custom home build Archives - Forever.Six.Acres

Flooring – Building 101

Flooring is a huge decision when building a home. It’s not something that is easily replaced if you don’t like it. I will take you through our thought process of the who, what, where, when, and why.

What type of flooring

We only have two types of flooring in our home. We have an LVP everywhere in our home except in our bathroom. We decided to go with a light colored patterned tile floor because we wanted stained vanities. I didn’t think wood floors and wood vanities would have a very bright and airy feel to the space! 🙂

Below are links to each of the floorings!

Why LVP Flooring?

LVP flooring was a way we saved money compared to wood floors, or engineered wood. We also thought about being in the country, with land, and boys. It just seemed like a smart choice to go with a flooring that was durable. Our Armstrong flooring is 100% waterproof, stain resistant, scratch resistant, and super easy to keep clean! It is an interlocking system that is easy and quick to install (our floor guys were done in 1 1/2 days!)

Since it is 100% waterproof, you can put it anywhere in the house. We didn’t want a lot of floor transitions, which is another reason we went with LVP, is because it can go everywhere in the home. We haven’t had any scratches (so far) and we have had stains from juices come right up! It’s so easy to keep clean! I use the Bona cleaner if you are wondering!

We also liked that it has a cork backing to help reduce noise, and we didn’t have to put down any type of underlayment. Below are some photos of them putting down floor leveler, and photos of the house right after the floors were installed.

Tile floor

It was love at first sight for me and our bathroom floor tile. I saw it as a kitchen backsplash, and knew I wanted it in my home somewhere! It looks white, but it’s actually a light grey color. I could only find it at two places to find, Home Depot and Tile Bar.

Flooring Transition

Originally Jeremy wanted all LVP everywhere in the house because he doesn’t like the look of transitions. I insisted on having a lighter flooring in our bathroom because our vanities are wood. So I asked our flooring guy about a seamless transition. Now, I’m not sure about what he used, but it is like a gel filler that can expand at little if the flooring moves. It is a very thin line between the LVP flooring and tile. We have two transitions, one from our bedroom to bathroom, and one from our bathroom to closet.

We have lived in our home now for two years, and we haven’t any issues with it! I love that there isn’t this weird wood bar that goes across for a transition.

Next Topic for Building 101

The next topic for building 101 is going to be paint and stain, but I will also be going over drywall and texture. It’s going to be a good topic! Subscribe to my blog to get a notifications on when a new blog post is up!

Categories: #building101

#Building101 – Foundation

Hey y’all! Foundations are a huge step in the building process! It feels like it’s finally happening. Be aware that once the foundation is laid out, it might feel really small! It’s just an illusion! Don’t worry, it gets better once the framing is put up!

Types of Foundations

There are several ways to create stable foundations for whatever type of structure you are building. I don’t know much about any of the other ones, but I have linked a website that goes over details of all the different main types of foundations. There you can get more information about what type of foundation is good to build a solid support structure for your home!

Isolated Column Footing
Basement Foundation
Slab Foundation (what we have)
Wall Footing Foundation
Pile Foundation

You can find more information on the other foundations on this Civicconcepts.com! Finding a foundation that is best for you depends on your location and type of soil you have.

Slab Foundation

We have a concrete slab foundation. Many people are so surprised to hear that we don’t have a basement! Basements in Texas are not common, or recommended. The ground shifts too much and will cause major foundation problems! We also don’t have freezing weather, so our ground does not freeze and thaw our causing cracks in the foundation. Another benefit to having a slab, is that with the warmer weather we have, having a solid concrete slab, helps keep out the bugs! Houses down in Texas are built with a solid concrete slab to help support the house from caving in the basement, help prevent serious cracks, and keep out the bugs!

I’m not a 100% sure, but I would think that a solid concrete foundation would be less expensive, then having a whole other story below ground level. I could be wrong?? Some of you might ask, where we store everything? Well since we don’t have basements here, many people try to create a lot of attic space by building taller roof pitches.

Areas We Have Attic Storage

The spaces we have for attic storage are above our garage, kitchen, and master suite area. We have roughly about 900 square foot of attic space! We would have the entire square footage of our home, but we can’t really get to the other side of the house because of the vaulted ceilings in the dining room and living area. So we don’t have attic space above the dining, living, playroom, or boys rooms. But what we have now, is PLENTY of storage space! It is the most we have ever had!

