New Home Construction Ideas

[BJXDS]

It looks like the type of home we now need/want is not readily available. We will most likely need to have it built And I am not really looking forward to going thru that again. I had my last one built in 1992. So here it is:
Single level living, main floor with washer/ dryer approx 2K SF. Possibly to include a basement, walk out preferable with attached and possibly detached garage.

What features do you have that you would recommend or not? Energy efficiency windows, doors, and appliances, tankless water heater, LED lighting, high efficiency dual fuel heat and AC. Smart home features/ security system.

What would you add or delete if you were doing it?

[oakdalecurtis]

[QUOTE=BJXDS;1085941]It looks like the type of home we now need/want is not readily available. We will most likely need to have it built And I am not really looking forward to going thru that again. I had my last one built in 1992. So here it is:
Single level living, main floor with washer/ dryer approx 2K SF. Possibly to include a basement, walk out preferable with attached and possibly detached garage.

What features do you have that you would recommend or not? Energy efficiency windows, doors, and appliances, tankless water heater, LED lighting, high efficiency dual fuel heat and AC. Smart home features/ security system.
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I am living in my self designed dream home. It has all of the features you mentioned. In addition, I added 12 solar tubes, lighting up every room and area that would be dark otherwise without artificial lighting. I’m talking about windowless interior rooms, bathrooms, pantries or master closets.
Depending where you live, I would also include 40 to 60 solar panels to mitigate your electric bill.
Finally, anytime you can choose to heat your house or water with either electricity or gas flame, the flame method will always be more efficient and lower cost than electricity.
One final thought. My house is also a large single story. I pitched the roof up steeply and designed the rafters internally to allow for significant attic storage area on a plywood floor with pulldown ladders to access the area.
Good luck!

[peterb]

If this is going to be your retirement house, do all the “elderly resident” design features now — handrails, grab bars, wheelchair accessible bathroom, etc. It drove me nuts watching my parents build their house saying “we don’t need that now”. Making those modifications later is expensive and a painful reminder of decreasing physical capacity.

Having been an EMT, it’s really nice to have an easy route to bring a stretcher in.

You can’t have too much lighting in workspaces. Light is a tool.

[0ddl0t]

If this is going to be your retirement house, do all the “elderly resident” design features now — handrails, grab bars, wheelchair accessible bathroom, etc. It drove me nuts watching my parents build their house saying “we don’t need that now”. Making those modifications later is expensive and a painful reminder of decreasing physical capacity.

Having been an EMT, it’s really nice to have an easy route to bring a stretcher in.

You can’t have too much lighting in workspaces. Light is a tool.

I'd add that zero threshold entrances make a world of difference if someone in the home eventually needs a scooter, walker, or wheelchair. Also consider how easy it will be for everyone to use door & cupboard handles with arthritic hands... If your plan is to "age in place" I'd also be sure to pick a site close to medical services & shopping and to spec lower maintenance landscaping (if you do it yourself).

Other desires: a larger/deeper/taller garage so you can park full size suvs or trucks inside and still have room to move around. And extra 220V outlet is handy for a welder or charging an electric car. A whole house fan is nice if you live in a mild climate. A safe closet/room is very nice if you have a large valuable/firearm collection.

I'll also echo the solar tube recommendation (just not for bedrooms). During the day I don't need to turn on any lights in the kitchen, baths, or living areas...

[OlongJohnson]

Emphasize maintainability/repairability. Minimize the disturbance (drywall, etc.) required to maintain, repair or replace any systems such as plumbing, HVAC (including ducting), water heater, etc. Ensure that the heater and A/C coils (if you have them where you are) can be efficiently accessed for inspection and cleaning. I would spend extra for rolled insulation batts in the attic rather than blown-in insulation. The blown stuff basically turns the attic into a hazardous environment. It gets everywhere and is a major headache if you need to get at anything for repair/replacement.

Make sure the thing is framed straight so the drywall can be straight and doesn't need texture to hide the defects. Smooth walls may not be as interesting as texture, but they sure are a lot easier to blend if you ever have to make a repair. Get professional help with colors. And for God's sake, don't let her do wallpaper.

I personally prefer to have a first floor raised off the ground, rather than a slab, so plumbing can be below the house. Leaks are not disasters that way. The water heater in my first house started to leak at one point. Because it was at ground level on the driveway slab, it was three trips to Home Depot the next Sunday afternoon to swap it out. No drama and minimal expense. A coworker had to do complete remodels of his house (fortunately, he had good insurance) more than once due to plumbing leaks.

Make sure the gutters are sloped toward the downspouts so they actually drain, rather than water pooling in them until it evaporates.

Ensure that wiring is neat and organized, readily accessible. Use extra material so it can follow consistent, bundled paths rather than just every wire going the shortest route to wherever it goes. If you wire the place for comms (coax, CAT5, whatever), make sure those lines are easily updateable/replaceable.

