New Home Build-North Texas

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

After scouring So. Cal for a couple of years, and not finding anything we like at our pricepoint we decided to look towards N. Texas. We made 3 visits at different times of the year, spoke to friends who moved there 3 years ago, realtors, and people from my wife's work. Inventory has been crazy low over the past year, and we were tired of the bidding game, so we hooked up with my wife's CFO for a tour of new builds on the last trip. We decided that a new semi-custom build would be our best bet, and narrowed our choice down to two builders that our Realtor had good experiences with.

We loved 1 story models from both builders, but in the end, lot size and location was a deciding factor. One model would be built on an 8k sq foot lot that backed up to other back yards and the other on a 19k sq foot lot that backed up to green space. To me, that was a no-brainer to pay the lot premium.

In the end, we chose the smallest 1 story plan in Canyon Falls, which is a newer community where Argyle, Flower Mound, and Northlake come together. It's two of us, mid-30s, and two dogs with no plans for kids so the 3,200+ square feet should be fine. Below is the standard plan and elevation we chose. The A elevation isn't my favorite, but I figured the $15k upgrade to the elevation I wanted could be used in better places. The wife and I like the modern farmhouse look so we upgraded the brick to white with buff mortar, upgraded the shingles to black, and chose black trim.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Before signing the contract, my wife and I had a few structural changes to make.

1. I wanted a 4 car garage. I want a toy, and I can't leave the cars outside as I can in So. Cal.
2. We hate formal dining rooms, so we wanted to close that in for my wife's cardio/yoga studio.
3. We wanted to extend the master a little, which every single person we talked to said was a must for resale. "No idea why, but OK"
4. We changed bath 2 to a shower instead of a tub

Below is the plan on the lot. This does not include the extension to the master so the final version will place the house at an angle to the left.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

This past week my wife and I had our first 2-hour meeting with the designer over zoom. We received some of the selections before the meeting and I put together a binder of what we liked to make it go smoothly. Talk about information overload. I'm a visual guy so seeing pictures of a door handle by itself does nothing for me. We made some preliminary selections with backups and scheduled 2 days in the design center at the end of September. The plan is to fly in on Sat, visit with some friends on the weekend, and then 1/2 day Monday with the designer, relax for the rest of the day, and then 1/2 day Tuesday to finalize our selections with the designer, 1/2 day with the builder and electrical contractor. It's going to be busy but will be nice to keep this moving.

2 bigger things came out of the design meeting.

1. I want a freestanding tub, which means the builder has to do something to the foundation. Get that selection in early if you want it.
2. Appliances have massive lead times and are expensive as anything. I'm not sure what we'll do, but I wanted Wolf/Sub Zero stuff for this house but I'm waiting on information from the realtor on price/sq foot in the neighborhood, and to see where we end up with flooring, counters, etc. The standard stuff is Kitchenaide, so it isn't bad. We'll see.

 

[rivermobster]

All this is fine and dandy, but..

How are the lakes around there? Let's get to the important part damit!!

Congratulations!

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

All this is fine and dandy, but..

How are the lakes around there? Let's get to the important part damit!!

Congratulations!

Haha our friends go boating on Grapevine pretty much every other weekend in the summer, and Lewisville is pretty close as well.

16 miles and 25 mins to the Grapevine ramp and 23 miles and 26 mins to the Lewisville ramp.

 

[rivermobster]

Haha our friends go boating on Grapevine pretty much every other weekend in the summer, and Lewisville is pretty close as well.

16 miles and 25 mins to the Grapevine ramp and 23 miles and 26 mins to the Lewisville ramp.

Not bad! But you know the rule...

 

[DLC]

congratulations on buying and building a new home! That is so cool ! I would love to do that one day…..

Your garages are not very deep, check the size of your average F150 - 232 inch long which converts to 19’4 “

im not bagging on anything just trying to inform

 

[DLC]

Maybe run the garage wall down a few extra feet like 5 feet and swap window towards the closet

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Maybe run the garage wall down a few extra feet like 5 feet and swap window towards the closet

View attachment 1040391

Hmm, that's a good point. It doesn't look like the other 2 are that much bigger at 18'7" either. Our largest vehicle right now is the GX, but I do want a truck in the future. I'll see what the builder says. Thanks!

