Building a New House
- Thread starter djcubby
- Start date
I'll add in closet organization (shelving) to this as well. Best time to do it is before you move in since you won't have any clothes to work around.
If the builder doesn't already do it, use someone like Custom Organized Spaces in Urbandale. You'll be able to get so much more into your closets than just the wire shelves and rods.
www.customorganizedspaces.com
Make sure and heat the garage. Then you can have a hose faucet in there that you don't have to worry about freezing. Good for washing the car or hosing off the driveway. Wiring isn't as important as it used to be just because most new setups are wireless.
I would put an outlet in the ceiling in your basement just in case you ever want to hang a projector. Also, our contractor put an outlet under the eves outside to plug in Christmas lights and then ran that to a switch inside. So no going out to plug in the lights in the cold.
For HVAC, we're all electric other than fireplace and range and have been happy with that.
I would put an outlet in the ceiling in your basement just in case you ever want to hang a projector. Also, our contractor put an outlet under the eves outside to plug in Christmas lights and then ran that to a switch inside. So no going out to plug in the lights in the cold.
For HVAC, we're all electric other than fireplace and range and have been happy with that.
If we had it to do over again...
I would do 9' walls in the basement. We have only 8'. That extra height would have been nice.
I love our zone heating. We did two zones (up and main). Only thought there would be adding the basement as a third zone. Not sure how often that is done.
We put outdoor speakers on our deck and wired it for TV. It is awesome to sit outside on a college football Saturday and watch a game. I wish we would have wired our family room for sound too. If I had it to do over again, that is something I would do.
I also wired a TV outlet in our garage. I wish I would have wired in speakers there too. I can't tell you the number of times I am working out there and wished I had music or a game on.
We just went with our contractor's window choice. I wish we would have went to the showroom and saw them in person. Huge mistake on our part. I wish we would have gotten better windows. Ours are energy efficient but they pop and crack in the wind. Annoys the **** out of me.
Do your cabinets right. You can always replace carpet/flooring but cabinets are very expensive to replace down the road. We put in some double drawers in our kitchen because we liked the width. However, when opening them, we usually only grab one handle. We have had issues with the handle coming loose, etc. I wish we would have just put in single-width drawers.
Wire in under-cabinet lights. We also have lights at the bottom of the walls on our stairways, which is very handy.
Just as well pour a patio when they are pouring your driveway and sidewalks. It is too much of a pain to have them come back and do it - tear up your yard, etc. Speaking of driveways, they will probably pour one that is not much bigger than the width of your door opening. Makes it very tight for two cars to park out there. I would have them pour a driveway the width of the actual garage.
If you are doing a open concept dining area, watch where they put the wiring for the chandelier. Our floor plan is pretty open so the kitchen, dining area and living room are really one big room. They wired for the chandelier in the center of the dining area as per the floorplan but part of the dining area is a walkway between the kitchen. So the center of the room on the floorplan isn't exactly where we would put the table.
We put in recessed lights in the master bedroom, family room, and kitchen. Really glad we did that.
If you have any questions, send me a PM. I would be happy to give any advice I can.
I would do 9' walls in the basement. We have only 8'. That extra height would have been nice.
I love our zone heating. We did two zones (up and main). Only thought there would be adding the basement as a third zone. Not sure how often that is done.
We put outdoor speakers on our deck and wired it for TV. It is awesome to sit outside on a college football Saturday and watch a game. I wish we would have wired our family room for sound too. If I had it to do over again, that is something I would do.
I also wired a TV outlet in our garage. I wish I would have wired in speakers there too. I can't tell you the number of times I am working out there and wished I had music or a game on.
We just went with our contractor's window choice. I wish we would have went to the showroom and saw them in person. Huge mistake on our part. I wish we would have gotten better windows. Ours are energy efficient but they pop and crack in the wind. Annoys the **** out of me.
Do your cabinets right. You can always replace carpet/flooring but cabinets are very expensive to replace down the road. We put in some double drawers in our kitchen because we liked the width. However, when opening them, we usually only grab one handle. We have had issues with the handle coming loose, etc. I wish we would have just put in single-width drawers.
Wire in under-cabinet lights. We also have lights at the bottom of the walls on our stairways, which is very handy.
Just as well pour a patio when they are pouring your driveway and sidewalks. It is too much of a pain to have them come back and do it - tear up your yard, etc. Speaking of driveways, they will probably pour one that is not much bigger than the width of your door opening. Makes it very tight for two cars to park out there. I would have them pour a driveway the width of the actual garage.
