Building a new house and shop

[knuckle47]

Honestly, I’m a gadget guy. I doubt that I will ever build a house at this stage of my life but having a chase to pull cable and do it EASILY is a great thing. I am planning on moving out of NJ but have absolutely no clue where but would enjoy a complete re-vamp of all the tech stuff.

Are you using any solar options? I have seen several arrays that are on a rotating post to track optimum sun exposure… a good realtor friend actually told me that roof mounted panels de-value the home. Frankly, I don’t see how but she is a big shot with Coldwell Banker and I have to lend some credibility to that.

 

[1911]

Are you using any solar options? I have seen several arrays that are on a rotating post to track optimum sun exposure… a good realtor friend actually told me that roof mounted panels de-value the home. Frankly, I don’t see how but she is a big shot with Coldwell Banker and I have to lend some credibility to that.

Solar panels are in the long range plan, but just due to expense will probably be one of the last things we do. The house is already well enough insulated that it is pretty damned efficient, so there is not as much to be gained with a solar installation in terms of paying out the cost in electric bill savings. But we did plan for it, and poured six concrete pillars on the tops of the domes, as a place to mount south-facing tilt racks to mount the panels on. We'll also have plenty of space (in that room where the cabinet doors are drying) for battery storage if we ever want to go that route. But for the time being, we have other things we'd rather spend our money on.

As to resale value, I don't expect to ever have to worry about that - a problem for our heirs (children).

 

[1911]

Tile going in both showers this week:

 

[knuckle47]

It’s great having a shower for 4…

 

[1911]

It’s great having a shower for 4…

I've seen larger showers than this, but this is the largest one we've ever had.

All the multiple spray heads are my wife's idea; personally I don't think the water pressure from our well will be enough to support them all, but you can turn them on and off, that's what that vertical bank of valves is for.

 

[knuckle47]

Betting you’ll be good. My well pressure is set to 30-55. My original bladder tank worked perfectly for 20+ years and replaced it only a few months ago. Additionally, my friend helped me install an “indirect hot water heater”. Simply, it is a 4th zone of the hot water heating system that deals only with a 55 gallon Weil-McLean water tank with its own thermostat. When it calls for hot water, the boiler (oil) kicks on and sends hot water to the internal coils and back to the boiler to reheat. The exchange of heat into the surrounding water is exceptionally fast..

What turned me on about this ? We had a group of friends who used to gather on memorial day weekend and Columbus Day weekend and go back up to Northern Vermont and rent a ski chalet for 12 people. As we were strolling around looking at stuff, I saw this little tiny heating system and a small water tank that made 40 gallons. 10 to 12 people would be taking showers in the morning and there was always plenty of hot water. So my friend, who is a plumbing supply manager explained the principle of operation to me.

We installed the heater and new boiler about 15 years ago and it has never failed to supply copious quantities of hot water on demand. Upon installation, we had a 14 year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl and for years my daughter would take a 25 minute shower. with the electric hot water heater even being 80 gallons, it would continuously run out of hot water and take an extra hour or so to get back up to snuff. System has been miraculous for us at that stage. Of course now it’s just my wife and myself I but I have installed , one of the shower walls when I renovated our bathroom. It has six different jets independently controlled as well as a personal hand wand. And our water pressure is perfect with it. The hand wand actually stings a little on fine spray.

The odd story behind the pressure tank. Reason I replaced a few months ago. Was that water in the kitchen sink was slowing to a painfully slow trickle and I assumed the bladder tank was bad after all these years. It turned out to be the infrared sensor controlled kitchen water faucet that had failed. I replaced it with $150 unit from Amazon which I got the next day and the water pressure will knock a dish out of your hand if you should be rinsing it off in the sink and unknowingly forget how powerful it is and there is very little difference between 30 PSI and 55 psi.

My wife and I no longer dance in the shower at this age, but the performance has been exceptional. One of the perks of my plumbing supply manager friend was buying all of Grohe the fixtures at his cost.

Those pockets in the wall are another Godsend…nice work

 

[Joemrg]

Living Big In A Tiny House - https://www.youtube.com/@livingbig Does anybody watch this channel? I've been thinking about going off grid tiny house like this someday.

 

[Waorani]

What turned me on about this ? We had a group of friends who used to gather on memorial day weekend and Columbus Day weekend and go back up to Northern Vermont and rent a ski chalet for 12 people.

I thought this was going to be a Dear Penthouse story.

 

[LDowney]

All the multiple spray heads are my wife's idea; ...

My bide has no interest in physics either, but she has a unique perspective on the multiple shower heads in our master bath.

