Great IDeas for a new home "OLD POST"?

[HotRod]

I remember reading a bunch of posts on good ideas to incorporate into a new home, but can't seem to find it. I'm almost positive that I read these posts in this newsgroup but I may be wrong. Can anyone point me to the links?

[Speedy Jim]

Apologies if you already know this, but you can do an "Advanced Search" on any particular ng:

Jim

[HeyBub]

Take advantage of thousands of engineers:

[Muff]

Hotrod, I'm just about finished building a new 3200 sq ft home. A few things I put in are a whole house vacuum system $1500; wired all the rooms for phone and cable before the wall board went up. stove vent piped to the out side. Ran conduit under the slab to all four corners of the house foot print from the main circuit box for future needs of electric for work shed or Christmas lights. Made the two car garage wide and deep so there is lots of room for work bench and a couple extra cabinets. Put the electric main panel in the garage, I didn't do it but you might want to wire the house for intercom and or sound system. Get the first floor wired for a security system before the wall board goes up. I also added extra R30 insulation in the attic (I'm in Florida).

Best of luck. Muff

[Beeper]

[HotRod]

I read a bunch of great ideas a year or two ago. LIKE

1) Make one cupboard in the kitchen with a false rear panel with a built in power bar so that you can plug in your phones, PDA's etc. and hide all of the wires. 2) Extra outlets in the facia of the house for Christmas lights. 3) Glass Block Floor insert. (This will be going in for sure) 4) Exhaust vent and drain in the garage. 5) Access to Pantry cupboards from Garage side, so all old canned goods and such are at the rear. (Easy for groceries) 6) More outside water taps.

etc. etc.

[nospambob]

[World Traveler]

1. I agree with the oversize garage -- the extra space is invaluable
2. I wish I had put in a cupola outlook during our renovation to get a better view (we live on a lake)
3. We did install an outdoor shower so that I can clean up after working in the garden, or coming back from fishing.
4. Put in an outdoor sink to use to wash up in, use for prepping sprays, washing veggies from the garden, etc. If there's space, an outdoor toilet would also be very useful, especially if you live in the south where you don't have to worry about water lines freezing.
5. Make sure you have enough external electrical outlets, considering possible future additions such as a pond, driveway or patio low voltage lighting, etc.
6. Similarly, make sure you have enough hose bibs -- it's a lot easier to connect/disconnect hoses than to wind and unwind long lengths of garden hose. We also ran pvc out to create a remote water tap in the garden, about

100 feet away from the house.

1. We also ran a concrete wall, topped with ceramic tile, about six feet from the house down the side of the house that has most of the utilities -- a/c compressors, well pump, water softener, etc. This conceals the utilities and presents a clean appearance for landscaping outside the wall. We put openings in the wall where rooms have sliding glass doors to the outside to maintain the view.
2. Preplan the wiring for motion-sensing security lights at each corner of the house, controlled from a wall switch inside.
3. If eventually you're going to have an outdoor patio or screen room, ensure you've preplanned for the electric service, including lights, ceiling fans and perimeter lights. Also, have enough outlets for an outdoor refrigerator, clock/radio, etc. We use wireless stereo speakers which get a signal from our satellite radio system, so there are two outlets in use right there.
4. Plan for an irrigation system, preferably one that does not use city water.

Regards --

[Phil Luttrell]