Things to Know Before a Slab Foundation is Poured

There are a few things that will need to be discussed with your builder before your concrete slab is poured. If you want any type of electrical run to somewhere in your house that is not connected to an outside wall. For example, we had floor outlets added to our living room floors if we ever needed to use them for lamps, or christmas trees. We strategically planned them out to be under our couches. This meant we needed to have our living room furniture placement figured out before the concrete slab was poured. We put in them in areas though, that if we moved our furniture, the rug would be able to cover them.

Double Check and Measure!

Another thing that needs to be done before the slab is poured, is to run the plumbing that will go throughout the house. You will want to double check all measurements for plumbing. We had to move our bathtub drain over 5 inches after the foundation was done and tile was installed, because it was too close to the wall. So to save yourself some setbacks later on, measure things out to double check your plumber, and contractor. Double check and get it right, or you will do it twice! 🙂 I linked some 100 ft tape measures above, so you can measure the long distances from wall to wall, or measure the plumbing and electrical in the middle of the home.

Any Special Flooring?

Another thing to discuss with your builder before you pour, is the type of flooring you want to have, and if you want anything special, like brick floors. We used full sized bricks for our entire front patio, and used full bricks around the outline of our back patio. These need to be noted before the pour, because those area’s need to be recessed in according to the thickness of the brick you chose. You can see on the image above towards the middle right side, that our front patio is recessed several inches compared to the rest of our slab. This allows the brick to sit flush with the rest of the slab once it is laid.

Process of How the Slab is Created

Concrete slabs are created from the outside, in. They first put up wood forms to create the perimeter of the house. Next, they completely level the ground making it compacted and flat as possible. They will use lasers to make sure it’s completely level. They dig trenches for where the plumbing and electrical will be run to areas of the house that are not connected to an outside wall. The trenches also help the slab foundation from moving or tipping as the weather changes the soil throughout the year. They also help support the load bearing walls. These trenches have a big role in the stability of your home!

Next is what you call “tamping” the ground. Which is when the soil that was not trenched is compacted very tight to create solid stable ground area. Then they cover those areas with black tarps to help even more as a moisture barrier. The rebar is installed as a floating reinforcement. It helps support the solid part of the concrete, as well as the footers.

Concrete Pouring

After the rebars are installed, pouring the concrete comes next! This step happens pretty quick! Slab pours are done in one day and take about 1 to 2 days to dry! If you want to do handprints or write your name in the concrete then you should try to get that done a few hours after it was poured so it’s semi-set!

After the concrete is poured, your slab might feel really, really small. It is like an optical illusion. There are several stages in the building process that will make your house feel big, and small, then big again.

Next Up

Next up for your build is framing! This happens fast, so I will probably include HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, and Insulation as well! I hope you found some informational insight about the type of foundation you need, and learned a couple things about how a slab foundation works.

Thanks for reading, and looking forward to the next building101 topic!

Categories: #building101, Uncategorized

#Building101 – Choosing a Builder

Choosing the right builder can be one of the first big decisions you have to make when starting the building process. If you are building a spec home, normally there is one builder that builds up the houses in that community. Which has it’s advantages and disadvantages. It makes the process of finding a builder easier, but you might not like that particular builder. Choosing a builder for building a custom home is a little more complicated. So I wanted to create a blog post specific to this topic!

Shopping Around when Choosing a Builder

When you start shopping around for a builder, there are many things to consider. Two of the major choices to consider are if that builder is within your budget, and if they are someone you can work with for the next 9 months or so.

Let’s start with how to go about looking for builders around your area. Personally, I think the best way to find a good builder is to ask others that have recently built with that builder. Word of mouth is a great way to really get good feedback about builders. Of course, if they have any type of website, or social media is another good way. But authentic and informative feedback comes best from personal experience. Most websites or social media accounts for builders want positive feedback to display.

When talking to someone who just built with that builder will be able to give you insight on what it was really like to build with that person. It is a good way to get an idea on what you will be working with throughout your building process. You might get some negative feedback, which is also valuable to you, because then you know what to avoid!

Questions to Ask

Listing some good questions you might want to consider asking your builders!

