Getting ready to start building (hopefully)

[TritonGlenn]

Well... we finally found a piece of property we like in San Antonio TX, and after looking through several hundred homes without finding a garage big enough for my boat with a floorplan we liked... we have decided to build our own.



When my wife goes "all out", she really goes "all out". The floor plan we chose was by Pulte homes and is called the "Bombach". 3966 square feet of "home". And a dream garage that any self-respecting fishman should love to have. My garage will be long enough to house my 20 foot bassboat still connected to my Dodge Ram Quad Cab, with my wifes Jeep parked next to it... and space left over to put my rod racks, tool chests, etc...



Here is the floorplan (Check out that huge garage with the bump out in back for my boat - the main part - not including the bump out - is 35 feet deep!):

This will be our first "new construction", and at a cost of $375K, will probably be our "only" :lol: I'm not sure what something this size goes for in your neck of the woods, but in my current location, I'd be looking at well over half a million - probably closer to $650K... but I don't know because I haven't seen anything like this around here.



There aren't many options - this baby comes "fully loaded" - granite countertops, ceramic tile, premium everything from the very start - that is why we decided to go wtih this builder.



Whew! I'm nervous now! Never done this before! :unsure: It is scheduled to be completed by July, and we should close in August. Perfect timing.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Jeff Cozadd]

Sounds great. A wee bit out of my league... I think the garage kick out is an excellent feature, I really like the idea. Good Luck with everything.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Wow Glenn! That looks awsome. A little out of my league too and also way too big for Nancy and I. I'd get lost in there That big a place also means that you'll have a place to stay for any of your N.T.O.W.S. brethren visiting the Alamo and/or fishing. Looks good Glenn!!!



Uncle Billy

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Super nice but, can you put the pics in your library and post it?

These dam firewalls are RPITA.

 

[TritonGlenn]

It's actually probably too large for just Kathy, D'Artagnan and I, but to get into the neighborhood we wanted, using the builder we wanted to use, and being able to house the boat (no boats outside per homeowners association), it was necessary.



There were only 4 floor plans available through this builder in the portion of the neighborhood we wanted, and the smallest of the 4 was 2904 square feet (the Bowen). The next size up was the Guadalupe at 3323 square feet, and that was the original floor plan we were looking at. Unfortunately, the boat would not fit in the garage, and they would not modify that plan to add the needed length to the garage on either the Guadalupe, or the Bowen, and we really weren't interested in the Bowen anyway. There is actually one floor plan larger than ours - the Dietrich - at a whopping 4429 square feet!



I actually felt bad about having to look for a house with a garage big enough to store my boat, and actually offered to sell my boat to make things easy. My wife replied that if we are going to spend this kind of money (the cheapest one was $320K), we just as well go "all out" and get exactly what we want this time - no compromising on either the house features or neighborhood, as we have unfortunately had to do every single time in the past.



I made sure Kathy knew my plans - this is my "retirement" home - we aren't putting this kind of money down on something we are going to sell in a few years. She's actually cool with that, which makes me real happy. We have been moving every couple of years with the Navy, and I'm tired of doing it. I hate moving. I want to settle down in one spot. San Antonio seems like a great place to do just that.



Tee,

I'll see what I can do when I get home today. The Navy computers do the same thing - red x's instead of pictures.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[TritonGlenn]

Uncle Billy,

As always, my NTOWS brethren are always welcome in my home. We have anticipated that fact and installed heavy duty ventilation fans in the guest bathrooms - a preventative measure prior to Toxic's first visit. :lol:

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Berry Lindley]

Glenn, My Parents built a few houses in their day so I heard of all their woes. Stay all over the builder and watch out for low quality stuff (fixtures, appliances subflooring, etc)and the property preparations ie drainage work. Even the best builders are in it to make money, and cutting on materials is one of the easiest ways to do it. After stuff is already done is a little late to try to change it. It looks like a nice plan. Only thing I see if I'm looking at this correctly is it's a front end loader, that will make you keep the garage clean and the doors down....Does make it easier to stuff the boat in. Good luck with the project.

 

[Aroldo Hernandez]

I guess that I will be seeing u at Falcon.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Berry,

We actually have some very good things going for us regarding the building. Although I am still living in VA, my wife is already in San Antonio, and she's so excited about the house, I'd be willing to bet she will be taking pictures of it all the time throughout the building stages. We have already made plans to have our own personally hired inspector go over everything after the framing is done, but before the drywall is put into place - therefore ensuring nothing is "hidden" and thus "too late" to fix.



