Home building/living suggestions wanted.

Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

One thing I like about where we are is there are four grocery stores within a mile, so biking distance. And UPS store near one of them.

We have 9'6" now. I wonder what the architect will come up with for the first go through. He knows how ours are. MMmmm, thick walls.

Randy Pence said:
i can walk to any supermarket i need, and several large parks. i can also feasibly walk to some of my gigs, but am generally anywhere i usually need ot be within a half hour of biking.

10ft ceilings.

im an apartment renter in an urban area. I'd rather live a few floors higher. A friend of mine owns his, and I'd say something he enjoys is the view from his living room balcony, as he can see a nice variety of architecture. His interior concerns mirror other replies, but his studio walls are not as thick as Ivan's!
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

We will be designing specifically for this lot. What is pay as you go? We are having the whole thing built in one fell swoop.
Not so much alternative, as very efficient.

John Fruits said:
You might find this website interesting:
Cottage, cabin & small country home plans
It is owned by an architect who sells small houseplans and has an amazing forum. The focus is on small, pay as you go homes. There is a great deal of info on alternative energy.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

We have discussed the basement height, but need to find our sewer outlet/inlet so we know how much vertical we have available.
I will be putting in Marmoleum floors. With an added 1/4" layer of cork. My feet couldn't take the concrete floors. (No carpeting anywhere.)

List me more "smart home" features.

We have not lost power for more than 20 minutes the 21 years we have been here. We will have the space, and layout for PV, but not the cash to do it up front.
The HVAC will have lots of importance. Also, our architect (and the person who referred him), have stressed what portion of his job is working with the contractor to make sure that our vision, and the one he has laid out, is what we get.

More replies tomorrow.

Brian Bolly said:
After living in an "old" house (not by New England standards, but post WWII construction boom) for 8 years and almost done with a full remodel, there's some things I'd like to see/have in the next house.

- Geothermal (if climate/terrain can support), or Ultra-high efficiency boiler with in-floor radiant heat and indirect DHW system. Going from an ancient oil-fired boiler to NG with indirect DHW, my energy cost dropped dramatically.
- Great air circulation and filtration.
- LARGE kitchen with stained/sealed polished concrete floors, a floor drain, and a floor level hot/cold hose bib.
- Structurally separate garage.
- Connectivity everywhere, and as many "smart home" features as possible.
- Wide doorways, high ceilings
- As much green construction/energy as possible.
- Lots of natural light
- If there's a basement, high ceilings as well - at least 8'6".
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

The well is an option. We have not finished consultation on this part yet.

On the forums, the biggest complaint of efficiency is installation. It seems that in Germany where they are doing a lot of this, (systems that run PV, on down the line in energy production for the home,) one crew can make several installations per day. Here it is several days per installation. It seems the reasons are two fold. One, they have been doing them quite a bit more, and are just more efficient. Two, the regulations there are geared to installation, and here they are geared to the absurd, and protection of the current methods, oil, coal, and gas.

Ryan Lantzy said:
Typically you have three options for a ground sourced heat pump. Slinky coil beds in a pond of sufficient depth, slinky coil beds buried under the frost line, or "wells" for lack of a better word. Usually each 100 feet length of slinky coils provides 1 ton of cooling or heating. One vertical well is typically the same. There needs to be good contact between the coils or well elements and the earth for them to remain efficient. (Pond based systems are pretty easy to get high efficiency out of because the water provides 100% slinky coil surface coverage.)

Pretty much anyone can get this to work on any size of land, though wells cost a little more (figure $1500-$2000 per well). Slinky coils are cheaper, and if you can operate a backhoe and call your state utility commission to get get gas lines, electrical lines, etc. marked, it's pretty simple. Wells require much more specialized equipment.

It is for this reason specifically that I oppose government incentives on wind and solar at this point rather than spending it on basic research. The efficiency is just not there yet, but may be if we put more time into research and making some breakthroughs.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

So, was this a pre-fab, a DIY, or straight up contractor.
Sounds very practical, and efficient. I think the styrafoam is the way our insulation is going.

I will want more space for the entertaining thing.

W. Mark Hellinger said:
Ok... our "house" is approx. 350 sq. ft.

The walls are 1ft. thick, double off-set 2 x 6 construction, and double insulated. The floor and ceiling are foot thick styraforam insulated. The house is 100% electric. Our monthly electric bill is < $30... even in the depths of winter. I've converted the house to all LED lighting. Our total household lighting power draw is < 100 watts.

We bought the place for cash... approx. $24K, including the acre of property it and the 1,200 sq. ft. shop sits on... the shop was constructed similar to the house.

Admittedly, our cloths closet is approx. 3ft. across.

Admittedly, our "house" only has two rooms, being the bathroom and the rest of the "house".

