Irvine Housing Forums

Home Automation / HVAC

2008-12-01T15:14:40-08:00

Hi all.

I wanted to start a discussion of issues related to home automation and heating and cooling. My house, built in 2000, in Northpark, has separate zones for AC/Heat for upstairs and downstairs. Unfortunately, we’ve been fighting constantly with thermostats and vents and window shades to try and keep the place at some sort of comfortable temperature. A big part is that the house points the wrong way: the big windows for the master suite, kitchen, and family room face south-west. I tried putting in roller sunshades outside the house, but they didn’t hold up.

I’ve thought of putting in a bunch of electric dampers in the vents with local thermostats and some kind of controller. Anyone have a system like this? I also put in a bunch of X10 switches and controller for lighting (used to control sprinklers, too), but it’s never been very reliable because of the size of the house. I’ve thought of moving to Insteon of Z-Wave, but they’re much more expensive than X10 and have a much smaller selection of modules. Most of my in-wall modules are the special ones that can control CFLs, which I use for most of the house general lighting.

It would be great to just use Wi-Fi to control all the HVAC and lighting. Any (reasonably affordable) ideas on this? Anyone have a nice system in their house they’d be willing to show off?

Thanks,

David

Home design - Spanish - Where is a good place to look at plans?

2008-11-07T00:24:03-08:00

I have always dreamed of a Spanish style home with private courtyards, home furniture etc.

I have looked unsuccessfully on the internet. Does anyone know of a good source?

Thanks in advance!!

Crack throughout house = problem with foundation?

2008-10-27T07:43:16-08:00

Few months ago they noticed a crack formed in the concrete of their driveway. Not long after they noticed a cracks in the downstairs marble flooring. The cracks inside the house run directly in the same line as the crack that formed on the driveway. Is this an indication of damage to the foundation of the home?
This is a 2-3 yr old construction on a view lot in TR.

The Kaufmann House

2008-07-02T09:55:10-08:00

Really, I am posting this for Trooper, and maybe for BK to come in and tell us even more. BTW, Conde Nast’s Portfolio magazine is where I found this and they have many other great articles.

Christie’s tries its luck at selling a famous home as a piece of art.

Make sure you check out the slide show.

How Do Neighborhoods Go Bad?

2008-08-07T11:53:05-08:00

Sorry this question is kind of vague, but how do neighborhoods become slums? I saw on the History Channel that in the 1890’s Harlem was the high class neighborhood of New York with the largest mansions. There was a time when Compton was a nice place, and get this, when I was in elementary school my relatives chided me for living in “shanty shack town” NEWPORT BEACH. They were from a repsectable neighborhood in SANTA ANA. I am not making this up.

So how does it happen that the good places can become the not so good places? Is it easy to forcast where it will happen?What can urban planning do to prevent it?

Why don’t master bathrooms have doors?

2008-10-20T11:25:31-08:00

I’ve noticed that in many houses with a master suite, there is no door separating the bathroom part of the suite. This doesn’t seem very practical to me. If couples sleep/get up at different times, I think a door is essential so that the awake person can use the bathroom without disturing the sleeping one. I’ve noticed that in houses with multiple suites, the secondary suites usually have doors to their bathrooms but not the master suite so if there is some practical reason why the master bathroom should be doorless, wouldn’t that reason apply to the secondary suites as well? If there is logic to leaving the master bath exposed, I’d like to know.

Least Favorite Home Characteristics

2008-10-19T15:12:18-08:00

Having been a homeowner and living in several types of homes, I now know what I do and don’t want out of my next home. These are some of the things that are deal-breakers for me.

My first is a galley-style kitchen, particularly when there is a door at or near the end of it and the path of foot traffic moves through the kitchen. When I am in the kitchen, I like my space and do not like people coming in and out for various reasons – because they need to access the garage, a patio or a different area of the house. When you have a pot of hot water and a knife lying out, you do not want your kids running by to get somewhere or your spouse bringing a laundry basket through. Also with the galley kitchen there is something I don’t like about the continual row of cabinets and counters. It feels as though you are standing in a hallway… as though the space is not important enough to be acknowledged as a room, but just something to pass by.

I also do not like small windows, decorative or otherwise. They are too small to provide adequate amounts of natural light but they are large enough to rob you of privacy. Finding the right type of window treatment for them seems to be difficult. Window treatments seem to overpower them.

I will never buy a house that does not have a window in every bathroom that contains a shower or tub. When you are dealing with moisture, in my experience vents and fans do not cut it. A window is necessary to rid the room of the humidity (for mildew purposes but also if you are a woman and applying makeup in the bathroom at the vanity afterward.)

An entry-way is a must. I agree with bk’s post on foyers. It baffles me when I see a front door open directly into a living room and there is no introduction into the home.

I do not like when the kitchen is in the line of site from the front door. Guests can see any dirty dishes in the sink from the moment they enter the house. It’s an instant turn-off unless you can keep it spic and span all the time.

I do not like split-level homes where the kitchen is upstairs. Lugging jugs of water and heavy bags upstairs is not very practical.

