Home Building Questions - Propane - All electric - Fireplace

[BigBlue1]

Water heating is another question. The houses I have lived in with gas water heaters I never had an issue running out of hot water, I have run out many times with the electric ones. We are building a double shower in the master so I know we will use more hot water than usual. What is the solution?

Our current house has an electric water heater. It's a large capacity 'stored' type unit that heats overnight on off-peak electric power and then uses that heated water throughout the day. When we first moved in we'd run out of hot water sometimes. Had some help tuning it and since then never a problem again. Even with several teenage boys that often took long showers.

I think the temp was adjusted higher and then the proportioning valve that mixes cold with hot (to achieve the desired outflow temp) was adjusted too. So more thermal mass is stored and less of the heated water is used.

 

[2manyrocks]

I built houses for years. I was a General Contractor. I'd run extra empty conduits and come up in a wall and run to attic. Sleeve water lines in cheap plastic pipe, the ones below slab. Run a gas line into heater closet so you can at least use a heater of some sort if power outage. You can use a propane grill bottle outside and heat. If you have nat gas, use it. Run line to stove. Even if you're all electric. Provision for a fire heater, wood, pellets, corn. Build in every option you can. I will say, I have heated with a fish cooker with a stack of bricks on it.

I completely agree with the idea of building in a way that makes it easier to run future wiring, plumbing, etc. Just having empty conduit already run to the breaker box can be so very helpful in the future.

Along this line, I would also say that surely someone, somewhere, somehow has come up with a better way of hiding linesets to mini splits in new construction than just running the linesets outside on the exterior that stick out like an ugly sore. And that allow for easy replacement in the future when they need to be replaced.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I completely agree with the idea of building in a way that makes it easier to run future wiring, plumbing, etc. Just having empty conduit already run to the breaker box can be so very helpful in the future.

Along this line, I would also say that surely someone, somewhere, somehow has come up with a better way of hiding linesets to mini splits in new construction than just running the linesets outside on the exterior that stick out like an ugly sore. And that allow for easy replacement in the future when they need to be replaced.

If you had a siding brake and some trim coil, build a Chase to hide it. I have done wonders with my siding brake.

On electric panels, I've got to where I leave it so you can take a wall panel off above and below the panel. Run a couple of conduits up from the floor to outside. Drill extra holes in the top plate. That way, you can add wires in the panel without much trouble. I use a big panel, bigger than needed. I don't put the meter on the house either. Seen too many burn down while waiting on power company to pull the meter, or turn it off at the transformer fuse switch. Fire dept was already there. Mine, my brothers, my parents, is well away from the house with a big honkin main breaker just in case.

 

[Oaktree]

If you had a siding brake and some trim coil, build a Chase to hide it. I have done wonders with my siding brake.

Not sure what a siding brake is, but +1 on adding a chase.

 

[2manyrocks]

A siding brake is the tool used to bend coil or flat stock trim to the profile needed to install on the house.

It would be a great idea to be able to use the same trim material as used on the house and then build in a way that it can be easily removed and reinstalled to replace the lineset in the future.

The lineset hide kits they sell for mini splits don't seem to match the color or profile of anything.

I would also strongly recommend having surge protection either incorporated at the breaker box or at the disconnect to any HVAC equipment. There are so many electronics in HVAC systems these days that you might as well look at it as if you have a computer built in your HVAC equipment.

During this last winters storm at Christmas, our electric company was cycling the power on and off so quickly that I was concerned it would fry my HVAC electronics. I suspect the demand for electric power will make this even worse in the future.

 

[MGP4506]

We are getting close to building a house in a semi-rural area. Feels like the country but close to town. The area has water, electric, and internet. But no natural gas or sewer. We are currently in an all electric house trailer on the property, temporarily until we get the house built.

The questions this time revolve around not being able to decide whether we should go all electric or get a propane tank. If going with propane, what all should we use it for. We don't typically have many electrical interruptions except for the occasional tornado.... Winters are not cold cold, nights typically hover around the freezing mark. Just a little under or over. We don't get a lot of days where the high stays below freezing. We get 3-4 really cold snaps per winter usually. Just a few days where it stays below freezing. Some winters we get 2-3 snow events and some winters none. If we did get propane I would prefer a buried tank but they are not exactly cheap. I don't think the actual propane is all that cheap either. Not sure if it will save money compared to electric or cost more. I'm beginning to think that I don't really want to deal with propane at all but I don't want to take it off the table if it's the better way to go.

We are building in a fireplace. Like a lot of people we don't have a lot of margin at this point in our lives, so I don't think a traditional wood burning fireplace would get used much. We are gone a lot or otherwise just don't stay home all day to make use of a fire that takes a long time to build or burn out. Not to mention we wouldn't be able to harvest our own wood. So I either want to put in gas logs or a pellet insert. Either one I would like for heat and to be able to see the fire.

