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

[WVH1977]

So, I love my new house. I finally have a master bath. Woo Hoo!. I know that no house is perfect and you can't catch every scenario. Having said that, here is a list of things I would do differently if doing it again.

1. Next house will be 2 1/2 bath. I kind of let my builder talk me out of this. Had some family get togethers and definitely wish I had the 1/2 bath. I know I saved a little on the cost but if I ever do it again this is going to be a must have.
2. I kept my house at a certain square footage based on dollar per square foot. I was worried to death about my appraisal. This caused me to have the architect draw a 2 foot bump out for the bathroom on one side of the house where the kids rooms are. I should of sucked up the 5 to 8 grand it would have cost to push the whole house out 2 feet and been done. (This is probably the biggest thing that bothers me about the house and my decision on the size).
3. I did not put a garage in. Again, I was worried to death about the price of everything. Next time, if we do it again, I will HAVE a garage done with the house. This is the one extra I wanted and needed and still did do not have. Who knows when I will ever build one. Almost everyone I know that did not do the garage initially, still have no garage. I am currently building a shed, have a shipping container and will build a pole barn but I wish I would have done a garage.
4. My kitchen could be bigger and I would have liked to have had more counter space. I do have a plan moving forward to add some more space to this.
5. I wish we would have put an extra room, for an office/spare room, etc.

Here is a list of items I did right and happy with:

1. Had the entire house bricked. Back deck, front porch all concrete and brick. Every time I come home I smile about the brick. Probably THE best thing I did on the build.
2. 9 foot ceilings - I know this is an extra and not needed but I really like the tall ceiling height.
3. House was designed around the wood stove. My house is like a square and I put the wood stove right smack dab in the middle. House holds heat great in winter and makes you walk around in your underwear.
4. Bathrooms are huge. You can lay down in them. Love it!!!
5. Me and the wife never needed 2 sinks, so we added more closet space in the bathroom. We have a closet and shelving in the master bath and Love it!!!
6. 3 ft wide doors through out.
7. We sacrificed a dinning room for a mud room/laundry room. This was a great decision. We are out door people and have lots of nasty shoes/clothes/jackets and other junk filling up these spaces. Really glad we did this.
8. Utility sink in the laundry room. A must have!!!

Overall, I am very happy with the house. It is comfortable and cozy. It is easy on the light bill and is home. Just thought I would share for those going down this adventure with your own house build. I also highly recommend working with the architect and design that suits you. We really did not think about resale and built with what we wanted.

 

[kf4uda]

Congratuons on your beautiful home. We have just moved into a new one as well still lacking a little outside work finishing. I hope your new home serves you well for many years. I designed ours so the undertaker has easy access to roll me out the back door

 

[ultrarunner]

With your style would the garage be matching in a carriage house design?

I like brick but extremely rare in earthquake country.

A small extra room is always a bonus... call it office, sewing, etc...

Sounds like you did well.

 

[dodge man]

Looks like a nice house. Glad you are enjoying it.

A couple of observations from houses we have had.

I agree on the double sinks. I always see that on house hunters. Couples comment “no double sink”. We don’t miss it.

We have conclude that a family room and a formal living room is not needed. We converted our formal living room to a dining room.

Out house has sort of a great room. The kitchen is just open to the living room. This is where I think most home owners spend there time and having the kitchen as part of it is nice.

 

[old and tired]

One thing we did and would do again, was 2 sinks in the kitchen. One on the island and one in front of the window. Both just a small 25" tub and about the same distance away from the dishwasher. We host a fair amount of dinners / guests and always have plenty of pots and dishes to deal with... this makes it quick and easy.

We also, did a single sink in the master bath.

 

[EddieWalker]

I read somewhere that it takes 7 tries to build the perfect house for yourself.

I started out with 2 bathrooms in my house and a few years ago, added a third. While doing that, I created a larger walk in closet with the washer and dryer inside the closet. That's been a game changer!!!

My biggest mistake was putting the front door of the house facing the front of the property. That wasn't wrong, but over time, that's where we've created our back yard. The house blocks the afternoon sun, and it's the most comfortable area to be outdoors in the evenings.

For the last couple of years I've been working on flipping everything around and making the back door and my garage our front door and living room. I'm building a new attached 3 car garage right now so I can empty my current garage, and open up that area.

