At Home In The Woods

[eepete]

We finished our house 2 years ago, it took about 2 years to build. Owing to our nature and age, function often won out over form. There are more resources in things you can't see (insulation, HVAC, electrical, etc) than what you can see. Overall style is that of farmhouses in the area and as such is timeless.

Appliances are white. Stainless can dent and shows fingerprints/smudges too easily. 3/4" T&G hardwood floors, but we bought a pre-finished floor to save $$s. Next "user" can sand and re-finish so it looks like new. Went with Corian counter tops- we like the way the sinks fit in and it's easy to clean and fix. Picked a grey speckled pattern that doesn't show dirt or water spots (there's that function over form thing). Cabinets were semi-custom, about 1/2 the price of full custom. Trim is simple standard lumber sizes with 1/4" routed out, so there's no worry about finding some matching millwork down the road. Tubs are 1 piece fiberglass for ease of cleaning, but did put in a sit-down (or wheel chair in) tile shower for later in life and as a back-up if other shower breaks. MBR on 1st floor. Put stacked washer and dryer in the MBR closet so no more toting of laundry around the house. Major spousal approval there, some guys have refused to let their wives see that room. 1st floor and garage at same level (no steps). Have a screened in porch, and deck off the kitchen for outside grill. Ran gas line from propane tank to deck so I won't have to fill those silly portable tanks ever again. Put outlets in the halls and used the outlets with the built in LED night lights (can get them at box stores).

Stuff you can't see: Isocyonate (sp?) spray foam insulation in a 2x6 wall. Good windows (rating wise). Geothermal HVAC, multizone. Interior wall insulation for sound and HVAC zoning. Tons of home automation/security stuff. Lots of extra circuits for outlets in kitchen, MBR bath, his and her offices. 4" smooth PVC gutter drains and yard drains. 6" gutters combined with the smooth PVC drains = no gutter cleaning (plus we are in a field with only 1 side near the trees). Metal roof (ok, you can see that) that's a simple shed style. No hips, valleys, dormers, crickets, and other things that can leak. All hot water pipes insulated. Toilets on separate water feed so there are no flush-shower surprises. Fire sprinkler system. Whole house generator. 4' overhangs with perfect N/S orientation so no sun gets in the south side windows during the summer (big deal here in North Carolina). All utilities buried (800' to road) including power. Driveway lights and vehicle sensors. Conduit and PVC pipe out all four sides for when things get added later (and I have a project that is using them in the works now!).

So the house is odd because it it goes against most of the trends and check-list items that realtors and spec builders put in. But most people could care less because it all hangs together and looks unique because it does not have that stuff. This house's "resale" value only benefits our heirs. Style and consistency win out over decoration by committee.

Anyway, I list lots of the stuff we did just to toss ideas at you. This is not bragging, it's about details and thinking about how you live and maintain things. Most of the stuff I've listed are things you have to deal with one way or another.
Have really enjoyed the thread, and can relate to all your trials, tribulations, and those gut wrenching compromises that are needed to bring any project to completion. Some are big, some are small, but they happen every day. Keep up the good work, it will be worth it. Your perseverance and thinking are to be admired.

Pete

 

[woodlandfarms]

Latest thing in the SF Bay area is concrete countertops.

I have never seen one in person, but think of something like granite, but with more of a pattern to it.

Our house in LA is granite, but we researched Concrete countertops a number of years ago. They are more expensive than Granite to begin with. They can be done by yourself, and they would be a lot cheaper if you did. The cost is in the labor. Basically you make a melamine wood form, caulk all the seems and make them perfect. mix up concrete (there is a low rock type that the concrete places know to use) and put in a 2" wire frame. You can dye the concrete, and you can add rocks, glass, interesting objects to the concrete. Pour the concrete and shake the form to get all the air bubbles out (probably the hardest part). then 6 of your friends get on the ends, flip it over, pop it out and polish the heck out of it.

Counters are very porous. require lots of maintenance. but they are very cool when done right.

 

[Obed]

We finished our house 2 years ago, it took about 2 years to build. Owing to our nature and age, function often won out over form.

Pete, thanks for your posting. You provided some great ideas and we may use some of them. It's nice to think about these things now than after it's too late.

