And here is the rest of it:

Concrete

Engineered in accordance with State of Florida requirements and Florida Building Code. 3000 PSI with either fiber or wire mesh. Two (2) course stem wall foundation, and engineered as an enclosure. (Or as per plan).

Water Pipes

CPVC.

Ext. Masonry Walls

3/4" Dow Blueboard rigid board thermal sheathing, total wall rating approximately R-8.9.

Interior Bath and Utility Walls

R-11 sound batts (Or as per plan).

Second Floor System

R-19 batts (Or as per plan).

Garage Living Area Walls

R-13 batts 2x4, R-19 2x6 (Or as per plan).

Frame Ext. Walls

R-19 batts (Or as per plan).

Knee Walls

R-11 batts (Or as per plan).

Living Areas

Florida Energy 5" Iceynene expanding foam spray insulation applied to the underside of the roof deck at conditioned spaces, with curtain wall separating from non-conditioned spaces.

HVAC

Compressor & Air Handler

Bryant or equivalent High 14 – 15 SEER heat pump sized as required by energy code with a programmable thermostat as located by HVAC contractor for optimum efficiency. Cooling differential approximately 5-7 degrees.

Supply Air Units

As per Energy Calculations.

Return Air Units

Living areas and all bedrooms.

Pool Package

Approximately 14'x28', 80 LF perimeter maximum 350 square feet of pool area with grey base brick bullnose coping, 6"x6" water line tile from builder's preferred selections. Level one Pebbletec finish. (Per Pool Allowance).

Lanai Deck

350 Square Feet Allowance for grey base pavers with choice of standard patterns framed with choice of sailor or soldier course (decorative insets are additional) set in leveling sand on a crushed concrete base.

Second Level Balcony

Up to 18”x18” porcelain tile from Builder’s preferred selections installed straight or staggered with thinset application and standard 3/16” grout joints, finished with 4” tile base at perimeter. (Or as per builder allowance).

Duradek Ultra traffic membrane polyester reinforced PVC membrane with ultra violet resistance, for fully-adhered installation with heat-welded seams and perimeter attachment with manufacturer's 10 year warranty for membrane leaks due to a manufacturing defect, covering materials, and/or repair and replacement labor.

Aluminum powder coated railings with straight square pickets with maximum spacing of 3-7/8", with aluminum handrail cap in bronze or white.

wow, i don't know about any of this, but really appreciate you posting so i have an idea of what is eventually coming our way!

Anyone?

3200 - 3400psi concrete. I have mine 3500psi

cp - we GC'd our build so I don't really know about all of these but maybe check that compressor/air handler seer thing on the heating and a/c forum.

That's not really a spec sheet document. It's an outline. A true spec sheet would be a gazillion pages and reference manufacturer installation requirements and specific industry standards for each and every item. In mind numbing detail.

I know you are in Florida but my specs on hose bibs say "frost free". But, it freezes here regularly in winter

One of our exterior outlets is spec'd as "Christmas" outlet which is on a timer and switch controlled to an interior closet location.

Do you have landscaping transformers needed? We needed two.

Extraction fans in the bath. Specify type and cfm.

I'll look more later...

Is that r value normal in FL? Our are R21 for wall Batts up here.

We did roxul safe n sound for all interior cavities for noise comfort.

Tamizami, it's all quite mind boggling. LOL.

Houses14, thank you. I'll double check what is standard and what is the difference. :)

Thank you Jdez. Good idea. I will do so.

Thank you LWO. Is that something the buyer normally gets a copy of? Is that something I actually need to see as a buyer?

Thank you Mama.

I know you are in Florida but my specs on hose bibs say "frost free". But, it freezes here regularly in winter

In the five years I've lived in FL, I think it froze one night for 2 or 3 hours.

One of our exterior outlets is spec'd as "Christmas" outlet which is on a timer and switch controlled to an interior closet location.

Thank you. For us, that isn't an issue as we don't celebrate Christmas. Our decorating consists of dragging the Menorah out of the closet and putting some candles in. LOL. :)

Do you have landscaping transformers needed? We needed two.

I'm not sure I will or will not. When I meet with the landscaper, i will be sure to ask. We are on a small piece of property, only 65 x 93.

Extraction fans in the bath. Specify type and cfm.

They are already specified on my electrical plans. Thank you. :)

I'll look more later... I appreciate it!

