New House Build – Questions

Update:

The window situation has been resolved. We’re going with Andersen 400 series. They seem like a quality product and are far andaway the most commonly sold windows out of the yard here.

We’ve chosen trusses over I-beams.

The driveway is becoming a bit of a monster. We’re working with close to 6′ of topsoil in areas (1/8 mile driveway) which will ultimately drive up costs with needing to bring in more rock. We’re planning to lose about a 40′ wide strip of ag land to do it right.

Cabinets are approximately a 22 week wait, and appliances significantly longer. These are the two things we were told to jump on from the get go. Windows have become a bit more manageable.

For anyone who has put in carpet recently, what kind of costs did you endure? We’re looking at $6 per square foot installed locally for good carpet. It sure has jumped since I last purchased any…and that’s with some favorable pricing having done business with them for a long time.

My last carpet purchase has me completely rethinking flooring. Today was day 2 of a estimated 3 day project. To remove and replace the 4 year old carpet in the downstairs of my house. With LVT planks. Several people I talked to have had the same luck as me. It seems like furniture. They don’t make it like they used to. And it’s not uncommon to need replaced after 4 to 6 years. The landing at the bottom of the steps started showing signs of wear 6 months after it was installed. Sure in a bedroom or light use area you could see more. But even the guy that owns the carpet store agreed. Thing that sucks. The 26 year old carpet we took out 4 years ago was in good shape. Had a couple stains and was out dated. But no real signs of wear. And 4 kids grew up in the house prior to us buying it. From now on. I may carpet a bedroom. But any floor that will see much traffic will be hard surface. LVT is amazingly warm in the winter. I’m going to try his high end carpet on the steps to see what it does. My wife has been known to miss a step now and then. Or I would do them in oak. To be fair, we have 2 yellow labs in the house. But cleaned the carpets once or twice a year as recommended. It was a mid range $5 or $6 carpet.

Just like anything else you get what you pay for in carpet.

Nylon is the tried and true. All about face weight and twist. Plastic stuff just doesn’t cut it unless in a Berber. Might be stain resistant but holds no bounce over time. The more carpet packed into an area the less psi spread onto each fiber, hence more longevity.

Upgrade your pad, a good pad will prolong the life of your carpet. Thicker isn’t better it’s the density. Like how big and fluffy some carpets feel after installation? Well yeah until that fluffy carpet backing keeps getting stretched over and over compromising the strength of the backing, need a good firm supportive pad underneath. It’s why those old school wool carpets lasted so long, they had a real dense rubber pad underneath them that over time would melt themselves onto the hardwoods

Keep em clean. Most carpet warranties have a clause they need to be professionaly cleaned once a year otherwise their warranty is void. Dirt and crap break down those fibers over time. Our households are way dirtier than what they used to be decades ago. Active families and more so the insane amount of pets get the rugs dirty in a hurry. Got to get that abrasive debris up and out before damage occurs.

Have no idea what carpet costs nowadays. Haven’t been in it for awhile. But it has its place in a home just like anything else.

Get a pet pad that exceeds 20 pound. No rebond and a solid film protection.
Fine filament super tight twists for the heaviest weight, don’t need the height in the carpet. Over 20 plus years for a long term super luxurious feel.

My carpet had a 10 year no crush no wear guarantee, the pad I put under it doubled the warranty, I have no regrets spending the money. Shaw Industries, Tuftex of California, been down now 15 years, near new look and it is light colored.

Go to a showroom, not a big box retailer and speak to someone that knows product.
They can show you and explain the differences in rug. Tell them what you expect out of your carpet and they will point you in the right direction.
When you find what will work for you, then look at pricing.
FYI – I use Prosource (Bloomington) and they take care of their Customers.

Update:

We’ve got all of our bids and are pretty confident in most of the bigger decisions. The driveway is still the lingering monster as finding someone to install 1000′ of rock the right way by stripping a lot of topsoil first, and also digging the walkout is just a crapshoot for amount of labor and hours on a cat. We’re planning to pull some samples next week to see more precisely what we will be running into for the driveway and basement.

Some other (smaller questions) that have come up include:

-Is there a major difference between the “grooved” and “solid” trex decking? We’re not going with cheaper Menards versions of the stuff or the hollow junk. I’ve been on quite a few of the grooved and never felt anything but solid beneath my feet.

