A few years ago there was a website that listed things to include when building a new house. It listed the little things that always get forgotten, such as a switched exterior outlet for Christmas lights, etc. Do anyone know of such a site, or can we start our own list? We’re breaking ground soon and I don’t want forget the details!
Thanks,
James
Replies
Shootis
Do a search, that very topic was discussed here in the last month or two. Some good ideas if I remember correctly.
Doug
I just recall that the topic was on what extras that you would put into a house. Still some good ideas if you are planning on building
Edited 8/8/2003 9:46:16 PM ET by Doug@es
Besides all the hot tips you'll be getting here, remember the most important will be things that you've sometimes wished were there to make your life a bit easier.
Here's one if you're in a rural area. Get a 3 way switch for some exterior lighting up in your bedroom.
best of luck.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
When I was 19 I wired a 6,300 sq.' home (My dad owned a plumbing, heating, and electrical business) and the had ALL their outside lights 3-wayed and 4-wayed into the Master Bedroom. I think there was something like 12 switches in a row. I labeled them all.
Maybe this is more obvious than in the past, but my one suggestion is to be sure to stick the washer/dryer on the same level as the bedroom.
And please not off of the kitchen (washer/dryers). Why haul all the laundry down the hall, through the kitchen, into the laundry room, and then out of the laundry, through the kitchen, and into the bedrooms.
Because that's a convenient spot to check on the laundry. You have to walk from the bedrooms to the laundry once to carry the dirty laundry in, and once to carry it back. If the laundry room is near the bedrooms, you have to walk back and forth several times to see if the washer is done, then transfer the load and go back again several times to check if it's dry. So, its a lot more trips. And, it makes noise when someone is trying to sleep, so you can't do laundry at night.
It also means you have to schlep the dirtiest, muddiest laundry back to the bedrooms. With the laundry near the kitchen, you can just come in from the garage, strip off your snow- or mud-covered clothes on the hard, easy to clean floor, leaving it in a pile in the laundry room and not track all that mess through the house.
The point is, you don't have to put it in any particular place just because "that's where they put it". Put it where it works best for you.
Don't know if anyone mentioned this but it's good to take photos of all wiring before walls are closed up. Basically a photo of anything that later you'll need to know what's underneath.
A while back I redid my entertainment wall, insulated and opened up to receive cabinets and a built-in entertainment center.
It's been a year and I'm now getting back to finishing the center. I couldn't remember if the speaker wires I installed were high or low in the opposite ends of the walls.
I remembered it was around the holidays we took some photos before I closed it up and sure enough it showed the wire's.
Now I take a lot of pictures for my clients and leave them an album when the job's done. I keep a copy for myself for my records.
Edited 8/11/2003 5:09:56 PM ET by Bob
This may have been mentioned - I don't have time right now to read every post.
On a long paved driveway run, we put 2" PVC pipe under the driveway every 50 feet. It was great when we decided to run an alarm system out to the barn and later when we put in a sprinkler system.
Total investment, about $30, time saved later . . . . priceless.
Greg.
Indoor plumbing is high on my list.
<G>
How about this one:
http://www.userfriendlyhome.com/uhf5.html
Edited 8/9/2003 1:58:16 AM ET by Talking Dog
I remember a good past discussion on this, but could not locate it by a search. So, here are a few ideas to trigger your thought.
You wore me out. I'm all out of ideas. Good luck and have fun!
A lot of those ideas are in Build it Right, but some are not. I've printed this out for my dream house ideas file.
Now, can you explain a little why cement planking is your choice for siding? It's perfect for my purposes for a couple reasons, but I'd like to hear yours.
First I must say fiber cement is not cheap. Having said that, though, I used it because it's low maintenance and more attractive than vinyl. Since the material takes paint well, and does not shrink or swell with changes in moisture, the paint, if properly applied, should last a good long time. The prep work should be a piece of cake, since there won't be any peeling, so I should be able to just give it a good wash when ready to repaint. I used Hardie Shingle on my home because it was appropriate for the style.
It won't rot, burn, or get eaten by insects. But, it's the low maintenance and the appearance that sold me.
Gee, I hadn't thought about the painting part. I think it looks rather handsome just as raw cement or with some natural finish.
It does look good raw. But the manufacturer (if you choose James Hardie) requires that it be painted.
Well, I suppose that is because of the way acid rain eats through cement.
Nevertheless, I know somebody who has a house that's 15 years old with raw cement planks on the outside and nary a problem. Still looks good. Actually, it looks better than the surrounding houses with their fancy finishes--maybe because it ages gracefully.
I know that James Hardie and Cemplank both make a prefinished cement siding product that does come in a "stained wood" finish. The condo project that I was running had it installed because the owner demanded having a "wood" finish. His club house was a clear redwood which could not hold up in our desert climate. The cement siding siding that comes factory finished cost more initially but saved us in the long run because we eliminated having to paint the entire exterior of the building (26 thousand sq. Ft -4 floors) All we had to do was caulk the but joints, windows, doors, and corners(only use Big Stretch caulk) You can go to http://www.AppleTreeResort.com
and look at the condo to see how our project worked out.