Those are just some of the things I like least in a home and are the first things I look out for when searching for a house.

Why a foyer is important for a home.

2008-10-16T21:04:24-08:00

Everyone living in an apartment does not like his or her entry. What entry??? That stupid door swing scraping over the carpet so the landlord can ding your security deposit for the dirty area that is shaped like a ¼ circle when you move or that piece of a 4’x4’ linoleum carved out from the carpet is an entry? The fundamental difference between the arrival experience between an apartment and a house is the foyer experience.

Always consider having a foyer when buying a home and no matter how small a home is. A good example is the 1,050 sf plan one Cortile in Woodbury having a foyer that lends drama and class to a small jewel box. Lacking a foyer in a home is like having sex without foreplay. Foyer should be at least 5’ deep and 4-1/4’ wide so a small table/cabinet could be placed on the side or straight ahead for mails, keys and especially shoes for all Asian visitors. Limiting fancy hard flooring only at the foyer is a good transition to soft flooring for the rest of the home.
Front door must be recessed in from the face of the building at least 3’ or under a porch for sun and weather protection. Expensive homes have distressed wood door and cheap homes have steel doors and neither could last from the direct heat of sun ray. Steel door temperature reaches 120 degrees and wood door expands up to a quarter inch daily. Paint or stain will fade quickly losing the protection barrier against moisture that causes fungus and rust.

Chinese buyers prefer double door with tall transom windows above. In China wealthy people’s home has double doors flanked by a pair of wood panels displaying 2 poems and a transom overhead panel with carved or written calligraphy of the family’s motto. This iconic front door image transcend across all continents. In China the narrow proportion of the double 2’door is beautiful and well proportioned but yet structurally functional by reducing the sagging weight. In America double door entry is sinfully ugly because each leaf has to be 3’ wide to meet code and the proportion is McMansion like.

Double door in China

Chinese love double door in America

Single front door in older houses found in Floral Park and the craftsman homes in Pasadena has the classic 4’ wide proportion. These doors were made with well kilned and dry hardwood with mortise and tenon joinery so the door never sag from the hinge support. New doors rarely meet the 4’ structural standard. This is the reason why front door is always 3 foot wide. Old arch top door rarely sag and most new arch top doors rub against the door jambs. The upper hinge of the arch top door must be set below the spring point of the arch and the position is way too low for counter balance. Beware when buying a house with arch top door.

What does the foyer to your home say about you? In recent years, homebuilders have played down and sometimes neglected the elegant foyer altogether focused on the livable part of the home. This has happened especially in smaller plans, with architects sacrificing the square footage of the entry foyer make way for larger living spaces. In the 1980’s and early 90’s OC builders became big on open concept floor plans, making true entry foyers an afterthought. After all, we don’t sleep or live in our entries, so why make it such a focal point? These homes lack foreplay.

Many design critics agree that reducing the size of an entry foyer to a few tiles in the shape of a postage stamp, and incorporating it into a front room robs the buyer of more than meets the eye. In reality, the entry to your home may be the farthest point most visitors will ever get after being invited in. That means that those visitors’ first impression of you and your home life may just be their last. And, by selecting a new home floor plan with or without an entry foyer, you may be choosing just what kind of statement you would like to make to those intermittent guests. But what else does a real entry area give to the homeowner besides the impression it may or not make on others?
Privacy is important. The idea of containing and shielding visitors from the rest of your homes interior means you needn’t always be “ready” to show off your life inside. Valuable treasures and furniture pieces may be saved to show off at a later, more appropriate time of your choosing, not theirs. I, for one, do not need for well-meaning door-to-door types to see just how I live, even if I am somewhat pleased with how I have decorated my home.
Protection from the weather elements may just be another. Well-designed exterior as well as interior entries can be designed to shield your home’s belongings and wall surfaces. Guest closets in entries are on the comeback trail, too, giving homeowners a practical and usable alternative to a pile of sometimes coats and purses piled on the bed in the spare room. Important pieces of furniture and delicate decorations displayed upon them may be safe from sudden entry “winds” with which we all may be familiar from my feng shui course not directly aligned with a back door in a defined entry foyer.

