Father WWII vet was GC and banker, grew up in trades starting at 14, and continued for next 60 years. Despite how much you know and experience. After $2.5 billion of projects and now retired. Find watching build show on TH-cam, interviews, products, find how much I don't know; presentations of product available, different procedures, never too old to learn. It is a pleasure to watch and learn. Thank you.
I come from a services background, but on larger projects. I am currently in the early stages of designing our forever home. But before I even go to an architect I am thinking of routing/layouts/glazing/shading etc. You have touched on so many points in this podcast that resonates with what needs to be considered by all designers. It's not just the bling factor of the finishes that home owners get sold on.
I loved that rant on glass buildings as a symbol of power and signaling group memberships. Life becomes so much better when you learn to detach from all of that (as much as possible). That moment alone (besides all of the other interesting topics) makes me want to watch more from you!
My house design is for a 1br 1ba house and only has 3 windows. One in the bedroom to the north and bathroom to the north and then one at the south. The house is 30x30 and the south facing window will spill in enough light to light up the general area while still leaving the living room dark. This remove so much heat and cooling loss from the home that it improves the overall heating and cooling plan.
Really happy to see this podcast come to TH-cam. Usually I catch the podcasts as audio only, but the ease of watching it on TH-cam means I watched this one here. Hoping to see this as a regular post to the channel!
As an engineer. I was talking with friends who are dealing with lesser builders ganging up against you if you build too well and make them look bad. They are getting the local codes amended against you. For example the cardboard sheathing in texas on my friends house.
Because they are not in tornado alley? The first and foremost reason to build better. Safety first. Cardboard will do nothing for you. Plenty for the developer who sold it to you and has cash in that check.
As someone that designs homes in the PNW region, I think the best way for someone like you to get involved would be to convince the applicable jurisdictions that HVAC, plumbing plans and even any other pertinent plans are required for permits. Because they aren't required, 98% of residential projects go without because it's seen as an un-needed expense, especially if it's 10k for a design vrs a fancy bathtub or door.. However I don't imagine that will ever happen.
Incredibly deep conversation encompassing build science & human relationships to buildings. Great talk between two individuals who want to further the future of home structures. thank you!
Man, this was an amazing podcast/video. I wish the process Kristof has could be more universally affordable and available. The incremental steps he takes would have a tremendous positive cumulative effect on people's well being, while at the same time it would ultimately reduce energy usage.
@Phil Springer it’s called enlisting the support of a structures and mechanical engineer after an initial drawing is done. It’s like AI for home construction, chat GPT.
Unfortunately that's just how the economy works nowadays. Over the lifetime of a efficient house you're saving so much money. On heating/cooling, maintenance, and avoided illness. But that down payment is killer for most people. So they end up paying twice as much or more on rent and utilities than they would in an efficient house. Gotta be rich to not be poor.
Risinger: "...sorry for the crassness a turd of a set of plans.." ! I love it. As someone who worked as a drafter/designer; job captain and project architect and then detailer/project manager for miscellaneous steel shop I think the problem in architecture is the schools emphasis on design to the almost total exclusion of thinking about the practical necessities of the building. Furthermore, when I did work in residential, for custom single-family, it was rare to have a structural or mechanical engineer as consultant. Typically, for mechanical or electrical work a contractor was chosen.
Matt re: 40:30 you should read one (or more) of Sarah Susanka's book series, "Not So Big House..." one day and about her reflections upon creating desirable and comfortable spaces. You and your wife's observations about good feelings from that space in your house are exactly what she espouses upon when planning one's spaces and allocating one's limited resources towards.
My friends wife wanted and got two open fireplaces in their new home. It was well insulated home but enormously expensive to heat due to the open chimney’s
I am looking at doing a new build and it would have a lot of glass. One is for the view to the west, and two is from the south to let a boat load of natural light in. I don't like being indoors without sunlight. I could never work in an office without natural sunlight: it's soul crushing. That's why the trend has been towards glass exteriors: it's a major purchasing influence for people like me.
I've been looking at a lot of plans online (Architectural Design, ABHP and many others) and one item that ALWAYS makes me give a plan a "hard nope" is no mechanical space(s). I've seen most of those in "modern" or Florida designs. I don't count a corner of the garage as a mechanical space except MAYBE for the electrical/solar/batteries.
great conversation. I think the nugget of truth in all this is also people cutting corners to save price. It's easy to save a buck now, only to spend 100 later. Foresight goes a lot longer than hindsight. Excited to see how building science will improve homes and life in general.
This is so timely and relevant. Retired from remodeling now, but it was frequently apparent how disjointed and archaic residential construction processes are. "Tailored spaces" was my mantra, but cost is always a concern. By and large, anything that isn't visible and "cool" takes a back seat, sometimes to a laughable degree. Seems we place the value in the wrong areas. I hope this fades as awareness heightens, but I'm not holding my breath.
Please do this more often. Understanding ea. Trades' needs and layouts help everything. As an electrician my layout is known as the most playable/interchangeable and its the worst when there's no layout for the ducts laid out or even marked onsite.
