New home - What would you do?

[Labman]

At least one tall garage door. Camper hookups for septic and electrical. 2x the outlets and circuits in the garage than you think you will need. 4x the lights in the garage that you think you will need. Dog doors (freedom pet pass), built in dog wash station. If you must have a north facing driveway I have seen heated aprons-game changer. Dedicated areas for lifesized mounts.
2 shower heads in the master bedroom! A bunch of solid info already posted, everyone building should read this 3x. Wish I had known some of this info years ago.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If you want to incorporate all this good advice, may I suggest you make friends with these guys and Mary Samsonite.

 

[RidgeRoamingRichard]

If you're building in MT, just make sure to get a 641 acre lot.

Think about prevailing winds and where your snow drifts are going to accumulate. Mud room or garage to keep you gear in. Long hallways to shoot your bow in.

 

[Otto Matic]

Right, there's never enough damn adapters in my house. Id put USB ports in bedrooms and kitchen. Office area if you have one

The only drawback is sometimes you can't plug something in with the USB in the way. ...or vice versa!
Not everytime, but often enough to be aggerfrettin'! LOL!
Just one of them little "dammits!" of life!

 

[gouch]

My daughter and her husband built a house two years ago. It has a large open floor plan and high vaulted ceilings. It's a damn echo chamber. Perhaps a bunch of dead animal heads on the wall would mitigate that but as it is it drives me nuts. We are building a house right now, much smaller 2400 sq ft, only two of us living there and I want to keep it that way. After reading this, I'm going to talk to the contractor about 30 in. counters. Go with four ft. hallways, you have plenty of room and you won't regret it. Our floorplan has no halls, even better. I didn't do it but an electrician friend suggested a light switch right next and on both sides of the bed in the master bedroom so you can turn the light on without getting out of bed. Heat in the garage. An animal and fish processing area in the garage or shop. A roomy kitchen so you don't have to keep yelling at people to get out of the way while your trying to cook something. If your going with high ceilings put in plenty of ceiling fans. My youngest daughter is also building a house and they are putting one in every room not called a bathroom. More closet space than you think you need. Same with electrical outlets inside and out. USB ports are nice but with technology changing so fast, I worry that 10 years from now nobody will know what a USB port is for. A lot of patio and or deck space outside and a lot of that space covered.

 

[Ben Lamb]

A lot of patio and or deck space outside and a lot of that space covered.

Great advice. Outdoor living space is critical.

 

[EYJONAS!]

The only drawback is sometimes you can't plug something in with the USB in the way. ...or vice versa!
Not everytime, but often enough to be aggerfrettin'! LOL!
Just one of them little "dammits!" of life!

Definitely a first world issue haha

 

[Otto Matic]

I've always viewed a house as an investment as much as anything else. In that light, here are my must haves:

1.) off grid capability - solar, geothermal, wood heat, etc. As systems become refined & more efficient, building that capability into the house now means cost savings later in terms of adding solar, wind, geothermal, etc. Plan for it now, and make your architectural plans to match that changing home energy profile.

2.) Love 4 foot hallways. Our new house has them. Makes life a lot easier.

3.) Big kitchen: Counter space galore, and quality cabinets with soft closing hinges/sliders. 30" counters would have been ideal in our remodel, but we were keeping the original cabinets because of their quality. Make it big enough to be an eat in kitchen, add wood cooking capabilities if possible.

4.) Finished pole barn. Ours isn't, and it sucks. Previous owners used the barn as a horse barn, so just a dirt floor. No insulation, no heat, etc. I'/d be in there all the time if it was heated & insulated.

5.) Heated garage with enough room for a workshop. As others mentioned, go deep & have enough space for the most common household tools & projects. We're remodeling our kitchen & have been able to use the garage as a workshop for the tile guy, counter finishing & fabrication & painting cabinet doors. It also has my ceramics studio until we build a small space for me. Make it big enough for counters & a work table.

6.) Think ahead 20 years in terms of technology. USB is changing to USB C, etc so keep that kind of stuff in mind as you set up your electrical system. Making it adaptable to new technology is important (As I eye a 20 year old in-wall vacuum system that has no vacuum left). Changing face plates & outlets is easy & cheap. Rerunning wiring & such, not so much.

