Home build thoughts

[rrrr]

If you're going to install floor drains, a meeting with the plumber and concrete contractors is mandatory. I can't begin to count how many times I've seen floor drains in commercial construction that were the high point of the slab. Look around and you'll see what I mean.

Drain elevations should be set so the concrete has a ⅛" per foot fall from the most distant perimeter walls to the drain.

 

[paradise]

On this topic, I saw something interesting on IG the other day. To help with sound transfer between rooms, the framer used 2x6 top & bottom plates on interior walls, and used 2x4 framing. The 2x4's alternated face to face of the 2x6's, and I guess that helps keep sound from transferring through the walls. The drywall in one room has no physical connection to the drywall in the other room. For maximum sound deadening you could also insulate the walls. I guess they are called staggered stud walls. I am not in residential construction, and never built a house, so this is the first I've heard or seen about this style of wall.


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That's done a lot in home theaters, works well if you don't have the room to do a true double wall (separate top and bottom plates)

I think they just use R-19 but ideally you’d put in rock wool etc.

Technically you would want to 'notch' R19 insulation so you don't compress it but most just snake through R13 roxul.

 

[scottchbrite]

I didn’t see it, so Ill add outlets behind the toilets for bidets. Even my shop has it.

 

[Instigator]

I used one of these when I replumbed my house. A port for every water line in the house so each can be shut off by themselves.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Viega-MANABLOCs-35790000

I used two of those in a house I built in 2006. Both leaked in 2019 and I replaced them with manifolds I made out of copper fittings and brass ball valves. The plastic Manibloc valves are junk and won't hold up.

 

[THE Cat Sass]

If its your forever home:

* home run water piping to each fixture from a valved manifold.
* 30 and 50 amp power plugs in shop / garage
* electronic air filter with RO
* I’d never install another tank type water heater, put in 1 or 2 199K BTU tankless units
* LED lighting throughout
* Christmas lighting plugs under outside eaves that are switched

 

[Justfishing]

I would start with energy efficiency. You only get 1 time to do it. The lower the demand the cheeper it will be to go off grid

 

[baja-chris]

Not all counties approve but if possible talk to your plumber about a grey water system to keep the septic from getting overrun long term and save on your water bill a bit. It can be as simple as shower drains, bathroom sinks exit separately to use for landscape irrigation.

Some septic systems need that grey water to work properly. Look into it first.

 

[baja-chris]

Put in power anywhere you have propane usage in case propane costs go through the roof and you have excess power from solar.
State of the art induction cooktops heat water faster than most propane cooktops.

 

[rivermobster]

Stripper pole?

Hot water circulation system for sure. Don't know how I lived without it.

 

[4Waters]

Think about the small things like plugs in the eves to plug in Xmas lights that are on a switch in the garage, surround sound for movies and sports, outdoor sound and plugs/power for landscape lighting.

 

[Taboma]

Boxed eaves. Not attic vents on the side where santa ana's hit the most (east side usually). When I lived in Jamul, we had a firefighter neighbor. He said that a lot of houses burn down because hot ashes get into the attic and light the insulation. Tough to save a house when that happens.

Spray foam insulation. We have that in our TN house. Metal roof and it is tough to hear the rain hitting.

Plus O'Hagen Fire & Ice roof vents, keep those embers blow up along your roof tiles out of your attic. They were part of the SD County "Wildfire Interface Zone" requirements when we rebuilt in 2010.

 

[fat rat]

Outlets outlet’s outlets…can’t ever have to many.

 

[TPC]

Hey guys, I know we have a lot of people that have built houses. What are some things you wish you had put in or done?

Right now we are just in the very early stages but I'm trying to get my underground all planned out. These are things I've got right now:

• Low voltage to gate (fiber)
• Power to gate for sub panel
• Water to irrigation manifolds
• Water to tank for storage
• Power to generator for charging
• Data to generator area for monitoring and irrigation (fiber)
• Power from generator for backup
• Propane from tank to house
• Septic from house
• Septic from garage (RV dump)
• Septic, power and water at RV hookup
• Water, power and Data to future pool equip

Looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts

Make sure you have a solid marriage.

 

[BingerFang]

Electrical outlet behind toilet so you can hook up bidet. Heated seat, heated water, blow dry after. Poop like a king every morning

 

[Warlock1]

Question for the group. Why do people put the big tankless/on demand WH in the garage and have 120 feet of pipe to the actual area of use. Wouldn't it be better to put smaller units at the need? What am I missing?

