The home ideas thread

[lendaddy]

Hoping to gain some insight from everyone on home design. Please share any ideas you've done or seen done that really impressed you. Not looking for wow factor but practical ideas in design. Some that Ive either noticed myself or been advised of already are (in no particular order):

Steps inside the garage to the utility area of the basement.

Very small laundry room on the floor where the kids room are (with there still being a main floor laundry)

Central vacs (heard both sides of this argument)

Multizone heating/cooling

More generic ideas like keeping the place much smaller than you think you want and spending a good part of your budget on making the place energy efficient, etc.. are also welcome.

My goal s a very modest sized ranch home but high build quality, energy and space efficient.

[Rich Lambert]

Try this site- Houzz - Home Design, Decorating and Remodeling Ideas and Inspiration, Kitchen and Bathroom Design.

Be prepared to spend many hours there. Sign up for their newsletter too.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Rich Lambert

Try this site- Houzz - Home Design, Decorating and Remodeling Ideas and Inspiration, Kitchen and Bathroom Design.

Be prepared to spend many hours there. Sign up for their newsletter too.

Ha, was literally surfing it in another window

[enzo1]

Originally Posted by Rich Lambert

Try this site- Houzz - Home Design, Decorating and Remodeling Ideas and Inspiration, Kitchen and Bathroom Design.

Be prepared to spend many hours there. Sign up for their newsletter too.

Nice! Thanks...

[Jim Bremner]

Single story, build it so that if you our a loved one is ever in a wheel chair that you;ll never need to move.


do you have a spoon collection? Vault?

Wire ite so each room is on it's own circuit oven is on it's own, fridge, dishwasher etc. go overboard on the circuits.

Concrete is cheap figure $100 a cubic yar. a 20x20 garage cost $2000 if done 4" deep which is code. in California. Mine is 5" deep and cost me $200 extra.

Cell,laptop, & high end flashlight charging station? HVAC set up that can suck the heat out of the house would be nice on a hot day.

What is code on insulation on outside walls? Might want to build 2X6 instead of 2x4?

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

Single story, build it so that if you our a loved one is ever in a wheel chair that you;ll never need to move.


do you have a spoon collection? Vault?

Wire ite so each room is on it's own circuit oven is on it's own, fridge, dishwasher etc. go overboard on the circuits.

Concrete is cheap figure $100 a cubic yar. a 20x20 garage cost $2000 if done 4" deep which is code. in California. Mine is 5" deep and cost me $200 extra.

Cell,laptop, & high end flashlight charging station? HVAC set up that can suck the heat out of the house would be nice on a hot day.

What is code on insulation on outside walls? Might want to build 2X6 instead of 2x4?

Good ideas, definitely doing a ranch. Master on the main level and two bedrooms down for the boys. 2 X 6 walls are definitely on the radar (as are concrete walls) but people have told me that 2 x 6 walls don't improve R factor by as much as you might think. I have to research that quite a bit more.

Attic fans are nice, also on the list.

The garage will be a point of much focus. I have so many ideas there I wouldn't know where to start.

[HardDrive]

You could pay a lot of $$$ to hear the same advice from a stranger. Thank you Jim.

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

Single story, build it so that if you our a loved one is ever in a wheel chair that you;ll never need to move.


do you have a spoon collection? Vault?

Wire ite so each room is on it's own circuit oven is on it's own, fridge, dishwasher etc. go overboard on the circuits.

Concrete is cheap figure $100 a cubic yar. a 20x20 garage cost $2000 if done 4" deep which is code. in California. Mine is 5" deep and cost me $200 extra.

Cell,laptop, & high end flashlight charging station? HVAC set up that can suck the heat out of the house would be nice on a hot day.

What is code on insulation on outside walls? Might want to build 2X6 instead of 2x4?

[Jim Bremner]

Line up the roof and the hallways so that if you add on that you don't screw up rooflines and hallways.

I can't add on to my garage with out screwing up my roof line. to make it worse my roof is tyle. that has been discontinued. $40k worth of roof would need to be replaced to add on!

They have 14 pallets left of my roof tile. I might need to buy some to store.
I have some home plans books if I didn;t toss them. I was going to build but I couldn't find a lot in the area. pm me your address and I'll toss them in the mail

California now reguires fire sprinklers and non wood burning fireplaces for new construction!

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

You could pay a lot of $$$ to hear the same advice from a stranger. Thank you Jim.

I wish I could figure a way to get paid!

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I have some home plans books if I didn;t toss them. I was going to build but I couldn't find a lot in the area. pm me your address and I'll toss them in the mail

That is extraordinarily generous m thx! I'll PM you my info.

