I am currently in the process of designing our new home. I am looking for some opinions on what is the cheapest/cost efficient home to build. Right now I am thinking about a 36 x 26 with an 8 foot foundation and 2 storeys.
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New House
I would look at the spans for dimensional lumber before going 26' wide. In my area, Ontario, 26' would require 2x12 joists, which are much more expensive than 2x10s for a 24' width. I always buy a display kitchen and modify my window placements to match, saving roughly $10-15K. I also buy cancelled order windows and doors direct from the manufacturers at 70% savings, and design the house around what I have on hand. I would also recommend an ICF foundation.
Stone veneer products are much less expensive and easy to install, I would go that route before using thick stone or brick.
I like to have an open area near the stairs, and I locate a woodstove there with single wall black pipe 18" away from the drywall. I install a ceiling support kit and a couple of stainless insulated pipes thru the attic. This means more heat off the cheap black pipes, and very few units of expensive insulated pipe. As a bonus, I clean the chimney from the roof by removing the cap instead of disassembly.
I would design a house with lots of windows on the south and west walls, and nothing on the north exposure to be more efficient.
You might want to consider going off grid with wind and solar power. The prices have come down, and you can use gas or propane for heat, cooking, clothes dryer and generator. Even the fridge can be gas operated. Hydro rates seem to be ever increasing.
I looked into the icf foundations and they seem to be a lot more expensive than a regular foundation. I'm going to be doing all the work on this myself and paying out of pocket for everything. I'm in no rush to get it finished. Going to be building as fast as I can afford. I just don't want to start building only to realize that I went with a more expensive route. The 24' wide is something I will take into consideration because the savings on 2 feet would probably be a big chunk.
As as for going off grid I will be considering that when I wire the house for sure I am a red seal electrician so I have a good supplier for all of the new products on the market for energy savings. It's just something I'm not going to be putting my focus on while building because the faster I can get into my house the more I will save because I no longer have rent. I will also have a wood stove for my main source of heat
the reason I wanted to go two storey instead of going longer on one level was to gain extra square feet and save on shingles, foundation and trusses
I looked into the icf foundations and they seem to be a lot more expensive than a regular foundation. I'm going to be doing all the work on this myself and paying out of pocket for everything. I'm in no rush to get it finished. Going to be building as fast as I can afford. I just don't want to start building only to realize that I went with a more expensive route. The 24' wide is something I will take into consideration because the savings on 2 feet would probably be a big chunk.
As as for going off grid I will be considering that when I wire the house for sure I am a red seal electrician so I have a good supplier for all of the new products on the market for energy savings. It's just something I'm not going to be putting my focus on while building because the faster I can get into my house the more I will save because I no longer have rent. I will also have a wood stove for my main source of heat
the reason I wanted to go two storey instead of going longer on one level was to gain extra square feet and save on shingles, foundation and trusses
I would never install a block or poured foundation again. ICF is the only way to go, especially if you are building the house yourself.
Design wise, you can backfill 6' and possibly use a conventional cement truck for the pour or for about $200 extra, use a conveyor truck. The most expensive option is a pump ( $1000 ).
You are saving a lot of time in finishing the basement and not losing space to framing.
Your original size would need less that 180 forms ( $3600 ), rebar is cheap a couple of hundred $, and maybe $1500 in concrete.
I use ICFs full height...to the roof rafters.
I'm going to have to re consider the icf then. I was just looking at the fact that if I build my concrete forums I can re use the plywood for my roof. What brand icf do you find good? Also with those do you still lay a footing then put those on top or is there pieces you use for your footing as well or just box it out?
ICF
If you can build on bedrock, you can either pour a footing to level the site or scribe the forms to meet the contours. I would wire tie 2 rows of forms together after the scribing and adjust to level using spray cans of foam. I use AmvicSystems. Given that trucking maybe a considerable expense, look at Nudura. Their forms fold.
You would normally drill into the bedrock and insert rebar.
I tried making my own plywood forms for a small garage addition once: it was a disaster.
Your cheapest / best roofing option would likely be 7/16" OSB covered in tar paper, nail 1x3 strapping on top, and then screw sheet metal down.
New House
Another suggestion:
I would consider a pellet woodstove for the basement as they vent thru the wall and do not need an expensive chimney. I would also plan on bringing vents to the woodstoves ( or a masonry fireplace ) such that outside air is used for combustion.
