Help Steve Dave Build A House (NOW HELP HIM TAKE CARE OF IT)

[sys]

siding looks like crap.  stucco can look ok, but it normally looks like crap.  to have it look good costs more and it's more prone to cracking.

if i was building a house from scratch i wouldn't use either.

what would you use sys?

i probably wouldn't build a stick frame house.  if i did, i dunno what i'd use.  brick or stone look good, but that's expensive.  smooth stucco finishes look good, maybe cement fiber panels if the seams can be smoothed over.  maybe blocks if that's cheaper than brick or stone.

i don't really know the alternatives.  i'd probably just say eff it go smooth stucco if nothing else could be found.

[pissclams]

i imagine sys living in a clay hut with a thatch roof on the side of the sierras in southern spain

[Skipper44]

below are some "is it worth the cost" questions for you pros:

decking material: cedar or composite?

How much more is the composite?  I only have it for a couple steps down to a patio but it has held better than the rough cedar that forms the pergola above said patio and hasn't needed staining.

part of house that's not rock: stucco or siding?

What do the rest of the homes in the development have?

the composite is about $8 more per sq ft and we are currently working with a 14x14 deck and about 20 steps. deck will be covered if that matters in the decision.

homes in the area are a mix of the two and some with all brick exteriors. we don't want to pay to brick the entire thing. we will have rock on the front only.

If you don't think siding will be much of a negative on resale and you are neutral on the aesthetic difference I would go siding. 

As Mikey stated above, stucco can have issues and you will generally get a manufacturers warranty on siding that you don't get with stucco.

[8manpick]

Have you considered cinder block siding?  It's been all the rage as of late.

[Tobias]

Have you considered cinder block siding?  It's been all the rage as of late.

cardboard box flooring in the kitchen!

[Skipper44]

Have you considered cinder block siding?  It's been all the rage as of late.

gotta have chain link to complete the look

[_33]

when you get your garage door installed, ditch the metal rollers and go with a nylon or urethane wheeled roller, ESPECIALLY if you have a living space over your garage.

there are probably a billion stud protips like this that I would have no idea were even a thing. ty for this one.

SD, some tips on garage door openers:  don't get a chain drive, they are loud and have a lot of moving parts which lead to failure.  Screw drive openers are also loud but have much fewer moving parts and thus last forever.  Belt drive openers are very quiet but like chain have more moving parts and thus can require repairs.  Also the belt can stretch and will need replaced at some point.

If power and durability are your main concern go with the screw drive.  But if noise is a major factor then belt drive may be for you.  Just some tips from _33 about garage doors. 

[ChiComCat]

Get one of those garage openers that opens via phone.  Who has time to eff with a garage opener

[steve dave]

Get one of those garage openers that opens via phone.  Who has time to eff with a garage opener

my sled has the opener deal built in

[ChiComCat]

Get one of those garage openers that opens via phone.  Who has time to eff with a garage opener

my sled has the opener deal built in

I guess my issue is specific to me and my condo.  No interior garage access so I either go to a keypad that doesn't work well or hit a button my phone which is always with me.  Probably not an issue for you unless you build your house stupid

[pissclams]

what style are you going with?  [house]

[steve dave]

what style are you going with?  [house]

I don't know anything about home styles. two story. walkout. 3 car. just a regular house I guess. nothing fancy. cns, what would you call it? neuvo omahaian?

[CNS]

Two story is right.

[Tobias]

just do all-brick since you're going to die in that house

[steve dave]

just do all-brick since you're going to die in that house

am I dying? 

[XocolateThundarr]

just do all-brick since you're going to die in that house

in that case make sure it is an ICF house too

[pissclams]

what style are you going with?  [house]

I don't know anything about home styles. two story. walkout. 3 car. just a regular house I guess. nothing fancy. cns, what would you call it? neuvo omahaian?

http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/exteriors/curb-appeal/house-styles/

there's some styles

[pissclams]

just do all-brick since you're going to die in that house

am I dying? 

i think he's saying you might get murdered in it

[Tobias]

just do all-brick since you're going to die in that house

am I dying? 

i think he's saying you might get murdered in it

let's just say in the race of steve dave vs LHC Bill Snyder, my money's on KSU football

[steve dave]

when you get your garage door installed, ditch the metal rollers and go with a nylon or urethane wheeled roller, ESPECIALLY if you have a living space over your garage.

there are probably a billion stud protips like this that I would have no idea were even a thing. ty for this one.

SD, some tips on garage door openers:  don't get a chain drive, they are loud and have a lot of moving parts which lead to failure.  Screw drive openers are also loud but have much fewer moving parts and thus last forever.  Belt drive openers are very quiet but like chain have more moving parts and thus can require repairs.  Also the belt can stretch and will need replaced at some point.

If power and durability are your main concern go with the screw drive.  But if noise is a major factor then belt drive may be for you.  Just some tips from _33 about garage doors. 

 

[steve dave]

ok, I have two builders who will build me essentially the same house. one has built hundreds of homes and has a really fancy office and nice hi-tech presentation and whatnot. the other one is a small builder with none of that and only builds 1 or 2 houses at any one time. so we've got more personal small time guy and large experienced guy who will be building 10 other places at the same time. knowing nothing about house quality other than what stuff looks like I can't see a difference between either of their past houses. which would be better based soley on those factors?

[Boom Roasted]

ok, I have two builders who will build me essentially the same house. one has built hundreds of homes and has a really fancy office and nice hi-tech presentation and whatnot. the other one is a small builder with none of that and only builds 1 or 2 houses at any one time. so we've got more personal small time guy and large experienced guy who will be building 10 other places at the same time. knowing nothing about house quality other than what stuff looks like I can't see a difference between either of their past houses. which would be better based soley on those factors?

Small time guy.  You will have access to the smartest and most experienced guy there instead of some random guy the big builder puts on your house.  The guy that is out on his own was probably a foreman or something for a big builder at one point and was good enough and smart enough to go out on his own.  Easy access to decision makers is always nice and he probably takes more pride in his projects.

[CNS]

Depends. Small guy makes you think he spends more time w you but in reality, with only two going at once he prob spend quite a bit of time chasing the next house. Ask him what his Back log looks like.

Big guy may have separate staff that chase the next house rather than building yours. But he may be spreading his management thin meaning cut corners or mistakes by subs. 

Both are pretty hard to quantify without talking to their past customers a little.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

[pissclams]

is there a medium guy available in the omaha area? 

[steve dave]

is there a medium guy available in the omaha area?

yeah, but we've narrowed it to these two