Ps. This is exactly the feedback I'm looking for. This is our first house, and we are building it thousands of miles away. It's not our forever home, but we want to minimize the mistakes. We'll take this experience to the next build, which I'm hoping will be a full custom ICF on more land.

 

[Kbach]

Looking forward to following along with your build.

We are contemplating buying a lot in Colorado for our retirement home in the next couple of years and then building something semi-custom in 5-6 yrs. We won’t move there’s full time for 7-8 but can use it as a vaca house or something before we move there. The idea is that the nicer vacant lots are getting scarce where we are looking and while some of the houses we see in those areas are nice, they don’t check all of the boxes. In the end, we are hoping to be able to build what we want since in theory it will be our last house.

Good luck on the build!

 

[badgas]

After scouring So. Cal for a couple of years, and not finding anything we like at our pricepoint we decided to look towards N. Texas. We made 3 visits at different times of the year, spoke to friends who moved there 3 years ago, realtors, and people from my wife's work. Inventory has been crazy low over the past year, and we were tired of the bidding game, so we hooked up with my wife's CFO for a tour of new builds on the last trip. We decided that a new semi-custom build would be our best bet, and narrowed our choice down to two builders that our Realtor had good experiences with.

We loved 1 story models from both builders, but in the end, lot size and location was a deciding factor. One model would be built on an 8k sq foot lot that backed up to other back yards and the other on a 19k sq foot lot that backed up to green space. To me, that was a no-brainer to pay the lot premium.

In the end, we chose the smallest 1 story plan in Canyon Falls, which is a newer community where Argyle, Flower Mound, and Northlake come together. It's two of us, mid-30s, and two dogs with no plans for kids so the 3,200+ square feet should be fine. Below is the standard plan and elevation we chose. The A elevation isn't my favorite, but I figured the $15k upgrade to the elevation I wanted could be used in better places. The wife and I like the modern farmhouse look so we upgraded the brick to white with buff mortar, upgraded the shingles to black, and chose black trim.
View attachment 1040329

View attachment 1040330

Congratulations !

I have buddy who left So Cal for Little Elm TX near lewisville. He loves it and does not miss So cal

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Looking forward to following along with your build.

We are contemplating buying a lot in Colorado for our retirement home in the next couple of years and then building something semi-custom in 5-6 yrs. We won’t move there’s full time for 7-8 but can use it as a vaca house or something before we move there. The idea is that the nicer vacant lots are getting scarce where we are looking and while some of the houses we see in those areas are nice, they don’t check all of the boxes. In the end, we are hoping to be able to build what we want since in theory it will be our last house.

Good luck on the build!

Appreciate it! Yeah, we are getting tired of renting over here and want to ease into a more rural setting. It's a big community, but most of it is still dirt, and the nearest grocery store is 15 mins away. Big difference vs. Irvine.

There are a lot of unknowns with this build like where will I work if my job says no to moving again, will we close the next transaction before we finish the house, if we close the transaction and a buyer wants to lock me in for a year or two, will I be able to work remotely, etc. At this point, I think Texas real estate is a good gamble. Housing is booming in the area, and the worst case is we lose a little money in the short term should we decide to flip it and stay in CA. Another option is renting it out for a while, or just turning it into a rental property. Hopefully, everything turns out OK and we move right in and I have a well-paying job, but you never know.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Congratulations !

I have buddy who left So Cal for Little Elm TX near lewisville. He loves it and does not miss So cal

Thanks! We are super excited. I'll try to rope members and friends in to take pics as it progresses. Our lender bought the lot next to ours so we already know we have one good neighbor covered, and our RE agent closes on a house a few blocks away at the end of this month.

 

[pronstar]

Welcome to the area!


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[Done-it-again]

Awesome and congrats! looks like a killer place. Glad things are moving forward for you guys.....

For appliances...Check this place out, always seem to have very reasonable pricing. https://www.ajmadison.com/

You also need more electrical plugs, more the better.

