What feature do you like about your house, garage, hangar, etc???

timwinters

timwinters

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So, I'm getting ready to build on the property I bought. I plan to first build an over-sized garage with about a 600sf attached apartment. That should go quickly and will get me onto the property for the construction of the main structure, a 50'x40' hangar plus about 1,200sf of living space.

I've been in construction all my life but 99.99% of my experience is commercial. Residential is definitely not my forte as it is a completely different animal.

What I'm looking for is feedback on simple things around your house, garage, shop, hangar, etc. that might not be mainstream but that you really like.

One example: My present home has bathroom heat lamps and THEY FREAKIN' ROCK!! (especially when it's 0*F outside like it was this morning). I don't believe that I've ever owned a home that had heat lamps installed immediately outside the tub and/or shower in the bathroom. I *think* they were in vogue in the '60's and '70's but became passe? I'm not sure about that but they're still sold and I will definitely include them in both the small apt and main residence.

So, whaddaya got that you love but isn't really mainstream?

(I'm looking for relatively simple features, not grandiose design schemes or MPE systems, I have a pretty good game plan and ample resources for for input on those)
 
My new (to me) home doesn't have a laundry room sink. My last two did and I miss it. I love the automatic gas fireplace with a circulation fan. The garage can never be big enough (I have a three car plus a shed and it still needs to be bigger). Don't shirk on power outlets in the garage.
 
Radiant floor heat in the bathroom.
Soft close kitchen cabinets/drawers.
Simple appliances that are reliable.
Bathroom sinks that don't break when you fumble your coffee mug into them.
Gas fireplace.
 
Garage / shop:
Four 20 amp circuits laid out with alternating outlets so as I go along a wall I am plugging into different circuits so I can run tools like table saw and dust collector plugged in near each other without worrying about blowing breakers. (two circuits run on the right wall and half way around the back, the other two run on the left wall and half way around.) Outlets are more than 4 feet above the floor so I can lean sheet goods against the wall without blocking outlets.

Some overhead outlets with extension cords on a reel.

Went cheap with the fixtures - for a few bucks I could have gone with recessed cans and wouldn't be breaking light bulbs when I sling boards around. Can't have too many lights either.

Insulation and drywall. Probably doesn't matter where you are at since the weather will always be perfect.
 
No matter how well you plan, once you're done you'll think of a dozen things that you wish you'd done different. Some things I tried to keep in mind.

1. Put 2x4s horizontally anywhere you might possibly hang window coverings, toilet paper holders or hang something on walls.

2. You will never have too many electric outlets. Even (especially) in the attached garage.

3. Separate hvac system for each floor. This sounds wasteful, but there's a 15 degree difference between our finished basement and the main level. And an additional 7-10 degree difference between the main level and the upper level.
 
Floor heat
Nice HOT bathroom, with shower and utility sink
Floor drain..........to wash your Corvette inside.
 
Don't build a deck unless its going to get some shade. Do build in a front porch. We definitely lost something when those got deleted from houses.
 
No stairs. 3’ doors. Big walk in shower. All ADA ready for our senior years.

I don’t mind a garage attached to the house but I’ve always wanted a detached shop where I can weld and grind steel or spray laquer without impacting the living area. I’d like it to have an office and bathroom, too.
 
That's a tough one. If I were building my own house, it would be very different from the one I live in. I would go with grouted CMU block construction, metal roof trusses, and I would locate the water heater someplace where it won't cause flooding damage. And a floored attic. Sure makes it easier crawling around up there. And you can never have too much garage space.
 
Stewartb said:
No stairs. 3’ doors. Big walk in shower. All ADA ready for our senior years.

I don’t mind a garage attached to the house but I’ve always wanted a detached shop where I can weld and grind steel or spray laquer without impacting the living area. I’d like it to have an office and bathroom, too.
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The new to us house, we are adding old folk stuff like support bars in the showers and next to the commodes. The master bathroom is being designed for old folk living including the shower that will have a built in and warmed seat and only a 2 inch step up to get into it. Our closest neighbor had their shower built to roll a wheel chair into it, but no one there is in a wheel chair.

A detached shop is just a given. I am thinking about making the top half of the shop a guest room and exercise room.

One house we looked at had a basement. And an elevator. But the elevator looked like a vacuum system similar to the ones at the drive through bank windows... Just a round tube that the door just rolled into place, push the up/down button and 5 minutes later you are in the basement.
 
Reliable easy to operate door with a pedestrian door. Most hangar problems are with the door. Insulation is really nice. Keeps it cool in the summer. Non insulated hangars get nauseatingly hot. Heat and air are nice, but not necessary unless you are in extreme temps. (Colorado does fine without them)
 
We have a pantry that's about 8x10. I put in stainless restaurant shelving and it rocks! Also, the laundry room is an actual room, not an afterthought or a hallway. It's about 12x14. But the best part is the view.
 

