The contributors here are great. There are so many folks here who are passionate enough about their homes that they're willing to research the details. When they share what they've learned, we all win. Jon in Ellicott City, MD

Kristin's Forum Posts: 1
Journal Entries: 9
Interview Answers: 69
Average Forum Rating: 3.00



Image from Kristin's blog

Subscribe to this journal...

Getting Organized

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 1/13/2010

Requests for bids are beginning, and it will be interesting to see the comparison between the Resi-Cost free residential construction estimate and our actual numbers. Will post that interesting bit of information as our numbers come in.

Exterior Views

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 10/3/2009 10:49:15 AM

Well here we are.  Working towards energy-efficient, as green as we can afford, with a focus on trying to implement creative uses of standard materials as much as possible. We've altered the roof slope so that we have less roofing material and less cost for installation for labor on a steep pitch. This also allowed us to raise the second story exterior wall height.  We added a third  garage spot and additional second story living space above the garage off the left side of the main home roof line. Our architect has surveyed and worked on designing the excavation of the lot to allow for a daylight basement on the southeast/southwest corner of the home. 

Photos

Here's the front view. Not necessarily reflecting actual exterior finish treatments. Will post some views of 3D exterior view and interior view using SketchUp! later.

Putting Our Time In...

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 10/2/2009 9:54:51 PM

Well, its been awhile. But all for good reasons.  We hired an architect who is passionate about green building and also about finding unexpected ways to be green that are not necessarily cost intensive.  We're still interested in using SIPs for the walls of the home and the alternative if there's a cost savings is regular framing with closed-cell foam insulation, but are moving towards trusses and foam insulation for the roof. We stalled on pursuing building this past year due to some unexpected circumstances including current economic conditions; however, the upside is that we keep paying down on our lot and should have more equity built into it. I've also spent more time analyzing the finish and specifications on the home to build a strong budget and presentation to a bank when we move toward getting a construction loan.  We're now hoping to start building in 2010.  Photos of architect's renderings will be posted soon.

Approval by Association!

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 2/26/2008 8:49:03 PM

The plan has preliminary approval by the Association. Now I'm off and running to buy the plans and select a draftsperson/home designer that I've pre-screened or use the SIP manufacturer (if the City of Lees Summit ill allow it) to modify the plans and bring it into compliance with code (if it's not). Now all the balls start rolling at once - - multi-tasking begins!

Starting Over

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 2/22/2008

Well - What we thought was our dream lot became a problem with getting financing with a garage present on the lot. We were told that the garage was considered a "single family residence" and by the time we started over looking for new financing with a local bank that we didn't bank with the interest rate jumped. We decided to walk away and wait for a better lot. 2 months later a new lot in a different area of town at 1/3 the cost of the first lot becomes available. It will only have an indirect lake view but the amenities for the family and the access to great bicycling routes that are safe and less traffic congested is fantastic. This time the lot and area of town warrant finding a stock plan for modification. We've decided on the L'Eaubelle plan found in the "Not So Big House" book and will be making some modifications to add a 3rd car garage and changing the deck over the garage into home office space that if we were to ever move would become a wonderful family room space with an indirect lake view over the ranch house next door. We're meeting with the Architectural committee with the Association in 2 days and are working to find a draftsman or home/residential designer that is willing to take on the task of modifying our project with the changes we have in mind right away. We'll still have our "Artist's Haven" and a great school district for our children. Looking forward to the process.

Photos

The L'Eaubelle before our modifications for a 3rd car garage and enclosed living space above the two-car garage. The Home Association is requiring different finishing materials on the exterior, so final results will be quite a bit different I'm sure.

Builder Interviews...

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 8/20/2007

Have 5 builders lined up to walk the lot with me this week before we meet with the architect this Friday and to see how well the interaction goes. I don't just want to have a builder agreeing with everything I come up with. I'd like to have someone come along with some opinions and that will work well with our architect. I've already gotten a few that have tried to give me "scare" stories about other builders without naming names that may or may not have credibility and some that I get the feeling would rather not work with an architect. Could be just first impressions, but we'll see how it plays out. I'm just really anxious to see this thing fly and to start getting things going. I've been reviewing the forms and schedules on the website here and it's really a matter of planning and staying on top of things and most importantly rolling with the changes and the unexpected. I don't think I'll ever be fully prepared for the project, but fear can't be a factor. You've got to step out there and do your best and let it be a challenge and learning experience!

Contract in place... here we go

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 8/15/2007

The contract is in place and the seller's disclosure held some interesting information that went beyond what I had found out. Because of some issues between the seller and the lake association and city, there's a judgment that awards us all of the builder permits and sewer connection fee without cost. That was news to us and helps add a bit more % into our budget though we're looking at having to do a geological survey (core samples) to test out the rock content on the drop down to the lake and determine how much we can roll the house over the edge towards the lower level of the lot where the previous home's foundation is and from the main flat area on top where we intend to do most of the build. Pictures will be coming soon.

It Begins...

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 8/12/2007

We have a contract going into place on a 1st tier lot on a lake with a 2-car garage and boat dock in place this coming Wednesday. If you discount the "value" of the garage and dock, the lot will be about 1/3 of the overall loan amount. We'll have 11 weeks to work with the architect on the plans and to interview some GCs as a consultant on the project though I'd like to be the one doing the work and saving (making) the money. Will have to work from a GCs initial cost appraisal to close the lot-to construction to perm loan financing we've started. The lot had an older lake cabin that has been torn out, but some debris remains. I don't know that we'll be building all the way down there, and most likely will fill dirt in that area so that there is somewhat of a backyard greenspace from what we hope will be a walkout basement. Our loan closing is set for October 31st. This is going to be interesting as we're not working from the huge planning timeframe that is recommended in the "Book." It might go a bit slower, but if we get it started in November-Decemberish... maybe we can take it slow in the cold months and have time to get prepared for the larger build/finish components in late Winter/early Spring when it starts to warm up.

Photos

It Begins...

Posted to Artist-Haven-Home by Kristin in Kansas City, MO on 8/12/2007

We have a contract going into place on a 1st tier lot on a lake with a 2-car garage and boat dock in place this coming Wednesday. If you discount the "value" of the garage and dock, the lot will be about 1/3 of the overall loan amount. We'll have 11 weeks to work with the architect on the plans and to interview some GCs as a consultant on the project though I'd like to be the one doing the work and saving (making) the money. Will have to work from a GCs initial cost appraisal to close the lot-to construction to perm loan financing we've started. The lot had an older lake cabin that has been torn out, but some debris remains. I don't know that we'll be building all the way down there, and most likely will fill dirt in that area so that there is somewhat of a backyard greenspace from what we hope will be a walkout basement. Our loan closing is set for October 31st. This is going to be interesting as we're not working from the huge planning timeframe that is recommended in the "Book." It might go a bit slower, but if we get it started in November-Decemberish... maybe we can take it slow in the cold months and have time to get prepared for the larger build/finish components in late Winter/early Spring when it starts to warm up.