Home features you wish you would have...
 

I am planning to start building on a 1 acre lot next year and currently working on the plans. I would like to learn from your ideas or experiences to make sure I am not overlooking anything. List anything you would like to add or change to your current or future home.

I wish I had a fish and game cleaning table with sink and water hooked up to it, also my friend built his garage for his boat and he has shelves, cabinets, and rod racks that is on the wall next to his boat that are high enough so that he can access all of it from inside the boat and not have to get in and out the boat while loading or unloading.

Panic room

Panic type room, that is tornado proof. Zombie proof wouldn't hurt either!! Built in gun safe. Utiliy room with full bathroom. So you don't have to track mud through the house after hunting trips.

Bathroom on the patio.

Bathroom in the shop.

When I build I will definately have a built in, concealed, fire proof storage area for guns, paperwork, jewelry, and stuff like that. I will have a nice shop with outdoor kitchen/ bathroom.

Make it ready for an upstairs even if you only make a single story house. I built my last house and didn't do it ready for upstairs but when I saw all the room I had I wished I had so this house I am building will have option of adding another 2000 sqft up stairs.

A BIG Utility room, at least 12x14, big enough for washer, dryer, extra freezer, Ironing table, tv, extra refrigerator, a big sink, folding table for clothes, a bar to hang the clothes that you just ironed, room for a folding table and chairs that you will use when you have bar be ques and crawfish boils along with the a few chairs, a rod-n-reel rack to keep them in climate control, and a shelf to put blender, mixer, juicer, larger pots.

My grand parents had a room like this and it is reallt nice.

Also, I been in a house that had nice wicker swing like people have on there porch in the living room. I thought that was the coolest thing. The homeowners said they liked it as well, so my next house will have a swing in the living room and a big utility room.

You may want to also consider a Florida room if you have small kids, its basically a playroom/party room in the back of the house that seals off from the rest of your house. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...om&FORM=HDRSC2

Don't underestimate the need for storage...also a central vaccume system is cheap, and easy to install...will last a lifetime and will make the little lady happy enough to let you take on those rodholders and gun storage projects!

An enclosure for the crapper. I need some privacy.

i put this in my house but figured i would say it anyway.....hot water outside is a must makes it so easy to wash stuff.....built in gun safe

Outdoor Kitchen, More Storage, and look at the on demand hot water system, or tankless hot water heater, gas only not electric, its the best thing I did, and then there is more storage, and did I mention more storage.

i also installed a manifold system on my water. its nice cause if you have a leak you can isolate just one faucet instead of turning off the whole house. also distrubutes the water better to keep your pressure up....tankless hot water is a must too

My mom has a 1,800 sq ft house with 2 big water heaters with a spicket on the outside of the house. We fill the boiling pots with hot water and it boils much quicker. Also nice to clean up with. One thing you have to do is make 2 hoses that splice into one so you don't burn yourslef when you washing pots and what not.

Also I don't know what you plan on doing i your kitchen and whether or not you have natural gas available but we have duel fuel range. Which is a gas stove combined with an electric oven. Best of both worlds to me.

Also if you cook outside and plan on having natural gas have the plumber install a 3/4" valve where you plan to cook so you don't have to get propane. I also have this, takes a little longer to get the water boiling but its worth it. You just need a different burner.

Put 2X6 blocking around all windows where you will eventually hang curtains. Also, 2X6 blocks in the walls in the bathrooms where you will mount your T Paper holders. Run Cat 5 wireing thru out the house or whatever wiring is on the horizon, design your electrical service so that you can easily install a whole house generato. Floor your entire attic......

Also a direct gas connection on back patio to hook up gas grill is handy

^^^^

Things I did and love
Hot water outside on the drive way and by the back patio
natural gas on the back patio
Double throw disconnect even if you don’t have a large generator for the house. You can hook up a small one and not run extension cords all over the place.
Pot filler behind the stove.
two separate hot water heaters.
Put a 2 inch pipe in the wall behind the TV. Make it come into a 4 gang box. That way when new technology comes out easy to get wires to TV.
If you have a fireplace put plywood under the sheet rock so you can hang things every where you want.
I also have the entire wall between the living room and master bed room sheeted with OSB. The kids can yell in the living room and I cannot hear them in the bed room.
Stub out several places through the slab with conduit and wire or at least rope running back to the breaker box so if you ever want to run additional wiring out you have it. Be sure to cap it off.
Make sure you stub your water and electrical out for future shed. It will make it much easier when the time comes.
Run a few pieces of 1 inch OVC capped off under drive way and sidewalks in case you ever need to run electrical or water across it.
sunken floor safe in the closet


Things that I wish I would have done
Used area under the stairs as a gun safe. It is a lot cheaper than you would think.
Floor receptacles in the living room
2x6 behind where the toilet paper and other areas where you would hang things.
More faucets outside
Door coming into the utility room
Floor drain for ice machine in the garage
Ac duct in the work shop. It is insulated but does not have ac
Larger patio. We spend more time out there than in the house
Stub out for speaker wires out to the patio. Running them after the fact was a pain in the butt

you have gotten great advice.......some simple, some not.
Everything is "cheaper" if you do it now.

make sure you have receptacles in all closets and the pantry.
It hinds all the cordless crap we have these days while charging.

