The O-B Book has been a great help for us so far, and we're just getting started with the fun stuff. We're in our fourth month of planning and devoting at least two-three hours per day to that. Doug in Cedar Rapids, IA

Ben's Forum Posts: 12
Journal Entries: 17
Interview Answers: 36
Average Forum Rating: 3.45



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Okay, what is up with the prices of ICF blocks?

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 9/10/2007

Okay, so what IS up with the prices of ICF blocks?

I have found exactly two manufacturers that post their prices online. So, maybe their prices are through the roof. Are they? BuildBlock posts $3.05 per sq. ft. or $18.31 per block and Fox Block posts $2.70 per sq.ft. or $14.40. How is one to compare contracting prices for a crew if it seems to take an act of Congress to get material prices? I got a quote from Amvic at $3.47 per sq. ft. Anybody have any other prices I can compare?

Posted by Amy in Richfield, UT on 9/20/2007 Amy's Forum Posts: 5 Interview Answers: 3 Average Forum Rating: 4.17 Randomly Selected Image 9/20/2007

Hi Ben! We are using the Eco-Block.  Their website has an estimator on it for the amount of blocks and connectors needed, but you have to call for the pricing; it is per package of materials.  We used it in the basement and the main walls for 2,200 sq. ft. in each.  The total price for the 4,400 sq.ft., not including the concrete, was $12,005.  It was a little less than $3 per sq. foot.  We put it together ourselves, and will be pouring the main floor walls in about two weeks.  I love this ICF and am so glad we are using it, even though the concrete is really expensive!  HTH!  Amy

Posted by Grant in Blacksburg, VA on 8/16/2008 2008, 2009 Merit Award Winner Grant's Forum Posts: 363 Journal Entries: 20 Interview Answers: 164 Average Forum Rating: 4.05 Grant's Selected Image 8/16/2008

I'd love to get an update on your O-B project.  You are considering a lot of the same technologies that I am considering (ICF, Geothermal, AAC interior walls, etc.).  I'd love to hear which brands you settled on and why. regards, Grant

Elevation drawings

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 6/21/2007

We are getting somewhere now. The architect is finishing up the elevation drawings and I am creating the 3D versions so that Lourdes can get an idea of what we are looking at. The pictures here show a rear elevation that is facing south as well as a 3D image. The third image shows you how I am trying to communicate with our architect. When he sends me PDFs, I can easily paste in my own version of the elevations, for example with changes that I am suggesting.

Photos

Finally some progress!

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 6/12/2007

I cannot believe it has been this long since my last post. We have been working with our architect designing our home. We went back and forth on the size of the house. We are now at 4,500 sq ft not counting the basement. Below I have drawings (subject to subtle changes, I might add) for the first and second floor as well as the front elevation. It really starts to look like what I had in mind!

What is interesting is that our architect seems to be using 2-D architectural software. So, things take time to work out. Lourdes (my significant other 75%) cannot really think in 2-D. So, I have put most of the drawings in AS4000 to give her a feel for the look of the house in 3-D. AS4000 then automatically draws the elevations while we are waiting for our architect to finish his elevations for us. Moving over to 3-D CAD would save them a ton of time, I am sure. Too bad that AS4000 does not give me drawings that could be used as final blueprints.

We are negotiating/discussing what brand of ICFs to use. I am leaning toward BuildBlock, if only because of the fact that they give you the pricing right on their website (buildblock.com). It is funny to get into discussions with our architect. We are building an ICF house and I am trying to use some common sense in terms of passive solar and so on. Passive solar folks suggest to only have 2% of your surface area as window area on the north side. That was giving the poor man some major heartburn, because our main entrance is facing north. Our ICF walls will be at least 9 or 11 inches thick. So, I asked him about the R-value for windows (about R-9 if you are lucky). 