I'm a design builder that always thinks through the mechanical with spererate drawings for plumbing and heat super imposed on a floor joist lay out. I also draw the cabinet layout top, side and face. Last house I built, in an area I never built in before, and after firing the local plumber I hired a reputable outfit in a town an hour away . We were outside in the winter doing the siding. At the end of the day the plumbers had left and upon entering the house I looked at the plumbing and everything they did was wrong. Apparently reading the drawings was not necessary for them to do their job They came back the next day and I made them rip it all out then instructed them how to do the job correctly. A total of seven plumbers were in this house and not one is allowed back. I finished the job myself.
I hear you. I hired two plumbers during a basement remodel, and one of them made a dozen errors (despite me giving him a list as well as marking the locations on the structure itself), and the other sloped the bathtub the wrong way and left his garbage stuffed in the wall.
I don’t know what has happened to plumbers, but in the last ten years most of my experiences have been like yours. I’ve caught two separate plumbers connecting copper to galvanized pipe. Just so bad. I never have those kinds of problems with electricians or HVAC guys.
I went through 3 construction crews on a 1230 square foot remodel in MS. They either wouldn’t show up, or didn’t want to build things to code. None had ever installed rain screens. I couldn’t even find better anywhere. Frustrated
Love all the info Matt. We will be building our own high performance forever home in Alberta this summer. Our goal is to get to less than .5 ACH 50. We plan on using a variety of high performance products that you have either. Used, recommended or tested on the build show. I’d love to have you tour it when we do our blower door test. Keep building tight!
Thanks for sharing this! I am extremely interested in the in-dept discussions like this! As hopefully a future first time home owner soon being able to learn and then seek out these types of technologies and conversations with any potential consultants will be helpful!
Kristof is a space cadet. I mean that in a positive sense as it should be. In a time where some of us broke free and are finally exiting the cave, thinking about going back to share this newly discovered reality..... We can just go forward instead. Those stuck in the cave may be there for good as the allegory goes. If you read this, thanks Kristof for being at one of the tips of the spear into making the built living and working environments tailored moreso to the human condition, and sharing it.
Question: has any manufacturer come up with a glass treatment that prevents bird strikes that is invisible, relatively speaking? I’ve seen ultraviolet coatings that say they do this, but seems like there should be a way to do this. Anything to dull the surface just a little should accomplish this. I’ve thought about chemical etching & window film as well as bead blasting. Glass buildings are notorious bird traps & we’ve had some that are horrible at the last 2 houses we’ve lived in. One window at our house is a magnet. I hung bug screen from the Eve, and it seems to have solved it. It’s fairly unobtrusive, but could be better.
I think the credible argument for "too tight" is that relying on mechanicals to get fresh air is not always wise, because mechanicals fail. Non mechanical baseline ventilation is something that needs to be looked into. I live in Wyoming, the windiest state, and it would be fascinating to have a passive ERV forced with wind.
You can always open a window or door in that circumstance, you're never going to suffocate first. Living in a 1930s Victorian semi-detached, I'd rather have an airtight house than all the passive 'ventilation' we've got now! 💨 🥶 A passive heat exchanger with external air ducting would be interesting though, as it removes motors as the point of failure.
@@james.telfer no, you most certainly can not just open a window or door in such a circumstance, because about half the year this will cause further damage to the building and also if you don't have an additional heat source, the temperatures are not survivable... Speaking for here though. I'd rather be in Vancouver with mechanical failures than here...
However you feel about it, the high-end home buyers want that wow level that comes with glass--especially if there are views or landscaped gardens. So it drives the architect or the spec builder's design directive. They don't think as much about home life when they tour the house or see the renderings. They think about what their friends will think when they see it. They can just go to their other house when they want a change. And the spec builder has no reason to spend extra money because the prospective owners are not looking at the mechanical equipment. I'd rather have a more traditional house, but one built with modern science.
If you're interested in seeing how others approach or solve problems or revise how you've solved something i.e. the in-wall toilet with the steel plate, etc, you should start engaging outside of your circle of influencers for those that are approaching building differently. There's a lot of people "thinking differently" that aren't influencers or active on social media.
From a marketing standpoint you need to educate homeowners beforehand what they should be looking for to build a good, energy efficient, affordable home. Be an educational resource for prospective homeowners. Point out not only good building practices but also poor quality practices. Point out builder practices that drive up cost.Use 3D modeling, rendering to show homeowner how to correct costly errors before it’s being built.
Recently, there was a report about how when the Brits went on this big surge of improving insulation, they unintentionally made a backslide.. The savings garnered by insulating was all lost because the trend of adding a glass conservatory to homes ate up all the benefits.
I have a real question...What is wrong with concrete? You said we need to move away from glass, steel and concrete. Why concrete? I can see glass because of thermal transfer and breakage. I can see steel in allot of places because rusts or rots from environmental exposure. But controlled environments steel functions quite well.
I wish we could force home builders and new construction HVAC contractors to run static pressure testing! I see so many HVAC systems with horrible airflow and terrible ductwork design.