Everybody, I'd love to hear some of the "extras" that you did to give us some ideas. Things like running the gas line to the back porch grill just make sense but I would never have thought of that on my own.

Obed

 

[lakngulf]

Everybody, I'd love to hear some of the "extras" that you did to give us some ideas.

This may not be considered an "extra" but it is a "handy". Think about all the possible locations you will need electricity. Where might I put the TV someday, where will the computer be located? What if I am using the laptop here and need to plug in. Where might the microwave be? the toaster? Mr. Coffee? Put some handy plugs all along the backsplash, or under the kitchen cabinets, and put great lights under the cabinets. If you have an island in the kitchen then put some electricity and water to it. Also, think about running the vacuum cleaner, where will a plug be best located to service the entire room? Just some thoughts.

 

[harpoonalt]

We had friends that built a year before us and gave us some great ideas. Stuff that I hadn't thought of or was just too busy to consider. I'll throw them out for you to think about.

1. Switched outlets on the porch ceiling for xmas lights. Glad we did that!

2. Run speaker wire to porches, decks, etc. If you ever want speakers outside or in certain spots, nows the time to run the wire. If you have a central entertainment area, put in a box to run the speaker wires to.

3. Plan for emergency power. We put in a transfer switch and a plug in the garage to plug in the generator. I made up a long cord so connections are made inside and then brought outdoors to start her up. We lost power for 3 days shortly after moving in and there is nothing like having your heat kick on after 2 days without it. Worth every penny.

4. Outlets specific to your needs. Someone already mentioned it but it's worth the bit of extra time to think of things you know you'll want power for. We forgot to put outlets over our garage for xmas candles in the window. My next summer project. Also garage and basement outlets. Compressor? vacuums?

5. Motion sensors for lights. We have can lights in our porch ceilings. When someone or thing comes close to the porch the lights come on. Great for security and safety of guests. Ours are pretty sensitive , a fox will set them off. They work great and function well for security since we didn't want floodlights around the house.

6. outdoor spigots. We have 2 but need a third on one side of the house. That we forgot and now will have to put one in. Either that or drag 100' of hose around. Not a big deal but something to think about.

7. Utility lighting. We put in 4' flourescent fixtures in our basement. Most people put in the single bulbs. Another glad we did it idea. Lot's of light make it easier to work down there. I would have put them in the garage but they don't work well in the cold. Painted the floors and concrete walls also.

8. Blocking on the sides of window openings. My wife has a tendency to want heavier curtain rods and I put in blocking so there is something for the brackets to bite into other than just drywall.

9. Hardwood floors. We went to lumber liquidators and saved a ton of money for a good quality floor. Our contractor had never dealt with them and is now sold based on the quality of the wood for the price. We have prefinished and I did 90% of it myself and saved a lot of money. Over the life of your home, hardwood will come out cheaper than replacing carpet if you do it yourself.

10. Even if you can't afford it now. Plan for things you may want later. Central vac, alarm systems, etc. Running wires is cheap.

11. Pictures. You're taking quite a few. Take them of what's inside walls. Your memory will fade and someday you may need to know exactly how wires run thru the walls. Take them of everything.

I may think of a few more, but it's something to ponder. Our friends gave us some great ideas and if even one clicks with you that's great. Now get back to work

 

[firefighter9208]

My dad had a stroke in 1996 (at 46 years old). We built out house in 2001. Him being in a wheel chair caused us to think when building our house.

All of our interior doors are 3' doors. Standard doors are 2'8". It's much easier to get a wheelchair through a 3' door. All of our bathrooms and closets also have 3' doors. They cost $4.00 more than a 2'8" door when we built our house. It also makes it much easier to move furniture from room to room.

We are on a crawlspace (54") , so we built a wheelchair ramp going onto our rear deck. All of our older relatives love it when they come to visit. No stairs to climb. It also makes it easy to bring in appliances. Handtruck them right up to the porch.

We had ADT pre-wire our house for an alarm system. All the wires and switches are hidden. They sent out a rep to give us a quote. Of course their standard installation is free (keypad, 2 exterior door sensors, and a certain # of window switches). Their price is negotiable. When the rep gave me their price, I told him. I didn't have that much to spend. This is my budgeted amount _____. He said o.k. Saved us almost 50% off his quote. Don't put the monitored smoke detector in the kitchen. Every time you burn the toast the fire department will be called. I put a heat sensor in the kitchen that's monitored (along with a battery operated smoke detector). ADT's monitored smoke detector went in the hallway outside the master bedroom. Of course, you'll have to follow local building codes on this one. Oh yeah, some insurance companies give a discount for an alarm system. We get 10% off. Covers the cost of monitoring.

