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OT: What special/custom features on a house provide great benefit with little cost?

Ranger Dan

Ranger Dan

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Aug 31, 2003
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My wife and I are thinking about buying a lot and building a new house. I know that you can buy an existing house for less than you can build one, but my wife and I want to have the house the way we want, and if we have to remodel an existing house then it's going to cost as much as building new.

My question is what design features or "character" elements have you really appreciated/enjoyed, without spending a ton of money on them and/or had the best ROI? For example: adding an extra course of block in the basement foundation to have a full 8' ceiling in finished basement, having a single switch that turns on all exterior lights, etc.

Conversely, are there any design features or "character" elements that you felt were a waste of money?

If you had the chance to build your "forever" home, with money absolutely being an object, what would you do or not do?
 
For what not to do, check out mcmansionhell.com

Wickedly funny and surprisingly informative.

The saddest thing is to spend a ton of money on something nobody is going to want in 15 years. Be careful about what is overly trendy now. There is going to be a ton of stainless steel and black granite in landfills in 15 years. You should try to look beyond what everybody's buying now and just use principles of classic good design instead of what the builder wants to sell you.

But yeah, a full height basement sounds like a very good idea to me. Plus if you finish out the basement in an attractive way, it might allow you a more compact footprint for the house which usually means better light (plus you save more of your lot for landscaping).
 
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Ranger Dan said:
My wife and I are thinking about buying a lot and building a new house. I know that you can buy an existing house for less than you can build one, but my wife and I want to have the house the way we want, and if we have to remodel an existing house then it's going to cost as much as building new.

My question is what design features or "character" elements have you really appreciated/enjoyed, without spending a ton of money on them and/or had the best ROI? For example: adding an extra course of block in the basement foundation to have a full 8' ceiling in finished basement, having a single switch that turns on all exterior lights, etc.

Conversely, are there any design features or "character" elements that you felt were a waste of money?

If you had the chance to build your "forever" home, with money absolutely being an object, what would you do or not do?
Click to expand...

We had a walk out ranch built with 9' ceilings in the lower level. Love that feature. Went with an open design with plenty of windows for natural light.
 
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A couple of extra feet in the height of the basement is huge.

Having an extra deep garage as well as having an extra wide garage is on my hit list.

Was in a model several years ago that had extra wide stairs going upstairs as well as extra wide stairs going down into the basement. All hallways were also wider and all doorways were also slightly wider. Made the house seem MUCH bigger than it actually was.

GOOD LUCK!
 
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- If you have a porch and want to enjoy it, make sure it is atl least 7 feet deep and not facing prevailing weather.
- A peninsula fireplace is nice.
- Most of all, make sure your contractor is competent and honest. It is definitely worth the extra cost.
 
A/C
quality windows (this no longer means big name expensive windows, but know what you're buying
no vinyl siding - Hardiplank or equivalent
solid core interior doors
 
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I'll tell you what I'd want if money was no object:

Is it energy efficient? I'd jam as much insulation and buy the most efficient windows, doors, appliances you can buy right now. I want the ongoing costs to hear/cool/power it to be as low as possible.

Bar in the basement and full height ceilings no doubt. I'd set it up as a prime way to watch Penn State games.

Kitchen would be my focal point. I'd spend the cash to upgrade the kitchen appliances to restaurant quality. Deck off the kitchen so you can open the back door and eat outside if the weather is nice.

Hardwood floors on the main level without question.

Drain lines I would buy the biggest you can so you never have to worry about hair going down them and clogging. My builder friend says that's a thing you can do if you so desire.

Hope this helps!
 
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Consider some of these, of course this is money is no object.

Have an en suite or master suite on the main floor, if you are building a multiple level house.

If you aren't sure always make it a little bigger than you think you might need.

A well designed Pantry nice shelving, maybe as big as a walk in closet.

A large walk in master closet. Big enough with an island in the middle with drawers.

A separate laundry room again walk in closet size on the bedroom level with a sink.