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Hangar:
Put a car door in the back so you don't have to move planes to get bigger stuff in and out.
Minimum add a sink and toilet, even better a shower.
 
Under cabinet lighting is a big help in the kitchen, especially as we get older. Also, if you are going to do any exterior decking, use one of the polyethylene capped composites such as Fiberon Horizon. if you're doing anything that requires siding, the fiber cement stuff is great. Also, maintenance free gutters

One thing we don't have, and plan to install when we redo the downstairs bathroom, is an under sink water heater. I hate sticking my hands under cold water in the winter, and I also hate wasting all that water to waif for hot water, just to wash my hands.
 
paflyer said:
If I was building from scratch, I'd do radiant flooring throughout. Separate thermostats in each room. Central (zoned) air, central vac.
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this is my number 1 thing in my new house.

after that, think about little things that don't cost much at construction but can be nice later. example: hot and cold tap on the outside of your garage for washing cars. switched outlets under eaves for Christmas lights. an rv dump, fill and charge spot on the edge of the parking pad.

Lots of stuff is SUPER cheap when you build, but a pain to try to add later.

On the radiant, some people also do their garage floors on it's own zone. you can leave it at 50F or something to keep the moisture out most of the time, but wrarm it up if you're doing more out there.

prewire for speakers. even if you do Sonos or some other wireless solution, ceiling speakers are nice in rooms like bathrooms/etc where you don't want to have to put a speaker on a counter.

Do a low voltage panel with home runs to each room for cable, network and speakers. Even though things are moving to wireless, you'll be happy if you're pulled CAT 5e and RG62 around the house when the sheetrock was down.

Also, consider prewire for alarms on windows/doors.

consider an upstairs washer and dryer in a closet in addition to the big laundry room downstairs. there may come a day when you dn't want to trudge up and down as often.
 
MIFlyer said:
this is my number 1 thing in my new house.

after that, think about little things that don't cost much at construction but can be nice later. example: hot and cold tap on the outside of your garage for washing cars. switched outlets under eaves for Christmas lights. an rv dump, fill and charge spot on the edge of the parking pad.

Lots of stuff is SUPER cheap when you build, but a pain to try to add later.

On the radiant, some people also do their garage floors on it's own zone. you can leave it at 50F or something to keep the moisture out most of the time, but wrarm it up if you're doing more out there.

prewire for speakers. even if you do Sonos or some other wireless solution, ceiling speakers are nice in rooms like bathrooms/etc where you don't want to have to put a speaker on a counter.

Do a low voltage panel with home runs to each room for cable, network and speakers. Even though things are moving to wireless, you'll be happy if you're pulled CAT 5e and RG62 around the house when the sheetrock was down.

Also, consider prewire for alarms on windows/doors.

consider an upstairs washer and dryer in a closet in addition to the big laundry room downstairs. there may come a day when you dn't want to trudge up and down as often.
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Elevator.
 
Where are you building?

We have hydronic floor heating throughout the house and the hangar and I'd never build with out it.
I sprayfoamed the entire building with the exception of the garage. If I had it to do over again, I'd have insulated the garage as well.

I have a shop sink in the hangar. Wouldn't do without having hot/cold water there again.

To get the grand scheme:
2000 sf hangar with 45' Schweiss bifold door, radiant floor heat.
3 car garage.
Small woodworking shop
Livingroom, dining room, kitchen, Margy's work room, my office.
Master bedroom, master bath with two walkin closets and two vanities, five head shower
Guest Suite (two rooms with private bath).
Smaller Guest Room with shared bath
Party deck overlooking runway
Music room for grand piano
3200+ bottle Wine cellar.
Bar/TV Room
Excerise room with endless pool, sauna, steam shower.
Two zone green house
Two screen porches
Hot tub, outside shower
Control4 home automation System
Six Ubiquiti Wifi APs
Five woodburning fireplaces
Two Gas fireplaces
Outdoor kitchen
Stair tower with antique brass firepole in center.
Three floor elevator with clear car doors and glass hoistway doors
Four geothermal heat pumps for hydronic floors and forced air heat/ac
Two Rinnai tankless water heaters
80 KVA standby generator
 
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Stairs from my basement shop to my “airplane assembly facility” (AKA third garage stall) with double doors at the basement entry. I built my Hatz Classic wings in my basement and getting them to storage in the garage was a non issue. The double doors are great for getting larger items into the basement.
 
Funny, I live in a cold climate and I don't care for in floor heat. Forced air does what I tell it to with no delay.
 
Outlets! Minimum 2 per wall, more in garage.

