Any you cats have the thread where everyone was chiming in on what they'd put in their new home if given the opportunity?

I couldn't remember if it was the OB or Home Improvement board. If you wouldnt mind posting the link if you've got it saved, I'll gladly award you 1 million Internet points and a firm congratulatory slap on the buttocks should we ever have the pleasure of meeting in person.

Gonna start looking at building sometime next year (hopefully) and wanted to read through all the great ideas, to make sure I didn't overlook something during the planning phase.

TIA!!

I would make sure you have an "IT" closet where all telecommunication lines are head-ended. This includes having a full 42U rack. This was you can cable/TV/internet/home automation from one location and distribute to your heart's content anywhere in the house.

For closets, I would have light switches built into the frame of the door, so that when you open the closet, light comes on automatically.

Plan a good spot for your gun safe(s).

Sailor said:

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This includes having a full 42U rack.

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We are in the middle of the plan design with our architect and he mentioned that this is very common to do in custom houses now. We are lucky and will have a basement with a mechanical room for all those goodies.

Im interested in the thread about stuff not to forget too. We've been working on the design since late August and I'm terrified Im going to leave something out and kick myself later.

Safe Room
Master Suite, not just master bedroom
Cat6/Coax run everywhere and back to a central spot. A 42U rack is a bit much in my opinion. Plenty of other options
1 1/2 depth garages
Multizone HVAC
Outlets and lights in the soffit
Covered patios

I am sure I'll think of more.

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For closets, I would have light switches built into the frame of the door, so that when you open the closet, light comes on automatically.

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I like this idea as long as there is an override. I also like pocket doors.

Sailor said:

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For closets, I would have light switches built into the frame of the door, so that when you open the closet, light comes on automatically.

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You could just install motion sensing light switches. I had one put in the closet in my master bedroom...it is awesome...walk in and the lights come on...walk out and they go off in a couple of minutes.



And here's the link...I'll take those million internet points, but you can keep the butt slap to yourself...

https://texags.com/forums/61/topics/2819806

apparently there are more threads like this...

https://texags.com/forums/61/topics/2713385

Metal roof.

As simple a roof design as possible maximizing ridge vent.

A utility slop sink in the garage plumbed with hot water.

Epoxy painted garage floor.

Painted OSB in the garage on the walls instead of sheetrock so you can hang stuff without finding a stud.

In-drawer receptacle on your wife's side of bathroom vanity for her hair driers, curling irons, etc.

ConstructionAg01 said:

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A utility slop sink in the garage plumbed with hot water.

Epoxy painted garage floor.

Painted OSB in the garage on the walls instead of sheetrock so you can hang stuff without finding a stud.

In-drawer receptacle on your wife's side of bathroom vanity for her hair driers, curling irons, etc.

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Exterior spigot with hot water

a 50x100 shop with a bed in the corner?

Wait.. does my wife need to be happy too?

Hot water hose bib by garage door.

We remodeled a house last year and put a urinal in the master. It's awesome and I wish I had one put in the pool bathroom too. We also put in a whole home surge protector. We get a lot of compliments on our front door, which is a pivot door.

Deats said:

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ConstructionAg01 said:

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A utility slop sink in the garage plumbed with hot water.

Epoxy painted garage floor.

Painted OSB in the garage on the walls instead of sheetrock so you can hang stuff without finding a stud.

In-drawer receptacle on your wife's side of bathroom vanity for her hair driers, curling irons, etc.

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Exterior spigot with hot water

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This!!!

Can we see your front door?

Speaking of metal roofs. My wife wants to eventually replace our roof with a metal one.

The long established roofer I use recommended against them because they have had complaints of cell signals going down. Does anyone with a metal roof have any complaints about your cell service?

Kinda. Mine is reduced some. But you can simply put in a signal booster or use WiFi so I never notice it.

If I want to stream the Aggie game on the toilet in the back corner of the house over cell service I would be complaining. But I work from home and have no problem with my actual phone call, email or texting services.

The minute you finish the 50x100 you'll wish it was 70x100.

Make your hallway to bedrooms or ANYWHERE with lots of furniture wide as f***. My wife looked at me like I was nuts for wanting 5' wide hallways. Now we only wish we would've gone for 6. Makes moving crap in and out so easy, especially because she likes to put pictures all over the hallway wall.

Also, double front doors. You'll use it about once a year. When you do, you will smile knowing it was all worth it.

Lastly- covered porch / outdoor hangout area. We have a ~ 80x10 ft covered porch and it's the tits for any kind of gathering. Again, we only wish sometimes we'd have gone bigger.

Not sure on metal roofs, but I know that radiant barriers can block some cell signals. The old house that my friends and I rented had radiant barrier and neither sprint or Verizon worked inside the house. AT&T worked just enough to get texts and phone calls.

One thing I'd like would be to have a waterproof floor in each bathroom sloping into a drain. If the bathtub or the toilet overflows, let the water go down the drain instead of flooding everything else. Or if a pipe breaks or leaks in the bathroom. Read up on "wet rooms".

One thing you could find in some old fashioned houses is that each bedroom has a sink so that the inhabitants can do things like shave and brush their hair without having to occupy the shared bathroom to get ready in the morning.

