The Firehouse Project

The Beginning of the END; Floors and Sheetrock!

Floors and Sheetrock are truly the beginning of the end; it means you have passed your rough inspections and your insulation inspection, and you are permitted to 'close up the walls'. It's the first time you really get a feel for your new space.  I've got a few thoughts on how to make it go smoothly, and what to be on the lookout for...

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I Never Knew Windows Could Make THIS MUCH of a Difference!

I’m back! Thank you guys so much for bearing with me. Now lets pick up where we left off…we’re talking windows, specifically Renewal by Andersen windows…when I tell you game changer, I mean GAME CHANGER! These windows are so efficient, and so quiet it literally changed the way the inside of the firehouse felt when they were done with the install. If you have questions after you watch the video let me know in the comments down below.

And for more info on RbA go here: http://www.renewalbyandersen.com/anthony

BEST Insulation I have ever used!!!

Insulating your home isn't exactly the most exciting part of the job, its like ok, throw it in the walls and lets get to the pretty things, but I'm telling you the right product choice here makes a HUGE difference. And I can tell you without hesitation, Rockwool is the BEST I have ever used.

If you've been following the series, you've already heard me bitch about spray foam (its an absolute nightmare), and standard batt insulation isn't up to my quality standards.

Rockwool gives all the things I am looking for at a nominal up-charge, and considering what you get, its a no brainer for me.

Fire Proof, Dead Silent, No Mold Issues, and its made from Recycled materials.

Product Details here:

COMFORTBATT:
https://www.rockwool.com/products/comfortbatt/?selectedCat=comfortbatt®%20downloads

SAFE N' SOUND:
https://www.rockwool.com/products/safensound/?selectedCat=safensound®%20downloads

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I’ve Got Heated Floors!!!

Radiant heat is one of the most comfortable forms of heating you can experience. Combing that heat with Ecowarm’s radiant heat panels takes it to the next level. Simply, its pre-grooved plywood wrapped in aluminum that you install as your subfloor, or over an existing subfloor…the radiant tubing fits right into all the grooves, and the aluminum conducts the heat so you get nice even heat across your entire floor.

If you’re curious to learn more, check out my Deep Dive interview here:

https://youtu.be/aDHAr7LbrDY

Or https://ecowarmradiantheat.com

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How To Create Immersive 3D Models of Your Space

I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on the various 3D models I’ve created for my Firehouse and Loft, so I thought I’d show you how I go about creating them. Spoiler Alert: it’s super easy with the right tech.

Firehouse Models: https://www.thebuild.tv/firehouse-3d-models

If you wanna learn more about Matterport you can check them out at https://www.matterport.com

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Choosing the Right HVAC System

Along with all of the process driven content I am creating around this build, I am also going to be sharing the products I am choose to put in my home because I know there is an absolute ton to choose from out there and its tough to decipher what's what sometimes. So I figured showing you the quality I am putting in my home might help you all make some decisions, and at the very least help you to know what to look for. As always, if you have any questions let me know!

For full transparency: I approached all of these brands you will see and asked them to get involved in this series. Every one of my first choice brands said yes, so there are no compromises here, but I do want you to know about the partnerships. It just goes to show that all these brands are just as interested in quality, knowledgable content as we all are.

For more info on the Trane products I selected:

AirHandler: https://www.trane.com/residential/en/products/air-handlers/hyperion-communicating/

Air Cleaner: https://www.trane.com/residential/en/products/add-on-components/cleaneffects/

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STUCK in the Walls!

It can feel like you aren't making any progress after you see the framing go so quickly and then nothing SEEMS to be happening...its called getting stuck in the walls...but you aren't actually stuck. These are all the components that will run your home...each light requires a wire, each sink a water line and a drain line....there's a lot to do. Let's dive in!

