Week 7

This week we decided on an architect - CW Design in Renton WA. We like the ideas that the architect, Bill Bertch, had for some of the things we face such as the bonus room (move bath room closer to stairs so that the room could be easily converted to 2 rooms). His price was reasonable at $1.25/sqft. We meet with Bill next Tuesday to discuss the project.

I talked with the AquaQuip pool guy - Jim Bergstrom - about the pool room. He said that a wood floor would not be best; most people use concrete due to durability and the easier contouring for water drainage. So, we're back to a concrete slab.

He also said that the pool and spa sizes, and their clearances, would be fine in the room. He explained how the pool is constructed: It's first thing installed on a new home site; ground is excavated, pool and spa positioned, leveled and backfilled with sand; water is added and allowed to sit for two weeks to settle the units; concrete pump slab of 4' x 9' is poured (pump can be upto 70 feet from pool); concrete slab in pool room is poured and contoured using a concrete contractor that has specific knowledge of pool installation; pool plumbing and electrical is installed.

The water that is originally put in pool for leveling is what remains even when we move in and start using it! It's about 12,000 gallons and is added over the course of two days using a garden hose. It gives the well pump a good work-out! The framing contractor has to work around the pool, so he usually will place plywood cover over it. After construction the pool company comes out and cleans out the debris and cleans the pool and water.

Our pool room layout, and its tight quarters, doesn't allow for an automatic rail cover system. I don't think we want a cover, anyway, because the pool is meant to be a focal point of the house - why cover it up. Supposed to be energy efficient. I guess if we have $1000/mo energy bills I have to rethink it. He said there are floating covers available, and some sort of liquid cover that helps retain the heat. This is a decision that's made after move-in!

I also talked to Jim about the ducting. He said most people use ceiling suspended tubular duct work. So I emailed the dehumidifier engineer (Mitch with Dehumidifier Corp) about HVAC ducting. He said that suspended ducting around the full perimeter makes sense as long as air blows over the glass surfaces. He said that a novel product to consider is DuctSox because it is lightweight and offers excellent air dispersal. So I started talking with the local DuctSox rep. He said sox, which is a fabric covered plastic bag like material, was better than sheet metal because it does great for full room dispersal, but also that it doesn't promote mold growth. One drawback I learned, though, is that when air isn't running through the sox it droops; not sure I want to be looking at a droopy bag hanging from the ceiling! Anyway, sox is expensive at around $25/linear foot for a 14" diameter tube. For my 30' x 35' room (130 feet) that's around $3200 plus installation. I think we'll be using standard tubular sheet metal ducting. I need to call an HVAC company and get an approximate cost for ducting.

Jim is working up a proposal for the pool & spa - I'll need to be sitting down when that one arrives!

I heard from Huard Septic, they will be starting the septic design next Tuesday. I told them about the pool because it needs to be taken into account when designing the drainfield - there's a setback requirement. I also sent them the Site Layout that I put together, this will help them in placement of the drainfield - I hope that the land supports a drainfield that is down below the property center, since I want to position the house above the center.

Week 6

Again, not much to report. Met with two more architects, one in Bothell WA the other in Renton. They both seem very qualified, and come recommended by my UBuildIt team. The one in Bothell (JM Consulting) was able to get me a proposal back in just a few short hours. He prices his work at $2.50/sqft - which comes to around $8000. The other (CW Design) is preparing a proposal and will have it ready next week.

Not entirely sure which way I'll go - I do know I can't afford the $30K that the premiere firm in Seattle wants. With the UBuildIt guys help I feel confident that I can get a good design and permits package put together by either firm. I'm leaning towards the Renton firm because they are located more conveniently to my home, work and new house - I expect we'll be meeting about six times and the architect will likely visit the site a couple times during the process.

I spoke with AquaQuip Pool salesman yesterday. I sent him the current iteration of the main floor plan showing pool and spa. He's going to get back to me next week to discuss any problems or concerns he sees in what I've drawn up.

