Notes on Building

The Questions We Get Asked Most.

Most of what follows started as a conversation on a job site or across a kitchen table. If you are weighing a lot, a budget or a builder, there is a fair chance somebody has asked it before.

A wall cavity packed with dense pack cellulose insulation behind a taped membrane

Latest · Building Science

Dense-Pack Cellulose vs Spray Foam in North Carolina Humidity

In a hot, humid climate the question is not which insulation has the higher R-value. It is what happens to the moisture that gets into the wall, and whether the assembly can dry once it does.

20 September 2026 · 4 min read

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A finished custom kitchen with plywood cabinetry and a graphic tile backsplash

How Allowances Work on a Custom Build

An allowance is a placeholder for a decision you have not made yet. Understanding what sits inside one, and what does not, is the difference between a price that holds and a series of surprises.

20 September 2026

A bonus room converted from bare studs into a finished media room with a wet bar

Turning a Bonus Room or Attic Into Real Living Space

The square footage is already there, which is why this looks like the cheapest space in the house to gain. What decides whether it works is insulation, mechanical capacity and egress, not finishes.

20 September 2026

A custom home sited on a wooded lot in the Triangle

What Makes a Triangle Lot Hard to Build On

A lot can be perfectly legal to build on and still be an expensive place to put a house. These are the physical conditions that decide how much of your money goes into the ground before anything goes above it.

20 September 2026

A detached accessory dwelling unit built in downtown Raleigh

What Raleigh's ADU Rules Actually Allow on Your Lot

Raleigh allows accessory dwelling units across most residential zoning, but the rules that decide what fits on your lot are not the ones people usually ask about. Here is what the ordinance actually says, and the one rule that catches owners out.

20 September 2026

A duplex accessory dwelling unit on a Raleigh lot

Should you meet with a builder before buying land

Why talk to a builder first? I hear this a lot: “I found a great piece of land at a low price.” In the Triangle, there is almost always a reason a lot is priced well, and those...

6 July 2026

A detached accessory dwelling unit with a red front door

Multi Generational Homes in the greater Raleigh-Durham Area.

Multi‑generational home design has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially in Raleigh and Durham, where families are looking for smarter ways to live together...

8 March 2026

Custom kitchen with a built in window seat at Solterra Way

Custom home Vs Production Home

Production vs. Custom Homes in the Triangle This is a topic we see a lot from clients in the Raleigh/Durham and greater Triangle region who are under the one‑million‑dollar price...

11 February 2026

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