[look 171]

Have a master closet within the Masterbath or close to it. This way, you never have to go back into the bedroom to get dress and wake up the other person. Separate tub and shower and have at least two shower heads (one hand held) and a bench. Radian heating in the master and the bedroom if you are not having it throughout the house. Cedar lined closets. One breaker for the master Bedroom, and have one breaker for every two bedrooms. In the kitchen (code around here), have a breaker for microwave, ref, dishwasher, and garbage dis., and drinking hot water if you need it. I push this item heavily because it is a very nice feature and not too many people know about it. Have an automatic door switch for closets so you never ever have to feel for a switch inside the closet again (think ref door). I like the mag. switch with a relay. They are nice and quiet and sits flush with the door and jamb. Can't think of too many off hand, but tell us more about what you are after. Work out the lighting with your (lighting) designer. Most people just line up a bunch of can lights in the middle of a room. What you really need is to have light directed at a certain object or "wash the wall" with lighting. It allows the light to bounce off the walls. When you have rough plans, I can try and help. I am no architect or designer, but a dumb contractor.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by look 171

Have a master closet within the Masterbath or close to it. This way, you never have to go back into the bedroom to get dress and wake up the other person. Separate tub and shower and have at least two shower heads (one hand held) and a bench. Radian heating in the master and the bedroom if you are not having it throughout the house. Cedar lined closets. One breaker for the master Bedroom, and have one breaker for every two bedrooms. In the kitchen (code around here), have a breaker for microwave, ref, dishwasher, and garbage dis., and drinking hot water if you need it. I push this item heavily because it is a very nice feature and not too many people know about it. Have an automatic door switch for closets so you never ever have to feel for a switch inside the closet again (think ref door). I like the mag. switch with a relay. They are nice and quiet and sits flush with the door and jamb. Can't think of too many off hand, but tell us more about what you are after. Work out the lighting with your (lighting) designer. Most people just line up a bunch of can lights in the middle of a room. What you really need is to have light directed at a certain object or "wash the wall" with lighting. It allows the light to bounce off the walls. When you have rough plans, I can try and help. I am no architect or designer, but a dumb contractor.

More great stuff, I have a feeling this thread will be a keeper. Thx!

[Jim Bremner]

I want to add electric door locks. The garage door is across from the laundry room door. it would be nice to have a switch to open one from the other.

I would like to have a small led light that would stay on at night so that I can see door lock key holes.

All bathrooms regardless of having windows must have a fart fan and a heater!

DO NOT have your shower controls under the shower head. Mine is and the head drips hard-water on the control valve handle and it's a bit more work to clean.

How is your lot set up? try to minimize road noise. I do have a bit of traffic and it bugs me.

I looked at a lot that I was going to build on but was worried about noise. I went there at 4am and slept in my truck out in front of the lot. Good thing even thou the street was narrow, in a res area it was the truck route for the country club.

[gr8fl4porsche]

Definitely a ranch. Stairs suck.

I like the idea of a walk-in closet in every bedroom with a stacked set of washer/dryers. That way you disrobe right into the machine and everyone runs their own load every few days. You could also have a small main laundry room near the kitchen.

This eliminates hauling the clothes back and forth around the house nearly everyday.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I want to add electric door locks. The garage door is across from the laundry room door. it would be nice to have a switch to open one from the other.

I would like to have a small led light that would stay on at night so that I can see door lock key holes.

All bathrooms regardless of having windows must have a fart fan and a heater!

DO NOT have your shower controls under the shower head. Mine is and the head drips hard-water on the control valve handle and it's a bit more work to clean.

How is your lot set up? try to minimize road noise. I do have a bit of traffic and it bugs me.

I looked at a lot that I was going to build on but was worried about noise. I went there at 4am and slept in my truck out in front of the lot. Good thing even thou the street was narrow, in a res area it was the truck route for the country club.

Interesting thoughts on the shower controls, I like that. Lot is very private, 3 acres roughly and 2-300 yards from nearest road.

[URY914]

On the 2 x 6 exterior wall issue, it depends more on the type of insulation used to get the R-factor you are looking for. 2 x 4 walls with spray-in foam will give you about the same R-factor as 2 x 6 walls with cheap batt insulation. You can pay more for the wood in a 6" wall or pay more for the insulation in a 4" wall and come out with the same cost overall.

[red-beard]

When I was taking my Solar energy course in College (1987) we proved it was not cost effective. BUT the modeling programs showed that super insulation (R-50 walls, R-100 ceilings) and window/roof overhang design at the time of construction were EXTREMELY cost effective.

If you have the space for extra wide walls, go super insulation. Then go for 2 x triple pane windows. The house needs to be completely air-tight. These days this can be done with closed cell foam.

The heating/cooling system is then significantly downsized. The biggest issue becomes humidity control. You also need to add an air to air heat exchanger to vent the house and bring in fresh air. You need several exchanges per day.

You need to add thermal mass to the house. It can take the form of a large part made from brick/stone. It can also be heavy wood beams or tanks of water.

I have been designing a country house for myself and my wife. The only other thing I'm planning is an outdoor kitchen, to keep the heat out of the house.

Houses like this in Western NY generally did not need the heating operating in most of the winter. The appliances and body heat were generally enough.

[Joeaksa]

Lots of good ideas here.

I could not live in a house with stairs again. It was fine when I moved here 10 years ago but never again.

Same with the attic fan, its wonderful 8 months of the year here.

No one has mentioned solar panels. I have electrical panels on the roof now and it puts out 44 kw every day that we do not have clouds and thats about 350 days a year. Except for summer, my average useage is less than 10 kw, so its sold back to the power company to provide $$. Also solar water heater. These two should be built onto every house in the country.

Garage cannot be big enough and both the house and garage need to have the heating in the floor then supplimented by a heat pump for year round useage. Also am too damm old fashioned and still like a real wood burning fireplace.

[lendaddy]

Solar in Michigan makes very little sense, but many folks here do geothermal. I haven't looked into it enough yet but it is interesting.

[daepp]

Google "The Not So Big House". Very cool ideas.