All Forum Posts by: Kevin Martin

@Jav Caprietta

Hey! Do you have any actual pictures of the wall, its framing, and what is above it? That plan view is hard to see on my computer. I live in Jax and can have a look at it if you want....

Hey Kate, Do you have a contract with him? Is he licensed? Do you have a scope of work? I hate to hear stories like this because its puts a bad image on the rest of the great contractors out there. If he charged you card without your authorization or an invoice for the work completed then that is really bad or maybe just a mistake. However, if you have lost communication with him then I believe that would be your only option.  

Those cracks dont look that bad but like everyone is saying its hard to tell with just a few pictures. Look at the foundation and see if there are any more cracks, then see if there is evidence of more cracks anywhere else. 

Yes, you can hide cracks but if its really bad you will see/feel it and you should walk or hire an engineer if the deal still makes sense. 

@Mike Wood

@Mike WoodYes I have experience with the spray foam but like you said its not cost prohibitive. We use the radiant barrier roof sheathing which helps alot too with efficiency (in the south) and isn't too much more for costs. As builders we need to keep our costs as low as possible with giving the most energy efficient and aesthetic incentives. Some things make sense and some things dont; in a perfect world we could build a sub net zero home and get paid for what its worth but that isnt usually the case. Its a constant balancing act and every home site is different; some houses are not even good for solar and we have to make up for it with other solutions. 

With the house and all the extras the sales price per sqft came out to around $145/sqft. The comps in this area right now are as good and slightly higher than this. 

We have another new construction house (pre-sold) going up right now in the same area and a flip we are doing as well. We are putting in for permit on two more new builds in the same area and have 3 more in planning. 

@Mike Wood

With the solar on these houses I am partnered with my dad and he is a licensed Solar Contractor. Now since we are both involved in the overall deal we can keep our solar costs low on the solar. Also, installing a solar system during a new build is a lot easier than doing it on an existing house which saves us a good amount of time. 

The tax credit to the buyers is based on their cost of the system (both PV and Thermal) which would include our time, materials, overhead and profit. The value is there for solar on many levels but we are still trying to figure out the best angle.

@Tanya F.

Its kind of hard to determine the energy savings because that all depends on the usage. However, my dad built a similar house a few years ago with the same solar system and the owners had a $20 utility bill last August. Not bad in the middle of the summer but this was just a husband and wife. Add a few kids, a stay at home mom, and a pool and I'm sure the savings wont be as much. :)

@Mike Wood

Yes the actual building from slab to C.O took us 87 days. There was probably another 30-40 days that included design, permits, site work, and lender delays(after C.O.) but we really took off once the concrete showed up. The house is 2000 sqft heated (2500 total sqft) and we sold it pre-construction. We were planning on building it spec but we listed it pre-construction and got a contract on it.

The solar system was included in the purchase price and now the home owners will be able to get the 30% tax credit for their new system. They should get a hefty tax credit which will help offset some/most of their down payment on the house. 

It's a 5kw system and yes it does have a solar hot water heater. 16 Seer AC unit, radiant barrier sheathing, R38 insulation, and very good energy numbers on the Windows. 

What a ride the past few months have been! It took us exactly 87 days from wet concrete to C.O. I quit my nice cushy engineering job a few months ago and decided to start building new solar homes. It wasn't an easy decision but looking back these past few months I believe it turned out for the best. It probably wouldn't have went so smoothly and quickly without family and friends but to all those people just starting on BP; it will never be the perfect time to start, just take the first step and go!

@Jaimie Chen

When did they install the piers; during construction or after all the problems have come up? If they were installed after all these problems came up then the movement should be greatly reduced but if the house is bearing on expansive clay you could still have more settlement/shifting down the road.

If you don’t have experience with foundation issues then I wouldn’t try to thread the needle on this one. Especially with the house being two stories any settlement/shifting maybe noticed more like you are noticing upstairs.