Ikea Kitchen, Value and Quality? Any testimonies to that?

[handymanshandle]

It really seems from a lot of what I've read about and watched about Ikea's Sektion system is that it's a great value and good quality

 

In the next couple years, I'd like to build my own house and try to do some of the work myself and hiring some of the work to be sure it doesn't take forever and things are done right and safely and one thing I've looked at and very much fond of is doing an Ikea kitchen likely with stone counters from somewhere else, but for curiosity's sake, how are Ikea's countertops too?

I like the Dark Marble design they got.

[Canoe]

Are you planning on living in it when you're done or sell it?

 

Installing your own kitchen is one place where you can save a ton of money - or spend a ton extra if you screw it up, get carried away, or buy from the wrong place.

 

Most money saved by sourcing the cabinets yourself and installing yourself. I'm not sure if Ikea fits in as the best value.

 

Last I was doing this was ten years ago. Much better quality for the $ could be had from cabinet suppliers, not retailers. Friend got a huge deal. However, we knew how to layout/design and install. If you're not good at that, then although Ikea may cost you some more dollars, you get their design and a product geared for end user assembly & install. So there's less chance of screwing up the design and ordering, and having to re-spend money to fix it.

 

Do some searching on home owner/build sites on best value and specifically on Ikea cabinets. As their products change, what was true five years ago, or last year, may not be true this year.

 

For the countertops, I like to have a company do that measuring and installing - so they're responsible. They also do it a lot faster. After we did everything in a kitchen build, the counter top guys were into install and out in 2.5 3.5 hours.

 

Ikea range hoods can be good value for better than low end, but in the photo (not from Ikea), it looks good but it's way too high to be properly effective. Take your time on the back-splash; this was close, but not quite there...

 

Do look into an induction stove top, not gas like in the photo.

 

Friend saved $12K on the cost of the cabinets. Counter top was the only hired part of the kitchen reno. Plumbing & electrical all redone too. Fun!

[handymanshandle]

On 2/17/2020 at 11:31 PM, Canoe said:

Are you planning on living in it when you're done or sell it?

 

Installing your own kitchen is one place where you can save a ton of money - or spend a ton extra if you screw it up, get carried away, or buy from the wrong place.

 

Most money saved by sourcing the cabinets yourself and installing yourself. I'm not sure if Ikea fits in as the best value.

 

Last I was doing this was ten years ago. Much better quality for the $ could be had from cabinet suppliers, not retailers. Friend got a huge deal. However, we knew how to layout/design and install. If you're not good at that, then although Ikea may cost you some more dollars, you get their design and a product geared for end user assembly & install. So there's less chance of screwing up the design and ordering, and having to re-spend money to fix it.

 

Do some searching on home owner/build sites on best value and specifically on Ikea cabinets. As their products change, what was true five years ago, or last year, may not be true this year.

 

For the countertops, I like to have a company do that measuring and installing - so they're responsible. They also do it a lot faster. After we did everything in a kitchen build, the counter top guys were into install and out in 2.5 3.5 hours.

 

Ikea range hoods can be good value for better than low end, but in the photo (not from Ikea), it looks good but it's way too high to be properly effective. Take your time on the back-splash; this was close, but not quite there...

 

Do look into an induction stove top, not gas like in the photo.

 

Friend saved $12K on the cost of the cabinets. Counter top was the only hired part of the kitchen reno. Plumbing & electrical all redone too. Fun!

yeah the plan is to be builder-owner. 
Oh no I’d absolutely do a gas range, I prefer gas for a lot of reasons and yeah I’d do the installation of the kitchen myself. The idea is to try and involve ourselves (my boyfriend @handymanshandle and I) as much as we can.

 

I’d do an over the range Microwave as a 2 stop shop for venting the oven and space savings. 

 

The overall footprint of the house I’m estimating will be about 1,052 sq ft (effectively a 2 bedroom house although the second room wouldn’t have a closet and would be used for computers. Also yeah absolutely for the counter tops I’d have those done by people experienced in installing countertops. I’m mostly after the getting something that’s not terribly expensive but not crap either, from what I’ve heard is that Ikea is largely good quality for the price and being fairly easy to install

[Canoe]

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

Oh no I’d absolutely do a gas range, I prefer gas for a lot of reasons

I'd strongly suggest you research that more. In addition to combustion gasses that get into the house air (long term low carbon monoxide levels), there's a high level of PM2.5, with significant & broad heath consequences.

 

The induction tops heat extremely quickly, least waste heat, good energy efficiency. A surprising number of chefs are switching from gas to induction.

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

I’d do an over the range Microwave as a 2 stop shop for venting the oven and space savings. 

From using one of the top CFM over-the-range units that my sister wanted in her kitchen reno, they suck. Or rather, they don't suck well. And a range hood has to be surprisingly lower over a range to actually work somewhat successfully. And you need to run a dedicated circuit up there to power that. A microwave shelf in the upper cabinets can work, but either at bottom shelf level or the ones that jut out lower a bit, they mean your microwave location is fixed. If the microwave is a separate appliance, you can move it to where you really end up using it, instead of being fixed in place.

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

from what I’ve heard is that Ikea is largely good quality for the price and being fairly easy to install

You'd have to confirm current product for value. Where they win is that you can design the layout and know that the pieces fit in your space. Find the owner home building forums, and read up on some of the horror stories from surprising when people go to install, well, whatever.

Do design a kitchen layout before you finish your house design. They go hand in hand. You can end up with higher electrical or plumbing costs if you're not keeping those in mind from the start.

 

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

The overall footprint of the house I’m estimating will be about 1,052 sq ft (effectively a 2 bedroom house although the second room wouldn’t have a closet and would be used for computers.

That's a one bedroom with den. Harder to sell. Some lenders don't like them either. Make it a two bedroom (the closet doesn't need to have doors installed) and you've got a legit starter home.

 

There are lots of house designs out there. Even some cheap magazines with "1,000 single story house designs", etc.. Browse designs a lot, then start on your layout.

 

The Not So Big House is also useful. Build smaller in size (you are), straight structural design easy to build, but with carefully chosen higher quality components where it matters to you.

 

There's a lot of movement towards super-sealed and super-insulated. Much better for energy use, and health. You're not depending on fresh air coming in through leaks, but through HRV (heat recovery ventilator), where the incoming air is filtered (and unlike leaks, it can be shut off - like the people in California were scrambling to do during the smoke from the fires). The high-end on sealing/insulation is PassivHaus. Some can be heated with typical hair-dryer watts. More in reach is The Pretty Good House standard.

 

Knowing what details to pay attention to can allow for a significantly better/livable/healthy house with minimal cost increase; significantly less than trying to fix it later.

