Building a house: what are your must have or want to have items?

[GoDucks349]

Two things I've had in previous homes that I truly miss having are a steam room and instant hot water through out the house.

 

[utvolpj]

Two things I've had in previous homes that I truly miss having are a steam room and instant hot water through out the house.

How was that accomplished? Full recirc system? I know Grundfos makes a pump and valve that gets it close or you could put instahots at every fixture. Seems like a little overkill though. We currently have an undercounter unit in the kitchen though and will at the new home

 

[GoDucks349]

How was that accomplished? Full recirc system? I know Grundfos makes a pump and valve that gets it close or you could put instahots at every fixture. Seems like a little overkill though. We currently have an undercounter unit in the kitchen though and will at the new home

I think the way it works is you have a recirculation pump on the hot water line and a return line to the hot water heater inlet from the furthest point in the hot water plumbing. It shouldn't be that expensive. Plus, think of this how many gallons of water do you run waiting for the hot water to get to the shower etc. The pump keeps the hot water circulating in the hot water line so it doesn't cool down.

 

[RiverVol]

Bathroom, roomy, light, timeless tile. Party Shower.

Closets - Big & lots of them. Closets off of every room - not just bedrooms

Kitchen - Gas burners, Island, and a Walk-In Pantry.

High ceilings in gathering rooms

3 or 4 car Garage - attached via covered walkway - not integrated into the house.


Those are quality of life issues for me.

 

[Go aeiou]

Bathroom, roomy, light, timeless tile. Party Shower.

Closets - Big & lots of them. Closets off of every room - not just bedrooms

Kitchen - Gas burners, Island, and a Walk-In Pantry.

High ceilings in gathering rooms

3 or 4 car Garage - attached via covered walkway - not integrated into the house.


Those are quality of life issues for me.

Do you have a wife? There is no such thing as timeless. the decorating industry gets together every year and decides what colors they will use.
Look at tile that was installed 10 years ago it's dated now. Same for color of hardwood floors. I.e. light, dark, gloss, satin, wide plank, narrow. Same for carpet, cabinet, paint, everything in the house.
You and I could probably build a timeless house(to us), but if we wanted to sell it forget it. It can be the best quality, but current trends count. I built homes, and the saying was, "most people don't see beyond the wallpaper".

 

[Buzzbait]

Pex plumbing throughout
Composite tile roof (50 Year)
Room-by-Room ac/heat units
Hardie concrete siding with a jell coat paint
Pre wired security and USB outlets
Metal security shutters
Built-in safe
Huge Master Suite
Other bedrooms on the other side of the house
Curbless shower
2 person heated and jetted tub

Big plus on the zero entry/curbless shower. Make the door wide enough for wheelchair or walker. You may need it someday and it will help resale.
Also , the instant hot water dispenser as you will never believe how much you will use it. MY favorite is an undercounter ice maker, especially if you fill coolers a lot or entertain much. Ice makers in the frig cannot compare or keep up with high demand.

 

[RiverVol]

Do you have a wife? There is no such thing as timeless. the decorating industry gets together every year and decides what colors they will use.
Look at tile that was installed 10 years ago it's dated now. Same for color of hardwood floors. I.e. light, dark, gloss, satin, wide plank, narrow. Same for carpet, cabinet, paint, everything in the house.
You and I could probably build a timeless house(to us), but if we wanted to sell it forget it. It can be the best quality, but current trends count. I built homes, and the saying was, "most people don't see beyond the wallpaper".

Hahahaha... almost 20yrs. yes. Fair enough assessment though. Glass and Nordic style in the bathroom. I've spent enough time in Scandinavian hotels that I've figured out what "timeless" is to me. Keep it simple like the best James Bond suit. ... I stay away from anything with pink or yellow in the hue, - that includes the red sandstone-is hue in some earth-tone tile.

 

[Dudleys87]

Definitely did that with our current plan. We missed a few things on our last build that we made sure to include in this like the paver patio, hottub/spa and a full outdoor kitchen with grill, sink, fridge (plus a shower as recommended above). Also got the large, triple sliding doors where they slide into the wall to hide so it's fully open. We like our current setup but this will be much better

Sounds amazing, without knowing your likes/dislikes that’s the basis of my idea. Simple enough to have what you need but not overboard with things you’ll rarely use.

Like a dishwasher. I’ve seen them done and set up for them to be installed. Imo, it seems to be a bit much unless you host large parties every weekend.

 

[Dudleys87]

Big plus on the zero entry/curbless shower. Make the door wide enough for wheelchair or walker. You may need it someday and it will help resale.
Also , the instant hot water dispenser as you will never believe how much you will use it. MY favorite is an undercounter ice maker, especially if you fill coolers a lot or entertain much. Ice makers in the frig cannot compare or keep up with high demand.

On counter is a huge plus but keep in mind you can get a good size floor model for good prices too depending on usage. I wish I had the room for one my wife uses ice that much..

 

[Dudleys87]

If you plan on selling again it’s a good idea to have as much automated stuff as possible.

Big selling point in today’s world of go go go.

