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20 Comments

1. I’m sorry but there is much lacking on this.

   Doors are one area that are lacking supremely in. Not just in options as the author says about almost infinite options.

   Let’s start with door sizes… Standard door sizes are as follows for single swing doors (i.e. not french or barn double doors)

   Entryway doors 36″
   Rear door kitchen to exterior etc 33″
   Interior doors 30-33″ (bed room \ room to room etc.)
   Closet and bathroom 27- 30″

   These are standard sizes (recommended sizes are different)

   Door swings on essence you have out and in swing.

   The author should have at least given the readers the information that inward swinging doors are easier to kick in. And the warning that at least one door in the home should still open inward as it keeps the door from becoming blocked by foreign material put there by people or nature (think snow from storms or fallen tree limbs.

   This is just basic information that should be included in any discussion.

   Further more there is a huge difference in door construction it’s self.

   You have 3 main types of doors (main types not all types)

   Solid core (the door is solid all the way through can be solid wood, or particle board to name a few)

   Hollow core (is pretty self explanatory it’s hollow or has foam or honeycomb cardboard in it)

   Fire rated (can come in wood or metal varients and can be hollow filled with fire retardant materials or solid core made of fire retardant materials.

   Door frames are the same…. Multiple option

   You have welded metal door frames
   “Knock down” frames
   Wood frames.

   And on a side note there. Is a world of difference in screws used for fasteners …. For example just swapping a 3 inch screw drywall screws will actually be less secure then using a 1 ½ inch wood screw and 3 inch drywall screws are what most people tend to by when they get 3 inch screws.

   [Some closing unkind words deleted by the Editor.]

   1. I think most of this was unkind. Jake provided a good basic start to work toward moving in the direction of building a home. Some of the information in this comment is incorrect. I feel it would be better to understand the intent rather criticize.
      Just my opinion.

2. About those metal roof / wall panels – check your home insurance policy to see what kind of damage is covered. My Aunt built a home with metal roof panels – very happy with it.

   But a hail storm created small dimples on roof finish from the impacts, which collected condensation and eventually rusted out at the spots. Her insurance policy did not cover the cost of replacement nor did the manufacturer of the panel. ‘Act of God’ and all. If the panel had been destroyed via a falling tree, another story altogether.

   So if you live where hail is a common occurrence – take heed.

   Very interesting series – thank you for writing them.

3. Jake, Thanks again for getting us all going on this topic. There is much to talk about. I hope you realize volumes could be written about any one of your topics.
   I want to jump in on fireplaces vs wood stoves.
   I am 66 and have heated with wood nearly all my life. Currently I live in northwest FL and most people would think we don’t need much heat. Certainly not compared to the mountains of Colorado where grew up. In northern FL it is 44 degrees this morning and we have a fire blazing.
   When designing our current house 5 years ago I wanted a high efficiency stand alone wood stove but my wife as an interior designer would not hear of it. After weeks of research we settled on a fireplace that has ducting to all parts of the house. It is fantastic and I would encourage anyone designing to look into this. My only other thought would be to look at Paul Wheaton’s designs for heating a house with wood.
   Thank you

   1. Wood Tamer! Great strategy — a fireplace with ducting throughout your home. Our wood stove was added “after the fact” (and works exceptionally well). But — for anyone building from the ground up, this is an excellent idea. Thanks for sharing!

   2. Wood Tamer,
      Can you point us to some information about adding duct work to a fireplace build?

      1. 45 Degrees North,
         We used the RSF Focus 320 which are manufactured in Canada. We actually ordered from Southern Hearth and Patio in Chattanooga 423-899-3853 (I have no affiliation) I must commend them on their excellent customer service and support. Many options are available. Our fireplace heats the entire house evenly. Ours came in with a broken fire brick but replacement was quick and painless. Be sure to plan for a fresh air intake. Drawings and specifications are complete.
         I am not really sure how to add ducting to an existing fireplace but imagine it could be done but extreme caution is advised.

         1. Thank you for this information. It’s very helpful.

   3. When we remodeled our family room, I added ducting in the ceiling joists above the wood stove that transfers heat to the bedrooms above. Nothing scientific, but it works pretty good. A tinner friend (who now works for me as a site superintendent) fabbed it for me for free, so the outlay was just labor. Definitely glad I did it.

4. Materials choices… This is a good conversation for those who are new to the ideas or considering improvement choices for existing homes.

   For anyone considering a wood stove, you might look at the Soapstone line. We purchased ours now nearly 20 years ago, and we wouldn’t be without it. Our home is small and on one level, and the Soapstone stove provides winter warmth with exceptional efficiency. It’s clean burning too with a feature that is essentially a catalytic converter. We also find that the quality of the heat is far superior to the electric alternative. Dimensions of our stove are about 28″ wide x 16″ deep including the heat box in the back, and there are larger and smaller versions as well.

   A tip for anyone new to wood stoves and wood heat… The need to feed or stoke the fire in the middle of the night can be greatly reduced (or eliminated) with 1) the type of wood you’re using (OAK and LOCUST burn more slowly than some other woods — although LOCUST will burn hot so be aware); and 2) the loading of unsplit “rounds” just before bed. In our experience, MAPLE is another good option.

   Always use your stove with safety guidelines in mind, and keep your flue clean. We have cleaned our own (using a brush designed for this purpose), and we have also hired an experienced chimney sweep now and again to clean and check out stove and flue. In all the years we’ve had the stove, it wasn’t until this year that we needed to affect any repairs (and this year replaced the ash pan grate that rests above the trap because it had some warping from lots of us over the years).