7.) En Suite for the Master: It's your spa. Treat it like such. Jetted tub, nice walk-in shower, splurge for the nice throne that can handle all the billiard balls. double vanity. Your wife, and your "aging infrastructure" will thank you.

8.) Tile: It's expensive, but it's worth it. Tile floors, good tile for the bath & shower, kitchen, etc. Make it classy & timeless. New trends shouldn't be reflected in tile. The investment of capital for that material (to me) indicates timeless classicism rather than latest fads.

9.) Hardwood, not Laminate. Resale value here as well. Actual hardwood over laminate is a bit more expensive but not that much moreso if you shop around, and it's a much nicer feel. We've done laminate in a rental, and while it wears great & lasts quite a while, it doesn't have that same warmth that wood does. YMMV here.

10.) Go overboard on your electrical panel. This is part of the planned growth as well. Be able to expand your system by leaving some extra room. We just added 2 240 V circuits, and our box looks like we're the Griswolds.

11.) Wood heat now. Installing a chimney made our decision on heat for us. Building that stack now, versus adding later means you get wood heat forever rather than the shock later.

12.) Make it tight, but let it breathe. Energy efficiency is critical, but don't make it hermetically sealed. Let that house breathe a bit. Our 80 year old house was well insulated & had enough vermiculite to have powered Libby's economy for a fiscal quarter. It kept us cool in the summer & warm in the winter.

Per your #7:
When prepping the master bath, the Minister of Finance spotted a Jacuzzi tub.
Twelve hundred (at the time! 2003) and I'm rolling my eyes and mumbling something about the usefulness of mammary glands on a male swine.

Honestly? It's not something we use on a daily basis, but the times we've needed (wanted?) it, it's been a God send!
I've got a hip implant and there are times a hot Jacuzzi is a blessing!

P.S. biggest "prep" was a 110 outlet under the tub skirt. No sheet rock at the time!
The tub is on it's own little circuit by itself.

 

[mtmuley]

I'm going to act as a general contractor for my daughter and SIL. Actually looking forward to helping them navigate the whole process. I'm going to do all the trim and detail personally. They grabbed 10 acres here in Montana before it got really stupid expensive. mtmuley

 

[Ben Lamb]

Per your #7:
When prepping the master bath, the Minister of Finance spotted a Jacuzzi tub.
Twelve hundred (at the time! 2003) and I'm rolling my eyes and mumbling something about the usefulness of mammary glands on a male swine.

Honestly? It's not something we use on a daily basis, but the times we've needed (wanted?) it, it's been a God send!
I've got a hip implant and there are times a hot Jacuzzi is a blessing!

P.S. biggest "prep" was a 110 outlet under the tub skirt. No sheet rock at the time!
The tub is on it's own little circuit by itself.

We're missing ours pretty hard. Soaking in jet tub is awesome. Great way to decompress, and add Epsom Salts too (just don't use the jets). Probably going to end up with a jacuzzi here shortly. Far cheaper than a bathroom remodel.

 

[MTTW]

I've always viewed a house as an investment as much as anything else. In that light, here are my must haves:


12.) Make it tight, but let it breathe. Energy efficiency is critical, but don't make it hermetically sealed. Let that house breathe a bit. Our 80 year old house was well insulated & had enough vermiculite to have powered Libby's economy for a fiscal quarter. It kept us cool in the summer & warm in the winter.

I have made a couple of mistakes on houses that I have built. Both involved making the house "tight". Don't take any pains trying to make a house extra tight.
Modern building practice makes a house as tight as you want it. Even more if you use spray in urethane insulation.

It costs thousands to untight a too tight house. They are actually unhealthy.

 

[mtmuley]

I have made a couple of mistakes on houses that I have built. Both involved making the house "tight". Don't take any pains trying to make a house extra tight.
Modern building practice makes a house as tight as you want it. Even more if you use spray in urethane insulation.

It costs thousands to untight a too tight house. They are actually unhealthy.

