Home design ideas

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10' roll up garage doors so my Cruiser could fit inside with ease. Garage entrance on the side so you can't see in from the street. RV bay.

RV hook-ups inside RV bay, including dump station.

Big mud room with full bath (including urinal) between garage and house. Including a raised tub for dog washing, and a big wash tub sink.

Laundry located anywhere but inbetween the garage and house, large enough to have a sewing area and counter high folding table.

Same bathrooms as Jman.

NO HARDWOOD FLOORS! Dogs hate hardwood floors.:frown:

I wouldn't worry about low voltage wiring, RF is the wave of the future. Lots of AC, I'd triple what I did in this house.

Outlets at each corner of the house under the eves on an inside switch for X-mas, plus a few more at ground level on inside switches.

Big sun room with lap pool, hot tub and suana.

2 bedrooms, a master and a small guest room, with a lumpy bed. Don't want people getting to comfortable.

Small floorplan, quick and easy to clean.

Big yard with lots of garden area to keep :princess: happy. Separate play area with pond for Jake.
 
We are just finishing up a modest remodel and here are the things I did:

9' walls with vaulted ceilings. Ressesed lighting on dimmers everywhere. Large window seat in MB. Very large shower for two. Very large MB closet (180sf) to keep :princess: happy. Big gun safe. Pass through window from closet to pantry/laundry. Sink in pantry/laundry. Wire the whole thing for sound. Strong A/C & heat. Large kitchen and breakfast nook with great appliances. Sound proofing on interior walls. Lots of outlets and light fixtures.

Things I would have doone if I could have afforded them:

Wire the shades in the MB to switches by the bed. Jacuzzi tub in MB. Roll outs in every kitchen and pantry cabinet. Built a garage with double doors so I can pull in with my boat trailer attached (ala pass through). Shooting range in the basement.

Thats all for now.

Fly Rod
 
• Gimp room (a la Pulp Fiction)

• Deep garage with full garage doors front and back ~ much easier to get the mower through, as well as loads of stuff for the back yard

• 240V and several standard 30A outlets in the garage

• Full wiring in the garage for audio, phone, computer, etc.

• Some of the newer garage doors have an r-value close to that of the insulated walls of your house. That would be nice, along with some kind of climate control.

• Electrical plugs wired to the back corners of the back yard and/or anywhere you'll have a shed later.
 
indoor rink.
 
Jman said:
Bathrooms that have tile floors should have a drain in them; better yet, have a walk-in shower with a slightly sunken floor so that you can mop the bathroom floor and push the water down the drain.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of going one BIG step further, Pouring the whole house with sealed concrete, built-in furniture with water-proof cushions and fabrics, hose bibb with hot and cold water and a floor drain in each room. Just let the kids run around naked, hose down any mess. Needless to say, my wife didn't go for the idea.

But seriously, a mud room near the back of the house would be a good idea. Also, if designing your own house, allow for a closet/basement for any mechanical equipment that you want easy access to, unless you like crawling under the house/in the attic insulating/repairing pipes, air handler units, water heaters ect.

Best bet, hire a Residential Designer/Architect.
 
A hot water hose bib is a great idea.
 
compressed air in the garage, maybe even a line into the kitchen or other parts of the house--- compressed air works really well for stuff like blasting the dust out of the fridge coils or getting grime out of the oven/stove
I guess you could just carry in a small compressor for that once/year.

x100 on wiring: speaker wire to all 4 corners of every room. You never know where you'll "need" it.

overhead fans are great.

outdoor outlets-- plenty of 'em.

add low voltage wiringx 6 around the perimter of the house, outside. You can use it later to control security devices or run sprinklers, or low voltage lighting if you want.

in-floor heating/cooling lines w/ geothermal heat pump.

motion-sensing thermostats in each room- my brother has these, they are great-- the tstat can be set for "with people" and "without people" temperatures. Rooms are only heated/cooled as needed.

fully finish at least 1 garage wall, with same cat5/electrical/phone/cable as house.

built-in wiring for alarm system- even if you don't want an alarm, someone else might, someday.
 
If your clothes washer and dryer are going to be situated in the basement. Laundry chute. Just need to plan ahead and get some air ducts. Throw all your dirty clothes down the chute directly into the laundry in the basement. No need to have a dirty clothes hamper in the bathroom. Plus, Sorting/folding area in Laundry room with good lighting.
 
1) full length footings (my opinion only) I like lots of options for supporting the upper floors and ran a footing down the complete centre line of my basement
2) slab ... make sure it is properly drained - buy good washed gravel (round pebbles) pay for the best your local pit/aggregrate dealer offers..don't skimp on the drainage - around the footings and the water control system on your basement walls.
3)certainly lay insulation and PEX before pouring the slab even if you don't plan to use radiant hydronic heating - nice to be prepared..
4) DO plan on a full basement unless you plan to build on low ground - or a flood plain - in which case a trimaran is very stable
5) Insulated form panel is a wonderful invention. Among the best building advice is pick a good site, a good electrician, plumber, framer etc. with building starts down - the mediocre guys tend to drift into other lines of work - the craftsmen will still get the money they deserve -- BUT the chances of getting them for your project are a lot better!!!
6) Design a cold room and a secure room into the basement plan
7) Use 2x6 construction - interior walls too
8) Specify fibreglass windows - not vinyl, not wood. Use 2x6 construction
9) 200amp is not enough
10) sound insulate between rooms
11) cement board around water (showers etc)
12) prefinish all natural wood before putting it up (all sides)
13) consider installing pex tubing in ceilings for fire suppression
14) cisterns to collect rain water are very handy
15) get an expert to design the HVAC - good HRV's are an excellent investment in a healthy building.
16) Central vac --- takes all the dust outside.
17) what every one else has said
18) Spotlights on the eves of all corners of your building(s) so you can flood the entire structure with light for safety - also great when coming home late if you can trigger them remotely
19) bury the entrance cables for power and phone.
20) and a million other details from sump pumps to door locks and hinges
lots of fun!!!

Oh yeah - your inlaws will eventually arrive so you might as well rough-in a basement bathroom and kitchen...
 
besides the Laudry chute, you can put a few 2inch PVC pipes running up from the basement to the top floors. This way you can "pull" new non-high voltage wires up with ease if you need it. EX. security video, phone, cable, satellite, burglar alarms, intercoms, internet ,etc...
 
a bigish walk in closet just inside from the garage. for motorcycle riding gear. that way i wouldn't have to assemble the days rideing garb from all over the house.
 
This is a great thread but does anyone know of a link with simple house (2 bedrooms or 3) plans to review so that I might get some ideas. I like houses with wrap around porches...........I like that house in Quigley Down Under but have never seen another like it. Thanks for help in advance so that I might have something to look over.
 
House Plans, Home Plans, & Floor Plans from FreeGreen.com

Not necessarily the *best* plans in the world, but some of 'em are good, all of 'em have some consideration for energy efficiency/affordable construction, and the price is right.

edit: No longer free- now $100/year. Which is darn cheap, but not free.
 
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Thanks Sandcruiser....just wanting to get simple ideas to run by :princess: and see if there is anything to her liking. Downloaded one pic and hopefully I will get some other options from fellow cruisers.
 
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