-For those who install exterior doors regularly, what’s your take on the best type of front entry door to install (wood vs fiberglass vs steel)? We will have room for one sidelight. It seems all materials have their pros and cons…but when spending $3-5000 for a door, I’d like to make the best choice possible.

-We’ve decided on Anderson 400 series windows for everything. We do have 2 big sliding doors that we’re not sure on. Anderson has the matching 400 series doors and they have a cheaper 200 series slider. Has anyone had recent (not 10 years ago) experience with these? I have delivered some Hayfield sliders in the past on new builds and the customers came back into the yard pissed within a year about them and making warranty claims.

buckybadger wrote:

Update:

We’ve got all of our bids and are pretty confident in most of the bigger decisions. The driveway is still the lingering monster as finding someone to install 1000′ of rock the right way by stripping a lot of topsoil first, and also digging the walkout is just a crapshoot for amount of labor and hours on a cat. We’re planning to pull some samples next week to see more precisely what we will be running into for the driveway and basement.

Some other (smaller questions) that have come up include:

-Is there a major difference between the “grooved” and “solid” trex decking? We’re not going with cheaper Menards versions of the stuff or the hollow junk. I’ve been on quite a few of the grooved and never felt anything but solid beneath my feet.
No, not really. The solid is used more on steps and borders.
Grooved = concealed fasteners, solid = face fasteners.

-For those who install exterior doors regularly, what’s your take on the best type of front entry door to install (wood vs fiberglass vs steel)? We will have room for one sidelight. It seems all materials have their pros and cons…but when spending $3-5000 for a door, I’d like to make the best choice p;Wood is hard to keep looking good and may have more seasonal ossible.
</strong</strong>&gtmovement then you would like to see.
Fiberglass is good.
Steel is base grade.

-We’ve decided on Anderson 400 series windows for everything. We do have 2 big sliding doors that we’re not sure on. Anderson has the matching 400 series doors and they have a cheaper 200 series slider. Has anyone had recent (not 10 years ago) experience with these? I have delivered some Hayfield sliders in the past on new builds and the customers came back into the yard pissed within a year about them and making warranty claims.

Do not try and save money here.

All are just IMHO.

See how i screwed that up

Given a choice I would go 8′ walls with vaulted ceilings on the main floor. Can use standard studs. Makes every room feel much, much larger than it is. In the ‘old days’ yes, heat might stay up, but a few ceiling fans (which I assume are already in every bedroom and the dining/living area) negate any issues. With todays houses being so tight the vaulted ceilings are the bomb!

Bump for the latest opinions/ideas from the IDO world:

1. The driveway is the biggest part of this that has been hard to wrap our minds around. The driveway will be crossing a planted ag field that is relatively flat but does have quite a bit of topsoil. Any topsoil that is removed can be piled up on-site and does not need to be moved anywhere else. We will be using it as a residential driveway with minimal heavy equipment on it. The field will be accessed elsewhere. We currently have 1 bid and another coming back this week. The first one seems high (~$33k for a 1000′ gravel driveway) that involves 2 culverts, stripping out all topsoil, and putting down 12″ of breaker and then class 5 compacted and “blacktop ready”. The other bid we are waiting on involves just 1 culvert, stripping out the top soil, and 2 options of either 12″ of breaker or 6″ of breaker before the class 5 and compacting. Is 6″ of breaker rock enough if we were to explore the second bid? Does $33k seem high to you for this work in the first bid?

2. Cabinets are expensive. Cabinets have so many different species, finishes, colors, glasses, gadgets, installation concerns, etc. etc. that they’re a monster. These were the one thing passed to Mrs. Bucky’s plate to handle. After diving into it this was promptly passed right back to me. We’ve decided to use a custom cabinet maker for the kitchen and island where the cabinets will be stained, all plywood versus furniture board, etc. knowing costs will be high. My question comes with regards to other cabinets. In an attempt to save costs we’ve got quotes from Lowe’s on their highest end of white cabinets for the bathrooms, pantry, and laundry. We’ve been told by some that when using painted cabinets the department store versions aren’t a terrible option if chosen correctly as their curing process is sometimes better and more consistent than small cabinet makers who specialize in stained cabinets. Has anyone used “Kraftmaid” or “Schuler” cabinets before? These are what we are pricing out for areas NOT in the kitchen.

…thanks to those willing to share

How wide of driveway? With breaker rock you can have two little but never to much. 33k is a lot but there’s a lot of work there if done correctly, and a fair amount of material. Is the bid itemized? How many tons of breaker rock etc?? I spent 3k last summer on my driveway just adding gravel alone. If it’s your forever home don’t cheap on rock.