I've been involved with a couple that we actually installed air exchangers. A house needs incoming air for HVAC to work properly. mtmuley

 

[Ben Lamb]

I've been involved with a couple that we actually installed air exchangers. A house needs incoming air for HVAC to work properly. mtmuley

And to get rid of the Lord of the Manor's blessings after eating chili. Don't want that stuff getting locked into the Hizzle!

 

[Otto Matic]

I have made a couple of mistakes on houses that I have built. Both involved making the house "tight". Don't take any pains trying to make a house extra tight.
Modern building practice makes a house as tight as you want it. Even more if you use spray in urethane insulation.

It costs thousands to untight a too tight house. They are actually unhealthy.

Yeah, you need some air exchange besides HVAC.
Windows, leaky doors, etc.

You don't want air pouring in, but a little is ok, especially with wood burning appliances installed.

Biggest mistake I made was not plumbing in a A/C drain. Had to install one of those condensate pump systems. HVAC closet opens into the LR. Stupid thing was loud, but I wasn't about to jackhammer up 20 feet of pristine slab!

 

[Dinkshooter]

Way more garage, less house.

 

[MThuntr]

I'd say a good outdoor space for cooking and entertaining would be higher on my list than number of bedrooms. I don't see the need for a bunch of square footage especially if the house is arranged in an open manner...I'm single with childfree friends so I'd rather have room to socialize than have bedrooms that don't get used or imply I want guests

I won't claim to understand heating/cooling but it looks to have been covered.

I'd want a dedicated, temperature controlled space for my reloading/shooting. Another spot for all of my other crap to be organized well

Walk in cooler space & meat processing area which includes sink(s) and countertops.

 

[Alaskajim]

My wife and I are beginning a new home build, and this is probably going to be a lifelong home, so I want to get it right.

The house will be about 5500sqft so we have room to do what we would like to. We will have 2 garages (both attached to the home).

I'm wondering what you would do if you were building? Also, I'm looking for suggestions within the walls of the home, as it's in a residential neighborhood.

Thanks y'all. Looking forward to hearing some of your thoughts!

Build a indoor shooting station that you can shoot a rifle to a outdoor target. Our fairly new house is only 2800sf, all the normal house stuff is on one level for the wife except I have a walk-out basement man cave that has an additional stairway to the garage. It’s SWEET! Way easy to load guns and hunting stuff into the truck. It’s MY space. Got me a 12 yard indoor shooting range, a shooting station to a 325 yard backstop, a fireplace, my reloading stuff, my taxidermy, big screen, bathroom, big windows facing east to a great view, I love it.

 

[Otto Matic]

Worked for an electrician one time.
When we installed a breaker panel on a new build, he mounted a switch box for every bathroom and the kitchen.
In each box, we wired in a GFCI plug. Then you ran your "homerun" from the GFCI to a bathroom or to the kitchen.
Didn't need a buttload of GFCI plugs!
I thought it made the bathrooms look neater.

 

[Fj605]

Overbuild your mechanical systems and electric. More outlets, more lights. Have more plumbing capacity than you need. Be able to push more air around than minimum requirements. Insulation is cheap so use a bunch of it. Lay out all of the systems such that when something goes sideways, it can easily be addressed. Have a plan before you start.

 

[hank4elk]

My last home before here was a 3700sf beauty made by an old friend. I had made his trim/molding and occational cabinet job before this craftsman place came on the market and had made the trim & living room cabinets/bookcases surrounding the fireplace on this one.
We loved the quality of it all. Beechwood floors,high ceilings in main rooms,4 baths & bedrooms,built in bookcases & window seats, wide halls,walk in closets. 32" counters in the huge kitchen... but it was huge.

The ex-SO lives in a condo now and I settled for a ranch for space. LOL

I'll probably never build the barn/house now. Living in a cheap single-wide.But I planned.
Septic for a mansion or 2 homes & enough electrical space to grow & be off grid if needed. Access for trucks or fire rig, easy. 2 good wells.
Built a post/beam barn over the MH and this year adding large front & back porches. Hide the MH...lol.
Container will be the shop now.
Cost of concrete & most materials in NM was way more than I ever dreamed it could get to,and I was a contractor in CA, for most of my life.
Plans.