if you have ever built a house...

[tvguy]

Yes to as many outlets are you can put in, and make sure they have 4, not 2 sockets per outlet.
We've added on, and most recently did a "to the studs" remodel of 2 bathrooms and the kitchen.

Check your bids to see what your contractor is including. With our addition, the lowest bidder knew he had the lowest bid, and he had the lowest bid because he did not include the costs of permits in his bid, and his allowances for fixtures and carpet were literally half what everyone else's were. So if we had gone with him, our total cost would have been more.
Buy as many of the fixtures and appliances are you can yourself. The contractors here all add a 40% markup to items they purchase for your project. Our contractor clearly stated that in his bid. He encouraged us to buy our own faucets, but when one failed, we had to handle getting a replacement under warranty. When there was an issue with the laminate flooring that the contractor purchased, HE called the manufacturer.....HE had someone come over to meet with their rep for the warranty claim, and HE has someone here to supervise the workers then the defective planks were replaced.

And some items you are going to have to just guess about. We wired our addition for cable TV and internet, and 22 years later, those outlets have never been used.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Subscribing here as we are researching builders and start the "interview" process for builders start this weekend. Loving the tips so far. The more tips, the better. For financing purposes, does payment of the home start when the building begins, or when it's completed? The research I'm doing looks like we make interest payments until we move in. Are there any construction loan companies you would recommend or stay away from?

 

[amylevan]

My biggest suggestion both as someone who has built a home and as someone who for her day job is an engineer who deals with contractors - changes made to plans after you have started construction (or even once you have a contract in place) are going to cost you money. Be around during construction and if something is really not turning out the way you expected and you want a change, speak up, but know that it is going to cost you.

I'll reiterate that buying fixtures on your own will save you money.

 

[Arkansan]

Another thing to consider is having it written in your contract something to the tune of, "all lien releases to be provided at closing." (Or a day prior). We have lived in 5 new construction homes--some had more customization than others--and we have not had a problem personally, but have heard nightmare stories from others. Basically, the homeowners would close on the house like normal and begin making payments to the lender when, out of the blue, they are hit with one or more liens put on their home by subcontractors who hadn't been paid by the builder. The only way out (once it has been proven to be a legit claim) is to pay the roofer or electrician again. Some homeowners have been hit with thousands of dollars in liens and have no recourse. If you have a lien release signed by the subcontractors then you are protected.

 

[barkley]

same comments on extra outlets. we've had them on plant shelves in living room to put holiday decorations on-controlled by switch in hallway, under front porch near gutters for holiday lights-controlled by switch in entry way closet, and inside master bathroom medicine cabinet-my favorite b/c electric toothbrushes and dh's shaver can charge in the cabinet and not clutter up counter).

water spigots on every side of the house, more than one on each side depending on how big the house is-then no stretching hoses.

if in an area w/bad weather that's prone to power loss-at construction have house prewired/gas plumbed/cement slab put in for automatic turn on standby generator (even if you don't get generator put in at that time).

any place you might want cement work done-do it during construction (much less expensive than doing it after the fact such as a slab for the above mentioned generator, slab for future shed or patio...).

LOVE that my kitchen sink is accessible from front and back (normal access but a cut away was done on the back part that forms the bar like area with an extra cabinet door that matches the rest of the kitchen used to cover it-no one ever notices it but it's a great way to access stuff/pipes in the back).


consider talking to local to the build homeowner's insurance companies to find out what little things you can do that will qualify you down the line for insurance discounts, I've also found that I can get references from local insurance agents for GREAT building contractors b/c the companies they contract with for claims are going to be ones they know they know are well priced, reliable, and who do quality work (and these companies don't want to disappoint you b/c they don't want you complaining to your insurance company who is often their big on going employer).

 

[usnuzuloose]

I can't remember the name of the threads, but there is a lady who did 2 threads on the community board. She had 2 different homes made from the ground up. You might try searching the community search and see if you can find it.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Laundry on the second floor. Once you have it, you will never go back.

I was just going to say this!!

We have a rancher so it doesn't matter but my parents put a MBR suite/addition on their shore house, and put the laundry room right in their bedroom, just as one would have their own master bath.
For anyone with a 2 story house, it's dreamy.

