Thank you for this excellent explanation and link. Wow, lots of great house ideas from Vermod Homes.

Now I understand what can be done with our house plan to get that cool looking sloped roof.

We have no idea if this is going to be too costly, so that is our next step. But it appears the roof itself doesn't require as much wood as a gabled roof with big trusses? I could be wrong about this.

We will contacting the draftsman next week and see what he and the builder suggests.

Thank your again for responding. This took the HVAC mystery out of the roof design.

The first point of design is your climate. That should be a starting point for what kind of HVAC system you have - all forced air (underslab, ceiling, wall), radiant, combo forced air,/radiant, etc.

If you have a roof insulation requirement >R38, that may dicate your structure as well. You also have to consider fitting venting into the roof structure. That can be accomplished via trusses or maybe even I-joists and still retain a vaulted ceiling. Here are a couple examples of trusses, which would also allow hiding ductwork through them:

A few additional details...

On the budget side, there are several features of these homes that are inter-linked...

They are all high efficiency, with sustainable materials, all electric, all solar (sometimes community solar). The walls are 10" thick. I have NO utility bill even in our frigid winter; I only pay for the meter. The builder thinks of all this as a package. Even the Habitat for Humanity homes he's contracted to build have the same features (they're netZero, too).

Check out the energy efficiency incentives in your state, because these factor in big-time to your overall costs, My cost savings were colossal, just from incentives.

My home is both "custom" and "budget". I designed the inside myself. I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury, on my own property, on my pitiful income.

Vermod's homes are built modular (we have very harsh weather) and indoors. But the same features could be stick-built AFAIK.

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Do you have a building lot already? Otherwise, this might be the most difficult part of your puzzle. The real estate market is crazy right now!

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Good luck!

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I'm not sure about trussing in the roof. My home has some kind of high-efficiency custom roof. I don't know what's behind the ceiling, and my home has a much lower pitch than you're looking to do, so it wouldn't be a good comparator..

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As I look at my soffits, they are actually quite cleverly placed. This was not something I thought up. But the placement only minimally disrupts the slope-y look of my ceilings. You might want to work with the designer to get the most aesthetic placement for your needs.

3onthetree

The house will be built in central AZ in a somewhat mild climate. We will need refrigerated air since it does get over 100 degrees in the summer.

What about scissor trusses? Wouldn't that give me the look I want on the inside?

Here is the floorplan we are using with modifications of course. But the wall that goes along the kitchen/living to the bedroom/bath side is where I want it raised to expose clerestory operable windows. Those windows will face north which we think is ideal for this location.

tangerinedoor

Yes we purchased an acre lot last year and you are correct, the real estate market is insane now. We were going to build a larger home but with building costs going up we decided to do this one bedroom plan with 1.5 baths with a 3 car garage!

Then in the future we plan on adding an addition (608 sq ft) with another bedroom, bath, kitchenette and small living area. Depending on elderly needs at the time. I have drawn the addition already so we are prepared if the need arises sooner rather than later. The builder is aware of this situation with my in-laws and will have all of the rough utilities in place for us.

Even this house for us is designed for aging in place. It has pocket doors and a roll-in shower. We also liked that it didn't have hallways which to me are always wasted space unless the hallway serves another purpose like for laundry or a small office area. I added a foot to the width so the 1/2 bath pocket door could be 36" wide, the living room got 2" and the bedroom got 3". The only other thing I did structurally is to lengthen the walk-in closet to align with the garage. We needed more closet space for 2 of us. So with those changes the square footage is 1089.

If the builder wants to use soffits then to me the most logical would be along the bedroom/bath/walk-in closet side, then another set of soffits along the pantry/laundry/1/2 bath side. Neither one showing in the kitchen/living room. That would keep it open and bright.

If the HVAC can be done in the roof or walls that would look nice but I can deal with soffits in those side rooms off the main living area.

Where is it you want to see the slope of the ceiling? There are rooms beside the living room that would interfere with getting the full view.

IMO more windows are needed generally, but especially in the kitchen.

IMO the shower won’t be helpful as planned because you have to go in and then turn around. You’d have to back in to use the seat. Also, the L-shape means there is an area (near the entrance) which would presumably be tiled and no shower.

Toilets in nooks are difficult to manage if it’s hard to get around, and there would need to be room for grab bars. I sure wouldn’t want to be the one cleaning it!

I’m thinking the bathroom needs a redraw from scratch.

Could you provide dimensions For the bathroom?

