House plans almost finished!

We used a designer/architect (Ted Mengers, Pyranak Design Group) to design our house plans as opposed to ordering ready made plans online. It was a VERY long process (took almost 1 year), but it was very much worth the effort. We did this for several reasons:

1. We searched several hundreds of plans online and none fit our needs. I wanted a guest room downstairs and the rest of the bedrooms upstairs, including the master bedroom.
2. We tailored the plans to our lifestyle. I love to cook and entertain, but don't like to be apart from company, therefore we have an open layout (no walls and halls!).
3. We wanted a modern home that is unique. None of the plans simply did not fit our style.
4. We wanted a higher standard, energy & space efficient plan. We don't think bigger is better and we are building with energy efficient SIP walls/roof, so we needed plans that were designed green.

We just got word that our plans are just about finished, and we have to approve the electrical and acoustic plans. In the electrical plan, you decide where the light switches, electrical outlets, lights, ceiling fans, cable/dataports and phone lines go. Though we will do wireless, Jan thought it was good to always be able to plug into the network for stability reasons. He's a total computer geek, so I believe him :-). Here's a sample pic of how an electrical plan looks like:

The $ are light switches, the filled triangle is a phone connection, the empty triangle is a data port, the circle with 2 slashes is an electrical outlet, etc...

In the acoustic plan, you decide where you want extra sound insulation in your walls. In the following picture, it is denoted with squiggle lines on the walls:


Next, we have to get the Structural Engineer to finish the structural plans. This should only take 1-2 weeks and then it's time to submit for permit approvals and financing!!! Can't wait!!!

Choosing the U-build It Program

Owner-builder programs can save you huge amounts of money (in our case, we would easily save $60,000) because you are basically taking over the builder's job of managing your house project and controlling cost and choice which suits us perfectly fine. We are extremely picky about design and quality, due to our backgrounds, so this type of program is very appealing. You have to spend at least 1-2 hours a day and keep track of the schedule, do daily site visits, keep on top of things, etc... but it is a rewarding thing for us and many others...

Sound daunting? Yes, but you have plenty of support and information available to you and it's not rocket science. At the minimum, it is at least worth the investigation to see if you want to do it this way. Check out the various owner builder links I have listed and read up on it if you want more details.

After researching 3 owner-builder programs, we decided to go with U-Build It. They ended being the most thorough, responsive, and professional of the 3 networks. We also checked their references, and they received stellar reviews here in the Austin area.

So here is the cost breakdown to join up (in the Austin area, at least).

2419 square foot home x $5.50 per A/C square foot = $13,304

This includes:
- 20 site visits throughout the process
- Advice and guidance from professional builders
- Comprehensive manual on what to do next
- A list of reliable/tested subcontractors that we can use which is completely optional
- Financial backing when getting financing for your construction loan (they basically are responsible for your home if you don't end up finishing it!)

All 3 networks are listed on Better Business Bureau, and you should meet with them for an hour or two to see what kind of vibe you get.

I'll post our bids for our house in the next few days. You will see how costs have risen considerably since last I posted about our budget!!! I hope we can make it :-)!

Unique rock wall for drip cooling can be made affordably

Our architect, Ted Mengers, recommended making this gorgeous and unique pebble wall enclosed in wire mesh for catching and cooling breezes on our landscape. The possibilities are limitless, and we're considering using these dry pebble walls for surrounding our carport and storage for our rainwater collection tanks...

OUTDOOR SINK


WALL


EXTERIOR WALLS, EVEN!!


They should be cheap to make with wire mesh and odd size pebbles... and it looks beautiful in a very organic way.

Swedish toilets - why they rule!

I think the following story sums up why Swedish toilets are superior to American ones (and why my Swedish husband insists we get 3 of them for our home). It's a hilarious, yet honest take on poorly designed American toilets. By the way, if you're easily sickened, don't read :-).

Anonymous post on a message board (only corrected spelling):
"I have apparently used low-flow toilets here in Sweden all my life. I
have no problem with them. They have the water level lower so that the
flushing water gets higher speed when falling down.

So then I went to the US for a trip and found that not only do you pull
carpets into the bathroom and around the toilet (EWW!), the toilets
themselves are totally stupid! They hold a gallon of water in a bowl so
close to your ass that you have to hold your penis while taking a shit
so that it won't hang down into the water! Then when you flush, the
toilet pours another two gallons of water slowly into the bowl so that
you get to watch your turds carousel around and around for half a minute
before exiting the drainpipe. That is just plain silly!

Our low-flow/high-speed toilets go SLURP! and all the crap is gone and the
porcelain is washed clean from the aggressive burst of water in five
seconds. And we use less water too."

We found these Swedish toilets here in the U.S.:
http://www.ifo-usa.com/

Mainly, they are superior because they have a much larger pipe and use very little water. My husband says that they NEVER need to be plunged. In fact, he has never even used a plunger before in Sweden! Not only that, it's eco-friendly because you're saving that precious resource and getting much better performance as well. I'm sold.

Anyway, we are definitely going to buy these, they're worth their money.

