house-building.com NEWSLETTER #204
James Todd.
April 1, 2002
Happy Easter
Beginning with this edition, newsletters will now be archived
online at: http://www.house-building.com/newsletters/newsletters.html
CONTENTS:
- Three House Building "Convenience Tips" Do
Them or Regret It!
- Building Healthier Homes: Formaldehyde Gas
- Are You Giving Your Builder Too Much of a Tip?
- Useful Links
- Thought for the Day
- Subscription Information
1.
Three House Building "Convenience
Tips". Do Them
or Regret It!
You will never fully appreciate the value of the following
three tips if you implement
them. It is only if you don't that you will have an appreciation
for their value and regret
that you didn't do them. Here they are:
I. DoorStops
Most doors used in new construction are hollow core doors. Yes,
that's right, they
are hollow except in a few strategic places. These are the typical
builder's choice
because the are inexpensive, light and easy to hang. Unfortunately
they are easy to
puncture and have poor sound controlling qualities.
If your budget allows it you should consider solid wood, or solid
core doors. Both
are superior to hollow core doors and are without the associated
problems.
Due to cost many people end up with hollow core doors for the
interior of their homes. If you do, make ure that doorstops
are appropriate placed. If they are not, your hollow core doors
will soon have holes in them. You will end up fixing them or
paying someone to do the same. The way to avoid punctures from
doorstops is to ensure that stops are installed so they contact
the edge
of the
door where there is some structural strength. Stops located in
most other places will result in unsightly holes.
II. Hot Water Supply or Lack Thereof!
Almost everyone has been in a house where the hot water supply was less than
adequate. Someone turns on a faucet, or starts the washing machine, and the supply
of hot water in the shower vanishes almost instantly. There are a couple of causes
of this situation. One is due to a buildup of minerals in the supply lines that
reduces the flow of water. The other is due to the improper design of the water
supply. The latter is the culprit in new homes. If you don't want you new home
to have this problem don't overlook this issue. Since the design and layout of
every house is different there is no one answer to solve this problem. It really
does come down to the placement of your water-using fixtures and appliances and
the size of the lines feeding them. In other words your overall plumbing design.
Make sure you mention your concern about this to your builder. You may even want
to meet with his plumbing subcontractor to reinforce the point. The remedial
steps are expensive so make sure you get it done correctly the first time. I
suggest that you have a clause in your specifications and building contract that
addresses this issue. I provide such example language in the
House
and Home Building
Guide.
III. Basement to Attic Conduit
If you have been to the House web site you know that I suggest the use
of a "basement to attic conduit" for running future cable, telephone,
electrical or other lines. It's such a simple thing, but one that cannot be over-emphasized.
It will save you ten's of hours in time and hundreds of dollars over the period
you own your home. It greatly reduces the need to fish wires through walls. Whether
you are a do-it-yourselfer, or your hire someone to handle these types of projects
you will find it beneficial. It will be a time and a moneysaver. Don't overlook
it. A 4-6" OD piece of PVC pipe should be sufficient.
2. Healthy House Building: Formaldehyde Gas
I was recently asked to write an article on the issue of building healthier homes
for the web site HomePlan-It.com. (click to see article) I didn't. What I did
write
was an introduction to the topic. There is so much information related to the
topic
that one cannot adequately address it in a short article.
The topic is also well beyond the scope of this newsletter. However, what I
intend to
do is break this topic into smaller subtopics and cover one of these, in each
succesive
monthly newsletter.
Formaldehyde gas can cause nasal and sinus irritation, respiratory inflammation
and is both mutagenic and carcinogenic. In short, it is a bad actor. Unfortunately,
urea
formaldehyde glues are used pervasively in building materials and are the exclusive
source of this gas in new homes.
Manufactured wood products, made using urea-formaldehyde glues, are common
building materials. They include things like oriented strand board, wafer
board,
fiberboard, and particleboard. Particleboard is also commonly used, in cabinets
and
shelving. Even in better quality brands, if you look closely, you will find
that although
the exterior or face of the cabinet is made of solid wood, the sides, backs
and internal
shelving is not. The likelihood is that it is made from particleboard.
Plywood is held together with these same urea-formaldehyde glues. However since
plywood is usually used as a sheathing material and covered, it is not a big
concern.
It is not uncommon to find that, upon close inspec
