Building the forever house what am I missing?

[Jordan Selsor]

I hate half stories. You don't save much on materials, and you compromise a lot of otherwise good floor space. Then you bump out with dormers and have a low pitch roof to deal with on top of two additional runs of flashing.

There's no up-side to them IMO, unless you have to use it to cheat a height restriction, and even then I still don't like them.

Honestly Jim we don't want all that extra square footage. This house will be approx 2200 sqft of living space. Going with a steep 10-12 or 12-12 roof. No dormers just a window on each end on the half story. I will post a pic if I can find somthing similiar

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Kinda like this but no dormers and a 8 ft porch

 

[Bill]

No I didn't mean a heat pump. The best heat I ever had was base board hot water. The second best was forced air that used a hot water exchanger.

Either of theses Systems would hook up to an outdoor wood furnace. If you go the route of hot water I have one important suggestion.

Make sure anywhere a hot water pipe is routed through a wall or floor the installer drills a hole larger than the pipe their running. Otherwise when the heat expands the pipe it will cause a knocking, ticking, clunking sound as it expands against the wood in the wall or floor. I've been in houses that sound haunted when the heat comes on and the circulates kick in.

Here's a suggestion that will make your wife very happy. If you're putting tile in the master bedroom bath. Install a low voltage heating mat under the tile. It's not that expensive to install or run and in the winter nothing beats warm tile over cold tile in the bath.

 

[MoLandOwner]

You are asking all the wrong guys on what you should put into your house. You better be asking the one you are sleeping with what she wants. She can make life somewhat easy for you, or dam hard depending on what you put in the house for her.

One thing the wife wishes she had in the house would be a central Vac.

One thing we are glad we put in was a Hot tub room off the master bedroom. We step down 3 steps to our little oasis away from everything at night.

One other thing we did was put in his and hers walk in closets in the master bedroom and a master Bath separate from the house. We also have 3 other bathrooms for our 5 bedroom house. I did not want to hear any bitching from kids for bathroom time before school each day.

 

[West Branch]

I'd rather have an attached garage with mud room between it and the kitchen. Then later a pole barn with a walk in cooler/cut wrap room and enough room for all the toys & equipment.

A lot of great ideas. I agree with Tooln that having an attached garage would still be nice. Maybe only a two car? Just a spot to park going to town vehicles that will be a bit separate than the toys, equipment, shop etc.

 

[foggy]

We've got an outdoor shower simlar to that shown. Made it easy to drain down in the fall. Gets used after a dip in the lake......or to wash up a dog, etc.

I got a large attached, heated garage with a good double sink in the garage. Nice for cleaning fish and lots of other clean ups.

We have an outdoor wood-burning fireplace with a roof over a patio.....which is attached to the house. No smoke odors in your clothes.....and light rain is a non-event. Nice evenings by the fire.

Five Bedrooms and six baths......no need for any of our guests to wait in line. ;) Did I mention only two of us live here? o_O

Natural Gas Generator wired into the house with an automatic transfer switch. Recently ran for a week due to storm. No need for fuel storage. NICE!

My wife and I are on the first level....no steps. All extra guest bedrooms are up.

Space in the garage for a freezer......and a beer refrigerator next to the freezer. ;)

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Agree with Bill on the hot water baseboard heat because it can be hooked up to a couple heat sources - like outdoor wood furnace. BIL has oil fired boiler and coal fired furnace and both can heat the water for baseboard heat and domestic hot water.

Foggy's idea of a gas-fired back-up generator w/automatic transfer switch is a gem - especially if you have a lot of wind / ice storms. It just depends on your budget for building the house. If you have the $$$ to pay for the gen. - go for it. Peace of mind for power !!! I like the sink in the garage for clean-ups, too. My aunt has a set-up where there's a sink, 2nd stove, and a big work table for home canning that's not part of the living space. With 7 kids, they did a lot of home canning / freezing. Deer / fish cleaning too !!!

 

[foggy]

Gotta show-off our outdoor fireplace which has a roof over it. A few steps over the lake and a great place to hang out.

Been known to provide beer and snacks here, for wayward habitat managers. ;)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MoLandOwner]

If he had Foggy Money to work with that would all be pretty cool.

 

[foggy]

If he had Foggy Money to work with that would all be pretty cool.