Picking Concrete for Our Kitchen/Bath Countertops

I absolutely love this concrete that's so popular in modern homes. Mixed with river rocks and bamboo, I think it will have a very Japanese and modern effect that we are after. It's a very monolithic and organic looking material that we would like to use on our kitchen and bath countertops... and it comes in so many colors too!
Our designer told us about this company:
http://syndecrete.com/main.html
Here's a few photos:
EXAMPLE OF BATHROOM SINK

EXAMPLE OF ANOTHER BATHROOM SINK

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, NOTICE THE ORGANIC TEXTURE...

SO MANY COLORS TO CHOOSE FROM, YOU CAN EVEN GET IT MIXED IN WITH COLORED, RECYCLED GLASS!!!

WE LIKE THIS STAINED BLACK CONCRETE FLOOR WITH BROWN MARBLE.... WE THINK IT WILL LOOK GORGEOUS WITH CONTRASTING COLOR FURNITURE:

A Word About Septic , Septic Design and Graywater

For those of you unfamiliar, most of the lots that are out in the countryside aren't connected to town sewerage, so you have to get your own septic tank. It is where all your wastes go after you flush your toilet or clear your garbage disposal, if you have one. We are opting to use compost for our organic trash instead of a garbage disposal, since Jan likes to garden with it. It's basically thrown in a container and fed to worms that make a juicy soil that plants love :-).

Graywater is the water flushed from your laundry machine, sinks and showers. Many green people use graywater to water plants, which is perfectly fine. You have to plumb for it, but Texas has restrictions that you can only use graywater from laundry machines as of now. We are plumbing for it, but I'm not sure if we are going to use it for watering yet. We will be using our rainwater collection for most of our watering needs.

Anyway, so we got the Septic guy out there. In Austin, there's a process you have to go through before you can get to building. It goes like this:

1. When plans are finished and engineered, go to the Travis County office and apply for your building permit. It's like $35 for the permit application. You'll get a building permit number, but the building permit takes time to process.
2. Tell your septic installer that you got your permit number, and you supply him with some documents and then he submits the septic design and application to the county office. ($460 fee for this)
3. Your building permit gets approved based on septic design, and it will take about 30 days for you to get your permit and septic design approved.
4. You can start building!

About the septic design, our Septic guy was very adamant about only designing CONVENTIONAL PRESSURE DOSE SYSTEMS - NO AEROBIC SYSTEMS!!!!! He says that big builders always put in aerobic systems, and they are high maintenance and costly because with aerobic systems you have to sign a maintenance contract with a septic guy that LINES their pockets. They basically want you to buy aerobic systems because they get so much in maintenance agreements. But here's what happens:
1. You have to pump out your aerobic system every 1-2 years. The holding tank for the aerobic system is so much smaller, so you have to pump more frequently (yuck!). The pump is used all the time, wasting energy and it wears out faster.
2. Sign an agreement with someone to do this maintenance, and if he dies, moves, or disappears, then you are screwed the money!
3. Aerobic systems don't last, but they are cheaper, so builders get it, but the homeowners are stuck with the maintenance costs and headache. Builders wash their hands of it after building completion.

Conventional Pressure Dose Systems:
1. They have much larger tanks, so you only need to pump every 5-6 years and have a much simpler design.
2. Pumps are only used when water is flushed, so since it is used so much less, they last up to 15 years.
3. You don't need to sign a maintenance agreement, and they don't require maintenance much. They are a few thousand dollars more expensive, so that's why more people/builders don't get this system, even though it is better quality, folks!

Septic costs (in Austin, Texas but they'll at least give you an idea!):
$14,500 - Septic total, 1250 gallon septic tank (for up 2800 sq. ft. home), using conventional pressure dose system, includes installation, materials, labor, design fee of $800 for septic engineer
$350 - Soil test drilling
$460 - Septic application approval fee (goes directly to Travis County)

TOTAL=$15,110

Here's a sketch of our septic design:

Sweating for this View

We (or more like Jan and Sami) started clearing out our lot. And we discovered this beautiful oak nestled between water-sucking cedar plants:


Here in Austin's Hill Country, live oak trees are prized if you have really large ones on your lot. They give a very bonsai-ish/African Serengeti look to your landscape. But beware that cedars (the ones that look like large bushes) try to surround oaks and hog up the water, so it's best to clear them away from the oaks so you can enjoy the beauty of them.

Here's another look at this stunning oak tree from our future breakfast nook:


The other day, we had to get the septic guy to start designing our septic and get our application in and approved before they can even start to build! Yeah, it's the first thing on our list of what to do.

And now, we have to decide who it shall be for the owner builder network, OBCH or OBN?

Our Budget

This is the most Frequently Asked Question, so here it is, straight from the hip:

Our max budget:
325,000=construction costs for 2500 square foot energy efficient SIP home
77,500=3 acre lot cost
25,000=soft costs (home/septic design, structural & septic engineering)
55,000=swimming pool (16 ft x 40 ft)

TOTAL=$482,500

However, we may swallow the soft costs and pay for that out of our own pocket.

We'll let you know if we go over or under this budget. We will try to reduce the construction costs as much as possible.

Floorplans!