5. The other major lack in this article is the lack of any discussion of alternative building methods. Contemporary 2xstick construction is useless against pretty much any modern firearm. Which makes your home a trap in case of the need for defense. Also not discussed is the need for planning building placement and design to maximize field of fire. Older construction methods such as Adobe or log and newer rammed Earth and earthship construction may be labor intensive but are sturdy, fire resistant, and bullet resistant. Something to consider for when the SHTF.

6. If you decide to use metal siding be sure to get the 26 ga. metal panels and use the Longline screws that are zinc coated and have the overlap to prevent the washer from UV deterioration, otherwise you will be changing all the screws every 8-10 years especially if you live in the South.

   1. The washer-ed screws come in varying diameters. Initially use the smaller diameters so that years later when the screws start to work their way out from the panels contracting and expanding you can simply replace them with larger diameter screws. Also, some panels snap together providing a “fastener-less” surface connection. Much less likely to leak.

7. I learned a lot from this article. Thank you!

8. Jake ,,, I have built and help build homes and cabins in the alaska bush , in some cases hundreds of miles from a road ,all material was flown in , in small bush planes ,these were a mix of small log (turned logs) ,pole barn , yurt,geo dome and stick frame .
   From my experience all things considered was the pole barn types were most practical
   Yes I flew in 20ft 6×6 posts with a Cessna 185 float plane ,plywood was cut to 2×8 to fit in the airplane tin roofing was in 2×8 sheets too ,
   Every thing was hand carried 1/4mile up from the lake ,even the 600lb wood stove
   No concrete was used ,comp roofing would have been a nightmare to pack in ,
   As for doors and window covers we made those out of 3inch cut on site with a chain saw mill

   A tin roof is easy to repair , you don’t need to change the entire pannal ,cut the dammage out and slip in a patch section , As for hail damage if that is a problem a plywood underlayment helps
   Consider that a tin roof needs a paint job too doing that will extend a it life many years ,i also like that it a light roof needing less roof structure,addto that with the right pitch snow load stops being a problem
   Using tin for siding has a advantage as siding in that exterior wall are easy to repair from the outside
   Just experience talking ,

   Tea and chocolate

9. More thoughts on metal roofs… When it was time to replace our composite roofing, we went with a metal roof and have been very happy with this choice. We did have vent pipes to address which necessitated the dreaded “cut outs” (try to avoid these if possible when designing and building from scratch). A good tip is that there are special “boots” available for installation that prevent leaks — talk with your roofer or plumber about these. We also suggest that you consider plywood underlayment and a product called “double bubble” for added energy efficiency.

10. Door Addendum:

    Using 36″ doors throughout would not add that much to the overall cost and make access better as age creeps up on all of us.

    1. Keeping in mind ada guidelines is always a good idea to a point. Certain things like counter top height etc can be omitted of course if you are on the tall side.

       But keeping in mind that this is intended to be your forever home … It should be based around you and yours.

       A good starting height for standing work surfaces is to stand in a relaxed posture with your arms held natural as you hold them. Them lift your fingers and palm until it is parallel with the floor. That is your starting height for your work area height.

       Most people are comfortable working with in 6 inches of that height (3 up 3 down)

       It would be a good idea to set the height of your counter tops and sinks to that height -2″ (or who ever’s is going to be primary user of the top \ sink) . The reason for the minus 2 or so inches is… You shrink as you age.

       The last thing you want to do is come in from hard labor with a sore back and have to stoop bend over to do meal prep or clean.

       Like wise your chairs heights should be made fire you and yours.

       Little pre thought touches like that will go a long way for quality of life

11. The design should account for possible dangers;fire,flood,storm. Building in a hurricane inundation zone can be a slab elevated on piers or tied rebar hurricane construction,same with a possible flood zone(plan for 500 year flood),foundations of easily repaired material(block) can be fixed fairly easily(digging and filling are the hard part,if high water table prevents a below grade storm shelter a above ground shelter can be joined into the foundation. Solid brick construction may be a higher cost to build with but a pre-existing can be a excellent choice if in good condition. Really glad the waste system was touched on,septic systems are very reliable if maintained(normal pump outs,baffles and elbows in outflow),a quality map of the system is invaluable for maintenance/repairs(hours spent probing for the tank,field boxes while the plumbing is backed up is Bad). Damaged/unmaintained fields can even be repaired by knowledgeable professionals. The aerobic style(cavittete)systems are not new but very effective(properly designed/run) can even discharge into flowing water without pollution,can be run by solar but were originally hand cranked.

12. Interesting article. A couple things l would like to add when it comes to the plumbing:
    1) Copper rarely has corosion problems. The only time l have seen copper water lines coroding are when the pipe wasn’t reamed properly before sweating, when someone used an acid based flux and didn’t wipe it off after sweating, or when it is in direct, constant contact with a dissimilar metal (i.e. galvanized pipe)
    2) PVC isn’t really used for waterlines in homes because heat breaks it down so you couldn’t use it for hot waterlines. CPVC is what’s used in homes, and it can be identified by its cream color and by how stupid expensive it is. You also can’t use regular PVC glue on CPVC
    3) PEX is awesome stuff. I have never seen or heard of any problems with animals chewing on it, but the article is right about it being quick and easy to install. The only problem l’ve ever seen with PEX is when someone doesn’t crimp a fitting all the way or forgets to crimp it altogether. If that happens, you’re in for a surprise. But besides the initial investment of a pair of crimpers and a cutter, PEX is definitely the cheapest and quickest option

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