House Build 2023

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Thanks for all your input so far. Implemented a lot of it. we are staying with double front doors though. A single looks a little puney, I know it's splitting hairs... We are at least going with fiberglass instead of wood. I have new plans that I will share as soon as I get them in digital form. Not big changes but enough that it required an update.

Builder's deposit is paid and credit application is turned in. Wheels are rolling.

Next question. Electrical service, it's expensive. It will cost $3,600 more for it to be run underground than overhead. My thought is that I will probably be kicking myself later down the road if I save the money by not going underground. Do any of you have a preference or experience either way? The main service at the road is overhead and I will be about 400' off the road in the middle of the property. I don't want to see the line there every day but $3,600 is a lot of money just to not have to see a power line. Will be line voltage to the house and either a pad mount or overhead transformer at the house depending on overhead or underground.

Also, thoughts on oversizing the house electrical service (320 amp) and running a sub-panel from the house to the shop in the future vs 200 amp service to the house and 2nd meter for the future shop?

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Here were the 3 options on front doors. the windows above are open to the vault in the great room and the sills and top caps will blend in as much as possible they won't be so garish.

Single 42" wide, single with side lights, 2x36 wide all 8' tall.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Thanks for all your input so far. Implemented a lot of it. we are staying with double front doors though. A single looks a little puney, I know it's splitting hairs... We are at least going with fiberglass instead of wood. I have new plans that I will share as soon as I get them in digital form. Not big changes but enough that it required an update.

Builder's deposit is paid and credit application is turned in. Wheels are rolling.

Next question. Electrical service, it's expensive. It will cost $3,600 more for it to be run underground than overhead. My thought is that I will probably be kicking myself later down the road if I save the money by not going underground. Do any of you have a preference or experience either way? The main service at the road is overhead and I will be about 400' off the road in the middle of the property. I don't want to see the line there every day but $3,600 is a lot of money just to not have to see a power line. Will be line voltage to the house and either a pad mount or overhead transformer at the house depending on overhead or underground.

Also, thoughts on oversizing the house electrical service (320 amp) and running a sub-panel from the house to the shop in the future vs 200 amp service to the house and 2nd meter for the future shop?

Most utilities I have worked with in the last 10 years only allow one meter base per property. Talk with your utlity and see if that is how they do it. Otherwise plan on a 320 amp service with a breaker space allowance for the shop.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Thanks for all your input so far. Implemented a lot of it. we are staying with double front doors though. A single looks a little puney, I know it's splitting hairs... We are at least going with fiberglass instead of wood. I have new plans that I will share as soon as I get them in digital form. Not big changes but enough that it required an update.

Builder's deposit is paid and credit application is turned in. Wheels are rolling.

Next question. Electrical service, it's expensive. It will cost $3,600 more for it to be run underground than overhead. My thought is that I will probably be kicking myself later down the road if I save the money by not going underground. Do any of you have a preference or experience either way? The main service at the road is overhead and I will be about 400' off the road in the middle of the property. I don't want to see the line there every day but $3,600 is a lot of money just to not have to see a power line. Will be line voltage to the house and either a pad mount or overhead transformer at the house depending on overhead or underground.

Also, thoughts on oversizing the house electrical service (320 amp) and running a sub-panel from the house to the shop in the future vs 200 amp service to the house and 2nd meter for the future shop?

I wouldn't put a meter on a house, period. Run a line to the house. Run a line to the shop. Both from the meter, but meter not on house. Seen many a house burn because of that.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I wouldn't put a meter on a house, period. Run a line to the house. Run a line to the shop. Both from the meter, but meter not on house. Seen many a house burn because of that.

Meters are all on the houses around here. It is an oddball occurance for it not to be. Usually only mobile homes.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My electric is underground. My neighbor had access to BH and we ran the conduit, utility ran the wire. No issue with meter on house, but plan now for future solar or generator with transfer switch after the meter before your panel.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Meters are all on the houses around here. It is an oddball occurance for it not to be. Usually only mobile homes.

When you have a fire, the fire dept won't spray water until the power company shows up within an hour or so to shut it off. Fire doubles every 30 seconds, so seconds are important. I started doing that years ago on anything I built. Power company loved it. My parents, no meter on their house. My brother, no meter on their house. Me, no meter on my house. See, even if you have a main under the meter, line voltage is there to the incoming side of main. They'll just watch that fire compound until the power company shows up to throw the switch at the transformer.

 

[EddieWalker]

I never knew that the fire department would not spray water until the power was turned off.

I guess I got lucky, because when I put in my 1,200 amp meter, the power company wanted it next to the pole. From the meter, I ran my lines underground to my breakers.

There are 6 breakers inside the meter box, and I'm only using two of them, so it's just a matter of turning off the breaker in the box to kill the power to the houses.

 

[drumminj]

Also, thoughts on oversizing the house electrical service (320 amp) and running a sub-panel from the house to the shop in the future vs 200 amp service to the house and 2nd meter for the future shop?

We did 400a to the house and are splitting off 125a via subpanel to go to the shop and barn. Didn't want to have to pay two monthly meter/service fees.

The fire comments here are interesting and something we didn't consider. The upside of our approach though is our standby generator has a 400a transfer panel, so all circuits, including everything going to the shop and barn, will be energized when running off the generator. It's not big enough for us to have everything on at once, but it'll be nice to not have to think about backup power for the outbuildings.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I've got a call in with Entergy. An engineer will be calling me to discuss all the options.