Building a home – to code?
Hello all,
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I am in the process of designing a small (~ 700 sq. ft.), off-grid house. My intention is to do as much of the design and construction as possible with my own head and hands.
I’ve been a car mechanic for 10 years, and so have a good understanding of the basic principles of electricity (the house will use 12V wherever possible), HVAC, plumbing, etc. However, I don’t have much in the way of hands-on experience with construction.
Two questions (among many) occur:
1. How feasible and to what degree is this possible? In other words, is it an unreasonable goal?
2. Is it possible to pass code without relying on contractors?
This second question is the one I’m most concerned about. I did some preliminary Googling, and took a look at the Portland, OR building codes, just to get an idea of what different municipalities require (I live in WA). They seem to hand out building permits to anyone smart enough to wield a pencil and straight-edge. But I imagine things like electrical would need some sort of sign-off from a licensed professional.
Where can I get more information on this? I’m OK with delegating (and hence paying for) work where it’s prudent to do so, but I’d like to do as much as possible myself.
Thanks for your input, I look forward to hearing some great ideas!
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Replies
Tomas, I am in a similar boat, but have built 3 houses when I was younger, and have wired and plumbed many types of industrial systems such as hydraulics, boilers, presses, etc. I am not at all intimidated by the process, but some people here may tell you its not a great idea for a beginner. As far as licensed contractors, my county will allow anyone to do plumbing, electrical, building, septic, etc. as long as they pass the inspections. If you skip inspecting or permitting and they find out they can have the building torn down, or require you to have an expert inspect the house and sign off on it and a fine.
I would first say to start off finding out what codes are applicable from your local county or cities building department. My county department has all of the codes they enforce listed and even have a cheap booklet you can buy that helps with what they are inspecting and where the code reference is. It's very handy.
Next, read over these codes for applicable sections to ensure you understand what is required. Things such as fastener spacing, sizes etc. may all seem like tiny details, but when your putting the walls up would not be a good time to decide how it should be done.
Once you understand the codes, I would begin to get the floor plans, electrical, plumbing plans etc. drawn out to scale by hand or using a program like Sketchup (this program is AWESOME once you learn to use it.) I have built my house in a 3D model using this program and have used it for wall areas, roof areas, volumes, etc. for materials calculations and HVAC calcs. One thing to be sure to look at is details of things that may seem small like window and door flashing, roof flashing and buildup, wall corners, insulation, HVAC ducting. plumbing in walls, and many others.
Again, there are tons of details and planning that has to be done for this, but with lots of studying and hard work, I see no reason why it can't be done.
Tomas,
Michael gave you some good advice. The first place you should visit is your local permitting office (building department). Explain to the officials there that you are an owner/builder, and you want to know more about local requirements for engineering, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC work. Ask specifically what type of plans review is required, and whether certified contractors are needed for any of the trades.
Can you learn what you need to know, and successfully build a high-quality house? Of course.
Is it possible to screw things up, and make a few major mistakes? Absolutely.
Ideally, you will make friends with a contractor who is 50 years old or older -- old enough to have already made all of the mistakes that you might easily make.
If permits are required in your jurisdiction , odds are an architects plan may also be on the menu . It is much easier to design systems for the needs of people than to an architects grand vision . Try locating reliable folks from varying areas of construction that are FAMILIAR with what you want . Have them work together designing the assemblies and details , they may require compensation , imagine that . When they are done and you agree with their recommendations go to the architect then with all the details and assemblies and allow him to put it on paper and stamp it then .
This is by far the bets way to avoid common mishaps attempting to follow what the wannabe F.L Wright put on paper . You will also get just what you want with support from professionals that get what you want .
If you can get some experience before diving into your own house that would be great, maybe habitat for humanity or apprentice with someone you know?
Wow guys, thanks for all the helpful info! Michael, I definitely plan to use SketchUp to design the house; every stud and sheet of OSB will be laid out before any money is paid.
I thought about getting work in one or more of the trades to get a feel for the basics, but wasn't sure anyone would be interested in taking on a short-timer. I'll look into it.
Thanks again, and hopefully one day soon, I'll be able to post pics of the finished house.
Tomas, It's important to distinguish between DIYing some of the work and general contracting a build. I am building a second house with a friend twenty years after we built his first. He has a good grasp of most tasks and will do a lot of the labour, but pretty well every morning I answer a string of questions about sequencing, materials and coordination between the trades. Getting that sort of advice is probably more than anything what distinguishes a successful build from one fraught with problems. I'd try and find someone experienced who can mentor you through the process.
Good luck!
Thomas,
I'd like to encourage you. I've done what you are proposing, although our house is a little bigger(900 square feet) and it is grid-tied. We're in the portland, or area and code enforcement is rigorous. My best investment was a copy of the code book for our state ($70). I've also been fortunate to have helpful inspectors. For example my plumbing inspector was willing to check out the rough plumbing before i glued everything together. That saved me some time and money on cutting out fittings that weren't to code.
The biggest thing to remember from my perspective is that it's going to take you longer and you are going to make more mistakes (some of them you'll have to live with) than with a contractor built house. But, in my opinion doing the work myself yields immensly more satisfaction.
Cheers, chris