Anything to eliminate the painting. Right now my ideal building material would be a SIP with a fireproof cement-like finish on the outside and a fireproof plaster-like finish on the inside.
Are there really people who put in a washing machine hookup WITHOUT shutoff valves?
I thought it was interesting that you added those particular cutoffs in your list.
When it comes to landscaping, wait a bit to lay out the paths and see where people actually walk the grass down. That'll tell you where to run the stone or whatever surface. I see people put in winding or circular paths according to lines on paper and disregard shade, contour etc. Then visitors walk off the path anyway to follow the easier, more comfortable route anyway..
Excellence is its own reward!
This is one of the cases where design-as-you-go is realistic.
Edited 8/11/2003 7:55:11 AM ET by Talking Dog
Surge-protector breaker.
Great list.
I've just finished building our barn and while the electrician has clearly labeled the all of the breakers, it's nice to know which one has tripped or should be shut off simply by looking at the outlet or the switch. So I'm numbering all of the outlets and switches with the number of their associated breaker in the panel.
In the barn marking the outlets with an indelible marker works fine. One might want something a little nicer in the house.
Here in Utah, storage rooms are quite common. I beleive that the LDS Church actually requires its members to store sufficient provisions to get them through a period of adversity - earth quakes come to mind.
Blue Skies
scott
Kamas, Utah
A good way to mark each outlet and switch with its circuit number (coinciding with the number on the breaker panel) is to write it on the back of the wall plate.
That way you don't have to look at it (the id tag) until you want to work on it and need to know what it says.
Commercial electricians mark every one on the outside, but thats not necessarily gonna look all that nice in the living room.
Norm
>> ... the LDS Church actually requires its members to store sufficient provisions ...
I would say "encourages" rather than "requires." A person may be a member in good standing even without a year's supply of food on hand.
If this thread has any of you thinking about emergency preparedness, it might interest you to know that the Church also recommends having a year's supply of clothing and fuel and at least a few weeks' supply of drinking and cooking water. You might want to think about a larger storeroom.
In our new house, in the shower, we added a "toe tester". Installed a regular bath set, with a tub spout, instead of just a shower head; then, you can adjust the water temperature before you get in and turn on the shower. (Obivously, I mean a shower only, not a shower/tub combo here). Last place we had, if you tried to run the water to let it warm up before you got in, when you opened the door you got water all over the floor. Second benefit is that it's easier to fill a bucket or to bath the dog.
way to do your home work man,but if the garage is attached to the house wouldn't it need type x sheetrock for fire code? and if you live up north any south facing windows(and there should be plenty)should have a higher e rating to let in heat(see What's the difference? in a recent FHB issue)
I can't find the message you are replying to. But, yes, if a gargage is attached to a house it will need a fire wall between them. Usually two layers of 5/8" fire resistant drywall meet that requirement.
Instant HWH for the kitchen sink
Electric heating for the bathroom floors
Something I seldom see mentioned, but I think is great: Design in a store room. Long and narrow is ok, just put the door in the center and make sure there's enough walkway in the middle, then put floor to ceiling shelves down both sides and on the back wall. Preferably adjustable shelves. Finish the walls and ceiling and paint white, put lots of light in there. A dark store room isn't nearly as usable, and is more likely to get trashed then one that looks finished and nice, and it's easy to see in.
Everyone has stuff they store, camping gear, christmas stuff, old school stuff, whatever. Make a place for all this stuff so your clothes closets don't get cluttered up with it.
Other things:
- Plenty of outlets in the garage, including at least 1 220 outlet.
- Have the garage walls finished & painted when it's built. I built a small shop with chipboard on the interior walls instead of sheetrock. It's great being able to hang things up anywhere (similar to pegboard idea). If you can afford it, this is worth doing.
- interconnected smoke alarms. I like to put in the recommended ones, plus one in the attic, and one in the garage. Just my preference.
Have fun.
Your storage reoom reminds me that safe rooms are getting more common too..
Excellence is its own reward!
i remember reading somewhere that the average person moves every 7 years, build with a thought to the future, what the most people will like, if you get design for what best suits your family how will others like it? what about old age? a handicaped bath? i would design several, or at least a few remodel/addition options and have current house built with the backing or foundation or whatever is required to change it easier and cheaper in the future, it may really appeal to the prospective buyer or your family as time and situations change. a few things are as much as possible a self supporting roof design, so interior walls can be relocated without changing roof framing, empty electrical conduits to empty boxes w/ blank cover plates for future wiring runs(especially if you have a crawl space, this is easy) for that fiber optic or phone etc. plumbing runs with tees and caps for the future bath or gas fireplace etc.
I think this handicapped/accessibility thing cannot be overemphasized.
