Building a new house. Any recommendations?

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phatkev
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Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by phatkev »

Hi,
I'm going to be building a house in a new neighborhood in a town that I've lived in for the past 4 years. The town has great schools and good property values and the housing market tends to do very well, even during the down times. This is my 3rd house that I will have owned, so I've learned a lot of things that are important to me from the good and bad things about my previous homes. But since this is the first one I'm building from the ground up, I want to try to plan as much as I can. There are so many times I've said, "oh, I wish I had an X in my house, so when I build a house I'm definitely going to get one". I'd appreciate any tid-bits or suggestions or experiences you've had with building homes.

What are your big, "I wish I had thought of this" when building my house?
(And I know that it's going to be more expensive than I originally planned - I'm expecting that :( )

I'd love to hear your opinions on anything you'd suggest, but in particular if you have any experience with the following items I am interested in:
1. Solar panels
2. Geothermal heating (probably going to be too expensive and not worth the cost since I will have natural gas.)
3. Winter suggestions. I live in CT and I hate the snow, so having a relatively flat, short driveway is key. I'd love to get a heated driveway. Anyone have any experience with that? I think they're too expensive and probably not worth it.
4. Generator - we have had some serious power outages in our other home and was considering getting a generator piped into the gas during construction.
5. Finished basement from the start or after.

Thanks!
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rob
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by rob »

- Duct system so you can run wires in the future but be sure to wire each room. I know it's a wireless world etc. but it's not.
- Run more power points then you need to media room and split them across different circuits.
- Cannot recommend under floor heating enough in bathrooms.
- Heated driveway? :-)
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cheese_breath
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by cheese_breath »

Heated toilet seat for those cold CT mornings? :D
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EHEngineer
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by EHEngineer »

I want a laundry room on every floor so I don't have to haul laundry up and down stairs.
vacuum storage on every floor.
place for broom, mop, bucket & cleaning supply storage near kitchen.
Easy access from the garage to the kitchen - short distance and no stairs.
Generous shoe, coat and umbrella storage near the exit to the garage. I don't like carrying my shoes into my bedroom closet for storage.
Morning sunlight into the master bedroom. I like sun in the morning.
An extra wide front door.
No toilets visible from the front entry.
No mandatory HOA.
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LeeMKE
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by LeeMKE »

I've built several and owned many. It sounds like you have the right approach. Great location, and a base of experience with other homes so you know what you want.

My best advice is to build the house to your specifications and not some mythical fantasy family "for resale." That is folly and wastes your money.

The fact is, if you are anticipating resale, you have a better chance of someone very similar to you finding the house ideal for them, than finding the mythical buyer who you don't quite match. i.e. a house decorated and outfitted for a bachelor, but with 3 small bedrooms instead of a den and large bedroom. i.e. a retirement home with a sitting room in the master suite, when there are no children in the house to get away from. i.e. A family home with only a Great Room, and no separate den or living room -- the noise of everyone being together all the time drives families crazy, and everyone retreats to their bedrooms.

Add-ons I personally like to have:
Install one or two drawers in the toe kick under the kitchen cabinets that will be used for pots and pans. I use these for storing precious items like jewelry and silver. Keeps them safe from a burglar with a metal detector, and hidden from view.
Pay careful attention to passive solar aspects of the house orientation, window placement and overhangs. The cheapest way to cut down on heating and cooling costs is to use passive solar. Everything else is much more expensive and less effective. I love geothermal because you can heat the floors. Nothing so welcoming as a warm floor during the winter. But it is expensive. Solar panels can be installed after the fact, but knowing you are interested in them, make sure the architect has that in mind so the roof slope and trusses can be designed so it will be ready and unobtrusive.
Heated driveway -- in MN we had one, but as utility costs rose, it was prohibitive to run. There are some options coming down the pike that might allow driveways to heat with solar energy, and once those become available, I'll bet driveways will be a popular installation.
Double check your plans to see that AT LEAST 20% of the sq. footage is set aside for storage. If not, plan to use the basement for storage and plan accordingly. Depending on where your floorplans come from, cutting down on storage is a terrible way to cut square footage. It makes the home miserable to live in, never having enough storage and shimmying things around to fit in the cabinets and closets available.

