Category: Selection

Render or Brick?

Rendering popularity comes and goes……………… However I think “Why pay more for a something that is only going to require painting in the future?”

As my old woodworking teacher once told me “There’s nothing wrong with being lazy as long as you are intelligently lazy.

That means getting the job done but saving effort, both now and in the future.”

Positive

Rendering does have its place:

  • It gives a good finish if you are building using Hebel blocks or Foam Panels (See this link: Rendered Foam Walls), which you may prefer to use as they have a better thermal performance than bricks.
  • The render, particularly if painted a light colour, will improve the thermal performance of the walls.
  • You need to do it for some of the Home Builder techniques such as straw bale housing, or even if your DIY bricklaying is a bit rough.
  • Its handy if you are renovating a house and the previous builder has painted the bricks.

Negative

Apart from the exceptions above here’s why I don’t like render as a final finish:

  • Additional cost at time of construction.
  • Is it really hiding the use of leftover bricks from previous jobs and perhaps poor workmanship by the builder.
  • It can look fairly flat and bland in large areas like the house below:

  • Future time cost and effort in repainting.
  • If you get building movement it really shows up, with a crack across a flat plain wall. It’s then very hard to satisfactorily repair and hide the crack.
  • Render really shows dirt, spiders webs,and water stains.

Bricks are making a comeback as people who have rendered 10 years ago now find that the additional cost was only the start.

Having a house painted every 10-15 years is an expense that basically starts at $12K. Personally I’d prefer a family holiday .

Render costs around $20,000 on a 30Sq home, plus painting, plus more for maintenance……Brick veneer requires a wash, at the most, with a low pressure hose.

Some people say the modern Acrylic renders are better than the cement renders but I remain to be convinced.

What do you think?.

 

Whichever you choose the most appropriate Brick Dimensions will make the walls easier to build.

More about selecting finishes including 24 pages of Check Lists in the ‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

 

Round or Slimline Tanks?

These days many states require you to have rainwater storage , unless you have access to recyled water.

But which type of tank will be best?

Round Tanks

The standard is round tanks.

These cost less because they are easier to make and use less material per litre of stored water.

It is easy to see the entire contents of the tank from the top access so you can check on sediment level.

Also, it is easy to hose sediment to the tanks drain point when the tank needs cleaning. . . . NEVER GET INSIDE YOUR TANK.

Slimline Tanks

A popular shape is the slimline tank which will fit in a narrow space.

I have even seen a row of them used as a boundary fence.

A disadvantage is it is much more difficult to to clean out sediment.

Before you make a choice it could be worth thinking about finding out if you can find room for a round tank.

Cost

Typically the cost increase for a slimline tank over a round tank of the same volume is at least 50%.

A comparison from my local builders merchants:

    • $1,200 for a Slimline 3,000 Litre tank
    • $800 for a Round 3,000 Litre tank

If you haven’t the width to fit a 3000L tank you could perhaps look at getting two round 2,000Litre tanks for a similar price as the 3,000Litre Slimline tank.

 

 

See this post to find out How Much Rainwater Storage You Need

 

Door Opening

One of the small things that can really make a difference to your house is how doors open……..but its one thing that is frequently forgotten.

This sketch shows a typical bedroom and ensuite layout. (I know it doesn’t show the wardrobe but I’m trying to keep it simple)

A couple of things you need to think about are:

Into The Room Or Not

You will see as usual the doors to open from the corridor, into the room, and into the en-suite from the bedroom.

Particularly in the case of bathrooms and en-suites it makes a lot of sense for the door to open into the bedroom as this makes a lot more usable room in the bathroom.

It also minimises the risk of sending my wife flying if I open the door while she is at the mirror putting her make up on.

In the case of separate toilets its actually much safer to have the door open outwards. (The reason is if  an ill person passes out they are likely to fall forward against the door, stopping it being opened. . . this means getting to them can be extremely difficult)

Left Or Right Handed

How to tell – When you look at the door from the side it opens towards, and you can see the hinges…. which side are they on?

That is the hand of the door.

Looking at the door to the bedroom you will see that the door is hinged on the right as you look at it from inside the room (right handed).

This works well as the door opens against the wall. Having the door hinged from the left side doesn’t seem much different, but it means you have to walk round the door to get out.

It seems minor but in a previous house we got one door wrong and it annoyed us every day for 6 years.

Plan Doors Early!

You need to get the door opening sorted out before you can finalise your electrical plan as it will affect which side of the door you put the light switches.

Once the wires are installed and the drywall installed changing the door direction can be a major cost.