Most all “box” cabinet manufacturers have value lines up to high end.

I’ve installed kraftmaid, they make a good cabinet.

Door style and species drive up the cost.

gregory wrote:

How wide of driveway? With breaker rock you can have two little but never to much. 33k is a lot but there’s a lot of work there if done correctly, and a fair amount of material. Is the bid itemized? How many tons of breaker rock etc?? I spent 3k last summer on my driveway just adding gravel alone. If it’s your forever home don’t cheap on rock.

There’s a 3 page itemized bid, but the just of it is shown in the attached image (if I cropped it correctly)

*Edit, the bid here shows 30k, but adding another 100′ or so where we may need it (just short of 1000′ of driveway) on an updated bid brought it up to the 33k I mentioned.

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If you don’t mind my asking, what is your budget for the house and what we typically refer to outside costs – lot prep, driveway, and so on. I’ve not answered anything because a lot of questions are so opened ended to where one’s budget needs to be.

pending soil type and compression, they can lay a 24”-12” base breaker that is used in making sea walls. That is covered in 4-6” beaker and driven over for a couple then TB on top. Cuts a hell of a lot of machine time and trucking costs. We did this on a driveway through a 8 acre pond

If your looking at any mid-grade box cabinet, be mindful that there are plenty of custom cabinet builders that are equal cost or less and produce a hell of a lot better quality

Do the concealed on your deck. Face screws suck donkey dung when it comes to longevity. For the extra couple hundred dollars, you’ll be very happy 10 years down the road. Got what composites cost, do you really want all those dimples in the face?

buckybadger wrote:

We’re getting to the point of no return on a new build. We’ve got one of the area’s most reputable contractors on-board. For context, we’re located in SE MN a mile from Pool 4. The land we’re building on is a 40 acre parcel of ag land that buts up to other family land. I’m not a contractor whatsoever. I have flipped a house and do some side jobs for contractors in the area when I’m not working as an Athletic Director or helping out the local lumberyard 20-30 hours a week. I’m familiar with a majority of residential and post-frame building components…but still have countless questions about the processes, product opinions, and so on. For those with knowledge or experiences related to the questions, I appreciate anything you’d share.

First, the build is a 1850 SQ ft. main floor with 3 beds 2 bath. The basement is another 1850 SQ ft. in a walkout basement with 2 beds and 1 bath. It’s got a 3 car attached garage, relatively open floorplan, 9′ ceilings up and down,with a few 10′ trays, screened porch, and what I’d consider to be an average number of windows. We plan to add to our family and value gathering space, less maintenance, and durability of products used. Now to some specific questions:

I-Joists vs Floor Trusses: I understand the pros and cons and have handled both. With 9′ ceilings in the basement would you go with one over the other regardless of cost? I can live with ceiling changes to fit in HVAC with I Beams if there’s a substantial cost savings. If it’s reasonably close, I’d go with the trusses and deal with the additional elevation into the home.

Windows: I prefer casings for the largest windows in the living area with a small fixed transom above. The better half wants mostly double hung. Does it look strange to interchange on the same level both styles? (Casing in living area, doubles in kitchen and bedrooms)

Window Brands: We’re choosing exclusively between Hayfields, Anderson, and Marvin. With my part-time extra gigs…I can get solid deals on these brands. Any major issues with any of the above? We’re going vinyl for sure.

Siding: We’re 99% on the LP Smartside train with the Diamond Kote finish. Are there any reasons to look into something else? It seems to be worth the extra costs but we’d listen to anyone with experience who thinks otherwise. Yes, our contractor does LP regularly and knows how to install it correctly.

Garage Door Sizes: The current plan is for an 18×8′ door and a 10×8′ door on the garage. We have a 17′ fiberglass fishing boat and my wife’s Jeep Grand Cherokee that will always be in there. On occasion my full size truck may be in there when not in a shed or some mowers or an atv. Are these openings standard and sufficient? We have access to pole buildings for the tritoon and some other things nearby in hopes of keeping the garage less cluttered. You can never go big enough, but the wife isn’t thrilled with much more garage as it will impact the exterior design.

Flooring: We want to use the same flooring on the entire main floor except for the bedrooms and baths. We are likely going with some sort of LVP but are open to brand suggestions. Has anyone had experience with the Adura Flooring LVPs by Mannington? We’ve got some suggestions to go that route.