Also, in our house we originally had a small alcove off the kitchen (down 2 steps) on the way to the garage, for a W/D.
The utility room was a small room within the kitchen, kind of off to one corner. (eat in kitchen) We moved the furnace & AC from there up to the attic, and moved the water heater into a small tool room that's in the back of the garage. It's up against the other side of the kitchen wall and original dryer spot so there was already gas lines nearby, not a huge expense but it freed up the utility room to turn it into a real laundry room. So we moved the W/D there and still kept a dryer at the original spot. (A larger freezer where the original washer was.)
So long story short, now I have 2 dryers. It seems that drying always takes longer than washing, especially now since I got a Speed Queen washer. Now I'm sooo glad I do. Actually, working FT with kids my original plan was to have 2 washers and 2 dryers so I'm not spending half my weekend doing laundry. We kind of needed the freezer too so I gave in.

So OP, if you have young children and lots of years of laundry ahead of you still, I'd vote for 2 washers, 2 dryers. If you're kids are grown, or nearly grown, and soon will be an empty nester, I wouldn't bother but still have the laundry room upstairs.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Oh another tip, when we remodeled our bathroom, my dad (in construction all his life) suggested we put an outlet under the vanity, off to the side wall. This is so I can leave my hairdryer plugged in under there and just put it back in the drawer when I'm done, instead of having to unplug and wrap up the cord each time. Now I wish I did that in the kids' bathroom as well. We figured with boys, they probably wouldn't be drying their hair.


Also the very best tip of all, and I didn't even get it from my dad! When we remodeled our 60's kitchen, it originally had a little shelf along the back wall of the main, long countertop, 13' long, which includes sink and stove. It had short but very wide, sliding glass doors and it held lots of smaller items like spices, medicines, etc. So when we pulled all that out, we realized for them to make that little shelf to not take up counter space, the lower cabinets were pulled about 6" away from the wall. At first we were excited that we could push the new cabinets back and have more floor space but it's already a generous size for that size house so we opted to put the new cabinets in the same position as the old ones were but have an extra deep countertop. This frees up so much space so things like a coffeemaker or toaster don't take up half the counter. I can fit a gallon of milk between the back of the faucet and the backsplash wall.
I tease dh that my extra countertop depth is the best 6" ever.

Also my dad would suggest that whatever you choose for countertop material, make the corners rounded. Since he became a grandfather and would see little kids bump their heads on very pointy corners of formica countertops, it really bothered him that anyone would make them that way. He started recommending to his customers with children and it's a hit.


Another thing, as a pp mentioned about pouring a slab for future shed location, I'd ask about running electricity out there. Once your landscaping is done, you would have to dig it up later to have a light in the shed. Even on a sunny day our window doesn't let in enough light. We'd be blind in there with no light.

 

[dalmatian7]

I was just going to say this!!

We have a rancher so it doesn't matter but my parents put a MBR suite/addition on their shore house, and put the laundry room right in their bedroom, just as one would have their own master bath.
For anyone with a 2 story house, it's dreamy.

Thanks so much for the comments. I know outside spigots were on there, but I don't remember outlets, I will go back over it.

We are building a ranch so the laundry is on the first floor. We have a unique situation as in we have a farm so we have a "barn room." Its the drop room for stinky clothes/shoes. Luckily we will be able to have a walk in basement on one side, so it won't be on the first floor and in the summer, shoes can be left in the garage. Still, a washer/dryer in the sleeping areas would never work for us because I don't want those clothes drug into the main living area ever. Huge rule in our house now. I could see how for the majority it would be a dream.

How much did you all decide where things were purchased from? As in, did you say I want to go to this kitchen/bath design center or did you just go with the builders recommendations? Did you just pick out fixtures/toilets/vanities etc or did you actually go and purchase them yourself?

As of right now we are doing the painting (ugh) and the landscaping (no big deal we have the equipment and I like that kind of stuff). I don't want granite, so I am hoping that we can come in under budget on those allowances.

to the other person that subbed to this in the process also, good luck to you too.

 

[KarenAylwood]

We built but not custom- we just moved last June with a large builder so a lot was already set out for us. Also my FIL is very into doing work on his homes and we've learned a lot from him as well.

