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Build Your House Yourself University

Wish you knew more about the biggest investment you will most likely ever make? Build Your House Yourself University (byhyu) will teach you to save money and make smart decisions about the construction of the place you and your family will call HOME. We will help you understand residential construction— simplify and demystify the design build process. You’ll come away with successful strategies for building your own house, with or without a general contractor.

Become an educated consumer, even if you prefer to buy, rather than build a new house. Complex construction jargon and best practices will be explained in easy to understand terms. It’s not the typical DIY (do it yourself) show. You will learn how to MANAGE the labor, not DO the labor for your new house.

Join me, Michelle Nelson, host and fellow informal residential construction student. I’ll share the research I find on home design and building as I prepare to build my home. Together, our community of future home builders, will learn the tips, tricks and trends of experienced contractors and industry experts.

I’ll interview owner-builders and construction professionals. During our mini lessons, I’ll inform you about framing, flooring, windows, insulation, kitchen cabinets and countertops…almost anything having to do with new construction homes. You’ll hear about energy efficiency and green building too. There will be product reviews in which you will be introduced to cutting edge, as well as, tried and true products and services. And in keeping with the university theme, episodes will end with short, fun quizzes.

If we do our due diligence BEFORE we start construction, we will actually start construction with the most difficult part of the project behind us. Let’s put in the time, effort, preparation and research BEFORE we break ground and building our homes will be much easier and more enjoyable.

Copyright: © BYHYU.com 2016

Latest Episodes:

Kitchen Countertops 101— Your 11 (that’s right, ELEVEN) most common countertop choices — BYHYU 033 Aug 31, 2016

Show notes

Choosing your kitchen countertop is one the more fun and exciting choices that you’ll make for your new home. Choices should be made based on the material’s appearance, durability, maintenance and price. This week we’ll cover the most common types of materials used for kitchen and bathroom countertops, including laminate, ceramic and porcelain tiles, solid surface options, like Corian, butcher block, stainless steel, concrete, soapstone, marble, granite, quartzite and quartz (Silestone and Caesarstone). There’s a difference between quartzite and quartz, you know? We’ll talk about all of those options in this week’s mini lesson.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

Hot Water Heaters 101— Learn about the Pros and Cons of Conventional and Tankless Water Heaters— BYHYU 032 Aug 24, 2016

Show notes

Did you know that most water heaters use more energy than all other household appliances combined? According to the US Dept of Energy, water heaters account for almost 17% of a home’s energy use. Other sources say it’s up to 30% of the a home’s energy. This week’s mini lesson will help you decide if a conventional, storage tank water heater or a tankless water heater is the better choice for your new home. And the choice is probably not as cut and dry as you think.

Conventional, storage tank water heaters are still the most common type of water heaters found in new homes. But tankless water heaters are steadily gaining popularity. We’ll go over the basic information about how conventional water heaters and tankless water heater work, plus the pros and cons of each system.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs)— Framing and Insulation all in one— BYHYU 031 Aug 17, 2016

Show notes

Today is the last installment of a series of mini lessons that I’ve done on insulation. In this week’s episode, we’ll talk structural insulated panels, or SIPs, and insulated concrete forms, or ICFs. These options are especially unique because they not only provide extremely effective thermal insulation, but they also provide structural framing components for the house, including walls, floors and roofs.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

Spray Foam Insulation and Rigid Foam Insulation—BYHYU 030 Aug 10, 2016

Show notes

According to Green Building Advisor. com, “spray polyurethane foam is better than any other type of insulation at reducing air leakage.” And that’s one of the biggest reasons that spray foam insulation is becoming one of the most popular insulation options in North America. This week's mini lesson will discuss the two types of spray foam insulation, open cell spray foam and closed cell spray foam. We'll also cover rigid foam in insulation.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

Do you know what insulation can lose up to half its R value in cold temperatures?—BYHYU 029 Aug 03, 2016

Show notes

Blown in insulation, also called loose fill insulation, is made of fluffy fibers of cellulose, fiberglass or mineral wool. It’s blown into walls, attics and floors with special equipment. One the main advantages of blown in insulation is that it fills in odd shaped cavities, crevices and gaps and eliminates cold spots. Learn more about blown in insulation in this week’s mini lesson.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

You’ve heard of Fiberglass Insulation, but do you know about the other types of Blanket Insulation?— BYHYU 028 Jul 27, 2016

Show notes

For most people, blanket insulation is the insulation that comes to mind when they think about insulation in a home. Most of us have seen attics filled with pink or yellow insulation. That pillowy insulation that we’re familiar with is blanket insulation and in most cases it was made of fiberglass, which is the most common type of insulation in the United States. But blanket insulation can be made not only of fiberglass, but also of other flexible fibers such as cotton, mineral wool and sheep’s wool. Today’s mini lesson give an overview of those different types of blanket insulation.

Show notes www.BYHYU.com

Insulation 101. Other than the walls, what part of your house should be insulated?— BYHYU 027 Jul 20, 2016

Show notes

When building a new home, investing in insulation is one of the best ways to decrease your energy consumption and save money far into the future. Talking about insulation may not be an especially exciting topic in residential construction, but is one of the most important subjects to understand because choosing the amount and placement of insulation will directly affect the physical and financial comfort of you and your family.

Insulation has one of the fastest payback times of all investments you’ll make in your new home. The savings can be so great that you can often recover your initial investment in just a few years. So, if you can afford it, add the maximum amount of insulation recommended for your home design and region. In this week’s mini lesson, we’ll talk about some general recommendations for insulation. And over the next few weeks, we’ll learn about some specific types of insulation that are commonly used in residential construction, including spray foam insulation, rigid foam board insulation, batt and blanket insulation and blown-in cellulose.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

Kitchen Cabinets 101—BYHYU 026 Jul 13, 2016

Show notes

Today’s mini lesson will help not only those wanting to build a new house, but those who want to remodel an older home, especially the kitchen. As promised last week, we’ll be talking about choosing kitchen cabinets. If you think choosing kitchen cabinets is simply a matter of choosing stained, wood cabinets versus white, painted cabinets… keep listening.

Naturally, you’ll choose a style that you find attractive, but beyond looks, there are lots of factors that you’ll need to consider that will impact the quality and cost of your cabinets. For example, a standard 30 inch cabinet can range from just over $100 to well over $1000, depending on its construction, finishes and how customized it is. Today’s lesson will help us understand the different materials used to construct cabinets and how those materials impact cabinet price and quality.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

8 Kitchen Design Mistakes to Avoid — BYHYU 025 Jul 06, 2016

Show notes

For most families, the kitchen is the most important room in the entire house. It’s not only a functional family space, but it serves as the central area for entertaining, as well. Today we’ll talk about 8 common mistakes to avoid when designing and organizing your kitchen. Next week, we’ll have another kitchen-centered lesson when I give an overview of what to look for when choosing kitchen cabinets.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

Do you know the pros and cons of brick, wood, wood alternatives (such as Hardie plank), stucco and stone?—BYHYU 024 Jun 29, 2016

Show notes

What siding you choose for the exterior of your house will greatly influence the overall appearance and style of your home. More and more, people are choosing not just one type of siding, but several. It’s not unusual to see houses with a mixture of brick and stone, or stucco and stone, or even fiber cement siding with brick or stone.

While appearance is a very important consideration when choosing the type of siding, you should also consider the material's price, durability and maintenance. Siding is not simply an aesthetic feature, but it functions to protect your house from the elements. In today’s mini lesson, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of the most popular siding options.

Show notes at www.BYHYU.com

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