You don't want to know what we paid for those sliced boulder steps and some of that timber and stone. o_O I don't even want to know anymore. :rolleyes:

Do you know how many shooting sticks you gotta sell to pay for that stuff?......a bunch! ;)

 

[MoLandOwner]

You don't want to know what we paid for those sliced boulder steps and some of that timber and stone. o_O I don't even want to know anymore. :rolleyes:

Do you know how many shooting sticks you gotta sell to pay for that stuff?......a bunch! ;)

Looks like you sold just enough!;)

 

[UP Powers]

I would never build a house without an air exchange system or look into a whole house fan. If you don't, you are NUTS!

Great advice from the electrician. I don't see a need for 9ft ceilings. It's just extra money in lumber and the win is from ??? I would just do standard height, plus they are miserable to paint.

If you think you have enough outlets, add 20 more. Make 100% sure to add a bunch of 2.1a USB outlet plugs all over too. Charging electronics seems to be a constant move of plugs.

When you install your water, install a whole house water filtration system. It's easier to plumb it now than later.

Whatever you do, do NOT have a standard water heater, go with an on demand.

Whatever the code is for drain tile make 100000000000000000000000% sure that they wrap the tile in cloth to prevent it from clogging. some states it's code others it is not, and make sure there is enough gravel over the tile.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Post #29 - Wayward habitat manager here ......... I haven't eaten in about a week and I'm a little dry ...........:D

 

[Jim Timber]

I'm posting from a 1200sf cabin with a half story loft that covers the bathroom and 3 bedrooms - it's one room up there. The knee walls are 5' from the outside of the framing. That's 10' out of 24 that's just "gone".

Complete waste of space, and the vaulted trusses are expensive.

We have 6 people here on weekends and it's too crowded.

Just trying to look out for you. :)


Foggy, is your place timber framed, or just design elements of it? Your deck is close to what I've been envisioning for my main entrance.

 

[foggy]

Most of my place is conventional construction. It's a story and a half.....with all guest bedrooms and bathrooms up.....and everything my wife and I need on the lower level (and a few more things we don't need). We have 1/2 step up from the attached 3 stall garage into the house.....and that is the only step ever required for us as we get older (unless we want to go upstairs).

We have an all cedar exterior and 2x8" cedar corners and some x beams to give it the rustic or timber-frame effects. Also have some large timbers supporting the fly roof over the patio, and the front entry......so it looks kinda timber-frame like. Also have some faux beams inside and a vaulted ceiling in parts of the great room with timber accents.

To me real timber framing and log homes can be too much of a maintenance issue. I'm a conventional kinda guy. ;)

 

[shawnv]

Kids and pets are terrible on carpet, I would suggest as much of it being real wood floors as possible and utilizing rugs that are easy to replace.

 

[kabic]

I'm posting from a 1200sf cabin with a half story loft that covers the bathroom and 3 bedrooms - it's one room up there. The knee walls are 5' from the outside of the framing. That's 10' out of 24 that's just "gone".

Complete waste of space, and the vaulted trusses are expensive.

We have 6 people here on weekends and it's too crowded.

Just trying to look out for you. :)


Foggy, is your place timber framed, or just design elements of it? Your deck is close to what I've been envisioning for my main entrance.

I guess it is a matter of perspective, is 10' really gone or do you have 14' feet gained that otherwise wold just be attic.

 

[foggy]

Post #29 - Wayward habitat manager here ......... I haven't eaten in about a week and I'm a little dry ...........:D

cocktails on the veranda about 4pm. Venison fahitas and brews. ;)

 

[Jim Timber]

Damn, I won't be done working til 7. :(

 

[UP Powers]

Kids and pets are terrible on carpet, I would suggest as much of it being real wood floors as possible and utilizing rugs that are easy to replace.

one of the largest trip hazards in the house. throw rugs. Go to a dr. and get a hip replaced or a knee and they will tell you too toss everyone. I hate rugs laying around.

Secondly only to my buddy cleaning his hardwood floors with Pledge. Still LOL everytime i hear the story. I guess it was like an ice rink!! He hit the floor 3 times in the middle of the nite going to the fridge for a midnight snack. He was wearing socks and when he hit the floor he was ass end over tea kettles.