|
A thread in which I shall make many mistakes and document them for your entertainment. Started this all with a land split survey in the summer of 2017, so I’ve been at it for a while but the beginning is near, I hope. All I have left to acquire are the soil erosion permit and the building permit, and I can start hammering! Overall, I am building a sprawling ranch on 2 acres for my family of 4. We are moving from 10 acres in the middle of nowhere to essentially the suburbs. Our combined daily commute will go from 180 miles per day to less than 5, our main reason for the move. I’d like to bounce some ideas off of you guys as I go along. Now is the time when I need to get all my materials planned out. We are located in Michigan so we will have 3 month long frigid winters, and hot, humid summers. My plan for the unfinished basement is to insulate the exterior of the poured concrete wall with 2” rigid foam from top to bottom. With an underground temperature of around 60, I just don’t see the point of insulating below the basement slab. Any thoughts on this so far? Also, I will post a floor plan shortly and what it has taken to get to this point. It has taken more time and money than I was expecting, as expected! Modus Man fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Jan 9, 2019 |
#
?
Jan 9, 2019 19:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 20:12 |
|
|
I can't offer any help, but I'm curious where in Michigan you're building.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 19:32
|
|
|
2 acres...the suburbs 
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2019 22:04
|
|
|
LargeHadron posted:I can't offer any help, but I'm curious where in Michigan you're building. Between Detroit and Lansing JEEVES420 posted:2 acres...the suburbs Well, it is a 2 acre lot that is surrounded by a few similar lots and then 5 large subdivisions. We are moving from a city of about 2,000 people to one with almost 20,000. It might not be the suburbs technically but that's what it seems like from here. We are currently about 13 miles from the expressway, 10 miles from the intersection referred to as "town", and the new place will be about 2 miles from the expressway, 1 mile from downtown. The noise difference is majorly noticeable. The new place is quiet compared to a major city but where we live now is silent except for the breeze and the bugs. The silence can be a little overwhelming at times and I'm sure I will miss it. Modus Man fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Jan 11, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2019 06:17
|
|
|
Sprawling ranch = best ranch. Can't wait to see the floorplans and vicariously share in your misery of home building.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2019 14:32
|
|
|
dreesemonkey posted:Sprawling ranch = best ranch. Can't wait to see the floorplans and vicariously share in your misery of home building. Thanks. I know that smaller and more efficient use of space is the way to go these days. If we spent $25,000+ with a proper architect we could probably get what we want without taking up so much space, but this guy I found was willing to draw this up for us based on our sketches for $3400. I have the drawings in their current, almost finished stage in pdf form I just have to find a good way to convert them to post them in here.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2019 16:07
|
|
|
Open for criticism. This is a floor plan that we designed, based on our wants and needs for the next 15-20 years . That being said, fire away if you see something that doesn't make sense or looks weird, or any criticism at all, we can take it. Better to hear it all now than after I start gluing things together eh? 3 bedroom, ~3,400 sq ft, office, den (kids play room/future library), large mud room, open kitchen and living room, laundry by bedrooms. link to huge->https://i.imgur.com/B0kBt3c.jpg 
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2019 15:46
|
|
|
Wow, that's big. Nothing glaring jumps out at me, but my house sucks so I don't feel that I'm qualified to comment. This looks awesome. Do you have any renders of the exterior? If this had daylight/walkout basement and a big deck on the back off the living/dining room it would be real close to my ideal (attainable) dream home.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2019 16:33
|
|
|
The issues that immediately jump out at me are that your front entrance is very cave-like and crammed into a corner and generally overpowered by the garage, and that the non-master bedrooms look out at the driveway and have reduced privacy/view potential due to people driving/walking past their windows to get to the house, so you always have to have your blinds drawn in case someone comes to visit. Also none of the bathrooms have windows. Not a huge problem (neither of the 1.5 bathrooms we plan to add to our house will have windows due to being closets, but the main bathroom has some), but it is nice to have natural light in at least one of them. For atmosphere and for when the power goes out.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2019 17:56