 

Thermal Paths are a huge consideration now. Insulation on the outside of the wall structure prior to cladding is a huge plus, as it covers over and insulates nearly all of the thermal paths that let heat out in winter and let heat in during summer, reducing your heating and cooling costs. A 'split' air-sourced heat pump can provide heating and cooling very efficiently and quietly.

 

A 2x6 stud wall, sealed at the top & bottom, with a vapour barrier on the OUTSIDE of the sheathing (some sheathing has that built-in), along with significant insulation panels (Rockwool) on the outside of the sheathing, means moist vapour is blocked from reaching insulation at the dew point in the stud wall in winter, and in the exterior insulation in summer. (vapour barrier on the inside isn't sufficient for A/C use - look at all the failed dirty, mouldy, fallen fibreglass batt insulated walls...).

 

It's also easier to build a roof that is sealed, fully filled with blown insulation, and a layer of Rockwool on top of the roof decking, with a metal roof. Huge insulation. Easy to build. Metal roof has long life. No issues with soffet venting or roof venting as there is none. The only penetration is the plumbing stack.

 

If you're going to have a basement, consider a Dry-Stacked-Surface-Bonded concrete block wall. You build the footings and the first course of cinder blocks as standard, except to motar between the blocks. Then you dry stack the cinder blocks, and both the inside and outside of the walls is sprayed or trowelled with concrete with a filler of 1/2" long fibres. Originally fibreglass, most use nylon fibres now. Super easy DIY, significantly stronger to lateral forces than poured concrete or mortared block walls. And unbelievably easier than DIY ICF.

[handymanshandle]

23 minutes ago, Canoe said:

I'd strongly suggest you research that more. In addition to combustion gasses that get into the house air (long term low carbon monoxide levels), there's a high level of PM2.5, with significant & broad heath consequences.

 

The induction tops heat extremely quickly, least waste heat, good energy efficiency. A surprising number of chefs are switching from gas to induction.

From using one of the top CFM over-the-range units that my sister wanted in her kitchen reno, they suck. Or rather, they don't suck well. And a range hood has to be surprisingly lower over a range to actually work somewhat successfully. And you need to run a dedicated circuit up there to power that. A microwave shelf in the upper cabinets can work, but either at bottom shelf level or the ones that jut out lower a bit, they mean your microwave location is fixed. If the microwave is a separate appliance, you can move it to where you really end up using it, instead of being fixed in place.

You'd have to confirm current product for value. Where they win is that you can design the layout and know that the pieces fit in your space. Find the owner home building forums, and read up on some of the horror stories from surprising when people go to install, well, whatever.

Do design a kitchen layout before you finish your house design. They go hand in hand. You can end up with higher electrical or plumbing costs if you're not keeping those in mind from the start.

 

That's a one bedroom with den. Harder to sell. Some lenders don't like them either. Make it a two bedroom (the closet doesn't need to have doors installed) and you've got a legit starter home.

 

There are lots of house designs out there. Even some cheap magazines with "1,000 single story house designs", etc.. Browse designs a lot, then start on your layout.

 

The Not So Big House is also useful. Build smaller in size (you are), straight structural design easy to build, but with carefully chosen higher quality components where it matters to you.

 

There's a lot of movement towards super-sealed and super-insulated. Much better for energy use, and health. You're not depending on fresh air coming in through leaks, but through HRV (heat recovery ventilator), where the incoming air is filtered (and unlike leaks, it can be shut off - like the people in California were scrambling to do during the smoke from the fires). The high-end on sealing/insulation is PassivHaus. Some can be heated with typical hair-dryer watts. More in reach is The Pretty Good House standard.

 

Knowing what details to pay attention to can allow for a significantly better/livable/healthy house with minimal cost increase; significantly less than trying to fix it later.

 

Thermal Paths are a huge consideration now. Insulation on the outside of the wall structure prior to cladding is a huge plus, as it covers over and insulates nearly all of the thermal paths that let heat out in winter and let heat in during summer, reducing your heating and cooling costs. A 'split' air-sourced heat pump can provide heating and cooling very efficiently and quietly.

 

A 2x6 stud wall, sealed at the top & bottom, with a vapour barrier on the OUTSIDE of the sheathing (some sheathing has that built-in), along with significant insulation panels (Rockwool) on the outside of the sheathing, means moist vapour is blocked from reaching insulation at the dew point in the stud wall in winter, and in the exterior insulation in summer. (vapour barrier on the inside isn't sufficient for A/C use - look at all the failed dirty, mouldy, fallen fibreglass batt insulated walls...).

 

It's also easier to build a roof that is sealed, fully filled with blown insulation, and a layer of Rockwool on top of the roof decking, with a metal roof. Huge insulation. Easy to build. Metal roof has long life. No issues with soffet venting or roof venting as there is none. The only penetration is the plumbing stack.

 

If you're going to have a basement, consider a Dry-Stacked-Surface-Bonded concrete block wall. You build the footings and the first course of cinder blocks as standard, except to motar between the blocks. Then you dry stack the cinder blocks, and both the inside and outside of the walls is sprayed or trowelled with concrete with a filler of 1/2" long fibres. Originally fibreglass, most use nylon fibres now. Super easy DIY, significantly stronger to lateral forces than poured concrete or mortared block walls. And unbelievably easier than DIY ICF.

one of the things was being planned on was using Huber’s Zip System with the “Zip 2.0” installation method (Liquid Flashing) on seams, penetrations and nail holes. I want to go cheaper on the roof but perhaps with Zip exterior walls it’d be a good idea to do a zip roof, I haven’t dug hard enough into what another type of Zip system exterior sheathing would cost which offers R3 to R12 insulation.

The second room is 125 sq ft but I figure a closet only needs to be 10sq ft or so. 

The house would be built in North Alabama and I’d go for a ductless AC system/ mini split either supplied from LG or Mitsubishi (wanted to try Bosch but they’re harder to find honestly) and outdoor tankless water heater from Rheem.

Basements are well more of a luxury item in North Alabama because the depth you tend to hit rocks it seems is closer to the surface than other places and potentially higher water tables.

 

Insulation would be all that good stuff,I’d like to use Hardie Board for the siding. 

 

I slapped together a floorplan on a site called “Homestyler” which can be exported to Autocad. I’d still prefer gas even if it’s “not as healthy” I also already purchased a cookware set that was originally $200 but my employee discount got it down to just $80.

 

So with hopefully starting that project in the next 2 years or so, I’d really like to be able to buy the land next year and maybe start building 6 months to a year later, ideally get it done with in a year to a year and a half. So like hopefully early-mid 2023 it’d be complete.

