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The Basement
Home building/living suggestions wanted.
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<blockquote data-quote="Bennett Prescott" data-source="post: 73272" data-attributes="member: 4"><p>Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.</p><p></p><p>Hmm, interesting one, Jack, and one that I've given much thought to the past few years having owned a town home, and now renting again in Boston.</p><p></p><p>The best model I have is my parents' house, which they built in 1989. It may not be different architecturally, or particularly expensive, but it has a few things right that I have come to consider critical. This house is in relatively rural NH on about 7 hilly acres, so assume that my most important requirements have already been fulfilled (a yard, lots of trees, can't see your neighbors). Here's what I like about that house, listed roughly in order of how much not having it pissed me off in other locations:</p><p></p><p>1) The single zone forced air HVAC system can maintain a very low temperature differential between the top two floors (the basement is allowed to stay cooler).</p><p>2) Every room has an electrical outlet every 6' on every wall. No room shares a breaker with any other room for electric.</p><p>3) Every room has a ceiling light, the majority of which are indirect via fluorescent tubes.</p><p>4) There are two showers, both are reasonably large, and both have a shower head at least 6' 6" off the floor.</p><p>5) Exterior walls are 16" thick for R factor, and important interior walls are double braced for sound isolation. Windows are also high R. My parents used to pay the same to heat their house in NH as I did my 1970s "build a hundred" townhouse in CT, and their house is twice the size and has many times the windows.</p><p>6) Lots of windows.</p><p>7) Two large fans that allow the entire house to be cooled without A/C for 10-11 months out of the year.</p><p>8) Two sources of heat: Oil fired, and wood burning.</p><p>9) A kitchen that two people can work in comfortably, with lots of counter space, co-located and open to the living/dining areas.</p><p>10) Three car garage. Read that as a car, a truck, a tractor, and lots of stuff that needed to go somewhere.</p><p>11) Small college town 5 miles away, "city" (has Home Depot, WalMart, McDonalds, etc) 12 miles away.</p><p>12) Excellent public schools.</p><p>13) A non-switched outlet in the goddamn bathroom.</p><p></p><p>I would really like recirc hot water and an enormous tank, which they don't have, and a standby genset, but that's me.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Bennett Prescott, post: 73272, member: 4"] Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted. Hmm, interesting one, Jack, and one that I've given much thought to the past few years having owned a town home, and now renting again in Boston. The best model I have is my parents' house, which they built in 1989. It may not be different architecturally, or particularly expensive, but it has a few things right that I have come to consider critical. This house is in relatively rural NH on about 7 hilly acres, so assume that my most important requirements have already been fulfilled (a yard, lots of trees, can't see your neighbors). Here's what I like about that house, listed roughly in order of how much not having it pissed me off in other locations: 1) The single zone forced air HVAC system can maintain a very low temperature differential between the top two floors (the basement is allowed to stay cooler). 2) Every room has an electrical outlet every 6' on every wall. No room shares a breaker with any other room for electric. 3) Every room has a ceiling light, the majority of which are indirect via fluorescent tubes. 4) There are two showers, both are reasonably large, and both have a shower head at least 6' 6" off the floor. 5) Exterior walls are 16" thick for R factor, and important interior walls are double braced for sound isolation. Windows are also high R. My parents used to pay the same to heat their house in NH as I did my 1970s "build a hundred" townhouse in CT, and their house is twice the size and has many times the windows. 6) Lots of windows. 7) Two large fans that allow the entire house to be cooled without A/C for 10-11 months out of the year. 8) Two sources of heat: Oil fired, and wood burning. 9) A kitchen that two people can work in comfortably, with lots of counter space, co-located and open to the living/dining areas. 10) Three car garage. Read that as a car, a truck, a tractor, and lots of stuff that needed to go somewhere. 11) Small college town 5 miles away, "city" (has Home Depot, WalMart, McDonalds, etc) 12 miles away. 12) Excellent public schools. 13) A non-switched outlet in the goddamn bathroom. I would really like recirc hot water and an enormous tank, which they don't have, and a standby genset, but that's me. [/QUOTE]
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