We found a commercial place this morning and things are moving fast. I would lie if I wasn't little scared...

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Welcome to the area!


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Thanks, although it's going to be a long wait. Completion is estimated for June 2022. I'll have to get you, Havoc Powesports, 72 Hondo out once it's done for a get-together.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Awesome and congrats! looks like a killer place. Glad things are moving forward for you guys.....

For appliances...Check this place out, always seem to have very reasonable pricing. https://www.ajmadison.com/

You also need more electrical plugs, more the better.

We found a commercial place this morning and things are moving fast. I would lie if I wasn't little scared...

Thanks, I'll check them out. I already gave our builder a heads up on the electrical. I expect significant additions to the plan including 220 in the backyard for heaters, and garage for the Tesla and tools.

Great to hear you are moving forward! It's a little scary, but sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and hope for the best. The worst case is you lose some money and move back, not the end of the world.

 

[XX14]

We’re in San Antonio and built close to Canyon Lake. I did a five car with the double car being 40’ deep for boat purposes. If you might ever want to put a boat in the garage do 10’ high doors. I did a 15’ ceiling in so I can put in a car lift.

You have the lot to do it. I know you’re working on a pre done design but it might be worth doing it exactly the way you want it? I was paying $200 a month for indoor storage so I just decided to build that into my mortgage. Also prewired for a backup generator fir key circuits in the house. Tons of decisions to make. Good luck!


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[toto]

Congrats on the new Place and the move. We have been here for a little over. Year and love it. As far as the lakes go there are to many to count within and hour drive of your area. Our new thing is to hit a different lake every other weekend and it has been cool.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

We’re in San Antonio and built close to Canyon Lake. I did a five car with the double car being 40’ deep for boat purposes. If you might ever want to put a boat in the garage do 10’ high doors. I did a 15’ ceiling in so I can put in a car lift.

You have the lot to do it. I know you’re working on a pre done design but it might be worth doing it exactly the way you want it? I was paying $200 a month for indoor storage so I just decided to build that into my mortgage. Also prewired for a backup generator fir key circuits in the house. Tons of decisions to make. Good luck!


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I don't think I'll have room for the boat on the property for this build. I could always put a pad beside the house, but I don't think it would be good to keep it outside. I'd love to build something like @toto when we get a bigger lot.

House will be pre-wired for a whole home genny. That was a must-have after hearing about freeze this past year. Not sure if it will be more cost-effective to have the builder/electrical contractor do the install or do it after.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Congrats on the new Place and the move. We have been here for a little over. Year and love it. As far as the lakes go there are to many to count within and hour drive of your area. Our new thing is to hit a different lake every other weekend and it has been cool.

Appreciate it! You aren't too far, we'll have to do a lake day when we get settled.

 

[toto]

Appreciate it! You aren't too far, we'll have to do a lake day when we get settled.

Sounds good - Stay in touch and keep us posted on the build

 

[XX14]

I don't think I'll have room for the boat on the property for this build. I could always put a pad beside the house, but I don't think it would be good to keep it outside. I'd love to build something like @toto when we get a bigger lot.

House will be pre-wired for a whole home genny. That was a must-have after hearing about freeze this past year. Not sure if it will be more cost-effective to have the builder/electrical contractor do the install or do it after.

If you’re doing the whole home you probably do need special wiring inside. Think the jus tsp into the panel. This is the time to think about electric car charging and at least one 220 for a welder and plumbing for mini-splits in the garage.


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[Done-it-again]

Thanks, I'll check them out. I already gave our builder a heads up on the electrical. I expect significant additions to the plan including 220 in the backyard for heaters, and garage for the Tesla and tools.

Great to hear you are moving forward! It's a little scary, but sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and hope for the best. The worst case is you lose some money and move back, not the end of the world.

I agree, very much scary. Moving employees and life. At least I’m moving my business and don’t need to look for work, just got to
keep up projects/fab. Still will take some time and working out of 2 buildings.