Outdoor cooking facilities (grill and a range burner or two) are nice to have, especially if you like cooking smelly things.

A swimming pool is a hole in the ground into which you pour money. I don't know anyone who has a pool and spends more time swimming in it than maintaining it. The electric bill for the pump can be hundreds/month.

Attic storage is nice, but I would prioritize the ability to go up on the roof relatively safely for inspection and maintenance, which means a lesser slope. Ensure that all the eaves and gutters are reachable with a ladder for cleaning.

Go for Hardi or other cement board siding so it will never rot, mildew, crack, etc.

Agree on planning for aging with respect to landscaping, etc. What you can do at whatever age you are now won't be possible at 75.

Plan all the landscaping for the full-grown size of everything. Plant your trees far enough away that in 20 or 30 years when they are big, they won't be running into the house. Trees being far enough away from the roof helps keep squirrels from getting bored and curious while hanging out on your roof.

[Clay1]

I would be looking at building in security features. I think Jeff Cooper had an article on how he built his house in reference to defending it. I would reinforce doorways and put in real doors with a higher level of kick in resistance.

The sleeping area would be a place that I could defend easily. I've always wondered this same question about what I would want if I could build a house in reference to my family's security. While I don't do anything illegal, I would want to harden my house from the get go. I'll be interested in design concepts that other have to this end.

Maybe this isn't what you were thinking by asking the question, but now is the exact time to consider your home is your castle.

[beenalongtime]

My start, would be a monolithic dome.

[AKDoug]

It looks like the type of home we now need/want is not readily available. We will most likely need to have it built And I am not really looking forward to going thru that again. I had my last one built in 1992. So here it is:
Single level living, main floor with washer/ dryer approx 2K SF. Possibly to include a basement, walk out preferable with attached and possibly detached garage.

What features do you have that you would recommend or not? Energy efficiency windows, doors, and appliances, tankless water heater, LED lighting, high efficiency dual fuel heat and AC. Smart home features/ security system.

What would you add or delete if you were doing it?

What region of the country are you in? That dictates a bunch of home design.

[JTQ]

Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction

Radiant floor heat

[BJXDS]

Some very good points mad so far, please keep em coming. What further complicates this issue for me is the final location is yet to be determined, I know WTF??

Most likely this house will be built in Central VA, TN, NC, GA. I did not want to cloud the build specs with location type issues. I have been following the previous where to retire threads with interest, and I will probably post another regional location thread after I have a better idea of the home build. The home design and construction will most likely be very similar.

I will say this however, the central VA region, liberal/socialist gun grabbing leanings aside is or WAS a very good place to be. It pisses me off to no end how VA has turned and I don't believe its EVER coming back, but I digress. The economy is very stable, medical care options are plentiful, Northern VA, Fredericksburg and Cville has some of the best medical care in the nation. You are approx 2 hours from the beach or mountains, and those areas are very beautiful in general. Traffic always SUCKS ASS on all major roads. The area between south of Richmond to Baltimore seems to be blending together, becoming one large metro area. There are some absolutely beautiful areas in between.

SORRY, back to the Home construction:
Alternate/ non standard construction methods may be the future ICF, Solar, radiant/geothermal heating cooling, extended overhangs on southern exposures are expensive and its hard to find a builder/GC that has qualified subs in those trades. In addition repair and service is difficult as well. We all know AC only fails on the hottest days and Heat on the coldest, and when that happens it can still take days or weeks to have it repaired or replaced. With some of this stuff I am still not convinced the cost is ever recouped?

I agree fire /gas is cheaper than electric but if we are back to propane, maybe not. I need to research that some more.

Low Maintenance interior and exterior and ADA are a must, doors showers, zero/ low entrance good idea. High counters, vanities and toilets as well. Also full pull out cabinets with soft close are nice as well, AND a Bosch dishwasher.
Solar tubes are nice as well
High attics are nice but that just more room for the wife to have me use to store a bunch of junk we don't need, and deviation from engineered trusses will add to the construction costs.
I like the idea of largest High ceiling garage as well, I am thinking about semi conditioned as well, possibly a utility tub, and even a drain the the floor.
Outdoor patio cooking and lounging areas are very nice. Stamped concrete with a pavilion roof, I will never build and maintain another deck.
POOL, or should I say NO POOL, I have won that battle for 30 years, but I am afraid if we do this build I will finally loose. That's probably the reason she said you really should really get the bass boat you want. But Happy wife, Happy life so we'll see. By the way I am sure the pool will be totally Maintenance Free; For Her!

Security features as well, outdoor lighting, harden, secure all entrances. But any sources for residential security doors that are insulted that don't look like a steel commercial door?

Thanks and keep em coming