Thank you Virgil

Yep, this isn't a specification, not even an outline specification. And it's not even complete. It's simply a builder's list of features/materials and likely impossible to hold the builder to it in the event of a dispute during or after construction. For example, the list doesn't identify any general requirements, doesn't list manufacturer, model or quality (except for HVAC), installation and workmanship or any standard of the trade (except concrete and insulation).

Would that be what is listed on my plans such as the framing plans?

Missing, for example, are sections dealing with finishes, special equipment, doors and windows, etc.

Are you talking specific sizes, types of say windows? If so, that is on the plans I have?

Unfortunately, what you have is pretty standard from most builders who simply don't want to be pinned down and who pass the risk along to the owner for all these features. I'm not suggesting the builder is inexperience or unethical, but he is certainly minimizing his own liability with such a list of features and materials. Does your contract with the builder call for him to provide all work to meet the building code (minimum standard), or better, to meet the accepted standards of each trade involved and to obtain an occupancy permit?

We haven't signed yet, but yes it does. DH, (a former lawyer) has gone over the contract with a fine tooth comb.

Additionally I have more listed on the Personalized Options list. Please let me know if the following is more of what you're talking about.

"Sand Finish Stucco all exterior walls. 7/8" thick parge coat on wire lathe on #15 felt dry-in on building wrap at plywood sheathed areas. 5/8" thick parge coat over linked CMU walls.

Cementous Hardie Board or Equivalent Textured or Smooth"

Again since I am building a custom home, how detailed should everything I receive be?

Thanks again Mama.

s that r value normal in FL? Our are R21 for wall Batts up here.

I'm not sure. I'll have to look it up. That was one of the reasons I was posting. I will say it's probably more than we have in our condo though! LOL.

We did roxul safe n sound for all interior cavities for noise comfort.

I did ask about that and it's a good reminder again.

I would skip the Roxul I have posted the study before that shows simple fiberglass performs better and dense packed cellulose much better than Roxul does for cheaper. Just search the forum and you will find it.

Thanks Bry.

It's really impossible to generalize and discuss what may be appropriate for a specification for a residential project since each is different. For those who want to get a sense of what an architectural specification may look like Google "Masterspec table of contents". What an architect does is to use this, the CSI version or their own proprietary version and customize it for every specific project. That said, the table of contents will give everyone a sense of what is involved even in relatively "simple" residential project. And it should help to give a sense of why experienced professionals are important. Cpartist, I wish I could be more specific, but I simply don't know enough about your project and your construction contract. Might show the table of contents to your husband, however!

thank you virgil, that is great information. it is helpful to have the advice of professionals on this forum as to what the bare minimum a GC or architect has provided versus the optimum spec list and detail in order to protect everyone involved.

I know nothing about making specifications to a builder, but my first thought is that the insulation sounds awfully light. I know you don't get much cold, but you do get a lot of heat. Our old house in FL was an energy hog. At 1600 square feet, our summer power bills used to approach $300/month, and we kept our thermostat pretty high. Our new heavily insulated house in SC will probably never recoup the cost of the ICF construction and heavily insulated attic, but I love the small power bills, and there are no hot spots or cold spots, so the house is very comfortable to live in.

Thanks Mushcreek. I've been doing some research today and it seems in line. However, I plan on researching further.

As others here have built using a builder or GC how detailed were their spec sheets?

Since this is a custom home, you can specify the amount of insulation you want. Research and even go to a building supply and ask questions. I have had Tailored Foam (?) sprayed into cement blocks during construction for added insulation, noise abatement and insect abatement in a Florida home. Having had a South Florida home for over 30 years, I have never seen wood window sills. Basic builder house has marble sills due to sun damage and possible termite damage. Also no wood window trim, but dry wall returns. I do not like knock down or textured walls, YMMV. Pay attention to the hurricane shutters being supplied. I would certainly have impact windows installed instead of adding shutters. If you have an architect he may be able to help with suggestions for an attorney to review your final contracts. Good luck!

edited to add: add air conditioning vents to large walk in closets, and be sure you know where the air return will be located. I have had an air return on the dining room celing in one house. :-(

Thank you Voila.

I am doing lots of research regarding both insulation and HVAC. From what I've been reading and what's on my plans, it looks right so far, but I'm looking to see if I need more.

Insect abatement is required by code nowadays in FL.

And no, window sills are not wood.

Also any new windows that are put in have to be impact resistant.

I will make sure to walk through the house regarding where I want the air returns. I can't stand when the air is blowing directly on me.

I would still think that outside "Christmas" lighting feature is a plus - I'd think it would cost little to include now - and is a small big plus for re-sale (whenever that may be).

