Pwtr02ss home build

[pwtr02ss]

The owner of Barger is starting to make plans for new a home. I never put much thought into the HVAC. That seems to be his biggest concern. He's been sending videos and links to products all weekend.

Do you guys have a make up air system in your home, as well as a ERV system?

Edited: I said remake air, its make up air

 

[SirReal63]

I don't but our place is very unconventional. No central units, we have 6 tons of mini splits in 8 zones to cover the whole house.

 

[THE YETI]

I don't but our place is very unconventional. No central units, we have 6 tons of mini splits in 8 zones to cover the whole house.

The builder we are using was running those. We toured a 14k sqft home he's doing and it was all mini splits with these turbines in some of the rooms that pull air in from one room and into another. I was mindblown at the setup.

@pwtr02ss our architect is doing an HVAC plan for our home as well. I think efficiency is a huge deal these days.

 

[SirReal63]

The builder we are using was running those. We toured a 14k sqft home he's doing and it was all mini splits with these turbines in some of the rooms that pull air in from one room and into another. I was mindblown at the setup.

@pwtr02ss our architect is doing an HVAC plan for our home as well. I think efficiency is a huge deal these days.

If I had to do it all over again, I would not go with the mini-splits in a large (ish) house. While it is very efficient, it is also 8 filters to clean monthly, every couple of years it is 8 head units to break down and clean the fins on, as well as 8 drain lines to keep clear of algae/mold/gunk. I love everything about them except the maintenance. Our environment isn't ideal, it is very dusty which is the main reason it is so much work. In a less dusty environment they would be so much better.

 

[pwtr02ss]

I first wanted mini splits in every room. We've stayed in several new (large) homes over the years with that setup. The more we used them, the more I decided that wasn't for me. I believe we'll end up with either two units or simply zoned hvac.

The make up air and ERV not necessarily only for efficiency.

How ERVs Work

Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) help increase ventilation and improve indoor air quality (IAQ) while recovering otherwise-wasted energy.

renewaire.com

Make-Up Air | What is it & How Does it Work? | Cambridge Air Solutions

Make up air provides buildings with balanced ventilation by replacing exhausted air with fresh outdoor air to support comfort, health, and proper airflow.

www.cambridgeair.com

My hvac people supposedly design that aspect, according to my builder. Eric is going to find an HVAC engineer to do his design.

For me, simply being informed is a huge step. I had no idea these things were required/recommended.

 

[THE YETI]

I first wanted mini splits in every room. We've stayed in several new (large) homes over the years with that setup. The more we used them, the more I decided that wasn't for me. I believe we'll end up with either two units or simply zoned hvac.

The make up air and ERV not necessarily only for efficiency.

How ERVs Work

Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) help increase ventilation and improve indoor air quality (IAQ) while recovering otherwise-wasted energy.

renewaire.com

Make-Up Air | What is it & How Does it Work? | Cambridge Air Solutions

Make up air provides buildings with balanced ventilation by replacing exhausted air with fresh outdoor air to support comfort, health, and proper airflow.

www.cambridgeair.com

My hvac people supposedly design that aspect, according to my builder. Eric is going to find an HVAC engineer to do his design.

For me, simply being informed is a huge step. I had no idea these things were required/recommended.

just make sure they leave room in the plans to run the ductwork. Although with yours being a single story Im not sure that will matter.

 

[pwtr02ss]

just make sure they leave room in the plans to run the ductwork. Although with yours being a single story Im not sure that will matter.

All will come together at the same time. Im single story but have vaulted ceilings in multiple rooms and want ceiling vents. It will be critical.

I've been watching videos and reading most of the day. New construction homes are built so air tight, even a range hood can prevent your gas appliances from venting properly.

I'll probably go with this style/brand system

Zehnder America | Home

zehnderamerica.com

 

[pwtr02ss]

Those of you with tile showers, would you go that route again?

I've looked at the shower dyers. Wondering if a hydrophobic coating would work as good? Ceramic coating or something. Grout sealing only goes so far.

I'm highly allergic to all molds. Our current house has fiberglass tubs, being a basic spec house.

Solid surface doesn't appeal to me.

 

[SirReal63]

If mold is a concern, stay with what works for you. We hated every tile shower we ever had, they look great but are less than ideal to keep clean. There are decent fiberglass models available, we went with this as another tile shower just wasn't going to work for us any more. Getting up in years, this model made the most sense for us, there are much nicer ones than this, but this was old person friendly, the glass doors were hard to clean before the water softener, now they are fairly easy.

 

[pwtr02ss]

If mold is a concern, stay with what works for you. We hated every tile shower we ever had, they look great but are less than ideal to keep clean. There are decent fiberglass models available, we went with this as another tile shower just wasn't going to work for us any more. Getting up in years, this model made the most sense for us, there are much nicer ones than this, but this was old person friendly, the glass doors were hard to clean before the water softener, now they are fairly easy.

View attachment 473092

Thank you for more real world feedback. I really appreciate your input!