More on doors including 24 pages of Check Lists for your new house choices in the

‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

 

Glanced Light – Wall and Ceiling Imperfections

In certain conditions you can easily see very slight surface imperfections

This is known as ‘Glanced Light’ . . . .  so what does is mean?

Well when light strikes a surface at a flat angle like in this first sketch its said to be a glancing angle.

Because of the angle any imperfections in the surface cause shadows that make the defect more obvious.

The most obvious point where you may notice glanced light is at the joints between plasterboard panels.

Its not uncommon in the joints showing up as bands of a different shade.

In full light like the second sketch these sort of imperfections are less likely to show up.

What’s Acceptable

For the typical project home any imperfection that shows in full light is unacceptable.

In glanced light you should not see screw of nail fixings although joints will most likely be faintly visible.

If you are uncertain go to your builders display house and look at how their ceiling looks.

How To Minimise Glanced Light Issues

  • Specification – In the old days all plasterboard had a skim coat of plaster applied over the whole surface rather than just the joints. Although you can ask for this it will be at a substantially added cost.
  • Workmanship – If the plasterboards are fixed with the joints running towards the windows any joint imperfections will be minimised. A skilled tradesman should then be able to make the joints and fixings holes fairly smooth.
  • Lighting – Pendant light fittings are better than fittings that are closer to the ceiling as they give full light. Avoid windows that go up to ceiling level.
  • Decoration – Matt paints are better than silk finishes. Roller applied paint is better than spray applied.  Alternatively a textured finish to the ceiling will mean the texture covers the joints.

 

To find out more about inspecting your new house see

anewhouse PCI Guide

 

Electrical Planning – Do You Need 3 Phase Power?

3 phase power is used for heavy duty electrical appliances.

So what is 3 phase power?……………….When power is generated at the power station it comes out as Alternating Current (AC) in three separate phases which are transmitted via individual cables. When power is required the three phases can be combined (3 Phase) or separated(Single Phase).

A Typical House

Most houses only have single phase power.

All the typical electrical equipment in your house such as TV, fridges, freezers lights rub on single phase.power.

Reasons for 3 Phase

The only time a domestic house will need three phase power supply is likely to be:

  • If you have a really big house with a large capacity air conditioner.
  • If you want to have an Electrical Instantaneous Water Heater.
  • If you are want are a DIY enthusiast and want to run a commercial size arc welder (Single Phase power should be OK for 275 Amps which is enough for 10mm steel.)

For a new house on a farm where you want to run farm machinery it may be a different matter.

What happens with 3 Phase

If 3 phase was run to your house and you didn’t need actually need it, it simply means that your single phase circuits (power points, lights, oven) would be shared out over the 3 phases as evenly as possible.

What this can mean if their is a power failure that only affects one phase you will still have some power.

For a large house this might be the way to go, but it should not be considered as totally necessary, especially as it will cost substantially more.

Finally

If you think you might need 3 phase power I would suggest you contact an electrical contractor and have a chat with them.

For more Posts see the Electrical Category

 

More Electrical Planning including 24 pages of Check Lists in the

‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

 

What Are Window Infills

What Are Window Infills?


Well these painted panels above the top of the window in this photo are an example.

This example is not very attractive in my opinion

Finishing up with painted infills like this is often a consequence of not having eaves and/or increasing ceiling height without considering window size (an easy thing to miss if you are building for the first time)

if you don’t like them make sure you check the builders elevation drawings carefully.

Why are they used?

Basically these are much cheaper for the builder than a brick infill as they save both the cost of a lintel and the brickwork.

They also make the construction of the required brick articulation joints for the builder simpler (see Brick Articulation Joints )

Solutions

  1. They can look better if you make them a feature. I once designed a house with painted infills at each gable end of the house. My solution was to use overlapping planks (painted cement sheets) rather than a single panel, and was quite pleased with the look.This  approach could be used if you only realises you have infills late in the building process as you could nail them directly over the existing board.
  2. Another approach particularly for North facing windows is have a small pergola set under the gutter this provides shade and makes the infill less obvious. (see Shading for dimensions of a pergola)

 

 

Back Door

Most people spend a lot of time thinking about their front door. . . . . but forget about their back door.

There seems to be a bit of a convention for back doors.

Conventional Doors

Quite often if a conventional door is used usually have a half window and usually only have a single simple lock.

Unfortunately criminals know that an easy way to break in is to break the small window, reach in, and unlock the door.

It’s not as though you really need the window as most back doors are in the laundry which isn’t a room you spend a lot of time in, and it usually has a window.