|
|
|
That pantry is gonna get annoying. Can the appliances slide over to provide a door into the pantry from the kitchen, instead of the hallway adjacent to the kitchen? The stairs down; is that going to be a used basement, or a storage space only? If the basement is intended to be a living space then the placement of the stairs is really inconvenient. Have you considered trying to get the laundry room nearer the mudroom? Not only does it make it easier to get muddy/dirty clothes where they belong, it alleviates the noise of washer/dryer from being in the bedrooms. Is that large, unlabeled area next to the kitchen the "living room" where you would ordinarily have a TV? Depending on the orientation, that set of 3 windows on the side of that room will cause lots of glare on the TV screen.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2019 19:32
|
|
|
I concur with those stairs, that's not ideal if you're using them semi-often, you'll probably want them a little more central. I don't think the pantry is a big problem. I like the island, that's about the same size as ours I think and the focal point of the kitchen - it's always used. What's in the corner of the kitchen between the range in the stove? Do you not have any closets for either entry? Are you planing on coat hooks and a bench or something in the mudroom? A closet off the main entryway is quite handy, not as informal as coathooks (more of a mudroom thing) and nice for guests. e: I see it now off the main entry, it is there. I know it's just a print but for the love of god don't use bifolds. You need a jack and jill sink in the ensuite. Far more important for most than a jack and jill for the main bath in my opinion. 6' tub? Looks like it, but can't tell for sure. A separate shower for the ensuite is nice but a luxury. A really luxurious shower is even nicer than a big tub in my opinion since it's actually useful and will be used often. I like the garage. Depending on ceiling height can you do a mezzanine? Make sure you have power outlets every 6' or so in there. And lights. Lots of lights. What are you doing for a patio? That floorplan would lend itself well to a full length patio on the back of the house, possibly with a patio door off the master. Fireplace in the corner of living room? Don't forget to wire minimum of 5e to every room. No reason not to. Not sure I'm a fan of that laundry room location either. If you're going to do a main floor laundry typical to have closer to the mud room. Did a bungalow with the folks a couple years ago. I'll see if I can find a plan to share with you. Might give you some other ideas. To be clear, it's nowhere near as big as yours but they fully developed the basement into a walkout as well. e: Here is an draft of the floorplan that he ended up making plans based on. Obviously it's not suitable for what you're trying to do as-is, but might give you an idea for comparison. 
slidebite fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Jan 15, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2019 21:02
|
|
|
Consider doing a double door for two of the garage openings. If I'm working on a car in some way, I like to pull into the center of the double bay at an angle, gives tons of space to work. Also height for lift, lights, etc. Edit: Also, I agree with slidebite, you need at least a double sink in the master, I'd say more room, too. Excellent size for the pantry and mudroom, but man, a big master ensuite is nice. Edit2: Looks like you're prioritizing storage, which is great. However, how much do you really need? Both extra bedrooms have wics, there's a closet just off the foyer, do you really need the closet across from the main bath? You could use that space to make a baller master ensuite with separate water closet (it's sounds superfluous, but it's really nice to have). You could compensate for the loss of the hall closet by making a shallow linen closet inside the main bath, there's plenty of space opposite the tub. meatpimp fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Jan 15, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2019 22:31
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:Consider doing a double door for two of the garage openings. If I'm working on a car in some way, I like to pull into the center of the double bay at an angle, gives tons of space to work. Also height for lift, lights, etc. I was going to say the same thing. Gives you flexibility on treating those bays as either two singles or one extrawide with more room to work.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 00:13
|
|
|
Modus Man posted:Open for criticism. This is a floor plan that we designed, based on our wants and needs for the next 15-20 years . That being said, fire away if you see something that doesn't make sense or looks weird, or any criticism at all, we can take it. Better to hear it all now than after I start gluing things together eh? Also, 3400 sf and only 3 bedrooms? 