I understand how building science is the way to go and getting the architects to learn more (why hasn't this been covered in college earlier?) is vital BUT the added additional design step to the building process puts of the cost range out of the price range average American buyer. So the downstream effect of more expensive houses is less built and fewer builders until only mansions are being built by fewer custom builders. And the associated building materials companies don't sell as much so innovation and volume pricing decline too. Personally, I think some smart person or group is going to REALLY bring automation software into building design so instead of hiring expensive experts an architect will have his CAD system fill in the blanks of the outline he and the customer roughed out. But change is hard and getting builders up to speed can be like hitting a concrete wall at 60 MPH. They've done it a certain way for 30 years and they simply don't want to hear about doing many things differently... So they decline to bid on homes that have innovation like Matt showcases. Ex: getting a contractor to paint a liquid moisture barrier product on top of the footer prior to installing the ICF was a huge fight. "We never did that before" is the common phrase that a lot of builders spout when considering building a better home. It's a huge problem in the industry.
How about people just live in slightly smaller houses (by sqft per room)? US houses are much bigger than European ones, but made of cheaper materials with more components that have shorter lifespans. Why not build better quality, smaller homes instead?
@@james.telfer wow, very complex issue, so some thoughts: Some is a cultural issue, many Americans feel more comfortable in larger spaces according to research by psychology and sociology. But look at European wealthy, they don't live in smaller spaces, do they? So European smaller living spaces seems more a land unavailability and lack of money issue. I've lived in houses as small as 320 square feet comfortably but has to have storage for the other stuff I owned (tools, lots of specialty tools and hobby stuff mostly). Right now I live in a 2400 sqft and except for taxes am quite happy. Growing up, I had to share a bedroom, my kids each had their own as I wanted my children to have a better life than I did (don't all parents want that?) The issue that the cost of furnishings and appliances is a major cost no matter what size the building is. Bathrooms and kitchens are a major cost in a small house or a bigger one so making them a bit bigger does not add to the total cost that much. Wiring and light fixtures, plumbing also cost close to the same in a big or small house (of course I'm talking comperable quality here, not cheap crap in the smaller house and gold faucits in the larger one) but the trades to install them are the bigger cost. I think windows is a major difference, you simply use more of them on a larger house so there a smaller house you'd save money. I think, comparing between US and European is that the US is a big country with lots of room to spread out and Europe is much smaller plus European countries have a longer history so have filled up their usable space making it more costly. And so the culture has adapted for that on both sides. I tried smaller houses to save energy costs (and there's another difference, the US has historically had much cheaper energy than Europe had) but now with better materials and building methods you can build bigger without the energy costs, so why not?
I think this is a misunderstanding. The additional cost of good design is generally smaller than the other additional costs we just accept by matter of course even though they don't bring the same kind of value. Even market-rate housing includes things like expensive countertops, expensive gas stoves, layouts that result in more expensive construction costs, etc. We have accepted the cost of dozens of pointless things, but when builders are told that they should invest construction cost in things with such greater benefit, they respond by saying that *these* costs are unsupportable and will price people out of homes. In fact, doing this kind of careful forethought can often lead to construction cost savings and can certainly lead to operation cost savings.
@@james.telfer You buy the home two or three times by paying the banker. Then you buy it again with upgrades because it is shite. Really a tragic situation.
Yes! Kristof has a podcast called Building Science Podcast available on iTunes and the Positive Energy website. positiveenergy.pro/building-science-podcast/
Generally, simply asking works. I try to be open and flexible in designs. If hypothetically you are asking for space for ductwork, then I haven't done my job in the first place, or I need to find a different Mechanical Engineer. Considering you guys are talking about handling mechanical design on your own and directly with the architect, I assume you guys are taking that liability under your purview and your subs are calculating / integrating HVAC into the building. Where I do greatly appreciate input from the contractor is if I have provided space and room for your work to go in, and you have modifications that would make it better for you. OR, you know a better product or cost saving option. If you guys are the ones that install this stuff, then it is prudent for me to keep my ears open. Though, if you are suggesting "cost savings" options, then I need to see those savings materialize in deductive Change Orders. This is where it seems a certain sub group of contractors have a hard time justifying their ideas. If it really isn't a cost saving idea... then maybe we don't need to hear about it. I have had mixed experiences with bringing in contractors earlier in a project to help with "constructability", which in theory makes sense. Though, some contractors use that as an excuse for additional services fees, or hide those costs and charge simply pad their fees. Any savings that the client could potentially reap are simply lost. Therefore I've tried to keep these upfront meetings limited, but take the input seriously. If you guys really want to be that involved "upstream", then it would seem to make sense for you guys to do Design Build or be a CM. Right? Still a young buck over here in terms of career, but I try to engage with podcasts like this to grow my knowledge base.
Too much glass also takes away from where you can put material goods too. No walls? No pictures. NO place to put furniture that makes sense. Also - blinds are expensive lol.
4 dollars a square feet is cheap... Honestly i know a guy that charges 12 a square for remodeling. I'm like why so much he said cause when i walk in there is dog poop in the floor and there trying to live in it or in the way. Also i knew a guy that built production homes and they sold good number reason being that the guy said i can buy a finished home and no argue n with the wife its finished. they would say i would rather buy a new home that try to remodel. He told me i tryed to buy a custom home once and the home owners drugg it out for three years. He said never again.
The vast majority of residential HVAC systems are horrible. No one spends the time or money on good ductwork and design. In my area they just slap in some flex duct in the crawlspace and call it good. The static pressure are through the roof and the airflow in the home is terrible.
Wood frame houses came along with McDonald's. The average person can work for 30 years of his life. That's the amount of time the bank gets paid on the mortgage. The wooden houses that are built in the U.S. are extremely short-lived. Your children certainly won't be living in that house in 100 years, it will rot. But such houses are profitable for the banks. American architecture is not architecture, but part of the banking system.