 

[riverroyal]

Obviously none of my business what is this costing? I know nothing about texas

 

[Done-it-again]

Obviously none of my business what is this costing? I know nothing about texas

not speaking for the OP but from our research you are looking at 800-1mil.

our lot in hill country was 180k and the estimates on the build are $190-250 sq ft. Depending on upgrades above the lot price.

just need to watch the tax rates. They go anywhere from 1.7-3.5% and maybe higher. But that’s what I’ve seen.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

DIA is pretty much bang on for our house. We’re in the higher end “luxury” builders for the development, but in the smallest plan. Prices continue to climb but base was $712k and we are in the high 7s after lot premium, additional garage, etc. I expect another 10%, maybe more, after we do all the flooring, cabinet, hardware upgrades, etc. After that it’s building out the pool, landscaping, etc. You can get a nice house in a nice neighborhood in CF for $600k, but we want it our way with a better builder.

As an example, our friends have a nice 3,100 square foot two story on a 7k square foot lot, mid 90s build, pool, nice upgrades, remodeled, great neighborhood and excellent schools in South Flower Mound that they got three years ago for $430k. It’s now worth $580k. In OC their house is probably $1.4+…more if you are close to the beach or in Irvine.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Congrats on getting out of the USSR. However, seeing as you two are conservatives most likely, it’s too bad you don’t plan to multiply. It’s none of my business why but damn every time I look around it’s the hood rat libturds with 10 kids and people like us with none, 1 or 2.

Back to the build, looking forward to pics. We may be escaping Phoenix, aka East LA, for Utah, Idaho, TX or TN soon as well. Been browsing out of state quite a bit lately. Leaving the Colorado river lakes would be hard but there’s gotta be a better life somewhere out there than where we’re at now with a fine body of water to haul ass on.


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[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Congrats on getting out of the USSR. However, seeing as you two are conservatives most likely, it’s too bad you don’t plan to multiply. It’s none of my business why but damn every time I look around it’s the hood rat libturds with 10 kids and people like us with none, 1 or 2.

Back to the build, looking forward to pics. We may be escaping Phoenix, aka East LA, for Utah, Idaho, TX or TN soon as well. Been browsing out of state quite a bit lately. Leaving the Colorado river lakes would be hard but there’s gotta be a better life somewhere out there than where we’re at now with a fine body of water to haul ass on.


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Haha yes on being conservatives, and I know what you mean.

Good luck with your search! There isn’t going to be a perfect place, so the idea is to get enough money to have multiple houses in different places. Hopefully I’ll be able to execute on that plan.

 

[evantwheeler]

Hmm, that's a good point. It doesn't look like the other 2 are that much bigger at 18'7" either. Our largest vehicle right now is the GX, but I do want a truck in the future. I'll see what the builder says. Thanks!

Ps. This is exactly the feedback I'm looking for. This is our first house, and we are building it thousands of miles away. It's not our forever home, but we want to minimize the mistakes. We'll take this experience to the next build, which I'm hoping will be a full custom ICF on more land.

I bet you'd rather have that media room as additional garage space if you are truly not ever planning on having kids. Could always plan to enclosed that space later on when planning to sell, but it seems like another room that will never get used except to tell your friends you have a media room. We all know how little those get used, how little anyone truly cares that you have one, and it's just a status thing.

Congrats on the move and the new build. Look forward to following along!

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

I bet you'd rather have that media room as additional garage space if you are truly not ever planning on having kids. Could always plan to enclosed that space later on when planning to sell, but it seems like another room that will never get used except to tell your friends you have a media room. We all know how little those get used, how little anyone truly cares that you have one, and it's just a status thing.

Congrats on the move and the new build. Look forward to following along!

You bet right! That media room is actually going to be my gym if I can get it to fit. Right now 90% of our 2 car garage is filled with the rack, Peloton, dumbells, sandbags, heavy bag, etc. etc. Weights and rack will be moved to the media room, and cardio stuff will go in the converted formal dining room. I’ll still keep the heavy bag and strongman stuff in the garage. Almost every new build in TX has a media room, and I’ve heard it’s mostly because it’s cheap square footage for the builders. No plumbing and no windows. If I ever get enough money to get a 150” screen, nice theatre seating, and a 4k projector I’ll convert it back to a movie room.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

1. I want a freestanding tub, which means the builder has to do something to the foundation. Get that selection in early if you want it.
2. Appliances have massive lead times and are expensive as anything. I'm not sure what we'll do, but I wanted Wolf/Sub Zero stuff for this house but I'm waiting on information from the realtor on price/sq foot in the neighborhood, and to see where we end up with flooring, counters, etc. The standard stuff is Kitchenaide, so it isn't bad. We'll see.

