Home design tips and advice

[Flatheadyoungin]

great thread....i was thinking of posting one myself sooner rather than later...

we are about 2-3 years away from building......

i was going to start a thread on each component; plumbing, electrical, foudation, building to be efficient, etc.....then people could put new technologies, simple ideas....

i was going to do searches on here and then put links with relavent info. in the newly created threads

this is good stuff...a lot of things i hadn't thought of.....

thanks, all!

 

[wvpolekat]

Don't forget that one of the best things about CAD type software is that you can have several different plans going.

Also, don't forget to do some versioning in your saves. So you can go back and look at how you had things 2 weeks ago, or 2 months ago. Easy enough to do by using the date as the filename.

 

[chew]

Just thought I'd add my two cents.I'm an electrician by trade and I think ever since I was 18 I've been in the planning stages of building a home. There's been lots of good ideas discussed so far. For me central vac is a must. The great feature it has for us is a vent in the toe kick of your kitchen counter or baseboard of an entryway. All you have to do is open it take a broom and sweep in the dirt.

Another thing to consider is how you live your everyday life what rooms do visit most often and go between and generally how you live in your house. An example of this my girlfriend and I bake a lot. However due to the size of our kitchen the things we need to bake are spread all over the kitchen. Something for us to consider is having a large enough kitchen. Think about what we need when we bake and have it all in one area almost like station. Everything in arms reach.

Another example again with the kitchen is having the knives and cutting boards in the kitchen island directly across from the fridge. In this case when you take your your vegetables to be cut all you have to do is turn around and set them down grab your knife and cutting board and you're ready to go.

The last thing I'll add is in the case of bathroom fixtures. Whatever sink I decide on will be designed in such a way that it won't have standing water. Anything around the tap will slope towards the drain. Even around the tap itself possibly even have it coming out of the wall.

 

[miramadar]

Here's a copy of the plan my wife and I drew out. This is the architect's rendition. I am fortunate in that my 1st cousin is an architect and he looked over my plans and made some small modifications for me pro bono. The first floor is the basement.

 

[bdeboer]

Design the house from the ground up. Choose the site for your house and think about drainage for the eves, ground water, and the sewer pipe. If you have a septic tank can it be used with the designed house? If you going to have a basement depending on the slope of your lot it may not be a huge deal to lower the septic system to allow for bathrooms in the basement. Here the number of bedrooms determines the size of the septic system. Basement egress needs to be planned from the start also. Gravity drain for footer drains with a sump pump as a backup is also a good way to go.

After looking at the site, a different floorplan may make sense.

If an area in the floorplan looks crowded on the drawings, it will be worse in real life.

Someone mentioned Superior Walls, another option might be ICF construction. The "lego" blocks that stack together and get filled with concrete.

Another thing to look over would be the building sciences website for energy efficiency.

 

[saltman]

My house is about finished, I went through the same design decisions your going through. Although auto cad is good for drawing house plans if you haven't found an elevation plan you like yet then get a plan book and pick a house type your like. These books have thousands of plans. Not that you will order these plans but you can use them for ideas.

You may have already decided on house type. I agree with an earlier poster I would go with a good pitched roof, insulate the attic well and this extra space will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer and provide a good slide for the snow.

Stick built was still the best way to go in my area and get's the best numbers for resale, not sure about where you are. If you go stick built use 2x6 studs for the walls to get that extra insulation in there R-19. I also am a big believer in the metal roofs.

Cabinets, counter tops and vanities can all be picked up reasonably at the box stores or ordered off the internet, this can save you tens of thousands and you can still get good quality.

Consider opening up the floor plan and making the dining area/ kitchen open to the living room the cook in the family will thank you.

 

[MarkV]

If you are building your last house consider the possibility of being less mobile in the future. Easy entry access, less stairs and wider door ways go a long way towards making life easier in your senior years.

MarkV

 

[NSBound]

I just finished my house a couple of years ago, and thought it through just like you are doing, it's worth the effort. Here's a few things I did that I am glad I did :