Foundation: Is there any major reason to not go with ICF? Our contractor would use block, ICF, or poured. The only major con I’ve seen is the slight loss in basement SQ footage due to thickness…but I’m surely missing more details.

I’ll have more questions as things progress in the coming months. Thanks to anyone willing to share their knowledge.

I am NOT a contractor but….
Our first house 1987 had Hayfield windows – worst pieces of -hit ever.
NOW, they may be better given that was over 30 years ago but they leaked terribly. We started a list the day we moved in on what our next home would be/have and windows were on the top of the list – two cents for better or worse.
Sounds like a GREAT place you are putting up with plenty of land.

Randy Wieland wrote:

If you don’t mind my asking, what is your budget for the house and what we typically refer to outside costs – lot prep, driveway, and so on. I’ve not answered anything because a lot of questions are so opened ended to where one’s budget needs to be.

pending soil type and compression, they can lay a 24”-12” base breaker that is used in making sea walls. That is covered in 4-6” beaker and driven over for a couple then TB on top. Cuts a hell of a lot of machine time and trucking costs. We did this on a driveway through a 8 acre pond

If your looking at any mid-grade box cabinet, be mindful that there are plenty of custom cabinet builders that are equal cost or less and produce a hell of a lot better quality

Do the concealed on your deck. Face screws suck donkey dung when it comes to longevity. For the extra couple hundred dollars, you’ll be very happy 10 years down the road. Got what composites cost, do you really want all those dimples in the face?

I’d love to see the entire build itself at $500,000 or under (not factoring in any land that was already acquired)

For reference and context, we’re located in rural SE Minnesota about 2 miles from Pool 4…not suburbia or anywhere near it and its prices.

…I’d also love for my hair to come back thicker, people not litter, politicians not suck, etc etc.

buckybadger wrote: “…I’d also love for my hair to come back thicker, people not litter, politicians not suck, etc etc.”

Hair is vastly overrated although it can save you from a nasty scratch when slogging through the thick woods. I share other wishes and also wish the PowerBall would come in. Maybe I should buy a ticket.

I would advise not using the Anderson Vinyl-clad exterior windows, they will get brittle and break inside of 15 to 20 years. I replaced some that were 17 years old and faced to the North.
Kraft Maid cabinets are a quality cabinet.

If your locked into the Anderson windows, then it is what it is and good luck with them. Local yards around here love them because they are money makers.

Do yourself a huge favor and look past having any slider patio doors. They are good for pissing money away and often turn into maintenance headaches. Go with a fixed panel and swing door. Pella has been a fantastic longevity and performance product for us. The swing door panels seal better and has much better overall performance. Lot less to go wrong also.

With the finished lower level, few things to do/watch for. You must have an airspace between bat insulation and the concrete. If you don’t, it wicks moisture and could lead to mold/mildew. hold the walls out 5/8 to 3/4” and place -(tape and seal) 1/2” foam board against the concrete. Then stand your wall against that. If you batt insulate, it can never come in contact with concrete. Though, the best money spent is sprayed foam. Especially the joist rims to the wall plates.

On that thought, spray all your gable end walls to minimal 24” up above insulation. The heat loss on these areas is huge. Properly air seal and improved insulation practice will pay you back in a big hurry.

Don’t be afraid to spend money to save money. I see people all the time pinch pennies only to fork over dollars later. Always keep in mind your operating cost. If you can reduce heating/cooling by 30% and electric by 25 to 40%, imagine what the recovery is in the first 5 to 8 years.

Also, if your looking at back up generator, 2 things. 1. You don’t need to do the entire house. That would size it into a massive unit. Just do the essentials and a 100 amp is fine. 2 get the Cummins, not a generac. We have a lot of the Cummins installed and they all have been 100% flawless. I think we paid about 3900ish for the generator, panel, winter oil heater and maybe a couple other accessories. Well worth it.

Randy Wieland wrote:

If your locked into the Anderson windows, then it is what it is and good luck with them. Local yards around here love them because they are money makers.

Do yourself a huge favor and look past having any slider patio doors. They are good for pissing money away and often turn into maintenance headaches. Go with a fixed panel and swing door. Pella has been a fantastic longevity and performance product for us. The swing door panels seal better and has much better overall performance. Lot less to go wrong also.