Is there room to turn a wheelchair to easily access all rooms of the house? I know I saw accessibility guidelines somewhere on the web recently.
Is the house barrier free? Is there a place where an elevator can be reasonably installed in the future?
Most people emphasize this business about facilitating the laying of cables in the future, but I think that is only part of the story.
The future of data transmission is wireless. Heck it's already here. Bluetooth, WiFi, 802.11g, etc.
The problem with wireless is that some materials block it, or seriously slow it down. A good example is reinforced concrete. Makes wonderful houses, but it's hell on wireless. This goes for other types of masonry.
I would suggest choosing building materials that are wireless-friendly.
Hi
Came up with a few ideas to throw into the pot.
Children's bedrooms should be the square of their age away from the master bedroom. Age four-16 feet, age 25-625 feet.
Seriously
wine cellar
laundry chute from upstairs bedrooms if laundry is in the basement
If you have a basement workshop a double door to get your prized project out. I have a great shop and a door that requires a hinge in my kayak to get it out.
hot and cold water in garage along with floor drain-wash car-dog, kids who haven't left home in time.
Have a shower head that slides up and down three feet on a metal slide bar. So that I don't get a blast of cold water I take the head off, point it down and adjust the water until it is the right temperature and hook back up on the bar at the right height.
If your fireplace is on an outside wall consider putting in a box from the outside wall so firewood can be put in it from the outside and accessed from a door inside beside the fireplace.
seriously consider rooms in relation to activities sun up to sundown.
Cheers
Mac
Has the Washlet already been mentioned?
Toto has revamped their Washlet website, some good demo videos:
http://www.washlet.com/seethewashlet.asp#Interactive%20Demo
Edited 9/2/2003 12:24:39 AM ET by Talking Dog
I'd forgotten the safe room idea. You could combine the two, and I have seen plans that do so, particularly if it's a fairly large storeroom this'd work well. But personally, I'd want two exits in a safe room. They usually have a phone line, but most designs I've seen only have 1 exit.
Seems to me that making the master bedroom the saferoom makes the most sense most of the time. A reinforced door w/ deadbolt is often the only difference. If you want to go a step further, a layer of plywood or metal sheeting under the sheetrock will prevent kicking through.
The purpose of a safe room is generally to buy you time until the police show up. A cell phone is usually recommended so a burglar can't just cut off the phone by taking another phone off the hook. A firearm is also useful if they break into the safe room through a window or wall before the police show up.
Have read a lot of home safety articles that recommend a saferoom.
When I hear safe room I don't think burglar protection, I think tornado protection. It's a southern thing. A deadbolt ain't gonna do it for that one.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
There I go thinking locally again.
Tornados are almost unheard of around here, so I forgot all about them. Remember one as a kid that took a shed roof off about 5 miles from my house. That's about it.
Somewhere I've got a cutaway view of a saferoom I saved. It's built something like this: The walls have 16 gauge metal sheeting under the sheetrock. Metal door w/ 3 deadbolts. Plywood under the sheetrock on the outside walls. Wall structure was beefier then normal, ect.. Think it's main purpose was tornado protection.
Seems to me that making the master bedroom the saferoom makes the most sense most of the time. A reinforced door w/ deadbolt is often the only difference. If you want to go a step further, a layer of plywood or metal sheeting under the sheetrock will prevent kicking through.@@@If you want cheap and very bullet proof (will stop an elephant rifle - we tested this, .223 - not a problem), fill the wall cavities with 3/4" washed drain rock and sheath with 3/4 ply, use metal studs.)Me, I just have a semistrong door on the master bedroom. Figure if I can buy 30+ seconds, I can wake up and lock n load.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
It ought to be code that all house have safe room, I think concrete be nice, at least for hurricane protection.
or keep the perp(s) till the leson is learned...
better than having them on the streets....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
One or two skinny, deep, and tall lower cabinets that hold really large wooden cutting boards. So your really expensive countertops are protected. Make some that are big and nice. I figure in my house they would be out all the time.
"...safe rooms are getting more common too."
Around here, it's becomming more common to have a safe room under the front porch. Most houses here have basements. They just pour typical foundation walls around the perimiter of the porch, then put a concrete cap over it.
They leave an opening in the basement wall for a 3/0 door to access the safe room. Some people put browning "vault doors" on them.
The house I live in now has a stairway from the geerage down to the basement. Sure is nice, since my shop is down there.
I think sex is better than logic, but I can't prove it
Sorry, I am so behind the times. What is the purpose of a safe room? To protect you from intruders? Or weather?
They're for protection from tornadoes.I read so many bad things about smoking, drinking, overeating, and sex that I finally decided to give up reading
Rich and/or paranoid people have then to protect against intruders.
Many people in the plains states have them to protect against tornados.
While the concept is similar the designs are often different as they are to protect against different hazards.
so it must be the earthquakes is why people tell me I need a rubber room?
It all depends what you feel like you need to be safe from.