As a Realtor, women tend to go ga-ga over these last three items.

Think about putting a door with windows for the door to the basement. Sounds weird but I think it looks really nice and a neat feature. Like an 8 pane window door.

A nice outdoor entertaining space like a bricked patio with a built in fire pit.

A mudroom with built in "lockers"

I like to think that these would add value to the property when it comes time to resale and would be worth the investment.
 
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the more detailed your specs are, the more protection you have and get firm contract prices, not "allowances"
 
It all starts with lot selection and how the house is oriented on the lot. A view and/or privacy lots are always good for increasing value. The house should be positioned so that the outdoor living areas aren't in blazing afternoon or early bright evening sun.
 
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and have your contract and plans complete before authorizing work to start- change orders kill budgets
 
All brick exterior
Metal Roofing
High SEER HVAC (engineered)
Lots of insulation
Double or Triple pane windows
Hot Water Recirculating line
Insulated hot water pipe
Heated Floors in Master Bath
9' basement and 9/10' first floor with 2 story foyer and family room
Wood floors throughout and ceramic tile in all baths and kitchen
 
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Forgot earlier.....a friend of mine years ago built a place, he was a car buff, he added a faucet inside the garage and a drain in the garage so he could wash the car off in the winter. He also heated his garage.

He also had stairs built from the garage directly down into the basement, had not seen that done anyplace else.

Mentioned in a thread above, I'll second the idea that IF you have a door to the basement, make it a nice door with windows. But again you can have it not seem a basement if you keep the stairway open and have the stairway down to the basement 2-3 feet wider.....it really makes a difference!
 
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It's been stated but the best feature I have had is a separate area on first floor for elders. When you walk in and front door and turn right you go through a front living room that has an entry door into the room. Behind the front living room which served as a sitting room with tv was a bedroom and behind that is a full bathroom. It was a life saver for elder care. You never know what will happen and it has been beyond fortunate that we had it.

Also, resale value of the front door is much higher than anyone anticipates.
 
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Ranger Dan said:
My wife and I are thinking about buying a lot and building a new house. I know that you can buy an existing house for less than you can build one, but my wife and I want to have the house the way we want, and if we have to remodel an existing house then it's going to cost as much as building new.

My question is what design features or "character" elements have you really appreciated/enjoyed, without spending a ton of money on them and/or had the best ROI? For example: adding an extra course of block in the basement foundation to have a full 8' ceiling in finished basement, having a single switch that turns on all exterior lights, etc.

Conversely, are there any design features or "character" elements that you felt were a waste of money?

If you had the chance to build your "forever" home, with money absolutely being an object, what would you do or not do?
Click to expand...

Here's why I bought the home I have. NATURAL LIGHTING. And, it's ALL indirect. I mean I don't need curtains to block out DIRECT light during sunrise or sunset.

To me, this was THE selling point for me. I have Woods behind the back yard for privacy.

To me, I like to consider worst case scenarios. Of sh1t hit the fan and I had to unload this house, I could.

1. Natural lighting. I rarely need lights on.

2. Indirect sunlight. No need for curtains.

3. Privacy.
 
Consider wiring for a separate generator for power outages.

Be able to switch over your power so essential items are on a smaller circuit that the generator will run.

Might not need it, but if you do, planning ahead is much easier than a later install.
Discuss your options with a competent generator supplier to find a combination that works best for you.
 
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Indoor plumbing.

Seriously, a few things I'd put into a new house:

Geothermal heat pump
Heated slabs under any at grade rooms
I added a second mud room coming in from my garage which is essentially my dogs room. There is a large sink for bathing her. Also have space to store a few bikes indoors.
 