We chose this builder because of their reputation in the San Antonio area as being one of the premier building companies there. We asked about fixture upgrades, etc... (asking if what was in the model was "standard" or an option), and we were told that everything in the model was "standard", which was already of a high quality. I do appreciate the warnings, and we will do our best to watch them closely. I'm in total agreeance with you - especially for the price we have to shell out for it. It is a "front-end loader" as you said, but where my house will be doesn't really allow people to get a good look. Plus, my garage is really MY home - the rest of the house is for my wife and son. :lol: I keep my garage fairly clean.



Ace4u,

You got it! Keep an eye out for a white Triton TR-20X with a black stripe... somewhere around September of this year!



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Bill McElroy]

That's awesome Glenn,..glad you have an inspector lined up prior to drywalling!! Some of the Pulte homes around here were thrown up so fast, there's major flaws that have developed after the foundations have settled. I looked at a couple several years ago when I was house shopping, and both of them were less than 10 yrs old and had major cracks in the walls and ceilings. (One crack was 1/2" wide!!) A GOOD contractor means everything.....plus..in TX you won't have the ground swelling and freezing like we do up here...probably a BIG difference when when it comes to foundations settling! Good luck...your garage will be awesome....make it your own man-cave!!

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Glenn - One suggestion as the walls, electrical and plumbing are going up and prior to drywall. Either take a digital camera or video recorder and go to everyone room and nook and cranny and take pictures (and talk if using video). If you ever need to get behind a wall for any reason you will know where everything is. Not every builder routes electrical lines and plumbing the same way and don't forget about video feeds for that 73 inch LCD flat panel TV I know you will be buying for your game room (LOL) Build the sound system lines into the room before the drywall goes up also.



Looks great!

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

Looks like an awesome floorplan.

A couple of my friends have built houses and their best idea has been to overdo it with the electrical outlets, you can't have to many.

I've got to get me one of those garages!

 

[Randy Walls]

My neighbor just added on a FULL two story addition of over 2500 square feet to his home. It is HUGE! To top it off he now has a three double door garage that is 65 feet wide by 24 deep! WTF!:huh: He has lots of toys!



Too much money!



Randy!

 

[TrepMan]

Glen - Great looking place and an amazing garage!!



on the inspector, if you can swing it make sure he/she is not just a certified "home" inspector but idealy a licensed Professional Structural Engineer too. They are a little harder to find and a bit more pricey, but well worth it if you are going to stay in the place long term. My wife is a structural PE and did work for a few commerical and residential builders over the years, the things she showed me in 750k - 1M homes that passed city "Inspection" and were missed by "home" inspectors were amazing. Not saying your guy isn't a great builder and the inspector isn't good either, just recommendations. We saw one over $500k home where the builder and inspectors has approved the location of the attic heating/cooling unit, even though it was out of spec, and if my wife hadn't caught it, 4-5 years later the master ceiling and beams would have bowed and ruined the ceiling.



Good luck, and keep us up on pics!



Trep

 

[TritonGlenn]

Thank you all very much on the suggestions and well-wishes. PLEASE keep them coming. I'm writing everything down, so that I don't forget your suggestions. A friend of mine commented tonight that I should ensure that I have enough 20 amp breaker dedicated "one of" lines in the garage - boat battery chargers, deep freezer, and my brand new heavy duty stand-up compressor (that last one is a future buy) will be in there. I also commented to my wife about the sound system wiring that Bill brought up. We are going to do that too.



Great comment on the Structural Engineer Trep. I'll look into that. Our realtor seems very "on the ball" regarding inspections, etc... I'll mention it to her and see what she comes up with.



My wife and our realtor are going over to our lot tomorrow, and will be discussing quite a bit with the builder. She asked me tonight what colors I wanted (carpet, paint, ceramic tile, Granite countertops, etc...). I said "I don't know... what can we pick from?" She then replied that she didn't have access to the samples via the internet, and asked if I would "trust her judgement". Heck. Why not? I told her to go ahead and just pick what she likes. Hope she picks something I like!



All the best,

Glenn

 

[TrepMan]

Glen - "if I would "trust her judgement". Heck. Why not? ", best choice you can have!! I have learned my taste stinks! I bought an antique couch from a neighboor moving a few years back while Beka was at her sisters, I thought it looked great and matched our living room, she HATED it! Since I got it for $100 she could not complain though!!



We had this discussion last week as we are planning on them moving back in the summer, and i'll end up here a few more months. Due to the currency restrictions and the way it works i'll end up with thousands of $$ left in local chinese currency I can NOT take back to the US, so I will have to buy stuff to ship. Beka said she'd like some nice furniture, and I said "you do NOT want me picking it out!!" She said I was right, and she'd order it before she leaves and have me pay and have it shipped home!



Trep

 

[Luke Musto2]

Glenn,

That will be a beautiful home.. Congratulations and good luck with it.. The only suggestion I have would be to consider wiring a generator directly into the panel box as its being built..