Have fun! I loved building my houses, and I hope you do too.
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dmcmahon
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by dmcmahon »

Wiring - it's hard to retrofit if you leave something out so get those cable runs everywhere you might conceivably want them, and make sure you have high-speed Ethernet wiring with a central closet or similar into which you can bring your broadband.
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by itstoomuch »

12 volt wiring.
Even the Washlet Bidet runs on 12 Vdc converted from 110vac.
LED ceiling panels instead of LED bulbs.
PacAir Range Hood. (centripedal fans with oil catchment) Quieter, more efficient, and easier to clean.
L2 charging. L3 is better.
Demand gas/solar water heater, add a 12V circulator pump keep water flowing to your baseboard hotwater radiators.
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Mingus
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Mingus »

Some good suggestions up above.

I'll add 32" interior doors rather than the standard 30".

42" or wider stairs to make moving items easier. Rather than the standard 36"

An entryway. Not a front door directly into the living room or whatever room, but an actual entry way at least 6' deep. Although will depend on architectural style of house.

A front porch. A back porch. Maybe even a wrap around porch. At least 8' deep, 20' wide.

All drawers in the lower kitchen cabinets.

Depending on your climate and location in the hemisphere, design for your local region to maximize (or minimize) solar gain.

Deep eve overhangs if in a rainy climate.
Mongoose
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Mongoose »

I think its not to bad to have piping installed in the floor during construction for heated floors. You don't have to go geothermal you can just have it tied into your tankless water heater in a recirculation line with a few mods.

The project is a lot cheaper if done on the front end.
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powermega
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by powermega »

- Ductwork for data to every room.
- Lots of extra electrical outlets.
- Hydronic radiant heating. Very efficient, and it could heat your driveway and patio.
- Solar thermal collectors to help the hydronic radiant heating.
- A large utility sink in the laundry room.
- A large utility sink in the garage.
- A loft in the garage for extra storage.
- Lots of extra attic venting, using ridge vents.
- Attic fan or whole house fan. (Not sure if CT is the best climate for WHF though)
- 240v outlet(s) in the garage.
- 120v/20a outlet on a dedicated circuit in the garage.
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lthenderson
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by lthenderson »

Lots of great suggestions above. I would add plumbing for central vacuum. It is a relatively cheap add-on if done up front. While plumbing gas to your generator, I would also leave a port for the old BBQ grill so you never run out and have to go get your tank refilled.
North
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by North »

If you are not going to go with Geothermal, get a dual fuel heating system. Heat pump with gas furnace backup. It's the bomb. And go high(er) end in terms of efficiency - at least 16 SEER heat pump & 2-stage, variable speed fan high efficiency furnace.

Think very hard about kitchen lighting. LED cans, under cabinet lighting, in-cabinet lighting for glass faced cabinets, etc.
terran
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by terran »

If you design the exterior dimensions in multiples of 4 or 8 feet you'll have more efficient use of materials since those are the common dimensions of most building materials -- especially sheet goods.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

IMHO you can easily get carried away putting in things for "future use". Generally I'd only do things that I don't plan to use if they are much cheaper to do during the initial build than as a retrofit. Universal design passes this test. Wider doors, corridors, and bathrooms affect the floor plan and are expensive (or impossible) to retrofit. Most plumbing and wiring add ons do not past the test. Even in older houses they are just not that difficult to retrofit, and hard to predict.

The NEC requires a fairly large number of electrical outlets in sensible places and has for some time. If you end up putting in 100 extra sockets you'll use one of them. With few exceptions I've found the mandatory sockets to be sufficient. The upgrades I've needed have been fairly easy to do after the fact and almost impossible to predict. Who knew in 1995 I'd need plugs for the cell phone shelf; or that we'd be hanging TVs on the wall and want a socket six feet off the floor; or that the RJ-11 on every wall would never be used; or that I could run every lightbulb in the house on a singe 10A circuit? Making sure you have access for cable and pipes makes sense, but to my mind that simply means designing a big enough house that you don't need to live in the basement or attic, plus maybe one vertical run between the two.
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hand
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by hand »

In general, I would focus on the quality / infrastructure / mechanical items that are difficult or more costly to address after construction is complete:

Electrical
Indoor electrical outlets under each front window + front outdoor outlets tied to a single switch / timer for holiday lighting.
Use Tamper Resistant outlets indoors whether required by code or not (this upgrade costs pennies per device).
More than minimum number of outlets per room, especially for home office and media rooms.
Well thought out light switch / switched outlet locations.
Preconfigured location for Wireless router(s) with power & Ethernet
Breaker Box(s) & circuit layout preconfigured for a generator if desired at some point in the future
Appliance circuit for a basement freezer
Two outlets (one on each phase) to the sump pump(s)
bbqguru
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by bbqguru »

We are approaching 1 year in our home that we built.