My preferred approach is a solid back door with two locks fitted at least 300mm apart.

One a deadlock, as I am always a bit suspicious about Construction Locks

Not only is this more secure, and offers better insulation but its likely to be slightly cheaper. Also you can always put a couple of coat hooks on the back of the door to hang your gardening clothes.

As you can see from this photo of a previous back2 door I specified the double locks but didn’t think to specify ‘no window’.

My latest houseI is a plain door!

Full Length Sliding Glass Doors

When looking at a display home you might find the builder uses ‘Patio Doors’ for the laundry.

I think these should be avoided.

My suggestion is you should ask for a solid hinged door!

 

More on doors including 24 pages of Check Lists for your new house choices in the‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

 

Plumbing – Kitchen and Laundry

Make sure you have thought about all the following plumbing fittings:

Kitchen

There are a wide range of sinks the choice is a lot wider than one basin or two so you need to spend some time looking at various options.

Similarly there a wide range of mixers.

Boiled /Chilled Water Service used to be an office fitting but they are becoming more common in homes. (I think they can waste a fair bit of energy and are a scalding safety riskn so I can’t recomend them myself).

Dishwasher are normally installed as cold fill but there are some hot and cold fill machines around or you can just use the hot water.

If you like refrigerators with a chilled water you will need a water supply to the refridgerator location..

Butlers Pantry

In many larger houses a Butlers Pantry is included rather than a simple larder.

This is somewhere where the messy part of food preparation can be done when you are entertaining.

Depending on how much room you have these can be almost second kitchens so they may need a similar range of plumbing fittings

Laundry

Do you really want a laundry trough?…….. why not have a standard sink basin?

If you go for a trough why not think about a smaller size.

Whatever your choice you will need either a mixer or taps.

Washing machine – although you may only have a cold fill machine its always worth getting a hot water service installed.

People that do a lot of gardening like a toilet with wash basin off the laundry to avoid them going through the house with dirty boots.

Roof Water / Recycled Water

With roof water tanks and recycled water becoming more common in suburban properties you need to think about where you will use this supply, which has to be kept separate from the mains supply.

Will it be toilets only? or are you going to use it for the laundry?

Its simpler if you live on a rural block because it will be all roof water!…………. If so I would seriously think about a domestic water filter, although I wouldn’t bother for a suburban house with mains water.

Addititionally

My son is a concretor and I work for a drainage company so my wife prefers to wash our overalls in an old washing machine on the back veranda and keep the newer washing machine for her clothes and our non work outfits.

 

For similar posts see Plumbing

More plumbing information and 24 pages of Check Lists

in the ‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

 

Good and Bad Mirror

Here is the bathroom mirror from a recent hotel stay:

The ‘Good‘ is it looks spectacular and the way is illuminates your face, using LEDs behind the mirror gives a very even light.


The Bad is that it projects forward a long way from the wall, and the wash basin is quite small.

As a result it makes it very difficult to wash your face. . . as soon as you bend over the basin to rinse the soap your head hits the mirror!

It’s a problem I have seen before, especially when someone puts a mirrored medicine cabinet over the sink.

Unless you are going to mount a mirro directly on the wall its best to make sure you get a larger basin!

 

Electrical Planning – General


Do some of your power sockets look like this photo?

Next time you visit a show house have a look at the power point provision……… You would think most builders are still living in the 1950’s.

Typically you get a couple of double sockets in each room. . . . Sometimes you even see single sockets.

Thats because hardly any of the display home fittings need to work!

They do spend a bit more time on the light fittings, typically with down-light’s everywhere. (Not my favorite form of lighting. I’ve had them once and I won’t be having them again.)

However the down-lights are unlikely to be in the builders standard provision so if you do want them they will add significantly to the base cost.

In our first house, 30 years ago, when we renovated we had at least six double sockets in each of the lounge, main bedroom and kitchen. It seemed a lot when we put them in but most of them were used.

For the last two houses we have practically doubled the power point provision to make it easier to find a vacant power socket when you need it. . . . and avoid having extension cords around the house.

You will find a number of posts on Electrical Planning which provide some thoughts for planning each of the main rooms in the house.

These will help you think about what electrical work you will require when building a new house, and help you prepare for the Selection Meeting.

Although you will have gathered I am keen on upgrading the electrical provision its worth remembering each additional double socket will cost around $75. We had an extra 22 at our last house so make sure you don’t bust your budget!

More Electrical Planning including 24 pages of Check Lists in the

‘Selection / Pre-Start Guide’

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