Custom Home411

About the Author

Henry Moreau, began his homebuilding career in 1986 as a carpenter working for one of the last “working homebuilders”, Ted Peagler of Morton MS. From “Mr. Ted” he learned the importance of attention to detail, an acquired a working knowledge of the basics of fine homebuilding. From there he spent several years working for Harrell Construction, and developed a detailed knowledge of structural wood framing. In 1996, he hired a crew and launched his own frame carpentry company, later incorporated as Moreau Building Contractors. By 1998 he had passed the State Board of Contractors exam and was licensed as a residential builder. “One of the problems I started noticing as a general contractor was that I don’t think anyone ever brought me a stock plan and said, this is it, its perfect, don’t change a thing. Field modifications can be made, but too often they are not the best solution to the clients needs; a redesign would be needed to be most effective. The idea of doing design-build was appealing to me early on.” By the year 2000, Mr. Moreau had begun to study residential design in earnest. “All of the college texts I acquired stressed the importance of understanding how buildings are actually put together, and advised spending some time in the construction field to acquire that knowledge.” As energy efficiency came to the forefront of the homebuilding industry, Henry realized that the combined effects of designing for a particular site and personally attending to details was having a huge impact on energy efficiency in a cost effective way.

Custom Home411

3-D Home Plan Images

No matter what your taste or budget, I can help you get "there" if you tell me where "there" is. Why settle for a stock home plan, when a custom designed plan will fit your site and your life so much better? Especially when all design fees are refunded when I build for you!

Its good to finally get around to posting another article here! I've been keeping busy with custom plans ... << MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 5/1/2010 4:29 PM | Add Comment

Dealing with Expansive Soils (Yazoo Clay)

Yazoo Clay is a common term used to describe what engineers would call soils with small particles and high plasticity, and therefore a great propensity to expand and contract due to changes in moisture content. Much of what is referred to as foundation problems is actually an underlying soil problem.

As I alluded to in the previous article, the usual recommended practice ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 8/23/2009 10:37 AM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment

Mississippi Yazoo Clay

I imagine everyone in Mississippi has heard of the issues with the expansive soil known as Yazoo Clay. As a builder or a homeowner, it is the stuff of nightmares. I have always insisted on a soil boring to determine its presence on a building site. The common remedy is to have a 5-7' barrier of non-expansive soil between any Yazoo Clay and your footings. When the site requires a great deal of excavating and hauling off of expansive soils and then importing and compacting non-expansive soil in its place, the costs can be exorbitant. I have recently talked ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 8/19/2009 9:21 PM | Add Comment

How Much of the Lowest Bid Can You Afford?

The following is an actual inspection report submitted by myself to a plaintiffs attorney. All references to names and dates have been omitted for privacy reasons, and I include it here as a case in point of the worst scenario in design-bid-build. It is heartbreaking when I see what people go through in the name of securing the lowest bid on their dreams, rather than a realistic and honest appraisal of the costs to properly execute the project.

<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 8/18/2009 5:40 PM | Add Comment

545 People

I really dont intend to turn this into a political blog, but I ran across this and just had to share it...

545 PEOPLE

By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 8/16/2009 1:35 PM | Add Comment

Designing to cost (continued)

So if building costs can be such a moving target, how in the world can you custom build and be able to meet your criteria for your house, and stay within a budget?

This is a problem that the typical design-bid-build process addresses very poorly.

Too many designers will be glad to ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 8/11/2009 11:07 AM | Add Comment

Designing to Cost

A recent client has prompted me to address again a subject I have tried to convey on my website regarding cost to build and designing toward a target cost.

The amount of disinformation regarding building costs being perpetuated by the housing industry and real estate market is beyond my belief, and ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 8/10/2009 10:33 PM | Add Comment

LEED

Check out this link for more about sucess of government involvement in building practices

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5872/is-the-leed-program-a-fraud ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 7/29/2009 8:27 PM | Add Comment

Local "Green"

O.K. folks, I wasn’t going to do this, but I suppose I’m about to “let my slip show”.

Let me state my personal opinion and position on green, particularly the governments co-opting of the environmental movement.

Let me start by clarifying that I have always been an advocate of sustainable, sensible and healthy utilization of resources. ...<< MORE >>

Posted by Henry Moreau at 7/29/2009 11:03 AM | Add Comment

Energy Efficient Doors

Therma-Tru Exterior Door

The issue of entry doors is another case where I find I’ve been “green” for years without calling it such. The typical wood entry doors used in many homes have always caused me some concern. Even when installed in complete compliance with the manufacturers’ recommendations, there is always the likelihood of swelling, shrinking and warping. They can be a maintenance nightmare for the homeowner. I’ve also noticed that often times the glass in any lites on these doors is single pane. Add to this the fact that wood only has an R-value of 1.25 per inch and you have a very inefficient, costly maintenance problem.

But they look so nice.

For the past several years I have been recommending foam core fiberglass to clients wanting stain grade exterior doors. My favored brand has been Therma Tru, which comes with its own gel stain finishing system. Properly finished, they are virtually indistinguishable from a comparable wood door, and the cost is also comparable. The similarities end there. The R-value for a 1-3/4” foam core is 8.33 versus 2.2 for a wood door. Insulated glass is standard. The dimensional stability (resistance to swell, shrink and warp) is fantastic. I’ve yet to have a call back with a fiberglass door.

I like the idea that all these benefits have been achieved, and we also may have well saved an old growth Mahogany in South America.