 

[malinoisvol]

Hahahaha... almost 20yrs. yes. Fair enough assessment though. Glass and Nordic style in the bathroom. I've spent enough time in Scandinavian hotels that I've figured out what "timeless" is to me. Keep it simple like the best James Bond suit. ... I stay away from anything with pink or yellow in the hue, - that includes the red sandstone-is hue in some earth-tone tile.

Anything to make old age enjoyable, easy to maneuver, and as maintenance free as possible is a plus.

 

[Buzzbait]

On counter is a huge plus but keep in mind you can get a good size floor model for good prices too depending on usage. I wish I had the room for one my wife uses ice that much..

Under counter is a "floor model". You lose a base cabinet space but it's worth every penny.

 

[Dudleys87]

Under counter is a "floor model". You lose a base cabinet space but it's worth every penny.

I know, but he could also put it outside too. Probably be more beneficial and a cleaner look too.

 

[Buzzbait]

I know, but he could also put it outside too. Probably be more beneficial and a cleaner look too.

We must be talking about different types. Mine looks like a dishwasher when installed. Sorry for contradicting.

 

[BAJAvol]

Absolute must haves for me on my next house:

-Garage space large enough for my truck and wife's car
-Detached Garage space large enough for a boat + plenty of room to work in
- Some sort of area for a man cave/bar
- Closet Space including walk in for master
- mostly flat yard (I am sick of mowing this hill behind my house)
- enough privacy to take a piss off my front porch
- Some type of excess storage area
- separated tub and shower in master
- split floor plan

Would like to have options:
- built in gun safe

 

[Hoosier_Vol]

1.) The $$$$ to build a new house

I'll play along oh..............

Must Have:

* Full half closed/half open front porch across entire front of house
* Total electric everything...no gas
* Pre wired security and USB outlets
* Metal security shutters
* Built-in safe
* 2 full baths
* Large man cave basement/bar
* Attached 3 car garage
* Metal roof
* Plenty of storage room

 

[dobre_shunka]

Given the rise of e-vehicles, may want to add a 220 circuit to the garage. Even if you don't ever buy a a plugin vehicle, at least it's there for resale.

 

[superdave1984]

Get it wi-fi ready through the whole house. Maybe even hard wired for several rooms.
Large pantry
Master BR as far from the kids rooms as possible
If you have kids, at least 2.5 baths
Garage big enough for 2 cars plus a good sized work space
Tankless water heater

 

[volinbham]

things I don't have but want:

pool, screened porch, fireplace, 3(+) car garage, workshop

 

[dobre_shunka]

Have the pot filler already on our plan but not the bidet. Interesting idea and may have to run that by the wife

A urinal or Neyland style trough in a the game room/man cave bathroom.

 

[Dudleys87]

We must be talking about different types. Mine looks like a dishwasher when installed. Sorry for contradicting.

That’s what I meant sry for the confusion. It sounds like he uses a lot of ice so a smaller floor model (they almost look commercial) might benefit him in the long run.

Opps, I misread it. Yes exactly like yours. Lol

 

[jps2194]

I'm currently in the process of building - waiting on inspection so we can drywall. I added a safe room in our house. It doesn't have a basement and there was a perfect space to put in the back of our master closet. It's 4x8 and we are putting in a vault door and will put this behind a swinging shoe shelf so nobody will know the safe is there. We'll keep our guns and valuables in it, but is also a place to go if there is a tornado. The walls are cinder block filled with concrete and the ceiling is concrete as well. It has a 6 hour fire rating - but the door is 90 minutes. The house could literally fall down and this room will still be standing.

We also added an outdoor fireplace on a covered rear porch. Can't wait to sit outside in the fall and watch football.

And finally, surround sound in the bonus room for a home theater. Pre-wired for a 7.1 channel surround sound (2 on back wall, 2 in ceiling plus center, left and right plus a subwoofer).

 

[Go aeiou]

Hahahaha... almost 20yrs. yes. Fair enough assessment though. Glass and Nordic style in the bathroom. I've spent enough time in Scandinavian hotels that I've figured out what "timeless" is to me. Keep it simple like the best James Bond suit. ... I stay away from anything with pink or yellow in the hue, - that includes the red sandstone-is hue in some earth-tone tile.

Not all parts of the world are as trend conscious as the US, particularly older countries. They tend to be more traditional.

 

[volmanbill]

Add a smart sprinkler controller to the list. My Rachio uses micro weather stations to predict rainfall and operate accordingly. My water bills have definitely been lower.

Smart Sprinkler Controllers & Natural Soil Treatments

 

[Carl Pickens]

Starting the process to build a new house again and want to see what others are as must haves or want to haves. We built about 5 yrs ago and that gave us a big list we've now mostly checked off.

What would you want in a new house?

One thing that’s nice and cheap is a hot water spigot outside..... if you wash your car in cold weather it’s awesome. Another nicety is a shower head and a drain in your garage.... rinse yourself off after weed eating or whatever
These aren’t luxury items by any means, but they’re inexpensive additions and I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them.