For some, it's a walk in closet with security door and beefed up walls, floors and ceiling against bullets.
For somne, it's more of a tornado/storm shelter.
It can be made for survival from fire.
And I wouldn't be surprised if it were intended to be a bomb shelter for a few.
It is often a dual purpose room, like closet and, or pantry and, or cellar and...
The location within the house is a form of its function. if the owner's greatest fear is intruders, then a room that's hard to get to in the cellar is not ideal. But a walk in closet on the second floor near abedroom is - of course, that would be a terrible place for a storm shelter in Kansas..
Excellence is its own reward!
They leave an opening in the basement wall for a 3/0 door to access the safe room. Some people put browning "vault doors" on them.@@@Jeff Cooper's place did it well - about half the basement was a walk-in vault/gun room with glass block lights set in the exterior wall there and here.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
WOW, very comprehensive lists already!
only thing I can think of to add at this point is to run conduit home-runs for your cable/phone lines so that if some super technology comes along you can simply pull new "whatevers" to each location. This can be a far cheaper way to prepare for the future than the structured cable being sold today, and is more flexible (if you invest in super-fancy cable today you'll never know if it will be still considered "good" later). Some people chose to count on wireless to solve this dillema, but that is risky, wireless has interference and cross-talk issues that may or may not be totally resolvable as the volume of data continues to expand exponentially.
Oh, one more thing, I like the idea of a back stairway for the hard day-to-day traffic from bedroom x kitchen x garage. But a stairway does take up floor space, so this idea is definitely not for everyone.
shoot, here's another idea (thought I was done): but a sill cock at each side of your house (minimum 3) so that you won't need to be reeling in and out too much hose all summer long.
and, if you have any slab-on-grade rooms in your plan (like a living room or play room), radiant in-floor heat is a very nice thing to have (in wintry climates).
Norm
james...
below is a message i posted in the thread...
"Best builder upgrades ? gotta have it"
came across this 'wish list' a while back on the alt.home.repair newsgroup, some of the items may be of use to you. the guy obviously spent some time compiling his list (500+ line message)
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl37962664d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=Voyager.02__0115112954.21433A%40dilbert&rnum=43
or search for the subject of: New Construction? What would do that you didn't??
at groups.google.com
and look at message #43 by Ken Schumm
Getting it all exactly right is really pretty simple.
Buy two lots - build the house of your dreams on your least favorite of the two - Live in said house for at least one year - Rebuild the house of your dreams on your favorite lot and add all the stuff you realized you forgot or wish you'd done different.
Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
If the home will have a basement, consider an outside entrance. Its a lot cheaper to have it done with the initial construction than to have some one hack through a poured concrete wall later!
Put at least one empty 1" conduit from the basement/ crawlpsace to the attic. You will be running something somewhere in the future.
We always wished we had a faucet with hot water close to the garage/outside to bathe the dog or kids without coming into the house.
Something I've retrofit into my house that'd be real easy to add up front: Wire in all bedroom wall switches for adding a ceiling fan later. Run 12-3 instead of 12-2 from the switch box to the ceiling box. That extra wire allows you to switch the fan and light seperately later if you decide to.
Either put in a double box, or plan on using one of the fan speed/light controls that fit in a single box.
Put some lights and an outlet or two in the attic, even if you don't plan on storing things up there. If anyone needs to go up there and service things they'll thank you. Either use recycled fixtures to save them from the junk yard, or the $1 round porcelain or plastic light holders.
An exterior outlet on each side of the house.
Plumb for adding a water softener later. Your exterior outlets, and anyplace you get drinking water from need to be isolated from the soft water.
Plan for an intercom system. Drill holes in top plates in the attic, staple some rope to the rafter, drop the rope down into the wall, and caulk around the rope. If you ever add an intercom you can simply use cut in boxes and pull the wires with the ropes that're already in the walls.
Any chance you'll want an alarm system later? Put the wires in while building.
Floor drains and tile floors in bathrooms and laundry rooms.
Any chance you'll add a shop later? If your electrical panel is hard to get to then wire in a sub-panel in the garage or on the back of the house that can easily be tied into for the shop later.
Extra switched ceiling boxes w/ covers in the garage (it's not a shop now, but if it ever is all you'll have to do is hang the lights.
Have fun.
So, have fun with the building. Let us know how it goes. What type of house, lot, size, ect.. you're building.
Later
Billy
Billy, why do you like tile in bathrooms and laundry rooms? Any reason other than asthetics?
Asthetics is one of the main things. Though tile floors do get awfully cold in the winter. Of course I eventually plan to have radiant floor heat, so tile is an advantage with radiant heat.
A couple other reasons I like it. I can make the floor waterproof. I also like floor drains, so if the toliet overflows, the washer hose busts, ect. most of the water will go down the drain. Now, when I do tile floors, I go hogwild, I beef up the structure underneath. Put down cement backer board and tape and seal all the seams, then put the tile on top. (I am a rank amatuer at tile though, so don't take this as gospel).