One thing I’ve been a bit hung up on is Copper or Pex plumbing, issue with copper is cost and I’d probably end up wanting a professional to come in and do that, and if I did copper it’d be silly to have copper in the house but not running to the water source with copper. So I might just do PEX-A for well cost and ease of installation (something that I probably would be able to employ less labor for since it’s more approachable. But I like the anti-microbial properties of copper so I dunno. I’d like for the house itself to stay under around $110,000 which for a smaller 2 bedroom 1 bath house shouldn’t be impossible depending on what I spend on materials and appliances.

 

Not thrilled of the possibility of spending over $60,000 on land but in the area I wanna build in that gives me access to fiber optic internet and a reasonable amount of land maybe a touch less than what would be ideal.

 

To go more rural I could get roughly the same amount of land for $20,000 but seems like the biggest trade off is I can’t seem to confirm maps of AT&T’s fiber optic coverage in that area and well Google doesn’t have anything that far away from the main city yet and well the other options are rather slow or from a crappy provider and it’s only 25 minutes from the city. Which I think is the crazy thing. 

[Canoe]

6 hours ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

one of the things was being planned on was using Huber’s Zip System with the “Zip 2.0” installation method (Liquid Flashing) on seams, penetrations and nail holes. I want to go cheaper on the roof but perhaps with Zip exterior walls it’d be a good idea to do a zip roof, I haven’t dug hard enough into what another type of Zip system exterior sheathing would cost which offers R3 to R12 insulation.

I believe the insulation in the Zip panels is isocynate or some such. Not really suitable for skinning a roof decking. You'd need the decking particle/ply/strand and the Zip panel. At that point, get the Rockwool Comfort panel. They have rigid and semi-rigid. You'd have to check which is best fit to the task/slope. And different thicknesses. You can lay a single panel thickness down, or do a double so they're overlapping the under panels' seams. 

 

Remember that the Zip needs to be covered within a period of time after being put up exposed to the outside. Don't let a seller tell you otherwise. It starts degrading. You have some months. Not years. Find out what the limit is, regarding your building schedule.

 

I've not used it, but from what I've seen I do like their liquid flashing. But those using the Zip system seem to prefer their sealing tape, with the liquid for touchups.

 

Their tapes for sealing window rough-ins looks great too. Detail matters! You Do Not want a failed window install or window opening to rot your wall, floor or underlying structure. A properly detailed window rough-in and window install, is air, water & water-vapour proof, and also highly insect proof. 

 

Quote

The house would be built in North Alabama and I’d go for a ductless AC system/ mini split either supplied from LG or Mitsubishi (wanted to try Bosch but they’re harder to find honestly) and outdoor tankless water heater from Rheem.

So you don't need the R40 walls we need here in Canada.

 

A friend replaced his central propane furnace with a Mitsubishi ASHP. They gained it's A/C cooling too. They're used a lot up here in Ontario, Canada. They have models that come with a coil heater already installed and integrated, so you don't need to add that here (you won't need it there...lol). Super quiet.

Splits are more efficient as the two units are very close together, but he went with the central indoor unit, using the old furnace ducts to distribute to the house. This means he didn't need to use them or install a separate fresh air circulation system. I don't know if your split will even need a heating function there.

One thing they do on the install, is insulate the two lines. Only they don't maximize for efficiency. They need to better insulate each line separately, so there's no counter-flow heat exchange that reduces efficiency. Then wrap them for securing. A bug of mine.

 

He also got a EV Chev Bolt/Volt? The one with the little gas engine too. Charges it at home from 240 VAC. He went from propane furnace, propane stove, to ASHP, and a widow A/C, to: ASHP, the EV, an electric stove, a induction burner, A/C on full, plus all of the lights, music, etc., that three teens and a wife use. His total electric bill was less than his former gas bill for commuting to work mon-fri.

After that he went to the HPWT, so I don't have numbers on that yet, but he was pleased. Then he put PV on the roof, some facing south, some east, some west. In the summer, he made $20 to $40 a month. In winter? He has to pay electricity. He's looking forward to spring.

 

Due to your house size, since you're going for a split(s), you can design your fresh air system like they do for apartments. There are HRVs (Heat Recovery Ventilators) that install in a wall, for intake and exhaust through the wall. They may have a small supplemental heater for cold climates. With a PassivHaus, those only need 1500 watts to heat the whole house/apartment.

You need an appropriate sized duct, and duct the fresh air from the HRV to the far reaches of the house, as that flows back through the house to the HRV, the HRV exhausts stale air from the room it's in. Very quiet.

 

Tankless is tempting. Can be gas or electric. Convenient. Outdoors (does use inside space). You only use energy when you need it. Some people swear by them. Others swear at them. I forget the technical issue they had. Make sure you research your model, etc.. The gas ones we had in Europe for each sink for hot water worked great.

 

But to use less energy, my friend installed one of the 65 gallon Rhemm HPWT (heat pump water tank). Not cheap. Due to winter temperatures here (to -35), we can't install HPWT outdoors. Installed indoors, in winter, it steals heat from the house air (which came from the ASHP). In summer, we take heat from the house air, outputting cooled and dried air. We can duct bathroom air, hot & moist from shower/bath, to the input of the HPWT, so it's getting some of the hot water's heat back. As that source is also hotter, heating the new cool water in the tank happens faster, using less energy too. In warmer climates, the HPWT can be installed outdoors, to take heat from hot summer air, or scavenge it from winter air. Depends on your climate if that will work.

 

The Zip sheathing is just sheathing that offers a start on covering the studs and plates for a thermal break of their thermal loss path. They're really not sufficient for insulation. If you use them for sheathing and air/water/vapour-barrier sealing, you'll get much lower heating/cooling costs by putting some real insulation on top of that sheathing.

 

Remember your wall needs a Rain Wall; your Hardie Board needs an air gap between its inside surface and the sheathing or the sheathing's insulation. Water that blows through past the siding, will then run down the inside surface of the siding/cladding. Part of that air gap is that it can get out at the top of the wall and at the bottom of the wall. Essential for pressure equalization between the inside and outside of your siding. You may need to check for insect/termite proofing. The Zip tapes look interesting for this too, going from what the plate rests on, sealing to that and up and onto the exterior of the sheathing.

 

For your wall design, find out if your area is dry-to-the-outside or dry-to-the-inside, and code for vapour barriers.

You should be able to find an appropriate detailed wall designed for your climate.

 

Quote

I slapped together a floorplan on a site called “Homestyler” which can be exported to Autocad. I’d still prefer gas even if it’s “not as healthy” I also already purchased a cookware set that was originally $200 but my employee discount got it down to just $80.

You're building a house that will cost thousands. And you'll be living in it. Your health will be affected, positively or negatively by your choices, in materials, design and your ability to pay attention to quality build details. Be careful letting a $120 savings drive your decisions...

