Ideas for building a home needed ....

Well it appears we should begin the process within 2-3 wks.... This will be our first build,It will be 4/2.5/2 and 2246sqft. Although we are just doing a spec home,The wife and I are trying to make sure we aren't missing any much needed ideas or just cool ideas that are neat to have...
So far what we want to add....

1. Insulate the 2 car garage fully and add 1 maybe 2 a/c ducts from the homes main a/c unit.( I need advice on this idea badly)

2. Home is in the country some, So we are going to get the home prewired, And ready for a stand by Generator INCASE of power loss during bad weather,Etc......

3. Have the ceiling vaulted (This will be at no charge)

4. Add extra concrete for extra parking for guest...

5. Add additional exterior carport with matching scheme of the home

We have chosen NOT to do spray foam,Alot of builders I've spoken with here in Texas have all suggested other methods are less Expensive and still affective....
Also the home comes with Privacy Fence, and sprinklers as well.

I also want to know if there is ANYTHING we shouldn't do that you've learned from y'all's past experiences in a build.

**Home should look identical to the pic attached,Except the scheme will be Black shingles and white brick ONLY ..

Thank y'all!

Spray the roof/trusses for sure. Metal roof, high seer A/C. No A/C in the garage. Floor drains in the laundry room. I have more, but will wait.

I know wireless is taking over but I would still consider having a number of network drops.

Plenty of outlets outside the house, including possibly a couple up high if you're gonna do christmas lights and such

extra lighting in the garage and a sink

DSG2003Mach1 said:

I know wireless is taking over but I would still consider having a number of network drops.

Plenty of outlets outside the house, including possibly a couple up high if you're gonna do christmas lights and such

extra lighting in the garage and a sink

Click to expand...

Hose bibs too.
OP, you in a hurricane prone area?

Nice looking house. Good luck OP.

only thing i'm pissed about is my garage needs WAY more electrical outlets. Put one every 4 feet all the way around. I'm not kidding.

go for an oversized 3 car garage with 11.5-12 ft ceilings

nxhappy said:

only thing i'm pissed about is my garage needs WAY more electrical outlets. Put one every 4 feet all the way around. I'm not kidding.

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That's a tad much.

Service door to the garage
Utility sink in garage
LED lighting
Internet connected garage doors
I'm not sure about AC to the garage, but at least see if you can do an exhaust fan
Dedicated circuit in garage for beer fridge/meat freezer
Opt for taller than standard (7ft) garage doors... Go 8 foot.
If PEX plumbing, Water manifold (we cheaped out and I regret not doing this)
Make sure your amp service will allow for expansion (shop, pool, etc)
Elongated toilets everywhere. No whimsy round ones your butt can barely fit on.
PM me if you want to talk plumbing fixtures (faucets/showers), but builders usually have contracts with certain brands.
Security floods on all 4 corners, on switches.
If it has a covered porch you're going to grill on, exhaust fan.
Don't cheap out on windows.
Floor drains in garage (some building codes won't allow this)
Skip the tub in master and do a bigger walk in shower - be sure to put an exhaust fan directly in shower (builder talked us out of this and I regret)
Run Cat 5 or 6 everywhere you want wired service
If you have a basement, make sure the door opens into a room and not a hallway and keep mechanicals away from master bedroom if it's on the first floor. (top 2 regrets)


I'm sure I'll think of more as time goes on. We did a fully custom house in 2015 and learned some lessons, but overall I'm very happy. We'll likely be here forever.





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nxhappy said:

only thing i'm pissed about is my garage needs WAY more electrical outlets. Put one every 4 feet all the way around. I'm not kidding.

Click to expand...

Same problem here.

Geo-thermal heat & air. I wish I'd done it years before I did. You can keep your garage as comfortable as the house. High efficiency, electric bills are very low.

03cobra#694 said:

Hose bibs too.
OP, you in a hurricane prone area?

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No sir, I live In east, We might catch a few showers from a hurricane, That's about it.

Thanks guys! I didn't even think of a sink in the garage or outlets! My current garage only has 2 and hate it!

KEEP THE IDEAS COMING! I really appreciate it

Can’t put the house ac in the garage. Carbon monoxide can get back into the house so it’s not code.

Look at blown in insulation vs spray foam. We did it in the last 2 houses we built. Was 1500 to do the house instead of 7-10k. R value in the walls went to r19 instead of r13.

Like others have said add a utility Sink in the garage. And add in extra outlets in the garage. Atleast one by the garage door so you don’t have to have a 50’ of extension cords.

The Inspector is not going to let you do #1. Oversize your ac unit and then come back after final and add the garage vents.

tistan said:

The Inspector is not going to let you do #1. Oversize your ac unit and then come back after final and add the garage vents.