My current laundry room has a linoleum floor. It's ripped in places from moving the washer and dryer around. Bubbled in other spots because of past water spills. Laminate floors are also easily scratched with moving appliances, as are wood floors. Tile just seems to me, to be the best floor choice for wet environments like bathrooms and laundry rooms.
Also, a well done tile floor is permanent. You may need to replace a broken tile now or then (you did keep extras right), but unlike linoleum or wood, no refinishing or replacing is likely to be needed. Unless of course your wife decides she wants a new floor.<G>
I like/love tile as well.
How do you seal the backer board / backer board joints?
Sounds like over kill, as tile and grout is pretty impervious. A bigger water problem for large spills is the edge of the room (plaster and walls).
Lastly, why do you think you need tile in order to put a floor drain in?
I guess, truely lastly, where do you intend to put a floor drain in a bathroom so as to hid it??????
Well, you're asking a lot of questions of a novice. I've only done a very very small amount of tile work; so far.
I have yet to add floor drains in my bathrooms. In one bathroom I have a full size closet. The floor drain will be in that closet under the bottom shelf. The door will have a gap under it to allow water to flow under it. Of course, some would still go under the entrance door and soak the carpet in the hall. My master bath, I'll just put it next to the toliet (not visible from outside the room, but no real need to hide it either. I'm still not totally sure I'll put floor drains in the bathrooms. I'll definately add one in the laundry room when we redo it. As far as the walls, run one course of tile up the edge of the walls. This prevents water damage to the sheetrock and walls. I think I'll tile the entire wall behind the washer and dryer. Not sure yet.
Just remember with floor drains that you need to pour water in them once in awhile to keep the P-trap full. Otherwise it'll start to smell.
I sealed the backerboard joints with thinset and fibermesh tape. According to the tile store this will make it waterproof (I never tested this).
Didn't realize I implyed you need a tile floor for a floor drain. I'd assume you could put one in any floor which you can connect to the drain system and vent properly.
As far as kitchens, a nicely done tile floor looks good anywhere. But, it's an expensive option, particularly if you're paying to have it done. It's a huge time and labor investment if you do it yourself. My boss recently installed about 500 sq. ft. of tile in his kitchen and laundry room. Looks fabulous. He's still amazed at how much work it was.
Oh, don't drop any dishes. They won't survive hitting a tile floor. Also, if you're gonna spend a lot of time working in any area, concrete and tile is hard on the legs, feet, knees. Mostly it's a taste and money issue. If you like tile put it in, if you like oak or laminate, that's fine to. Only thing I really dislike in kitchen and baths is carpet. My mom tried carpeting both of those when I was a kid.
Just my opinions on tile. If you want expert advice on how to do it, you should start a thread and get some pros input.
"Just remember with floor drains that you need to pour water in them once in awhile to keep the P-trap full. Otherwise it'll start to smell. " Actual in many places if not all places you are required to put in a wet drain by code. If you care.
As for labor. I have tiled a few bathrooms for myself/relatives. I enjoy the work.
My concern with tile in the kitchen is will the grout stand up or will it look like crap in a few years. Can you keep it clean? I know you seal it, but my sealent in the bathroom does seem to come up on occassion as evident by a darkening of the color went wet. You reseal it and then when wet it does not change color (do you follow). I just think that in a kitchen the wear and dirt is multiplied by 100 over a bath. I love the idea, but am a bit afraid of the grout.
I would also like tile in an entry. There I would probably go for a darker gray tile with a dark grout so dirt and staining of the grout would not be an issue.
As for floor drains. I am with you on the drain in the laundry. Everyone has an accident in there once in a while and ususally it happens when you are away. As for bathrooms, an overflowing toilet is a mess, but atleast you are right there when it happens and it is only 1.6 gallons.
A wet vent is definately preferable. Didn't know it was code. Not a plumber.
My bosses kitchen is a gray tile with gray grout. As are the small kitchen and bathrooms at work. Not too hard to keep looking nice. Don't think I'd do white though.<G> The men's bath isn't a wet-vent as I pour water in it once in awhile when it starts to smell.
As I said, not totally sure I'll put floor drains in the baths. Though my kids have taken a couple of baths where it may have been a good idea. Also one overflowing sink, kids forget to turn the water off, or almost get it off and don't notice at times.
I redid our master a year or so ago and put in linolium. More and more I wish I'd tiled the floor. Already some of the linolium looks bad and stained. It's hard to clean as it's so soft. The tile work I did around the shower looks great, and is easy to clean.
As far as the sealant there was a discussion on those a couple months ago. Some of the pros were recommending sealants that cost like $100/pint that they say hold up for ages. Sorry, wasn't smart enough to write the names down, but I'd find a good tile installer and ask for their recommendations on the best sealer. I bought the best HD had and so far so good, but we'll see in time.