And in building a house, it's not the nickel & dimes that get you, but a hundred here, and hundred there, and a thousand here, a thousand there.

Start a budget spreadsheet. Columns should include Original, Updated, Authorized, Actual. So you can see where your money is going.

Try to have an item level down to actual structures/items installed.

Like the tankless unit. You got it or not, paid for it or not. Try to have all things to that level. NEVER have a percentage done contract. The item is done, and inspected, then it's paid. You don't want a trade in the position where there's more money in their pocket to walk away than to complete the job.

Expect a 10% cost overrun. Plan for it. It might go to 15% or 20%, or more, if you're unlucky or don't research & plan well.

Quote

One thing I’ve been a bit hung up on is Copper or Pex plumbing, issue with copper is cost and I’d probably end up wanting a professional to come in and do that, and if I did copper it’d be silly to have copper in the house but not running to the water source with copper. So I might just do PEX-A for well cost and ease of installation (something that I probably would be able to employ less labor for since it’s more approachable. But I like the anti-microbial properties of copper so I dunno. I’d like for the house itself to stay under around $110,000 which for a smaller 2 bedroom 1 bath house shouldn’t be impossible depending on what I spend on materials and appliances.

• I have not yet used PEX, but a friend just did. From what I've read, and his experience, I wouldn't use copper again. (But I'm biased. I still can't get a hang of a good quick reliable solder with the 'new' solder.
• Buy the proper tool for the fittings. It's fast, easy, and you have gentle radius curves. Huge flexibility in installing. And easy to pressure test for leaks (usually part of a plumbing code inspection). Instead of a series of 90 degree fittings, all of which: impede flow, are future failure points and hidden inside the wall.
• As such, you run a line from your source manifold, as a dedicated line to each fixture. Both ends are accessible for servicing, and there's no fittings/corners to promote Water Hammer. 
• I think PEX-A is the good stuff, but research that.
• Note that you can use the 'shark' type fittings for many 1/2" PEX.
• You can do copper yourself with the 'shark' type fittings, so you're not trying to solder all of the fittings.
• You don't need the copper for anti-microbial. Not for the water, the pipe lining, nor your natural healthy gut bacteria. 
• If there's a water issue, you need a proper system to address that.
• PEX should not be exposed to the sun. You can get algae growth. And material degradation.

Attached shows where a reno kept the existing copper coming up through the floor, but I cut it off and used Shark-Bite fittings after that, with PEX going to the values and shutoffs with stainless braid going to the fixture. No messing with measuring, cutting, cleaning, fluxing and soldering copper.

All in and pressure tested before installing the cabinets. (note the circled water sensor sitting on the floor for leak alarm)

The long loop starting out to the lower left is for going through the cabinets to the left and around for the dishwasher.

Simple to shut the water off, let the pressure out of those lines, remove the SB fittings from the copper, measure and cut holes in the bottom of the cabinet to fit over the copper, install cabinet, reconnect fittings to the top of the copper.

 

Watch the slope of your drain lines. It's meant to be what is specified. Less slope is bad. So is more slope.

 

Do find out what is code in your area. They may be doing things the old way, just because that's what they know. Hopefully they're updated for the International Best Practices. But usually code is based on a lot of experience. May give you a clue about what works best in your climate, water, etc.. Also, what the inspector will pass without a fuss.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/MattRisinger/videos

usually gets it right

verify

 

this is another good place to get more ideas on current day structure

https://www.treehugger.com/author/lloyd-alter/

His bias is obvious, and he states he often. He's done quite the switch from what he was advocating five, six, years ago.

Some isn't practical for an owner builder. But a lot is. He covers a lot of ground.

Pay attention on the

• PassivHaus,
• Pretty Nice House standard (practical easier/cheaper than PassivHaus)
• articles/links to wall designs that are tested and true
  • (likely some at Zip's site too, on how to best use their products to your advantage - and their sales...)
• Fresh Air systems - for apartments
• PM2.5 issues

 

There is so much to research and know to have a successful build, to get what you want and expect, and at a price you expect to pay.

 

Linustechtips is nice, but over on build-your-house type forums, you have access to a lot of people who've been there, and some tradespeople who do this all the time.

You have to filter, and VERIFY for yourself everything you're told, including what I've written above. I think I'm right, but I could be wrong, or code or materials have changed.

 

Good luck!

 

P.S.

It's pretty easy to do a 3D layout in Blender (free), so you can actually 'look' around your house, from inside and outside, to see how the space actually looks & feels.

While you can, you need to do all of the structural details, just get the sizes correct for a 'test drive'. You can even put the view out a window in, so you can see what the view would be standing vs. sitting, to help in window size selection...

[handymanshandle]

38 minutes ago, Canoe said:

I believe the insulation in the Zip panels is isocynate or some such. Not really suitable for skinning a roof decking. You'd need the decking particle/ply/strand and the Zip panel. At that point, get the Rockwool Comfort panel. They have rigid and semi-rigid. You'd have to check which is best fit to the task/slope. And different thicknesses. You can lay a single panel thickness down, or do a double so they're overlapping the under panels' seams. 

 

Remember that the Zip needs to be covered within a period of time after being put up exposed to the outside. Don't let a seller tell you otherwise. It starts degrading. You have some months. Not years. Find out what the limit is, regarding your building schedule.

 

I've not used it, but from what I've seen I do like their liquid flashing. But those using the Zip system seem to prefer their sealing tape, with the liquid for touchups.

 

Their tapes for sealing window rough-ins looks great too. Detail matters! You Do Not want a failed window install or window opening to rot your wall, floor or underlying structure. A properly detailed window rough-in and window install, is air, water & water-vapour proof, and also highly insect proof. 

 

So you don't need the R40 walls we need here in Canada.

 

A friend replaced his central propane furnace with a Mitsubishi ASHP. They gained it's A/C cooling too. They're used a lot up here in Ontario, Canada. They have models that come with a coil heater already installed and integrated, so you don't need to add that here (you won't need it there...lol). Super quiet.

Splits are more efficient as the two units are very close together, but he went with the central indoor unit, using the old furnace ducts to distribute to the house. This means he didn't need to use them or install a separate fresh air circulation system. I don't know if your split will even need a heating function there.

One thing they do on the install, is insulate the two lines. Only they don't maximize for efficiency. They need to better insulate each line separately, so there's no counter-flow heat exchange that reduces efficiency. Then wrap them for securing. A bug of mine.