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 00:55
|
|
|
If you have pets, or even if you don't, you might consider adding an exterior door to the master. Ours gets a fair bit of use and it's convenient.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 01:51
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:Edit2: Looks like you're prioritizing storage, which is great. However, how much do you really need? Both extra bedrooms have wics, there's a closet just off the foyer, do you really need the closet across from the main bath? You could use that space to make a baller master ensuite with separate water closet (it's sounds superfluous, but it's really nice to have). You could compensate for the loss of the hall closet by making a shallow linen closet inside the main bath, there's plenty of space opposite the tub. That closet across from the main bath is going to probably be their linen closet. Towels, blankets, etc. Those can take up a lot of room if it's a family. Although I agree big WIC for the smaller bedrooms are pretty, well, big. E: someone in the AI thread mentioned ceiling height, I agree. 9-10' is basically the norm now and would seem quite dated in the living spaces especially. Consider a vault? Heck, I live in a 2 story and my basement and main floor are 9' slidebite fucked around with this message at 02:06 on Jan 16, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 01:52
|
|
|
slidebite posted:That closet across from the main bath is going to probably be their linen closet. Towels, blankets, etc. Those can take up a lot of room if it's a family. I understand linen closet need, but along with being 10' wide, that closet is also 31" deep, which is oversized in itself. Extra extra closet space or bigger master bath? I'll take the latter. Nth-ing the ceiling height. Although there is a reasonable limit. Vaulting the family room/kitchen would probably be sufficient (plus everything to a 9-10' standard height). We've got 18' foyer and family room, 13' vaulted kitchen/eating area and, while it's super nice to have the volume, the down side is that sound travels like crazy.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 02:11
|
|
|
it never dawned on me how big that linen closet is, yeah that's pretty big. Take half away and absorb it in the ensuite? Shower maybe?
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 02:32
|
|
|
Something to think about with that kitchen design, you've got a work triangle that means going around the island if someone needs the sink while you're working on the stove. I'd probably swap the stove and sink, were it me. Is the island intended to be a worktop? Also, as always with 'open' plans spec one hell of hood with outside exhaust, or sauteeing anything will coat everything in your living room with a thin layer of grease over time. Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 10:52 on Jan 16, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 10:42
|
|
|
Queen Victorian posted:Also none of the bathrooms have windows. Not a huge problem (neither of the 1.5 bathrooms we plan to add to our house will have windows due to being closets, but the main bathroom has some), but it is nice to have natural light in at least one of them. For atmosphere and for when the power goes out. My experience with my own windowless bathroom is that it swiftly fills with steam when I take a hot shower. There's a ceiling vent, which does nothing much as there's no window to draw fresh air from. I've taken to leaving the door open when I shower, which is probably not a practical solution for houses with many people. I miss having a bathroom with a window.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 10:49
|
|
|
Liquid Communism posted:Something to think about with that kitchen design, you've got a work triangle that means going around the island if someone needs the sink while you're working on the stove. I'd probably swap the stove and sink, were it me. Is the island intended to be a worktop? We have a very similar layout in our place and it's quite functional. It looks like he has a ton of space between the island and the counters so going around the island shouldn't be necessary unless drawers and the such are open. Which reminds me, don't forget a microwave shelf or even a OTR microwave. Your cabinet designer will probably but it's something to think about in the early stage. We have ours in our pantry and it's fine, but since yours is a little "around the corner" from the kitchen it might be awkward. quote:Also, as always with 'open' plans spec one hell of hood with outside exhaust, or sauteeing anything will coat everything in your living room with a thin layer of grease over time. Vavrek posted:My experience with my own windowless bathroom is that it swiftly fills with steam when I take a hot shower. There's a ceiling vent, which does nothing much as there's no window to draw fresh air from. I've taken to leaving the door open when I shower, which is probably not a practical solution for houses with many people.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 15:22
|
|
|
First off, I'm very jealous of your project, I desperately want to build my own place but I doubt I'll ever be in the situation to do so.slidebite posted:Do not skimp on exhaust fans, whether in the bathroom or over the range. They are super important. Go way over code and spend the money on as quiet of one as you can get/afford. That's one of those things so easy to do when you build but a pain in the rear end to do later. I agree with this 100% as opposed to windows. The problem with bathroom windows is that they're condensation/moisture magnets and they have tons of nooks and crannies which leads to cleaning difficulties and mold problems. A good fan and large gap under the door is really all you need. ilkhan posted:Also, 3400 sf and only 3 bedrooms? Size wise, the office is a 4th bedroom except for a closet. Same with the den. My only input would be how much I dislike walls, I'd take out the walls around the den. You'd have a massive open space and if anyone needs privacy you have the bedrooms, office, or garage. Maybe you have conflicting activities that would make a separate den useful, I dunno.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 18:25
|
|
|
LloydDobler posted:First off, I'm very jealous of your project, I desperately want to build my own place but I doubt I'll ever be in the situation to do so. You ever have kids trying to play/watch TV in one room while you do something in the other. If anything the den needs sound proofing to keep the little shits quieter.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2019 19:02
|
|
|
JEEVES420 posted:You ever have kids trying to play/watch TV in one room while you do something in the other. If anything the den needs sound proofing to keep the little shits quieter. I'm in agreement with this. I don't even have kids yet and have come to strongly dislike open concept spaces where a TV is involved because it dominates the entire space when it's on. We recently bought a very much closed concept Victorian and designated a closetless extra bedroom as the TV den and I love having the TV in its own space away from the main floor. My parents' weekend house is open floor plan (not full-blown open concept - rooms are still defined but open to each other with wide cased openings) and it works really well because there is no TV and will never be a TV. (House is in the middle of nowhere and a major point of it is to disconnect.)
