02-05-2009, 04:36 AM
There is a book by Ortho Press called "Basic Home Building", that will answer a lot of your questions of how to go about building a house.
Generally, when I start working up a set of plans, I'll have the home owner list or at least chat about ALL the things they'd like to have in their house. Anything, a hot tub in the kitchen, a washer and dryer in the master bath, an eight car carport, a view from the bathtub, a star viewing window over the bed, etc. Most of these things won't make it into the final set of plans for one reason or another (most frequently because of cost) but they will at least have a chance of getting built if they are on the list.
Unless they have a lot of money, usually it is best if homeowners build economically. No matter what sort of employment they had on the mainland, unless they bring that specific job with them, they aren't likely to have that same level of income and it is a LOT easier to just not spend the money in the first place than to go out and try to repay an overly optimistic construction loan.
As for building in our climate, there are general design details which make a house more comfortable. Really wide eaves keep the sun off the sides of the house so it is cooler. Loads of ventilation helps, too, each room should have cross ventilation. High ceilings give hot air a place to go where it isn't on the people living in the house. Personally, I prefer post and pier for keeping down the bugs, ventilating under the house and for being much kinder to the feet. Lots of transition from inside to outside is nice. Big wide lanais not only make it easier to be outside while still being sort of inside but also help shade the interior of the house and keep it cooler. Electricity is extremely expensive so that should be taken into consideration when designing your house. All that ventilation mentioned above means A/C probably isn't necessary. Lots of windows allow natural light so you won't require light bulbs burning all day. Energy efficient appliances and even no energy appliances such as a clothes line.
Generally most of these design details can be achieved with a variety of construction methods so choosing one which uses materials locally available will go a long ways towards keeping the entire project affordable. It is really easy to spend an extra $10K or even an extra $100K when building a house yet it will take a long time to pay that money back and that will be time you won't have to enjoy your new house.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
Generally, when I start working up a set of plans, I'll have the home owner list or at least chat about ALL the things they'd like to have in their house. Anything, a hot tub in the kitchen, a washer and dryer in the master bath, an eight car carport, a view from the bathtub, a star viewing window over the bed, etc. Most of these things won't make it into the final set of plans for one reason or another (most frequently because of cost) but they will at least have a chance of getting built if they are on the list.
Unless they have a lot of money, usually it is best if homeowners build economically. No matter what sort of employment they had on the mainland, unless they bring that specific job with them, they aren't likely to have that same level of income and it is a LOT easier to just not spend the money in the first place than to go out and try to repay an overly optimistic construction loan.
As for building in our climate, there are general design details which make a house more comfortable. Really wide eaves keep the sun off the sides of the house so it is cooler. Loads of ventilation helps, too, each room should have cross ventilation. High ceilings give hot air a place to go where it isn't on the people living in the house. Personally, I prefer post and pier for keeping down the bugs, ventilating under the house and for being much kinder to the feet. Lots of transition from inside to outside is nice. Big wide lanais not only make it easier to be outside while still being sort of inside but also help shade the interior of the house and keep it cooler. Electricity is extremely expensive so that should be taken into consideration when designing your house. All that ventilation mentioned above means A/C probably isn't necessary. Lots of windows allow natural light so you won't require light bulbs burning all day. Energy efficient appliances and even no energy appliances such as a clothes line.
Generally most of these design details can be achieved with a variety of construction methods so choosing one which uses materials locally available will go a long ways towards keeping the entire project affordable. It is really easy to spend an extra $10K or even an extra $100K when building a house yet it will take a long time to pay that money back and that will be time you won't have to enjoy your new house.
Kurt Wilson
Kurt Wilson