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Sounds solid

I read somewhere that the HVAC unit pumps XXXcfm through the home so it also sucks in XXX amount, So if it pumps into the garage and there isn't a return also in there, It's actually lacking XXXcfm therefore it can either damage it or try and pull it from somewhere else.....
Idk just something I read ....

I think Mitsubishi makes 1-1.5 ton wall mount units. Put two in the garage don’t run it from the house. I worked with a guy that did run it from the house and regretted it. It’s been years since I worked with him and can’t remember the reason just that he hated it.

Three car garages are so 1980’s! Four car plus or bust! I have a four car garage and wish I did 5-6.

Do a central vacuum system in the house! The wife will love it and you!

Not sure where you are located but In Kamifornia they will only insulate the exterior facing walls. Have every wall in the entire house insulated. I did and I cuts down sound and help with the cooling and heat. You won’t regret it. Don’t stop at the garage.

Have a 100 amp sub panel wired into the garage. You can never go wrong with more POWWAAA!

Rain gutters! Not common in Kamifornia from the home builders.

Tint all of the windows. Great energy saver.

If you can swing it. Make every wall a shearwall, put plywood behind the drywall. The house will be like a brick shit house and make it easy to hang anything.

Put a urinal out in the garage with a sink for the boys!

Waterproof the walls in the garage put drains in the foundation so you can wash cars in the garage.

Run copper lines behind the walls and stub outlets for compressed air. It will be trick!

Have a hot water recirculating pump installed. You will get hot water in an instant! I love it. Did it in my first house and will do it in everyone ongoing.

I can keep going brother! I can spend your money for you with no problem! Free of charge! Lol!

Best of luck! I hope some of this helps.
Congrats!


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nickf2005 said:

Service door to the garage
Utility sink in garage
LED lighting
Internet connected garage doors
I'm not sure about AC to the garage, but at least see if you can do an exhaust fan
Dedicated circuit in garage for beer fridge/meat freezer
Opt for taller than standard (7ft) garage doors... Go 8 foot.
If PEX plumbing, Water manifold (we cheaped out and I regret not doing this)
Make sure your amp service will allow for expansion (shop, pool, etc)
Elongated toilets everywhere. No whimsy round ones your butt can barely fit on.
PM me if you want to talk plumbing fixtures (faucets/showers), but builders usually have contracts with certain brands.
Security floods on all 4 corners, on switches.
If it has a covered porch you're going to grill on, exhaust fan.
Don't cheap out on windows.
Floor drains in garage (some building codes won't allow this)
Skip the tub in master and do a bigger walk in shower - be sure to put an exhaust fan directly in shower (builder talked us out of this and I regret)
Run Cat 5 or 6 everywhere you want wired service
If you have a basement, make sure the door opens into a room and not a hallway and keep mechanicals away from master bedroom if it's on the first floor. (top 2 regrets)


I'm sure I'll think of more as time goes on. We did a fully custom house in 2015 and learned some lessons, but overall I'm very happy. We'll likely be here forever

Click to expand...

All this.

COOL COBRA said:

Geo-thermal heat & air. I wish I'd done it years before I did. You can keep your garage as comfortable as the house. High efficiency, electric bills are very low.

Click to expand...

And this.

sleek98 said:

Can’t put the house ac in the garage. Carbon monoxide can get back into the house so it’s not code.

Click to expand...

I've got AC in my 1200 sq ft garage from the house geothermal. Two vents in, no return. 94 degrees outside, 72 inside.

Matching upper/lower cabinets in laundry room with a wash basin.

Water loop in garage for water softener, if you have hard water

I wouldn't add a service door to the garage. It's just another entry point into your home to worry about. The garage windows, while they look nice, already don't help.

Tray ceilings, bay windows, and 8' doors make a nice visual impact. The 8' doors really open up the interior and create a feeling of spaciousness.

Limit the use of carpeting to only the bedrooms, or none at all.

Add additional outlets on the main wall in the room that will be used for TV, stereo, and any other equipment

Pre-wire patio for ceiling fan, cable/satellite outlet for TV, and power outlet

Comparison shop all of the appliances. My builder was very competitive, so I got it through them.

If you want the interior walls painted something other than white, now is the time to have it done. Same thing for the garage and floor epoxy.

We can all spitball ideas, but it basically comes down to your budget and what's most important to you.

Tour a lot of model homes. They are typically extremely optioned and can give ideas. They don't have to be the same builder/floorplan.

Most comments are spot on, spend your money in mechanical...the things that are most difficult and expensive to change later.

In my case:

5 foot basement door
Upgraded HVAC
Dual 200 amp service (1 minimum)
Architectural roof
Everything prewired with conduit
1 1/4” NG with run to grill (did myself)
9x8 garage doors w/ high lift tracks
Under cab lighting kitchen/bath/laundry
Additional pad width and extra park pad
Sink plumbing garage/laundry
Insulation
Definitely have stuff painted now!!!
Etc Etc Etc

You get the idea, good luck!