With the finished lower level, few things to do/watch for. You must have an airspace between bat insulation and the concrete. If you don’t, it wicks moisture and could lead to mold/mildew. hold the walls out 5/8 to 3/4” and place -(tape and seal) 1/2” foam board against the concrete. Then stand your wall against that. If you batt insulate, it can never come in contact with concrete. Though, the best money spent is sprayed foam. Especially the joist rims to the wall plates.

On that thought, spray all your gable end walls to minimal 24” up above insulation. The heat loss on these areas is huge. Properly air seal and improved insulation practice will pay you back in a big hurry.

Don’t be afraid to spend money to save money. I see people all the time pinch pennies only to fork over dollars later. Always keep in mind your operating cost. If you can reduce heating/cooling by 30% and electric by 25 to 40%, imagine what the recovery is in the first 5 to 8 years.

Also, if your looking at back up generator, 2 things. 1. You don’t need to do the entire house. That would size it into a massive unit. Just do the essentials and a 100 amp is fine. 2 get the Cummins, not a generac. We have a lot of the Cummins installed and they all have been 100% flawless. I think we paid about 3900ish for the generator, panel, winter oil heater and maybe a couple other accessories. Well worth it.

Thanks for the intel. As far as insulation goes, it’s being spray foamed. I’m not playing around with anything else and that’s already been decided.

We are not “locked-in” to any windows. We have another few weeks until we would have to really lock-in and order. Marvin windows are another option through the yard I am at with fairly good reviews amongst the local contractors.

The back-up generator comments are welcomed. We have to sift through the electrician’s bid more carefully yet. I asked that it be a part of it, but having the whole house does seem like overkill.

buckybadger wrote:

. I asked that it be a part of it, but having the whole house does seem like overkill.

You should be doing a walk through with electrician to determine essential circuits. The issue you come into is things like laundry, and luxury things. I’m at a clients house now. These Cummins units have been iron clad work horses for us

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Bucky, my biggest issues with my house build:
1. Getting a fireplace.
2. Getting fill dirt.
3. Getting the correct screen porch windows.

I agree with getting a “most house” backup generator, below are the circuits that I deemed necessary, to work with the 12-slot generator panel that I installed.

Obviously, the fridge(s) & freezer, sump & ejector pumps, GFA furnace, and a few convenience circuits, like the microwave and some lighting/outlets. I am on city water, so I did not need to consider a well pump.

HRG

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Bump with random questions:

Has anyone here used the Onyx Shower System packages? Are there different products that are fairly high-end that we could compare them to? I’ve handled some at my part-time side job in the lumber yard to know they’re heavy as hell and seem well built. We’re debating between these systems and tiling the master shower. Tile is “cool” and all, but the older I get the more I’m valuing low maintenance. Cleaning grout lines is a nightmare, and Mrs. Bucky is a perfectionist for things like that being clean.

Our contractor said he does about 50/50. His last home was 5 beds, 4 baths, 4400 square feet and with it being over a million bucks…they still went with giant Onyx shower packages versus tile.

MX1825 wrote:

Bucky, my biggest issues with my house build:
1. Getting a fireplace.
2. Getting fill dirt.
3. Getting the correct screen porch windows.

I know for a fact that the screens are lightyears behind the windows themselves. Windows ordered today would put us into December. Some of the screens would not be here until Spring.

buckybadger wrote:

Bump with random questions:

Has anyone here used the Onyx Shower System packages? Are there different products that are fairly high-end that we could compare them to? I’ve handled some at my part-time side job in the lumber yard to know they’re heavy as hell and seem well built. We’re debating between these systems and tiling the master shower. Tile is “cool” and all, but the older I get the more I’m valuing low maintenance. Cleaning grout lines is a nightmare, and Mrs. Bucky is a perfectionist for things like that being clean.

Our contractor said he does about 50/50. His last home was 5 beds, 4 baths, 4400 square feet and with it being over a million bucks…they still went with giant Onyx shower packages versus tile.

We use Onyx it’s a quality product and they have a nice selection of options.
Get your order in, I believe they are at 12 weeks for lead time.

Update:

The driveway is going in as I speak. The hole will be dug early next week. Ordering things like cabinets, flooring, appliances, doors, etc. before a hole is dug seems crazy – but it’s the world we live in. Luckily having worked for this yard on the side for a long time, they are willing to absorb price increases to an extent and give me a break on materials. Everyone we are working with has essentially said that this supply chain issue will likely not change for the foreseeable future. The issues will not be measured in months, rather years .