She picked one and declared it to be hers. ​

The other is mine. ​

Hers is equipped with a massage/pulse head.​

Mine does not matter what head it is equipped, so long as it does not lead to an un-needed cost (i.e., builders grade head to be used until non-functional)​

She is happy; I don't care; so all is good.
May your home (shower) be happy as well.

 

[1911]

She is happy; I don't care; so all is good.
May your home (shower) be happy as well.

This is my philosophy also. She is tolerant of and even encourages my spending money and time on motorcycles, tools, gubs, Land Cruisers, and musical instruments; in return, I let her make every decision in the entire house (except my dedicated office), choose car and interior colors, and spend whatever she wants on food, appliances, travel, stuff for her chickens and bees, sewing/quilting material, clothes, etc. Even when it makes absolutely no sense to me, or when she seems paralyzed by indecision. Works for us, and she is still worth it after 45+ years.

 

[1911]

Took a week off and went riding and camping in the Uintah Mountains with all three of my sons; had a great time but I'm getting too old for sleeping on the ground, and I'm definitely too old for the thin seats on these (rented) bikes:

And the obligatory trip to the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum, on the way to the airport:

 

[1911]

Work on the house is going a bit slower; I got a fairly large consulting project that is consuming my time for two to three weeks. Can't complain though because it pays for more material for the house.

The showers are almost done; all tile is in, they need grout and sealer now.

Mrs. 1911 is excited to have the under-cabinet and over-cabinet LED lights installed in her kitchen:

I did finish the second coat of paint on the oven cabinet (far left in the photo), so they are ready to be installed.

Making rough measurements of counter tops for the counter top guy, to give him an idea before he makes the trip out for real measurements.

 

[knuckle47]

When we did our kitchen, I did the whole thing except countertops…the granite guys came with a laser thing and a laptop…created the 3D drawing, measurements and then 2 weeks later brought in the stone tops. The fit was almost like magic…almost. One of the backsplash pieces needed a touch of grinding in one corner. They were full prepared though for full polishing

Your kitchen looks fantastic, the whole house actually…and I think the LED lighting over the cabinets is even better. Safe to say, I need to borrow that idea this winter

 

[knuckle47]

I know it may be a bit late but…. I used these on each side of the stove for spices and a full length on for other stuff.. made by rev-a shelf and after 3 years, the pull-outs are smooth as glass and my wife loads the big one up. Probably 250 lbs of bottles and cans
This small one is extra so I’m putting it in the pole barn for spray cans, carb cleaner, silicone spray etc… additionally, you can stack them

 

[1911]

I know it may be a bit late but…. I used these on each side of the stove for spices and a full length on for other stuff.. made by rev-a shelf and after 3 years, the pull-outs are smooth as glass and my wife loads the big one up. Probably 250 lbs of bottles and cans
This small one is extra so I’m putting it in the pole barn for spray cans, carb cleaner, silicone spray etc… additionally, you can stack them


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Great idea!

My wife had the cabinet makers make some tall thin cupboards specifically for big baking sheets also.

 

[1911]

Double convection ovens installed and working:

@knuckle47 you can see one of her narrow baking pan cabinets just to the right of the lower oven. that space would have worked for one of your sliding can/spice racks also.

 

[PAToyota]

I used these on each side of the stove for spices and a full length on for other stuff.

Only comment I'd make is that spices typically do not like heat for storage, otherwise those thin pull-out cabinets are great!

 

[knuckle47]

Agreed… with oven on 375* temp is around 85 - 90 within a few inches…but you are correct… aside from spices, she keeps other stuff there too

 

[knuckle47]

@1911 are you living here now while doing the work? It is such a beautiful place. My mom and dad built a huge house back in the late ‘70s but steered clear until it was 101% done to her demands

 

[1911]

@1911 are you living here now while doing the work? It is such a beautiful place. My mom and dad built a huge house back in the late ‘70s but steered clear until it was 101% done to her demands

Thanks!

Currently we are living right next to the concrete house, in an 1100 sq. ft. apartment that we built in one end of my shop building. Here in Texas they call it a "barndominium". You can see photos of it near the beginning of this thread. We built it first on purpose, so that we could live here on the land while we build the house. Also to have a place to store all of our furniture and etc. from the previous house.

The building process has taken much longer than we originally envisioned, due to contractions in my business and consequent reduction in income, as well as cost overruns (inflation in the cost of concrete for example). We're paying for everything in cash as we go, so no mortgage at least. One silver lining to this is that my wife is much less demanding and she has been willing to make several cost-cutting decisions that will result in us getting to move in sooner.