I like floor drains because, I like to mop by just slopping tons of mop water over the floor then pushing it towards the floor drain and cleaning up the puddles. Floor drains just fit my cleaning style.<G>
Your talk about floor drains brought to mind something I saw some time ago while crawling under a house.
There were several PVC lines that went to a dry well, husband described it as a 50 gallon plastic drum filled with gravel and shot full of holes, buried next to the crawl space. Seemed odd as the sanitary drain was clearly visible so I asked what all the extra pipes were. Turns out these lines went to floor drains in both bathrooms, a mud room, and the laundry room. These were not connected to the normal sanitary sewer but went to the dry well.
The HO wife claimed it was a great feature because she cleaned the bathrooms with the hand held shower head. A quick spray a scrub and rinse. The floors were sloped to the drain so it pretty much dripped dry.The husband said he came up with the idea. Said it eliminated the need for traps and the risk of sewer gas coming into the house by way of a dry trap. He was quite proud.
Sounded like a good idea and I made a mental note of it. The question, for you plumbers and plumbing aficionados out there, is this a good idea and if it is is it legal? I suppose there might be risks with what amounts to a tiny septic tank but the water volume discharged would be very low and infrequent. Problem?
is this a good idea and if it is is it legal?
Legality will vary from location to location. I'd guess that most cities probably have outlowed this already. But rural areas maybe not.
So far as it being a good idea....... If you're hooked to a central sewer system, then there is no reason to do this. If you maintain your own septic tank, then it might be worth the trouble. It keeps some of the "gray water" out of the tank, perhaps allowing the yeast/bacteria to do a better job.
Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
Tile,grout,and CBU are not harmed by water, but they are not water proof. They will allow the passage of water more easily than you think. Whatever is behind or below them will deteriorate, and you won't be aware of it until it is too late. If you plan on having lots of water on a tile surface then you should have a waterproof membrane behind the CBU. The common exposure of water on a bathroom floor does not require this. It might be wise too use a membrane though if you plan on hosing the floor down to clean it.
Gas and or electric,and venting for two dryers and one washer.
Dryer takes twice as long as washer,with two dryers you can do laundry all day long,nonstop in half the time.
Works in my house.
Oh, ya . . . what do you think of tile in the kitchen?
My experience with tile, vinyl, and laundry rooms is different than that of some of the other folks who answered.
First, in 18 years I've never had an overflowing washing machine, burst hose, flooded bathroom, etc. That's not to say it would not be wise to plan in case it ever does happen, rare as it is.
My first laundry room, which was also the entrance to the house from the garage, had inexpensive vinyl. After 15 years it still looked good as new. It was never torn, scratched, or stained. It was never difficult to clean, just a vacuuming occasionally and washing about once a year. It worked so well that when I built my dream home 3 years ago I put vinyl in the laundry room and main bathroom. I picked a better quality this time, one that fools about half my guests into thinking it's real tile. I still like it.
My half bath downstairs has tile, but only for aesthetics.
So, I would not dismiss vinyl. It's a lot cheaper, and it will hold up for decades. If mine held up in an entrance, it would certainly hold up in a laundry room where you're always in your stocking feet, and there's nothing worse on the floor than lint.
Wayne, you wash your mudroom (my term for enterance for the garge) once a year?
I argee that vinyl is durable assuming you are careful when moving the frig. I have only seen one stain in vinyl from continued careless watering from the shower. I believe the water eventually worked down through the chaulk and then between the levers of vinyl. It turned a redish-pink color. Likely some kind of mold or mildew.
Yes. I know it sounds dirty, but I have no kids or pets. There was a carpet runner which got vacuumed all the time along with the floor, but there's no mud or food or anything, so the vacuum took everything up. The washing was mostly for sticky dust behind the appliances.
I like tile a lot. I've done seven jobs in this home and my previous one and the church. It's just that tile isn't always a step up from vinyl -- sometimes vinyl is a better, not merely a cheaper, solution.
I was shaking your tree about the washing. I really did not want to imply you were dirty. Just LOL!
Vinyl is cheap and it works. I agree, if asthetics is your thing and you need the looks everywhere maybe you go tile.
Great input. Thanks again.
Main floor laundrys right by the entrance from the garage and close to the kitchen seem to be the thing around here, but we are putting the laundry in our new house downstairs. Why? because it will be positioned directly under the master bedroom closet, and we are putting in a laundry chute. That way we can just dump dirty clothes down the chute as soon as they come off, and since we do laundry once a week hauling the clean clothes back to the main floor seems a better idea than lugging a dirty clothes hamper to the laundry, and then clean clothes back.
Originaly we considered putting a stacked washer drier right in the master closet, but decided that even though that would be fine for us (no kids) for future resale, and not to mention noise if someone wants to sleep in, it was better to have things a little more isolated.
RobertRobert
Hello,
I've been lurking here for sometime, but never had anything useful to contribute until now(I hope). As I am in the process of designing a 'dream house' I have found many of the suggestions posted to be excellent and shall shamelessly take credit for them when my wife and I get round to hiring an architect.