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Some great suggestions so far. Heated floors - much more comfortable and you'll end up keeping your heating bill down. Geothermal heat. If ranch - skylights. Really big garage - think 3 car size even if only 2 doors. Extra high ceilings are nice, just don't forget the nice ceiling fans. Recessed or "hidden" lighting (ceiling ledge with lights that point up). Storage, storage, storage - and not just really big walk in closets. No such thing as too many full baths. Kitchen - vent over stove that goes outside so you can do real grilling inside during winter. Two in wall ovens instead of one stove. Cooking two things at once is nice, especially when one is a fresh desert. Big covered porch - very inviting to have furniture there. Not sure about your property, but if septic don't skimp and consider aerobic. Non-plug toilets. Dual zone heating if two story.
 
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Ranger Dan said:
My wife and I are thinking about buying a lot and building a new house. I know that you can buy an existing house for less than you can build one, but my wife and I want to have the house the way we want, and if we have to remodel an existing house then it's going to cost as much as building new.

My question is what design features or "character" elements have you really appreciated/enjoyed, without spending a ton of money on them and/or had the best ROI? For example: adding an extra course of block in the basement foundation to have a full 8' ceiling in finished basement, having a single switch that turns on all exterior lights, etc.

Conversely, are there any design features or "character" elements that you felt were a waste of money?

If you had the chance to build your "forever" home, with money absolutely being an object, what would you do or not do?
Click to expand...
Central Vacuum. Awesome for keeping dust down and does a great job.
 
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Theater room with leveled seating and projector. Do stripper poles even need to be mentioned?
 
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I can't believe nobody is planning for the zombie apocalypse. Build your house with all bricks, limit the windows. The windows you do put in, make them the horizontal slider kind. Get bullet proof glass and bars over them. Have enough storage for plenty of food, water and ammunition. Most importantly, have a retractable staircase to the second floor, since zombies can not climb.

Zombies like Pitt football, since both are rotting corpses with no future. So make sure to not have any Pitt swag or colors on your house, as it will attract them.
 
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Metal roof that isn't steep.

No pine trees they're expensive as hell to get rid of. No trees anywhere close to house.

Central vac is great, make sure the wiring can be easily gotten to. No one wants to repair these things when they go bad.
 
Last edited:
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Nitt1300 said:
A/C
quality windows (this no longer means big name expensive windows, but know what you're buying
no vinyl siding - Hardiplank or equivalent
solid core interior doors
Click to expand...

This is very good advice. A lot of times the "builder grade" components are really cheesy and better grade is relatively little money. Same thing with builder grade appliances -- you're not saving that much money but you end up with appliances you hate every single day.

I don't know why people do foam core vinyl doors -- they're so horribly ugly. Solid wood doors are only maybe another 50 bucks a door. It's a minor expense in the scheme of things.
 
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Strategically placed light switches, electric outlets and ceiling wiring. These are inexpensive when done before walls and ceiling are finished but expensive if done later. All it takes is to spend some time in each of your current rooms and think about furniture configurations so you have outlets where needed to support multiple room configurations. Ceiling wire to provide ceiling fans, chandelier locations to match possible dining room table locations.
 
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Electrical receptacles inside of closets- allows you to keep rechargeable hand vacuums, cordless screw drivers/drills, wifi boosters, etc. out of sight.

Whole house audio system

A designated spot/receptacles for a clothes steamer or ironing board in your laundry room

USB receptacles in kitchen /den / bedrooms

Multizone HVAC with variable speed blower (master bedroom should be its own zone)

Switched exterior receptacles for landscape lighting plus conduit under sidewalks so you can thread low voltage lines

Soffit lighting

Raised dishwasher
 
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Nittany Ned2 said:
3 ideas... 1) run a natural gas nub out to your deck or patio, 2) rough wiring for a transfer switch (generator) and 3) a wiring chase inside an outside wall from the attic to your panel to make adding solar panels easier if you choose. All of these things are fairly low cost during construction and make adding the feature cheaper and easier if you choose.

PS - one of the best things I ever did at no cost was to video tape my house while under construction. The objective is to create a video reference for wiring and plumbing runs before they close in walls with drywall/plaster. It's great to know exactly what's behind that wall before you drill or screw into it.
Click to expand...
I did that with still pictures, sometimes I would add a tape measure in the pic so you could see exactly how far etc
 
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