For those that have build or had a house built, questions inside

joe_momma

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For any of you that have built a house or had a custom home built for you, what are some things you wish you had known or done differently? I'm looking for any feedback, honestly. We have our construction loan lined up and are in our builder's "queue", hoping to get started this fall.

This will be our "forever" home on 7.5 acres we have purchased. Single story, 2300 sqft with a full walk-out basement, it includes a bonus room over the attached 2 car garage. It will be a 3/2 (possibly another bath or half bath in the basement). Undecided on the level of finish for the basement at present. The plan is to have another "garage" spot in part of the basement, to store the Mustang and lawn mower, etc. I'm hoping to have 8' garage doors upstairs rather than the standard 7', so I can park my truck (or future bigger truck) in it. The bonus room will likely be our TV/movie room, so I'll wire that for surround sound like I have currently.

The builder just charges a flat fee, no "cost plus" nonsense. We've been in several of his current projects, and are pleased with how he does things. We also know him personally, so there's no concerns with any shenanigans or whatever.
 

JEWC_Motorsports

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For us, i wish we would have planned better and built a smaller home. We have 2 extra rooms that we do not use and its a waste.
 

tjm73

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Sounds nice.

Can you put a 2 bay basement shop around back under the 2 car? My uncle did that about 40 years ago.
 

mpm_1

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Similar scenario to you we bought ground (13 acres) and had our house built. We've been in our new home not quite 3 years now (also a ranch on a full walkout.) Recognize this is coming from someone who enjoys a high degree of DIY, but some random thoughts / input for you....

- spray foam insulation on the exterior walls and deep blown-in for the attic - totally worth it

- I came in one weekend (after electrical and plumbing rough ins but before drywall) and put in sound deadening (Rockwool batting) in the interior walls - it's not "sound proof" but it does help

- think about where you want your barn(s) to be (it's not a question of if but when, lol) and go ahead and run utilities or at least have a plan for them : we had a barn framed at the same time the house was started (I've done all the interior work on the barn) and ran electric / water / natural gas / co-ax & cat-5 from the house to the barn and I tied the barn in to the septic system (for a full bath and kitchenette) - took a lot of up-front planning but it's made for an awesome setup

- we left the basement unfinished to help reduce cost and to allow time to figure out what we wanted to do with the space : I'm just now wrapping up finishing it out and I'm glad we waited

- we spent more on cabinets than the original bid but no regrets at all going high end - really enjoy having them as a focal point in our open floor plan layout

- we cleared ~2 1/2 acres for house / barn / septic & small pasture - i had my excavator save any tree trunk that was at least 10" diameter (burned off all the tops and small stuff) - i then found a reputable portable sawmill outfit and we milled the wood on sight - mostly poplar but some oak, cherry, & maple - what a fantastic unexpected bonus to the whole project - had a ton of fun using the wood mainly in the barn but also some spots in the house and had a dining table made : point being if you are having ground cleared and have a chance to harvest tress I highly recommend it

Good luck with your project. Our journey was a long time in the making and a ton of work in the doing but we feel blessed every day - hope the same outcome for you.
 

Badd GT

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1. try and make all your entry and bedroom doors and openings to any room at least 2'8" wide, 3' even better
2. get 400 amp service
3. over insulate
4. go all brick, vinyl windows, vinyl soffits, coilstock facia and freeze(maintenance free) you will break even in 7 years when you dont have to do your first repaint. every year after is money saved.
5. consider metal roofing for the same reason as #4
6. If you build a deck use trex or similar, or better yet do a concrete patio(wood decking will survive if you put a roof over it like screen porch)
7. dont sweat phone,cable,cat5 or whatever, everything is wireless now
8. make your garage bigger than your house!!!! :) with ceiling high enough for a lift
9. skip the master tub and make the shower big
10. make sure your closets and pantry are large enough
11. face your house west if possible (its hot as hell in NC and i dont want my decks, patio, porches in the afternoon sun)
12. make sure your floor joists are sized properly and not at the limits for their spans, bouncy floors suck!
 
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JJDAG

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All great advice, our house is 3 years old now custom log home, spending extra on quality cabinets windows doors is well worth the extra cost, we had spray foam in the ceiling was worth the investment. Plan for the future think of what you may want down the road plumb or wire for it, make sure closets are big enough and you have enough of them, if you like to cook pay attention to the size of your kitchen buy quality appliances and enough counter space. Spend some time checking out homes online see what others have or how they built. And I agree a concrete patio is better than a deck I’ve had both.
And as stated make your garage bigger but not attached trust me running the car spraying chemicals or paint when the garage is attached you smell it all in your house = pissed off wife every time.
Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

joe_momma

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Thanks for all the input guys, some very good points made. I hadn't thought about 400A service. I know 200A is pretty much the norm now, I'll check with our contractor about upgrading to 400A.
 

mpm_1

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We did 400A as well allowing 200A capacity at the house and 200A capacity at the barn.
 