We bought our freestanding tub from Ferguson...took about 6 weeks to get it. You need to pick one asap as many of them have unique plumbing configurations. Our is black copper.

We just got our SubZero fridge that we ordered and paid for in December at the beginning of this month. There is a damn good rebate right now FYI. The cooktop, downdraft, dishwasher, microwave, oven took about a month less. The drawer microwave is awesome btw.. I looked at the kitchen aid stuff but we knew what we wanted and didn't want to compromise. Make sure the cabinet people etc have your specs asap...we had some issues over the cabinet company not following them...

On the genset note...order it at least 6 months prior...there is a super long lead time on them right now. Mainly for the larger ATS. Looks like an epic house.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

We bought our freestanding tub from Ferguson...took about 6 weeks to get it. You need to pick one asap as many of them have unique plumbing configurations. Our is black copper.
View attachment 1041643

We just got our SubZero fridge that we ordered and paid for in December at the beginning of this month. There is a damn good rebate right now FYI. The cooktop, downdraft, dishwasher, microwave, oven took about a month less. The drawer microwave is awesome btw.. I looked at the kitchen aid stuff but we knew what we wanted and didn't want to compromise. Make sure the cabinet people etc have your specs asap...we had some issues over the cabinet company not following them...

On the genset note...order it at least 6 months prior...there is a super long lead time on them right now. Mainly for the larger ATS. Looks like an epic house.

That tub looks awesome! We have the tub picked, and are going with a floor mount fixture as well. Our tub is able to be seen from both sides so we had to pick one with no access panel on the back. "That limits options" I went square to match the modern decor and would have loved it in a color like yours. Unfortunately, ours only comes in white.

Appliances will be ordered ASAP once we have the builder meeting. The range size won't be an issue, but I'm not so sure about the fridge. Ideally, it will be at least 48" for the combo. I've got specs for all of the options so I'm ready immediately after the meeting. Subzero/Wolf/Cove definitely isn't a compromise. Well done. I just don't want to over-upgrade the house should we decide to sell in the near term. I'm still waiting on our RE agent for the current market specs.

Any brands you recommend for the Gen? I'm sure the builder/electrical contractor will have some input but I haven't done much research on this piece yet.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

That tub looks awesome! We have the tub picked, and are going with a floor mount fixture as well. Our tub is able to be seen from both sides so we had to pick one with no access panel on the back. "That limits options" I went square to match the modern decor and would have loved it in a color like yours. Unfortunately, ours only comes in white.

Appliances will be ordered ASAP once we have the builder meeting. The range size won't be an issue, but I'm not so sure about the fridge. Ideally, it will be at least 48" for the combo. I've got specs for all of the options so I'm ready immediately after the meeting. Subzero/Wolf/Cove definitely isn't a compromise. Well done. I just don't want to over-upgrade the house should we decide to sell in the near term. I'm still waiting on our RE agent for the current market specs.

Any brands you recommend for the Gen? I'm sure the builder/electrical contractor will have some input but I haven't done much research on this piece yet.

Totally understand that on overbuilding. I think we spent just shy of $30k on everything appliance wise. I more meant go with something nice even if its not "designer" so to speak. We have the 48..honestly its just about the perfect size. We still have a garage fridge for booze etc. The 48 doesn't look oversized like some of my friends fridge's. My in laws got the smaller version and after they were here this past week they regret not going bigger...they mentioned it several times lol. They get "bolted in" bc they are top heavy so the cabinets need certain things for that (extra wood strips from what I remember).