I remember that in Austria, homes used to have double windows (similar to storm windows here in the states, but with a nice air space between the two windows). What if I put in double windows to get an R of 18 even for the windows? I could use the cranked casement windows for the outside (so that screens etc. can stay in when opening the windows) and casement windows that open to the inside on the inside of the wall. Depending on the extra expenditure, I might go for it! What is the use of ICFs with an R-value of 18 if you have windows everywhere at an R of 9?

Files

• 1ST FLOOR PLAN.pdf
• 2ND FLOOR PLAN.pdf
• ELEVATIONS.pdf

Sold!

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 9/17/2006

Okay, for those who have followed our saga so far... We closed on September 14 and are now the proud owners of five acres of wooded lot. A bunch of trees really. So, we are one step closer to realizing our dream to build our own house. I will attach a picture of the Googled location of the property. Just in case you are curious to find out where these crazy people are thinking of putting down that ICF house. We have started our own design using a product from Punch! software:

   punchsoftware.com

Not that I am plugging that software or anything. It definitely has some shortcomings, but is relatively easy to use and that for a reasonable price.

We started out with a design that I liked, but that was quite a bit too big for us. It was about 4,200 sq ft, not counting the full basement or the two three-car garages. I like the Mediterranean style and started changing things around a bit. We are now down to about 3,600 sq ft, but a more compact design. I'll try to find the link to the original design and show you the design that I came up with.

Now I want to try to construct the house fully in ICF and Insul-Deck. That is a bit different from what I have seen others do. The interior walls I would like to construct in conclaved aerated concrete block. That stuff has been used in Europe for 50+ years, but just started to show up in the States in recent years. It is very lightweight, glued together with quick set-like mortar. You then use a router to cut grooves for your electrical wiring. ACB comes in different sizes and widths. So, you can make some serious progress if you take large blocks. You can finish ACBs directly on the block either with a finish for wallpaper or painting or a textured finish.

Photos

Posted by Kelly in Charlotte, MI on 12/26/2006 Kelly's Forum Posts: 6 Average Forum Rating: 3.75 Randomly Selected Image 12/26/2006

Hi: I'm not sure how far along you are in your building process, but just thought I'd give you what I know about ICF. My DH and I are also planning on building in the Spring/Summer and were talking to my brother over Christmas about a 4 or 5-unit apartment building he built back in 2003 with ICF. He raves about the stuff. He also did radiant floor heating. I think the total square footage was around 5,500. He said last winter his highest utility/heating bill was around $250 - for the entire building! This is an apartment building for college students - so there are 10 bathrooms! We live in MI. We'll be following you on your experience with the stuff! We are intrigued by it, that's for sure!

Closer to securing a lot

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 9/4/2006

Well, we are still working the purchase of the five-acre lot I mentioned in my last post. Pretty wild roller coaster ride, I must say. If all goes well, we will close by the end of next week. We are planning to take our time to prepare for the construction. Probably April next year.

My dream is to build a house fully constructed from ICFs including roof and floors. In our area (South New Jersey) I have seen only a few ICF buildings go up. One of them used the AMVIC building system. If anyone has experience with residential applications of ICF walls, floors, and roofs, drop me a note.

Well, that was weird.

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 6/17/2006

For those who have been following our endeavors, a quick update. As you may recall, we were trying to purchase a 20-acre lot that contained some wetlands, but still had enough space for us to build the house we had in mind. We had the usual disappointing experience with getting in touch with surveyors, attorneys, etc. Beyond that, however, the current owner thought it better for us to drop a clause in our sales contract that would protect us in case the pinelands commission decided that we could not build because of the wetlands.

Very cute move on their part, but not exactly what we had in mind. The attorney that I called for advice thought that the seller's attorney did a great job at protecting his client, but that it left us completely unprotected. In fact, when all was said and done, surveys were done and paid for, and the paperwork was completed, the sales contract stated that the seller could change his mind and withdraw and pay me a small amount ($3K) for my trouble. Thanks, but no thanks!