If I only had the means for one of the above mentioned, it would be the whole house generator. Cannot tell you how nice the thing is when we need it.

Better yet, when I travel, I have the peace of mine that moma has power not matter what.

X2

if you have /plan on having kids. Put a 3 way - 4 way switch system in every bed room that controls the bathroom light. That way they can turn the bathroom light on / off from their room.

Elecerical outlets in the eaves for plugging in Christmas lights

Soundproofing in your bedroom. No sense in letting them hear whats goinng on in there

My house plan has master off back of house with master bathroom Namaste closet insulating from rest of house but I have heard of using a 2x6 top and bottom plate then staggering your studs to help with noise

If you do that just go on and frame up the wall with 2x6

I was told that by using 2x6 top and bottom plate then staggering your studs it stops sound from carrying from sheetrock to stud to sheetrock, my buddy did this and said it works great.... like I say though my master will be well insulated from house

Oh I almost forgot and my uncle did this....... make the walk in master bedroom closet big enough to put a twin mattres in............. for obvious reasons.

If i have to hide from the kids that bad it is time for some strange

I would put a big double or triple sink in your utility room for washing gumbo pots, big black iron pots or magnalites. Nothing worse than washing big pots in my kitchen sink and getting water everywhere.

also would want a wet bar w/ ice maker and small under counter refrig in living room.

I like it. That is one idea I have not thought about. Keep'em coming

Man, I just finished reading everything you guys have posted so far and it is great. I appreciate the help.

Out side shower, I love mine, for me and the dog.

To reduce the cost of insurance:
Fire Supression System
Wind rated structure to 200 mph.
Floor drains at every plumbing fixture. The biggest cause of insurance claims is water escaping a plumbing system or appliance, i.e ice maker at frig. Then run the drain to the front of your house, not tied into the sewer system.
Automatic generator, WHOLE house.

A "hidden" below slab storage, for many reasons.

My father-in-law had a small hidden room off his large master closet, it was pretty cool. I never knew about it, until I helped him move. This is where his "good" gun collection was.

And people up north have something they call a Mud Room, like a rear foyer, for removing dirty shoes during the wet winter.

Paid off

Back-up air conditioner system, of some kind, do not just rely on one. Some day that new one will go out. When mine does, I have my back-up in place, then work on the problem.

I ain't gonna sweat in my house!!

Tankless gas water heater, if you have natural gas,

if not try the link below for another water heating option,


if you are not thinking solar.



http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com...-power-119821/

For sound deading use blackboard, on the studs, then your sheetrock, and insulate between the studs with insulation batts.....great sound deading.

Something I have always wanted......is a small air conditioned work room connected to the house. Somewhere you can get to without going outside, to make a quick fix of something.

A houses 2 doors down from me has this. It is a 10' x20' room with a door to connect it to the master bedroom, another door going into the garage and a double door going outside.

Spray foam insulation on the underside of the roof decking. I heard it really reduces the heat in your attic.

I'm getting ready to build my new home, here is a few musts for my home
- foam insulation
-foil backed roof decking
- control 4 home automation with video security
- 48-60" range w double ovens
- full size fridge and full size freezer in kitchen
- 16 seer variable speed Hvac that is zoned system
- built in grill/sink/crawfish boiling in outdoor kitchen
- 2x6 walls
- blum self closing drawer guides and hinges on cabinets
- laundry shoot for kids bedrooms
- big bonus room for dogs to play

I have my plans finished . This house will be in the parade of homes next year and be my live in model home. Hope to break ground in the next 30 days
-

Forgot ... Gonna have a urinal in my master bath !!

Tankless water heater
Cat 5 to all cable outlets
# 1 select framing lumber( not much more expensive but really worth it)
Stego wrap viscqeen under slab instead of regular visqueen ..way thicker tape seams
Silicon bottom plate to slab Instead of roll foam
Post tension slab
Sherwin Williams "duration line paint" worth the extra $$$
Operable shutters on every window
5/8" sheetrock on ceilings

A deaf, mute woman in it! Oh, and hot!!

Winner!!!

Thanks Pox. I was hoping you would chime in.

One of the favorite things about my patio... I have a natural gas double burner out there that I use 90% of the time over my kitchen stove.

I would go with radiant barrier on the underside of the rafters along with a ridge vent. Also a round floor safe in the master bedroom closet for small valuables. Cover it with carpet or a few boxes and forget about it.