Some hotels we've stayed in have solid surface, tile "looking" finishes in the shower. While not a huge fan of the feel, they look like real tile.

 

[Tonyv__]

Those of you with tile showers, would you go that route again?

I've looked at the shower dyers. Wondering if a hydrophobic coating would work as good? Ceramic coating or something. Grout sealing only goes so far.

I'm highly allergic to all molds. Our current house has fiberglass tubs, being a basic spec house.

Solid surface doesn't appeal to me.

Tile looks nice, but grout lines suck for cleaning. If you are considering tile, I’d atleast go with non sanded grout. It has more of a non textured finish that won’t absorb stains.

My dining room floor is non sanded and takes a beating from the dogs because that’s where their food is and closest to the back door where they go out. I can scrub that grout back to its original color whereas my kitchen floor where I used sanded grout is pretty much stained permanently.

As far as mold growth, adequate bathroom venting is ideal to suck the steam out of the room.

lastly, one thing my dad always made us do as kids. After every shower we had to wipe the walls down with a towel. He went from caulking the tub once a year, to almost never. It was annoying but I get it now.


Edit
Glass shower doors suck too, unless you enjoy cleaning or have a cleaning service.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Tile looks nice, but grout lines suck for cleaning. If you are considering tile, I’d atleast go with non sanded grout. It has more of a non textured finish that won’t absorb stains.

My dining room floor is non sanded and takes a beating from the dogs because that’s where their food is and closest to the back door where they go out. I can scrub that grout back to its original color whereas my kitchen floor where I used sanded grout is pretty much stained permanently.

As far as mold growth, adequate bathroom venting is ideal to suck the steam out of the room.

lastly, one thing my dad always made us do as kids. After every shower we had to wipe the walls down with a towel. He went from caulking the tub once a year, to almost never. It was annoying but I get it now.


Edit
Glass shower doors suck too, unless you enjoy cleaning or have a cleaning service.

Noted.

I'm doing glass. I will coat it.

I'm not wiping a shower down daily, lol

 

[Tonyv__]

I'm not wiping a shower down daily, lol

Yeah, I didn’t carry that habit to my house, but admittedly, it was effective lol

 

[THE YETI]

Maybe I've just been lucky.. we have tile in all of our showers, granted a very thin grout line. I dont think I've ever seen mold grow in the grout lines. I don't even clean the showers. I have a cleaning lady come every other week who does. Even with that, I dont see build up.

The only thing I despise about those shower inserts is the sounds they make over time. Seems like they get loose over time and make cracks and whatnot when you step in. Or maybe it's just because I'm a larger fella.

Side note, is Bathfitters still around? They have those all-in-one enclosures I think. https://www.bathfitter.com/us-en/

 

[Tonyv__]

Maybe I've just been lucky.. we have tile in all of our showers, granted a very thin grout line. I dont think I've ever seen mold grow in the grout lines. I don't even clean the showers. I have a cleaning lady come every other week who does. Even with that, I dont see build up.

The only thing I despise about those shower inserts is the sounds they make over time. Seems like they get loose over time and make cracks and whatnot when you step in. Or maybe it's just because I'm a larger fella.

Side note, is Bathfitters still around? They have those all-in-one enclosures I think. https://www.bathfitter.com/us-en/

i pull out a lot of fiberglass tubs that have no solid base under them. That’s the most important step of installing a fiberglass tub. That’s why they make sounds after a while.

I think you answered your own question with a cleaning service. Lol. We clean weekly but the showers definitely don’t get a weekly attention like they should.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Maybe I've just been lucky.. we have tile in all of our showers, granted a very thin grout line. I dont think I've ever seen mold grow in the grout lines. I don't even clean the showers. I have a cleaning lady come every other week who does. Even with that, I dont see build up.

The only thing I despise about those shower inserts is the sounds they make over time. Seems like they get loose over time and make cracks and whatnot when you step in. Or maybe it's just because I'm a larger fella.

Side note, is Bathfitters still around? They have those all-in-one enclosures I think. https://www.bathfitter.com/us-en/

I'm pretty set on the tile thing.

My house has a fiberglass insert and it's solid. I think a lot of people don't install them correctly. I've noticed what you're describing it hotels.

 

[THE YETI]

I'm pretty set on the tile thing.

My house has a fiberglass insert and it's solid. I think a lot of people don't install them correctly. I've noticed what you're describing it hotels.

The hotels we have stayed at usually have marble floors and walls so not sure about the inserts.

 

[pwtr02ss]

The hotels we have stayed at usually have marble floors and walls so not sure about the inserts.

I'm poor...remember?

 

[SirReal63]

It is important to bed fiberglass tubs/inserts in either mortar or plaster. I used plaster for the upstairs tub and mortar for the Master and Casita. It feels like concrete when you step in, no hollow sound. The side walls do have a more hollow sound but you rarely touch them so it is no biggie to me.

 

[THE YETI]

The side walls do have a more hollow sound but you rarely touch them so it is no biggie to me.

Things can get pretty wild in our shower, so hands on the walls is a common occurrence.