I'm finally at the point of approaching the banker for a construction loan for my ICF house with radiant heat, geosource heat pump, and accessible design. My builder, who's helping me and will be GC in the eyes of the bank, said to put together a discussion of what I'm building. Two reasons, my estimated cost is 10s of thousands more than he would charge for a run of the mill stick built, and geosource heat pump, ICF, and radiant heat are all pretty much unknowns to the banker he works with.

I've attached a copy of what I'm planning on presenting, sans attachments, for general interest. I thought maybe somebody else who's seeking money for an ICF house might glean some ideas about pitching their own project to their banker.

Feel free to comment but please don't be offended if I don't adopt them! I've spent many hours over the past 10 months working this project out and this pretty much describes the final product.

That is a very good summary. It is more than the bank will need.

They want a list of materials and finishes. Easy to read and easy to tell what quality so they can assign a "value" for the appraisal.

Structual Construction- ICF
Roofing - 30 year shingle
Siding-
Interior Trim-wood paint grade
Floor Finishes
Heating system-radiant
Etc.

It is the appraiser who needs the info and he will appreciate a simply list.

Thanks for the comment. I think the list you're suggesting will be a part of the package. It shows each item of construction, exterior walls, interior framing, heat pump, plumbing, etc., etc., with its cost. The reason for the narrative is to explain what value I'm getting from a geosource/radiant heating system for $26,000 in contrast to a conventional forced air system at $12,000, and why it should add value to the house and not be chalked up to no substantive value added "gold plating." The same holds for the cost of the ICF walls, etc. The list I'm using is what the builder gave me to work with and what he always uses with this banker, so I trust it will fly!

Now, I do expect the appraiser to look at the drawings where such items as the siding are described as Hardiplank and the windows are specified with Andersen info. It's not too much to expect him to study the drawings, is it?

How specific should some info, such as paint, be? Does an appraiser really concern himself if the paint is $40/gal vs. $20/gal, or that baseboard is MDF vs paint grade pine? How much does he care that a toilet is a $500 fancy Kohler vs. an $80 Lowes house brand?

When I talked with the banker a couple of weeks ago he was very receptive to the whole project and offered suggestions. I'm sure if my package isn't quite what he wants to forward to the underwriter and appraiser he'll explain what I need to add or change.

It is very simple, this is a business transaction for the banker. The appraiser will know that your heating/cooling system is more expensive to install and cheaper to run.

The appraiser wants to know the grade of items. Granite counters versus butcher block or tile. The more info he has the better.
He will balance the grade of items with what the market for your house will bear.

If you don't tell him that the quality of the toilet is high he will punch in a low number and your appraisal will be low and therefore the money you can borrow will be reflected with a low figure. It all boils down to what the bank could sell the house for if you have financial problems.

I am new to this forum.  I saw your comments and I think you are building something that is very similar to what I want to build with respect to accessibility.  Do you have a favorite site that gives info about the things to consider?  I would love to see your house plan.  Did you design it yourself?  I'm assuming so.  I have not found any stock plans that even come close to meeting my requirements.  
Thanks for the "sales pitch" that you attached.  I think it will come in handy for me. Good luck in your project!

Debbie

Favorite site? Not really. Here's a list of the sites I've bookmarked but some of the more useful ones aren't in this list.

http://www.makoa.org/accessable-design.htm
http://www.ad-as.com/index_f.htm
http://www.designadvisor.org/
http://www.best-bath.com/
http://www.design.ncsu.edu:8120/cud/index.htm
http://www.getriil.org/briefs/housing.html
http://www.themedicalclub.com/
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/universaldesign/kitchen/cabinets.html


Send me a PM with your email address and I can send you a copy of my house plan as well as a listing from my folder of documents related to universal design and ADA compliant design. Yes, I did the plan myself. There are a few accessible house plans out there, but not many. My floor plan was dictated more by how we wanted to arrange the rooms to fit on a corner lot. Accessibility was built into the design, it did not control the design.

My primary reference documents are the Fair Housing Standards Design Manual and ADA Manual from HUD.