Where would your utility room be? Like the hot water tank? Electric panel? Etc.

tangerinedoor

This is the floor-plan we are using with modifications of course. But the wall that goes along the kitchen/living to the bedroom/bath side is where I want it raised to expose clerestory operable windows. Those windows will face north which we think is ideal for this location. That will be the highest point of the house. We don't need a view from the north. Our view is from the back of the house. We are trying to get more light into the kitchen and living room area.

We had planned on putting sky lights in the kitchen and living room. But if we can get the clerestory windows along the top of the wall that runs from the kitchen to the living room, that should bring in more light. Also, I drew in a triangle window above and near the stove. The front door near the kitchen will have windows so there should be plenty of light with these changes.

The roll-in shower will have a fold-up seat on the window side so the built in seat is going away. The width at the shower head location is 40", plenty of room to move around. The bathroom sink in front of the shower is going away to allow for a linen cabinet. There is enough room for a grab bar next to the toilet.

There are a lot of little changes that we made that are NOT on this plan. This is just to give you an idea of what we are using. The draftsman will be getting to our plan soon. I drew the elevations today with the sloped roofs. Between the draftsman and the builder I am sure more changes will be made.

We are building a 3 car garage so the utilities can go in there.

As designed, that is not a roll-in shower (or at least one that would be useable by someone with a wheelchair, a walker, or an attendant): the "elbow" is an obstacle, and there's no way to turn around. If you want to go in backwards (as you might have to to face the shower head, there's not enough room to maneuver in front of the sink.

I'd recommend a rectangular shape for a roll-in shower.

Technically this is true! But we don't have an immediate wheelchair need. We aren't trying to build a total wheelchair accessible house.

I showed the plan to my cousin who uses a walker and she said she would have no problem using that 40" wide shower. Now her son with CP who is totally restricted to a wheelchair would have a more difficult time. I don't know too many people who have a shower that is 40" wide. My cousin had a walk-in shower converted from a standard tub for her son. It isn't near 40" wide and he manages even being a big guy.

She put a shower curtain up instead of a glass door. She was afraid if he fell he might crash through the glass. Yikes!

We aren't doing the dual shower head either. Only the big one over the built in seat which we aren't doing either. But we are going to have the mixer on the wall behind the toilet. We'll probably put the fold up seat below the mixer. Lots of little changes

There is no 5 ft turn around in the bathroom for a wheelchair. But this plan is still more "disable" friendly than most. Pocket doors that are 36" wide and a no step shower are still easier than what is typically done in most American homes.

I'm more concerned about getting the sloped roofs and clerestory windows at this point.

Thanks for all of your insights!

It sounds like you’ve made up your mind already on the bathroom layout.

You could use open web wood trusses like so: ductwork can fit in the truss space.

I would be looking at a more rectangular layout, which would decrease truss span, give more natural light into center. You have an acre but won't be able to see any of it from the inside. Living area is all doors, with few opportunities for artwork, tv, etc.

tangerinedoor

If you would like to try a different bathroom layout, I am open to suggestions. The interior space measures 11'8" x 6'. I am replacing the sink opposite the shower with a tall linen cabinet.

I look forward to your design. Thanks.

Seabornman

I am not sure I am understanding the open wood trusses. Do these go in the ceiling or only in the floor?

As far as the layout, we have the best view from the back of the house which faces east, so the biggest windows are the 2 sliding doors. The view to the south of us is a new neighbor who is putting in a metal structure and he is on the corner lot where there is more traffic. So not much of a view. We do have our plan facing the best view.

As far as artwork and TV's. Our TV will be in the bedroom which we rarely turn on! We are minimalist, no appliances on the kitchen counters and we only have 4 pieces of art on our condo walls. Part of that is because there isn't a lot of wall space for art.

It appears that no one likes this layout. We must be freaks because we like it. Especially if we can have the clerestory windows along the kitchen/living wall that is shared with the bedroom/bath/closet. I raised that wall to 14' and drew in windows above. Those windows face north which is perfect for sunny AZ.

Thank you for your suggestion of the open wood trusses. I am still learning about this part of construction.

Consider SIPS for your roof, in order to get enough insulation into the whole. A perimeter soffit for HVAC is needed. With no secondary semi conditioned storage space like an attic or basement, the home will need significantly more square footage for storage and utility areas. Those are core areas that should go in the lightless center of a home.

All of the exterior walls should be for windows for natural light and people. The whole internal house layout should be flipped. Utility structures and storage areas do not benefit from windows and natural light. Living spaces for people do.

