TIPS.....CHECKLIST PUBLICATIONS Log In Related Publications Selecting Your House Inspecting a House Should You Buy or Rent? Selecting Home Buying Professionals Budgeting for Home Ownership Browse A Home For Your Family How Does the Space in the House Rate? A Home For Your Family Families live, work, and play differently today than 10 years ago, and they have many more possessions. Not only is space expensive, but it also must be insured, heated, cooled, taxed, furnished, and cleaned. You need to take time to analyze carefully the space your family needs as you look at various houses to buy or rent. Use the following checklist as a guide to help you evaluate any house or house plan so that you can select one that includes those features important to you and your family. Included are many desirable features and standards. Score the house(s) based on the following point system: 3 = Good; 2 = Fair; 1 = Poor. Add up your score to see if the house(s) meets your family’s needs and wants. Traffic _______ Family members are able to move freely through the house without getting in each other’s way or interrupting each person’s privacy. _______ At least one entry is located to allow the greatest convenience when unloading supplies from the car (no more than 30 feet from the car). _______ Hall space has been kept to a a minimum. _______ Halls are wide enough to allow ease in passage and moving furniture (3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet). Space Relationships _______ The size of social, work, and private areas is good for your family activities and needs. _______ The public, private, and work areas are adequately separated for your family. _______ Rooms with multiple use (e.g. master bedroom/sitting; living/dining; dining/study; or guest/study/sewing) are adaptable to your family's changing needs. Should an extended illness of a family member occur, does the house meet these needs: _______ – At least one bedroom on the entry level. _______ – Doors, especially into one bedroom and bathroom, are at least 2 feet 8 inches. _______ – There is at least one walk-in shower. _______ – Windows in the bedroom are low enough to see out when lying down. Social Areas _______ House suits your family's activities and needs. _______ Space is adequate for the family to be together and for all the different activities in which your family participates. _______ Eating space is adequate for your family and usual guests. _______ There is no space to accommodate an occasional larger group to eat. _______ Location of the eating space is convenient to the kitchen. _______ The outdoors is visible from the table. Planned outdoor living area is: _______ – Easily accessible from the kitchen. _______ – Offers some degree of privacy and protection. _______ – Can be reached from the living area without going through the kitchen (to reduce traffic through the kitchen work area). Private/Sleeping Areas _______ Rooms that are to be shared are large enough for each occupant to have a private area. _______ Bed (or beds) can be located in at least two places in each bedroom. _______ All bedrooms are large enough to accommodate at least a double-sized bed. _______ Space is adequate for other necessary pieces of furniture. _______ Each bedroom can be reached without going through another. _______ There is at least 4 linear feet of rod space in the closets for each individual. _______ Closets are located to provide sound buffers between bedrooms. _______ All bedrooms have reasonable private access to a bathroom. Bathrooms _______ Each bathroom is large enough to accommodate the number of people who will use it. _______ Adequate storage is provided for towels and grooming aids. _______ Plumbing fixtures are located on inside wall to prevent freezing. _______ Lighting is acceptable for grooming. Study _______ There is enough space for each person in family to have their own study area/table/desk. _______ Space is available for books, references, supplies, and private "treasures" to be stored in the study area. Kitchen _______ Adequate space is allowed for the kinds of food preparation you and your family do. _______ Work area is out of the family traffic path. _______ Total distance formed by a triangle from the refrigerator to the sink to the range is 12 feet to 26 feet. _______ Space is adequate for the types of appliances used (microwave oven, food processor, etc.) _______ Storage cabinets and drawers are of various sizes and adjustable to adapt to changing uses. _______ There is counter surface on both sides of the range and sink and on the latch side of the refrigerator. _______ Dishwasher is at least 9 inches (15 inches preferred) from a corner to allow space to open the dishwasher door without hitting cabinet pulls. Utility _______ Laundry equipment or area is convenient to the source of the soiled laundry. _______ Floor space in the utility area is adequate for the appliances and room for you to work. _______ Food freezer location is convenient to the kitchen. Storage _______ Closets are near both public and service entries for coats and boots. _______ Storage space is located where it will be needed. _______ Storage space is at least 10 to 25 percent of the total floor area of the house. _______ There is suitable and adequate outside storage. Adequate amount of storage is available for your family's: _______ – Bed linens. _______ – Cleaning equipment. _______ – Out-of-season clothes. _______ – Seasonal items. _______ – Hobbies. Doors and Windows _______ All doors are located to avoid diagonal traffic paths across rooms. _______ Outside doors are protected from rain and snow. _______ Doors are wide enough to allow furniture to be carried through. _______ Exterior doors are at least 36 inches wide to allow passage of a person using a wheelchair, walker, or assistance. _______ Doors open into rooms they serve. _______ Outside doors are solid and hinged rather than hollow core or sliding (to conserve energy and provide more safety). _______ Outside doors have sturdy locks and peepholes. _______ All windows can be opened for natural ventilation. _______ All windows have locks and/or other safety measures. _______ Larger windows are located on the south to take advantage of the sun and wind. _______ Windows are large enough and low enough to allow easy escape in case of fire. _______ All glassed areas are double glazed to save energy. Exterior _______ Front entry is easy to locate and reach from the street. _______ Public entrance allows access without overexposure of the family within. _______ There is a door to the utility area from outside (helpful when hanging clothes outside to dry). _______ House looks beautiful to your family. _______ Style of architecture is suitable for the lot and neighborhood. _______ Roof style allows for adequate attic ventilation. _______ Roof overhang is adequate (30 inches are recommended). _______ House is oriented on the lot to take advantage of the sun and wind. _______ Exterior siding materials coordinate with the style of the house _______ No more than two types of siding materials have been used on the house (three or more exterior materials creates a busy, cluttered appearance). _______ Windows, doors, shutters, and trim are in scale to the overall design of the house. _______ Three or fewer colors are used on exterior. _______ Total Score 200 and Above = Excellent. Your score indicates that the size, space, and arrangement of this house would be above average for a suitable and comfortable home for your family. 150 to 199 = Good. Your score indicates that there may be some factors about the size, space, or arrangement of this house that require your careful consideration. However, it could be a good housing choice. 149 or Below = Poor. Better look elsewhere, even if the price is “right” for your pocketbook. Adapted from Walls, Eleanor J. 1990. Home Buyer’s Guide: Rate The Space. University of Arkansas. Little Rock, AR. Authors Wilma Hammett Executive Director FCS Foundation and ECA Foundation Office of College Advancement Glenda Herman Extension Housing Specialist Agricultural and Human Sciences Keywords: Home Ownership Housing Real Estate Publication date: July 1, 1995 FCS-430 North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. Receive Email Notifications for New Publications NC State Extension Where Next? College of Agriculture & Life Sciences CALS News Extension at NC A&T Jobs Give Now County Centers Contact Us N.C. Cooperative Extension is based at North Carolina's two land-grant institutions, NC State University and NC A&T State University, in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. — Read our commitment to diversity. Read our Privacy Statement
Good info but the options are limited and misleading. There are other ways of doing this. Buying a house is NOT your only choice and for many it is the worst choice. It is OK if you want to 'fit in' and contribute to the system but it is not good for a healthy country or strong people. I have added some stuff mostly in video format because people have forgotten how to read. How to own land
I've always wanted to try Cob building , just don't have enough land for that . Also wanted to try Cordwood building . Seen some cordwood walls built at an old mill before , not sure how old they were but everything still seemed to be tight and sturdy , keeping the wood dry is key , long overhangs is the trick here . Back in the 90s I was running 2 crews for framing houses , we would do 2 houses a week , completely dried in , 1000-1200 sq ft . There was one guy that was working in the same site we were , and he would build 1 house by himself in about 2 weeks . He didn't have the overhead , so f he did 2 a month , he would make 5 - $ 6000 a month .
Being in a wet/humid environment I have seen standard houses get destroyed over the short years. The cob houses around here have lasted much longer. The strange part is that once people change from a common wood framed house to a cob or earthship or what ever, they tend to want the thing to last for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. A wood house is more expensive and doesn't last that long but for some reason they want a cheaper, easier, healthier, house to last til the end of time while paying next to nothing? Strange but true.
Also , Rammed earth is another type of green building . Rammed earth is a mixture of dirt and a concrete/cement mixture , poured and layered inside of a form , then packed with tamp . I have seen them use a pneumatic hand held tamp . You could run all of your electrical in conduit thru the walls , also your plumbing . Have even seen a type of dirt floor system , can't remember the exact mixture , but it was mixed to a slurry , and screeded out , in 3 different layers . Was said to be like a stained concrete floor , was hard , but was supposed to be softer , and was better for walking on as it put less stress and shock on your back and feet .
The information you have shared is pretty informative. Also, I like how qualitative and easy to understand are the videos you have shared. I am building a house, and I try to make sure that it is not so hard to save some money on hiring laborers. Now all I need to do is to paint the walls outside the house. I already hired a scaffold tower from petesuen.com, and then it will arrive. I will start the work. The money I saved, I spent on more durable and qualitative paint. Hope everything will be ok, and the work will be well done.
Slip-formed walls can also be made of stone They can even have rebar, internal insulation, and accessible chases for plumbing & wiring. Heating & cooling can be via underfloor to individual room vents. AC that has no ducts in the attic uses about 30% as much electricity as conventional overhead layouts. Contractors do AC the conventional way because they don't care how much of your money they waste. Plus they want to save every penny they can. Ken Kern's The Owner-Built Home is very interesting reading.