 

He also got a EV Chev Bolt/Volt? The one with the little gas engine too. Charges it at home from 240 VAC. He went from propane furnace, propane stove, to ASHP, and a widow A/C, to: ASHP, the EV, an electric stove, a induction burner, A/C on full, plus all of the lights, music, etc., that three teens and a wife use. His total electric bill was less than his former gas bill for commuting to work mon-fri.

After that he went to the HPWT, so I don't have numbers on that yet, but he was pleased. Then he put PV on the roof, some facing south, some east, some west. In the summer, he made $20 to $40 a month. In winter? He has to pay electricity. He's looking forward to spring.

 

Due to your house size, since you're going for a split(s), you can design your fresh air system like they do for apartments. There are HRVs (Heat Recovery Ventilators) that install in a wall, for intake and exhaust through the wall. They may have a small supplemental heater for cold climates. With a PassivHaus, those only need 1500 watts to heat the whole house/apartment.

You need an appropriate sized duct, and duct the fresh air from the HRV to the far reaches of the house, as that flows back through the house to the HRV, the HRV exhausts stale air from the room it's in. Very quiet.

 

Tankless is tempting. Can be gas or electric. Convenient. Outdoors (does use inside space). You only use energy when you need it. Some people swear by them. Others swear at them. I forget the technical issue they had. Make sure you research your model, etc.. The gas ones we had in Europe for each sink for hot water worked great.

 

But to use less energy, my friend installed one of the 65 gallon Rhemm HPWT (heat pump water tank). Not cheap. Due to winter temperatures here (to -35), we can't install HPWT outdoors. Installed indoors, in winter, it steals heat from the house air (which came from the ASHP). In summer, we take heat from the house air, outputting cooled and dried air. We can duct bathroom air, hot & moist from shower/bath, to the input of the HPWT, so it's getting some of the hot water's heat back. As that source is also hotter, heating the new cool water in the tank happens faster, using less energy too. In warmer climates, the HPWT can be installed outdoors, to take heat from hot summer air, or scavenge it from winter air. Depends on your climate if that will work.

 

The Zip sheathing is just sheathing that offers a start on covering the studs and plates for a thermal break of their thermal loss path. They're really not sufficient for insulation. If you use them for sheathing and air/water/vapour-barrier sealing, you'll get much lower heating/cooling costs by putting some real insulation on top of that sheathing.

 

Remember your wall needs a Rain Wall; your Hardie Board needs an air gap between its inside surface and the sheathing or the sheathing's insulation. Water that blows through past the siding, will then run down the inside surface of the siding/cladding. Part of that air gap is that it can get out at the top of the wall and at the bottom of the wall. Essential for pressure equalization between the inside and outside of your siding. You may need to check for insect/termite proofing. The Zip tapes look interesting for this too, going from what the plate rests on, sealing to that and up and onto the exterior of the sheathing.

 

For your wall design, find out if your area is dry-to-the-outside or dry-to-the-inside, and code for vapour barriers.

You should be able to find an appropriate detailed wall designed for your climate.

 

You're building a house that will cost thousands. And you'll be living in it. Your health will be affected, positively or negatively by your choices, in materials, design and your ability to pay attention to quality build details. Be careful letting a $120 savings drive your decisions...

And in building a house, it's not the nickel & dimes that get you, but a hundred here, and hundred there, and a thousand here, a thousand there.

Start a budget spreadsheet. Columns should include Original, Updated, Authorized, Actual. So you can see where your money is going.

Try to have an item level down to actual structures/items installed.

Like the tankless unit. You got it or not, paid for it or not. Try to have all things to that level. NEVER have a percentage done contract. The item is done, and inspected, then it's paid. You don't want a trade in the position where there's more money in their pocket to walk away than to complete the job.

Expect a 10% cost overrun. Plan for it. It might go to 15% or 20%, or more, if you're unlucky or don't research & plan well.

• I have not yet used PEX, but a friend just did. From what I've read, and his experience, I wouldn't use copper again. (But I'm biased. I still can't get a hang of a good quick reliable solder with the 'new' solder.
• Buy the proper tool for the fittings. It's fast, easy, and you have gentle radius curves. Huge flexibility in installing. And easy to pressure test for leaks (usually part of a plumbing code inspection). Instead of a series of 90 degree fittings, all of which: impede flow, are future failure points and hidden inside the wall.
• As such, you run a line from your source manifold, as a dedicated line to each fixture. Both ends are accessible for servicing, and there's no fittings/corners to promote Water Hammer. 
• I think PEX-A is the good stuff, but research that.
• Note that you can use the 'shark' type fittings for many 1/2" PEX.
• You can do copper yourself with the 'shark' type fittings, so you're not trying to solder all of the fittings.
• You don't need the copper for anti-microbial. Not for the water, the pipe lining, nor your natural healthy gut bacteria. 
• If there's a water issue, you need a proper system to address that.
• PEX should not be exposed to the sun. You can get algae growth. And material degradation.

Attached shows where a reno kept the existing copper coming up through the floor, but I cut it off and used Shark-Bite fittings after that, with PEX going to the values and shutoffs with stainless braid going to the fixture. No messing with measuring, cutting, cleaning, fluxing and soldering copper.

All in and pressure tested before installing the cabinets. (note the circled water sensor sitting on the floor for leak alarm)

The long loop starting out to the lower left is for going through the cabinets to the left and around for the dishwasher.

Simple to shut the water off, let the pressure out of those lines, remove the SB fittings from the copper, measure and cut holes in the bottom of the cabinet to fit over the copper, install cabinet, reconnect fittings to the top of the copper.

 

Watch the slope of your drain lines. It's meant to be what is specified. Less slope is bad. So is more slope.

 

Do find out what is code in your area. They may be doing things the old way, just because that's what they know. Hopefully they're updated for the International Best Practices. But usually code is based on a lot of experience. May give you a clue about what works best in your climate, water, etc.. Also, what the inspector will pass without a fuss.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/MattRisinger/videos

usually gets it right

verify

 

this is another good place to get more ideas on current day structure

https://www.treehugger.com/author/lloyd-alter/

His bias is obvious, and he states he often. He's done quite the switch from what he was advocating five, six, years ago.

Some isn't practical for an owner builder. But a lot is. He covers a lot of ground.

Pay attention on the

• PassivHaus,
• Pretty Nice House standard (practical easier/cheaper than PassivHaus)
• articles/links to wall designs that are tested and true
  • (likely some at Zip's site too, on how to best use their products to your advantage - and their sales...)
• Fresh Air systems - for apartments
• PM2.5 issues

 

There is so much to research and know to have a successful build, to get what you want and expect, and at a price you expect to pay.

 

Linustechtips is nice, but over on build-your-house type forums, you have access to a lot of people who've been there, and some tradespeople who do this all the time.