The Cook's Kitchen

We looked up SIP's and really like these. We will be contacting the draftsman today and ask him and the builder about them. Thank you for recommending them. I looked at the longest interior span and it is 20'8". The short side is 12'4". But over hangs need to be added to these measurements.

We don't need more square footage. I don't think you read the entire thread so I have mentioned previously that we are building a 3 car over-sized garage. We will have plenty of storage space and other utilities will go in there. We also extended the walk-in closet; it is now, 15'4" x 7'. Which is 107 sq ft! To us that is HUGE!

FYI, the entire house is 1089 sq ft. We don't want or need a big house.

If we can add the clerestory windows (read posts above) then there will be plenty of light coming in. We changed the living room slider from a 6' to an 8' and removed those side window panels.

I don't understand flipping the floor plan and how that will work with the lay of the land and our view to the east? I don't want to see my neighbors to the north or south which is where the bathrooms are located.

We are adding a 10' covered patio in the back, This is where we will be spending a lot of our time. Right now we live in a 2B/2Ba condo and we sit outside on our balcony every night.

Yes, the open web flat trusses can be used for the roof.

The draftsman said it shouldn't be a problem to do the sloped roofs. He thought the same as me to put the soffits on the bedroom side and not the kitchen/living room. Same for the laundry side. This way all the soffits aren't in the main living area. The exception to this is the soffit might have to be above the kitchen cabinets near the front door in order to connect to the furnace in the garage. We are OK with this.

The builder will need to chime in on whether to use SIP's or I-Joist 2 x 12.

It's not the question you asked but if you could include an additional bedroom and the additional square feet to accommodate it, I'm sure the added cost will be more than recouped on resale compared to the difficulty of finding buyer appeal for a one bedroom house. Good luck .

. . . Our builder is pushing for a gable roof with a vaulted ceiling

. . . We will contacting the draftsman next week and see what he and the builder suggests.

. . . If the builder wants to use soffits

. . . Between the draftsman and the builder I am sure more changes will be made.

. . . The builder will need to chime in on whether to use SIP's or I-Joist 2 x 12

Just interpreting your comments it seems you are defaulting power to the builder. You are probably dealing with a tight budget, but you still hold the keys to get what you want. The conversations should be how can we achieve my design elements within budget, or my preferred building systems and how does it affect budget so I can make a decision. Not what the builder wants to do.

Elmer J Fudd

Elmer, Elmer, Elmer! What makes you think that we are NOT adding an addition!

3onthetree

We are getting what we want. However this whole process has come done to what is available. As you well know, during the covid some supplies are/were hard to get.

We just spoke to a plumbing company and they told us which on-demand water heaters are available in AZ.

Lumber is sky high now and our builder suggested we start with 8' walls and vault up. It will still gives us that open feeling while using less lumber on 2 walls.

We have had to compromise and we are still happy with it all.

"Elmer, Elmer, Elmer! What makes you think that we are NOT adding an addition!"

I'm sorry, did I miss something? Didn't you describe the project as a one bedroom house? That's also what YOUR floorplan shows.

Are you going to need to have this home design/concept appraised for a bank loan? IME appraisal may be an issue with a one bedroom home.

tangerinedoor

We have been pre-proved for a loan. The city only requires you to build at least 900 sq ft. There is no restrictions on the number of bedrooms. See my reply to Elmer.

The message below was sent to you yesterday. I still would like to see what you can come up with since you think the bathroom needs a re-design. It is very obvious that everyone except for us HATES this floorplan. We are excited to get the sloped roof and the clerestory windows!

If you would like to try a different bathroom layout, I am open to suggestions. The interior space measures 11'8" x 6'. I am replacing the sink opposite the shower with a tall linen cabinet.

I look forward to your design. Thanks.

Elmer J Fudd

You are making the assumption that this is the only bedroom that will be on the property. My original question was about where the HVAC system would go in this house with a sloped roof and vaulted ceilings. That issue has been resolved with soffits.

What does it matter how many bedrooms when the question was about HVAC?

Not everyone wants or needs to live in a McMansion. We already have plans for a 608 sq ft addition. The addition has nothing to do with our question. The plan I posted is just an online floor plan that we want to use. Our draftsman will be drawing up this house plan based on that plan.

Loan pre-approval has no bearing on whether a bank will actually make a loan. It depends what they're loaning for. Thus the appraisal. If the appraisal doesn't cover the cost of construction, there won't be a loan, because a bank won't loan more than the value of a property.

Tangerinedoor

We don't think that will be a problem. They will be loaning a lot less than the value of the property. The land is paid for and the cost to build will be about $100k less than what we were approved.

