OT: What special/custom features on a house provide great benefit with little cost?
- Thread starter Ranger Dan
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Probably not the kids rooms, but I guess the guest rooms could be a good added touch.
We will be (hopefully) transitioning from 1 acre lot with more sq. ft. than we need to a smaller house on a larger wooded lot. I'm hoping for a minimum of 5 acres, but it will depend on what lots we find available in our price range.
What about locating the guest BR right below/above the master and then have one brass pole that also acted as fire pole all of the way down to the basement?
excellent...then the world is your oyster. I agree with Nittany.Lion but caution must be taken relative to other consideration/pressure-points. if you are looking at five + acres, you need to consider slope, drainage, and utilities. Also, if you have that footprint, geo-thermal heating/cooling is in play. You can trench and put piping under ground. The heating/cooling recirculates the air so the heat pump uses air that is around 55 degrees. Net net, you only need to heat or cool 55 degree air instead of 10 in the winter and 95 in the summer.
Rough it in with the original GC, then do it, not that I would.
been there done that
here you go.... getting all obstinate and stubborn again. I just got done telling you that setbacks vary widely by locality, developer/builders here can have as little as a 5' set back at the side of the home. I also know that is common in the cities I've previously lived... ie in FL and GA and others (ever here of a zero lot line). I approximated the depth based on room sizes, if I was off by 5 or 10' it wouldn't matter, still doable. I showed you a ranch plan to start, a 1-1/2 story would even be easier.
Or just get a generator big enough to run the whole house. Automatic transfer switch takes it from there.
Heated tile floors in bathrooms. Also heated towel racks in there in cold climate areas.
Well, when you are paying the kind of money we will be paying you don't want your home blowing up.
I've lived without NG for 11 years and just don't see a need for it, and with the roof being all solar shingles there is no need for NG. I may even have a turbine installed for low light days. I'm not a big greenie type, but I do feel all new homes should be required to be built with solar panels.Well, when you are paying the kind of money we will be paying you don't want your home blowing up.
Ahh...
I hearya, that sounds great and I agree -- But what about cooking?
I grew up cooking on electric, and never knew what I was missing. Then, I bought a house with a NG stove. Wow. What a difference. I'm currently in a different house while I do a big renovation on my primary residence, and this house doesn't have a gas stove, and I miss the gas stove so much. The idea of having to cook on an electric stove the rest of my life seems unacceptable.
LOL
Don't ever put a laundry room or hotwater tank where they will cause a flood in the living areas of the house. Also, when you go on vacation you should shut off water valves where a hose could burst and cause a flood.
Not sure what you are talking about. there are pressure points that need to be considered. I am not saying one is right or one is wrong, just that there are pressure points. if you are going to put a bedroom above a garage, look out because that room will be hotter and colder than ones above living areas. if you are going to build a bedroom above the master, be mindful of people running across the floor above you. If you are going to build a MBR next to a living area, be mindful of noise coming from that living area if you go to bed early. if you want a first floor master, it is going to need first floor square footage...its a physical reality. You need to consider the pressure that puts on the lot, the garage and other living areas.
Just the way it is...sorry if that offends you in some way.
Agree....there are now water sensors that are wifi enabled to remediate. In My second floor laundry, I have the washer in a pan in case of leakage. But one cannot account for every single, potential problem. We made the decision knowing we may have to redo the first floor ceiling, if we have a problem. Its a risk we are trying to remediate, but one we are willing to take.
After ten years of marriage(if you are lucky to get that far), it can easily be converted into a clothes hanger.
I've learned to adapt... don't miss a gas range at all. Here in MD I can grill nearly year round (and have grilled during a snow storm - grill is in the screened porch).
Anyone who would do this and not install either vinyl flooring or tile, and slope the floor toward a real floor drain is a moron. My current house has the laundry on the second floor, room has vinyl flooring and a 1.5 inch floor drain... when we build the next house it will have a tile floor and shower drain for the floor drain. If you are going to do something, do it right.
Bottom line, you suggested that the features you listed (3 car garage, kitchen, two bathrooms, two living areas, bedroom, laundry, and walk-in closet) couldn't be done on a quarter acre lot, I showed you how it could. You disagreed, you were wrong... why would showing you how you're wrong offend me?
Mirrors on the ceiling.
LOL - Clever thread humor making me laugh.
"Mirrors on the ceiling,"
are legitimately labeled
"off-the-wall" humor.
are legitimately labeled
"off-the-wall" humor.
Well, when you are paying the kind of money we will be paying you don't want your home blowing up.
I am into green energy ideas. I also like those home (auger looking) wind turbines. What is the status of the Tesla solar shingles? Are they being installed today?
i never said it "couldn't be done". I was suggesting that people need to consider the downsides of all of these wants. Nothing is free.
ok...whatever dude. you always want to pick a fight. you had valuable input; if you want to cram a bunch of rooms into a first floor or have a massive lot, fantastic. If you find a small lot, want larger spaces, don't want to have bedrooms above a garage, need/want a side load garage, you may have to do something different. The parameters weren't defined so I sought to point out decision points based on what the OP may find.
lol.... in other words... "you were right Nittany.Lion and I'm sorry for being argumentative for no reason"... there FIFY
I believe they are available now. They seem a bit pricey yet, but hopefully they drop quickly. I figured roughly what it would take to do my roof a couple months back and if memory serves it was around 60K. My roof is only 10 yrs old though, so I'm not ready to replace it yet. The price should be right when I'm ready.
What is the ROI and what is the life expectancy on the shingles?
The shingle is guaranteed for life, the "weatherization" is guaranteed for 30 years, not sure why the difference. Go to their website for a cost estimate calculator and to guesstimate payback specific to your situation. Really expensive for the reroof example on the site, their example will have you paying a flat sum for 30 years. I'm sure that starting from new where you "save" the original/first cost will improve the analysis but no specifics are provided.
Mirrors on the ceiling.
.......... and pink champagne on ice.
Dan...presuming there is a front porch or maybe even just a cement step ahead.....they create a full foundation but wall it off and fill it in. Tell them not to and you would like a 36" opening so you can put a door there. They will pour the cement floor when they do the rest. They should not charge you at all....and you will end up with a cold cellar, wine/beer cellar, pantry....whatever.
1. Mud room with lockers if you have kids.
2. If walk out basement get a small garage door into the storage area so that you can move things such as patio furniture into the basement.
3. Full bathroom accessible from out side or off the garage. This is great if you have kids in sports, a pool or after yard work. You can shower off and not drag dirt and mud through the house.
4. Dual water heaters or one tanked and one tankless in parallel so you have endless hot water.
2. If walk out basement get a small garage door into the storage area so that you can move things such as patio furniture into the basement.
3. Full bathroom accessible from out side or off the garage. This is great if you have kids in sports, a pool or after yard work. You can shower off and not drag dirt and mud through the house.
4. Dual water heaters or one tanked and one tankless in parallel so you have endless hot water.
If the OP uses even 50% of the reasonable "upgrade ideas" in this thread, his building cost is going to approach $250/sq ft, leaving him with, at best, a 1000 sq ft house.
He might need to install mmII's recommended pay-phone along with pay-toilets etc in order to get friends and family to help finance the construction.
He might need to install mmII's recommended pay-phone along with pay-toilets etc in order to get friends and family to help finance the construction.
I would also add, a master bath which connects two bedrooms. That is, two master bedrooms. It will enhance resale value.
Check the real estate listings and visit houses you find appealing, and come armed with your camera, easy now a days, and a tape measure. You like a "Montana western style " I'd guess. Take pics next time you are out there. Get different concepts to use.
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