You have to filter, and VERIFY for yourself everything you're told, including what I've written above. I think I'm right, but I could be wrong, or code or materials have changed.

 

Good luck!

 

P.S.

It's pretty easy to do a 3D layout in Blender (free), so you can actually 'look' around your house, from inside and outside, to see how the space actually looks & feels.

While you can, you need to do all of the structural details, just get the sizes correct for a 'test drive'. You can even put the view out a window in, so you can see what the view would be standing vs. sitting, to help in window size selection...

Thanks for dropping your information, I will deffo wanna check out some forums dedicated for that to figure out what’s the best approach to the project.

Since N. Alabama uses a lot of nuclear energy so a lot of homes use electric ranges because electricity is cheaper than natural gas down there I could see induction being an option, I suppose depending on the condition of my cookware after 2 years of use I could probably reasonably get what I paid for it back (it was a $200 set I got from Best Buy for $80 with my employee discount) and I could upgrade to an induction compatible set.

[Canoe]

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

Thanks for dropping your information, I will deffo wanna check out some forums dedicated for that to figure out what’s the best approach to the project.

Since N. Alabama uses a lot of nuclear energy so a lot of homes use electric ranges because electricity is cheaper than natural gas down there I could see induction being an option, I suppose depending on the condition of my cookware after 2 years of use I could probably reasonably get what I paid for it back (it was a $200 set I got from Best Buy for $80 with my employee discount) and I could upgrade to an induction compatible set.

Well, I left you a novel to digest...

There's so much more. It's good you're staring in on this well before your planned built. But that can come up real fast.

 

See if your library has Sarah Susanka's Home By Design. I actually bought it. Follows her (I think) The Not So Big House.

What you do doesn't matter as much as the process. Both for your design and for your build. You want to get want you want, have it meet your actual needs and enjoy it for years. You'll work a lot, but it can be done without going crazy.

 

Costco used to have an all-clad copy that wasn't officially induction compatible. Then the set that replaced that was induction compatible. Check before you buy. Sometimes there's a local reseller of costco returns. Great deals if you know your stuff.

 

You wouldn't believe what we went through to get that gas range in the photo. Two and a half hours in a rental truck that had little suspension in the seats - one way. Then back. It was not light either. Electric oven, gas burners. Running the gas flex line across the basement then up to the range site was no fun either. It worked great! The first dish they did was a two pan somethingorother mushroom risotto. Had to use a particular risotto and some special mushrooms, etc. The heat wafted up around the pan at the back and melted the console panel at the back. His wife laughted at us.

 

After a number of shows with the gel burners, he gave them up. For the gourmet food shows, he went with costco induction plates/burners. When he stopped having fun with that, I got one of those burners. So little waste heat for the A/C to deal with. Between that induction burner, fancy electric kettle, microwave and an instapot, I haven't used my stovetop burners in years. lol

 

[handymanshandle]

haha @Canoe you really got me thinking about looking at tankless electric hot water heaters although indirectly because if I go with an electric based range, i nearly nullify the need for natural gas in the first place. Outside of eventually maybe wanting to add in a natural gas generator for power outages that can occur (although depending on cost some solar pre-wiring may not be an awful idea because when solar gets to point where it's at the crux of affordability and less harsh on the environment to produce making that switch would be easy) but in the interim could have a low power panel facing a direction that gets the most sun so if power were to go out we'd still be able to run lights and hot water. 

 

Alabama climate is considered a humid subtropical climate so from what I've heard from a couple videos is that in climates not to dissimilar to that, I've heard Texas being mentioned by name certain electric units with relative ease could provide water to a whole house.

The flow rates listed on the retail site's page are confusing but then it makes sense when you scroll down I think because then it says an "Up to xx gpm" flow rate.

[Canoe]

p.s.

Watch out for make-another-choice burnout.

This is another area were detailed planning pays off. You've made most of the decisions in advance, you just have to execute them.

Then the only new decisions you have to make are for:

• adjusting for errors in the draft/plan (discovered as you're on the site building),
• changes in what you want
  • this can cost you so much if you're not careful - particularly if it involves changing orders, trades or permits,
  • yet at that moment may be the time to make such changes, rather than a reno somewhere down the line,
  • have a change budget, and be prepared to - during the build - juggle items and costs around to balance what you most want against the budget you've assigned,
  • be aware of a key finishing item that you could drop now and substitute with something cheap for now to have money for something key elsewhere, but is easy to add latter when you have the money to indulge,
  • only abuse/blow that change budget knowingly, and
• changing for what materials are actually available right now vs. waiting for an order or delivery.

If you've too many decisions thrown at you, you can make them too hastily, and blow money that adds up quickly.

Trades: some will take advantage. A job that would cost $1,000, but now needs/wants a change, would have been $1,200, or even $1,000, if costed from the start, but now it's a Change Order, it's $2,000. Sometimes that's gouging. Sometimes it's real, due to what they've laid out for materials and will lose in time and restocking charges.

 

I was /kneeling/standing on top of an angled wall section to the peak of roof that was for a house with its back side resting on the top of a cliff and the rest sticking out from the top of the cliff. Of course I was young enough that I wasn't wearing my safety rope but using it to wrap around some slightly off prefab sections to force them together with a come-along so I could secure them together with the top plate. The lady of the build, down on the ground floor of the house and faced with yet another decision to make, flared and spun away from the asker and threw her hammer at me. Forcefully. She had a good arm too. Fortunately it missed so I didn't have to try and stay perched and dodge at the same time. I didn't need that. Neither did she. But at least she got a break walking down and around to the bottom of the cliff and finding her hammer.

 

p.s.s.

Another important one.

• Design your bathroom walls so you put 3/4" plywood (ideally waterproof ply, harder to source, $) sheathing the stud walls and ceiling (Which has load carrying 2x6s across its top. Sitting on the studs, not out along the plate, and not nailed/screwed/bolted to studs in shear.). This allows you in the future to install grab bars, or a lift system, anywhere in the bathroom.
  • Compared to a reno to do this safely later, this is comparatively so much cheaper to do now.
  • Take care to include that ply thickness in calculating your spaces and fitting the bathtub. Don't ask me how I know. I'm not bad at 'carving' with a 4" blade angle saw, but it's not fun.
• Consider not getting cheaper narrower doors, but ones that can take a walker or wheelchair.
• Check the specs for wall receptacles that are higher than usual, so they're reachable by someone in a wheel chair. Don't guess. There is a spec. "Flex Housing"
• Same for a lowered height of light switches.
• And windows that go low enough for someone confined to sitting to be able to enjoy key views.
• Think of your house as possibly a rest-of-your-life house.
• Have enough receptacles in both bedroom and 'computer' room, not ganged on the same circuit, even if code will allow that. You want enough capacity for your usual bedroom use, plus future medical devices and have your computer receptacles on its own circuit. So three circuits is a good idea: one for receptacles either side of bed, another for the computer room's computer receptacles, and a third to power the lights of both rooms and at least one receptacle in each room. Depending on your computer equipment, you may want full-duplex receptacles for the computer(s). Again, plan in advance.
• If you've the budget, consider a whole-house spike clamp on the electric supply into the house. I've seen fancy for $1,000+, and basic effective for $100 (looks like a fuse holder and a pair of clamping diodes?).