Other Questions:

Any guesses how much propane we will go through over this ~6 month build? We’re blindly guessing around 750 gallons. Luckily we have about 45k gallons on hand between the 2 large 50,000 gallon tanks at our farm buildings and an older LP truck to haul it to the site.

Am I wrong in thinking it makes sense for them to NOT put down any Class 5 on the 1000′ driveway until the project is finished? For now they are digging out the topsoil, building ditches, hauling in 12″ of breaker rock and compacting it. My plan is to then have them put the dress layer of Class 5 on when all is said and done early next summer. Am I missing something by waiting?

For those who have built recently, did you do anything to your garage floor as far as the hired epoxy contractors? My thought is to do this to preserve the floors, but I have no idea how long things have to cure first. I’d assume months, maybe even a year?

Thanks to the IDO experts and people who have went through this and are willing to share knowledge. A lot of you have reached out via PM with recommendations, contacts, etc. and it’s greatly appreciated.

Order cabinets before a field measure??? All my cabinets are built to suit so that doesn’t make sense. Unless your getting box cabinets and ripping filler material to fill gaps??

Yes in just having the breaker stone. You want that during the period of time of big trucks /deliveries. Concrete trucks and that type of weight compacts and “breaks” that stone. By the time your in drywall, it will be well compacted and very stable. Then add your TB and let the contractors with small trucks pack that.

3500-4000 sqft home can easy burn 500 to 900 or more. If you get a lot of rain before your completely sealed in, it’s common to bake that box to dry it the best it can be just before going into insulation and drywall. See if your HVAC contractor has a loaner to use during construction. Easy to have a unit running 24/7 during a cold snap

^That’s my mistake on the cabinets. Not place the order, but just the process of having them all picked out this far ahead seems strange to lock in price. They’re queued pending measurements to lock in our price. I’m not much for visualizing things without physically seeing them especially this far ahead.

That’s the plan then with the breaker. Thanks for verifying.

We’ve got enough furnaces available that it shouldn’t be an issue to throw one in. My in-laws throw furnaces in sheds and garages for single events in a moment’s notice.

If anyone is wondering why late Fall and early Winter suddenly becomes excessively wet, blame me. We’re really hoping for the dry spell to continue until we are sealed up.

Since your finishing in winter, but a lot of cheese cloth and cover the air returns with it. Change frequently as it will catch a lot of dust. Some builders leave the return duct disconnected until finish. You’ll suck a crap load of drywall dust in the furnace. The more you can filter out during the process, the less you’ll deal with it later

buckybadger wrote:

Update:

The driveway is going in as I speak. The hole will be dug early next week. Ordering things like cabinets, flooring, appliances, doors, etc. before a hole is dug seems crazy – but it’s the world we live in. Luckily having worked for this yard on the side for a long time, they are willing to absorb price increases to an extent and give me a break on materials. Everyone we are working with has essentially said that this supply chain issue will likely not change for the foreseeable future. The issues will not be measured in months, rather years .
IMHO, don’t be afraid to use box cabinets. The high end boxes are very nice and very well built. They set the trends with options that the custom guys follow and the finish is superior to an on site finish.

Other Questions:

Any guesses how much propane we will go through over this ~6 month build? We’re blindly guessing around 750 gallons. Luckily we have about 45k gallons on hand between the 2 large 50,000 gallon tanks at our farm buildings and an older LP truck to haul it to the site.
Depends, there are a lot of variables.
1) How cold will it get this winter
2) Will you be pulling frost out of the basement
3) Will you be pulling frost out of the garage, if so will the tenting blow off when its -30 on a Friday and and you lose 2 weeks of thawing

Am I wrong in thinking it makes sense for them to NOT put down any Class 5 on the 1000′ driveway until the project is finished? For now they are digging out the topsoil, building ditches, hauling in 12″ of breaker rock and compacting it. My plan is to then have them put the dress layer of Class 5 on when all is said and done early next summer. Am I missing something by waiting?
Do the minimal you can to get people and material in throughout the build. You probably won’t see a driveway until June so plan on having the excavator coming out a few times to give access to the site.

For those who have built recently, did you do anything to your garage floor as far as the hired epoxy contractors? My thought is to do this to preserve the floors, but I have no idea how long things have to cure first. I’d assume months, maybe even a year?

Thanks to the IDO experts and people who have went through this and are willing to share knowledge. A lot of you have reached out via PM with recommendations, contacts, etc. and it’s greatly appreciated.