The FIRE sector, finance insurance and real estate is more than 75% of the credit created. Banks don't fund industry, they fund already in place assets or create mortgages. The elephant in the room nobody sees is finance.
These topics and principles will sadly only be applied to less than 2% of homes built in the US. Minimum code is how the remaining 98% of homes will be built.
Even a very leaky house is too tight to not have mechanical ventilation. Houses that get their ventilation through the envelope don't get enough outside air and the air that they do get is contaminated by passing through the envelope.
I notice guys walking on other people,s job sites and picking. I dont label people but you guys are custom home builders correct me if im wrong. There is a budget for ever one. Some times short term and long term homes are money. The dollar bill. Just to get in a home is the first goal then you either out grow that home or the situation changes as in family or location or job sometimes even health. I would like to say YOU GUYS ARE BUILDING FOREVER HOME,S. As you educate yourself on your craft and others you are starting to better your craftmanship. With that said there are guys building production homes and there are guys building custom homes. Your building high performance homes that are better. You didnt start building those type of homes you are out educate yourself and others. As u begin to get better equipment and more education and you were able to get built a high performs home for yourself... Stay humble I enjoy the videos...
Disappointed that there was no mention of the easiest way to start designing for energy efficiency.......build smaller......not tiny, just smaller. That makes every other design decision easier. I know your market is the higher end (larger) market but if you are really going to educate people why not start with this one fundamental? Even a large zero energy home has used significantly more energy input for the construction.
$10k minimum. $3 sq/ft? Does this mean these services only apply b to 3000ish sq/ft homes and up? Does this mean my 1000sq/ft home is cheaper than 10k, or does it mean I pay 10k for a smaller space, does it mean my house isn't good enough for a consultant because I don't live in as much excess as your target audience, or something else?
$10k minimum is $10k minimum. If it wasn't good enough, they would simply say no. Your house just isn't big enough to take advantage of the "economies of scale" as there are fixed cost associated with each project regardless of house size.
I don't get it. Been a fan of matt for years. But he talks all this about craftsmanship and etc, but he's only talked about ICF like 3 times on the channel.
Don't feel bad about all this guys. Science is still discovering and trying to understand the human body, understanding the genius of God. Home building has come a long way in just the last 20 years. Keep up the great work and getting the word out there.
Houses don't really need ducts they just need to move warm and cool air around and ventilate for people who are giving off water and poop etc. hvac has a v ...
Do any builders feel a sense of guilt or irresponsibility in our current times, knowing the global threats and oppression are growing with our collective indifference? As homes are being built for families in the US, an expansionist dictator is displacing tens of millions of Ukrainians and wants to undermine and manipulate the US and Europe. As we eat our plentiful foods, North Korean people are eating grasshoppers and dragonflies to survive and are risking their entire family’s lives just to escape. As we navigate our broken, parasitic health care system, the PRC is harvesting the organs of political prisoners, while closely observing the outcome in Ukraine to plan their overthrow the Taiwanese government by 2027. Despite what negatives divisionisms like Trump or Tucker Carlson say, please support the military support in Ukraine. The homes, lives, and prosperity you build today may depend on it. United we stand. Divided we will fall. (And our adversaries know it.)
Why? Think about the gobs of 1950's homes that have gotten very little love and they're going strong. They are 70 years old and I have no reason to believe that they won't be here in 30 years. They were built cheap and fast.
Most homes built 100 years ago are not around. Survivor bias. A lot of the leaky homes built in the 40 years ago have mold problems on the exterior due to all the condensation from warm air leakage.
Father WWII vet was GC and banker, grew up in trades starting at 14, and continued for next 60 years. Despite how much you know and experience. After $2.5 billion of projects and now retired. Find watching build show on TH-cam, interviews, products, find how much I don't know; presentations of product available, different procedures, never too old to learn. It is a pleasure to watch and learn. Thank you.
He was a FANTASTIC guest. Apply EVERYTHING he said to homes to your character, intelligence and relationships. EVERYTHING.
I come from a services background, but on larger projects. I am currently in the early stages of designing our forever home. But before I even go to an architect I am thinking of routing/layouts/glazing/shading etc. You have touched on so many points in this podcast that resonates with what needs to be considered by all designers. It's not just the bling factor of the finishes that home owners get sold on.
I loved that rant on glass buildings as a symbol of power and signaling group memberships. Life becomes so much better when you learn to detach from all of that (as much as possible).
That moment alone (besides all of the other interesting topics) makes me want to watch more from you!
My house design is for a 1br 1ba house and only has 3 windows. One in the bedroom to the north and bathroom to the north and then one at the south. The house is 30x30 and the south facing window will spill in enough light to light up the general area while still leaving the living room dark. This remove so much heat and cooling loss from the home that it improves the overall heating and cooling plan.
Really happy to see this podcast come to TH-cam. Usually I catch the podcasts as audio only, but the ease of watching it on TH-cam means I watched this one here. Hoping to see this as a regular post to the channel!
As an engineer. I was talking with friends who are dealing with lesser builders ganging up against you if you build too well and make them look bad. They are getting the local codes amended against you. For example the cardboard sheathing in texas on my friends house.