As far as genset you can't really go wrong with the Kohler or Generac options...get what you can have serviced by someone close...I've sold both. My recommendation is the 200a ATS, with as big of a unit as your wallet can take. It's a chunk of change...might as well have it run as much as possible. Shoot me a pm next week (im in havasu till Sunday, and will forget about it between now and then) and I'll let you know current wholesale on Kohler so you can negotiate it with your installer. IDK if I still have generac pricing active.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Totally understand that on overbuilding. I think we spent just shy of $30k on everything appliance wise. I more meant go with something nice even if its not "designer" so to speak. We have the 48..honestly its just about the perfect size. We still have a garage fridge for booze etc. The 48 doesn't look oversized like some of my friends fridge's. My in laws got the smaller version and after they were here this past week they regret not going bigger...they mentioned it several times lol. They get "bolted in" bc they are top heavy so the cabinets need certain things for that (extra wood strips from what I remember).

As far as genset you can't really go wrong with the Kohler or Generac options...get what you can have serviced by someone close...I've sold both. My recommendation is the 200a ATS, with as big of a unit as your wallet can take. It's a chunk of change...might as well have it run as much as possible. Shoot me a pm next week (im in havasu till Sunday, and will forget about it between now and then) and I'll let you know current wholesale on Kohler so you can negotiate it with your installer. IDK if I still have generac pricing active.

View attachment 1041671

Beautiful install. I don't think I've seen one with the water fill in front. Pretty cool.

I'll definitely shoot you a PM. I always assumed you were in the solar biz.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Beautiful install. I don't think I've seen one with the water fill in front. Pretty cool.

I'll definitely shoot you a PM. I always assumed you were in the solar biz.

I am/was. I sold my company in June. Most of my career was split between Energy Projects (solar/efficiency aka whole home solutions), and workforce/multifamily development. Ive shifted back into consulting the later...got burnt out on solar. In Texas roughly 20% of our customers installed a genset or battery backup with their solar.. Only reason we don't have one on our house there is bc we are on the hospital grid and won't get cut unless its physical damage. We never lost power in the last deal.

The water fill/ice fill is a must for kids. We didn't want the kids opening the door over and over.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

I am/was. I sold my company in June. Most of my career was split between Energy Projects (solar/efficiency aka whole home solutions), and workforce/multifamily development. Ive shifted back into consulting the later...got burnt out on solar. In Texas roughly 20% of our customers installed a genset or battery backup with their solar.. Only reason we don't have one on our house there is bc we are on the hospital grid and won't get cut unless its physical damage. We never lost power in the last deal.

The water fill/ice fill is a must for kids. We didn't want the kids opening the door over and over.

Btw, is solar a viable option in TX? I’d think hail would destroy panels…

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Btw, is solar a viable option in TX? I’d think hail would destroy panels…

Solar panels are far more resilient than you would think. As far as viability...it depends on your utility and its net metering policy. Some areas in TX is a decent ROI, others I wouldn't install bc the ROI is non existent. The issue with texas utilities vs lets say SoCAL or HI is that the usage is massive...and to negate that takes large systems which take a lot of roof space. Texas builds tend to have many different roof faces/pitches etc..it's an installation nightmare much of the time. We did a lot of ground mounts because of this. If its something you decide to do ill connect you with a couple good installers to talk to.

 

[pronstar]

^^^ I’ll add that solar ROI is faster when electricity is expensive.

But it’s dirt cheap here…I pay just 9 cents/kWh

But we do use a fuckton of electricity in the summer.
Over 6,000 kWh last month, our downstairs AC unit runs over 20 hours/day.


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[rivermobster]

Interwebs notes...

I know these days wireless is the thing, but it should wouldn't hurt to wire the whole house with either CAT5e or even CAT6 outlets.

Figure where your main router will go, and then add a switch panel right there. Everything in a nice little cabinet or closet will help out your resale I'm thinking.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Solar panels are far more resilient than you would think. As far as viability...it depends on your utility and its net metering policy. Some areas in TX is a decent ROI, others I wouldn't install bc the ROI is non existent. The issue with texas utilities vs lets say SoCAL or HI is that the usage is massive...and to negate that takes large systems which take a lot of roof space. Texas builds tend to have many different roof faces/pitches etc..it's an installation nightmare much of the time. We did a lot of ground mounts because of this. If its something you decide to do ill connect you with a couple good installers to talk to.