In the meantime, the seller of one of the lots (5 acres) that has approvals had a change of heart and was willing to lower his price to something that was within the range that we had in mind. Someone must be telling us something about that 20-acre lot. Call it divine intervention or something... We are now in the process of closing the deal on the 4-acre lot, speeding up the planning phase, getting funding in place for the lot purchase, etc.. etc. Very exciting times indeed!

If anyone has a referral for surveyors, attorneys, and contractors in the south New Jersey area, drop me a note! I am especially interested in solar panels, heat pumps (DX), ICFs, and radiant floor heating.

Looking up our potential property...

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 5/16/2006

How cool is this! Somewhere on the Atlantic County, NJ website I found a place called site investigator. Gives you all kinds of fun facts about the land you may consider buying. I will attach a snapshot. As expected, a good part of the property is designated as wetlands, but there should be plenty to build on!

Photos

While wating I started a budget

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 5/13/2006

We have set aside (a lot loan of) $150K for the lot. The prices here have gone through the roof as I may have mentioned in an earlier post. At this point we are negotiating about the purchase of 20-acre lot (75% of which consists of maximum buffer and about 5% consists of actual wetlands).

I picked up Jeremiah Hansen's budget spreadsheet and am trying to start filling in the budget items. So far I have received some decent feedback from several of the folks on this website about costs. Still have to do quite a few calculations though. How much square footage am I going to have for the ICFs that I will use for the exterior walls and the basement? Should I use ICFs for the interior walls as well or use regular framing? Anyway, still plenty of planning to do.

While waiting I read some more

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 5/13/2006

While waiting for feedback from the Realtor/listing agent/lawyer/seller chain, I read some more. This project is somewhat of a dream of mine. Applying existing technology to a house that I will build myself. Terms like "off-grid" and "zero-energy" and more come to mind. I recently read somewhere that fixed roof-mounted solar panels require twice as much surface than panels placed on a solar tracker. So, what to do? I could probably find a place where I can place panels on solar trackers, but one of the issues folks always warn about is the distance from the solar pickup to the location of the equipment that will use the juice these solar puppies collect.

I am sure that my wife, Lourdes, will be more than happy not to see solar panels replacing part of the Mediterranean-style roof. That may in fact be all the incentive I need to look into solar tracking systems. It may not be a bad idea to create a detached energy shed of sorts that houses a backup generator, batteries, and the like and connect that to the main house using an AC electric cable.

So unprofessional

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 5/12/2006

While waiting for the sellers and their lawyer to go over our proposed contract and make changes, I am trying to prepare for the next steps, i.e. after we have a signed contract.

It sounded like getting a good surveyor would be a good plan. On one of the examples of a survey that my Realtor gave me, I found the address, phone number, etc. of a local surveyor. I pass his office on the way home from work every day. So, I stopped by and walked into the office. Must have interrupted something and got a response that reeked of disinterest ("...call tomorrow and make an appointment"). Not giving up and slowly getting used to the grumpiness of people, I called the next day to set up an appointment. I left my name and all the phone numbers where he could reach me, but did not hear back from him. Now, if that is an indication of how rapidly he will respond to requests that I actually may need to pay for I am not in good shape. Better look around some more for a good surveyor. If anyone in Southern New Jersey knows of one, let me know.

Posted by Cara in Orlando, FL on 5/17/2006 Cara's Forum Posts: 38 Journal Entries: 136 Interview Answers: 59 Average Forum Rating: 4.04 My Construction Website Image from Cara's blog 5/17/2006

Hi Ben, Jason and I are continuing to follow your story, as you seem to be having issues similar to ours. We too had a lot of problems with surveyors (again, see journal for fun details). I remember thinking- if all subs are like this, we're in big trouble!!! We actually fired two companies (one gave us an incorrect survey) before finding our current company, who is great. I probably called 15 other places and got the same level of disinterest. Unfortunately we don't know anyone in that area who we could recommend, but good luck and hang in there! And trust me, you are better off taking longer and waiting till you find a good surveyor rather than finding a crappy one and later having to start over (each time you hire a new survey co. they will want to redo their own boundary survey). Cara & Jason

Slow progress

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 5/11/2006

As Cara has indicated elsewhere on this site, progress is slow. Hurry up and wait. We have made a good faith deposit so that we can purchase the land, but with the caveat that we can get our pinelands/wetlands approvals, building permits, and lot loan squared away. The current lot owner is in no hurry, and his lawyer is slower than molasses on a cold day. My Realtor told me last week that we would receive a revised contract, because an addendum was made. Yesterday it turned out that we are now waiting for an revision to the addendum.