Water heating is another question. The houses I have lived in with gas water heaters I never had an issue running out of hot water, I have run out many times with the electric ones. We are building a double shower in the master so I know we will use more hot water than usual. What is the solution?

I have never cooked on gas so at this point that's moot. Electric either way.

Heating furnace... The gas furnaces I have had in the past have been awesome. However, the electric one that is in our 10 year old trailer house has done a phenomenal job. Even in the cold snap just before Christmas, where nights got down to zero, it stayed 70 degrees all night. I am not scared of electric heat any more. I have heard of electric units with propane emergency strips. I'm curious if that is worth checking into. Also, I think a pellet insert in the fireplace providing additional heat would make me even less scared of electric heat.

I do think I'm going to have the house wired for a generator. Even if we don't get the automatic whole house generator, we would still be able to plug in a decent size one to run the pellet stove, refrigerators, freezers, etc. Then there's the gasoline vs propane question there too... So many decisions.

I am getting ready to build my retirement home also. I am lucky and have natural gas so I will be going with the gas option due to how much cheaper it is than electric not to mention much more reliable. Also, it will run my backup generator for when the power goes out.

You don't have to answer this but just curious how much per square foot are they getting you for? I am finding prices all over the place. from $150 - $250/ square foot for the same building.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Not sure what a siding brake is, but +1 on adding a chase.

I have a 10' 6" long sheet metal break brake whatever. It's for bending aluminum trim coil for siding. You can bend metal building sheathing on it too, but that's the biggest task it will handle. It is light enough I can load alone. Have one for steel too, but it is way less portable.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I am getting ready to build my retirement home also. I am lucky and have natural gas so I will be going with the gas option due to how much cheaper it is than electric not to mention much more reliable. Also, it will run my backup generator for when the power goes out.

You don't have to answer this but just curious how much per square foot are they getting you for? I am finding prices all over the place. from $150 - $250/ square foot for the same building.

I wish I had access to natural gas, that's a no brainer. I called the gas company to beg them to run a line down my road. The said they would do it no problem, if I built about 60 new houses on my road....

I'm supposed to be getting an updated cost very soon. We were just about to start building in December of 2020 when everything got super expensive. We held off and are just now picking back up. We are trying to make decisions like this now so we can get the best idea of cost on the front end. Dec 2020 our cost was less than the range you provided but not by much. I know lumber is way down from what it was back then. I'm hoping it will come out similar this time.

 

[forgeblast]

We are getting close to building a house in a semi-rural area. Feels like the country but close to town. The area has water, electric, and internet. But no natural gas or sewer. We are currently in an all electric house trailer on the property, temporarily until we get the house built.

The questions this time revolve around not being able to decide whether we should go all electric or get a propane tank. If going with propane, what all should we use it for. We don't typically have many electrical interruptions except for the occasional tornado.... Winters are not cold cold, nights typically hover around the freezing mark. Just a little under or over. We don't get a lot of days where the high stays below freezing. We get 3-4 really cold snaps per winter usually. Just a few days where it stays below freezing. Some winters we get 2-3 snow events and some winters none. If we did get propane I would prefer a buried tank but they are not exactly cheap. I don't think the actual propane is all that cheap either. Not sure if it will save money compared to electric or cost more. I'm beginning to think that I don't really want to deal with propane at all but I don't want to take it off the table if it's the better way to go.

We are building in a fireplace. Like a lot of people we don't have a lot of margin at this point in our lives, so I don't think a traditional wood burning fireplace would get used much. We are gone a lot or otherwise just don't stay home all day to make use of a fire that takes a long time to build or burn out. Not to mention we wouldn't be able to harvest our own wood. So I either want to put in gas logs or a pellet insert. Either one I would like for heat and to be able to see the fire.

Water heating is another question. The houses I have lived in with gas water heaters I never had an issue running out of hot water, I have run out many times with the electric ones. We are building a double shower in the master so I know we will use more hot water than usual. What is the solution?

I have never cooked on gas so at this point that's moot. Electric either way.

Heating furnace... The gas furnaces I have had in the past have been awesome. However, the electric one that is in our 10 year old trailer house has done a phenomenal job. Even in the cold snap just before Christmas, where nights got down to zero, it stayed 70 degrees all night. I am not scared of electric heat any more. I have heard of electric units with propane emergency strips. I'm curious if that is worth checking into. Also, I think a pellet insert in the fireplace providing additional heat would make me even less scared of electric heat.

I do think I'm going to have the house wired for a generator. Even if we don't get the automatic whole house generator, we would still be able to plug in a decent size one to run the pellet stove, refrigerators, freezers, etc. Then there's the gasoline vs propane question there too... So many decisions.

so we have electric heat pump mini splits for heat and ac, propane stove (looks like a wood stove) to supplement heat and works if the power is off, 3 brick lp burners in the basement near the well and near the water lines for the kitchen, and a shtf wood stove in the basement. We cook on lp.

 

[kenmac]

Why anyone would build a new home and install a conventional style HP is beyond me.
There are better systems