Heated toilet seat was a splurge and a novelty to many, but after having it, worth every penny.

Wife wanted power outlets in each closet- bedroom, coat, linen, etc... Thought it was a waste, but we use the heck out of them. Always something cordless that needs charging and spends most its life in a closet.

+1 the conduit for future cable running to each room or from basement to attic. You never know what you want to add in the future.
ralph124cf
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by ralph124cf »

You mentioned geothermal. Do you actually mean a ground source heat pump?

If you absolutely must have a finished basement, please wait a year or two to make sure that you do not develop and foundation leaks or cracks. This can be a problem if already covered with drywall because you won't find it until it has done additional damage, and your builder may no longer be around to fix it. Also, an unfinished basement makes it much easier to fix the inevitable teething problems of a new house.

I don't know your ground water situation, but in my area two sump pits with an interconnection is very worthwhile, and easy to install during building, but a real pain to install later. Be sure to install two separate twenty amp circuits, so that the pumps do not have a common point of failure.

Be sure to install more electrical circuits than you think you will need, and a bigger circuit breaker box.

I see no reason to ever have 15 amp circuits, all of my circuits are 20 amp (except for the 220 volt ones). A twenty amp circuit does require at least 12 gauge wiring, instead of the 14 gauge normally used for 15 amp circuits, but installing the heavier wiring during construction is easy and relatively cheap.

Build a bigger garage than you think that you need. Consider garage insulation, and possibly enough heat to keep it above freezing.

Good luck.

Ralph
Andyrunner
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Andyrunner »

Wife and I almost built but went with a used house instead. Learned a lot in the process though. Remember, unless asked, contractor will go with the cheapest option.

- solid doors (not the cheap hollow doors)
- drain in garage
- heated floors (if possible)
- If unfinished basement, plan to finish with some electrical and plumbing work done.
- insulate the interior walls, contractor wont do this unless asked
- Larger then standard garage doors, contractor will make them pretty small unless asked
- Laundry room
- Higher quality windows then standard to insulate the house
- gutters on roof, most contractors wont do this unless asked
- dedicated breakers where needed, freezer, treadmill, etc.
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8foot7
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by 8foot7 »

Lights. Lighting makes a place and the builder will not give you enough budget to properly do lights. Lights will make you fall in love with your home day in and day out.
Place a can/recessed light everywhere you can think of. My builder charged $75 a pop and it's the best money I spent--we probably put 30 of them all over the house.

Lighting.
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BigFoot48
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by BigFoot48 »

After my wife broke her ankle in a bike accident, I learned a lesson thanks to our 1978 sunken living room and bedroom house: make sure your house is wheelchair friendly.
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SpringMan
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by SpringMan »

I would recommend drain tiles on both the outside and inside of the basement walls. It would be much more cost effective than doing it later where they need to break up the basement floor around the walls, cart in gravel, and replace the cement floor that was torn up. Also consider having a backup sump pump installed that is powered by city water pressure in case of a power outage or primary pump failure.
Best Wishes, SpringMan
pshonore
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by pshonore »

Assuming you have a chimney, put in an extra flue with access in the basement. May come in handy someday. Probably not cheap though ($1K).
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cheese_breath
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by cheese_breath »

powermega wrote: - Lots of extra electrical outlets...
Especially outside. My house only has one in the back, and anytime I want to do something in the front I have to run an extension cord from the garage.

Also if it hasn't already been mentioned a plug for your garage door opener. I had to run an extension cord from the opener through the ceiling to a plug on the wall.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by ResearchMed »

From the home we moved into:

LOTS of extra storage in the (finished) basement.
This includes one wall between the Guest bedroom and the media/family room that has been made "thicker" to be a very wide, regular depth closet, with double doors.
Second, built into the wall that continues to go under the staircase, a very large closet with floor to ceiling shelves, and also accessible by double doors.
Both of these have "door open" activated lights.

In the main kitchen, there were recessed lights everywhere ... but I found myself "chopping vegetables in my own shadow", no matter which counter top I tried using.
We added "plug in" under-cabinet lighting, but would do this at construction stage in the future.

VERY HANDY: Under one length of countertop, there are two double doors, where shelves usually are.
Instead of the regular shelves for pots and pans, there are "slide-out" shelf/drawers with very low sides (maybe 3-4").
One is a bit extra height, for larger pots.
It is so very handy not to have to kneel down and ferret around in the back, looking for that less-frequently used double boiler, etc.