And introducing... the Leyonberg Estate (story to follow)
This 2500 square foot home, utilizes a lot of outdoor spaces to take advantage of fine Austin weather (8 months of the year, at least!). There will also be an open-air, detached garage port not shown on these plans.

These are pretty much finalized, but we have a few tweaks to do:

CLICK ON PICS BELOW TO ENLARGE

1st FLOOR


2nd FLOOR


The name "Leyonberg" is my husband's paternal grandmother's maiden name in Sweden, which is going extinct. There are only approximately a dozen people left in the world with this name. Not only is it relatively unique, but has a strong meaning, which I love... "leyon" is Swedish for "lion" and "berg" means "mountain". Lions are symbols of courage, honor and strength, and we think this house will fit it well, being one of the best green projects, requiring honest/good quality materials.

Elevations (Colored In)

I spent many hours coloring the elevations of our dream house... yes, I know, I'm a bit overzealous when it comes to our future home. I hope this will be an informative blog as well. Here are the 2-D images:

SOUTH (front)


NORTH (back)


WEST


EAST


Last weekend, we went to the Austin Energy Green by Design Workshop, which was an 8 hour, enlightening experience. According to them, as well as our own wonderful designer, Ted Mengers at Pyranak Design Group, either North or South should be the front elevation and the sides of the house should be oriented East-West. Yippee! We did it right.... and it looks gorgeous too.

Welcome to the Sjodin Dream Home Blog!

We are this daring couple, ready to start our modern design, energy efficient, eco-friendly and healthy dream home. This is where we will detail as much of this process for you who are trying to do the same, or are just curious how this baby will turn out!

This is our first home. And it will be custom designed, and we're considering being our own builders. Sound ambitious? Yes, we are. But, that's us!

Below is a rough color sketch of our future modern house on our 3 acre Austin Hill Country lot! We haven't decided on the colors yet, but just to give you an idea, we picked the purple/yellow cream below. The catwalk will have horizontal cable and steel railings. Keep checking this profile for more updates!!!

Southwest 3-D


Northeast 3-D


Here is more information about it:
Our walls and roof will be made from SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels made of styrofoam sandwiched between OSB wood boards) that will cut energy costs to up to 75%!!! Our roof will appear "flat", but actually be a low slope roof supported by styrofoam blocks and lined with a thin membrane surrounded by parapet walls (walls that are higher than the roofline to hide the slope). To the left is a roof garden where we want to grow organic vegetables/fruits. There will be 2 balconies, a part/open-air garage port, chemical free 16'x40' swimming pool, geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, rainwater collection, and might be plumbed for graywater use. We will not have a lawn, but keep the natural dry terrain, using a lot of regional plants in our landscaping (called xeriscaping). The exterior will use stucco, stone, and wood panels, hardwood trellises, horizontal cable-steel railings on the front catwalk and north balcony. There is a 2nd floor entrance from the catwalk and a 1st floor entrance by the pool and carport (hidden and to the right). We will use stained concrete with abundant fly ash in it on the bottom floor and very sustainable bamboo flooring at the top floor. All bathrooms only have shower stalls except for master bedroom that will have a custom-made Japanese style soaking tub/shower combination done with stone-slate looking tiles and stair to get into the tub. We are importing Swedish toilets with larger pipes that use less water and NEVER stop up! We will have energy efficient European Electrolux appliances and a Swedish washer/dryer because they are high-quality and worth their extra expense. To save money, we will also use IKEA kitchen components (drawers only, no cabinets to crawl down into) and will either have a custom concrete with recycled materials mixed inor quartz countertop. There is an inner balcony that overlooks the 2-story open living/dining room and kitchen and a spiral stairway that goes down to the 1st level. We tried to avoid walls, halls and also incorporated a lot of sliding doors for the guest bathroom and small bedroom upstairs. I'll post more fun stuff as it develops. Slated to start Summer 2007 and should hopefully be done SOON after!

And in addition, here's what the pool will kind of look like, accept I want the coping (edge around the pool) to be more straight line with no curves.

Anyway, we will be updating this blog even more frequently when the building breaks ground.

Deciding to be an Owner Builder?

Our dream house is just within reach, but to make it a reality, we must consider being our own owner/builder.

After searching for months, it's as hard to find a good man as it is to find a perfect "builder". Either we felt they didn't understand our aesthetic, or they just didn't sound as enthusiastic as we'd hope. Not only that, but they are SLOW as maple syrup to get bids to you. And I am still faster than any of them, trying to get bids on my own!

Anyway, the OBN (Owner Builder Network) guy has been very good with answering our questions, and they basically guarantee that they will provide the following:
1) The design/build stages in a hard copy manual, step-by-step, from scratch to finish including who to call, when to call, and when to inspect.
2) A resource list of tried and referenced subcontractors used by other OBN people and have been put through the interview test.
3) Support and guidance from the OBN representative and other OB people through their forums and blogs.
4) The BIG ONE-They will guarantee your construction loan!

All this so you can save around 15% off your total construction costs! (like $50,000 in our case) because why pay a builder that which I am already doing?

More info can be found here: http://www.ownerbuildernetwork.com

It all sounds very promising, so I will update you when we have decided what to do.