Another mini novel.

I could write all night. Got to stop.

 

I've thrown a lot at you. Don't expect to get all the take-aways at once.

[Canoe]

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

haha @Canoe you really got me thinking about looking at tankless electric hot water heaters although indirectly because if I go with an electric based range, i nearly nullify the need for natural gas in the first place. Outside of eventually maybe wanting to add in a natural gas generator for power outages that can occur (although depending on cost some solar pre-wiring may not be an awful idea because when solar gets to point where it's at the crux of affordability and less harsh on the environment to produce making that switch would be easy) but in the interim could have a low power panel facing a direction that gets the most sun so if power were to go out we'd still be able to run lights and hot water. 

 

Alabama climate is considered a humid subtropical climate so from what I've heard from a couple videos is that in climates not to dissimilar to that, I've heard Texas being mentioned by name certain electric units with relative ease could provide water to a whole house.

The flow rates listed on the retail site's page are confusing but then it makes sense when you scroll down I think because then it says an "Up to xx gpm" flow rate.

That's great!

You're balancing and adjusting costs & priorities. And now, not during the build!

 

Careful with PV prewiring. The code keeps changing on that. And it's usually really specific. I've never tried for a variance on that. My friend had to pay another $1,400 to rip and and redo the through-wall for his PV as it was 4" too high for the inspector... He was temped to put 4" of dirt and pavers below it, but feared the inspector would just look for something else even more expensive, so he just ate the cost.

 

Sounds like you're dry-to-the-inside.

 

A single whole-house tankless means you're waiting, and sending, heated water to where you want it. In Europe and Asia, it's not uncommon to have an electric unit for each place it's used. Cheaper, and redundancy. The useful flow rate is also dependant on the watts and the temperature of the incoming water. Most places now require a scalding limiting valve too.

 

The more insulation you have, and better sealed so you're not throwing your conditioned air $ away, the less PV you'll need too.

 

All sorts to balance.

[handymanshandle]

12 minutes ago, Canoe said:

p.s.

Watch out for make-another-choice burnout.

This is another area were detailed planning pays off. You've made most of the decisions in advance, you just have to execute them.

Then the only new decisions you have to make are for:

• adjusting for errors in the draft/plan (discovered as you're on the site building),
• changes in what you want
  • this can cost you so much if you're not careful - particularly if it involves changing orders, trades or permits,
  • yet at that moment may be the time to make such changes, rather than a reno somewhere down the line,
  • have a change budget, and be prepared to - during the build - juggle items and costs around to balance what you most want against the budget you've assigned,
  • be aware of a key finishing item that you could drop now and substitute with something cheap for now to have money for something key elsewhere, but is easy to add latter when you have the money to indulge,
  • only abuse/blow that change budget knowingly, and
• changing for what materials are actually available right now vs. waiting for an order or delivery.

If you've too many decisions thrown at you, you can make them too hastily, and blow money that adds up quickly.

Trades: some will take advantage. A job that would cost $1,000, but now needs/wants a change, would have been $1,200, or even $1,000, if costed from the start, but now it's a Change Order, it's $2,000. Sometimes that's gouging. Sometimes it's real, due to what they've laid out for materials and will lose in time and restocking charges.

 

I was /kneeling/standing on top of an angled wall section to the peak of roof that was for a house with its back side resting on the top of a cliff and the rest sticking out from the top of the cliff. Of course I was young enough that I wasn't wearing my safety rope but using it to wrap around some slightly off prefab sections to force them together with a come-along so I could secure them together with the top plate. The lady of the build, down on the ground floor of the house and faced with yet another decision to make, flared and spun away from the asker and threw her hammer at me. Forcefully. She had a good arm too. Fortunately it missed so I didn't have to try and stay perched and dodge at the same time. I didn't need that. Neither did she. But at least she got a break walking down and around to the bottom of the cliff and finding her hammer.

 

p.s.s.

Another important one.

• Design your bathroom walls so you put 3/4" plywood (ideally waterproof ply, harder to source, $) sheathing the stud walls and ceiling (Which has load carrying 2x6s across its top. Sitting on the studs, not out along the plate, and not nailed/screwed/bolted to studs in shear.). This allows you in the future to install grab bars, or a lift system, anywhere in the bathroom.
  • Compared to a reno to do this safely later, this is comparatively so much cheaper to do now.
  • Take care to include that ply thickness in calculating your spaces and fitting the bathtub. Don't ask me how I know. I'm not bad at 'carving' with a 4" blade angle saw, but it's not fun.
• Consider not getting cheaper narrower doors, but ones that can take a walker or wheelchair.
• Check the specs for wall receptacles that are higher than usual, so they're reachable by someone in a wheel chair. Don't guess. There is a spec. "Flex Housing"
• Same for a lowered height of light switches.
• And windows that go low enough for someone confined to sitting to be able to enjoy key views.
• Think of your house as possibly a rest-of-your-life house.
• Have enough receptacles in both bedroom and 'computer' room, not ganged on the same circuit, even if code will allow that. You want enough capacity for your usual bedroom use, plus future medical devices and have your computer receptacles on its own circuit. So three circuits is a good idea: one for receptacles either side of bed, another for the computer room's computer receptacles, and a third to power the lights of both rooms and at least one receptacle in each room. Depending on your computer equipment, you may want full-duplex receptacles for the computer(s). Again, plan in advance.
• If you've the budget, consider a whole-house spike clamp on the electric supply into the house. I've seen fancy for $1,000+, and basic effective for $100 (looks like a fuse holder and a pair of clamping diodes?).

Another mini novel.

I could write all night. Got to stop.

 

I've thrown a lot at you. Don't expect to get all the take-aways at once.

lol yeah thank you though for that all...

 

 

4 minutes ago, Canoe said:

That's great!

You're balancing and adjusting costs & priorities. And now, not during the build!

 

Careful with PV prewiring. The code keeps changing on that. And it's usually really specific. I've never tried for a variance on that. My friend had to pay another $1,400 to rip and and redo the through-wall for his PV as it was 4" too high for the inspector... He was temped to put 4" of dirt and pavers below it, but feared the inspector would just look for something else even more expensive, so he just ate the cost.