If you are doing a open concept dining area, watch where they put the wiring for the chandelier. Our floor plan is pretty open so the kitchen, dining area and living room are really one big room. They wired for the chandelier in the center of the dining area as per the floorplan but part of the dining area is a walkway between the kitchen. So the center of the room on the floorplan isn't exactly where we would put the table.
We put in recessed lights in the master bedroom, family room, and kitchen. Really glad we did that.
If you have any questions, send me a PM. I would be happy to give any advice I can.
Dungeon, everyone needs a Dungeon.
Things our new house has that I didn't have before but really like:
1. in floor heating in basement, main floor and 2nd floor bed room. All zoned so can set different temps (I keep basement warmer and 2nd floor cooler). Also have infloor heating in my shop which is really nice when working out there in the winter.
2. A hot and cold water faucet outside and in garage. Hot water is awesome when using the power washer.
3. 25 foot high ceiling in the living and dining room.
I am glad our new house is built somewhere where we don't need sump pumps. Growing up we never had sumps pumps, my house is Des Moines didn't have a sump pump, my house in Ames didn't have a sump pump and new house in Baxter doesn't have a sump pump and they all have one thing in common - never had water in the basement.
Things our new house has that I didn't have before but really like:
1. in floor heating in basement, main floor and 2nd floor bed room. All zoned so can set different temps (I keep basement warmer and 2nd floor cooler). Also have infloor heating in my shop which is really nice when working out there in the winter.
2. A hot and cold water faucet outside and in garage. Hot water is awesome when using the power washer.
3. 25 foot high ceiling in the living and dining room.
I am glad our new house is built somewhere where we don't need sump pumps. Growing up we never had sumps pumps, my house is Des Moines didn't have a sump pump, my house in Ames didn't have a sump pump and new house in Baxter doesn't have a sump pump and they all have one thing in common - never had water in the basement.
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Go with taller ceilings if doable. I'd go no less than 10' on the main and 9' in the basement. Makes a big difference.
I had outdoor outlets wired in the soffits at the end of each level of the house to plug in Christmas lights. Just string them out and plug them in. We have a switch in the closet by our entry that controls those outlets. Nice to not worry about extension cords, etc.
I insulated my garage and am so glad I did. I keep bottled water on a shelf out there and it doesn't freeze.
Also, highly recommend a central vac system. Even if you didn't want to put it in, you could have the house set up for it. If you do it, I would get a hose and attachment for each level. Don't have to worry about carting them around the house.
I insulated my garage and am so glad I did. I keep bottled water on a shelf out there and it doesn't freeze.
Also, highly recommend a central vac system. Even if you didn't want to put it in, you could have the house set up for it. If you do it, I would get a hose and attachment for each level. Don't have to worry about carting them around the house.
I was going to say kitchen pantry as well. That is something I want for the future retirement home.
Multiple sump pumps in Bondurant (as previously stated)
Gas line to garage for heating (be sure to insulate the garage)
ceiling fans in bedrooms / living room (some builders don't show these in all rooms)
pour your driveway and extra 18" to 24" wide
south facing home is great in the winter
Gas line to garage for heating (be sure to insulate the garage)
ceiling fans in bedrooms / living room (some builders don't show these in all rooms)
pour your driveway and extra 18" to 24" wide
south facing home is great in the winter
Things I recommend as an architect:
-Breakfast niche/appiance garage in the kitchen. Either a tambor door or pivot/pocketing doors on top of a countertop where you keep your toaster, coffee maker, blender and etc ready to go. Keep clutter/toaster crumbs hidden when you have people stop by. Clients love them.
-Lots of drawers instead of doors in the kitchen. If the kitchen is big enough, do enough drawers to eliminate upper cabinets above your counters. Sounds crazy, but everyone I've converted to this loves it, including me. Instead of uppers, give yourself a wall of full height pantry space, fridge, wall oven etc.
-A powder room. It's awesome to have a bathroom you know will always be clean when company arrives, with no medicine cabinet for them to look through.
-Large windows in the basement. Create large combined window wells (more than one window per well) if you don't have a walk-out lot. Doubles the space in a good way and takes care of any egress requirements. Can be terraced for planting so you're not looking at corrugated metal, block, etc.
-3 car garage... Mine is only 2 now, and I really, really miss the extra bay.