 

[DC-88]

Question for the group. Why do people put the big tankless/on demand WH in the garage and have 120 feet of pipe to the actual area of use. Wouldn't it be better to put smaller units at the need? What am I missing?

New ones all have re circ, and can handle multiple showers at once. Multiple units are obviously more $$ and more to go wrong down the line, plus needing to find the space internally ( attic, mech room etc) for the additional units that is accessible. However to your point we do it all the time in a couple zones on large spread out houses , just not your average foot print or average 2 story. In addition if there's a good central location for 1 we lay it out there instead of the garage or far end.

 

[DC-88]

Electrical outlet behind toilet so you can hook up bidet. Heated seat, heated water, blow dry after. Poop like a king every morning

It's funny how fast this became the norm , doing walk throughs with most electricians now for rough in that is 100% unspoken standard .

 

[JJ McClure]

Floor mount urinal in the garage. Maybe even put it inside the full bathroom.

 

[Go-Fly]

My first house that I had built took 30 days to complete. Had ceiling heat ( look it up ), three elec outlets in each room, no bathroom fans, copper plumbing including drains and one hard wire phone line in the kitchen. Best time of our lives. 20 years later I had another house built that took 2 years to complete. Had 6 heat pumps and ever features that was available at the time. We stayed for 60 days and moved out. From then on we bought houses that aren't important to us and dont tie us down. That doesn't mean we weren't having fun. Having a home that is easy to take care of, not over sized and you can sell in a heartbeat, relieves stress and open doors of opportunity. Stop and think of the possibilities.

 

[paradise]

My first house that I had built took 30 days to complete. Had ceiling heat ( look it up ), three elec outlets in each room, no bathroom fans, copper plumbing including drains and one hard wire phone line in the kitchen. Best time of our lives. 20 years later I had another house built that took 2 years to complete. Had 6 heat pumps and ever features that was available at the time. We stayed for 60 days and moved out. From then on we bought houses that aren't important to us and dont tie us down. That doesn't mean we weren't having fun. Having a home that is easy to take care of, not over sized and you can sell in a heartbeat, relieves stress and open doors of opportunity. Stop and think of the possibilities.

Great post and you certainly aren’t wrong! I definitely look back on our first house and how easy maintenance, leaving on trips, etc was with some nostalgia . Of course that was just 2 of us vs 5 now...

Definitely not looking to go house poor here but I am a planner (probably should have been an engineer) and just want to make sure I don't miss something easy to add now and a pain later. In this case, the build is actually the good opportunity

 

[Orange Juice]

Hey guys, I know we have a lot of people that have built houses. What are some things you wish you had put in or done?

Right now we are just in the very early stages but I'm trying to get my underground all planned out. These are things I've got right now:

• Low voltage to gate (fiber)
• Power to gate for sub panel
• Water to irrigation manifolds
• Water to tank for storage
• Power to generator for charging
• Data to generator area for monitoring and irrigation (fiber)
• Power from generator for backup
• Propane from tank to house
• Septic from house
• Septic from garage (RV dump)
• Septic, power and water at RV hookup
• Water, power and Data to future pool equip

Looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts

I don't see anything going to the underground bunker/bomb shelter/Gun vault. You might want to add all of the above to that location too.

 

[Taboma]

Question for the group. Why do people put the big tankless/on demand WH in the garage and have 120 feet of pipe to the actual area of use. Wouldn't it be better to put smaller units at the need? What am I missing?

Often it's aesthetics, or where the gas was when they retro-fitted from their tank heater.

 

[DaveH]

from an electrical perspective i would have a single panel that was conected to the generator or outside power source. This panel would feed all electrical systems deemed critical in a prolonged outage. things like refrigerator, washer and dryer, gargage door openers etc etc unless of course you are installing a generator big enough to support the entire home.

 

[hallett21]

Receptacle in your wife’s vanity drawer for blow dryer/hair straightener.

Same for you if you have an electric razor that needs charging

 

[BingerFang]

It's funny how fast this became the norm , doing walk throughs with most electricians now for rough in that is 100% unspoken standard .

lol it’s one of those luxury’s you never think you need until you have one.

Wiping the end of a grease gun days are over!

 

[DC-88]

Receptacle in your wife’s vanity drawer for blow dryer/hair straightener.

Same for you if you have an electric razor that needs charging

The heated towel bars that power from the bottom right post, along with some sort of expensive lighted medicine cabinet that needs clearance to barely swing out over the fixtures if they're deck mounted , and heated mat under the floor tile are another pretty much standard in all the stuff I've done lately that the electrician gets to be part of .....Plumbers love when those med cabs are stacked together in a train and recessed

 

[Seas]

Plumb your house and outdoor irrigation so you can shut off the water to the inside of the house when you go on vacation, but keep water flowing for outdoor irrigation. No one wants to find out about a burst interior pipe or clothes washer hose when they return after 2 weeks!