One wall of breakfast room that is completely shelved, with louvred doors.
Canned goods, extra dishes, glassware, storage containers, "whatever" that didn't fit in the kitchen storage, or is rarely used.

From the vacation cabin we designed, where we "didn't but wish we had":
We did not lower the attached garage so there were NO stairs whatsoever.
Because there are several steps (down and then back up) to the front door, this would have been invaluable for the occasional Guest who had mobility problems.
(There is a full Master suite on that main level, so otherwise, no stairs would ever be needed.)

I also wish we had priced out adding a rec or media room above the garage. (Don't know if it would have been cost effective.)

Also, extra linen closet, extra large, in hallway of bedroom area. There is so much "stuff" that ends up there.
And as said, just LOTS of storage everywhere.

RM
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dbCooperAir
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by dbCooperAir »

Lots of good information above.

I would make sure your builder and yourself understands the HERS Index. Depending on where you live this may or may not be required, in either case it not a bad idea to follow it.
http://www.resnet.us/energy-rating

Are you looking to build a rambler or?

Less holes in the roof the better, If you can, exhaust the bath fans out the side walls.

Vent the range to the outside.

Size your electric panel to accommodate solar.

Up size the sewer vent if in an area that is below freezing (think the Midwest), even more so if you have a septic system. Google vent pipe freezing.

I like a separate electric main (not in the panel). I prefer to work in an electric panel with no hot wiring/buss.

Add a sleeve or two under the driveway for water/dog fence etc. conduit is cheap.

When we added on to our home 10 years ago we added a gas fireplace, best thing we ever did, gets lots of use.

Furnace with a ECM motor is nice if you are going the furnace route.

Avoid flex duct work as much as possible (static pressure is higher).

Your return air plenum/duct work can never be to big. Every one wants to choke the furnace with the return for some reason.

A hose bib in the garage with hot water. Its great in an area with snow/salt!!!! Soft water if you like to wash your car :wink:
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itstoomuch
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by itstoomuch »

Zombie Proofing.
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daveatca
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paper is cheap

Post by daveatca »

Spend at least 1 year in the planning stage.
Find a compulsive friend to nitpick your plans.
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I would say something a bit opposite of one of the first comments.... Do build with resale in mind. My house was built as a dream house. We were having an addition done and our archetect was both lost and perplexed by our house. No....I mean he got lost and needed us to point how to get back out. Took him 3 years to sell the house (to us).


A friend of mine in NH has an envelope house. It helps with both heating and cooling.
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Watty
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Watty »

Make sure that the house is OK for a wheelchair even if it is not ideal. Even if you don't plan on being there when you are older I have known people that were younger and had limited mobility for the better part of year after a car accident.
Flashes1
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Flashes1 »

1. 5" woodwork looks custom (I think it's 5", but whatever the width is---go for the wider than normal woodwork). Nominally more expensive, but looks sharp.

2. Research it yourself, but get a top notch french drain installed at the bottom of the foundation. We have one in our new house, and I don't think our sump pump has had to fire once----vs. our prior house with no such drain, and the sump pump was firing every 2 mins during a rain storm---eventually lead to a small flooding problem.

3. Laundry room has to be close to Master Bedroom.

4. 8' doors on first floor. Looks custom.

5. Double front doors. Looks custom, and they are nice when you have something big to bring in the house.

6. Utility sink in the garage.

7. Nice big Mudroom coming off the garage----with at least 4 "cubbie holes" to hang coats and for shoes on the floor.

8. Wire for whole house Sonos player.

9. If you have the cash, finish your basement during initial construction----you want to avoid the mess and inconvenience of construction post-close.

10. Full bathroom in the basement.

11. Sidewalks made of "exposed aggregate" concrete looks sharp and they don't cost that much more.

12. If you put an Exercise Room in the basement-----use a 3/8" rubbler flooring----looks sharp---and it's what places like Lifetime Fitness use. Google "rubber flooring." Indestructible.

13. Minimum 9' ceilings on the 1st floor. I wish we did 10' with a coiffered ceiling in the Family Room, and 9' everywhere else though.

14. Satin paint in all bathrooms. We went with flat paint in the whole house because it was cheaper----the painter wanted an extra $170 per room for Satin------we should have done it in the bathrooms and kids' rooms because we're now going back just 2 years later and repainting with Satin.