I would still like to know how you would lay it out the bathroom!

If you would like to try a different bathroom layout, I am open to suggestions. The interior space measures 11'8" x 6'. I am replacing the sink opposite the shower with a tall linen cabinet.

I look forward to your design. Thanks.

"You are making the assumption that this is the only bedroom that will be on the property."

I made the assumption, and I'm sure I was not alone, that the descriptive words you used and the floor plan you posted captured your building project, or what was needed to be known, to answer your questions.

I'm sorry I responded. Good job of face-slapping those trying to offer suggestions for what now seems to be inadequate background info. You wanted people to guess about what was left out?

@Elmer J Fudd I'm with you on that.

The project in fact is—as you understood it to be—only one bedroom, since another bedroom(s) are in the "wish stage", not the reality. at this time As far as I can tell, that may happen later. That's the plan, at any rate.

I'm guessing—based on the one-bedroom, 3-car garage format—that the project won't go forward anyway because odds are the bank comes in with a low value at appraisal compared with the construction outlay. I'm not familiar with the central AZ real estate market (so someone can correct me), but I imagine the key points that are getting pushback in this post (e.g. scarce windows, one bedroom, a half-useable shower space) would be cause for low appraisal at the bank, because of low market appeal.

I realize your question is regarding ductwork. I don't think "soffits" is cut and dried solved. Nobody likes soffits. The plan comments, although a thorn in your side, hint at the bigger picture: the plan layout, the roof style/orientation, the garage location, and the future addition all work together and must be planned together. The location of HVAC (as well as plumbing) is part of that design process to not let it seem an afterthought.

For instance, where is the garage and future addition? If the garage houses your air handler, how are those ducts going to be routed (supply and return)? How to the addition? How does the clerestory sloped roof interact with the massing of those 2 entities? How does the location of the garage interfere with future plans? How does a multiple bedroom addition interact with the existing circulation route and adjacencies? Does the Master bedroom, being so open to the Living, then become a smaller closed off bedroom or office and the Master moves to the addition?

You have not stated a preferred slope for the roof. If steep, do you prefer the vaulted ceiling to be in the Kitchen (think cabinets, lighting, exhaust hood, scale)? Vaulted's certainly do not need to be in smaller spaces, like the closets, laundry, bathroom or utility areas, and may actually make the (3-D) proportions worse for some rooms. When you start thinking about these things, other solutions start surfacing in how and where to hide your ductwork.

3onthetree

The Builder already has a heating and cooling plan for the addition that is separate from the house that we're building now.

The slope of the roof will be determined by the solar people. From what I understand the slope needs to be somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees. If you can look at my original first post you will see in that video there is a drawing of double shed or double lean-to roof. This is what we're trying to achieve. The height of the tallest wall which goes along the kitchen and the living room will be determined by the slope of the roof. I'm assuming that is going to be somewhere around 12 to 14 feet. But I'm no architect. The rise of that wall will also accommodate a series of clerestory Windows that expand the stretch which is 32 feet. Allowing a whole lot more light to come into the kitchen and the living room. We have also planned for motorized clerestory windows that will also allow hot air to escape. So the highest part of the vaulted ceiling will be along the kitchen and living room wall where the clerestory windows will be placed. I hope this is making sense?

The draftsman and I agreed that the best place to put what I call bulkheads, the term that's used here in Arizona is along both the bedroom side and the pantry side. Meaning you wouldn't see those bulkheads in the main living area. The bulkhead might have to go across where the front door and the kitchen/pantry are so it connects these two long bulkheads. The garage is going to be attached behind where you see the kitchen and the walk-in closet. It has no bearing on the addition.

The addition which really has nothing to do with this situation is going to be off the back of the house where there will be a 10 foot covered patio. That 10 foot covered patio then becomes what they call a breezeway. And according to the city if you tie into a Breezeway you're doing an addition and not a separate Casita. I don't like hallways but a breezeway is ideal in this plan.

We will live in the house that we're building first. That bedroom will remain the master. I changed the door opening from 5 feet to 4 feet with pocket doors.

From all of the comments it seems this the worst floor plan on the planet.

I’m thinking the bathroom needs a redraw from scratch.

Living area is all doors, with few opportunities for artwork, tv, etc.

All of the exterior walls should be for windows for natural light and people. The whole internal house layout should be flipped. Utility structures and storage areas do not benefit from windows and natural light.