Because they are not in tornado alley? The first and foremost reason to build better. Safety first. Cardboard will do nothing for you. Plenty for the developer who sold it to you and has cash in that check.
As someone that designs homes in the PNW region, I think the best way for someone like you to get involved would be to convince the applicable jurisdictions that HVAC, plumbing plans and even any other pertinent plans are required for permits. Because they aren't required, 98% of residential projects go without because it's seen as an un-needed expense, especially if it's 10k for a design vrs a fancy bathtub or door.. However I don't imagine that will ever happen.
Incredibly deep conversation encompassing build science & human relationships to buildings. Great talk between two individuals who want to further the future of home structures. thank you!
Man, this was an amazing podcast/video. I wish the process Kristof has could be more universally affordable and available. The incremental steps he takes would have a tremendous positive cumulative effect on people's well being, while at the same time it would ultimately reduce energy usage.
@Phil Springer it’s called enlisting the support of a structures and mechanical engineer after an initial drawing is done. It’s like AI for home construction, chat GPT.
Unfortunately that's just how the economy works nowadays. Over the lifetime of a efficient house you're saving so much money. On heating/cooling, maintenance, and avoided illness. But that down payment is killer for most people.
So they end up paying twice as much or more on rent and utilities than they would in an efficient house.
Gotta be rich to not be poor.
These guys are so comfortable with each other. This gets past the social barriers to get to the real information that counts.
I've always wondered how builders think about so many details. It seems they often don't. I'm glad Matt is showing us how to think of them.
Risinger: "...sorry for the crassness a turd of a set of plans.." ! I love it. As someone who worked as a drafter/designer; job captain and project architect and then detailer/project manager for miscellaneous steel shop I think the problem in architecture is the schools emphasis on design to the almost total exclusion of thinking about the practical necessities of the building. Furthermore, when I did work in residential, for custom single-family, it was rare to have a structural or mechanical engineer as consultant. Typically, for mechanical or electrical work a contractor was chosen.
Matt re: 40:30 you should read one (or more) of Sarah Susanka's book series, "Not So Big House..." one day and about her reflections upon creating desirable and comfortable spaces. You and your wife's observations about good feelings from that space in your house are exactly what she espouses upon when planning one's spaces and allocating one's limited resources towards.
My friends wife wanted and got two open fireplaces in their new home. It was well insulated home but enormously expensive to heat due to the open chimney’s
I am looking at doing a new build and it would have a lot of glass. One is for the view to the west, and two is from the south to let a boat load of natural light in. I don't like being indoors without sunlight. I could never work in an office without natural sunlight: it's soul crushing. That's why the trend has been towards glass exteriors: it's a major purchasing influence for people like me.
Fantastic content! Really appreciate the info and thoughtful perspective from Positive Energy.
I've been looking at a lot of plans online (Architectural Design, ABHP and many others) and one item that ALWAYS makes me give a plan a "hard nope" is no mechanical space(s). I've seen most of those in "modern" or Florida designs. I don't count a corner of the garage as a mechanical space except MAYBE for the electrical/solar/batteries.
great conversation. I think the nugget of truth in all this is also people cutting corners to save price. It's easy to save a buck now, only to spend 100 later. Foresight goes a lot longer than hindsight. Excited to see how building science will improve homes and life in general.
As a commercial architect, I engage with S,M,E,P engineers from day 1 of design. Why doesn't this occur in residential design?
Involve your Structural & Mechanical engineers from the schematic stage. You won't regret it.
This is so timely and relevant. Retired from remodeling now, but it was frequently apparent how disjointed and archaic residential construction processes are. "Tailored spaces" was my mantra, but cost is always a concern. By and large, anything that isn't visible and "cool" takes a back seat, sometimes to a laughable degree. Seems we place the value in the wrong areas. I hope this fades as awareness heightens, but I'm not holding my breath.
Please do this more often.
Understanding ea. Trades' needs and layouts help everything.
As an electrician my layout is known as the most playable/interchangeable and its the worst when there's no layout for the ducts laid out or even marked onsite.
I'm a design builder that always thinks through the mechanical with spererate drawings for plumbing and heat super imposed on a floor joist lay out. I also draw the cabinet layout top, side and face.
Last house I built, in an area I never built in before, and after firing the local plumber I hired a reputable outfit in a town an hour away . We were outside in the winter doing the siding. At the end of the day the plumbers had left and upon entering the house I looked at the plumbing and everything they did was wrong. Apparently reading the drawings was not necessary for them to do their job
They came back the next day and I made them rip it all out then instructed them how to do the job correctly.
A total of seven plumbers were in this house and not one is allowed back. I finished the job myself.
I hear you. I hired two plumbers during a basement remodel, and one of them made a dozen errors (despite me giving him a list as well as marking the locations on the structure itself), and the other sloped the bathtub the wrong way and left his garbage stuffed in the wall.
I don’t know what has happened to plumbers, but in the last ten years most of my experiences have been like yours. I’ve caught two separate plumbers connecting copper to galvanized pipe. Just so bad. I never have those kinds of problems with electricians or HVAC guys.