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The single MOST IMPORTANT time for a Homeowner to be on the Job

THIS is the LAST day that it's CHEAP to make changes on your job. Anytime you change your mind after this, with little exception, will wind up costing you more money. If there is anytime to be present during a full build day at your project, this is the one. There is no substitute for being able to answer questions as they arise and make changes that you want or need prior to the walls going up.

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Demolition Day!

The time has finally come...we're starting the physical construction! All the work you have put in up to this point will inform how smooth your job runs; not to say you won't have hiccups, cause you will...its construction. But the more leg work you put it before this day WILL dictate how smooth this job runs. 

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Kitchen Design, Travel...oh, and we got ENGAGED!

If you want to skip the travel and engagement stuff, the kitchen design starts at the 8:30 mark.

Do you need to travel to Italy to design your kitchen? No, not really, but its a helluva lot more fun...and it was the perfect cover for my proposal idea.

In all seriousness, I wanted to sit down with my kitchen supplier because this is my personal kitchen and I wanted to go over every detail, which you can see in the Kitchen Deep Dive video linked below. Mittel Cucine does such a great job and they are always innovating with new finishes, new accessories, etc so we wanted to get our eyes on all this stuff, sit in a focused environment and make sure we crossed all our T's and dotted all our i's. 

At the end of the day, whether your kitchen supplier is stateside, or in Italy, changes after you've started production will cost you a lot of time and money, so its worth YOUR focused time up front to consider each and every last detail.

Kitchen Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/gBlK0II-pzs

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This Schedule is OUTTA CONTROL!

I'd be lying if I said this is one of the more interesting vlogs, but it is super important; having a dialed schedule is critical to the success of your project. Now, don't think you need to be as involved as I am in this, I've been doing this for over 15 years, so I can drive a lot of this conversation and push for certain efficiencies. That said, I would definitely encourage you to sit with your GC and go through the entire job schedule. At the very least, it gives you a baseline to always come back to and evaluate whether you are on scheduled or falling behind.

I use Asana, as they have a pretty decent Gantt chart view, so I can use it as my general task manager and the project timeline as well. It doesn't matter what software you use so long as it works for you.

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How the Hell Am I Supposed to Pick My Tile!?

Choosing tile can be one of the most stressful and anxiety ridden pieces of your entire renovation puzzle. I think it stems from a combination of the sheer amount of choices there are, and how difficult it is to change if you 'get it wrong'. That's why having the right tile SUPPLIER is just as important as your tile CHOICES. The right supplier helps you navigate that porcelain, concrete and ceramic sea of endless choices to get you to where you wanna be. Hope my process sheds some light on how to tackle this, and if you have more questions hit me in the comments...

Oh, and if you really wanna nerd out with me, here is my full length meeting so you can see all my questions, weird facial expressions, and deep thought:

https://youtu.be/fpbEOBPRf3k

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Tape, Tape, Tape It Out

Time is money, as they say. And you know what else costs money? Telling your GC to re-frame a wall because you don't like where it is...that costs real money. That's why I always recommend taping out your floor plan to get an initial feel of the space. You need to learn how to read a tape measure, some blue painters tape, and a bit of patience. This is actually one of my favorite things to do because it is the first time you will feel the physical space you are going to create.

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Comparing Bids and Tough Conversations

I tell people all the time: 'don't just take the lowest bid, you need to understand the detail'. Well, that doesn't mean you need to get raked over the coals either!

This ep is a bid review and conversation with one of the contractors who tried to charge me an ASTRONOMICAL sum for this job.

Let me know if you've run into this, how you've handled it, and if you have any questions in the comments below.

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Contractor Walk-Through

Aside from your Scope of Work, there is nothing more beneficial you can do for an accurate bid then to walk your potential contractors through the job so they can get eyes on the physical space, and ask questions in real time. This vlog only shows my walk through with the guys I wound up selecting, as I didn't want to be disrespectful to the other companies, but I did this walk multiple times. You gotta put the time in up front. #TheBuildTV #LoveTheProcess