15. Pay a few thousand dollars for a Decorator who's helped other people build new homes---this person should be independent of the Builder---but this person designed the cabinetry, helped us pick everything from faucets, lighting fixtures, placement of light switches, etc. The house looks sharp.
saladdin
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by saladdin »

Breakfast rooms
Mud rooms
Rec rooms

Clear to see the "tiny house" movement has no chance at all.

Do you have a shed/storage building? I would have the the conduit buried and wired before you start with landscape or laying concrete for driveways or porchs.

These threads always interest me to see how people in different regions live.
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Pajamas
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Pajamas »

Lots of great suggestions in this thread!

Emphasis on quality of materials and construction over the size of house. Real wood floors that can be sanded and refinished when necessary. Nice countertop material. Solid wood doors and trim. Electrical outlets on the baseboards rather than the walls and careful attention to outlet, switch, and light fixture placement.

Lots of well-designed storage, especially near the most-used entrance to the house. Pantry or butler's pantry with lots of storage. Large linen closet. Built-in storage and walk-in closets in almost every room. Built-in bookshelves. You can't have too much storage. Cuts down on furniture and makes your house feel more open and less cluttered.

Spacious bathroom. Someone already mentioned wide doors and hallways. If all rooms are wheelchair accessible, they are more comfortable for everyone. Dining room that is not at all cramped, with plenty of room around a seated table.

Plan to be able to install wiring to charge electric vehicles in the garage. Have wiring to charge yard equipment and power tools. Workbench area in garage. Lots of storage in garage.

Design it to work with the sun for energy efficiency.

Fireplace(s).
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rob
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by rob »

Forgot to mention but think about...
- If your going centrail air use multiple smaller systems (so 1 unit per zone or alike) instead of a single unit. Not for savings although there are some... just when the single unit fails in summer it's tough to get it fixed - having a/c in 1 zone is better than none at all :-)
- I would think about 2 laundry rooms or at least 2 dryer if you have a larger family - we seem to be forever waiting on the dryer.
| Rob | Its a dangerous business going out your front door. - J.R.R.Tolkien
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JupiterJones
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by JupiterJones »

If this is your "retire and grow old house", or if you intend to one day sell to a market who might want it for that purpose, then put the master bedroom on the ground floor.
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phatkev
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by phatkev »

Wow, so many wonderful suggestions. Many I never would have thought of. To answer some of the questions raised, this is going to be a home we plan to stay in until we get old - or at least until our kids move out and we want to downsize. The master bedroom will be on the second floor which we do want, but it will have an additional bedroom with a full bath on the first floor. I don't think we will do the geothermal or heated driveway because of the costs. It will have natural gas, solar panels, and eventually a woodburning stove. I hope to minimize heating costs that way. It will have a mudroom, LOTS of storage, big 3 car garage, a walkup attic (something I've always wanted), Lots of windows for natural light, relatively flat driveway and downward sloping yard for drainage, basement will be ready for finishing but per the recommendations and $$ I will wait to finish. Basement and entire house will have 9 ft ceilings. Well water and septic. Great neighborhood design. Homes built by the Toll Brothers so they're well made and have a great warranty. I'm one of the first ones to reserve a plot so I'm getting lots of great deals - prices of houses already went up $16K in a week but was able to lock in the low rate and a fixed rate for a year. I'm really excited about it.

This house is in a neighborhood that has a pre-made design that allows for modifications but I have to stick to most of the basic design. There are plenty of upgrades and modifications to make, but if I veer too far of course from the basic design, it will be cost-prohibitive.

Interestingly enough, my house has no chimney. It comes with a gas fireplace.

I'm learning a lot about the solar gain and passive solar. What are some specific things people recommend about this?

Please keep the suggestions coming! They're great and I'm learning so much.
Mingus
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Mingus »

phatkev wrote:

I'm learning a lot about the solar gain and passive solar. What are some specific things people recommend about this?
If you're in a cold northern climate, you want the house situated so there are lots of windows on the southern exposure. And minimal on the north. I'm not sure about the east and west sides.

I'm far from an expert and knew very little about passive design until I bought my current place. Either by chance when it was built, or by design, it is like this. It could be 40 degrees outside, with my thermostat set at 60, and as long as the sun is out the house will warm up to pretty close to 70 degrees by noon. If the sun is out. If the sun is not out, the furnace is on and the thermostat is set at 68.

But if you already have a parcel picked out, much will depend on how the street runs. And the way the street runs will depend largely on the terrain.