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Plumb your house and outdoor irrigation so you can shut off the water to the inside of the house when you go on vacation, but keep water flowing for outdoor irrigation. No one wants to find out about a burst interior pipe or clothes washer hose when they return after 2 weeks!

And put the shut offs in an easily accessible location!

My house is ridiculously hard to reach the shutoff. Not only is it in the buildup but it’s in a section I have to climb through foundation studs to get and I barely fit.

 

[NicPaus]

It's funny how fast this became the norm , doing walk throughs with most electricians now for rough in that is 100% unspoken standard .

Costco even carries a Washlet now in store. Japanese can't live without them and now it's becoming a American need.

 

[jailbird141]

I apologize if this has been mentioned already, I did not read every response. When I built my house in Havasu, I framed a box into the wall into the wall in the garage. It is about 12" by 12" and it has 3" conduit that runs from the garage to the attic. It also has 3" conduit that runs from the garage to the 2nd store where the laundry room is. And, It has a 3" conduit that runs outside the house and then on to the box where the cable line comes in. The idea is that if I add solar later or need to get wire to anywhere inside or outside the house, I have conduit to get it there without tearing up the walls. It was cheap and easy to add myself during the framing phase.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Costco even carries a Washlet now in store. Japanese can't live without them and now it's becoming a American need.

100%. My wife tried the one at her parents and now I “get” to run power into the toilet room. I laughed when my buddy told me to add it after reading a Reddit subforum before my electrical sign off during our build. Oops

 

[footer]

Plan around your pets if you have them. Food storage, dedicated spot for feeding and drinking, and ideally a dog wash in a mud room. Our dog drinks like a slob, the last mouthful is always on the floor. His water bowl is in a dedicated tile basin with drain. I've seen pot filler faucets installed over water bowls which might be nice.

 

[CCXHAL]

Don't put your hose bibs on the house water. Use separately valved irrigation piping. This way you can use 1" or larger pipe for better flow and you won't be using up all your soft or filtered water.

 

[ChumpChange]

Yeah, kind of one of those things. Either you get it, or you do not.

I have a basket in the garage for the gym clothes. They aren’t allowed inside.

 

[SLT Kota]

My dad ran a hot water line to a hose bib for washing cars, I thought he was crazy until I used it during the winter.

 

[HBCraig]

Outside outlets
A light and outlets in the attic
Heated master bath floor

 

[traquer]

Plumb your house and outdoor irrigation so you can shut off the water to the inside of the house when you go on vacation, but keep water flowing for outdoor irrigation. No one wants to find out about a burst interior pipe or clothes washer hose when they return after 2 weeks!

I can't/don't really want to do all that so I guess I did the next best thing? I put wifi water sensors in all the potential trouble areas in the house (fridge, laundry room).

Only problem is the water may burst where you least expect it lol

 

[LHC Kirby]

I can't/don't really want to do all that so I guess I did the next best thing? I put wifi water sensors in all the potential trouble areas in the house (fridge, laundry room).

Only problem is the water may burst where you least expect it lol

Well, at least you know the house is flooding, instead of preventing it. Sorry I could not resist.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Plan around your pets if you have them. Food storage, dedicated spot for feeding and drinking, and ideally a dog wash in a mud room. Our dog drinks like a slob, the last mouthful is always on the floor. His water bowl is in a dedicated tile basin with drain. I've seen pot filler faucets installed over water bowls which might be nice.

This is a good one. We are getting quotes on redoing our laundry room to incorporate dog food and toy storage. One of my dogs splashes water all over the place, which leads to paw prints throughout the house. Wash station would be cool, but we have them groomed. I’m not spending half a day doing that crap.

 

[LHC Kirby]

2. In floor scissor lift in garage
3. Air system plumbing in garage walls. Air outlets in strategic places

Lift could be designed for just tire changes/rotations and oil changes..... a 2 foot lift? Go for the heavy lift, for present or new vehicles. unless you are into more repairs, nothing is better than standing instead of laying on your back. At least the two foot raise would allow a rolling creeper.

Air is a huge plus, followed by outlets with power cord retractable cords.

A lot of great suggestions already, I love the Hot water bibs near driveway, but I would also have the bib with a cold/hot mixture..... so warm water.

BUT MY BEST SUGGESTION - get a button at every garage door opening, so you can easily shut the door from outside, reach in and push. Light switch as well.