I was going to second laundry on the second floor too but now you say you've got a rancher Put it near the bedrooms- ours is in between the guest bedroom and our child's bedroom and it has been AMAZING to have it so close to his room- I can't tell you how many times I've thrown things in there when he's been sick or wet the crib. I can see how what works for us might not work for you.

Don't do granite in the bathrooms (IMO). We didn't and our neighbors are now wishing they didn't either.

Do tile in the bathrooms and use the "super grout" that repels mold.

Generally contractors can get a discount on fixtures I would think. We did some painting and our backsplash by someone and he bought the supplies for us because he could get a discount at the local hardware stores. As for everything else we did builder grade and have been switching things out but if I was building it on my own I'd have picked out each of my fixtures on my own. We use Ferguson for lighting/fans, I like their site and most of the things on the site can also be found elsewhere if you find something you want and search online for a better price. If I were you I'd use pinterest to organize fixtures and ideas.

I'd go open concept if you're into that- I love our layout and we have an office off of our great room- it's awesome for keeping toys out of sight as well as paperwork and whatnot- mail piles up and I hate that the kitchen used to be the dumping ground.

We have vents above each of the doors on the upstairs bedrooms- it's done wonders for circulation and will decrease the dark lines you get around the door frame at the bottom (if that makes sense).

Spend money on a good carpet pad that can be kept if you replace your carpeting. Will make it more comfortable. We did it downstairs and I wish we'd also done it upstairs.

We did linoleum in our laundry room and while it was originally to save money it's been great for standing on as opposed to tile!

Think about storage. I'd have added more closets to keep cleaning supplies, brooms/mops and extra bedding.

 

[BCV2003]

We built a ranch last year and have the washer and dryer in the mud room. I agree with the comments about the electrical outlets. Fortunately, our plan came with plenty of electrical but we did add outlets in our Pantry (added a light in there too), our master closet (so we can iron right in there when needed) Our hallway linen closet about halfway up the wall, our laundry room about half-way up the wall. We also upgraded the electrical in the garage in case we would ever get an electric car. The reasoning for the outlets halfway up the wall were in the linen closet if I wanted rechargeable candles, dustbuster, flashlight or something like that plugged in, they wouldn't be on the floor...same for the laundry room. I wanted it within reach. Also think about outside lights and where you may want to add lights later if not included now. We have a cathedral ceiling in our great room/kitchen so with an electrical outlet in the cabinet above our stove, I was able to plug in lighted garland at the holidays above the cabinets.

Some things we added that others who build recently wished they would have done were, we had a gas line run out to our patio so we could run our grill off that instead of propane tanks. We also added a side door off of our garage which is convenient because we keep our trash can outside that door and it's just easy access without always needing to open and close the garage door.

We have extra electrical wire & cable run behind a bathroom wall so we can add a TV later if we like and to give us the ability to add a TV and possible towel warmer.

Before your drywall is put up, take a video of your entire house in case you need to reference where a wire is run, or which way a drain runs (before they pour concrete).

 

[ariel71]

If you expect this to be your home into old age, make sure the plans are designed to accommodate that.

Spend a lot of time on forums that are home-related, such as http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/build. That particular subforum in the link is for new construction but there are many other related subforums - kitchen and bath design, flooring, etc.

 

[emma'smom]

We built just about a year ago and we are pretty happy with it. My frustrations were really about being forced to pick "builder grade" faucets, vessel for sink from limited options or pay crazy upgrade prices when I knew I could just replace them later from Lowes and be just as happy. In some cases, I just paid for the upgrade so I wouldn't have to deal with it later---and in other places I didn't--but now it seems silly to replace perfectly good, brand-new fixtures just because I liked something else better. So there's that balance....

For outlets, I followed everyone's advice and had outlets placed on the walls where I might mount televisions and in all cases, I decided not to mount them as the lay-out space worked better with media consoles. This means I know have ugly plugs smack in the middle of my walls....so I wish I hadn't gone that route. People say to put a plug or two in the floor where you might plug in lamps---we didn't because we didn't know where we would place the couch---but now it would be nice.