If I had it to do again I would install a residential sprinkler system. I've been a firefighter for 18 years and the benefits far outweigh the cost. Fire can spread throughout a home in 5 minutes. Especially an open floor plan. A sprinkler will contain the fire to one room and give the fire department time to get there and extinguish the blaze. You might also get a discount for a sprinkler system.

Chris

 

[FallbrookFarmer]

Agreed. We are trying to avoid decorating features that will go out of style in a few years. I hate wallpaper so there will be no wallpaper except for maybe a border in the baby's room. We chose an exterior house style that is fairly traditional and will not become quickly dated. Just think of all the "contemporary" style houses built in the 70's. They were cool then but they are hard to sell today in our area. Also, our area has thousands of split-foyer/split-level houses that were the fad in the 70's. Now everybody wants a 2 story or ranch around here. I doubt you will see stainless steel appliances in our kitchen. Why spend $2000 on a refrigerator that doesn't work any better than a $600 refrigerator? We love hardwood floors and want to floor the entire main floor with hardwoods and put tile in the baths if we can afford it. We'll see. The nice flooring might be an upgrade we have to wait on.

Obed[/QUOTE

Been following your project with great interest
When I built my first house I was able to obtain a number of back issues of "Fine Homebuilding" published by Rodale press. It is an absolute treasure trove of building info.
If you look on Ebay, a lot of back issues are available.
Best of luck on your home.

 

[charlz]

We had friends that built a year before us and gave us some great ideas. Stuff that I hadn't thought of or was just too busy to consider. I'll throw them out for you to think about.

1. Switched outlets on the porch ceiling for xmas lights. Glad we did that!

2. Run speaker wire to porches, decks, etc. If you ever want speakers outside or in certain spots, nows the time to run the wire. If you have a central entertainment area, put in a box to run the speaker wires to.

We have both of these features in our house and the xmas light outlets are quite handy.

I would add a 'home media panel' and run all the TV, network and phone drops back to it. From there run conduit or that plastic flex stuff to the most likely satellite TV antenna location. The more receivers you have the more connections to the antenna you need, make it a big pipe. If you plan to have a DVR you need multiple drops from the media panel to the TV location. I believe the drops need to be RG6 for Direct and maybe Dish network. Last thing you want is some TV guy stapling coax to the siding and baseboards of your new house.

Think about any under cabinet lighting you might want in the kitchen and have that wired in.

 

[brin]

When we built our house a few years ago we had a 2" pvc pipe run under the road and sidewalks so in the future we could run electric wiring wherever we wanted it. We also chases run in different locations from the attic down through the 2 floors to the basement so we would be able to run wires easily in the future. We used rope lighting on top of the kitchen cabinets...had the electrician install outlets above the cabinets and the just plug in and you lay them out on top of the cabinets...nice lighting and inexpensive to replace..the outlets are tied to wall switches. Double check your closet and storage space..easy to add guest closets now. Lastly, real hardwood floors are great. For years we had carpets with traffic patterns just a few years after installing them and when we built this house we said no more carpet except in the bedrooms.

Have fun....! All the work and tough living conditions are well worth it when it's done...

 

[brandoro]

Lots of good suggestions. Switched outlets in the soffits for Christmas lights is a good one. I had that in my last house but not the current one. This house has power to the island in the kitchen though, win some lose some.
One I would add is switched outlets for electronics so when you shut them off they are really off, no phantom power draws but also no worries about a lightning strike letting all that smoke out of things. Something I did for my sister and BIL was to split all the outlets in the livingroom, bottom half was switched for electronics and lamps, top half was live all the time for things you didn't want switched. And put in lots of outlets, cheaper to do now than what you could spend on extension cords or adding them later.
Have your electrician mark out code required outlets then add as many as you like for convenience, thinking about where your furniture is likely to be in each room. Put an outlet on that short wall that you are sure will never need power, sooner or later you will have something to plug in there.
Something to do while you are waiting for the floor trusses