Small Houses Part 3 (Hope: apartments, home builders, buyer)

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by FaberumHyperboreus

I just bought one of them. They are made with 2x4 walls, therefore the best insulation I can put is an R-15.

I am curious if anybody know how good/bad is that level of insulation in northern Maine winter ?
Can you stay comfortable with only 3.5" of insulation ? Any recommendation ?

Thank you,
Faber

In my house, I sprayed 2 inches of urethane foam and then I hung 9 inches of fiberglass batting.

I would not be satisfied with R-15.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

If you're in an area where MUBEC codes are being enforced, my understanding is that they follow the IECC 2015 insulation requirements for new residential buildings, which for framed wood walls, look like:

• R20 in walls + R5 continuous external
• R13 in walls + R10 continuous external

This continuous external insulation is e.g. rigid foam or mineral wool panels.
See:
https://www.ase.org/sites/ase.org/fi..._2015_iecc.pdf

So, they are seldom explained, but I read recently that the IECC 2015 requirements for continuous insulation don't specify where it must be. So while it might most commonly be used outside the sheathing, you could also put it inside the studs, or, in a double stud wall, the gap between the studs can fulfill this requirement.

The reason for using continuous insulation is that wood is a poor insulator - okay, it's better than metal, but it's a lot poorer than materials that we actually choose for insulating properties. So on stud walls and roofs that don't have continuous insulation, the studs/rafters carry the heat out in winter, significantly reducing the effective R-value of the assembly. In effect, this framing offers a low resistances path for heat to escape - you may see this referred to as "thermal bridging". The continuous insulation is often referred to as a "thermal break". Below are two pics of assemblies which show thermal bridging in action.

Note the frost melting in this insulated roof at the rafters first here:


Note the warm signature of the studs in these insulated walls on this infrared image here:

[OutdoorLover]

This happens to be from Shelter-Kit. It's a carriage house garage with a 2-car garage underneath and an apartment above. Note the interior staircase that won't be covered with snow and ice in winter - a must in northern climes.

They are using two big shed dormers to enlarge the living space and let in daylight upstairs in this 1.5 story structure. Shed dormers are simpler/cheaper to frame and provide more interior space than doghouse dormers.

https://www.shelter-kit.com/penny-kit.html

This wouldn't be ideal for aging in place because the occupants must negotiate a full flight of stairs. But it's fine for younger folks, or for a guest house or income-producing option for the garage when used as an accessory dwelling. Putting this living space above the garage saves money versus putting it next to the garage or as a small standalone cottage, and if the lot is small, saves lot space too.

[PAhippo]

don't know if anyone's still interested but here's a cutie( yea, needs cleaning)


https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...8_M41005-09235

[svband76]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

don't know if anyone's still interested but here's a cutie( yea, needs cleaning)


https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...8_M41005-09235

Yes I am. $75k is actually a good deal, considering the cost and hassle of drilling a well, a septic tank, land clearing. Though Kennedy Highway is aka Route 1A it doesn't get super busy, maybe here and there.

[OutdoorLover]

Here are a couple of more small homes - both 1-bedroom places built on an insulated slab foundation, with a simple form. Both look like practical and economical small house designs.

This first place is 745sq ft and has an attached garage included:
https://www.architecturaldesigns.com...garage-95150rw

This next place is just 672sq ft but they have designed the heck out of it and it has a good amount of storage and a nice deep front porch. I'd just substitute a 3x5' table for the kitchen island in that eat-in kitchen.
https://www.architecturaldesigns.com...q-ft-677030nwl

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

...
This next place is just 672sq ft but they have designed the heck out of it and it has a good amount of storage and a nice deep front porch. I'd just substitute a 3x5' table for the kitchen island in that eat-in kitchen.
https://www.architecturaldesigns.com...q-ft-677030nwl

What they call an 8-foot deep front porch, I did that on all four sides of our house. It turned out to be a very inexpensive add-on, and it greatly improved our standard of living. We no longer get snow up against our front door, we can walk outside even when it is snowing, without stepping in snow.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Submariner

What they call an 8-foot deep front porch, I did that on all four sides of our house. It turned out to be a very inexpensive add-on, and it greatly improved our standard of living. We no longer get snow up against our front door, we can walk outside even when it is snowing, without stepping in snow.

Nice, I know you are out in the country too - nothing finer than sitting out on the porch on a summer morning with your coffee or with your supper in the evening :-)

[Last1Standing]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Here are a couple of more small homes - both 1-bedroom places built on an insulated slab foundation, with a simple form. Both look like practical and economical small house designs.

This first place is 745sq ft and has an attached garage included:
https://www.architecturaldesigns.com...garage-95150rw

This next place is just 672sq ft but they have designed the heck out of it and it has a good amount of storage and a nice deep front porch. I'd just substitute a 3x5' table for the kitchen island in that eat-in kitchen.
https://www.architecturaldesigns.com...q-ft-677030nwl

Those are both very nice designs, thank you! They both make you think hard about how you would use each small space. In the first one, I would rather combine the bathroom and laundry room into one large space. In the second one, I think a mud room is very useful but I would think about whether that would be the best use of that space.


Doesn't an island have the advantage that you can store things in the cupboards under it, and it's the right height to use as an additional counter top for food preparation if needed?

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

This happens to be from Shelter-Kit. It's a carriage house garage with a 2-car garage underneath and an apartment above. Note the interior staircase that won't be covered with snow and ice in winter - a must in northern climes.

They are using two big shed dormers to enlarge the living space and let in daylight upstairs in this 1.5 story structure. Shed dormers are simpler/cheaper to frame and provide more interior space than doghouse dormers.

https://www.shelter-kit.com/penny-kit.html

This wouldn't be ideal for aging in place because the occupants must negotiate a full flight of stairs. But it's fine for younger folks, or for a guest house or income-producing option for the garage when used as an accessory dwelling. Putting this living space above the garage saves money versus putting it next to the garage or as a small standalone cottage, and if the lot is small, saves lot space too.

They have options. For example, I prefer this one:

https://www.shelter-kit.com/emily-kit.html