One thing I'm really glad we did was splurge on a really big island. The plans started with a typical size island (6 ft I think) and when we went to pick out the granite, I just kept thinking how cool it would be to have the island be almost as big as the granite slab---so that's what we did. The actual island base isn't much wider than the original--but they put false sides on it to support the granite and it LOOKS a lot wider. It also got us some narrow cupboard space underneath the overhang where the bar stools go. I store holiday and fancy knick-knacks in those--things I don't need very often but don't want buried in the basement somewhere.

The other thing about our island is that I made it just one flat surface (no sink, no split up/down, etc). It has been so awesome for parties/dinners where I set up buffets...... school projects where we can lay out huge tri-boards and poster boards, and it's big enough that my kids can sit on one side doing homework or eating breakfast while I'm on the other side preparing lunches/dinner and the food prep doesn't touch their work, etc.

 

[barkley]

Oh another tip, when we remodeled our bathroom, my dad (in construction all his life) suggested we put an outlet under the vanity, off to the side wall. This is so I can leave my hairdryer plugged in under there and just put it back in the drawer when I'm done, instead of having to unplug and wrap up the cord each time. Now I wish I did that in the kids' bathroom as well. We figured with boys, they probably wouldn't be drying their hair.

for Christmas a few years ago I replaced the traditional blow-dryers with the type that are in hotels-mounted on the wall. provided me with extra space in the drawers, no more cords to deal with-and it provides a nightlight.

We are building a ranch so the laundry is on the first floor. We have a unique situation as in we have a farm so we have a "barn room." Its the drop room for stinky clothes/shoes. Luckily we will be able to have a walk in basement on one side, so it won't be on the first floor and in the summer, shoes can be left in the garage. Still, a washer/dryer in the sleeping areas would never work for us because I don't want those clothes drug into the main living area ever. Huge rule in our house now. I could see how for the majority it would be a dream.

you might want to consider at least plumbing and putting in electric (or gas lines) to the 'barn room' or an adjacent space. I live rurally and know exactly what you are talking about with the stinky clothes/shoes-I'm lucky to have my laundry room in-between the garage and the main house so like you we leave shoes outside, and dh takes his outdoor work clothes off and leaves them in a designated sink in the laundry room (more than dirt it's ticks I don't want getting dragged into the house) so they never enter the main house, but if you have space in/near your barn room you might want to consider at a future date getting an inexpensive washer/dryer down there just for work clothes.

if you will be on well water and are NOT planning to get a water softener (I personally can't stand them) consider looking at appliances with built in ones-we have a bosch dishwasher with one-it will extend the life of the appliance tremendously.


on being in a farm setting-if you get allot of birds you want to be choosy with windows. the person who built our house put in ones all along one side that are somewhat reflective on the exterior. we end up with far too many birds that kill themselves flying into windows b/c they can't tell there's a building (it reflects our pond, a mountain and trees)

 

[Maniacmous]

Haven't built, but almost done with a complete gut/rebuild of my current home. The things that will pay off later aren't glamorous at all.

As everyone else said - outlets, make sure they are everywhere you will ever need them, and then add more. Make sure you have room to expand in your electrical panel as well - someday if you want to add an outlet or two or something else and need to add a circuit, you'll hate yourself needing to replace the box if you don't leave yourself room to grow. I'll add to that - pre-wire for everything. Add cable jacks and ethernet (even if you don't hard wire your computers, you can run telephone lines over CAT5/6/7) everywhere you could possibly want them, and wire for your home theater now (if you know where TV/Speaker placements will be). If you are going to be wall-mounting your TV, make sure to wire for power, cable, ethernet, and leave open conduit in the wall (HDMI is popular now, but who knows what will be in the future - plan for clean looks later.

Pay for the best insulation you can - walls, attic, and rim joists (often forgotten). While you want some air to turn over to keep air quality good, you want your home's envelope to be as secure as you can get it (including good house wrap, caulking, etc.) - no use paying every month to heat air you'll let out in the cold months or to cool air that'll just be sucked outside in the warm months.

Buy efficient appliances, including (and perhaps most especially) your HVAC systems. Like the insulation above, a little investment here in higher efficiency will save you money each and every month down the road. Also check into efficient lighting, such as LEDs, for fixtures, as well as plan for good natural light.

Buy quality windows. The difference between cheap windows and expensive windows is large, in many ways people don't normally think about. Efficiency matters, as does quality seal (good for sealing the house, like insulation, but also for blocking sound from outside), but I've found that quality windows have quality frames that work well, longer (no sticking) and thicker/more panes of glass that block outside noise better (far more important if you're in town vs. out in the country).