If the northern side of the house faces the street, it would look pretty dumb having just a couple small windows on that facade.
enebyberg
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by enebyberg »

We put in Geothermal in 2009. Best decision ever!! We have cut our energy bill in half. Would have put in heated floors if we could build over again.
3504PIR
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by 3504PIR »

I had a similar assumption on geothermal HVAC as the OP when I entered into our current build project. I considered it a nice to have, but probably out of my price range. As the design progressed and we did further research, we discovered that with our state incentives the system would pay for itself almost immediately so I included it in the project. OPs research may vary based upon his location, but it is certainly worth further research. I'm glad I didn't dismiss it as a bridge too far.

Heated floors on the other hand were a bridge too far. We currently have them in our house in Germany and love them. We found that if you have a hot water based heating system in the US (which is rare these days partilularly with new builds) it isn't a huge issue adding heated floors in. Without a water based system, it is crazy expensive.

A couple more additional suggestions we implemented: We really wanted multiple fireplaces and at least one wood burning one. Our builder encouraged us to pipe the wood fireplace for future gas conversion as we will be less enthusiastic about wood as we get older. I found that to be a great compromise and a good advice. Specific room stand alone gas fireplaces are very easy to add with current systems available and don't need to be linked to a chimney system.

This is a matter of taste and priority but we weighted our budget to our kitchen to include top of the line equipment, cabinets and surfaces. It was important to us and with the high cost of kitchen remodeling, we felt it was better to go big early than regret it and have to redo it later on.

Very interesting and timely thread!
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dratkinson
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by dratkinson »

Build an extra bay in your garage to use as a shop. Wire it with 240v (air compressor, welder, EV charging,...)

Build a horizontal drain line inside your garage doors to carry away water, from hosing out garage and snow melt.

Slope garage floors toward drain line.

Build in a large pantry/laundry room/mud room between/adjacent to your garage and kitchen.

Wish my kitchen had an under-slung sink, sloping counter top so all water ran toward sink, and a wall-mounted faucet, so clean up would be simpler.
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magellan
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by magellan »

It may be worthwhile to research if radon is an issue in your area. We had a passive suction system installed at construction time that included PVC under the basement floor with a PVC pipe from the basement through the roof. This passive system doesn't use electricity and is maintenance free, but a booster suction fan could be cut into the PVC vent pipe later if needed. The cost was few hundred at construction time, but would be a couple thousand later on, and often it's only practical to retrofit a PVC vent pipe on the outside the house.

Second, if you're on well water find out about arsenic in your area. The cost to treat water with arsenic is directly related to volume. A new house-wide system costs around $2k-3k to install and the reactive media needs to be replaced for about $500-$1000 every 1 to 10 years, depending on volume treated. It's more economical to just treat drinking water and not showers, laundry, toilets, outdoor faucets, etc. If you know you have arsenic, the house can be plumbed so all drinking water lines (faucet cold water) come from a common source. Also, if you need/use a water softener, you can exclude the drinking water lines from softening to avoid softening chemicals in drinking water.
Valuethinker
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Valuethinker »

phatkev wrote:Hi,
I'm going to be building a house in a new neighborhood in a town that I've lived in for the past 4 years. The town has great schools and good property values and the housing market tends to do very well, even during the down times. This is my 3rd house that I will have owned, so I've learned a lot of things that are important to me from the good and bad things about my previous homes. But since this is the first one I'm building from the ground up, I want to try to plan as much as I can. There are so many times I've said, "oh, I wish I had an X in my house, so when I build a house I'm definitely going to get one". I'd appreciate any tid-bits or suggestions or experiences you've had with building homes.

What are your big, "I wish I had thought of this" when building my house?
(And I know that it's going to be more expensive than I originally planned - I'm expecting that :( )
Flood risk. Check if there has *ever* been flooding. If there has:

- consider putting sockets at waist height on the ground floor (and definitely in the basement)
- one way valves in the drains to prevent sewage surging back up (that's a good precaution because it's easy to do at construction, and impossible/ expensive post)
- carpets and finishings on the ground floor that are dryable
- I don't know what they are called, but I have seen them in places like Amsterdam. 2 metal slots at the side of each door (outside) where a metal plate can be lowered in during flood periods

I'd love to hear your opinions on anything you'd suggest, but in particular if you have any experience with the following items I am interested in:
1. Solar panels
Solar photovoltaic is a nice to have rather than a necessity. Economics depend on your electricity price and incentives available. What I would say is I expect all new houses to have them in 20-30 years (but they will be more efficient then) so you want to size your main board to be able to deal with it.

