OT: Homebuilding Tips/Wishes

[Uncle Ruckus]

For those of you who have built before, what’s something you wish you’d have done that could help a fellow dawg out? Something you regret? Something I should consider?
Not a huge house. Less than 2k sf at the moment. Hardy board, one story. Small outdoor kitchen. That’s everything else is your basic open floor plan. Am getting the master closet built to have a large safe in the wall.

 

[Dawgtini]

Storm shelter inside via a trap door.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Storm shelter inside via a trap door.

^^^^This^^^^ plus build a one story, your knees will thank you.....get spray foam insulation, if you have access to Natural Gas, get natural gas range and on demand hot water heater...don’t go cheap on windows..metal roof...make laundry room bigger than you think you will need....foyers and formal dining room are waste of space..... screened in back porch...dual heat pump.

 

[NTDawg]

I haven't built before but if I ever do I will have a built in sauna.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Mentally prepare

For it to take a lot longer than you expected to complete.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

I went with the spray foam back in ‘14 when I built my house. I went with open cell foam throughout instead of the closed cell for the interior roof because closed cell won’t absorb water. I also had hard pipe gas line ran to my back patio for a gas grill if need be and to my stove along with 220 so I could go either/or for the stove. Kinda wished I would have went with a tankless hot water setup. Have two 50 gallon hot water heaters in the attic but yet it takes forever for the water to get hot in certain spots. Just wastes a lot of water waiting on it to get hot.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

1. In the master bedroom. Lots of extra ceiling joists. Everytime the wife wants to rearrange, you have to find a place a new place to hang the swing.

2. More indoor storage. Somewhat important **** melts and gets destroyed over time in attics and sheds.

3. A big garage. 24*24 minimum. A crew cab truck needs 22' these days. Extra width for bikes and crap. I have a neighbor with a 3 car garage with 3-10' wide doors. I am more jealous of him than anyone I know.

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

1. In the master bedroom. Lots of extra ceiling joists. Everytime the wife wants to rearrange, you have to find a place a new place to hang the swing.

2. More indoor storage. Somewhat important **** melts and gets destroyed over time in attics and sheds.

3. A big garage. 24*24 minimum. A crew cab truck needs 22' these days. Extra width for bikes and crap. I have a neighbor with a 3 car garage with 3-10' wide doors. I am more jealous of him than anyone I know.

Two Master Bedrooms! When you turn 60 you will remember this advice and thank me!

 

[T-TownDawgg]

Don't fall for the prestige of the garden tub. Use that space for a bigger shower; go offset entry, curbless so that there's no glass door to keep clean. Very few people ever use that damn tub.

Hire an experienced, reputable contractor.

Don't use metal roofing unless it's standing seam with no exposed fasteners. Otherwise, just do 30 yr architectural shingles.

In the south, don't use 2x6 exterior walls, put that extra money in the attic insulation and some atic exhaust fans.

I'll never use brick again, too much expansive clay where we are.

Don't go cheap on windows.

Put in an oversized 200 amp breaker box for add ons later. Go ahead and bury conduit for any sheds/detached garages or barns while the equipment is on site and your yard is still in shambles.

Don't let the bastards pour concrete in too hot conditions or anything over a 6 inch slump. Request retarder and water reducer. Get good compaction and use steel. If your finisher says the fiber is just as good, get someone else who isn't a liar.

Pex tubing is good, with the right connections and plumber. Use 1/4 turn shutoffs. Chair height, elongated bowl toilets or nothing. Do a central manifold; it's like a central breaker box for all plumbing fixtures. Don't under any circumstances do the electric tankless water heaters. Natural gas or LP for those only.

Have fun, stock up on booze. Don't be scared to make changes if it doesn't come together just how you thought, because some things won't. You're gonna tie up with the wife; choose your battles and remember it's just a house, yall make it a home.

 

[bulldogcountry1]

Spray foam insulation

Zoned HVAC and/or two independent units. Having two units has been a life saver when one goes out.

Tankless water heater

Should have put a washer/dryer in the master closet

USB outlets everywhere

Soundproofing insulation in interior walls.

Solid core interior doors to further help with sound.

 

[Bass Chaser]

In this now.
cheaper to find a builder owned lot and custom build.

Next what are your must haves.
Here's ours:
Garage-3 car;1 door is 20' wide but garage is 24x28 other 12' x 28'. Need to store boat.
Master bedroom away from kitchen other rooms.
Large screened in patio. We went as far as looking which way the sun would set so we would have shade in the evening.

Large den.

Don't skimp on windows or insulation. Double insulated, Low E windows.Radiant barrier decking.

Also doing a JNH infrared sauna.

 

[missouridawg]

We built about 6 years ago. Wanted to do a few modifications, but the re-drawing costs, which could’ve been flushed into the loan, scared us off. We regret not spending that money.

 

[missouridawg]

1. In the master bedroom. Lots of extra ceiling joists. Everytime the wife wants to rearrange, you have to find a place a new place to hang the swing.