Admittedly, our "house" isn't set-up for entertaining... and there's few if any bragging rights... but:

We use our house for eating in, sleeping in, and freshening-up in the morning... and it does all of that very efficently.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

The kitchen is exposed to guests, and is a disaster area. ;-)
Some of our architects designs have not had cabinets. This is going to be looked into.
Another cook on the forum. I like it, that is my domain.
No plans for any SS. In fact we are looking to get the two appliances we need, stove/oven, and dishwasher, used before we get to that part of the build.

John Fruits said:
You also need to think about how you use the space, do you really need a formal dining room, do you need both a living room and a family room. That is why the open concept is so popular now. But then again, if you have cooked a huge dinner for guests, do you want the kitchen exposed to everyone, or is it a disaster area. The kitchen also needs lots of thought. The standard kitchen is designed to the work triangle, which is ok as long as only one person is using it. I have my own ideas about a kitchen. I hate overhead cabinets. I also like the idea of seperate work areas, the idea of a separate "scullery" is a great idea, especially if it includes dish storage. I also like a walk in pantry, none of this hiding things in cabinets with doors in the way. I also like the idea of a seperate "prep" area. I used to watch HGTV but so much stuff there makes no sense. A good drinking game is to watch house hunters, and every time some one says "it's kind of small" you have a shot. I also hate it when some name designer does a kitchen with "professional" style SS sink, the expensive ones with the square corners. Those aren't professional, they aren't allowed by NSF standards, they are impossible to keep clean.
One thing my dream home would have is a casual living space with one of these:
https://www.lehmans.com/p-2305-baker-s-oven-wood-heat-cook-stove.aspx
A few years ago, there was a major ice storm and most of the town was without power for at least a week. The roads were clear but there was nowhere to go. You had to go out of town to even buy gas.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

I'm sure we won't reach 12', and the house we are renting for the mean time has 8'. It will be in between.

Sounds like a good kitchen work area. And I want filtered water, not cooled, on the island.

Our insulation is going to be complete shell. With emphasis on no leaks from seam to seam, EG floor changes, or attic space.

Leland Crooks said:
High ceilings. I live in a 140 yr old Victorian. 12ft downstairs, 10ft upstairs. I feel claustrophobic with normal 8ft ceilings now. Hell, my doors are 10ft and 8ft tall, respectively.

The kitchen advice about isolating work areas is spot on. Ours was bare studs when we moved in. I built the island and cooking area specifically to isolate it from the cleanup. You turn around from the island to the cook top and stove. Sink and wash area is about 3-4 steps away. I keep thinking I'll install a bar sink in the island, but haven't done it yet.

The best money I spent was on a 95% efficiency gas furnace. Cut heating bills in half. Dead of winter we've never gone over $200 for 2400sq ft, who knows how many cubic. And it will run off my 1000w honda inverter generator if necessary. R30 in the attic, I have no idea what's in the walls. I know they were blown at some point, but it settles down the wall pretty quickly. Balloon framing, so it's probably all sitting on the sill plate.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

Yup, separate warehouse. I can park my truck in my driveway, or in the warehouse.

Jeff Babcock said:
Another thing I really enjoy and would recommend: having a significant separate area for your gear and/or musical instruments etc.

My place has a separate driveway to a very large double-bay garage that is used as my music and gear space. A large portion of it is dedicated to my recording studio (which is also sometimes used for music rehearsals), but the remainder is gear storage space. My trailer backs right up to one of the bays, making loading and unloading very fast. It is also far enough away from the house (I have a very large lot) that I can make all the noise I want.

This has been a luxury that I have really enjoyed.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

Isolation from the street is key in this case. The neighbors to either side is slightly less of a consideration, but on the radar.

We will be more of a solo/duo house concert consideration. And I am trying to make the sound system both part of the normal TV, 5.1 music, and live. With a tablet mixer.

John Roberts said:
Yup, CFLs kinda suck but I do appreciate the freedom from constantly having to replace burned out incandescent bulbs.
Another consideration is privacy/isolation. I recall living in a cheap condo (In CT) where my neighbor getting up in the middle of the night to pee would wake me up through the paper thin walls. I suspect the specific family situation can influence such considerations. Another apartment I lived in (NJ) was irritating to hear the kids running and playing on the floor above. In-law apartments with separate entrances, play-rooms where children can run amok, etc.

I'm not that big on entertaining anymore, but back when I did, being able to put a 4 pc band in my great room (open kitchen-living-dining room) was better than squeezing them into one smaller normal sized room.
JR
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

We have a lot different climate, and uses here. We will have an open air sun room, will fold out door/windows. But it will be mostly open on the shoulder seasons.
And not too many bugs. Storm/screen door on the front of the house, but no screen on the back.

We will not have asphalt shingles.