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2019 03:38
|
|
|
Yeah our last few houses have been open concept and I love it but for a family, especially without a family/TV room on another level walls are kind of a necessity for sanity. I love how we are all in here giving our input and just talking amongst ourselves about house design and the OP hasn't posted since he asked for input on his plan lol
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2019 05:26
|
|
|
Thanks for all the input! It really means a lot and I'll try to address all of it. I've been going over the plot plan the last few evenings and haven't been checking the forums.dreesemonkey posted:Wow, that's big. Nothing glaring jumps out at me, but my house sucks so I don't feel that I'm qualified to comment. I enjoy watching all the work going into your house. We don't have any renders yet. The basement will have some daylight windows along the south side, and we do plan on building a deck off of the dining room. Queen Victorian posted:The issues that immediately jump out at me are that your front entrance is very cave-like and crammed into a corner and generally overpowered by the garage, and that the non-master bedrooms look out at the driveway and have reduced privacy/view potential due to people driving/walking past their windows to get to the house, so you always have to have your blinds drawn in case someone comes to visit. Our hope with the porch is that since it faces south-west it will get direct light for the whole day except early morning. We do worry about it feeling like a cave, then again we never use it but a handful of times a year. The bedrooms looking out over the driveway is something I didn't really think about, I think the kids will be okay with it though, they use their blinds that let light through currently. We didn't put any windows in the bathrooms on purpose, its just something that the wife and I both agree on. The Prong Song posted:That pantry is gonna get annoying. Can the appliances slide over to provide a door into the pantry from the kitchen, instead of the hallway adjacent to the kitchen? The pantry is a few steps removed but we decided on having more cupboards in the kitchen rather than having the door to the pantry in there. If it drives us crazy a sledge hammer and a sawzall is all I will need. I wanted the stairs in the center of the house but my wife insists that they be back by the garage entrance. We do not plan on finishing the basement, it will be storage and kids play area, and dads play area (tools and driving simulator some day), so we went with her choice on this one. Our current house has the basement stairs directly in front of the garage entrance and its not too bad. The laundry room is close to the bedrooms because that is where the dirty laundry is generated and once cleaned, returned to. We just don't see the point of carrying laundry back and forth across the whole house. I will have to find quiet laundry appliances and some sound deadening insulation for the walls if I find some that is effective. The unlabeled area is the living room. There will be glare from the windows but no direct sunlight towards the tv on the south wall. Just have to get a brighter tv without a glossy screen. slidebite posted:I concur with those stairs, that's not ideal if you're using them semi-often, you'll probably want them a little more central. I don't think the pantry is a big problem. I like the island, that's about the same size as ours I think and the focal point of the kitchen - it's always used. What's in the corner of the kitchen between the range in the stove? In the kitchen, from left to right, is fridge, range, dishwasher, sink. If I can, I'd like to put the microwave in the corner, but not have it look like we just threw the microwave in the corner The walls in the mudroom will be covered in hooks, shelves and a couple benches. There will be some coat hooks by the front door too. What is wrong with bifold doors for the coat closet off the entrance? Double sink in the main bath for the girls getting ready for school in the morning. Master (ensuite) only needs one sink according to my wife, and I totally disagree and will probably put in a second sink against her wishes and ruin/save our marriage. Master will only have a shower, 6x3.5 or whatever fits in that space. I like the garage so far too, I don't understand all the tiny garages being built that barely fit an average vehicle and have no room for anything else. There will be attic trusses over the garage and drop down or permanent stairs. No fireplace, wife and youngest have bad asthma. I'll have to come up with a plan for the low voltage wiring, I worry about leaving everything to wireless. meatpimp posted:Consider doing a double door for two of the garage openings. If I'm working on a car in some way, I like to pull into the center of the double bay at an angle, gives tons of space to work. Also height for lift, lights, etc. We might do a double garage door on the side closest to the house. I like the looks of the triple doors but a 18' wide will probably be more useful. How much storage do we really need? More than I'd ever feel comfortable admitting to. Sure, we could change our lifestyle and be more efficient in life and not need to store as much stuff, but since that ain't happening, closets closets closets! Closet off the foyer will hold guest coats and stuff for the living room (board games and blankets). Closet down the hall will be a linen closet with a lot of random other stuff thrown in. Opposite the tub in the main bath will be a vanity for the girls to do hair and makeup, not in the drawing. I'll get to the rest of the questions and concerns soon... I really appreciate all the advice!
