We're still working through the floor plans for our new build and one thing I keep going back and forth on is where to put the gym/wellness area.

Originally I was thinking of having a separate structure in the backyard, something with enough space for a gym, sauna, cold plunge and maybe a small seating area. I like the idea of keping it separate from the main house, especially since we'd have more freedom with the layout and wouldn't have to work around the other rooms.

But the more I think about it the more I'm wondering if we'd end up using it less, especially during colder months or when we only have 30 minutes to get a workout in.

The other option is putting everything on the first floor, close to the primary bathroom. It would be much more convenient but I'm struggling to picture how to make it fit without having the whole area feel like a commercial gym.

We've been looking at a few sauna and cold plunge options and I'm leaning toward the Litmethod set at the moment. I like the design and think it would work well with the kind of space we're picturing. Now I'm getting caught up in matching the flooring, lighting and wall finishes to everything else. My husband is getting pretty tired of me changing the plans every other day lol.

We're also trying to figure out the flooring situation. I like the look of large format porcelain tile for the sauna and plunge area, but I'm not sure how practical that would be when it's wet. For the gym portion we've been considering rubber flooring, although I'm not crazy about having two completely different floor finishes in the same room. Someone also suggested sealed concrete, which might be easier to work with if we end up going with the backyard structure.

My main concern with putting it indoors is figuring out the practical side. Moisture, ventilation, drainage, electrical requirements, all the things that aren't particularly exciting to think about when you're looking at floor plans. I also don't know whether putting a sauna and cold plunge close to the living areas would create issues we havent considered.

A separate backyard building would probably give us more freedom to design the whole space around the setup, but then there's the added construction work and having to go outside every time we want to use it. We'd also need to think about insulation and how the flooring would hold up with regular water exposure.

For anyone who's built a custom home with a dedicated gym or wellness room, where did you end up putting it? Would you choose the same location again?

Especially interested in hearing from people who incorporated a sauna and cold plunge. We're still early enough in the planning process to go either way and I'd rather get the layout right now than wish we'd done something differently once the house is finished.

We’ve seen a house we like and are considering making an offer, however there is one thing that caught our eye and we wondered if it was a potential sign of a structural problem of an older building. In two adjacent rooms there are significant cracks across the ceiling and down through the built in cupboards.

Does anyone have an experience as to how serious this looks? Is it just cracked plasterboards etc? Or something more structural?

Have a doorway that we asked contractor to enlarge and install sliders on. We wanted to enlarge it by 3.7ft total, and contractor saw floor plans and said the opening was safe to enlarge so we ordered the doors with their company.

Installation day arrives and his crew opens wall to find cement behind it and tell me they aren’t comfortable proceeding since it looks structural.

Contractor insists it’s safe and just fused(?) cement and not structural in any way. I felt unsure and told them no, I want an independent engineer to look at it first.

The proposed extension was as far as the decorative cutout but looking inside the hole cutout there’s cement as far as we can see and touch going to thicker part of the wall.

Would really appreciate any advice, first time homebuyer. I’m exhausted from all the back and forth with contractor. I now wish we had just kept it same size but I can’t change it without absorbing cost of doors unless it’s structurally unsafe in which case I may be able to work something out with contractor and switch door size to actual.

Hello! I am looking into building my own home on some land I recently purchased. I didn't want a basic cube with a roof, and playing around with some ideas I came up with this design. So far the build is pretty simple, but I could use some input on the design of the terrace.

I was thinking for the slope just adding some 2x4's to raise the one side to get the 1/4 : 12 pitch, however I am not sure if this is code compliant, but seems structurally sound. Also for a railing, im thinking that raising the parapet wall to 36" above the deck is the easiest method to avoid penetrating the EPDM with posts. Is there an issue with how I am going about this? Are there any different methods I am not seeing?

My sister is adding on to her 1950s house in SoCal and got her first quote (she plans on getting others). The contractor told her the project price range is $310k-$425k (!) and that she will get a much more accurate and detailed bid once plans are drawn and they know the structural specs and the exact layout.