IME appraisal may be an issue with a one bedroom home. ...that the project won't go forward anyway because odds are the bank comes in with a low value at appraisal compared with the construction outlay I imagine the key points that are getting pushback in this post (e.g. scarce windows, one bedroom, a half-useable shower space) would be cause for low appraisal at the bank, because of low market appeal.

It sounds like we are totally screwed on the appraisal so we won't be able to build. But we are going to try. I'll post if we get the loan.

we have open ceilings and our ductwork is in the crawl space.

for a new home you could do ductless mini splits. I really love the idea of separate zones for heating and cooling. the downside is that the wall units are not beautiful. I see them in new construction everywhere, and if you are creating a custom home, you could design it to help the units blend in as well as possible.

there's also radiant floor heating, but of course that doesn't address summer weather. how badly do you need AC where you live?

ILoveMod

Central AZ gets hot! We need air conditioning. While a lot of the rest of the country likes to have South and West windows it's just the opposite here. And I try to eliminate as many windows that are south-facing and west-facing. It's just too blazing hot. I'll ask the Builder about ductless and mini splits.

I have put ductwork below a concrete slab. It's been awhile. I think they were metal with a protective wrap

Don't those slabs warp in the heat? Just wondering....global warming 'n' all.

Seabornman

I have put ductwork below a concrete slab. It's been awhile. I think they were metal with a protective wrap

We had the ductwork below the slab in one of our houses that we bought not built. They got rust even in the dry desert. We had to have them cleaned and sealed before we could sell. So there is no way my husband would want those again. But thanks for the suggestion it might be an option for someone else.

ok, so Arizona! yeah, I get it. not sure how common heat pumps are in your region, but they're so common here (Seattle), it seems like all new homes are being built with them. they're reallllly efficient, and it's nice to have heating and AC in the same unit. some people think that heat pumps need backup heat, but that's old information. many newer models don't need it at all. we have a Mitsibushi Hyper Heat and love it.

The indoor wall units are not beautiful, but like I said, they tend to blend in modern homes better since you can design around them. there are ceiling mounted units, but I'm not sure if they're slim enough to fit in a ceiling like yours. you could always ask. https://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/products/indoor-units/recessed-ceiling-cassettes-and-ceiling-suspended

or wall units can be camouflaged, as long as it clears the vents.

Those are great camouflages, @User. The one thing I'll say, though, is some models (I have a Mitsubishi) have an "eye" on them that follows occupants around. It keeps the optimal temperature right near the occupant. This would not be possible if the unit has anything in the way, including shelving.

(The "eye" is a high efficiency feature. I have a mini-split.).

Bottom-line: investigate thoroughly before situating a heat-pump.

ILoveMod

First I love your modern home! We live like that too, no clutter and streamlined design. Thank you for the link.

AZ does use heat pumps. In fact that is what the builder suggested for the addition.

We are meeting a solar guy tomorrow. Depending on his assessment we will decide if an electric heat pump would be a better choice over a gas furnace. We have planned for 2 vertical electric fireplaces. One just past the eat in kitchen counter and one on the same wall but on the other side in the bedroom. These fireplaces have a blower and will heat those rooms pretty good. Not like a wood burning stove but it will definitely help. We figured that closing off doors and heating only where we will be will help with the energy use.

tangerinedoor oh wow, I didn't know about the eye -- that's cool! we opted to hook ours up to our ductwork, so no wall units. good to know for future homes though.

shelleyjr I wish that was my home! although we do have ceilings like that. I found the inspiration pics on google.

your house sounds awesome. please keep us posted on the progress, I'll bet it's going to be beautiful! I'm jealous you're getting solar! we're not eligible here, our roof is pitched the wrong way for such a cloudy region. oh well.

ILoveMod

You have been the only person who has said anything nice about our floorplan. Thank you!

Which BTW is not drawn to scale. Our draftsman said you have to buy their floor plan to get their room dimensions. In actuality when I drew it out, the master bathroom and the laundry area, pantry and 1/2 bath came out larger than the original plan with the same exterior measurements.

We did add a foot in width so ours will measure 32 x 33. Totalling 1089 sq ft. We hope to live it until we die. My parents passed last year and they struggled with a narrow hallway in a wheelchair. Also no walk in shower. The other problem for them was 32" wide doors. Too narrow when you are in a wheelchair. Plus the swing doors are a nightmare if you are in a wheelchair. We have considered all of these things with this house.

We also want small ramps going up to the front and side door.s.

Most people don't plan for aging.

Indeed, few people plan for aging. And many age-in-place plans would not work in the real world for someone who finds it difficult to get around.