My favorite reason for a notable entry foyer, however, is what I can display there that just doesn’t seem appropriate for other parts of the house. Pictures, wall decor, an elegant entry table, and a burst of decorating color can jolt those entering into a true sense of “home” and my personal style. The floor surface, which is usually a practical, weather resistant surface like tile, marble, or sealed hardwood, is, perhaps one of the richer surfaces of the home. The view from the entry in a two-story home may very well be of a sweeping staircase like the set in Gone with the Wind, revealing even more pride of decoration and signature, but not necessarily of furnished living areas.
In the John McMonigle arena the inclusion of formal or semi-formal entries may even be compared with why new custom homebuilders find that many homebuyers still want a formal dining room, even though the formal living room may have gone by the wayside in many home designs. Even with ‘great room” designs, buyers still seem to want that seldom-used, uncluttered, manicured and permanently decorated place for special events, family gatherings, and prized heirlooms to be displayed. For the Asian buyers the music parlor is a must. Perhaps the elegant entry, the anachronism that builders may have, at one time, thought it would become, is a slice of courtly living that may not soon see its demise, as the formal dining room has not. With so many conventions of our parent’s era forgotten, the idea of being a gracious homeowner, ushering an unexpected, but temporary guest into the home for a bit of conversation and a warm send-off in the entry foyer still sounds so civilized!
The idea here is to alert new homebuyers to take note of not just the basic floor plan and how it suits your immediate needs and those of your family. Rooms, along with their size, practicality, and proximity to other parts of the home are easily assessed. The entry foyers and its overall relationship to the “livability” of your new home can be easily neglected when deciding on a floor plan. Decide for yourself what that seemingly “wasted” bit of square footage can mean to you in the long run.

Metal stud houses in Irvine.

2008-10-15T18:28:12-08:00

Lightweight steel framing is increasing in popularity amongst homebuilders. Brookfield Homes was the first to utilize this type of construction in its debut Landsend projects in Northwood Pointe. The core group of Brookfield Homes in OC was founded in 1996 by 3 individuals also were responsible for the success of Taylor Woodrow Homes. Their vision has remained cutting edge since its inception in construction, design, merchandising and marketing.

Other builders quickly followed the steel framing program of Brookfield Homes such as Lennar and Richmond American in North Park Square.

Metal framing providing fire resistant framing structures, pest resistance construction, straighter smoother walls, as well as load strength for weather-proofed residential structures.

Although “Steel” may conjure up images of a heavy, cumbersome material for construction, steel studs are just the opposite. Steel studs offer a strong, accurate, dimensionally stable and durable framing system, and are ideal for residential construction as long the design is simple and restraint. That was not the case in Irvine during the housing boom and design was overly complicated.

Residential steel framing members were originally designed as a substitute for wood framing. However, they are now being manufactured in systems, which reflect the superior strength and consistency of steel. The variety of available steel shapes, strengths and sizes has expanded beyond that of standard lumber, and this versatility offers the advantage of savings in both material cost and time while delivering a consistently high quality product.

Environmental and economic concerns have prompted the building industry to research alternative building materials and methods. This, in addition to its construction benefits and excellent recycling capabilities, is making steel framing a growing choice for residential construction. This follows the long time use of steel framing in commercial construction where steel has proven quality and performance records.

The reasons why home builders are turning to steel framing members as replacements for wood are as varied as the homes they build. Here are just some of the most significant benefits for both user groups, the builder and the homeowner, that give steel an edge over the wood construction.

Builder Benefits:

Steel will not rot, shrink, swell, split, or warp and is non-combustible.

Every steel stud is a good stud. Steel framing is of consistent quality.

Steel framing can be supplied to the exact lengths required thus eliminating much of the on-site cutting and
most of the waste.

Steel framing is a proven technology that is user friendly allowing for a smooth transition from other materials.

Steel framing members are available in a variety of standard shapes and sizes and in varying thicknesses to accommodate any structural requirements.

Steel members weigh as much as 60% less than wood members; therefore, foundation and seismic loads can be reduced.

Steel framing members are manufactured with pre-punched holes for running piping and electrical wiring, minimizing preparation work for other trades.

Steel is competitively priced and consistent in quality. Steel prices are more dimensionally stable than wood and steel supplies have historically been more readily available. Wood warping, twisting and bending due to moisture in the air was the biggest problem in warranty issue.

Steel members can easily be prefabricated at the construction site, at a central assembly point near the site or can be assembled in panels at a factory. Steel gives a flexible response to nearly every home builder requirement.

No heavy equipment is necessary when light gauge steel framing is used.

Homeowner Benefits:

Steel’s inherent strength and non-combustible qualities enable a steel framed building to resist such devastating events as fires, earthquakes, and wind.

Because of its strength, steel can span greater distances offering larger open spaces and increased design flexibility without requiring intermediate columns or load bearing walls.

Steel framing does not need to be treated for termites. It is free of resin adhesives and other chemicals used to treat wood framing products.

Steel framed homes respond well in every climate.

Steel framed walls are straight and remain that way. There is no shrinkage to cause nail-pops and squeaking floors.

The idea was a novel idea but it was way ahead of its time. The unskilled labor force available in OC was extremely cost efficient but few knew how to frame with steel studs. A trained team meant union labor and costing more. As homes in the last 10 years became much more complicated and with many angles, curves, and building corners steel was not a choice material. Wood remained as the most flexible material because it can be cut and nailed at any angle while steel studs lack the flexible surface area for fastening. Although steel was short lived in Irvine but the remaining structures are far more superior in strength and durability.

Builder floorplan focus groups.

2008-10-09T18:01:28-08:00

Anybody else get surveyed to attend a paid focus group on future floorplans that are “likely” to be TIC products? I’ll just say that the TIC is still thinking WTF prices with $1M buying a 4000 sq ft lot.