Do they work with a specific architect, or are they open using anyone?
Have they built a home similar to the style and design of home you want?
What is your price per sq. ft. and how do you determine that price to make it as accurate as possible?
How long does it take for you to create your estimated bid?
How long does it take to build a home like we want?
If we have a sub contractor we want to use that is different from yours, would you be okay with that?
Do you have a one year fix and touch ups warranty?
Will it be only you we are working with, or is there an assistant we will be working with too?
What is the best way to keep everyone involved and communicating? We don’t want any miscommunications.
Will there be regular meetings scheduled, or will they only be done upon request?
How do you determine the builders fee? Is it a fixed fee, or is it a cost plus fee?

Comparing Builders to Builders

Now, it’s important to compare a few different builders. Try not to go for the first one you meet! They might be a good fit, but it is always a good idea to check out other builders to see if there might be a better fit! When comparing builders to builders you want to keep in mind that you are going to get what you pay for. You can chose the best builder in the city, but you are most likely going to pay some of the top prices.

You will want to meet with each builder face to face, or at least zoom, so you can get a good first impression of each builder you meet with. This will help you get a feel for them as a builder, information about the subcontractors they work with, building processes, estimated time frame, and if you feel like they would be a good communicator. Communication is KEY when you are building! Not only between you and your builder, but also you and your spouse!

It is also nice to actually see your builders work! Ask if you can see a current project they are working on and a recent completed home they built. This is almost like a “portfolio” if you think about it. It gives you an true visual of their work!

How do you Know if a Builder is Within your Budget?

Builders usually give estimates of their price per square foot. The price per square foot varies depending on your location. Our home is probably worth twice as much, or more if we built it in California. It’s good to get quotes from different builders to see the price range of several builders.

Calculating your budget is simple. Take your square footage on your house plans, and then you multiply it by the price per square foot. This gives you a good estimate of what it would cost to build a house.

To make sure your builder can give you an accurate price per sq. ft. then it’s a good idea to have a general outline of your house plan, that includes the square footage. Also try to give him some of the big design or features you want to include in your home.

We let our builder know that we wanted to have about 2,300- 2,400 sq. footage to give him a good estimate of what we plan to build. We also told him the major things that make cost differences, like we originally wanted brick on the lower part of the house (we decided to just do board and batten), and board and batten everywhere else. I let him know I wanted vaulted ceilings in the living & dining area, and that I wanted wood beams. There would be lots of brick accents, and shiplap throughout the house. We also told him we wanted LVP flooring and solid wood double doors. All these details helped him give us a better sq. ft. price.

Farmhouse interior with vaulted ceilings and wood beams — Wooden beams, shiplap shiplap accent walls, brick fireplace, and LVP floors.

I could tell you what it cost to build our house, or I what the builder told us the price per square foot was estimated to be, but in all honesty, that won’t help you! The economy is completely different now, then it was when we were building. Lumber prices have almost gone up 80% since we built! Not only that, but builders prices vary all around the united states. They can even vary with in local areas. The prices around my small town varied from $115- $145. Now I’m sure the prices vary from $130-$175 per sq. ft.

Builders Gotta get Paid, too!

There are different ways that builders determine how they get paid to build. Our builder had a set, or fixed, fee of what he was going to get paid. It was about $25,000. My parents recently built and they used a different builder. His fee was based on a percentage of the overall cost to build the home, and I think their builders fee was about $50,000-$60,000. Of course their house cost more to build than ours, but if we would have used the same builder as them, our builders fee would have been more that that set fee we paid. So keep in mind that builders get paid differently and you want to see if they will work with you on that!

Choosing a Builder that is Not too Hot, Not too Cold, but Just Right!

Yes, I just compared choosing the right builder to Goldie Locks and the Three Bears but it’s kind of true though! You will find builders that are too over the top, and only want to do things their way. You will find builders that don’t get involved much, and scoot by each house barely meeting the needs of their clients. Eventually, you will find a builder that is just right for you!

Hoping this covers questions you might have about deciding on how to chose the right builder! After you chose your builder, you are just one step closer to creating your dream home! As always, leave a comment below if you have any questions! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog emails, so you don’t miss out on any upcoming posts! I also talked a little about this on my Instagram #building 101 series. I talked about this a while ago, but you can find it saved on my highlights!