Looking for advice on buying a lot and building a home in Sequim (Seattle: houses, crawl space)

[Jumpindogs]

We are considering retiring to Sequim in 5-7 years and would prefer to build rather than buy an existing home. I am looking for advice and tips from retirees and others who live in the Sequim area....things such as what to avoid/check when buying a lot, what features you love about your home, what features you wish you had in your home, what features are a must have specifically for the Sequim/PNW area, etc.

For example, if someone asked this of me for my area of southeastern Wisconsin I would suggest their lot be above road grade and the highest in the area and they hire an expert grader to help avoid basement water/structural problems, they walk their lot on a rainy day to assess drainage (does the ground absorb the moisture or does it feel spongy), their house have a mudroom or an area near the garage with a decent sized coat closet and room for a boot bench with hooks above for their favorite coats...it's great to have a place to sit when changing from shoes to boots and vice versa which we do often here, they design with roof overhangs so they can open windows when it rains, air conditioning is a must, ceiling fans are a must, their driveway face west so the sun melts the ice, they build a screen porch to enjoy the outdoors without being driven crazy by mosquitoes, they build a ranch on a level lot with wide hallways and doors, they install a cement patio instead of a wood deck, no maple trees cause the helicopter seeds plug up the gutters and drains, flowering crabs far from driveways/patios/walkways cause their dropped fruits make a mess, no weeping willows close to the house cause their roots seek water and invade basement walls...and lots more but you don't need to know that cause who would move from the PNW to Wisconsin!

So actually I am looking for Sequim specific tips and also retiree specific tips. Thanks!

[TrueTimbers]

Build green... Passive solar.. (Winter sun in windows, summer sun not.)
IMO, slab on grade, with hydronic heat... Or a mini split heat pump, they are efficient out here. Cement board siding does well I understand.

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by TrueTimbers

Build green... Passive solar.. (Winter sun in windows, summer sun not.)
IMO, slab on grade, with hydronic heat... Or a mini split heat pump, they are efficient out here. Cement board siding does well I understand.

Thanks TT. Does the summer sun heat up homes that much? Why slab on grade over crawlspace? Both of which slightly freak out my basement mentality. Which I will get over.

I will do some research on the mini split heat pump as I am clueless.

I do recall seeing lots of home listings with hardiplank. We will prolly do brick to reduce maintenance unless there is a downside to brick in your climate. As retirees my goal for my DIY hubby is low/no maintenance.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by Jumpindogs

Thanks TT. Does the summer sun heat up homes that much? Why slab on grade over crawlspace? Both of which slightly freak out my basement mentality. Which I will get over.

I have ask why also? Slabs are usually for areas with high water tables or unstable conditions...Sequim is not one of those in any way. I don't know of any houses in Sequim with basements, but I am sure they are around. The river has not flooded in the 16 years I have lived in the area.

I will do some research on the mini split heat pump as I am clueless.

Not heard of a split heat pump, I'm guessing he means heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. We have a heat pump and all my neighbors do and it is very efficient in both seasons. What I like about a heat pump it comes on automatically thru my thermostat settings.

I do recall seeing lots of home listings with hardiplank. We will prolly do brick to reduce maintenance unless there is a downside to brick in your climate. As retirees my goal for my DIY hubby is low/no maintenance.

I haven't run across an all brick house in the Sequim, a few with brick facing for aesthetic purposes but not all brick. I think I have seen a few all concrete gray brick houses, but not very attractive. In areas that have a termite problem I think you will see more brick being used. And because the water table in not high to attract them you won't find them much, Carpenter ants, yes a few. Most newer houses use a concrete siding that is maintenance free. Weather does not effect it. If you like a deck, use Trex style decking which is also maintenance free. Another must is an irration system, either drip or automatic sprinklers. Water is not a concern in most close in areas.
Some of the newer homes in Sequim do not have lawns but are landscaped with low maintenance in mind. On my street only six house have lawns, some are a mix of lawns and low maintenance. most are no lawn at all.

Because the temperature in the Sequim area does get either too hot or too cold a simple heat pump will do the trick.

I have read other people who claim Sequim is rather gray in the winter...mostly from Port Townsend, but Sequim is no different than any other town or city in the NW. It is not uncommon to have clear weather in winter. Remember our annual rain fall is about 15 inches total a year. Where as Seattle is I think about 35 inches and west down the road about 70 miles in Forks its averages close to 10 feet, yes I said feet.