Badd GT

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Can’t believe I forgot this one
#1 rule to rural building, FIND YOUR WATER FIRST!!. You have plenty of acreage but still don’t build your house and drill your well last, I got an unpleasant surprise on a house once doing that
 

joe_momma

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Can’t believe I forgot this one
#1 rule to rural building, FIND YOUR WATER FIRST!!. You have plenty of acreage but still don’t build your house and drill your well last, I got an unpleasant surprise on a house once doing that

There are utilities at the road (water, natural gas, electric, cable). We will have to get at least one pole set, possibly two.
 

Iceman62

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In addition to others (had our house built in 2007), here's my adds:

1. Upgrade anything you can (windows/doors/carpet/roof/etc.) b/c construction grade anything sux!
2. Add another stall to the garage + room f/ space & storage...you'll want/need it (toys, maint, tools, etc).
3. Insulate your garage (yourself, if possible)...wish I would've when house was framed (before sheetrock).
4. Can never have enough kitchen cabinets & have wife select cabinet type (fixed & pull-outs).
5. Outlets & LAN drops = flood the home (never enough). Put some in the shitters, if needed. :D
6. Install sump pump, if you're in a wet/low area.
7. Have a wash/rinse tub installed (laundry room)...if not, you'll wish you had (soaking/rinsing stuff).

Also, when build starts, check home progress "DAILY!" We caught/fixed so many errors this way. We caught everything from mis-placed outlets/light fixtures to framers shooting nails at each other (nail gun fights) & missing insulation areas. If easy, fix yourself...if not, address w/ builder.

It's really fun watching your house being constructed & great way to learn the process - take it in & enjoy!
 

oldVOR

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Even if you don't get a generator at the onset, have a whole house transfer switch installed that will allow for the future installation of a generator (at least 15kW) and size the natural gas line to include the generator consumption.

All of the other suggestions are great and spot on.
 

Aerofinz

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PICKGAS = choose gas heat & appliances over electric when possible (at least in Northern States) and:
P antry
I nsulation
C losets
K itchen
G arage
A mps
S torage

No one has ever called a contractor back to reduce one of the above, but often wished for more!
 

blackjack07

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For any of you that have built a house or had a custom home built for you, what are some things you wish you had known or done differently? I'm looking for any feedback, honestly. We have our construction loan lined up and are in our builder's "queue", hoping to get started this fall.

This will be our "forever" home on 7.5 acres we have purchased. Single story, 2300 sqft with a full walk-out basement, it includes a bonus room over the attached 2 car garage. It will be a 3/2 (possibly another bath or half bath in the basement). Undecided on the level of finish for the basement at present. The plan is to have another "garage" spot in part of the basement, to store the Mustang and lawn mower, etc. I'm hoping to have 8' garage doors upstairs rather than the standard 7', so I can park my truck (or future bigger truck) in it. The bonus room will likely be our TV/movie room, so I'll wire that for surround sound like I have currently.

The builder just charges a flat fee, no "cost plus" nonsense. We've been in several of his current projects, and are pleased with how he does things. We also know him personally, so there's no concerns with any shenanigans or whatever.

Make sure you have a contract read by a lawyer before signing and get every change order approved and signed in advance. Safety, safety, safety. Clean things up on weekends, keep the site locked up and have a security camera installed early on along with motion lights. Have alerts sent to your phone and an alarm monitored by Central Station. You'll sleep better knowing you are protected and doing it right. Your lawyer will be happy too.
 

Hawgman

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Like everyone else has said, spend the money and upgrade. Construction grade sucks.
We were fortunate enough to be able to design our own home. We went way fucking overboard on the overall size and number of rooms. But didn't care. Like you, this is our "forever" home built on acreage. I am sure the person that took all of our pencil drawings and chicken scratch notes and turned them into building plans hates us to this day.

My only recommendation would be to think of things you can do to customize it and make it unique. Doesn't have to be anything huge. Little things can make all the difference in the world. One thing we did was make sure that we had light switches at every entrance and exit to every room. Sounds kinda dumb. But it's pretty nice to be able to turn a light on or off from multiple places instead of walking all the way across a room to do it. We ended up having 130 light switches in our house.

Something else we did was put in pocket doors anywhere they would fit. Absolutely amazing how much difference it makes in a room design, or what you put into a room when you don't have to worry about how a door opens.

We built our laundry room connecting to our master closet. I don't know why all houses aren't this way. Big difference not having to lug laundry across the house to put it up. We also have a sink and a drying rack in the laundry room.

Soft close cabinet doors and drawers. Man these things have spoiled me. If I close a drawer or cabinet door somewhere else I end up slamming it.

A trash compactor. Oh my fucking gawd. I have no clue how I lived my entire life without one......

400 amp service if you can get it. We did that and have a single meter for the house and the 2400 square foot shop we built.

Over plan with regard to any sort of cabling (LAN, sound system, video, etc). You will thank yourself.

If you are in an area where you may have power disruptions, goa head and drop the extra coin on a whole home generator. We have a 22kw Generac that runs off of our propane system.

Spray foam insulation is worth the extra cost. IN the middle of the summer my attic temps are maybe mid 80s.

Beyond that, just the same stuff everyone else has mentioned
 
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gbstang

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You might want to consider ICF construction, it costs roughly 10% more to build, may be cheaper now due to higher lumber prices but it is well worth it!

I mean imagine a wall with a R-25 value out the gate and then there is the noise suppression too...

ICF has too many benefits to list here,,just look into it, it is AWESOME!

LOL,,forgot a link for you

https://buildblock.com/insulating-concrete-forms-icfs/
 

tjm73

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There are utilities at the road (water, natural gas, electric, cable). We will have to get at least one pole set, possibly two.

My house is 400+/- feet from the road. Get all that stuff buried if possible. Trees don't fall on buried power and internet line.
 

Ret

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If possible, no construction loan. When we looked at construction loans they were 4.50%. Re financed the house, drew out the money and lowered the house payment $170.00 per month at 2.25%, lower than ordinal loan of 4.75%.

We recently added a handicapped compatible bedroom to our home. (your forever home, ours as well. We've been here 23 years) While neither of us are at that state I am 82 & wife 77. Only had to enlarge one existing door to allow wheelchair access throughout the house.

Everything important on the main floor.

Friend from church built the addition. The good part, he and brother did everything except pour the foundation. They did the framing, drywall, painting and the brother was a real artist when it came to the tile work. The bad part they are about $40,000 over the original quote. I have talked to two retired contractor friends of mine. They tell me my builder is right on track, citing wood has tripled in price as well as other construction increases in our area. We are in a population increase due to people bailing out of some other states.

I'm retired from a utility company. Number one rule. If your going to run any wiring through conduit, go to a larger size to accommodate future wire runs.

Take pictures throughout the construction.

Hope this of some help.

shower - done.jpg
 

tabstang

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congrats on your dream project! I've never built a new home but I've remodeled 6 of them. Take it from me, it's WAY harder and more expensive get what you want later. Here's my addition to above.
1. put electric heated floors in the master bath at least, but if it were me I'd do the whole house that way. Bar none, THE MOST COMFORTABLE AND EFFICIENT HEAT POSSIBLE! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083XWDS8C/ref=twister_B083XWTTSM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Technologies...refix=electric+floor+heat+ther,aps,180&sr=8-9
2. do the LAN and home entertainment wiring - even though wireless is better than ever it's always more expensive and lower sound / video quality than wired systems. Use wired WAPs if needed, best wifi
2.a. run the wires yourself, just before they hang drywall, easy and you'll save $thousands.
3. tile bathrooms all the way to the ceiling around the tubs / showers
3.a. use rain head showers, mounted to the ceiling - BEST SHOWER EXPERIENCE. Bigger is better! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bathroom-2...269388?hash=item342b456c4c:g:tqwAAOSwJ1te~C0y
4. use linear shower drains, WAY easier / cheaper / better and way cool! This is the best https://www.whatadrainblog.com/our-drains. Don't let plumbers / contractors talk you out of it just cuz they haven't done it b4.
5. think hard about your kitchen layout, and get what you want. Again don't let the designers / contractors dissuade you cuz your ideas are different. Even counter heights are easily changed. Study a cabinet supply catalogue, don't just rely on designers. Maximize storage, don't leave ANY empty space. Consider custom built cabinets, it might be cheaper and you get EXACTLY what you want.
6. put a 220 outlet in the garage / shop (welder, compressor, ???)
7. consider your setting for views, sun/shade etc. and plan for possible future deck, pool etc.
8. GO SOLAR! It pays for itself and immediately adds equity equal to the cost - a COMPLETE NO-BRAINER! Find a reputable installer, they will make it easy. I love getting paid by TVA! If you can't manage the up-front cost now, consider financing options. AT THE VERY LEAST GET A FREE CONSULTATION FROM A SOLAR COMPANY BEFORE YOU FINISH YOUR DESIGN.
 

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