The cost of owning a house

[7-11 2]

I've seen good and bad ones, noisy and quiet ones.

 

If you have the space for them to slide, they obviously take up less space in the opening and closing.

[NoFakie 45]

That's interesting.

I may just be tired but can you elaborate on that, not quite understanding!

Thanks.

 

Just what I wrote really, the builder got paid from us, not the bank. He set a schedule and we made the payments when asked. The first two were made with savings, so the builder didn't have to wait for the bank money to come in. I might be wrong but I don't see how us having a mortgage affected how the builder was paid.

[NoFakie 45]

A long s they, and the walls holding em, are the same thickness as regular doors then sure, if u like em. But I always feel that sliding doors don't give you the privacy (sound wise) that regular doors do

 

Tubby's right. The other one is that houses with flooring instead of carpets are much more echo-ey, so its more of a problem. If acoustic privacy is important to you, make sure you ask for it because the default level in Japan is very low. A Japanese house with a daughter in the brass band practising the Mickey Mouse march on the cornet three hours a night must be a nightmare.

 

That said, the current trend is toward 24hr mechanical ventilation. so even traditional swing doors may well have vents cut into them to allow air to move from room to room.

[DumbStick 13]

hold on I'll post a pic

[DumbStick 13]

Here this is one of them, this one is on the "outside" of the wall, and so wall thickness not affected.

 

It looked nice and it was close to silent. Obviously a nicely made one, not some cheap option.

 

[DumbStick 13]

They had a few more where the sliding door was taking up part of the wall, but that made the actual wall thinner for that part and so not as good.

 

Next thing to decide is if we like the lighter wooden flooring or darker as in above photo.

[DumbStick 13]

That's interesting.

I may just be tired but can you elaborate on that, not quite understanding!

Thanks.

 

Just what I wrote really, the builder got paid from us, not the bank. He set a schedule and we made the payments when asked. The first two were made with savings, so the builder didn't have to wait for the bank money to come in. I might be wrong but I don't see how us having a mortgage affected how the builder was paid.

 

OK.

 

Really not sure how it works but it seemed to me that taking the bank out of it all sped things up and made things simpler.

Perhaps that is why as well as us paying quickly.

Not going to question it!

[NoFakie 45]

I suppose the one with the bank could be the level of detail required in the estimate for you to get the loan accepted. Ours was like a book and did take a while for the builder to prepare. However, once we got it, it gave me all the serial numbers of stuff in the house, which was a help in buying stuff for lower prices online.

[NoFakie 45]

Went to see another showroom house today.

 

Wow it was very kakkoi. Very modern. Stairway in the middle of the main LDK room, or to the side, and lots of little nooks and crannies that made it feel kind of unique.

Lots of expensive looking finishing going on too.

Kakkoi.

It was over 3500 man though without the land, so not cheap.

Looking at our plan now, makes it look rather simple!

 

It worked, but I don't think it's a place I'd like to live.

It was all a bit toooo designery showroomy, and not practical for my liking.

Staircase looked cool, but I don't think I want the staircase behind the telly and above me 2 floors of 'empty space'. Bet it costs a lot to heat.

 

We got some decent interior ideas out of the visit though.

 

If you have kids, I think you have to think in practical terms. Given that most older people in Japan don't get to move to some bungalow or other more suitable house when they're old, it might be worth considering how easy it will be to live in your house as an oldie, especially if you're forties or so already.

 

If you're just a couple though, I think you can lower the practicality requirements and focus on something that will make you happy. Make the place your own little nest.

[DumbStick 13]

I agree.

 

But this place was a bit too much in the designer-y kind of space.

 

Hopefully we can do something somewhere in the middle when we choose all the main bits and interiors.

[NoFakie 45]

Regarding the photo, the corridor looks wide enough for a swing door and I think I'd prefer one with the power outlet right next to it and not in the middle of the wall. I think the outlet would look better if the bit of wall where the door slides were actually framed off. I'll just add that I wouldn't bother saying this if that wasn't being presented as a "designer" interior.

 

As for the noise issue, I think the main problem comes from sliding doors not closing as tightly, not from any small drop in wall thickness. Internal walls are just going to be stud framing and plaster board on both sides of voids anyway. Unless you specifically ask and pay for it, no-one will insulate an internal wall as a default choice.

 

I heard Japanese builders charge a lot for niches, so I think I'd just DIY up some shelves of an appropriate size for whatever it is you've got. An old dresser or bookcase or something with stuff on can look great too. I think the appeal of niches is exagerrated by western-style interiors in Japan being so plain. The ironic one is that traditional Japanese rooms can have beautifully balanced tokonoma alcoves and intricate ranma and shoin shoji, i.e., extensive built-in decoration.

[DumbStick 13]

The sliding door in photo actually slowly closed itself if you didn't bring it to a close yourself. All very quietly.

[DumbStick 13]

Our jiban chosa came out good and so no need for anything extra.

 

Planned building start - just after Golden Week.

[pie-eater 207]

Our jiban chosa came out good and so no need for anything extra.

 

Planned building start - just after Golden Week.

 

 

[DumbStick 13]

Cliff!!

 

How did you results go, snowdude, btw?

[LiquidX 0]

Cliff sure looks young there!

[muikabochi 208]

Congrats, DumbStick.

When are you hoping to be able to move in?

[snowdude 44]

Actually a litle softet than expected but ok.

Just to be sure we are having the foundations made extra strong. As we got the price down lower than our original plan.

 

 

Cliff!!

 

How did you results go, snowdude, btw?

[snowdude 44]

Thats good not long now then.

Our set building start date is may 20th.

 

 

Our jiban chosa came out good and so no need for anything extra.

 

Planned building start - just after Golden Week.

[snowdude 44]

We have decided to go for some very nice lap siding in the end not painted walls as we have been assured that there will not be join lines all over the place.

 

 

[DumbStick 13]

Lap siding?

[snowdude 44]

Yes it is panels that over lap each other to form a cover.

 

[BagOfCrisps 24]

What are those thing made of, some kind of plastic?

[69 5]

Think my friend told me he paid about 5000 yen a month on earthquake insurance.

[Wizz 11]

Must be really exciting for you guys planning and getting a house build.

Have fun! Keen to hear updates along the way.