My biggest fear is that when I'm all done with it, I'll realize that I got it wrong again and I'll want to change everything one more time.

 

[JasperFrank]

Did you start with a clean sheet or did you adapt off an existing floor plan?
The brick looks great! and no more worries about painting.
I know some folks are very hesitant to post interior pics of their houses, yet it would be fun to see how you used the spaces. How are you using the space above the front porch? Is this a loft or an unfinished attic?

On the many sites I have been on, the one universal lament was always "We should have built the garage first and with a toilet, shower and utility sink!"

 

[Jstpssng]

My next house will have two baths, even though I live alone. One for regular use, the other just inside the entry door. If I come in wet, muddy, or greasy I don't want to take my boots off just to go take a dump. (Although the bootleg outhouse in the field is handy for that sometimes. ) If I come in covered with snow I want to be able to strip, drop my clothes in the washer and step into a hot shower, without worrying about mopping the entire house first.

 

[oosik]

We had our first house built in Anchorage, AK. Like the OP we gained much knowledge from that house.

When we built here in Ea WA state - that initial knowledge was helpful.

- single story, ranch style was what we built here
- no fireplaces - waste of $$$ and never that energy efficient
- electric baseboard heat as a backup to a nice wood burning stove
- three bedroom - two bathrooms
- LARGE kitchen with island stove/counter top and LOTS of extra counter top workspace

There was more but that was how the design started

After 40+ years here - I can't, right off the top, think of any changes.

Oh and - no in-sink garbage disposal and no dishwasher. Both proved to be a PITA and big $$$$ cost in our first home in Anchorage.

 

[m1garand762]

We are getting ready to build and high on the priority list was a first floor master bedroom, especially since my parents spent a fortune to modify there home when mom became wheelchair bound. The second is a bathroom right off the garage so the kids aren’t walking half way through the house when they come in from outside

 

[Torvy]

We are about 2 weeks into our build...meaning they are doing dirt work, getting ready to pour.

Thanks for the advice. We only have 2 baths, but we are not entertainers. Once the shop/garage is done we will have another in there.

One floor of living space only. We are not getting younger. There is some attic space, too.

Put a separate mechanical room with outdoor access. No need for maintenance or repair people to haul themselves and/or equipment through the house. It also has an interior door for us.

 

[BackRoad]

We also are building. It's the last one planned for us...the one our kids will clean out and sell.

Still making minor adjustments, even as we're finishing up the forms for frost walls for the final foundation pour.

We'll know in a few years what we missed.

 

[JasperFrank]

My new neighbors are making everything Natural Gas. What a world of hurt they will be in, in 10 years...

 

[Diggin It]

If I ever build from scratch (which I never will) ... the plan in my head is exterior perimeter of something like 50 x 50 or 50 x 60 and not a whole lot more from any contractor. No interior walls ... only whatever posts/columns to hold the roof up. One story, no stairs unless a basement is done. If so, the basement will have ground level access or a ramp of some kind.

Once the place is 'in the dry' and the contractors is gone, I'll take over and the interior will be done as a work in progress over as long as it takes. One common water wall with kitchen, baths and utility/laundry all located close to each other. NO plumbing to other areas.

Rooms may even be partition walls initially so they can be moved if I decide to try something else. More or less open plan to allow for better airflow to help with heating/cooling. Houses before the 60s were laid out with windows, doors and vents to provide circulation before the common use of A/C. I'd be shooting for as little energy use as possible.

Exterior doors will be steel in steel frames.

Garage attached with access to both main floor and basement, though I haven't quite figured out the best way for that yet.

Possibility of a simple elevator/cargo hoist to the basement if ramps can't be worked out. I hate stairs and trying to carry stuff up or down.

Bottom of exterior windows will be 7' above ground so that no one can stand outside a window and look in. That would mean the floors would have to be elevated too so the windows are at proper height from inside.

Raceways wherever possible to make running wires easier if changes need to be made later.

 

[RalphVa]

I just copied your stuff to see how many I agree with after owning houses for 48 years.

