Progress: Garage and It's Fantastic Dual Purpose

The garage is up.  I must say it seems rather "wimpy" because unlike the rest of the house, it is made of traditional wood construction. We did this per our ICF contractor's recommendation, but if the big bad wolf comes that thing would be toast ;-)    Just looking at it compared to the ICF shell makes you really appreciate the true efficiency of an ICF wall.  We do plan on doing spray-foam insulation in the garage.  So here's the garage, which completes the footprint of the house:

The house looks deceivingly large because it is a long, boomerang-shaped house, and the garage only amplifies that effect!  Half of it is only one-room deep, but from the front it seems massive. However, the shape really works now that it's totally complete.   As mentioned in my first posts regarding the lot, the beauty of the garage location is that it transforms what would have been a "subdivision-like" yard into a very private oasis, like so:

in looking above, you can see that no matter where you are in the house, the ENTIRE back yard is private (there is only a treeline on the other side).  Perfectly private.  One would never know there was another house beyond the garage, and incorporating a more "courtyard" patio system in the back, now that the walls are up, seems like a natural progression in the future. 

What Would You Do?  That Looming, Big Garage Wall 

That being said,  it's important to be thoughtful as to how that brick wall appears once the bricks are applied.  Since that wall almost functions as a "feature" wall when anyone is out back, it might be good to add some design elements to "warm" that space up.  For instance, here's a picture of a newer home that did a similar thing on their back wall.  Personally, I'm under the impression that they wanted it to look "old" by making it look like these were old door openings that were bricked in:

...  now, I'm not sure that particular look is for our home, but the concept is the same.  Perhaps some decorative brick detailing design to amplify that wall as more of a courtyard space when the possibility arises to add a patio over in that area would be nice.  Even if it's just a few simple rectangles of slightly raised brick with a herringbone pattern inside, to deviate from the large flat expanse of brick on that wall:

What do you think?

The House That Built Itself - What I've Done Right (So Far)

If you scroll to the first post, you'll see the house shape is a fairly unusual one.  At first glance, it may seem like a strange choice of plan - I agree!  But I encourage you to do more than just pick a plan and plop it on the ground...    before you corner yourself into a "this is the house I've always wanted" mentality, MAKE SURE it will complement the land around it.   I myself prefer symmetry in a home, and we could have easily picked out my "dream" house plan and built it based on appearance and layout alone by what I've always liked.  Let's take a step back, however, and ask some extremely important questions: 

1.  Where will you spend most of your time?  Dedicate the priority aesthetics here, FIRST.  This may mean simply reversing rooms on a pre-drawn plan so that the location is better.  Or it could mean that windows are adjusted, ceilings are heightened.  In our case, it meant designing from scratch to take advantage of our lot views and our preference for privacy.  Whatever the case, really treat your main living area as the starting canvas of your home, letting all the other pieces fall into place around it. After all, this is where you will spend your time;  make it count.

2.  Why are those windows there?  What do they show?  What do they leave out?    Window placement is essential in creating the perfect environment.   If there is a scene you like on your lot - a beautiful tree or view, for instance - think about how your windows can be placed to accommodate this.  Conversely, if there is something you would rather NOT have sight of - an electric pole or power unit for instance - is there a way to position your window placement so that it eliminates that?   What about privacy?   Again, think about where you want your windows, and where you do not.  Additionally, a mistake I see often is locating windows without any thought given to furniture placement - be sure to take that into consideration.  One other big mistake I see is that many times the best view ends up being from the front of the house, yet people tend to locate their main living and entertaining spaces in the back.  What would it be like had the kitchen been placed in this focal area instead?  How could it have changed the dynamics of the home?   These are all important things to think about.  

So, that being said, I willingly walked away from the "perfect image" in my head of my "dream home" and instead

The house practically built itself once we listened to the land.

This wasn't without a few compromises (mine being that my kitchen is further away from my garage than I'd envisioned).   And, I'll confess to being a tad squeamish when the walls started coming up, because it really is a intuitive leap of faith designing with the land in mind...   will it look right?  is it weird?   oh my gosh is this going to really work?!   but when the walls and windows came up - wow!

Slam dunk.

 

Now, let's see what would have happened if I had simply plopped my "dream home" on the lot based on appearance alone: 

What a waste of a beautiful yard that would have been, had we just gone that route.  Not to mention views of our neighbors,etc from many angles of the house.