Also see comments about provision for electric cars. Again in 20-30 years (sooner?) I expect most households will have an electric car as a second car (or use some kind of zipcar arrangement for short trips).

Solar thermal probably pays if you live in the southern USA or places like California and Colorado. But it's not a necessity.

Make sure you put in a high efficiency hot water heater (heat pump unit or high efficiency gas). Decent insulated tank (we had a good discussion of tankless here recently).

Rainwatercapture *if* your state legal system allows it (the question is whether rain falling on your property belongs to you, or downstream-- some states use one legal system (Riparian Right?) and others the other. I suspect Connecticut can get summer droughts? Better to prepare for a future that may not have the weather of the past (unless there are regular water shortages gray water systems etc. probably aren't worth it -- depends on local factors).

Make sure you have high spec high 'E' windows. Windows can last a long time (aluminimum framed ones can last 50 years) and they are a real source of heat leakage-- not only energy cost, but also a significant comfort factor.

Consider extending the roof on the south side of the house (or the west side). In winter, the sun is lower, you'll still get the light. In summer, it will make everything a *lot* cooler.

LED lights are the future. Plan for 100% LEDs. 2700K (Philips) should give you an adequate 'warm' light and decent CRI (Color Rendering Index). Under cupboard LEDs in the kitchen are a dream, I'd never be without them again.

*I* would put off switches at the power points. Not sure how common/ possible that is in North America (it's more or less standard in a lot of other countries, but we have 220v electricity).

There is apparently little you can do about lightning strikes if you take a direct hit, but in the eastern half of North America, I'd put in the lightning rods at construction.

Depending on Building Codes, fire alarms may be standard but I'd put them in every room-- the ones that are plugged into the electric system and only have a backup battery. The one in the kitchen would be thermal rather than smoke.

I'd never heard of a home sprinkler system, but, apparently they are not high cost. I'd at least investigate them on the main fire exit route. And in the kitchen.
2. Geothermal heating (probably going to be too expensive and not worth the cost since I will have natural gas.)
True unless you live in New England or parts of the Midwest. Again worth checking the incentives. Connecticut? You have a very high electricity price, but the right climate of extremes to make it pay.
3. Winter suggestions. I live in CT and I hate the snow, so having a relatively flat, short driveway is key. I'd love to get a heated driveway. Anyone have any experience with that? I think they're too expensive and probably not worth it.
4. Generator - we have had some serious power outages in our other home and was considering getting a generator piped into the gas during construction.
5. Finished basement from the start or after.

Thanks!
5. even if you go for an 'unfinished' basement make it semifinished - ie board and insulation on the walls, electricity outlets (if there has ever been flooding in your area, then consider putting them at waist height, not skirting board height, provision for a sink and toilet in some corner. The internal walls can be fitted later.

The comments about storage space are very germane.
Last edited by Valuethinker on Sat Mar 28, 2015 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Valuethinker
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Valuethinker »

Square footage drives cost.

So the advice to go for quality over square footage is good. As well as all the advice about plan for the day when someone is in a wheelchair.

Storage probably matters more than size of rooms - the advice to plan for lots of storage is very true- -that's where the extra square footage should go. And the number of times I have heard someone say 'we bought the house - my wife really liked in the walk in closet'. So I'd say en suite for the master bedroom, and a walk in closet.

An architect can be very helpful in designing a house that 'flows' right. The best houses flow right.

Depending on stage of life, think about daughter-in-law coming to stay with family, and how that's going to work-- see it from her point of view. The key to seeing grandchildren is a happy daughter-in-law (or daughter).

I am no great fan of open plan, but I suspect every modern home has an open kitchen dining area. I like having discrete rooms for discrete functions.

Plan for a reading room and maybe the one with the best view. OK the modern tendency is the huge screen TV (ruins the room in my view). But a corner room where you can retire to read books, check your email, think great thoughts, remember friends and family gone, consult books that are like old friends.

Some very distinct personal prejudices:

- avoid 'crisp white render' or white stucco - they get dirty, they look cold
leonard
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by leonard »

Personally, I like zero maintenance where I can get it and high energy efficiency. So, a few suggestions, but applicability will depend on your location and the specifics of your piece of real estate.

