New House Build (What I would do different after a year of living in it)

[Torvy]

What will the finish height be above the floor with the 6” height?

Looked at a home that was the opposite… the wife is 4’9” and the husband 5’2” and the entire kitchen was custom and all lowered and she was a gourmet cook.

Everyone viewing said new kitchen needed but the existing was a thing of beauty!

The roof/ceiling is sloped up from front to back. The kitchen is along the back wall, so it should be in the 12-16 ft range. I would have to dig into the plans to get a better estimate on precisely over the island. The common area is lofted with no attic. Oh, to be clear, only the island is higher.

The hood vent needs to be extended down, but that is easier than it looks, apparently.

 

[3Ts]

This is our 2nd house we designed ourselves and it is our retirement home. All the kids are gone and the closest one is several hours away. The changes I would make is an extra bedroom, a powder room next to the garage, expand the garage to include an RTV, and an epoxy floor. We have a stained concrete floor, but it looks "muddy" and really should be redone. Oh, and add some sound insulation between the living space and the bedrooms even though there are only the 2 of us.

 

[ponytug]

This is our 2nd house we designed ourselves and it is our retirement home. All the kids are gone and the closest one is several hours away. The changes I would make is an extra bedroom, a powder room next to the garage, expand the garage to include an RTV, and an epoxy floor. We have a stained concrete floor, but it looks "muddy" and really should be redone. Oh, and add some sound insulation between the living space and the bedrooms even though there are only the 2 of us.

RTV? I only that as glue, or Russian TV, neither of which seems right...

+1 on interior insulation. I grew up in a house that had insulation around the bathroom, and it makes a big difference. In the big picture, it is a tiny cost. I would also specifically insulate the showers.

Actually, I think they are all great suggestions, though I'm not sure I personally would do an epoxy floor; I love them, but you need close to perfect drainage around the house, vapor barriers, and insulation under the slab, or you risk rising moisture lifting the epoxy. If you can arrange it, go for it.

All the best,

Peter

 

[3Ts]

RTV? I only that as glue, or Russian TV, neither of which seems right...

+1 on interior insulation. I grew up in a house that had insulation around the bathroom, and it makes a big difference. In the big picture, it is a tiny cost. I would also specifically insulate the showers.

Actually, I think they are all great suggestions, though I'm not sure I personally would do an epoxy floor; I love them, but you need close to perfect drainage around the house, vapor barriers, and insulation under the slab, or you risk rising moisture lifting the epoxy. If you can arrange it, go for it.

All the best,

Peter

RTV: Rough Terrain Vehicle - specifically a Kubota x900. It's a small diesel side by side.

We have 2 out of the 3 - no insulation, but I'm in the south. We've had our epoxy floor in for about 3 years now and really like it. The concrete slab that was poured for the cabin was poor at best. It had to much water in it when it was originally poured and it cracked a lot and sweeping it would never get it clean because it kept breaking off concrete powder. The epoxy has fixed all of that and helped to level the floor a little. I did expect the cracks to show thru the epoxy and even crack the epoxy, but that hasn't happened. We do have good drainage around the cabin, that's one thing that I insist on for EVERY building, even a small shed off by itself. I have spent months making sure the yard drains properly before pouring concrete and then more time afterward if needed.