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Build Your House Yourself University

Wish you knew more about the biggest investment you will most likely ever make? Build Your House Yourself University (byhyu) will teach you to save money and make smart decisions about the construction of the place you and your family will call HOME. We will help you understand residential construction— simplify and demystify the design build process. You’ll come away with successful strategies for building your own house, with or without a general contractor. Become an educated consumer, even if you prefer to buy, rather than build a new house. Complex construction jargon and best practices will be explained in easy to understand terms. It’s not the typical DIY (do it yourself) show. You will learn how to MANAGE the labor, not DO the labor for your new house. Join me, Michelle Nelson, host and fellow informal residential construction student. I’ll share the research I find on home design and building as I prepare to build my home. Together, our community of future home builders, will learn the tips, tricks and trends of experienced contractors and industry experts. I’ll interview owner-builders and construction professionals. During our mini lessons, I’ll inform you about framing, flooring, windows, insulation, kitchen cabinets and countertops…almost anything having to do with new construction homes. You’ll hear about energy efficiency and green building too. There will be product reviews in which you will be introduced to cutting edge, as well as, tried and true products and services. And in keeping with the university theme, episodes will end with short, fun quizzes. If we do our due diligence BEFORE we start construction, we will actually start construction with the most difficult part of the project behind us. Let’s put in the time, effort, preparation and research BEFORE we break ground and building our homes will be much easier and more enjoyable.
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Now displaying: February, 2018
Feb 28, 2018

This past week in my area, it rained almost non-stop for 3 days.  And although I haven’t started building, I was thinking I’d pretty nervous if I had started and my house was being framed and exposed to all that water.

It got me to wondering… Is it ok if it rains while your house is being framed before the house is dried in?  If it’s not ok, what can you do if it does rain?  Do you need to wait for the lumber to dry?

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Feb 21, 2018

Outdoor living spaces are more important than ever.  Most folks building new homes want a deck, porch and/or patio where they can entertain or just relax as a family. 

When choosing the materials for the construction of your porch, deck or patio, the style of your home and your personal preference should definitely be considered.  A traditional colonial-style home would look nice with a brick patio, for example, whereas a more contemporary house might look better with an outdoor space made of poured concrete or sleek pavers. 

But, in addition to aesthetic considerations, we should also think about maintenance, cost, and the pros and cons of each material.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Feb 14, 2018

This week I have a quick episode telling you about 7 house layout mistakes you should avoid when designing your home.  Most of them are mistakes that I almost made until I mentally walked through the house.  Some of them are mistakes that my architect didn’t even see until I brought them to his attention.  So do your due diligence, even if you are working with a professional, and literally study your house plan before you finalize it.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Feb 7, 2018

I love lighting fixtures.  I’d have a beautiful chandelier in almost every room of the house, if I could.  But there’s more to lighting than pretty fixtures.  Lighting is first and foremost functional.  I briefly covered lighting in episode 25 called “8 Kitchen Design Mistakes to Avoid”.  Mistake #6 was “Going Light on Lighting.”  That’s not what we want to do in the kitchen or any other place in the house. 

In this week’s mini lesson, we’ll go over the basic rules to follow when choosing lighting for your new home.  Now,  an electrician or lighting designer will be invaluable in making specific suggestions your project, but today we’ll cover some general guidelines. 

As with most guidelines, experts sometimes disagree.  I noticed when doing my research that one website might have slightly different guidelines and advice than another.  So the tips and rules that I’ll outline today may be just a little different from what you read or hear elsewhere, but this information should help give you some basic, practical tips that will get you on the right path to a well lit home. 

We’ll talk about the different categories of lighting, where to put warm white light as opposed to cool white light, and we’ll go into what size recessed lights (can lights) are best and how you should space them.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

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