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2019 14:28
|
|
|
Modus Man posted:In the kitchen, from left to right, is fridge, range, dishwasher, sink. If I can, I'd like to put the microwave in the corner, but not have it look like we just threw the microwave in the corner The corner for the microwave is not bad, but another thing to consider is an over-the-range style with a built in rangehood. Very, very practical and functional. Might not go with the aesthetic you are looking for though. Just try to keep it off usable countertop if you can. We have ours in our pantry and it works well for us, but we probably have a larger pantry than most. The location of your pantry around the corner may not lend itself well to that so ymmv. Couple other things with the kitchen: Run gas to the range. Once you cook with gas, you'll never go back. Some people are scared of gas for whatever reason and that's fine, but even if you guys have no desire to use it, run it. It'll literally cost you something like $100 to do it when the home is being constructed but it can be a huge resale thing having it there and ready to go, so either way run gas and dual voltage. Probably goes without saying, but also have a gas stub for your patio/grill. Also make sure you have a light above the kitchen sink. Also consider running gas to the laundry for the same reason, but it's not as important. Gas dryers are typically cheaper to operate and have a longer lifespan as there are no elements to burn out. Did you consider keeping the dining room wall the same as the kitchen instead of the 4' jog? That way you can run the kitchen countertop a little longer if you want or maybe have storage/serving area or something and still have the jog/cantilever on the other side for your patio? Good job with the mudroom, hooks and benches are very useful. Regarding bi-folds; reason being is they can (and usually do) look terrible and instantly date a home. I cannot remember the last time I went in a new build and saw a bifold. Closets are either 24" man-type doors (which open up the options tremendously for style and hardware) or quasi-barn doors that slide. Here is our entryway closet as an example. To be clear, I'm not saying it's gorgeous because it's not, it's conservative but matches every other door and hardware in the house perfectly.  Double sink in the ensuite is, IMHO, a must. Especially for anything viewed as home that isn't entry level or an older/vintage home. It's just expected nowadays and once you have one you'll never be without. If you can only go with one bathing style in your ensuite, the smart move is absolutely a nice shower. Baths are nice and can "look" luxurious, but a sweet, sweet shower can look even more luxurious, spa like and you have the added benefit of it being super useful. How many people are going to be pouring themselves a bath in the 6' tub before work in the morning? That said, if you reconfigure that closet on the other side, you might have potential to do both. In floor heating (typically under tile) can be quite affordable these days and "ups" the an ensuite even closer to the spa vibe if that' something you want to shoot for. Even if you're not going to heat it from the get go, run gas and prep low voltage in the garage and even consider roughing in some ventilation for when (not if) you decide to heat it. Another thing super easy to do at this stage and simple to finish the job as opposed to fishing lines and poking holes into exterior walls later. Regarding the fireplace, I don't necessarily mean wood (even though I love me a nice wood fireplace), gas fireplaces aren't pumping out dust and can be both very aesthetically pleasing and practical with throwing out some good heat for warming up a family room on a cold winter night. We use ours literally every time we're watching a movie and often have to shut it off because it can make the room too warm, it heats that well. Just run Cat 5e/6/7 to every room, probably with the coax. The good builders here are doing that automatically when they're wiring, only the cheapest spec home builders don't. Another thing that might cost you a few hundred bucks to do literally every room in the house when you are building. slidebite fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Jan 18, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2019 21:25
|
|
|
As said previously, definitely raise the height of the ceilings. 8' is hilariously low for a brand new house.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2019 19:07
|
|
|
slidebite posted:Oh god, I had a huge reply and accidentally closed the window. Whelp, let's try this again... Please do not do this. Over-range microwaves pull through two 6" square holes just run a lovely steel filter and recirc the greasy, smelly air into your room. Get a real exhaust hood.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2019 20:09
|
|
|