For my own needs, I have found the following to be most useful for day to day living:
-Heated bathroom mirrors. Either run the hot water pipes behind them or use that electric tape stuff.
-Closets deep enough to take your widest coat and long enough to hold all your hangables
-Big, deep, built in drawers - and lots of 'em - everywhere!
-Forget kitchen cabinets, you never(?)see them in commercial kitchens and they seem to exist soley to bash your head on. Build a walk-in pantry to store dry/canned goods and refer to previous re drawers ( very convenient for pots/pans etc).
-Kitchen counter space: more is better. Much more is much better.
-If you live in an area subject to water shortages and bush-fires(as we do here in Oz) install a grey water recycler and a roof mounted sprinkler system.
That's it really. Best of luck with your new home.
every day dish storage right next to the dishwasher. No walking around while unloading
>> every day dish storage right next to the dishwasher. No walking around while unloading <<
Even better than that is 2 dishwashers - one on each side of the sink. That way there is no unloading. Just 2 magnetic signs you swap between the two DWs. One sigh says "Clean" the other siys "Dirty".
Two master suites
Stairs from garage to basementPrep sink and/or pot filler in kitchen9 or 10 foot concrete walls
cable TV in the bathroom and internet access to
I worked on a house a couple years ago and we put a tv in the bathroom. It had a 'mirror mode' feature so when the tv was behind you and you were in front of the mirror, the image could be properly seen in the mirror.
sure cant miss that TD or sack now can we :>)
my next house I want a kitcern, one bath, a bedroom and someplace to put my computer and a flat screen. I want under 500 sq ft. I want "dude, it smaller than small" and everything made out of concrete, even the roof, one door, one window. no carpet, no tub, no ####. and no yard 1/4 acre be too big
Move to Tokyo. You would be lucky to get that much.
Johnny,
You getting lazy or what :>)
A 6" PVC chute from kitchen to basement for recycling, such al Al cans.
I thought about that exact same thing today.
Woods favorite carpenter
>> A 6" PVC chute from kitchen to basement for recycling,
>> such al Al cans.How does getting the cans in the basement help recycle them?
I had that chute in my last house. In the corner of the counter, I had a lid cut from the counter. We just lifted it up and dropped in cans. They fell into a plastic bag in a trash container. When it filled up, it was easy to take the cans out for recycling.
I believe that convenience plays a big role in recycling. If you have to walk to someplace and put each individual can into a container, it can encourage just dumping them in the regular trash.
In the house I am designing, I will probably have about six chutes, not all necessarily 6" PVC. Instead of individual lids, there will probably be a single cover.
I can see chutes for plastic containers, plastic bags, compost, Al cans, batteries, and so on. The compost would probably have to lead to an outdoors collection container. That would not be too big of a problem if designed into the house.
If your family learns to drop certain items into chutes, they can have a significant impact on the family's contribution to environmental pollution and other problems. Drop 'em in and remove bagfulls when they fill. It works.
Multiply that by tens of millions of families.
I'd like to see someone design and sell recycling shutes or containers of some sort. I try to recycle as much as posible but I'm leary of making something my self due to it looking micky louse. I have to make it look right and it can be hard by myself from scratch.
Does anyone know of a source for recycling stuff for kitchens?
Do you know about Rev-A-Shelf? They make a comprehensive line of kitchen pull out hardware that includes several different configurations of recycling type pull outs - two container, three container, with and without lids, soft sided or hard...very easy to install. Check them out.
I do like the idea of chutes for various items, though. Good idea.
As for extra large cutting boards to protect your countertops, I have to ask, what do you live in, a house or a museum? If I had to go to great lengths to protect my countertops, I'd rethink what they're made out of in the first place. But that's just me - function first. Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
I'm not set on any counter top material at this time. I've always had pretty cheap/bad counter tops.
If you were going to sell a house based on thing like the counter top material. What counter top material would you install? What is the "hot" counter top material?
Hot countertops? Hellif I know. And don't really care. I only know what I like and don't like and when given the choice, Kathy and I please ourselves, not some potential buyer.
We have wood countertops in our new house and we love them. We still use cutting boards because they are so much easier to clean, but when you say you'd "cover your entire countertop" with them, it begs the question of what the purpose of the top you're "protecting" is?
A house should be built to LIVE in, not to sell. That's what I believe.
Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
A house should be built to LIVE in, not to sell. then how come every program on tv is about how to sell, how to screw, how to fix up to sell. why cant there have a program, how to live in your house for ever.even in real life the county tell you what you can build so it will resell. realtor leave message in the mailbox weekly, we can sell your house.I got wrote up by the county for building a two bedroom instead of a three. I have to pay taxes on a three and its a twoevery show on tv is about flipping. I have three flips in my neighborhood, all they do is raise the property tax for everybody
Edited 12/25/2007 10:39 pm by brownbagg
The TV programs IMO are suggestions and alot of them just sell products. ost are using products their sponsors make
I think you can do both. live in it and sell it. Not only do I want to meet my expectations, and to meet theirs, I want to blow their little minds. And if they don't see it, their loss.