2. More indoor storage. Somewhat important **** melts and gets destroyed over time in attics and sheds.

3. A big garage. 24*24 minimum. A crew cab truck needs 22' these days. Extra width for bikes and crap. I have a neighbor with a 3 car garage with 3-10' wide doors. I am more jealous of him than anyone I know.

I wish we got a wider garage too. Both cars fit in it just fine, but the doors don’t swing all the way open and it drives me insane.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

You can install recirculation manifolds on farthest fixture from the water heater that will cure the long wait on hot water.

 

[dawgoneyall]

About to build retirement house...
Geothermal, safe room, foam insulation
Still deciding on conventional vs slab....at my age may go slab and lets the poor suckers worry about stuff later.

 

[jdbulldog]

have built 4 homes over the years.....safe room/storm shelter inside the home, spray foam insulation, insulated interior walls with batte insulation for soundproofing, oversized garage, natural gas if available, be sure your area has high speed internet, solid wood interior doors are not necessary, be sure your soil can accommodate your type of foundation, do not skimp on windows, my preference is typical architectural shingle roof...do not care for metal roof, use hardee board and brick, luxury vinyl tile is a great floor product, quartz countertops, do not skimp on faucets/commodes, and finally you must hire someone with an impeccable set of credentials to build your home....pay them more and do not look back. Many people go cheap on plumbing and electrical materials and labor...huge mistake.

 

[mstateglfr]

Multiple posters have mentioned a safe room- what sort of lifestyles are yall living?

 

[stateguy]

No one feel like generator is a must? Or at least have plan/connection for in the future?

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Multiple posters have mentioned a safe room- what sort of lifestyles are yall living?

Not a panic room... A Safe Room... As in where you might use a safe word. What kind of lifestyle are you living to not know that...sheesh.

View attachment 16278

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

No one feel like generator is a must? Or at least have plan/connection for in the future?

Amperage too high. New a feller that burnt his wife's pepperonis right off when he hooked up the nipple clamps to a Generac... We are talking about the "safe room" right?

 

[tab10]

Two ethernet drops in every room. If not every room, at minimum where your streaming devices and office will be located.

I’d also drop run network cables to locations along the exterior of the house for POE security cameras.

Terminate everything in a well ventilated network closest.

 

[Bulldog from Birth]

I built one a few years ago. Here are my tips.

1. If this is going to be a “forever home” or “most of your life home” then this rule applies. If you have to go cheap on things, do it for what can be upgraded later. I would sacrifice things like the best flooring, high end lighting, etc if that’s what it takes to get the ideal floor plan, garage size and square footage you want. Those things are very difficult to change later. Lighting is easy.

2. One thing I didn’t think about was garden hose water faucet outlets off the house. I modified a 2.5 car garage to a big 3 car garage. And it shifted the garden hose outlet a lot farther from the house than I wanted. And it was too late to add one when I noticed.

3. The style nowadays is smaller bedrooms except for the master. The size that are a bit tight for a double and crazy cramped for a queen. I’d have built all the non master bedrooms big enough to comfort able fit a queen set if I did it again. Whether it’s for a comfortable guest room, or planning for married kids coming home in 15 years, the day might come that it pays off. This was my biggest regret.

4. 8 foot doors are the best. But if it’s a small house with 8 ft ceilings, then obviously not feasible.

5. We had a computer nook on the hallway to our master bedroom. It was real nice having that mini office option that didn’t take up a full bedroom if you needed bedrooms for other purposes.

6. As someone else mentioned, adding a couple or so feet to the standard garage length and width is really ideal.

7. I had Ethernet network line run from my router spot to a few key points in the house. Was nice for hardwiring 2-3 internet lines/routers.

8. I routed coax and phone line to my master bathroom to set up a tv in there.

9. If you have a porch for an outdoor kitchen, make sure to at a minimum set up the Natural gas, electric plugins, and layout for a future outdoor kitchen space. Even if you don’t install it with the home build.

10. Double oven is very nice if the kitchen has the room.

 

[Sutterkane]

Consider this when building https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkfAcWpOYAA

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Two ethernet drops in every room. If not every room, at minimum where your streaming devices and office will be located.

I’d also drop run network cables to locations along the exterior of the house for POE security cameras.

Terminate everything in a well ventilated network closest.

I don't think I would waste my time with running ethernet everywhere. Wireless is the future, but even if it's not, cat 5 or whatever we use today will probably be obsolete down the road. I have a house built 25 years ago that has 35 rj11 phone jacks scattered around. They are useless as tits on a bull.

Maybe a few wall plates in strategic locations with some plastic conduit run behind it into the attic popping up above the insulation. At that point you can run cat5, speaker wires, HDMI, coax, or whatever you want, whenever you want in a matter of minutes down the road.