Liquid Communism posted:Please do not do this. Over-range microwaves pull through two 6" square holes just run a lovely steel filter and recirc the greasy, smelly air into your room. Get a real exhaust hood. The only downside, other than the aesthetic, is confirm the code for height over the range which might be tough with microwave range hood if you have cabinets on top.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2019 21:32
|
|
|
Liquid Communism posted:Please do not do this. Over-range microwaves pull through two 6" square holes just run a lovely steel filter and recirc the greasy, smelly air into your room. Get a real exhaust hood. slidebite posted:What? No they don't. The vent outside just like any other range vent hood unless for some bizarre reason you make it recirc inside. Both types exist 
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2019 22:12
|
|
|
Yes, that's my poorly worded point. They are functionally no different than a regular range hood. You can totally choose to get an exhaust hood or not, just because it's an OTR microwave doesn't mean it won't vent is all I am saying.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2019 22:48
|
|
|
I always assumed my over the range microwave vented internally because it didn't seem to move poo poo for air. When it broke I was shocked to see that it was indeed vented outside with a very short, unobstructed vent. The replacement still doesn't move poo poo either.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2019 01:18
|
|
|
 You had lovely OTR microwave vent hoods is all  I had 2 in my last 2 houses, and they moved the air super well, as in, you could actually feel the draft easily 4-5 feet away. If I were a smoker, it would have been awesome.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2019 05:44
|
|
|
ilkhan posted:Why is the dining room directly off the kitchen? If you move it "down" a little you'd avoid foot traffic issues and be able to run a single table out into the living room for large dinners if needed. We wanted to have the dining room open to the kitchen but also be able to exit to the living room, so it kind of just fell where it is. This way we can enter the dining room with food in hand from the top side of the island and exit the dining room on the south side into the living room. Technically this could be a 4 or 5 bedroom house if we wanted to call the office a bedroom, and the den/kids play room/library could also become a bedroom if needed. Scrapez posted:If you have pets, or even if you don't, you might consider adding an exterior door to the master. Ours gets a fair bit of use and it's convenient. We have indoor cats, but maybe some day in the future could have a dog. Replacing one of the windows in the master with a door is a good idea, i'll bring that up to the mrs. We could put in a little private patio there in the future. slidebite posted:That closet across from the main bath is going to probably be their linen closet. Towels, blankets, etc. Those can take up a lot of room if it's a family. meatpimp posted:I understand linen closet need, but along with being 10' wide, that closet is also 31" deep, which is oversized in itself. Extra extra closet space or bigger master bath? I'll take the latter. Our current linen closet is 36" wide and 30" deep at the end of a hallway and we fold our towels to fit the depth available. Yes we could probably slide that wall an inch or two and give it to the master bath but 30" deep has been nice. As far as ceiling height, a 9' ceiling would be apx. $6,800 in additional cost to build and finish (based on rough estimates I found online), and in the winter it will increase the heating costs. On the other hand, it would help reduce cooling costs in the summer and it would look way better. This is something that is still up for debate, and right now I am leaning a little more toward the 9' ceilings. Liquid Communism posted:Something to think about with that kitchen design, you've got a work triangle that means going around the island if someone needs the sink while you're working on the stove. I'd probably swap the stove and sink, were it me. Is the island intended to be a worktop? We should have about 48" between the appliances and the island, to allow for passing. One downside of a large island is having to go around the thing but we should have enough space. We haven't really figured out what the design of the island is going to be yet. Part of it may end up work space, and we would like to be able to sit at it if we wanted to. I am going to make sure that we have a nice powerful exterior venting exhaust for the stove. Vavrek posted:My experience with my own windowless bathroom is that it swiftly fills with steam when I take a hot shower. There's a ceiling vent, which does nothing much as there's no window to draw fresh air from. I've taken to leaving the door open when I shower, which is probably not a practical solution for houses with many people. The exhaust fans draw air though the door from the rest of the house and I would assume also from the hvac venting. I've found a good powerful exhaust fan works wonders for clearing the air. LloydDobler posted:First off, I'm very jealous of your project, I desperately want to build my own place but I doubt I'll ever be in the situation to do so. The walls around the den are there for our sanity... JEEVES420 posted:You ever have kids trying to play/watch TV in one room while you do something in the other. If anything the den needs sound proofing to keep the little shits quieter. ...exactly