1. consider SIPS contruction. Extremely energy efficient.
2. Consider triple glazed windows. Or, at least double glazed with Argon and the appropriate Low E coating for your climate/latitude.
3. Design a house with passive solar in mind - overhangs that shade in the summer but allow passive solar gain in the winter.
4. Keep deciduous trees far enough from the actual house, driveway and walkways to they don't make a mess of the them.
5. Build the house with water collection from the roof - at least to use for watering the garden and lawn. It's easy, inexpensive, and much easier to hide a large water cistern when designing new.
6. Solar panels if you have unshaded exposure.
7. Vinyl or cement fiberboard siding. I'd go with vinyl but I don't mind the look and I love never painting.
8. Think about security. Design in secure doors. Don't intentionally put windows where thieves have easy access and time to get in.
9. Metal roof.
10. Design your landscape for both low water usage and to be low maintenance (unless you're a gardener).
11. Design an age in place house - if you intend the home to be your retirement home. so, few stairs, lever door handles, etc.
12. PVC/polyurethane Facia boards and trim.
13. Leafguard or similar gutters. Also, when putting up gutters, have the contractor use 3 to 4" stainless screws. Those gutters will never sag or come loose.
14. Hot water at the external tap at the driveway. It is much easier to wash cars and motorcyles with warm and/or hot water, to help remove oil, dirt, and bugs.
15. Trex, ZomeTek, or other similar for decking. Or even better, paver patios and outdoor areas. Looks great and even less maintenance.
16. Laminate flooring inside.

Edit to add:
17. Solar water heater (assuming you have sun exposure).
18. Vinyl fencing (if you need fencing).
19. Design in hot water circulators - pumps that bring hot water to faucet taps. So, you don't have to run a bunch of cold water down the drain to get the hot water to the tap. Also, in new construction, build in dedicated returns to the hot water tank for the pump.

Many of these things are a bit more expensive up front. However, in the long run, you will have much more free time to enjoy your house or enjoy your hobbies - rather than work on your house.
Last edited by leonard on Sun Mar 29, 2015 9:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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dratkinson
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by dratkinson »

Backup capability ideas, if you don't have a whole-house NG/propane backup generator.

Backup sump pump. If you need a sump pump, can install a basepump.com as a backup sump pump. It runs off municipal water pressure so should work during a power outage.

Backup heat. If you installed direct vent, NG-only (no electricity required), standing pilot, millivolt-thermostat controlled wall heater(s) in your basement and floor registers above them, you could create a thermo siphon loop (leave basement door open) backup heating system that would operate during a power outage. The largest non-electric NG wall heaters I've researched have been ~30K BTU, so more than one might be required to keep house above freezing and reasonably comfortable.

Backup lights. If you install electrical outlets near the ceiling, you can plug in small backup lights that operate as night lights normally, or power failure lights during an outage. http://www.CS-power.com makes a small unit called a Lite Saver that operates ~12 hr/charge.
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McCharley
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by McCharley »

I really like the idea of controlling water flow from blown washing machine hoses. Big pans under the washer with drainage.

If similar things could be done for the dishwasher and icemaker that'd be even better.

These hoses blow out all the time and cause big damage.
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noyopacific
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Re: paper is cheap

Post by noyopacific »

daveatca wrote:Spend at least 1 year in the planning stage.
+1
My goal would be to have planned and specified everything before you start construction. Making decisions on the fly not only adds to the pressure, change orders are extremely expensive, even when you have people working for time & materials rather than with a bid.
The information contained herein, while not guaranteed by us, has been obtained from from sources which have not in the past proved particularly reliable.
LeeMKE
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by LeeMKE »

The nice thing about buying from Toll Bros. is that they will have much of these decisions streamlined for your locale.

Talk to them about options they offer, and inquire about what can be done to maximize passive solar on the lot you've chosen.
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dratkinson
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by dratkinson »

McCharley wrote:I really like the idea of controlling water flow from blown washing machine hoses. Big pans under the washer with drainage.

If similar things could be done for the dishwasher and icemaker that'd be even better.

These hoses blow out all the time and cause big damage.
Automatic, whole-house, water shutoff valves are made to control flooding from broken hoses. Some respond to water flowing at a disallowed time, or too much during an allowed time. I like the ones with hardwired sensors that respond to any leak.

Research WaterCop. Only problem I can foresee is needing a battery backup, or some other method to shut off water during a power outage.
d.r.a., not dr.a. | I'm a novice investor; you are forewarned.
Clumsum
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Re: Building a new house. Any recommendations?

Post by Clumsum »

We built three years ago and installed geothermal in illinois. 30% tax credit thru 2016 made it about the same cost as high effeciacy gas system with high efficiency air conditioner. Bills are low. I put in propane fireplace so I am not paying minimum on gas meter each month ($25). I would also put in central vac. We have had it in several houses.
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