I went through 3 construction crews on a 1230 square foot remodel in MS. They either wouldn’t show up, or didn’t want to build things to code. None had ever installed rain screens. I couldn’t even find better anywhere. Frustrated
Love all the info Matt. We will be building our own high performance forever home in Alberta this summer. Our goal is to get to less than .5 ACH 50. We plan on using a variety of high performance products that you have either. Used, recommended or tested on the build show. I’d love to have you tour it when we do our blower door test. Keep building tight!
thanks guys, great chat and relevant to us down in New Zealand too
Thanks for sharing this! I am extremely interested in the in-dept discussions like this! As hopefully a future first time home owner soon being able to learn and then seek out these types of technologies and conversations with any potential consultants will be helpful!
Good luck with your first home.
Kristof is a space cadet. I mean that in a positive sense as it should be. In a time where some of us broke free and are finally exiting the cave, thinking about going back to share this newly discovered reality..... We can just go forward instead. Those stuck in the cave may be there for good as the allegory goes. If you read this, thanks Kristof for being at one of the tips of the spear into making the built living and working environments tailored moreso to the human condition, and sharing it.
Question: has any manufacturer come up with a glass treatment that prevents bird strikes that is invisible, relatively speaking? I’ve seen ultraviolet coatings that say they do this, but seems like there should be a way to do this. Anything to dull the surface just a little should accomplish this. I’ve thought about chemical etching & window film as well as bead blasting.
Glass buildings are notorious bird traps & we’ve had some that are horrible at the last 2 houses we’ve lived in. One window at our house is a magnet. I hung bug screen from the Eve, and it seems to have solved it. It’s fairly unobtrusive, but could be better.
Both of you guys are awesome! Really informative!
I think the credible argument for "too tight" is that relying on mechanicals to get fresh air is not always wise, because mechanicals fail.
Non mechanical baseline ventilation is something that needs to be looked into. I live in Wyoming, the windiest state, and it would be fascinating to have a passive ERV forced with wind.
What if you had some sort of penetrations in the exterior envelope of the house that you could open in the event of a mechanical failure 🤔
You can always open a window or door in that circumstance, you're never going to suffocate first.
Living in a 1930s Victorian semi-detached, I'd rather have an airtight house than all the passive 'ventilation' we've got now! 💨 🥶
A passive heat exchanger with external air ducting would be interesting though, as it removes motors as the point of failure.
@@james.telfer no, you most certainly can not just open a window or door in such a circumstance, because about half the year this will cause further damage to the building and also if you don't have an additional heat source, the temperatures are not survivable... Speaking for here though.
I'd rather be in Vancouver with mechanical failures than here...
@@microcolonel Are you kidding me? We sleep upstair where there is no heat. Our old house we slept with the window open most of the winter.
@@kameljoe21 Winter where?
However you feel about it, the high-end home buyers want that wow level that comes with glass--especially if there are views or landscaped gardens. So it drives the architect or the spec builder's design directive. They don't think as much about home life when they tour the house or see the renderings. They think about what their friends will think when they see it. They can just go to their other house when they want a change. And the spec builder has no reason to spend extra money because the prospective owners are not looking at the mechanical equipment. I'd rather have a more traditional house, but one built with modern science.
What a great podcast/TH-cam video. Very interesting and informative views. 👍👍 Thanks guys.
If you're interested in seeing how others approach or solve problems or revise how you've solved something i.e. the in-wall toilet with the steel plate, etc, you should start engaging outside of your circle of influencers for those that are approaching building differently. There's a lot of people "thinking differently" that aren't influencers or active on social media.
Gee, for a minute there, I thought that we weren’t going to get the iconic Risinger stripper music.
Thumbnail says "Buildling Science"
From a marketing standpoint you need to educate homeowners beforehand what they should be looking for to build a good, energy efficient, affordable home. Be an educational resource for prospective homeowners. Point out not only good building practices but also poor quality practices. Point out builder practices that drive up cost.Use 3D modeling, rendering to show homeowner how to correct costly errors before it’s being built.
Recently, there was a report about how when the Brits went on this big surge of improving insulation, they unintentionally made a backslide.. The savings garnered by insulating was all lost because the trend of adding a glass conservatory to homes ate up all the benefits.
I have a real question...What is wrong with concrete? You said we need to move away from glass, steel and concrete. Why concrete?
I can see glass because of thermal transfer and breakage.
I can see steel in allot of places because rusts or rots from environmental exposure. But controlled environments steel functions quite well.
I wish we could force home builders and new construction HVAC contractors to run static pressure testing! I see so many HVAC systems with horrible airflow and terrible ductwork design.
I understand how building science is the way to go and getting the architects to learn more (why hasn't this been covered in college earlier?) is vital BUT the added additional design step to the building process puts of the cost range out of the price range average American buyer.
So the downstream effect of more expensive houses is less built and fewer builders until only mansions are being built by fewer custom builders. And the associated building materials companies don't sell as much so innovation and volume pricing decline too.
Personally, I think some smart person or group is going to REALLY bring automation software into building design so instead of hiring expensive experts an architect will have his CAD system fill in the blanks of the outline he and the customer roughed out.
But change is hard and getting builders up to speed can be like hitting a concrete wall at 60 MPH. They've done it a certain way for 30 years and they simply don't want to hear about doing many things differently... So they decline to bid on homes that have innovation like Matt showcases. Ex: getting a contractor to paint a liquid moisture barrier product on top of the footer prior to installing the ICF was a huge fight. "We never did that before" is the common phrase that a lot of builders spout when considering building a better home. It's a huge problem in the industry.