Basically - plan ahead. Pay a little more now so you don't have to pay a lot more later to replace things later. It is always cheaper and easier to do it once the right way than twice (or more) the wrong way/with the wrong stuff.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I forgot one of my favorite parts of our home... a TANKLESS hot water heater!! Oh my gosh it's amazing. No more wondering how to get everyone a shower if we have visitors or waiting for laundry or dish washing. It's amazing. It doesn't take long for the water to get hot at all- we had one issue with our kitchen sink and the builder put in a preheater under the sink so it got hot immediately (within 2 seconds). I love not having to wait for hot water. We couldn't choose the hot water heater since we didn't build custom but after having a tank hot water heater all my life to moving to this... it's a dream.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

We spent 13 years designing our dream home from scratch. We took the plunge and built it about 14 years ago... and it turned out perfect for us. Some suggestions......

I agree with pp's that say put outlets everywhere. We have one about every four feet throughout the house. We have regular and cable outlets on the front and back outside of the house. Don't forget the garage!!

We made our bathroom counters higher - they are kitchen height. We are all tall and this saves stooping over to brush your teeth or wash your face. When grandkids come along we will have step stools.

Make everything handicap accessible. We did this for our 'golden years' but ended up with a son that had GBS in high school, and another that tore his ACL playing college basketball and had to come home for a few days. Wide hallways, doorways and stairways were a lifesaver.

We insisted on nine foot ceilings throughout, even in the basement. Good thing, because we have one kid that ended up 6'8". We also designed the walk out basement so that it could someday be closed off and rented out if the need arises. Full kitchen, garage (hot tub room right now) and bedroom with large walk in closet and huge bath.

CENTRAL VACUUM. I LOVE it and would not be able to live without it.

Larger than you think you need bedrooms and closets. Use every inch of available space, you will be glad you did.

We built in a small town and had an exceptional builder that let us be on site and make changes every step of the way. Before he would frame and area he would chalk it and call us with "this or this" options. We pulled electrical wire, carried drywall, and helped place the trusses. I realize this is not available everywhere, but we really enjoyed the flexibility!

Enjoy. Don't stress over door knobs and light fixtures. Get something useable up and replace what bothers you. Good luck!!

 

[barkley]

Basically - plan ahead. Pay a little more now so you don't have to pay a lot more later to replace things later. It is always cheaper and easier to do it once the right way than twice (or more) the wrong way/with the wrong stuff.

that's absolutely right. the same goes for finding out how much it costs to do a little something 'now' for a future project vs. doing it down the line.

concrete is expensive, but If you are doing a job already it's less expensive to have other smaller jobs done at the same time. so if you are thinking you will want a slab in a couple of locations-have the company do it when they are doing the big jobs required for the house construction. gas lines-if you think you may want to put in a propane plumbed generator down the line then when the house is being plumbed for gas lines have the extra lines put in and capped for later use (same if you have visions of a gas bbq on a future deck).

there's no rhyme or reason to some of the cheaping out decisions the builder of our home made in it's construction (spec home so we had no voice in it) but I will give him credit on a couple choices that have saved us $$$ in the long run-he knew the deck was idea for a hot tub so during construction he had all the wiring done so a hot tub could essentially just be plugged in, and he had extra switches prewired in some rooms (so while a room may have only had one light to begin with, when we replaced it with multiple pot lights the wiring and switches were in place).

oh-one thing I just thought of that I LOVE with our home: if local code allows for it, have the breaker panel installed INSIDE (ours is on a wall in our attached garage). SO MUCH BETTER at night/in bad weather to not have to go outside if you need to access it.

 

[satilik]

We insisted on nine foot ceilings throughout, even in the basement.

I would highly recommend this especially in the basement. When I eventually finished our basement I wish we would have added an extra course or two of blocks in the basement walls. An extra foot would have made a big difference. Good Luck with your build.

 

[Moomduck1]

I agree with higher bathroom countertops. I'm a little over 5 feet and I like it. I can't imagine how tall people could use a shorter countertop. I also agree with 9 feet ceilings. We love that. And that isn't anything that you can change down the road!