I think having large cutting boards that have a place to be put away is a great idea. And why not use them.
Some people choose multiple counter tops in the same kitchen..wood/ granite for a food prep area, stainless for another area..ect. Your only limited by your imagination. Like my buddy Bob once told me..
This is America, You can get anything you want if you want to pay for it
Ya know Jimmy,
A nice safe sound proof room would nice. Lockable from the outside..So when the wife complains about mowing the lawn and having to cook we can lock her in there until the game is over..
that is after she gets done cooking for the boys...
Oh yea I postponed my move 6 mos. So it will be about a year to year and a half.
:>)
Edited 12/26/2007 11:19 am by Sancho
Like so:http://www.rev-a-shelf.com/
Thanks for the link. I did a google and went to another dealer. I'm not sure what will go in the kitchen because my wife will have a lot to say about it. But I'm building it and know how to spend money better. She'll tend to hold back on options and regret it later. So I listen and get what she wants.
I like the one with a toe kick opener. If you hands are full or dirty it opens with your toe. I wonder if it would work for most people though.
http://www.cabinetparts.com/shop_2006/part_details/?id=KV-PDMTMTKO12&cat=1564&man=none
granite, concrete and composite like Corian
I'm not sure what "we" will go with. Just yesterday I was telling my wife that it's "normal" for a subcontractor to take care of counter tops. It cost alot but they cover them if they crack.
I know that counter tops are a big issue with most women. They want something that works but they also want to show them off.
If you have a nice kitchen with nice counter tops it sells houses. That might not be right, but I think it's true.
I do like the idea of mixing counter top materials but I also like the way they unify the kitchen. I don't like kitchens that are to uniform but I also don't like them to chopped up either. I guess there has to be a balance to it. And each person is different.
I'm confused Jim.I agree with your premise but I love my bamboo cutting boards and I love my knives. Function before form dictates to me that I'd need wood counter tops. Been there, done that in the house I grew up in. It's not good. It's not healthy cutting meat on a wood board that is built in. So, if you have plastic tops, my knives would cut into it leaving sharp slice marks which would cut into my skin as I ran my hand over the counter top. Stone tops would ruin the knives. Is there a counter top that serves every master? Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
"Is there a counter top that serves every master?"
Maybe, but I don't know what it would be. The most utilitarian countertop would have a variety of surfaces for the variety of tasks a working kitchen demands - something water resistant in the wet areas, something heat resistant around the cooking areas, maybe some stone at a lower height to roll baked goods on, maybe an endgrain wood section like a true butcher block to cut meat on...I'm no chef, but I'd sure be interested to hear what their dream countertop materials would be. I bet it would be a variety of things instead of one single material.
My point earlier was about using a material that has to be all but completely covered so it doesn't get "damaged". That idea bothers me, in general. It's like using a siding material that won't withstand weather unless painted to an exact standard...just doesn't make sense to me.
Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
Edited 12/25/2007 10:32 pm ET by jimblodgett
Put a water heater as close to the master showerhead as humanly possible! Decide where you,ll sit in the mornings to drink coffee, use a compass, where does the sun come up? make sure you can see a tv. for the local news and weather. plugs for charging all the #### we lug around all day. put the microwave plug on the gen circuit,ditto for the coffee pot. and the plug where you,ll sit. wire the x-mas light plugs half-hot to a single switch.be a gen con-oops! ignore that. good luck, Jim
I think the drawback to chutes for recylables is that they will get dirty. Even the bins we put our cans and bottles in get dirty. And I can't imagine how disgusting a chute for "composte" would get. So they have to be easy to clean. Maybe even removable.
Drainage plane...
all of them.
Liberty = Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
American Heritage Dictionary
Without reading through the previous 95 messages, one thig that I will definetly look to incorporate in my next home, will be a "delivery hall".
Not sure whether or not there is an "official" name for what I'm talking about....but it basically comes down to an alternate entrance where packages can be safely dropped off by UPS and the like.
With internet shopping becoming part of everyday life, a safe place for deliveries to be left when no one is home is a must.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Agree with most of the stuff already posted.
I'll add that a place for art is also important. Think about specific walls for hanging paintings and art niches (especially at ends of hallways) all with approp. light fixtures.
I love wrap-around porches on homes.
Some people have mentioned soffit outlets for Xmas lights. I got a tip from a friend to include an soffit outlet for one of those radiant style heaters by the back deck. In the north here it can be cold for a lot of the year and a radiant heater that can be turned on for couple of hours would extent your enjoyment of the back deck quite a bit.
I like the radiant heat idea. The delivery reception area makes sense too. I'm glad this thread got re-energized. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07