I've seen one house that had both a full bathroom and a half bath upstairs. Their idea was to have a place for someone to go to the toilet while the full bathroom is occupied. Alternatively, you could have the toilet area separate from the bathroom as is supposedly common in France.

We have a massive covered, screened porch and it is greatness.

Are we talking about having a custom home built on property? Then in that case I'd have the shop and at one end have a concession type roll up door from which you could put a shooting bench. That way you could develop a load, roll up the door, and test it all within 10 minutes.

agenjake said:

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The minute you finish the 50x100 you'll wish it was 70x100.

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I know someone who built a very large shop behind his house. When asked why he made it so big he said it was because he had never heard anyone say "I wish I had built a smaller shop".

Ol Jock 99 said:

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We have a massive covered, screened porch and it is greatness.

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When I was a kid, at lunchtime in the summer we'd often get off the tractors and go to my grandmothers house for lunch. She had a long, but not wide, screened porch and we'd all sit in there and eat. My younger brother and I would sit toward the far end and read (newspapers, Life, and Time) while my grandmother and my parents sat at the other end and talked.

There was a window above the kitchen sink that went to the screened porch. That was really nice because she could pass the food through the window instead of carrying it around.

Walk in shower.

My builder looked at me like I was crazy when I told him to remove the jacuzzi tub and put in a 4'x10' shower. It has been worth every penny.

Tx-Ag2010 said:

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Walk in shower.

My builder looked at me like I was crazy when I told him to remove the jacuzzi tub and put in a 4'x10' shower. It has been worth every penny.

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With the wet room idea, the shower is really just a matter of putting in a couple of dividers if the drain is where you want the shower. The room is already waterproof.

Wet rooms are supposedly pretty common with really small bathrooms in Europe. There are no walls -- the entire bathroom becomes the shower.

Tx-Ag2010 said:

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Walk in shower.

My builder looked at me like I was crazy when I told him to remove the jacuzzi tub and put in a 4'x10' shower. It has been worth every penny.

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Ah, we have one about that size. I didn't include it in my post, so apparently I take it for granted. But a must have in my opinion.

We made every doorway in our house wheelchair accessible.

Didnt build two story because of the potential for a disability to limit access to the whole house.

Did 2x6 exterior wall in the kitchen to give a big window ledge for plants.

Spray in foam insulation in the attic is highly recommended. They can do around your windows and doors (and entire walls if you wish -$$ so we just did the roof and windows).

High energy efficiency windows. Combine those with foam insulation and a high quality hvac- utility bills are crazy low.

We have a cell booster, works like a champ / saw that earlier in the thread.

Outdoor grill, sink, small outdoor kitchen.

Man cave if you can swing it, or at least a large walk in closet for storing all your gear and safes and such.

Epoxy garage floor done by a commercial group - better prep, longevity, warranty.

Fluorescent lighting in garage.

Extra garage space w built in counter space and cabinets for storage and work bench.

Large cubby storage on walls above where you park the car and truck to store misc large outdoor gear.

Multiple shower heads in the master shower.

Larger and wider driveway and concrete apron than you think you'll need. Trust me, you won't regret extra driveway space.

Mosquito misting system - this thing is nails - hammers those suckers.

We had to put in a whole home water filtration unit last year because the muni water supply was so terrible. I fought the red bc the bid was steep but finally went all in. Basically bottled water flows out of all fixtures inside the house. It's so awesome wish we had done it sooner. Wouldn't have done it if we didn't have such terrible chronic issues. Muni water supply and their leadership can stick it.

We love our house. 6 years in and wouldn't change anything! Good luck OP!

An Edinburgh press.

Note that if you Google "Edinburgh Press" you get lots of links about publishing. Look at the images instead.

What the images don't show is that an Edinburgh Press will traditionally have a door in front and so when the door is closed it looks like a door to another room.

Assuming you live in South Texas, how about an outdoor shower?

Whole home nat gas generator. If it isn't in the budget at least get the transfer switch added now so genny hook up is easier in the future.

Nat gas valves outdoors for grill, fryer, outdoor heater, etc.

Sailor said:

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I would make sure you have an "IT" closet

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We just built. Good suggestions above and a few more:

I built an air conditioned room off the garage strictly for my safe, hunting gear, gun cleaning, fly tying, reel cleaning, etc.

Added extra hose bib faucets

Outdoor shower with hot water. More for washing dogs than anything else

Towel warmer in master bath

Huge pantry with countertop space. Put all you small appliances- blender, toaster, in there and out of sight.

Add at least one huge closet. You'll always need closer space

Secret room

Multiple endless water heaters

2x6 exterior walls with spray foam

Extra plywood decking in attic

Multiple WiFi hubs through out house and patio

Sound dampening for the bedrooms, bathrooms, and media/game rooms. Studs and drywall is like the old paper cups and string 'phone.'

Decouple with foam tape on the studs, use QuietRock(Sheetrock sandwiched with acoustic green glue in the middle) on one side of the wall, put rock wool insulation in those walls, acoustic caulk on the QuietRock side at the seams, junction boxes, and top and bottom, use solid core doors. If two story you can decouple from the floor joists with foam tape and use mass loaded vinyl under the flooring.

Acoustic windows.
http://www.hgtv.com/remodel/mechanical-systems/acoustic-windows

http://www.supersoundproofingsales.com/Tapes/products/23/
https://www.quietrock.com/products