I was thinking about the floor material to use in the pool room. The architects have asked me what material I was planning on and I said concrete, but I'm now thinking it will be cheaper to use traditional wood framing, with a sturdy plywood subfloor and waterproof backer-board, overlaid with ceramic tile. The HVAC and pool/spa plumbing should be an easier install as well. I'm thinking the pool people can help with this decision.

Week 5

Not much activity this week. I got cost proposal from Architect (Eric). As expected the price is very high - $30,200!. I was expecting around $20,000, which is about $5000 over what I was told would be normal for a project like this. I thought that since the quality of his work is high that he'd charge a premium, and I was willing to pay a reasonable premium. But I didn't really expect it to be so high. Last time he and I spoke he said he'd probably have to run the project through his firm (AKS Architecture Design) because it would take too long as a part-time project for him. This fact alone was going to raise the price. The firm does excellent work, based on their portfolio, but I can't really afford $30K for architecture.

I have appointments with two smaller firms this coming week, so I hope the price will go down without sacrificing quality.

Week 4

We received the county's CAO Letter last Saturday, showing the critical area on the land. In fact, the land turns out to have only a small seasonal stream in the Northern most corner. It is a Class N stream - which I think is the lowest rating - and has a 65' buffer on either side of the center line that cannot be excavated or developed. That's fine with me because it's in an area of the property that is far from where we'd build the home.

I want to say that the King County Dept of Development and Environmental Services really surprised me. It only took three weeks to do the review and get the letter to me. I was told they were running about six weeks. Plus, it was effortless on my part - sent in app and fee and before I knew it they were finished. You can see the CAO Letter by clicking here.

Now that I have the CAO Letter I can get the septic design underway. I hired Huard Septic Design for this - sent them a $750 deposit and a completed application form. They say they are taking about three weeks to do a design. They will prepare and submit the septic design to the county - which is taking about four months to review a permit request - wow!

We met with the architect last Saturday - Eric Brooks. For three hours we discussed the house we want to build and some of the important items - view, pool, barn. He is going to work up a proposal that describes the services he can provide and their costs. We should be getting that from him sometime this coming week. The stock plans we found are about what we want, but will take some major work. Things like coming up with a kitchen that we like, and a pool room that accommodates the pool and spa. Eric likes the idea of us sharing an AutoCAD project file - I've already sent him what I have and he verified he can open it and see all the images (floor plans, maps, etc) that I've inserted.

I spent many hours last weekend working up the Site Layout which shows placement of house and barn, plus the driveway and parking area. It also shows the excavation area - it should be about 2 acres. Of course, all of this is subject to change as the realities of the septic design and costs to do things like run water, etc, come in. But, you have to start somewhere. I show the current iteration of the site below. One of many to come, I'm sure.

I've also started thinking about the pool room, and the layout of the pool and spa. I show the current layout below. We're going to use fiberglass pool and spa rather than concrete. I think fiberglass components are easier to work with, and probably have lower maintenance. The company whose products I like most, so far, is San Juan Pools. For pool I've select the Catalina model, and for spa the Isle model. I like the curved designs better than rectangular designs, plus I think they'll work with the room size we have. I don't want to be changing the pool room size, it can get expensive. I haven't spoken with the local San Juan Pools vendor around here yet, so I'm not sure I have allowed enough spacing between pool and walls. There could be building codes, etc, that I'm unaware of that will dictate what we can do.

One thing important in a pool room design is ventilation. The pool and spa release a lot of water vapor into the air. I found what appears to be a good vendor for dehumidifiers - Dehumidifier Corporation of America (DCA). I filled out their online quote request and within 24 hours I had a full quote for a system - dehumidifier, heater, remote condenser, controls, etc - that should work well for us. The price is around $9500. Their website is full of information to help you select the unit best for your needs.

Current plan is to use a propane fired heat pump for the house (this may change as we get further into it). The air handler for the unit would be in the garage, and its condenser would be outside against the garage. The dehumidifier's air handler would also go in garage, and its condenser outside next to the heat pump condenser.

This coming week, I hope, I can meet with a pool designer and get some information that helps us understand how to design the pool room for proper pool placement and ventilation ducting - supply and return.

Here's the Site Layout:

Here's the Main Floor Showing Pool Room Layout: