What is something to use as a natural fence/ privacy line? I hear hemlocks grow fast and do good.

Building a new home wishlist...

Advice on Home kitchen remodel: TIER 1 kitchen appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher) ?

Building a new home- ideas

Building home - must haves/ideas?

Building last home

5 stall garage with 20ft ceilings for a heavy duty 2 post lift, and 40ft deep so i can park a heavy duty truck and boat in the garage and still have space for work benches and stuff.

I've done that on three different houses now.  I've gone back to those pics many times to make sure I wasn't about to drive a screw through something important.

I like the Matt Risinger Youtube channel. He discusses a lot of innovation in home construction.

If I had to recommence one episode - look at his attic one.  The attic tends to be a lot of wasted space that is difficult to use and honestly poorly done.  It would cost little to do a good one over a poor one - and honestly spending the money on a great one is probably money well spent.  I do not recall his order of improvements - but air tight sealed (which requires a bit of thought and generally a bit of closed cell spray foam.  Then insulating the roof, not the houses ceiling (which puts all your hvac in a controlled space (he used rockwool).  It is simply stupid to have air ducting in a hot (or cold) attic (abet, you are in a cold climate with a basement to run duct work).  Keeping it completely sealed helps keep insects and critters out.  Bonus is you have a LOT of usable space that will not freeze or bake.
 
In his perfect attic - he went so far as to not allow rafters to penetrate the walls.  This removed dozens of penetration/leak spots - and allowed him to take the hardy plank right up to the roof.  He must have added the overhang afterwards.  In the end, I bet he added 1500sq ft of viable storage to his house - well at least till his son took a lot of that up for his lego room.  He ended up with a dust free attic (since there was no outside air seeping in) that stayed within 5 degrees of his home temp.  Of course, to use that space easily, he put in a very nice attic stairs.  His house is split level - so his son has a door in his room to access the lower attic (lego room).
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I have a whole house generator on a vacation rental.  Electricity there is NOT dependable - so it really helps with guest retention (they stay rather than demanding refunds).  I would not mind one on my home - but honestly other than big freezes, I rarely have any blackouts (and there are plenty of options for heat without electricity).  I keep up with solar, and it is becoming more and more affordable.  This week I found quality batteries at $5k for 15kwh.  Depending on what loads you have to run, a couple of those would be a great addition to a generator - would allow it to run at peak efficiency to charge the batteries - and then cut off for hours.  Running it a low is just a waste of fuel - but it is what you have to do if you want electricity and don't have batteries.  Solar is also an option, but it really does not remove the need for a generator - power likes to go down when the weather is crap, which is just about the same time you don't have solar.  But considering just how much of the cost of a solar system is the batteries, it would be a relatively inexpensive upgrade to add the panels if everything else was already there.  Kind of if you are already putting in $20k for a battery backup system - what is $10k of panels to make you mostly off grid.  Plus, honestly, if you have batteries, solar, and a generator - you are almost completely off grid anyway.

spray foam. saves me hundreds a month
wiring for music all around.
wiring for outdoor cameras
conduit from attic to basement for unexpected stuff

Gas hookup for grill.

Outlets on all inside garage walls.

Outlets in walk in closets and toilet rooms.

Also a legit tornado room with 2 different ways out.

This.  Plus 12ga or larger wire throughout. Home run PEX-A everything.  And ensure larger than normal attic space for ease of access and storage.

Back then, forests weren't managed so it also took trees longer to grow to a decent size.
With managed forests, pine trees grow fast.

Also, Douglas fir takes a long time to grow big. Eastern pine doesn't.
Doesn't really matter today with advancement in engineering when it comes to heavy roofs.

I would go big in home automation. It has become quite affordable now. The Z-Wave protocol works quite well. I would also run Smurf tubing for LAN cables to each room and to locations where you would want a CCTV security camera. You don’t have to run the cables now; but if you run the Smurf tubing it will be easy to install or up grad in the future. Smurf tubbing also should go where every you have low voltage wires like thermostats and audio cables.

Hard wire your alarm system.  Keyless electric locks on all exterior doors would be a good idea.

400A elec service. 200 A main panel with the house and garage lighting and openers on it. 200A panel for the garage and EVs.

keep the generator hooked up to the house one.

I don’t think the OP is gay.

For my house we did something unconventional and I LOVE it.

We have a regular basement, but there are stairs to it in the garage.  Concrete steps in the corner of the garage that go to basement level then an entry door.  There are still regular stairs in the house, but these stairs are easy access for the basement directly from the garage.  

I use these things DAILY and honestly don't think I could go back to not having them.  For finishing the basement they were invaluable.  Taking all my garage tools into the basement and I made a small tool closet inside at the entrance so all my tools are inside now, but easy to access.  




Other ideas probably already mentioned is wiring options like CAT5 to every room, camera runs to a central location, better exhaust fans in bathrooms, a drain in the laundry room for "just in case", smart outlets, USB outlets, more windows up higher in garage(my personal choice that I love).

Whatever Lennar decides to include because you have no fucking choice.

built in fleshlight in your shower

I almost forgot the other best thing we added, a hot and cold water spigot in the attached garage, on an inside wall that connects to the house so freezing isn't an issue.  I use this dang hose all the damn time too.  It's so convenient and only cost me like $350 to have my builder add it.

i used to like these threads until i realized i'll never be able to afford to buy a shitty old house, let alone build my dream house.

I've seen your posting history, yes you can.

An entry door way with a ledge just tall enough for you to forget to clip your foot on.
A bathroom window right by your front entrance to let visitors know you're pooping.
Install only one lock on the front door with a turn latch and place a window right next to it, just in case you get locked out.
A/C unit and compressor on the south side of the house so it stays comfy and warm all year.
Sliding glass doors that are as heavy as possible so the bearings wear down quicker.
White carpet.
Popcorn ceilings.
Keep the windows as low as possible.
1/16 inch glass to save weight.
Keep the washer and dryer as far away possible from an exterior wall.
Whole body length windows next to stairs for a more open feeling.
Shiny gold hardware on doors, windows, and cabinets.
Pocket. Doors. Everywhere.
Skip on the interior insulation, sometimes you don't want to get up to talk to someone across the house.
Skip base boards, let your guests see your white carpeting skills.
A half bathroom right by your dining area to let gets know your scent is stronger than theirs.
Interior closets in the bathroom so towels maintain that fresh mildew smell.
Exhaust fans are loud in bathrooms, you don't need them.
VERY tall trees, closer to the house the better. Have them hang over for shade.
Have the living room or dining room have a random step down a level.
Double doors for your master bedroom - make sure to allow a gap between the two doors so guests can sneak a peak.
Place your master bedroom above the guest bedroom so you can let your guests hear your porking skills.
Contractor's wiring is a must, no need to waste energy with bulkier wiring.
Place outlets on the bottom of the wall touching the floor, no one wants to see those things.
Keep outlets only one per wall. One per room to save energy.
Install spiral staircase to the second story so nothing can be lifting up.
Install a built in house vacuum system and never use it so future owners can figure out this ancient piece of equipment.
Install return vents for your A/C on the top of your raised ceilings. You will need a 20 foot ladder to get to them. Keeps them away from kids.
Make sure your hot water plumbing needs are as far away from the hot water heater as possible.
Instead of one large two-car garage door, go for two one-car size garage doors.
Make sure your garage door is flush with the exterior level, skip the lip.
Don't label your breaker, you don't want burglars to know which switches turn stuff off.
Build a shower stall just wide enough to walk into. Make sure if you move an inch, your ass touches cold tile. It will save space, energy, and wake you up faster in the morning.

Did I miss anything?

50% of my business is residential new construction low voltage wiring so I'll speak to that.

1) CAT6 / RG6 at every TV location.
2) CAT6 to wireless access points throughout the house. Would need to see plans to determine number of APs. Don't forget outside APs.
3) Conduit with mule tape to outside for ISP.
4) We run conduit to main viewing locations, as well as, the CAT6 / RG6.
5) Conduit with mule tape from structured wiring headend to attic. We use commercial racks for LV stuff at SW head.
6) CAT5 or CAT6 to CCTV locations.
7) Surround sound pre wire in main viewing areas.
8) If you like audio, consider running 16/2 x 2 to kitchen, dining, porches, master, master bath, etc.
9) Consider an audio stub out for future outdoor audio (Pool for example).
10) We use Qolsys for security so a 16/2 to each keypad location from SWS head.
11) If you are doing a safe room, consider electric, isp, and cctv head to be in there so it's in a controlled space.
12) Automation?
13) And you'll think this is crazy, but we are doing a shitload of permanent Christmas lights installations now.

you don't want return vents in every bedroom - they carry sound.  Who cares if the AC shuts off in your bedroom at night when you close the door.
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Or how about an air vent and return in every closet to keep your clothes from molding.  

I always thought it was perfectly stupid to put the master closet off the master bedroom to increase humidity.
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In Texas, I would consider a whole house dehumidifier.  Heat is a problem here, and you can feel more comfortable at 50% humidity and 4 degrees warmer, than trying to struggle to get your AC down enough at 75% humidity.   My bet is you will feel cooler 4 degrees warmer if you don't have all that fucking humidity.  That said, you are north, and probably have dry parts of the year.
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Our vacation rental is different than a normal home.  Every TV is hardwired internet, but we also have a mesh wifi that covers every room, and virtually every inch of property outside that is usable (about 1/2 of the property is dunes - not usable).  We have full security cameras - also hard wired.  Just put in an outside bar which has a kick ass sound system - while it can do more, airplay and android are covered (plus with the mesh system, it does not matter where the phone is on the property).  We have a shitload of home automation, but honestly I am less impressed with most of it.  Remote monitory (since it is a rental) is nice.  We know when shit breaks before we are told most of the time.  Most of the lights are smart now - so any phone (or any of the displays) in the house can control them (in theory, they also can control the outdoor stereo).  Put in more outdoor outlets than you think you will need (we fucked up, this will be the third time that has bit our ass).  Add a 50amp 240 outlet for the future electric vehicle the goverment is going to force you to drive.  Fuck it, add 2 (mostly joking, the price of those adds up - lots of heavy copper).  That said, I have 1 and it is in the wrong place at my house).  Given that it is a beach rental - we have an outdoor shower with hot and cold water, and a foot wash.  The outdoor shower is also the downstairs men's restroom (probably gets more use as that).  

Garage with doors in front and back so you can drive in and drive right out.

Sub basement bunker/man cave, garage half the size of the house, covered patio, outdoor kitchen, water capture and filtration system...

Came her to say this.  Energy isn’t likely to get less expensive going forward

Framing fully strapped from foundation to roof peak.

And for those not "poor like me"- bullet resistant "drywall ".

Hot water outdoor spigot

Totally off grid solar.  RF quiet electrical system and appliances.  Automatic window blinds.  Underground range and gun vault.  60 foot antenna tower.  Hardened and soundproofed exterior walls.  Half mile driveway.  Artesian well.  Hot young housekeeper.

I was under the impression 2x6 was pretty much the standard everywhere.

Nope 2x6

B A S E D

2x6 was rare while I was doing construction.

Im building a house now, couple things I did which I think are a must. Some obviously cost a decent bit more, some not so much and make a big difference.

- 2x6 studs
-Spray foam insulation
(Both of those cost me about an extra $5k over fiberglass and 2x4 studs, Im in the drywall stage and I can walk in the house and its 10-15* cooler inside vs the 90* outside)
-Quality windows see above, I didnt go nuts, but didnt go bargain.
-Metal roof
-wood stove in the basement, I sit at the highest elevation in the state and we get cold in the winter. If I run out of propane I have a great heat source.
-High ceilings
-Walk out basement
-Oversized garage I have a 2 car thats 28x28
-Solar with battery back up

On thing I didnt do is run ethernet anywhere, I was planning on wifi everything, but Im regretting that.

Pop up automatic turrets.

My house in MS has 2x6 studs. Just a guess but I think the person who built it in 1980 was an executive for the local mill and must have been from up north or something. Double insulated windows which was rare in 1980 I think, then the extra insulation with the 2x6 studs. More common in multi level homes, at least here.

My house in TX has rough cut true dimension 2x4 longleaf pine studs. You can can still smell the turpentine if it's uncoverecd.

A contract with detailed specs, and if it is cost plus, access to invoices.

Spend the money on the shop, the house is just somewhere to lay your head.

Jefferies tubes.

Drilled well, propane furnace,outside wood boiler, far infrared suana, steam + shower, whirlpool bath, bidet
basement sealed and drain tile with proper drainage around footings,clear drainfield,(no pump up to septic)
special attention to roof and floors proper plumbing 200 amp service.

WACO how appropriate eh?

Floor drain in laundry.

Remote, individual water shut offs for bath/shower faucets. That way you can do repair work without having to cut off the entire house.

Niches. Lots of niches that serve no other purposes than holding such things as tall vases filled with peacock feathers and dried plant parts and also the collection of dust and dead gnats.

Yup. I'm in a "starter home" with a two car garage and tiny driveway. With a workbench and squat rack; it is now a 1 car garage with no driveway, so no space for a potential moon lambo. And my tacoma BARELY fits length-wise.

I'm looking at a 3 car garage house next, but they don't make many.

Lots of things to think about but one thing pops to mind if I ever build again. Depending on the home's layout I would build the master BR with off-set stud construction….2x6 bottom and top plate with 2x4 studs offset. A buddy did this and his master is like sound room….dead silence even when with the kids watching TV, parties, etc...

Also, use a solid core or exterior door on the master with reinforced jams, 4" screws, dead bolt, etc…. to create a temporary safe room in case of monkey business by nefarious characters.


If you're a bit paranoid about bad people "visiting" through your front door create a "mud room" inside it that also has a door….except this one is reinforced as are the walls.  I first saw this down south when paying cartel members a visit.  One guy had this arrangement and it essentially served as a kill box. The theory was that  LE team would make entry through what they thought was the main door only to find another door about 6 feet inside that was much harder to breach….the kill box was lined with steel plate and the dude also had firing ports in which to light up the swat guys while they were working on door two should the need arise.  He never used it and the LE guys were aware of it via a CI but I always thought it was an interesting idea….that way you don't have to shoot through the door. LOL.

Anyways, I would look at the security layout and take that into consideration.

some thoughts….tankless water heater sized 50% over.   Good exterior lighting wired in from the get go.  big Gun safe/tornado room in the basement with a safe door and method of egress.

Don't forget to put the washer and drier just outside of the Master. it is a life saver.

My German cousins visited years ago and simply couldn't belive that we were allowed to build such shitty homes. They had no idea what drywall was…..all interior walls over there are with red brick and about a foot thick.  My one cousin built next to his parents….he had originally wanted to just extend the existing home but the local German code guys said "not allowed"..they're dicks. So he built his 3 story home right next to the existing….by right next  to I mean about 1 cm away….it was amazing to see….a perfect 1cm gap between the two home from ground level to 3 stories up.  You couldn't find someone to build like that here….

OP don't forget that you'll need to find a good place to put the home. No "100 year flood plain" location, no nearby fault lines, nothing on stilts on the side of a mountain. Away from the Yellowstone caldera. Near fresh water.

Just something that popped into my head.