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2019 13:37
|
|
|
slidebite posted:Oh god, I had a huge reply and accidentally closed the window. Whelp, let's try this again... I want the microwave to be mounted for sure, not on the counter, and to be honest I didn't know you could get and over-the-range microwave that also acts as a range hood that can exhaust to the outside. That would be the way to go. We will definitely have a gas range and gas dryer, along with gas furnace. Running black pipe isn't difficult. I see from your picture of the coat closet what you mean. That does look better than bifolds, and won't make that horrible sound that all bifold doors make when they open and shut. Regarding the double sink for the master bath, I want it and my wife does not, we'll see if I need to sacrifice it for something else or if it will be worth the battle. I will insulate the garage and get insulated garage doors and would love to have some sort of heating solution so that when I need to work out there I can make it not miserable. I haven't seen a fake fireplace that doesn't look like a fake fireplace, or I would put one in. I love a real wood fireplace, but I can just light a fire outside to stand around and drink beer if I get the urge. When I built my current house, in 2007, I ran cat5e and coax to every room. I have only ever used the coax in the living room and the bedroom. Every single cat5e that I ran is still hanging in a loop in the basement, un-terminated, 11 years later.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2019 13:56
|
|
|
I won't comment on design... everyone has their opinion. For the original question posed, insulated the basement slab. Your insulation and vapor barrier should be continuous. Don't cheap out on your water management and insulation if you're building. Sure, you don't "see" it, but if you really want to get a long healthy life out of a building you don't cut there.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2019 15:04
|
|
|
Modus Man posted:I want the microwave to be mounted for sure, not on the counter, and to be honest I didn't know you could get and over-the-range microwave that also acts as a range hood that can exhaust to the outside. That would be the way to go. quote:I see from your picture of the coat closet what you mean. That does look better than bifolds, and won't make that horrible sound that all bifold doors make when they open and shut. quote:Regarding the double sink for the master bath, I want it and my wife does not, we'll see if I need to sacrifice it for something else or if it will be worth the battle. quote:I will insulate the garage and get insulated garage doors and would love to have some sort of heating solution so that when I need to work out there I can make it not miserable. quote:I haven't seen a fake fireplace that doesn't look like a fake fireplace, or I would put one in. I love a real wood fireplace, but I can just light a fire outside to stand around and drink beer if I get the urge. quote:When I built my current house, in 2007, I ran cat5e and coax to every room. I have only ever used the coax in the living room and the bedroom. Every single cat5e that I ran is still hanging in a loop in the basement, un-terminated, 11 years later.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2019 02:18
|
|
|
xwing posted:I won't comment on design... everyone has their opinion. You're right. I found a system on building science that seems to be the middle ground in terms of moisture control, insulation value, and cost. I'm not 100% decided yet on what to do, but this one looks like a good option.  In other news, I picked up our Soil Erosion Permit yesterday, so now I can apply for a building permit! I need to see if there is a way to build this house with one metal beam down the center instead of two, and just using taller floor joists. The cost savings of one less beam and half as many poles versus taller floor joists should be a wash, but it would be nice to have half as many poles in the basement. I just don't want it to end up bouncy.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2019 13:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 20:12 |
|
|
I took the roof off my house 18 months ago and added a second storey. What it drove home is how incredibly easy new build is compared with renovation. Everything upstairs is a dawdle. Everything downstairs is a pain. The only tricky bit of the new build was joining century-old brick build to new timber frame at the wall plate. Just remember, whenever choosing between construction methods, that you may be the one fixing it in a while, and be nice to your future self.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2019 00:07
|
|
