumness:lol:

This morning and most of the day I was feeling beaten ..i'm so glad its sorted ..I feel like a dark cloud had been lifted:rolleyes:

I know there is another leak but that only happens when central heating is on and its upstairs..so I've that to look forward to dealing with:freak3:

A bonus is, I know exactly where the pipes are for future ref., and seeing as they are exposed I might as well get on and set the plumbing up for the new sink etc:biggthump

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Good to hear Flo. Home ownership and DIY can be a real roller-coaster for sure. I can tell you some stories for sure. Years ago I did a fair amount of from a service truck. Some of the situations I had to trouble shoot and repair would make your hair curl. Inspectors are very diligent when it comes to DIY homeowners for good cause!!!

You should NOT have moisture like that obviously. It can cause numerous issues, glad you got it sorted out.

The water you mentioned that owning flows when the HVAC system is on? More than likely that is the condensate drain.

If it is humid in the home, running the AC can help dry things out. Air conditioning also de-humidifies.

When you take photos for the future , try to include something as a reference point. I.E a corner, a pipe that goes through the wall/floor. This way when the furniture is back and the walls are painted you still have a clue as to where things are in the photo. I sometime take measurements and file them away for key items. Photos are great resource down the line.

Edited May 30, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com

[BobD]

More enlightenment Bryan, on stuff UK. Central heating would normally be a gas boiler hot water system, with radiators in most rooms. A trendy (or old fashioned) way to heat the hot water system is with a wood burning range in the kitchen. Built in, or free standing fire places can have back boilers to supplement the gas boiler, or range. A/C is probably rare in Scotland. Not just the weather being cooler, but gas and electric cost are very high.

The hot water for faucets is heated by passing the central heating water through a coil in a well insulated hot water tank. The tank would also have an electric element for additional hot water when the water heated by the central heating system is exhausted.

Forced air systems are not common. Off peak electricity is normally used to warm ceramic heat storage blocks at night. The forced air is passed through these blocks in the morning, and evening when heat is needed. Night storage heaters are another common option. These are individual ceramic core storage heaters in most rooms. They have a fan on a timer to heat the room in the morning and evening (don't expect much heat to be left for the evening).

Steam has never really been used much, even in large commercial buildings.

Interesting snippet. Those handy dandy little paint rollers everyone uses these days originated in the UK. Brits call them rad rollers. With every home having wall mounted radiators with a one inch gap behind, painting in that gap was huge problem. Some genius came up with the rad roller. Painters quickly discovered it was useful for many other jobs. I remember asking for them years ago, at hardware stores over here, and no one had clue what I was talking about.

Edited May 31, 2013 by BobD

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Very cool Bob. Sounds like some of the methods / devices I ran into over in New Zealand years ago. It is there I learned of towel heaters. No heaters in bedrooms, a hall heater filled with bricks and the metered power supply. Figured many of those ideas came from England etc.

Very clever folks.