How about people just live in slightly smaller houses (by sqft per room)?
US houses are much bigger than European ones, but made of cheaper materials with more components that have shorter lifespans.
Why not build better quality, smaller homes instead?
@@james.telfer wow, very complex issue, so some thoughts:
Some is a cultural issue, many Americans feel more comfortable in larger spaces according to research by psychology and sociology. But look at European wealthy, they don't live in smaller spaces, do they? So European smaller living spaces seems more a land unavailability and lack of money issue.
I've lived in houses as small as 320 square feet comfortably but has to have storage for the other stuff I owned (tools, lots of specialty tools and hobby stuff mostly). Right now I live in a 2400 sqft and except for taxes am quite happy. Growing up, I had to share a bedroom, my kids each had their own as I wanted my children to have a better life than I did (don't all parents want that?)
The issue that the cost of furnishings and appliances is a major cost no matter what size the building is. Bathrooms and kitchens are a major cost in a small house or a bigger one so making them a bit bigger does not add to the total cost that much.
Wiring and light fixtures, plumbing also cost close to the same in a big or small house (of course I'm talking comperable quality here, not cheap crap in the smaller house and gold faucits in the larger one) but the trades to install them are the bigger cost.
I think windows is a major difference, you simply use more of them on a larger house so there a smaller house you'd save money.
I think, comparing between US and European is that the US is a big country with lots of room to spread out and Europe is much smaller plus European countries have a longer history so have filled up their usable space making it more costly. And so the culture has adapted for that on both sides.
I tried smaller houses to save energy costs (and there's another difference, the US has historically had much cheaper energy than Europe had) but now with better materials and building methods you can build bigger without the energy costs, so why not?
I think this is a misunderstanding. The additional cost of good design is generally smaller than the other additional costs we just accept by matter of course even though they don't bring the same kind of value. Even market-rate housing includes things like expensive countertops, expensive gas stoves, layouts that result in more expensive construction costs, etc. We have accepted the cost of dozens of pointless things, but when builders are told that they should invest construction cost in things with such greater benefit, they respond by saying that *these* costs are unsupportable and will price people out of homes.
In fact, doing this kind of careful forethought can often lead to construction cost savings and can certainly lead to operation cost savings.
@@james.telfer You buy the home two or three times by paying the banker. Then you buy it again with upgrades because it is shite. Really a tragic situation.
That was a great talk, wanted you y’all to longer.
Is there anywhere we can hear more from Kristof?
Yes! Kristof has a podcast called Building Science Podcast available on iTunes and the Positive Energy website. positiveenergy.pro/building-science-podcast/
Generally, simply asking works. I try to be open and flexible in designs. If hypothetically you are asking for space for ductwork, then I haven't done my job in the first place, or I need to find a different Mechanical Engineer. Considering you guys are talking about handling mechanical design on your own and directly with the architect, I assume you guys are taking that liability under your purview and your subs are calculating / integrating HVAC into the building.
Where I do greatly appreciate input from the contractor is if I have provided space and room for your work to go in, and you have modifications that would make it better for you. OR, you know a better product or cost saving option. If you guys are the ones that install this stuff, then it is prudent for me to keep my ears open.
Though, if you are suggesting "cost savings" options, then I need to see those savings materialize in deductive Change Orders. This is where it seems a certain sub group of contractors have a hard time justifying their ideas. If it really isn't a cost saving idea... then maybe we don't need to hear about it.
I have had mixed experiences with bringing in contractors earlier in a project to help with "constructability", which in theory makes sense. Though, some contractors use that as an excuse for additional services fees, or hide those costs and charge simply pad their fees. Any savings that the client could potentially reap are simply lost.
Therefore I've tried to keep these upfront meetings limited, but take the input seriously. If you guys really want to be that involved "upstream", then it would seem to make sense for you guys to do Design Build or be a CM. Right?
Still a young buck over here in terms of career, but I try to engage with podcasts like this to grow my knowledge base.
Loved this.
Too much glass also takes away from where you can put material goods too. No walls? No pictures. NO place to put furniture that makes sense. Also - blinds are expensive lol.
You spelled building wrong on the thumbnail. “Buildling”
4 dollars a square feet is cheap... Honestly i know a guy that charges 12 a square for remodeling. I'm like why so much he said cause when i walk in there is dog poop in the floor and there trying to live in it or in the way. Also i knew a guy that built production homes and they sold good number reason being that the guy said i can buy a finished home and no argue n with the wife its finished. they would say i would rather buy a new home that try to remodel. He told me i tryed to buy a custom home once and the home owners drugg it out for three years. He said never again.
Another great episode
Love the podcast❤
Will Positive Energy provide services on West Coast and PNW?
Suggestion - Please add links to your guest's websites to the video in the description/show notes or as a pinned comment.
The vast majority of residential HVAC systems are horrible. No one spends the time or money on good ductwork and design. In my area they just slap in some flex duct in the crawlspace and call it good. The static pressure are through the roof and the airflow in the home is terrible.
man look at the glass condos. the cooling and heating costs above the 5th floor are as bad as an old house from 1930 with newpaper insulation.
👍thanks for the video
Important stuff.