I appreciate the insight. I'm an A/C fiend, 60 degrees at night every night, so I'm prepping myself for a massive bill. My 2 bed 2 bath 1270 sq ft rental is north of $400/mo. in the summer so I can't imagine what it's going to be there with extra square footage and a pool.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Interwebs notes...

I know these days wireless is the thing, but it should wouldn't hurt to wire the whole house with either CAT5e or even CAT6 outlets.

Figure where your main router will go, and then add a switch panel right there. Everything in a nice little cabinet or closet will help out your resale I'm thinking.

Yep, good call. I already gave the builder a heads up that I want cat 6 throughout the house and terminated in the AV closet behind the media room. I'm tired of the Nest/Wyze cams I have and want a real security system.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

^^^ I’ll add that solar ROI is faster when electricity is expensive.

But it’s dirt cheap here…I pay just 9 cents/kWh

But we do use a fuckton of electricity in the summer.
Over 6,000 kWh last month, our downstairs AC unit runs over 20 hours/day.


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Very true...I wouldn't even consider solar when power is in that range. I think we pay right at $0.10 kWh in NBU. NBU sucks ass when it comes to Net Metering so it just was never worth doing on this house. Same reason I decided against doing it in Havasu. When I first started working in TX in 2015 I had to get past the massive consumption...I'd never seen numbers like that. Back in HI my average customer was like 650 kWh a month lol

Radiant barrier should be on your list if you don't have it already...it will drop run time.

 

[Done-it-again]

@Xtrmwakeboarder you guys doing spray foam insulation? visited a few models that had the attic done and wow what difference, running about 10 degree hotter than the house....

 

[pronstar]

Radiant barrier should be on your list if you don't have it already...it will drop run time.

I’m not familiar with this yet.
Would that be for all exterior walls and ceiling?


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[Ace in the Hole]

I’m not familiar with this yet.
Would that be for all exterior walls and ceiling?


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There are two versions of it, one is built into the decking of the roof (semi effective). The other is a reinforced aluminum product (comes in rolls of 1k feet), its actually pretty cool stuff, with a long warranty. It will drop the attic temp in a traditionally insulated home significantly. https://www.energyefficientsolutions.com is the source..arma foil is the product. I have an account with them if you decide to order for discount. You just staple it up (simple explanation). I've got a few rolls in havasu that I intend to put up when I come for thanksgiving.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

@Xtrmwakeboarder you guys doing spray foam insulation? visited a few models that had the attic done and wow what difference, running about 10 degree hotter than the house....

We have it in our house...will never build another house without it. Our walls/attic etc are all done, my attic is essentially the same temp as my house. It is super popular in our area of TX. @Xtrmwakeboarder I'd recommend looking into this.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

@Xtrmwakeboarder you guys doing spray foam insulation? visited a few models that had the attic done and wow what difference, running about 10 degree hotter than the house....

I pulled the standard features. It looks like I have some form of radiant barrier on the roof and blown-in insulation in the ceiling.
I'll have to see if spray foam insulation is an option during the builder meeting, but I'm definitely making sure my garage is insulated. Any suggestions on insulating interior walls? I've heard that's a good upgrade.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

I pulled the standard features. It looks like I have some form of radiant barrier on the roof and blown-in insulation in the ceiling.
I'll have to see if spray foam insulation is an option during the builder meeting, but I'm definitely making sure my garage is insulated. Any suggestions on insulating interior walls? I've heard that's a good upgrade.

You will need to request it for the garage...its not a common deal to have insulation in garages in TX for some reason. Overall their insulation is pretty standard (good) for texas. If you can do foam great if not you will be fine. You should make sure to have some kind of powered attic ventilation...solar attic fans are super popular in Texas and help keep traditional attics temps down.

It helps with sound and kids...we have solid doors and insulated interior walls. I can watch tv etc in the living room and not wake the baby.

 

[240Hallett]

Another garage option is to extend into bedroom three unless you’re stuck on having a four bedroom for resale or multiple guests.