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I will agree with Gary about the foam in exterior walls. My brother in law built a 4000 sq ft house with 2x6 exterior walls. foamed all exterior walls, then in the attic foamed bottom of roof decking even with rafters. On top of sheetrock for ceiling foam it 1 inch thick then blew in insulation on top of that. Has a 16 seer a/c. his electric bills have ranged in the summer in North Tx 100- 130. That's is very good for our area.
That's what I was planning until @dnkhoward2 opened the discussion on steel sip panels which appears to negate the need for additional insulation. Lot's to consider.
Another thing I'm looking for is to use something other than a regular old water heater. I'd like to use something like the tankless on-demand water heater or whatever else might be better. However, I've had no personal experience with anything but the regular old water heater. So, I'm hoping someone has personal experience with the other types of water heaters and is willing to share. I've been all over the internet researching but I haven't found any source that I can truly trust. So, I am relying on you all trustworthy people.
My last house in Florida had a solar water heater. It's sort of like a solar system for a pool. I had to switch back to a regular water heater because my well kept destoying it with all the calcium in the water and it was just cheaper to deal with.
That's just the thing with the tankless, the solar, and the like. It's a great idea, but servicing them is ALOT more expensive than just throwing away and old water heater and spending $400 for a new one. That's why I switched back to a conventional.
Wonderful...just not a great endorsement for the alternatives but what I'm looking for, personal experience.
By the way, I found a manufacturer and installer of the steel (sip) relatively close to me. The sales rep will be here in a couple weeks to personally meet with me. Are all sip's created equal or should I be concerned that these guys could be selling inferior products?
No they are not all created equal. Ask them what brand they use and do a little homework on that brand. Structall is a great product.
Concerning the design, I wanted to give you a heads up on this. That builder probably has some home plans they have used before, and if you find one you like and will suit your needs that's great. But most of the time that is not the case. If you have a plan (blueprint) in mind, you can always send that blueprint out to an architect that is knowledgeable on drawing steel sip structures and have your builder build that for you. They may try to push you in a direction to build something they are familiar with but if that doesn't work for yo just stick to your guns and have them build what you want.
The way these things are designed makes it difficult, but not impossible for a hip style roof. Gable and shed work best. But with gable, since there is no attic, it makes for an enormous ceiling height if you have a high pitched roof. If you have an idea of what you want let me know and I will try to point you in the right direction on a plan or designer that would be compatable with steel sips.
Great stuff you're doing for me here and I really appreciate it. Appears that Structall is what this guy sells. So, it sounds like we're on the right track. So no attic. I really don't care for that. I want a gable roof but never considered I wouldn't have an attic.
Morning MWinfrey and you're welcome. I was doing a little digging yesterday and I saw some pictures of a steel sip home with a gable roof. So they're out there.
The reason there is no attic is that trusses aren't used. It might sound strange but you will like the overall finished product. It's a very stong and efficient system. Just talk to the rep about the concerns you have and the design you want and I am sure there will be something out there to meet your desires.