When I design a 2 storey house, I always install a second floor patio door going to a small deck as a emergency fire escape. Also in the basement, I use oversize windows that can be used as fire escapes.
The more open concept the better, for light, ventilation and to save time and materials. I don't build formal dining rooms.
Keep in mind that the cheapest house to build will not be the cheapest to own. You need to consider the costs of heating/cooling, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. Not a lot you can do about taxes, but there are numerous considerations for the others.
For heating/cooling, the closer to a cube it is the more efficient it is, but, obviously, insulate the heck out of it no matter what shape you choose. Windows are costly in terms of both construction and heating/cooling, but they are necessary to have a pleasant habitat -- plan them wisely.
In some parts of the country (esp fire areas) the materials used for roof and siding can affect your insurance rates.
The most important factor in maintenance is probably to assure that water stays out. Avoid complicated roof geometries, and make sure that drainage around the structure is adequate. And make sure everything is properly flashed. Don't fall for "maintenance free" window & siding materials that don't keep the water out.
I'm not looking for the cheapest materials just the cheapest/most efficient use of materials. I live in Newfoundland so I do t have to worry about cooling costs. I will be hearing it with a wood stove and I do not have to pay any taxes in the area I am building.
my original plan was a 36 x 26 two storey with 2 x 6 for all exterior walls. Now I am going to consider going 36 x 24 to save on floor joists and trusses.
couple of thoughts
1. Don't worry too much about 24 vs 26 feet for trusses. The truss company will not us 26 lengths or 24 foot for that matter. All lengths wil lbe spliced, so teh cost between 24 and 26 will make next to zero diffference.
2. Of course you will not span your floor with 24 or 26 foot pcs either. You will have a beam down the middle and use 12 foot or 14 foot or 16 foot joists on either side. Build it 30 feet if you like.
3. The square foot cost of a house shell is not that much, even including the cost of carpet which is not cheap, teh shell (foundation, framing, roofing, drywall, and carpet might be $30 a sq foot - did the math once not sure of the figure) . Your costs are in finishing, kitchens and number of baths. So a add a foot of two here or there and it will not cost you that much.
4. Consider teh following: figure out the amouont of siding used on a 24 by 36 foot house and divide by teh associated sq footage, then calculate the amount of siding on a 30 by 36 foot house and divide it by the sq foot. You will see you get a 25% increase in sq footage and only a 10% increase in the amount of siding. similar calculations for drywall.
not have to pay any taxes --
Oh, the JOY. I'd build at least 30 ft by 50 feet (whatever that is in CDN meters), 2 stories on full basement ! Leave part unfinished and pay as you go for the last 3/4 of the building. I'd build as huge as I thought I could afford with no taxes, and use unfinished for a nice big shop and covered storage.
heating with wood
Build an industrial type interior chimeny, poured reinforced concrete with 1-1/2" thick fireclay flue liner(s). 30 years from now it will still be maintenance free, no worries about chimney fires either with that type chimeny and metal or tile roof. If you put in even a double wall SS flue, you will have to replace it down the line in a couple of decades or sooner.
Make sure you have a 'firewood door' near the stoves, saves a hughe amount of work over the years if you can dump wood right by the door with your front loader or right out of the truck.
I had a neighbor who built a 6 ft by 6 ft tile hearth with 8 ft carriage door he could drive his little Kubota tractor thru and dump 2 days worth of firewood right by the stove! Biggest problem with that is if you have bugs in the firewood.
Note:
How old are you? We heated with wood (5300 sq ft house in NW WA state). When wife hit 60 YO, after hauling about 8 cords of wood a year into the house for 35 years, she said " I'm getting too old for this - (jobsite word rhymes with wit) -, you put in a heat pump. So being pu$$ie whipped wuss that i be, installed a GSHP, so plan ahead for that someday.
PS: this downsize krap that folks are blathering about these day is just that. Kids are gone, but grandkids come over, ya gotta have room for the shop, pool table, ping pong table, foosball table, another shop, material storage, rooms for the GKs to sleep over, etc., etc. Heck, even 5300 sq feet and being retired is almost not big enough.
Would add on but rent to county/state (real estate taxes) is near prohibitive and about $2 per sq foot per year (in CDN$$)