 

[mstateglfr]

Not a panic room... A Safe Room... As in where you might use a safe word. What kind of lifestyle are you living to not know that...sheesh.

View attachment 16278

Thanks for the explanation. I dont live in Madison, so I didn't pick up on that.

 

[kramer_192]

Lots of great stuff above. One thing I have is an outside shower. Won’t have a house without one. Great for washing myself or kids that get filthy and don’t want to bring it inside.

 

[Choctaw Dawg]

Do not put anything off that you want done. Remember nothing is a permanent as a temporary solution, so anything you might put off will never get done and the wife will ***** and moan until it gets done within 2-3 months of living in the new house.

 

[$altyDawg]

^^^^Absolutely. Going through that right now.

ETA: Especially if you hire the subcontractors yourself. Save some $$$, but add some headaches.

 

[40 acres and a mule]

For it to take a lot longer than you expected to complete.

This. It can be insanely frustrating. Get quotes from more than one builder. Be prepared to run the first, and maybe the second, builder off.

 

[fedxdog]

For street appeal, make sure slab is off the ground...an extra row of block add height and make it much easier to landscape...trust me. For resale alone, street appeal is important. Ease of maintenance was my priority outside...brick, hardiboard, fiberglass doors, fiberglass columns, pvc boards for window trim.
Lots of good ideas on this thread...but make sure to plan on 20% cost overrun.

 

[archdog]

Storm shelter inside via a trap door.

Actually it is better to design the storm shelter as part of the house. I would typically design it as my closet in the middle of the house. Day to day, you wouldn't notice any difference, but the construction can be hardened pretty easily and it would blend into the architecture.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

We’re screening in an area of the front porch that will wrap around to the master br.
Doing 1 story.
We’re on the coast so strong windows are a must.
Not doing a storm shelter. Just don’t really have tornadoes where we are located.
I’m trying to save on costs and have no idea if we have access to natural gas, but why does everyone say use it? Is it cheaper in the long run? No foyer. We will enter through the laundry/mud room and the front door will enter right into the living room.
Open floor plan so dining room and kitchen will be basically the same room separated by an island

 

[mississippiheel]

I have 26 by 36 triple garage.Gas stove.Hidden room for goodies.I wired my house with all in one cable{cable coax, telephone,internet}all terminates to one box in laundry room.Use led can lights.

 

[aTotal360]

Built-in shampoo dispenser at the kitchen sink.**

 

[cristilmethod]

In this now.
cheaper to find a builder owned lot and custom build.

Next what are your must haves.
Here's ours:
Garage-3 car;1 door is 20' wide but garage is 24x28 other 12' x 28'. Need to store boat.
Master bedroom away from kitchen other rooms.
Large screened in patio. We went as far as looking which way the sun would set so we would have shade in the evening.

Large den.

Don't skimp on windows or insulation. Double insulated, Low E windows.Radiant barrier decking.

Also doing a JNH infrared sauna.

Are builders willing to give up lots for sale in many cases? Or will they only sell to you with the agreement that they will do your build?

 

[Crazy Cotton]

this was really interesting

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Multiple posters have mentioned a safe room- what sort of lifestyles are yall living?

You may have heard them referred to as tarnada shaleters.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

If I had it to do over again, absolutely home-run CAT6e from living spaces and bedrooms back to a closet and make that closet the point of demarc for internet. Put in a switch. Wire everything that can be wired. It's cheap during construction and a pita if done later, until we get homes wired with fiber, twisted pair copper to RJ45 is going to be around.

 

[The Peeper]

Yep, especially during deer season when you don't see subcontractors for days at a time

 

[RocketDawg]

^^^^This^^^^ plus build a one story, your knees will thank you.....get spray foam insulation, if you have access to Natural Gas, get natural gas range and on demand hot water heater...don’t go cheap on windows..metal roof...make laundry room bigger than you think you will need....foyers and formal dining room are waste of space..... screened in back porch...dual heat pump.

Very true. 30 years ago when we built our house, it wasn't a problem; now, it's getting more and more difficult going up and down stairs. At the very least, have the master bedroom on the first floor.

Spray foam is really good but expensive. But might as well do it in new construction; it's basically impossible to do later. And definitely don't go cheap on windows - Andersen is good, Marvin is better but more expensive.

Roofing: Don't just go with 20-year shingles. 45-50 year are much heavier and better, and don't cost much more. Labor is the big thing in roofing. Don't know what code is wherever you are, but use drip-edge flashing around the edges, use ice and water protection that extends a couple of feet back from the edge. Special ridge shingles look and are a lot better than just using regular shingles. I used copper flashing all around because it lasts forever and looks better where you can see it. But it's pretty expensive. Use ridge vents and plenty of soffit vents.

Basically, you don't want to do something you plan on replacing later (e.g., use tile instead of sheet flooring in the kitchen, bathrooms, etc.) if you can afford to do it now.

Basically, build it as well as you can afford, but upper end stuff adds a lot to a house.