1. Pre-wire the house for computer wiring and Home theatre, or even just speakers. Also think where the TV will go and prewire for that too, especially if it'll be a wall-mount. All this saves having wires running all over the floor behind the TV and stereo. Use ceiling speakers for home theatre rear speakers.
2. I bought and installed a system of light dimmers that can be controlled from 3 different spots - one beside the bed, so I can leave lights on until I get to bed and then switch them all off (Aurora lighting system). I also have a switch in the car to turn them all on if I arrive home after dark. I also have a remote switch in the living room so when I turn on a movie, I can dim all the lights from where I sit.
3. Think of access to things like pipes and water filters. My plumber put my downstairs water system filter almost at floor level and it's hard for me to bend over to change the filter. It should have been at least waist-high. Also, the same plumber placed the burner for the in-floor heat so it almost completely hides all the pipes coming into the house. If there is ever a leak (I've had 2) for example at a pipe fitting, I have to get on my stomach on the wet floor and wriggle in under the pipes to get to where the leaky pipe is. It could have been better designed and installed.
4. If you have main-floor laundry facilities (I'm glad I did, and don't have to go to the basement to do laundry), don't forget the dryer vent to outside. . My house is a 2-storey but I designed the master bedroom on the main floor, thinking long-term to older age when stairs may be a problem.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I am in the process of building my final home. One thing we stipulated with the contractor is to install a recirculating hot water pump that is thermostat controlled and thermally insulate all the hot water lines. The pump will recirculate the water when it gets below a set temp and each outlet has immediately hot water. Much cheaper than placing on demand water heaters at each outlet. Fully insulate all internal walls for sound absorption, it doesnt cost that much and makes for a much quieter home. Put plenty of outdoor faucets so you dont have to pull 100 foot of hose all around the house for watering plants or washing down the patio porches. Install receptacles in soffits for Christmas lights (no power cords running all over the ground) Go for the lowest SEER rating on the HVAC that you can afford to save on electrical cost. THe wife insisted on have kitchen appliance garages in the cabinets to keep her electrical helpers out of sight but still not have to lug them from under the cabinets to use them. Dont swing your doors so that the swings overlap so that one door will bang against another when opening, and make them 36" wide wherever possible for ADA compliant. I used all double hung windows so they can be cleaned inside and out from inside the house. This is also good for ventilation by opening the top of the window to allow the hot air out can reduce AC needs. Stay away from sliding doors for patios, etc. as most of them become hard to open after the bearings start going bad and dirt builds up in the tracts. which is hard to keep cleaned too. For eave overhang go with 16" or more to keep more of the elements off your house walls. Lots of plans will only call for 12" eave overhang. If you want to conserve dollars, limit the number of gables in your home. The dollars needed to install a gable for aesthetic reasons adds up to big money quickly. If putting sheet rock inside your house, consider putting in rounded outside corner moulds rather than square. They hold the paint better. Shop the internet for bargains on plumbing valves. I saved $800 on one shower faucet compared to the Big L box store price for the same brand and type and got 2 additional body shower nozzles to boot. Dont use the Chinese made sheetrock as many houses built in 2006 in the Southeast have had to be torn down to get the contamination cleaned up (check articles online).
Buy many of your high dollar items ahead of time when you find them on sale. I found the double wall ovens and range on sale and got the 5 year extended warranty to boot for less than half the regular selling price.
Depending on your location, you can save big bucks on flooring by buying from lnational iquidators rather than the local supplier even after paying extra for shipping. I found my stone flooring in Houston and had it shipped to Hot Springs Ark for less than half of what it would have cost in Ark. If trying to buy online, always get a sample, it doesnt ever look like the photos.

 

[Lloyd_E]

If I had to do it over again I would:

1: Wish list - come up with a list and go from there
2: Think about outside basement access from two areas
3: If you are thinking about possible outbuildings - more of them. Trench in pipe(electrical) and water lines to future site(s) - mark with reference points measurements. In 3,5, 7 years you are not messing up landscaping.
4: Laundry/mud room in one.
5: Outdoor shower stall and sink area for gardening or showering.
6: Depending on heat ie: wood, plan storage area and access areas for wood - either through wall from storage or dumb waiter from basement to closet space next to wood stove. Keeps mess down and is more efficient.
7: Larger electrical service for down the road: go with 400 or more amp panel.
Never know when you may need the extra supply.
8: Electrical and water access - outside.
9: Place conduit in walls with strings to pull wiring through at a later time.
10: Pre-buy, take advantage of deals.

These are general - best of luck.

 

[mjarrels]

Don't finance appliances with a 30 year mortgage!

mark

 

[kebo]

Another thing I remembered was the little doorway just for firewood, that is IF you plan on having a fireplace. That's a neat little trick to getting firewood into the wood box without have to carry it across the carpet or hardwood floors. There was a thread on this very subject not too long ago so you might try and see if you can search for it. Lot of good info and some pics in that thread.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

If you have a basement, make the walls 9 or 10' high, not the standard 8 ft., that extra headroom is great. Cost me less than $1K more, and I can put an 8' ceiling under my ductwork and beams.
Exterior 2x6 walls, that's one I regret not doing.
Plan elevation with gravity drain for basement bathroom.
Two electrical panels up front. It's amazing how fast you run out of breaker spaces.
If septic tank, oversize it. I oversized mine to allow one more bedroom, cost of the tank was $50 more.
Ceiling fans in all rooms.
Plan all furniture locations and plan outlets accordingly. Go with extra outlets than the minimum required.
Wide stairs, I put 4' wide to my upstairs to make it easy to carry furniture up.
3' doors inside, as others have said.

