On Aug 26, 9:43*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Aug 25, 10:36*pm, aemeijers wrote:





DerbyDad03 wrote:

(snip)

"and if I ever get rich enough to build"

Don't you mean "and if I ever get rich enough to build and upgrade
beyond the basic doors without sacrificing any other upgrades"?

I've got lots of friends that built. Once they saw what they got for
the base price, from carpeting to lighting to other "necessities",
that's where they put their upgrade money.

They would have loved to have upgraded the doors throughout, but a
door is a door, while there were so many other things that *really*
needed upgrading both for function and for show.

At some point, most people have to make choices or they'll price
themselves right out of the build.

Hey, it's MY daydream, and I'll spec it out how I want it! *:^)
And for damn sure, it won't be a McHouse from a McBuilder. I have access
to 50 years of my *father's house plans (if he isn't around any more to
design me a custom), and I inherited enough of his skills to modify them
as needed. None of this 'base price and upgrades' stuff- I'd rather buy
a pre-owned of higher quality, if I can't afford a custom build.

But more realistically, short of my twice-a-month lotto ticket coming up
a winner, the only 'build' I'll ever be able to afford is a pole barn
with a hidden apartment in one end of it. And being by myself, that
would probably be enough. The 1.375 houses I own aren't gonna go up in
value any more- I'll be lucky if I get my money back out of them. *And
since us 'lifer' Feds aren't eligible for SS unless we work out in the
world for ten years after we retire, my pennies will all be quite thin.
So, the odds are high my next house has already been built, somewhere.
Not sure where, yet, but somewhere.

I do need to get off my ass and start getting this place presentable
enough to sell, though, so it isn't an anchor once I get eligible to
leave. Damn glad they built that casino up the road from here, even
though I'll never see the inside of it. My place is the perfect price
point and commuting distance for a starter house for some youngster
working there that gets hitched. Unlike the beige McMansions of many
gables, starter houses are still selling around here. I made sure to buy
in a low-crime area with decent schools, on a street with no heavy
traffic. A very kid-friendly neighborhood.

--
aem sends...

A little story about "basic" doors in a new build...

I was helping a friend move into her new build and was pretty
impressed with the look of the house. One of the things she asked me
to do was to put a cat door in the door that led to the basement. It
looked like a decent wood grained 6 panel door, painted white.

I asked her if she was sure she wanted me to cut a hole in the brand
new door. What if I screwed up...would it void the warranty? She told
me she asked the builder about doing it and he told her that it would
be cheaper for her to pay for a new door if it got screwed up than
what he would have to charge her to put the pet door in as part of the
build.

I was a bit confused by that until I actually started cutting into the
door. The door was basically made of cardboard! It was some kind of
pressed cardboard with corrugated cardboard supports in various spots.
I had to be careful that I didn't tightened the screws on the pet door
too much because it would deform the face of the door.

After that I looked a little more carefully at the house and noticed
lots of "cheapness". For example, I was hanging shades inside the
"window well" and quickly realized that they had used vinyl as the
finish material. You could push on the surface and feel it flex. I had
to get longer screws to mount the shades to make sure I reached the
studs and tighten them just enough not to move the vinyl.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hollow core doors have masonite skins which does look a bit like
compressed cardboard. Both use coarse fibers. The inside has
cardboard spacers. Nothing really wrong with this, masonite is a
perfectly acceptable material as long as you don't repeatedly expose
it to water. The cardboard spacers will still be there 50 years
later, the door is sealed. I'm not trying to claim they are anything
other than what they are, basic interior doors that serve their
purpose. Theer are millions of them out there.

Vinyl and other synthetic composites are becoming more common in
construction, particularly in areas that may get wet. It doesn't rot,
warp, or shrink. Again there is nothing intrensically wrong with it.
Would a good hardwood or cedar be better? Sure? But are composites
better that new growth pine or fir? Probably. If you've had to work
on a house that had new growth pine for exterior trim combined with
not getting painted as soon as it needed it (and how often does that
happen) then you'd know what I mean.