 

Sounds like you're dry-to-the-inside.

 

A single whole-house tankless means you're waiting, and sending, heated water to where you want it. In Europe and Asia, it's not uncommon to have an electric unit for each place it's used. Cheaper, and redundancy. The useful flow rate is also dependant on the watts and the temperature of the incoming water. Most places now require a scalding limiting valve too.

 

The more insulation you have, and better sealed so you're not throwing your conditioned air $ away, the less PV you'll need too.

 

All sorts to balance.

Thanks lol I do like to update my very simple excel book on what adjustments I've made to raw material costs I've calculated this far and appliance/major home systems costs so I don't forget about the adjustments I made in the first place.

 

and yeah it's gonna be something to look into.

I could put a very small heater in the kitchen for the sink and the dishwasher and a bigger one for the bathroom sink, shower and washing machine.

 

I probably would not do the PV pre-wiring since well that's extra cost and as you said code could always change and cause more issue than its worth.

If I wanna do a small panel to just power the basic things (LED lights and the water heaters and maybe a tv for watching weather reports if the outage is due to weather) Im a big fan of the warmer LEDs, I find the cooler ones are just a tinge too blue or just blindingly white/bright.

 

I bought some LED bulbs rated at a 2700K color temp in a Candelabra style (E12 socket) on like October of 2018 and honestly I really like how comparable the light looks to incandescent which I think is a nicer look than the harsh sterile 5200K range or so LEDs are often had in.

[Canoe]

37 minutes ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

...

If I wanna do a small panel to just power the basic things (LED lights and the water heaters and maybe a tv for watching weather reports if the outage is due to weather) Im a big fan of the warmer LEDs, I find the cooler ones are just a tinge too blue or just blindingly white/bright.

 

I bought some LED bulbs rated at a 2700K color temp in a Candelabra style (E12 socket) on like October of 2018 and honestly I really like how comparable the light looks to incandescent which I think is a nicer look than the harsh sterile 5200K range or so LEDs are often had in.

Here we go...

 

White LEDs

• RGB or multi-LED devices are not a good choice, except as a fun lighting/mood accent that is adjutable
• this is about true white LEDs devices
• There's the colour temperature in degress Kelvin (K), and there's CRI (Colour Rating Index).
• (and lumens - typically newer designs have more lumens (brighter) per watt used)
• White LEDs, whether on-device phosphors or remote phosphors, have a number of phosphors that are 'excited'/driven by the underlying 'pump' LED device, either a blue or an UV LED.
  • The UV type tend to be expensive. For most of them, that's an extreme understatement. No way I'm using $240 bulbs.
• The more and better the quality of the phosphors, the better the resulting light spectrum that is produced, the easier it is to judge colour, the higher it's CRI rating, and the more pleasant things look under that light.
• 'the' standard is 5000K, but you can get a high CRI at a lower colour temperature too, human perception will adjust so you can judge colour in warm/yellow light
• use cheap phosphors, so the light is not balanced properly in the blue wavelengths, effectively leaking more blue light
  • that can be difficult to tell, as higher colour temperature lights are bluer too
  • if something lit by a bulb looks like crap, it's usualy a lower CRI (cheap phosphors) or too high a colour temperature
• The difficult area to get correct, where most bulbs fail their CRI, is in the reds. So the CRI is a composite rating, until you're into the high end lights and you get a CRI rating at R1 through R15, so you can see how well it will 'render' those colours under that light.
• Better quality bulbs list their CRI, if not on the box, then on the stem of the bulb, or at least on their web site.
• A minimum to buy is 85 CRI. Today, it's not uncommon to find 88, 90 or even 92 CRI devices at a reasonable price. As in, under $10, even sometimes in packs. I'm really not happy with anything under 90. It's just not pleasant.
• I buy in the store when I can go in when they're not busy, so I can try the different bulbs. One quickly learns how to recognize good vs. bad light. You can cheap by taking something with multiple colours on it, or really cheat and take  a Kodak or MacBeth colour chart. Or grab a colour chip fan from the paint department. Or grab a selection of the individual colour samples.
•  If you had some special artwork to accent, or are really picky about quality light, there's Sylvania HD or even better, Sylvania Ultra HD. These are the cheapest I've found to get into near top quality light. But they don't give them away.
  • I have a pair of PAR bulbs hanging over my marine aquarium that are Ultra HD. Great colour in the tank. Like it's sunlight.
• You should have a 5000K higher CRI in the bathroom for judging one's health in the mirror. 5700K is o.k. too, just a little cooler than ideal. 
• A high CRI in the kitchen where you're judging your cooking ingredients. 5000K
• Elsewhere, I use 2700K as my standard go to, with some lower, 2200 and even 2000 'candle', for my living room
• Not all LED bulbs will work with all dimmers. Test. Newer dimmers and newer LED bulbs tend to work out more.
• LEDs don't throw light like fillament bulbs do, as there's no filament also radiating in IR wavelengths.
  • BUT, they do generate heat, just much less as they're way more efficient than filament bulbs.
  • You need to get rid of that heat, or the life of the LED bulb is greatly reduced.
    • As in, a 500K hour device can be degraded to 150K to 200K in most bulbs due to heat management limitations of the physical layout. But done poorly (or enclosed) that can drop well below 100K hours.
  • Fixtures that let air flow in the bottom and out the top help greatly with bulb life. They also typically let light out the top and bottom too, so you get both a work-area or accent light out the bottom, and light out the top that reflects around off the ceiling, providing a softer ambient light.
  • Some bulbs are specially rated for inside enclosed fixtures. Most are not.
  • The higher the lumens, the more waste heat. Not all bulbs manage the heat well.
• Also, there's the specularity of the light. How harsh vs. soft it is.
  • A frosted tradition style bulb is soft light. The shadows from what it lights have soft edges. Soften the details of the things you're looking at.
  • Larger bulbs, softer.
  • Smaller bulbs, harder light, less pleasant, but finer details.
  • Which is why a lot of special artwork is lit with both soft ambient light and a high-light specular light for showing fine details, like paper texture or brush strokes.
• Then there's the 'edison' retro style with multiple strips of LEDs coated with the yellow/orange/egg-yolk coloured phosphors that hide the LEDs themselves, usually in a bare bulb (no frosting). Each filament throws it's own light hence shadows, so there's some rather interesting shadows. Done right, they're great! With a higher CRI and low colour temperature, these can make a great light from a front room or dining room. Those in the 2400 to 2000K are my go to now.

That's the basics.

Fortunately you're not needing to design to a matching spectrum for an exotic pet or growing. Although now most needs can be met with existing products, without needing to build your own with multiple LEDs to get a composite spectrum.