 

[NSBound]

...
Exterior 2x6 walls, that's one I regret not doing.

The National Building Code in Canada just changed to now require 2X8 exterior walls......

 

[dave1949]

The National Building Code in Canada just changed to now require 2X8 exterior walls......

Yikes! My south walls are 2x8 studs, mostly for roof weight bearing between and to carry the headers above my windows. One thing we ran into, a 2x8 framed wall can be a booger to true up! They are stiff. Leaned the FEL bucket on it a couple places to push it into straight and true position while putting on the second top plate. I guess the moral is, select your plates very carefully. You do end up with nice wide window sills.

Dave.

 

[AlbertaDan]

Just last year we gave up the idea of building ober buying, but before hand I had the features i wanted picked out. Some of these are

1) Insulated conctrete walls for noise proofing and insulating quality. The research i did told me that the insulated concrete walls are nearly double the insulation rating and virtually noise proof (no traffic noise at all)

2) a goe thermal heat pump. This depends on where you live. My house is the extreme eastern tip of the continent and so doesn't have extreme cold. But you do need room for this to work efficiently.

3) as someone mentioned a built in vaccuum. If you do put one in don't forget the "automatic dustpan" in the kitchen. It is a flap in the toe kick of the cupboards that hide a built in vaccuun outlet. Your wife will love you for it.

4) with the geo-thermal heat pump look at "sidearm heaters" for your water heater. It helps to pre-heat the water before it goes into your water heater.

5) In floor heat. With the floor at 68F your heat bills will be lower because the heat will be lower than forced air at 70F. Its also cleaner(less dust blowing around)

6) i looked into meatl roofs. Soem have up to a 100yr warranty but you pay for it. Many of the cheaper ones still have 50yr. as opposed to shingles with a max life of 30yr.

7) if you do go with a 2 storey house look into placing 2 closets above each other. As one poster put it you don't know what the future holds. with 2 closets lined up you can use them as an elevatro if the need arises later.

8) look into 4pplex outlets by the bed. By the time you have clock radio, a reading lamp, telephone with call display the single outlet won't be enough

9) a 3-way swith near the bed. this way in winter when you are warm and comfortable you won't have to get out of the bed to turn off the lights.

10) If you a have a ceiling light in your bedroom put in 2 switches.Or at least get the electrician to run 3-wire. If you ever want to put in a ceiling fan you can leave the fan on but the lighths off

11) run power to your patio. You may want a radio or other electronic devces out there for entertaining in the summer

12) you may want to build a "toy shed" later on so leave room for expansion in everything you do. Leave lots extra room in your panel. Put in a wire "chase" to run future wires for your future shed.

 

[Samandothers]

Great thread. We too want to build one more house to retire in. We have spent a great deal of time surfin the net for plans to get close to what we want. We did some things in our current home that worked out well.
We did the conduit with string for future use running from basement to attic in several places and have used some of them.
Did septic tank below basement level and rough plumbed for basement bath. Years later finished part of the basement for a teenager and made use of the rough plumbed basement bath.
When you build do a video or as built drawings to help you know where wires and other 'behind' the wall stuff is located.
Our lot slopped to the front. Make sure you get a good person or do a good job with water proofing you basement if you have one. We lalso have a porch, garage and a bit of crawl space between the outside front of the house and the basement wall. To date we have not had any issues with moisture in the basement.

 

[miramadar]

The National Building Code in Canada just changed to now require 2X8 exterior walls......

If you go with a thick wall like this, be prepared to pay a nice sum for your doors and windows. We're using 2x6 walls and there's an additional millage fee for anything over 2x4. Those extra wide jambs are always "special order" and there's a special price for them too!

 

[dave1949]

If you go with a thick wall like this, be prepared to pay a nice sum for your doors and windows. We're using 2x6 walls and there's an additional millage fee for anything over 2x4. Those extra wide jambs are always "special order" and there's a special price for them too!

The alternative is make your own jamb extensions - which isn't fun, but also not expensive.
Dave.

 

[NSBound]

If you go with a thick wall like this, be prepared to pay a nice sum for your doors and windows. We're using 2x6 walls and there's an additional millage fee for anything over 2x4. Those extra wide jambs are always "special order" and there's a special price for them too!

I suspect though if every house built by every builder (In Canada at least) requires 2X8 walls, the cost of other related stuff will also go down as they get used to the new requirement in volume.