Now, we have this lovely view (house shape) that eliminates the ugly culvert views (clever window placement) as well as any neighbors (house shape AND clever window placement) that creates a charming piece of private, yet vast property in the back that no pre-formed "dream plan" of mine would have accommodated, ever.  And that glorious sunset?  We'll get to see it every night, in a bevy of large windows in the main living area of the house where 90% of our time is spent.

Things You'll Forget - Write it Down BEFORE You Start

Compile a list - I've been compiling mine for over 6 months now. Yours will be different, but for me this is the stuff that ended up being particularly important and there's no way I'd remember it all during chaotic conversations with builders, subcontractors, etc. I encourage you to keep a running list at all times - I send this file to my builder and then as I add things, I color-code it to red so that we both know it's an addition or edit. It's rather random, but it's invaluable when I go brain-dead during quick decisions/conversations. Keep it in the"Notes" section of your phone, too, so you can add something when it comes to mind. Disclaimer: some of this stuff was researched so long ago that I have no idea why I said it! but it must be for good reason if it's on here, so I'll just share it all...

Notes for Builder - Random:

1) If I get a choice I would prefer Fortifiber's Moistop or Tyvek's FlexWrap type flashing

2) I would like a blower test BEFORE insulation installation. (This typically leads to a slightly smaller HVAC system as most are oversized for tight ICF homes) . I might do another one after HVAC and insulation, not sure.

3) while the bulldozer is there remind me to consider having it build berms for any trees that might be in later.  also SAVE ALL THE SOIL from any excavation.  we can haul it off at the end of the build, but not before.

4) what is the cost difference between formaldehyde-free MDF and not ? assuming it’s used throughout house in places.

5) I want a Central Vac hide-a-hose system.

6) I want a water softener.

7) I want be very selective about hose bibs around the house. something to think of before ICF holes?

8) I would also like the enclosed attic/crawl with spray insulation in those areas.

9) I want to know where the tacky AC filter cover(s) is going to and for once in my life would like it not to be in the most prominent place known to man, which always seem to be the entry foyer.

10) I want weep holes installed correctly on sills. I want this to be shown to me when/as it’s being done. all exterior brick sills/similar should be at slight downward angle for proper water drainage.

11) I want thick gauge HVAC, not the cheap rattly stuff.

12) If I get a choice I would prefer low VOC paint, low VOC counter glue, low urethane products when needed.

13) please do not assume I want wire shelves in closet. I assume we can discuss before installation.

14) There should be no hack saws/tools other than special drill bits that appropriately accommodate valves/pipes going through walls and cabinets. There will be no gaping holes that are bigger than the pipe going into the wall, and for the remaining gap they will be sealed appropriately which most always involves a better compound than regular caulk since it eventually dries and cracks. You understand that holes will be properly sized to the type of mechanism going through, and then the appropriate, non-degrading sealant material will ensure a properly sealed passageway.  In other words, I don't want a 6-inch hole for a 1-inch pipe.

15) If possible I would like plywood floor installed in the attic as opposed to exposed rafters only.

16) we want an alarm system.

17) all walls should be painted in a cream color, I need to pick out color. all windows will come as unfinished pine on interior and will need to be stained a black or deep brown.

18) where does the chase go?  this is needed for future wiring edits after ICF pour

19) screws in the sheetrock, not nails

20) dimmers in kitchen & great room electrical

21) motion sensor light in garage

22) fan in rec room

23) run conduit under driveway to backyard in case future plumbing/electric ever needed

24) Lint trap for dryer vent: http://www.reversomatic.com/category/Accessories-/Lint-Traps.html

25) A master switch in mudroom by garage door that turns off all of the power to the switches/lights in the house, so that you can turn off all lights without going to each room and/or light switch.

26) Make sure for all interior stick-build walls, the sheetrock is caulked at the bottom where the baseboard goes. No gap, as is typical.

27) Built in ironing board master closet

28) Also, put in a bypass for the water softener, so that you can still get water to the house, if the softener needs to be repaired or replaced. Lastly, sodium softened water can kill house plants, so put in a separate line to 1. all exterior hose bibs, and 2. kitchen sink.

29) Have electrician wire home in 2 breaker boxes for essentials and non essentials in case you wish to add an emergency generator in the future.

30) Put a 6" wall behind your washer and dryer - they can sit flat against the wall because the vent can go down through the wall.

31) Radiant barrier sheathing for roof?

32) Don’t put thermostat in hallway above stairs – not accurate