All of that "or equivalent" language is a big red flag. I would specify with exact model numbers, colors etc every faucet, light fixture, bathroom exhaust fan, and mechanical item that goes into the house. If you want Hardie, specify it and any variation it might have. Windows have many possible variations, from glass type to interior and exterior finishes, and all of them need to be spec'd exactly to get what you want. I agree with Virgil, this is barely a starting outline. I think the specs on our house were ~30 pages long and even that was only an outline compared to the 4-500 page documents for commercial projects I've done. We had established that we were very much on the same page as our builder, so could trust him to do most things right.

Thank you meanom.

I would still think that outside "Christmas" lighting feature is a plus - I'd think it would cost little to include now - and is a small big plus for re-sale (whenever that may be).

Honestly, I think that if someone liked the house, not having a switch for Christmas lights, especially in SW FL in an area that is mostly retiree's, is going to be negative for resale. Why would I pay for something I will NEVER use? Just to satisfy some future person(s) 10 or 20 years down the line, who may or may not want Christmas lights?

Thank you rwiegand.

You are correct and in actuality, it all will be spelled out in great detail in the contract itself. I saw that there are pages for adding everything. When I get down to FL at the end of this month, the builder and DH and myself will be having a sit down for hours to spell out much of the details. Some of course I won't have picked out yet, (faucets, etc) but he does have the minimum's spec'ed out already so we know what our base is to work with.

I so appreciate the advice because it keeps reminding me to cross every t and dot every i. Thankfully DH was a contracts lawyer so reads through everything, although he is not a "fool" in that we will of course be hiring a R.E. lawyer to look over everything.

Christmas lights are tricky, IMHO. Some people love them, but for some they can be too much. My mom puts those little fairy lights around her porch. So pretty and just enough to lead you to the front door :)

Thanks LL. And the thing is I will have outdoor outlets on each side of the house, so I'm sure they can be plugged into the outlets?

Your last comment reminded of a really small item that I thought about when reading through your specs. Do you want only one GFCI outlet on the back side of your house, the side with the pool? The way your house is designed to do so much living outdoors, you may want more than one outlet in the back.

Good point omelet! Thank you.

Putting that down on my list. I'm wondering if I even need one on the garage side and instead maybe put two on the back side of the house?

I almost suggested that. We do not have outlets on all sides of our house, and have two outlets on the back side, and often use them both. We've never missed the outlet on the side that doesn't have one, but then again we have about a dozen extension cords in the garage, I don't know if that is normal!

If you ever contemplate an electric vehicle, think about running a hefty wire into your garage. A Tesla charging station, for example, wants a 100 amp 240 v circuit for the fastest charging-- that need a 2 or 3 gauge wire. (you may not be thinking Tesla, but other plug-ins will be heading in that direction to get charging times down) Much easier to pull the wire (or at least install a conduit in which a future wire can be pulled) now than later. I'd also be looking at configuring roof orientations and layout for solar panels. Your AC load may well be pretty big and generating a third or half of it yourself will probably be a good deal.

Thank you rwiegand. I actually do have an 220 outlet planned for the garage.

And solar is something we will be looking into once we move in. I actually just changed the roof line a bit because of eliminating some space upstairs and that will actually I think help with the solar. Great suggestions. :)

FWIW regarding insulation, it was peanuts for us to move from r13 to r15 in the walls (the max we could conveniently go with 2x4 exterior walls). Cost difference was ~8%. Our local codes spec'ed r30 in the ceiling, but it was just a slight bit more to go r38, ~12%. Foam insulation about doubled, plus some, our insulation costs- we passed.

As mentioned above, adding batts to the "loud" walls was also a cheap sound deadening measure we took.

Thanks Jonnygun. I'll definitely discuss this with our builder.

We added outlets and spigots on all 4 sides of the house and some extra ones...I think we went a bit overboard with outlets, however, it did not cost us extra so we were good. I would suggest thinking about where and how you would do your landscaping, gardening etc and add spigots accordingly. We don't have irrigation system so spigots are used to water the grass. Also, have one close to the garage for car wash / or any kind of "wash" that is going to happen on the driveway.

Couple of points on electrical, make sure to add enough outlets in the garage. Some builders add just one or even none.

This is a personal preference - I think 6" can lights gives that "swiss cheese" feel in a room's ceiling. I prefer 4" can lights.

Are you having insulation/sound dampening stuff in the interior wall ? they don't cost much but gives a nice feel inside the house.