1. Next house will be 2 1/2 bath. I kind of let my builder talk me out of this. Had some family get togethers and definitely wish I had the 1/2 bath. I know I saved a little on the cost but if I ever do it again this is going to be a must have. (Think this is what we had in first house, a much smaller one in NJ.)
2. I kept my house at a certain square footage based on dollar per square foot. I was worried to death about my appraisal. This caused me to have the architect draw a 2 foot bump out for the bathroom on one side of the house where the kids rooms are. I should of sucked up the 5 to 8 grand it would have cost to push the whole house out 2 feet and been done. (This is probably the biggest thing that bothers me about the house and my decision on the size). (We popped our NJ out about 6 feet or so, enough to get a big kitchen downstairs and master bath upstairs.)
3. I did not put a garage in. Again, I was worried to death about the price of everything. Next time, if we do it again, I will HAVE a garage done with the house. This is the one extra I wanted and needed and still did do not have. Who knows when I will ever build one. Almost everyone I know that did not do the garage initially, still have no garage. I am currently building a shed, have a shipping container and will build a pole barn but I wish I would have done a garage. (Garage is a must have. The inital garage in NJ was long enough to park 2 small cars end to end, but we added a 2nd. Do not forget a people door. Did forget that on 2 car carriage house added to built-in 2 car garage here in Va.)
4. My kitchen could be bigger and I would have liked to have had more counter space. I do have a plan moving forward to add some more space to this. (Wife ended up with a huge kitchen and has one here in Va, too.)
5. I wish we would have put an extra room, for an office/spare room, etc. (Yes, we had a spare BR upstairs and had an office in the den off the garage in NJ. Got 4 BRs here, including the critical 1st floor one in case one of you gets disabled. Used recently with wife after she broke her leg.)

Here is a list of items I did right and happy with:

1. Had the entire house bricked. Back deck, front porch all concrete and brick. Every time I come home I smile about the brick. Probably THE best thing I did on the build. (Wife painted the barn red NJ house once in 20 years. Brick and vinyl windows here in Va and gutters with tops on them, a must. NO gutters in La because stuff would grow up downspouts and plug them. None in tiny Vt house either.)
2. 9 foot ceilings - I know this is an extra and not needed but I really like the tall ceiling height. (That's what many wanted in the huge 5500 sq ft house in La when looking at it to buy.)
3. House was designed around the wood stove. My house is like a square and I put the wood stove right smack dab in the middle. House holds heat great in winter and makes you walk around in your underwear. (Had wood stoves in NJ and Vt house. One in NJ was in basement which was almost inhabitable only naked. Had vents just above it for the 1st floor. The Franklin stove, very leaky, was the only heat when there in Vt. Had backup electric heaters set for about 40 or 50 F.)
4. Bathrooms are huge. You can lay down in them. Love it!!! (1st floor and basement ones here in Va are a tad small. Of course, little house in Vt barely had room to trun around in. All baths in La were large.)
5. Me and the wife never needed 2 sinks, so we added more closet space in the bathroom. We have a closet and shelving in the master bath and Love it!!! (Got 2 sinks AND closet space in the MBR one here in Va. One in La had 2. Think we only put 1 in new MBR in NJ.)
6. 3 ft wide doors through out. (We always wished for solid wood doors. Think the house in La had them.)
7. We sacrificed a dinning room for a mud room/laundry room. This was a great decision. We are out door people and have lots of nasty shoes/clothes/jackets and other junk filling up these spaces. Really glad we did this. (Good choice. Dining room is rather useless unless you entertain a lot. Va house has huge "breakfast room" and dining room.)
8. Utility sink in the laundry room. A must have!!! (Wife had HUGE laundry room in La and wanted to bump the garage wall out to increase the one here in Va even though it does have a utility sink. One in NJ was fairly large but don't recall a utility sink. Maybe.)

EVERY house should have an outdoor shower. Only need a 2.5 gallon "Tiny Titan" hot water tank connected to outdoor spigot. Just shut off when lathering up.

Good idea to have a whole house generator. The little 12.5 kw Isuzu from Central Maine Diesel combined with new Gentrol 200 amp panel for it has been great in Va all electric house.

 

[beowulf]

Things I can think of right now:

When I remodeled our kitchen I added a second sink. Love it. Few kitchens have a second sink but if you ever do have one you will always want one.

