Celebrating 19 Years of Excellence
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Celebrating 19 Years of Excellence
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Questions and Answers for Designing Your Multi-Facetted Home
Now that you are thinking about the design phase of your new home, your questions will be getting more specific, as you will have certain aspects to consider and decide upon. We hope this additional information will be helpful to you...
Q. What about my foundation? A. Your new home's foundation will be specified and detailed in your custom-design architectural plans. This will be up to your choice... You can easily assemble a Multi-Facetted Home shell on any kind of foundation you like, including a concrete pad, or a post & pier foundation. Depending on your (and/or your builder's) preference, there are a variety of materials you might prefer to use for your foundation and/or subfloor. In helping you to create the custom-home of your choice, we leave those options open, so you can make that decision based on your personal preferences and budget considerations. Our designer and architectural staff can assist you with information regarding various foundation materials you might want to use, including cost estimates. If you would like to keep your home termite and rot-resistant throughout, you may wish to consider a concrete pad foundation, which would also save you quite a bit on your overall construction budget. If you want to build a post & pier foundation, and still retain termite-resistance throughout your new home, you may want to consider using All-Heart Redwood. We carry the lumber in our stock, and will be happy to provide you with an estimate or proposal on using Redwood for your foundation and/or lanai, stairs, railings, etc.
Q. What about Hurricane Insurance for Single-Wall homes? Because we give you some choices with ordering single- or double-wall construction, we've received some questions about the recent guideline changes by some of Hawaii carriers' regarding single-wall constructed homes... These changes will not affect any Multi-Facetted Homes we are producing, and here is why: Homes built before 1994 will no longer be eligible for continued hurricane coverage unless they show that they meet current building code standards. These homes can get insurance if architecturally approved for the current UBC codes, or retro-fitted and architecturally approved to current code standards. Homes built after 1994 will be eligible for insurance as long as they are permitted, verifying that they are constructed up to the standards of the current building codes. Multi-Facetted Homes are (and have
always been) engineered for hurricane conditions well above the
(Hawaii and UBC) building code requirements. And due to our
higher quality of materials, construction and engineering specs, both our
double-wall and our single-wall homes have Approved Status with the Hawaii
Building Departments. We also guarantee - through our Hawaii
licensed architectural firm - building code compliance on every home package
that we provide. For more details about the structural superiority that
goes into our homes, you can click here.
Q. So, what about single-wall construction? How does it compare with double-wall, and which should I choose? A. As long as you will be living in a relatively temperate climate area, it's really a matter of personal preference. Once your new home is completed, the overall finished cost of each wall will end up being about the same, either way. Because of the superior quality of materials used in Multi-Facetted Homes, we have County approval to offer you your choice of either or both types of interior wall siding. You can find more specific information about this on our Structural Materials Information page. You will have your choice of Single- or Double-Wall Construction, or you can have a combination of both - with some variety in different parts/rooms of your new home. Here is a description of the 3 options:
1) Single-Wall: Many people enjoy and appreciate the beauty and charm of natural wood interiors. Photos will enlarge for detail if you click them.
You can see both of the two grades of Port Orford Cedar in this next photo... The STK is used on the ceiling, and the clear can be seen on the "walls" of this cupola: Our framing members (rafters, studs) are all-heart redwood, which gives an attractive contrast to the light cedar.
2) Double-Wall: It may be your personal preference to have sheet-rock or other interior wall paneling for all, or part, of your new home.
3) Another Option for Double-Wall Construction:
Q. This interior double Cedar looks like an expensive option -- How much would it cost in comparison to regular single-wall or double-wall construction using sheetrock? A. Cost-wise, just about the same! Using the STK cedar as an extra layer of interior paneling will come out to a similar finished price range as single-wall construction, or double-wall using sheetrock. This is because you will not have the labor costs of taping, texturing, sealing and brush-painting. You can apply the T&G cedar fairly quickly, and just spray the clear finish on. If instead of the STK, you want to use the clear grade cedar, your finished cost will be somewhat higher than for a sheetrock installation. Also of interest in cost-estimating... A home
with more windows will require less interior paneling than one with fewer
windows (more wall area), so that means a lower overall cost for interior
paneling. We can give you exact pricing for whatever home design you may
plan to build.
Q. I like the big center skylight in the Hale-12 ... Can you frame for Skylights in a Hale-8? A. Yes, but not in the center. The Hale-12 comes with a custom-made 6' diameter 12-sided central skylight, but that is not an engineered option for the Hale-8 roof system. If you want to add skylight(s) in the Hale-8, we can frame for a rectangular skylight(s) that you will supply. Usually a 2' x 4' skylight will work well, framed into a roof panel. Here is a sample of an 18" x 4' skylight installed in a Hale-8 roof panel:
Another overhead option for the Hale-8 is the roof-top Cupola:
Some folks like the Cupola, as an optional decorative look. The Cupola is panelized and comes with a standard allotment of 4 sides of louver windows. The windows add to the Hale-8's airflow and light, in addition to your home's doors and windows.
Q. So, will I need a Cupola for the extra ventilation? A. No..... The Cupola provides great air flow, but is not necessary. Roof vents are generally selected for ventilation. This, along with your windows, provides your home with the amount of air flow you desire. For our home packages we offer 3 types of roof venting.
During your design phase, we assist you with venting options and help you to evaluate the quantity and type of roof vents you may want to have, depending upon the climate factors at your individual building site.
Q. Can I install a Water Catchment System with these homes? A. Yes -- This is very easy to do. A water catchment system makes great use of the abundance of natural rainfall, to provide a readily available water source, that you can access on-demand.
All you need to do is to install regular rain gutters on your eaves. Then, instead of letting your rainfall just pour out through the downspouts and onto the ground.... You will attach a pipe to the end of the downspout and route it over to (the top of) a catchment tank, for receiving and holding your water supply. You will run a pipe out of the bottom of your tank and back over to your home, and install a pressure water pump. Then whenever you turn on your faucets, the pump will activate (due to drop in water pressure in the line) and this will send pressurized water from your tank to wherever you need it. There are a number of different types of catchment tanks, and we believe it is most hygienic/safest to get one of the enclosed type of tanks, so that no foreign particles or droppings will make their way into your water tank. Some are made of certified food-grade materials, which is a benefit even if you don't plan to use your catchment water for drinking purposes. Periodic maintenance is minimal, and helps to keep your water supply clean. An added measure that is simple and economical is to install an inline UV light on your water pipe near the entrance of the water flowing into your home. This will assure that no bacteria or micro-organisms can enter your home's water that you will be using for bathing, dishes, cooking, etc. Water catchment gives you control over the purity of your home's water supply. You may also want to look into types of roofing that will be safe over the long run as the catchment surface for your household water supply. For some more information on Roofing, click here.
Q.
With all the open woodworking, how do you
install electrical wiring and light fixtures in these homes?
A.
It is very easy to do these installations. Your electrician
will have no problem wiring the light fixtures of your choice, professionally and
discretely. Click here for more
information on electrical installations.
Q.
What about installing plumbing?
A. Plumbing installations are standard. Whether you build single- or double-wall, or a combination of both, the plumbing is done no differently in a Multi-Facetted Home, than what you are already accustomed to seeing. Click here for more information
on plumbing installations.
You may have additional specific design questions for your new home. . . Please call us for any additional help that we can provide to you, in planning and designing your new Multi-Facetted home!
~ Made in Hawaii ~
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~ Celebrating 19 Years of
Excellence ~ Last modified on 07/14/2008. |