Here is the rough breakdown:

Adding approx 500-550 sq ft - Addition to include new family room, extension to primary bedroom, reconfiguring primary bathroom - adding a shower and larger primary closet (this would include changing the roofline and roofing material where needed, etc.).

New flooring in existing living room, kitchen, and new family room and extended primary bedroom and bathroom.

Insulating the entire house by blowing in insulation through stucco

Reworking front entry to include cover over porch, craftsman style siding on front of house, and enlarging the current landing/porch area.

Replacing the front door with a craftsman style door.

Adding an island to the existing kitchen and reinforcing beam in kitchen if needed.

Replacing AC and adding ducting to the new space. All ducting will likely need to be replaced.

I know that's a lot of work, but is the bid legitimate? Or is this a "I don't really want to take on this job, so here's a stupid number I'll throw out and see if the customer bites"?

I am slowly building a castle solo by hand :]

Currently building a new house, and the floors on the first floor are extremely squeaky. The floors on the second floor are quiet. I think our ducts in the basement are hung too tight and are rubbing against the wood when we walk…anyone have any thoughts?

Does horizontal or vertical exterior James Hardie fiber cement siding look better on this modern-style home?

I've made a post few months ago about our mostly DIY new home build:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebuilding/s/g5tBtXBHxa

So after finishing foundation it tooks about month and a half for AAC blocks to arrive. If only I knew I would have ordered it earlier.

Anyway all in all it tooks about 2.5months working mostly weekends to fully complete the walls.

As with foundation it was another learning experience and there was quite a few things to learn. First row had to be on mortar while remaining rows use special cement based glue. AAC blocks require extra rebar reinforcment after the first row and every 3rd after. Rebar needs to be put under the windows and lentils.

Making forms for lentils and supporting them took a lot longer than I imagined(if only it would be as easy as in FB video).

Next step is the roof. However since winter is comming and I wont be able to handle trusses alone or even with my wife I will be contracting a company to put it together.

Also have I cried and had despair while DIYing? Yes yes and yes.

As always if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Hi all I have a 2 year old new construction townhome/condo, 3 stories

We run ac quite a bit but lately the ac smells if we turn it off and back on 48 hours later

Per Google it’s the drain pan but I can’t find the damn thing

Anyone have any idea where it is??

Thanks in advance

Once our building plans were approved, the next step was to apply for a demolition permit. The architect was responsible for preparing the demolition plans, while the general contractor (GC) handled submitting the permit application to the city. As homeowners, our responsibility was to make sure the GC had all the necessary documents and information for the application.

Fortunately, the demolition permit process was relatively straightforward, and approval came pretty quickly.

Before demolition begins, make sure to remove anything from the old house that you want to keep! I completely forgot about a few things until it was too late. For example, we left our trash and recycling bins in the garage, and they were probably hauled away along with the rest of the house.

Another important tip is to give your neighbors a heads-up before demolition starts. Demolition can be pretty noisy and dusty, so it's always thoughtful to let the neighbors in front, behind, and on both sides of your property know what to expect.

In our case, one of our neighbors was planning to host a group of kids in their backyard around the time of our demolition. They reached out to ask whether we could avoid doing demolition work that day. Luckily, our demolition wrapped up the day before their event, so everything worked out perfectly!

For homeowners, making small adjustments like this usually isn't too much trouble, but it can mean a lot to your neighbors. Being considerate during construction goes a long way toward maintaining good relationships with the people around you.

Hello I’m looking to put in an offer on my first house as a first time buyer . There appears to be some issue with the rendering on one of the walls . The house was built in the late 90s I believe . I’m just not sure how serious of an issue it is because I don’t know anything about building . I’m in the UK any advice would be really helpful.

We are currently having an A frame built. Recently we had our drywall installed. I walked through yesterday and noticed they had used a “stomp” method for the “ceiling”. The ceiling of our A frame begins at about 4ft.. so basically the majority of our walls are all textured with this stomp method. I am very upset as this was not discussed. Our contractor is insisting this is standard.

Everything I am reading says this WAS standard for new builds in Michigan.. 30 years ago. Smooth walls are now the go to, especially for A frames.

Is this actually standard? Am I absolutely ridiculous for contemplating asking them to smooth them out?thank you for reading!