I installed a whole house fan. If I ever move I will install a whole house fan there. When it cools a bit in the evening, you open selected windows (you can sort of choose where you want to cool things down) and turn it on and it sucks fresh air in. It will blow the hot air out of the attic (which otherwise sits up there like a hot lid), it exchanges the stale air in the house with fresh air, and cools things down. I have also used it to remove any smells from burnt cooking and for the occasional miscue with the fireplace, or whatever. Just don't turn it on if there is an active skunk outside. (We also have ceiling fans in several rooms).

A gate alarm. Our gate is about 850 feet away and we are instantly alerted if anyone approaches - great to know if and when an expected delivery arrives, or if someone is out there you need to check on, or when guests are arriving.

And in the TMI department - bidets on all toilets. I got one during the great TP shortage. The wife and family sort of scoffed at the idea. After one was in, the wife wanted one in a second bathroom (insisted on it), and then one daughter wanted one in a guest bathroom. Then a friend asked for the link because he decided he wanted one. He loved it and told his daugther about it and she now has one. Our other daughter visited and then got two for her house. Two other friends have since put them in. Very inexpensive (I paid $40). Very easy install. And a no-brainer. After all, we're not barbarians.

 

[RalphVa]

Things I can think of right now:

When I remodeled our kitchen I added a second sink. Love it. Few kitchens have a second sink but if you ever do have one you will always want one.

I installed a whole house fan. If I ever move I will install a whole house fan there. When it cools a bit in the evening, you open selected windows (you can sort of choose where you want to cool things down) and turn it on. It will blow the hot air out of the attic (which otherwise sits up there like a hot lid), it exchanges the stale air in the house with fresh air, and cools things down. I have also used it to remove any smells from burnt cooking an occasional miscue with the fireplace, or whatever. Just don't turn it on if there is an active skunk outside. (We also have ceiling fans in several rooms).

A gate alarm. Our gate is about 850 feet away and we are instantly alerted if anyone approaches - great to know if and when an expected delivery arrives, or if someone is out there you need to check on, or when guests are arriving.

And in the TMI department - bidets on all toilets. I got one during the great TP shortage. The wife and family sort of scoffed at the idea. After one was in, the wife wanted one in a second bathroom, and the daughter wanted one in a guest bathroom. Then a friend asked for the link because he decided he wanted one. He loved it and told his daugther about it and she now has one. Our other daughter visited and then got two for her house. Two other friends have since put them in. Very inexpensive (I paid $40). Very easy install. And a no-brainer. After all, we're not barbarians.

We put in a whole house fan in the NJ house before eventually putting AC in. Worked well.

We've a Dakota driveway alert. Love it. Also have a battery powered gate. Audio sucked but love having the gate.

I just use the water in the toilet bowl after a flush to clean bottom with hand. Use TP only for drying and as a check. Be tough to find space for bidets in many toilets.

 

[beowulf]

We put in a whole house fan in the NJ house before eventually putting AC in. Worked well.

We've a Dakota driveway alert. Love it. Also have a battery powered gate. Audio sucked but love having the gate.

I just use the water in the toilet bowl after a flush to clean bottom with hand. Use TP only for drying and as a check. Be tough to find space for bidets in many toilets.

Regarding the bidet - they attach under the toilet seat so no space issue actually. This is the one I bought (three times). Installs in about 15 minutes.

https://www.amazon.com/Bidet-Non-Electric-Mechanical-Attachment-Self-Cleaning/dp/B00P2XZDGG/ref=sr_1_6?crid=13SCWL17S146B&keywords=bidet&qid=1660825918&sprefix=bidet%2Caps%2C336&sr=8-6

 

[bigtiller]

Put a separate mechanical room with outdoor access. No need for maintenance or repair people to haul themselves and/or equipment through the house. It also has an interior door for us.

An old house I owned in the 70's had a basement/house door like that. It sure was handy.

 

[beowulf]

We put in a whole house fan in the NJ house before eventually putting AC in. Worked well.

We've a Dakota driveway alert. Love it. Also have a battery powered gate. Audio sucked but love having the gate.

I just use the water in the toilet bowl after a flush to clean bottom with hand. Use TP only for drying and as a check. Be tough to find space for bidets in many toilets.

RalhVa, I had a Chamberlain driveway alert for many years then it stopped working - got another (same brand) but it did not work as well. So bought an eMacros unit with a half mile range - so far loving it - choice of four 'alerting' sounds and volume adjustment and other options.

We have found that with a whole house fan we have cut back significantly on AC.