I live in the Adirondacks and just retrofitted one into our home. With all the ice storms and trees that might blow down in this area it makes sense.. Not sure if you hace sever weather in that area as I have never been to Texas, but it might be something to look into..

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Just a couple of thinggs....



Aux Heat/cooling for the Garage.



Water, both wall and sink in Garage.



Floor Drains and waterproof wallboard in the Garage.



220 outlet in Garage.



Now for the rest of the house.....



Pre-wired security, video capable.



Perimiter lighting.





Oh and by the way, there hasn't been a bathroom fan built yet that can handle me!!



I'll keep thinking....



TOXIC

 

[Texas Transplant]

About the pictures. I have every concievable picuture, from every angle of my first house. Lived in it 7 years. Never used any of the pics. My personal opinion, don't waste the time.



Sounds like you are getting a good one. Now, after you get down here, we'll have to make sure and hook up. As a reminder, I'm on Lake Palestine in E. Texas - and also about 75 minutes to Lake Fork.



Tex

 

[Texas Transplant]

My other comment about building a new home.



First home I built, I went out to almost every day.



Second home I built, I went out to once a week or so.



Third house I was building (had to back out part way through construction), I went out once every couple of weeks.



If I ever build another home, I'll show up when it's finished to inspect it.



Good luck, and I'm sure that the finished product, will be very nice. Love the looks of that garage.



Tex

 

[TritonGlenn]

Luke,

FANTASTIC idea. We actually planned on putting one in our current home a few years back, but never did it. Hurricanes and Hail Storms are my primary concern in this new area from what I hear. I called my wife a few mintutes ago to have that addressed. Thanks for the reminder! That is a "necessity". I greatly appreciate your comment.



Tox,

The garage has water - the utility room (washer / dryer area) is on the other side of the back wall, so that was an easy addition. Floor drains and waterproof wallboard were not discussed yet, but I like the idea. I don't think they will do floor drains though. The area is very "hard" - limestone, etc... I don't know the feasability of floor drains in that area.



The home is pre-wired for and comes with a security system. I don't want them to install perimeter lighting because I've never seen a company that could actually do it right - I'll do that myself. There is also a sprinkler system that comes standard.



I knew you were going to say that about the bathroom fan, but I'm one step ahead of you. I mentioned to the builder that I was friends with Scott Hammer, and that you might be stopping by now and then, so they have arranged to have one of those large attic fans installed in the guest bathroom - just for you brother! :lol:



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

:lol::lol::lol: Until you move up to the NASCAR Wind Tunnel testing speeds, you are flirtin with disaster!!



The reason I say floor drains is a buddy of mine has them and they just use PVC and dump down the sides of the driveway. That way with the waterproof wallboard and water, he can wash his vehicles in all types of weather and not worry about moldy wallboards, etc. Of course he is in Nebraska and it does get rathere chilly there!! He washes year round.



TOXIC

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Uncle Billy,

As always, my NTOWS brethren are always welcome in my home. We have anticipated that fact and installed heavy duty ventilation fans in the guest bathrooms - a preventative measure prior to Toxic's first visit.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Now, that IS planning



Uncle Billy

 

[TritonGlenn]

OK... just got off the phone with my wife after she picked our colors. She is going to send me color samples tonight via email, but I got the basic idea -



Light colors inside. She picked a light cream colored ceramic tile border, along with a ligher colored main tile. She said maple colored cabinets. That sounds very light colored, but she said it wasn't "too" light. She went with a lighter colored granite too - kind of like a sand color for the base, with mixed in colors of darker sand, browns, and reddish colored marbled pieces in it from what I gather. The carpet is going to be a light goldish-brown color. We have that color in my house right now, and it wears really well.



The front of the house is a "stone" front - it's a light colored stone. However, for the remainder of the house, she chose red brick, which is my favorite brick color. I was concerned that the light colored stone on the front would be too much contrast with the red brick, but she said she has seen it on a model and it looks great, so I'm once again trusting her judgement. I'm sure it will look wonderful. I'm just wondering how the two colors will blend / contrast. All of our appliances are stainless steel finish.



We ended up adding the rear covered patio option, substituted a jetted tub to replace the standard garden tub in the master bath, and we are having it plumbed for a water softener (lots of limestone there - hard water). Everything else we asked for was "standard", which is really suprising compared to other builders in the area - in which everything was "optional". We were told that most everything was standard from the beginning, but we were waiting for the big bombs to drop today and start hearing, "Optional, optional, optional, optional"... But from what my wife tells me, they stuck by their original statement.



I can't wait to see color samples tonight. I know, I know... a man wanting to see color samples.... :unsure: :lol:



Sorry for all the posts.... I'm just excited since I've never owned a house that we had build just for us.



All the best,

Glenn