At this point my hands are tied, because I do not want to shell out money for surveys and the like before we have some certainty about the seller's willingness to sell us the lot. To see that in black and white would be a nice first step.

We found a lot and made an offer!

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 4/26/2006

Okay, so we found a lot and made an offer pending pinelands and local approval of our plans. If anyone has experience in dealing with local wetlands restrictions, etc. please contact me. I can use all the help I can get.

Posted by Cara in Orlando, FL on 5/10/2006 Cara's Forum Posts: 38 Journal Entries: 136 Interview Answers: 59 Average Forum Rating: 4.04 My Construction Website Image from Cara's blog 5/10/2006

Hi Ben, we have lots of experience with wetlands- but we're in Florida. Check out our journal for details, amd feel free to email if you think there's anything we might be able to help with. Good Luck! Cara & Jason (Quarterlyhouse Journal)

lots of offers on lots

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 4/11/2006

Okay, I think we have it down to two lots that we are interested in. Pricey though. The lot prices are going through the roof in south New Jersey ...and I still have to put a house on it as well!

Design and construction method

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 2/26/2006

We have chosen a design from designbasics.com that fits what we wanted. A little on the largish side of things, but still very much in accord with what we were looking for:

   The Waterford: designbasics.com/plan/plan.asp?PlanNo=29134&PlansID=2035

I had done some research on different construction methods and to me, ICF sounds like the way to go.

Heating and Cooling

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 2/26/2006

We have to have a DX Geothermal system for our new house.

Lot loans, lenders, etc.

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 2/23/2006 4:59:33 AM

As you can see by the date of this entry I am really catching up with things that we have done so far.  We met with a loan officer from Weichert in Northfield, New Jersey.  We explained our plans as owner-builders, the fact that we currently own a house, etc., etc.  He was quite helpful and we sent him the paperwork he asked for.   No response for a while though.

We also got in touch with IndyMac.  Bob Biguette (sorry Bob if I butchered your last name) has been reminding me to send him the paperwork he needs to see if we qualify for a lot loan.  So, Lourdes (my wife) sent out a bunch of stuff.  My other signifcant 75% is much better than I am at keeping on top of things!  She spoke with Bob about the things that were still missing and gave him that information.  So, we are waiting to hear back from him.

Posted by Jim in Plumas Lake, CA on 2/25/2006 Jim's Forum Posts: 36 Journal Entries: 29 Interview Answers: 1 Average Forum Rating: 4.29 Image from Jim's blog 2/25/2006

Indymac was great with my loan process.  My loan officer was Troy rushing in Atlanta, and My Mom's (clear lake, ca) construction loan officer from indymac is Bob biguette!  He has been very helpful to her.

Should we?

Posted to TheWillemsHome by Ben in Galloway Township, NJ on 2/23/2006 4:54:32 AM

Some time ago we decided we should.  Of course, in the meantime the prices for buildable lots have gone through the roof in South/Shore New Jersey!  We are looking at four locations, 1, 1, 3, and 5 acres respectively.  We like the 5-acre lot, because we can nicely set back the house we are thinking of building.  Asking price for the lot is too high, though.  Can you believe the asking price is $225k?  The seller mentions that all offers are welcome.  So, I assume s/he is just fishing with such a high asking price, but my internal calculator is working overtime:  If I offer $150k and the construction is going to cost $200k, will I be building a $500k house?