[TrueTimbers]

Sure the most common is crawl space.

I personally do not like crawl spaces... Get it wrong and it is a mold source. I personally like slabs, for in floor heating..

[West coast at heart]

Hello again Jumpindogs!

My wife is from the Bay Area (San Bernadino and Redwood City, CA). I told her the same thing that I wanted a brick house as well. Must be a Midwest thing. Anyways, she believes the reason you do not see brick houses is because of the earthquake tendency. Of course that could be just in CA, but I cannot recall seeing any brick houses on our many visits to WA and OR

Anywho...good luck again!

Peace,
wc@h

[freepelican]

Brick also has a tendency to fall on your head! so... it is not even recommended as a non-structural facade. However, you will see stucco. Wood is the safest, assuming you follow modern earthquake codes.

Also, you only need to study where the damage occurred during past earthquakes, large and small, to understand why brick is not a good idea. Look up the damage done in Santa Cruz and San Francisco during the Loma Prieta earthquake. Remember too that neither of these places was the epicenter.

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

I have ask why also? Slabs are usually for areas with high water tables or unstable conditions...Sequim is not one of those in any way. I don't know of any houses in Sequim with basements, but I am sure they are around. The river has not flooded in the 16 years I have lived in the area.



Not heard of a split heat pump, I'm guessing he means heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. We have a heat pump and all my neighbors do and it is very efficient in both seasons. What I like about a heat pump it comes on automatically thru my thermostat settings.



I haven't run across an all brick house in the Sequim, a few with brick facing for aesthetic purposes but not all brick. I think I have seen a few all concrete gray brick houses, but not very attractive. In areas that have a termite problem I think you will see more brick being used. And because the water table in not high to attract them you won't find them much, Carpenter ants, yes a few. Most newer houses use a concrete siding that is maintenance free. Weather does not effect it. If you like a deck, use Trex style decking which is also maintenance free. Another must is an irration system, either drip or automatic sprinklers. Water is not a concern in most close in areas.
Some of the newer homes in Sequim do not have lawns but are landscaped with low maintenance in mind. On my street only six house have lawns, some are a mix of lawns and low maintenance. most are no lawn at all.

Because the temperature in the Sequim area does get either too hot or too cold a simple heat pump will do the trick.

I have read other people who claim Sequim is rather gray in the winter...mostly from Port Townsend, but Sequim is no different than any other town or city in the NW. It is not uncommon to have clear weather in winter. Remember our annual rain fall is about 15 inches total a year. Where as Seattle is I think about 35 inches and west down the road about 70 miles in Forks its averages close to 10 feet, yes I said feet.

OK. Heat pump...cool. If that concrete siding doesn't have to be painted then I am all for it. No need to do the all brick thing if not necessary. I've always wanted a dark taupe sided house with white trim anyway...just love that look. :-)

Irrigation for the landscape beds only or also for the lawn? We will have lawn cause we have herding dogs and they need a job and if I don't have sheep or agility equipment that means lots of long distance fetching on a daily basis. Walks just don't cut it for these guys. We are looking at a 1+ acre lot with an easement to an irrigation ditch. I am guessing that's a plus? Depending on whether the ditch has water in the summer?

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by TrueTimbers

Sure the most common is crawl space.

I personally do not like crawl spaces... Get it wrong and it is a mold source. I personally like slabs, for in floor heating..

I get it now. I've done some research and did discover the mold issue. I expect a quality builder would get that right.

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by West coast at heart

Hello again Jumpindogs!

My wife is from the Bay Area (San Bernadino and Redwood City, CA). I told her the same thing that I wanted a brick house as well. Must be a Midwest thing. Anyways, she believes the reason you do not see brick houses is because of the earthquake tendency. Of course that could be just in CA, but I cannot recall seeing any brick houses on our many visits to WA and OR

Anywho...good luck again!

Peace,
wc@h

Thanks WC@H! Yeah, I had asked in some previous posts about issues with brick/stone due to tremors. If a major quake hits then I am guessing the house might be totaled and it may not matter what it's made of. But that's food for another thread I guess. I am guessing our builder will be on top of that.

The earthquake thing doesn't scare me cause we have the same (or greater perhaps) probability with twisters here. They can be unbelievably damaging...as you well know, my Midwest friend. :-)