New home - What would you do?

[mtmuley]

Absolutely no vented ridge cap, we finally got blowing snow 6 yrs after moving in. Snow blew into the attic. Lucky we have a vaulted ceiling so the water ran down instead of soaking through the ceiling.

Roofs need vented. Sounds like yours was done incorrectly. mtmuley

 

[MTTW]

I have used vented ridge for many years and never had enough snow blow in to notice, and we get hellacious wind.

 

[Dougfirtree]

All great suggestion so far!

What are you guys think about having a small freezer area for hanging meat? Like an animal or two at a time. I totally think that our garage could have room for that but want to know how to build something like that.

My thought would be to buy a small commercial freezer and just put it in the garage. I know some people have opinions about hanging meat, and that’s cool and all. I like hanging meat for a week or so.

I built a walk-in cooler for a farm once. It was pretty easy, most of the cost is the refrigeration unit that powers it. Why not!

 

[Dougfirtree]

Absolutely no vented ridge cap, we finally got blowing snow 6 yrs after moving in. Snow blew into the attic. Lucky we have a vaulted ceiling so the water ran down instead of soaking through the ceiling.

Sounds like the vent was done improperly. That said, I have a non-vented roof and they can be great. My advice is that if you aren't venting the roof, the only insulation you should consider is closed-cell foam.

 

[JEL]

Make your garage/shop bigger than you think you need. Add heat and water.

 

[mtmuley]

Make your garage/shop bigger than you think you need. Add heat and water.

I don't have a shop, but if I did, a bathroom would be included. Sometimes that gets tricky with septic issues. mtmuley

 

[Pucky Freak]

Sconce lighting in the master bathroom. Your wife will appreciate it.

My stepdad (architect) designed, then had built a home of similar size that he and his first wife lived in for 8 years maybe. The FROG and the basement were unfinished, with plans to complete within a few years. Well, both areas sat unfinished. 5500 ft sq turned out to be too huge for a family of 3. Most rooms sat unused almost all time, ex. the formal dining room was just an oversized hallway. How often do you need 2 guest rooms?

Also be wary of trendy features that can cut into resale value in case your forever home turns into something other than that. For example, stepdad’s house had a greatroom (built in ‘88 I think). They were newly popular at the time but before the end of the next decade hardly any new construction had these.

 

[stevejfarms]

Roofs need vented. Sounds like yours was done incorrectly. mtmuley

We had the finest powder I’ve ever seen, had it in the garage, my shop, anywhere there was the slightest air leak. We’re sealing the ridge cap and installing turbines when the weather gets pretty.

 

[SFC B]

Another vote for a few here:

Radiant floor heat....had this in a barn conversion we lived in in the UK. Timer came on an hour before we woke up and it was BRILLIANT to have.

Oversize (height and depth) on the garage. Also decide if you are going to have one be a dedicated shop or not. Floors drains are another must have along with a full bathroom with large shower. Also like the idea of meat processing and a walk in cooler.

Higher ceiling heights all the way around. Open and airy.

Natural gas to the decks and patios. We had this when I was a kid and it was great to never have to worry if the bottle was going to run out.

Here a couple of particular interest to me:

Upgraded electrical service. It was mentioned a bit above but this is big to me. Think about at least twice what you thing you may "need" including 220 outlets in the shop area.

When designing the kitchen, if it is important to you, I would design around the appliances I wanted. I am a semi-professional cook and kitchens either make me smile or piss me off Plenty of storage, real pantry, outlets, venting, lighting and the oversized workspace mentioned above.

Finally, and this will be VERY high on my next place, a sauna. Totally personal but not only do I feel much better when I sauna regularly but I believe it promotes health. You can go from a small infrared unit in the house somewhere to a stand alone wood-fired unit ....along with all kinds of cool add-ons for lighting, sound etc.

Good luck

 

[mtmuley]

Also be wary of trendy features that can cut into resale value in case your forever home turns into something other than that. For example, stepdad’s house had a greatroom (built in ‘88 I think). They were newly popular at the time but before the end of the next decade hardly any new construction had these.

Greatrooms are common. One central room for entertaining off of the dining area. Other rooms are dedicated for media or other activities. But, as budget allows. mtmuley

 

[dht]

A disconnect from power to hook up generator to house. A hidden walk in safe.

 

[rwc101]

220v in your garage/shop/mancave.

 

[mtmuley]

A disconnect from power to hook up generator to house. A hidden walk in safe.

We do generator backup all the time. Only limited by budget. One project had a generator dang near the size of a semi trailer. mtmuley

 

[Elkoholic]

As others have mentioned in floor heat.... I installed Hydronic floor heat, closed cell spray foam walls, up the amount of ceiling/attic insulation, seal everything tight. I believe I could heat my place with a candle . I too hung plywood under sheetrock on all walls in my great room for ease of mount hanging. If you have some large heaving mounts like a moose, elk or really big TV, I did extra framing between studs in areas so studs didn't dictate final locations. When you think you have enough outlets and lights.... do more. Outlets inside cabinets & drawers, outlets & switches if you're doing over/under cabinet lighting, etc.

And why the heck did I not think about 30" countertops when I was building last year... I most certainly would have done this!

 

[duckhunt]

My first thought is get out of a residential neighborhood. Next question is do you still have kids at home. If not or if they are moving away soon downsize.

 

[mtmuley]

You don't need to sheet a place for mounts with plywood. I have inserts that carry over 200 pounds inserted into drywall. mtmuley

 

[Wildabeest]

If I was building in the mountains or on a lake, I’d probably do a timber frame. I love the openness and flexibility they provide. Using SIP panels for exterior walls are far better insulators than traditional framing, but that often gets somewhat offset by people putting in huge windows since timber frames make that really easy to do. I’d actually go with less sqft if needed to cover the additional cost of timber frame. But that’s just my personal preference.

If I was building in the desert, I’d seriously consider doing rammed earth. Pretty cool what you can do with that, and again, a great insulator.

As for all the other bells and whistles, yeah, what everyone else said. You’ll run out of money before you run out of ideas for high end upgrades. It’ll all come down to priorities and what fits in best with your surroundings and local market.

 

[MTTW]

In northern climates a garage floor sloping to a drain is pretty nice.

 

[mtmuley]

If I was building in the mountains or on a lake, I’d probably do a timber frame. I love the openness and flexibility they provide. Using SIP panels for exterior walls are far better insulators than traditional framing, but that often gets somewhat offset by people putting in huge windows since timber frames make that really easy to do. I’d actually go with less sqft if needed to cover the additional cost of timber frame. But that’s just my personal preference.

If I was building in the desert, I’d seriously consider doing rammed earth. Pretty cool what you can do with that, and again, a great insulator.

As for all the other bells and whistles, yeah, what everyone else said. You’ll run out of money before you run out of ideas for high end upgrades. It’ll all come down to priorities and what fits in best with your surroundings and local market.

Traditional timber frames are extremely expensive. Hybrids offer the best of both worlds. Timber frame look, stick frame construction. Less cost while maintaining the handcrafted look. SIP panels are pretty much obsolete with the advent of spray foam polyurethane. mtmuley

 

[Otto Matic]

When the kids graduated, we sold our 2000 sq/ft rambling ranch and moved to our land in Ok and I began building a 1000 sq/ft home.
2 bed room, 1 and 3/4 bath
2×6 exterior studs w/R19 insulation.
6:12 roof pitch
Gas heat, metal exterior and metal roof.
Most importantly, wood heater. Too much heat goes up a chimney.
A small generator will run our TV, freezer and a few lights in winter.
In a pinch in summer, it will run the freezer and a small room A/C unit.