Gene Hardage said:
Down here it's all about keeping things cool. I dream of a place with a white metal roof with styrofoam under it. Heated/cooled square feet are taxed higher than unheated/uncooled so my daydream house has the whole upstairs area as a screened in open space with clear plastic roll down flaps like they use on the tiki bars and boats to keep the rain out. If it had big roof overhangs it would insulate the lower floor quite a bit and keep the heat out to reduce AC costs. We like open air old style cracker houses but eventually they all heat up in the summer so the idea of having a giant screened in porch over the house seems like it might be a way to keep the lower half cool.

What really bugs me is the old outdated inefficient construction methods that continue to dominate new housing. There are so many improvements that rarely get used. Roofing material is my pet peeve. I hate asphalt shingles.
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

The grass is prairie type, so does not need mowing. The roofs here are more efficient white. Better to repeal sun in the summer, than pick up in the winter. That is the job of the southern exposure. I have plans for the solar to be much lower angle than is recommended. For three reasons. One, won't need much for the summer, extra heat will just need to be tapped off. Two, better angle for winter pick up, when heating is needed inside. Three, added bounce from snow reflection in the back yard.

There are Spanish style tiles, the double curve terra cotta looking things, that have PV in them, and connect one to the other.

John Roberts said:
I've seem discussion of inner city high rise buildings with grass planted on top of the roof as a thermal barrier and passive solar system. (Who mows the roof?)

I have posted, only half in jest, that congress could pass a law that we all paint our roofs white in the summer and black in the winter to save energy... Seriously I suspect in some not so distant future, but not soon, we will have roofing materials that resemble solar cells that literally connect and stack in series parallel like batteries. Maybe even water cooled, to generate hot water and electricity, where practical. That and better insulation could reduce energy usage a bunch.

JR
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I used Lutron Radio RA control for the lighting when I did my renovation. There is a version 2 system available these days. I like it.

I wanted a bathroom in the basement but due to the exit pipe location I was sure I could not. My plumber just had a small pit dug and dropped in a sewage pump which got it up to the ceiling of the basement and then it could get to the exit pipe. I now have a nice high ceiling in the basement.

A few power skylights were a wonderful way to get airflow in the warmer days. They even have a rain detector to close themselves if it starts to rain.


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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

Central vacuum is a nice feature. I wish I saw it in more homes. Getting dusty/dirty air outside the home is good for those of us with allergies and OCD.

My folks added the instant hot water thing by putting a 1 gallon 120V water heater in the crawlspace under the kitchen sink, plumbed in series with the main hot water tanks (solar). Hot from the main tanks show up before the gallon is up. Main tanks are near the master bath so that gives instant hot to the two important locations.

They've also had good luck with solar water heating, using about 100 sq ft of collector (South Carolina) for two people worth of daily consumption. Two showers, dishes, and one big garden tub per day with very little electric demand...even in winter. Part of that situation is about 100 gallons of greywater heat recovery storage to capture that nightly bathtub of hot water for the quick turnaround into morning showers. The solar setup is their second iteration as the first iteration of pump/tank/exchanger didn't measure up. Apparently there are many options to check off when you elect for "solar hot water."
 
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Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

John Neil said:
Central vacuum is a nice feature. I wish I saw it in more homes.
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My parents installed central vac in their home when they built it in 1989. It was great for about a decade, then the fancy vacuum it came with broke and couldn't be replaced as the company had gone out of business. Those systems need a LOT of suction, and the longest line in my folks house is over 140'. Then the specialty floor unit broke, and could be fixed but then developed holes in the hose. For the last 10 years or so they've just used well rated but standard floor vacuums. Way more cost effective and when they clog they're easy to fix - they all have HEPA filters now anyway. Just like people who installed fancy intercom and lighting systems in the 1970s, now they have a bunch of stuff in and on the walls for no reason.
 
Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

I like backpack vacuums. Instead of dragging around and re-plugging a vacuum hose you're just dragging around a power cord. I have a 50 ft cord on mine and can do the whole house with just two pluggings. They're great for stairs and getting the spiders off the ceiling. And you can get ones as powerful as a shop vac. --Frank
 
Frank Koenig said:
I like backpack vacuums. Instead of dragging around and re-plugging a vacuum hose you're just dragging around a power cord. I have a 50 ft cord on mine and can do the whole house with just two pluggings. They're great for stairs and getting the spiders off the ceiling. And you can get ones as powerful as a shop vac. --Frank
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I like vacuums that someone else runs.
 
Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.

Jack Arnott said:
So, was this a pre-fab, a DIY, or straight up contractor.
Sounds very practical, and efficient. I think the styrafoam is the way our insulation is going.

I will want more space for the entertaining thing.
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Our "house" was here when we moved here. It was "new", not quite finished, at the time we moved here. The construction was DIY... a retired gentleman built the house as "sleeping quarters" for his retirement hobby shop... which was also included with the property.

We entertain "out in the shop"... when we entertain (both times as I recall). But then our idea of entertainment is pretty much limited to "out in the shop" sorts of things.
 
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