Matt calling him out for virtue signaling in a non-confrontational manner *chef’s kiss*
Ummm why can't this be 3 hours long? Need more.
Wood frame houses came along with McDonald's. The average person can work for 30 years of his life. That's the amount of time the bank gets paid on the mortgage. The wooden houses that are built in the U.S. are extremely short-lived. Your children certainly won't be living in that house in 100 years, it will rot. But such houses are profitable for the banks. American architecture is not architecture, but part of the banking system.
The FIRE sector, finance insurance and real estate is more than 75% of the credit created. Banks don't fund industry, they fund already in place assets or create mortgages. The elephant in the room nobody sees is finance.
housing that doesn't need to be rebuilt every 50 years is better for the environment
I mean thats what smart and experienced architects do....
These topics and principles will sadly only be applied to less than 2% of homes built in the US. Minimum code is how the remaining 98% of homes will be built.
This is a long overdue push in the industry.
Whyyy do I need to filter the air inside and outside. An a/c I got that, BUT THE HOUSE? help me please
18:14 what house am I seeing there?
That was a home he toured, maybe in the Boston area. im not sure exactly, but i remember watching the video
Circa 39m this deteriorated into the fountain head😂
He looks and sounds like Theo Von 😂
If there isn't an ERV or HRV, and it's built tight, yeah that sounds bad.
Even a very leaky house is too tight to not have mechanical ventilation. Houses that get their ventilation through the envelope don't get enough outside air and the air that they do get is contaminated by passing through the envelope.
"Buildling" science?
I notice guys walking on other people,s job sites and picking. I dont label people but you guys are custom home builders correct me if im wrong. There is a budget for ever one. Some times short term and long term homes are money. The dollar bill. Just to get in a home is the first goal then you either out grow that home or the situation changes as in family or location or job sometimes even health. I would like to say YOU GUYS ARE BUILDING FOREVER HOME,S. As you educate yourself on your craft and others you are starting to better your craftmanship. With that said there are guys building production homes and there are guys building custom homes. Your building high performance homes that are better. You didnt start building those type of homes you are out educate yourself and others. As u begin to get better equipment and more education and you were able to get built a high performs home for yourself... Stay humble I enjoy the videos...
Disappointed that there was no mention of the easiest way to start designing for energy efficiency.......build smaller......not tiny, just smaller. That makes every other design decision easier. I know your market is the higher end (larger) market but if you are really going to educate people why not start with this one fundamental? Even a large zero energy home has used significantly more energy input for the construction.
Im just here trying to decide if I can afford my doors to be made of wood instead of cardboard
Didn't know Kevin Bacon was so into building science.
$10k minimum. $3 sq/ft?
Does this mean these services only apply b to 3000ish sq/ft homes and up?
Does this mean my 1000sq/ft home is cheaper than 10k, or does it mean I pay 10k for a smaller space, does it mean my house isn't good enough for a consultant because I don't live in as much excess as your target audience, or something else?
$10k minimum is $10k minimum. If it wasn't good enough, they would simply say no. Your house just isn't big enough to take advantage of the "economies of scale" as there are fixed cost associated with each project regardless of house size.
But who has 15-20k above and beyond architect fees for a new house?
People who spend $1.5 to $2M on a house.
Typically only the same 1-2% who have actually hired an architect.
I don't get it. Been a fan of matt for years. But he talks all this about craftsmanship and etc, but he's only talked about ICF like 3 times on the channel.
Typo in the thumbnail
Buildling?
Its a _tiny_ building
Don't feel bad about all this guys. Science is still discovering and trying to understand the human body, understanding the genius of God. Home building has come a long way in just the last 20 years. Keep up the great work and getting the word out there.
"Buildling"...?
Houses don't really need ducts they just need to move warm and cool air around and ventilate for people who are giving off water and poop etc.
hvac has a v ...
How do you distribute and filter that air without ducts?
Is the oil/gas industry designing these all glass designs?
Do any builders feel a sense of guilt or irresponsibility in our current times, knowing the global threats and oppression are growing with our collective indifference?
As homes are being built for families in the US, an expansionist dictator is displacing tens of millions of Ukrainians and wants to undermine and manipulate the US and Europe.
As we eat our plentiful foods, North Korean people are eating grasshoppers and dragonflies to survive and are risking their entire family’s lives just to escape.
As we navigate our broken, parasitic health care system, the PRC is harvesting the organs of political prisoners, while closely observing the outcome in Ukraine to plan their overthrow the Taiwanese government by 2027.
Despite what negatives divisionisms like Trump or Tucker Carlson say, please support the military support in Ukraine. The homes, lives, and prosperity you build today may depend on it.
United we stand.
Divided we will fall.
(And our adversaries know it.)
Yes they can be built to tight houses need to breathe. Most of these new house will never be here in 100 yrs.
Why? Think about the gobs of 1950's homes that have gotten very little love and they're going strong. They are 70 years old and I have no reason to believe that they won't be here in 30 years. They were built cheap and fast.
Most homes built 100 years ago are not around. Survivor bias. A lot of the leaky homes built in the 40 years ago have mold problems on the exterior due to all the condensation from warm air leakage.
That should be part of your mission statement.
i think people who take their occupation seriously return more thoughtful results....
Just gotta say it's kinda of refreshing!