-Roxul mineral wool insulation. Fiberglass sucks... Roxul isn't that much more, is essentially fireproof, easy to install and better performing. We even use it in bedroom walls, floors and ceilings for sound insulation.
-Key/mail niche inside the entrance you use most. We file our mail as it comes in. Great for a place to set stuff down while first coming inside.
-Breakfast niche/appiance garage in the kitchen. Either a tambor door or pivot/pocketing doors on top of a countertop where you keep your toaster, coffee maker, blender and etc ready to go. Keep clutter/toaster crumbs hidden when you have people stop by. Clients love them.
-Lots of drawers instead of doors in the kitchen. If the kitchen is big enough, do enough drawers to eliminate upper cabinets above your counters. Sounds crazy, but everyone I've converted to this loves it, including me. Instead of uppers, give yourself a wall of full height pantry space, fridge, wall oven etc.
-A powder room. It's awesome to have a bathroom you know will always be clean when company arrives, with no medicine cabinet for them to look through.
-Large windows in the basement. Create large combined window wells (more than one window per well) if you don't have a walk-out lot. Doubles the space in a good way and takes care of any egress requirements. Can be terraced for planting so you're not looking at corrugated metal, block, etc.
-3 car garage... Mine is only 2 now, and I really, really miss the extra bay.
-Roxul mineral wool insulation. Fiberglass sucks... Roxul isn't that much more, is essentially fireproof, easy to install and better performing. We even use it in bedroom walls, floors and ceilings for sound insulation.
-Key/mail niche inside the entrance you use most. We file our mail as it comes in. Great for a place to set stuff down while first coming inside.
djcubby, we are about 30 days from moving into our house. I'm happy to send you plans (or look at yours) for things if you are interested. I have really liked working with our builder so if you are interested in sample contracts/timelines (I know you can't build with ours but to get an idea of things to look for/ask about) I have those as well.
About to head out so short post - are you doing two-story or ranch and are you finishing the basement?
With the lot, treat it like looking at a house. Go multiple times on different days, see what's around you, the activity - make sure the builder sees the lot(s) you are interested in as well. They can tell you what is possible as far as walk out basements, septic location (if applicable), etc.
Check DCI maps to look at elevations and flood zone stuff. You don't want that!
About to head out so short post - are you doing two-story or ranch and are you finishing the basement?
With the lot, treat it like looking at a house. Go multiple times on different days, see what's around you, the activity - make sure the builder sees the lot(s) you are interested in as well. They can tell you what is possible as far as walk out basements, septic location (if applicable), etc.
Check DCI maps to look at elevations and flood zone stuff. You don't want that!
If you are buying a walkout lot, extend the foundation under one or more of the garage stalls and have a garage door in the back yard to access the area under the garage.. You can then store your mower and other equipment there instead of your main garage.
couple quick things I think we will like - counter in mud/laundry room right as we enter from garage. Place for keys, mail, potential pet bowls underneath, and an outlet for charging items.
Large pantry in corner of kitchen - project manager who has similar floorplan says some of their cabinets aren't even used because so much fits in the pantry. There's also a plug and smaller counter in there - serves as the appliance garage mentioned by someone else upthread.
Large pantry in corner of kitchen - project manager who has similar floorplan says some of their cabinets aren't even used because so much fits in the pantry. There's also a plug and smaller counter in there - serves as the appliance garage mentioned by someone else upthread.
As others have said- I will add to:
- If it is a housing area with no trees DO NOT have a east facing house because with no trees in the afternoon the back yard is unbearable in the summer time- we never use our back yard because of this which is a real shame because we have an awesome back yard.
- Gas/hot water/cold water/floor drain/tv jacks/speaker jacks/insulating in garage.
- Power outlets in soffit for christmas lights.
- Can lights in soffit around house for accent lighting.
- In-wall tap for beer in basement man cave.
- Sounds like Bounderant has water problems in basements.... be sure to have a battery backup sump pump.
- If it is a housing area with no trees DO NOT have a east facing house because with no trees in the afternoon the back yard is unbearable in the summer time- we never use our back yard because of this which is a real shame because we have an awesome back yard.
- Gas/hot water/cold water/floor drain/tv jacks/speaker jacks/insulating in garage.
- Power outlets in soffit for christmas lights.
- Can lights in soffit around house for accent lighting.
- In-wall tap for beer in basement man cave.
- Sounds like Bounderant has water problems in basements.... be sure to have a battery backup sump pump.