I have all that in my house, just need electricity in Alabama now. :(
 
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Stewartb said:
Funny, I live in a cold climate and I don't care for in floor heat. Forced air does what I tell it to with no delay.
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True but dry, dusty, and heat isn’t retained when it shuts off.
 
I have a full house hydronic radiant heating in the floors and almost every room is on it's own zone with it's own thermostat. I highly recommend it. Perfect temperature at all times and very efficient.

My hangar has a wifi thermostat that I wouldn't want to be without.
 
  • The shower in master is 4' x 7', man sized, I like it. I can take a shower without banging on the walls, etc.
  • Front porches, upstairs and downstairs! I love our upstairs porch, on the shade side of the house in the summer, come home, pop a cold one, turn on the ceiling fan, and look out over the park and neighborhood. Nice!
  • Our garage is an oversize 2 car detached, I had a nice paver patio put in between the house and garage.
  • Had the driveway behind the garage poured three lanes wide, can put a third vehicle back there and not have to move it to get either car out of the garage
  • Had 4 x 8 plywood flooring put up in the garage attic (standing room attic), great for storage.
 
I visited a friend of mine a few years ago, and the house he built had super wide hallways. I think they were around 6 ft. It made moving furniture into/out of bedrooms so much easier. And it makes the hallway easier to decorate and adds a lot of class to an otherwise wasted area. Even 4 or 5 ft wide hallways would be better than those narrow hallways I see in most houses.
 
Steam shower. Love that thing. And radiused corners. A little tricker to frame, because you have to cut the bottom and top plates out of plywood and laminate them, but if you have a closet or bath that extends into a room, it really softens the effect.
 
I had heat lamps in the bathrooms when I bought the house, they looked to be from the 1960s... one burned out and blew the breaker. I replaced them with heat/light/fan units instead(Whisperwarm). Now I'm working on getting them on a timer so when I wake up the bathroom is warm.

I added a mini-split system for heat(and cooling, for those 3 days a year) and I much prefer it to dealing with the fireplace.

As another mentioned, I'm adding local water heaters to both bathrooms. One bathroom under-sink and one feeding the whole bathroom that's at the farthest end of the house from the main water heater.

Everyone says "wired networking is dead" I still ran hundreds of feet of conduit when I moved in because, well, I still need it.

The insulated garage is nice, adding the dehumidifier to it makes it warmer and even nicer year round and keeps the tools happy.
 
Don't have any outside door open directly into the living space. Add a short hallway with a place to keep wet/snowy clothes and shoes.
 
My neighbors have a central vac system. I always wondered if that's worth the effort or not.

I like our ventless gas fireplace, takes combustion air from the outside and has t-stat controlled blower fan. When the heat exchanger (firebox) gets hot enough, the squirrel cage blower starts up and pushes hot air around the firebox and out into the living room. Makes a great space heater.

Wish I had extra insulation, can't get enough of that.

And put low-e glass in your windows.

Everything is going wireless these days, but consider pre-wiring every room for whatever you can think of.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I would go with grouted CMU block construction, metal roof trusses
Click to expand...
What's the advantage? Stronger than stick build, termite proof? How do you finish the interior?
 
paflyer said:
What's the advantage? Stronger than stick build, termite proof? How do you finish the interior?
Click to expand...

Doesn't rot, stronger. You just hang drywall or wood paneling on it. Or not, if it's a garage area. It's pretty common for utility structures. The only downside is recessed electrical fixtures are difficult. But, doable.
 
You use 2x lumber furring, run utilities, insulate, and then cover with drywall. Unless you're in tornado alley, a hurricane zone, or there's a fire rating requirement it doesn't make economic sense.
 
  • SPRAY FOAM! Request 3 lb. high density foam. 3 inches of that will give you and R-value of around 20 and that building will be tough as nails, quiet, and sealed up tighter than ol' Dick's hatband.
  • Figure out what you think is plenty of closet/storage space, then add more.
  • I'll echo the decked attic. So nice to be able to actually use that space you paid for.
  • SPRAY FOAM!
  • Hard plumbed compressed air with dryer in the shop/garage/hangar.
  • A wood burning stove would be an absolute must for me. It's not for everybody though.
  • Big, man-sized shower with two shower heads. Never had one. Always wanted one.
  • SPRAY FOAM!
  • I don't know what your electrical code says or what is industry standard in your neck o' the woods, but I really hate when electrical contractors run a single feeder down the wall to an outlet or switch, then run horizontally to a series of outlets. This seems to be standard these days, and it saves a few bucks on wire, but you better hope you never need to fish new wire or try to customize later. I much prefer a central J-box for each circuit in the attic with feeders down the wall to each outlet/fixture/switch. Just a nitpicky thing I guess, but I try to think of the poor schmuck that has to do wiring in the future. Sometimes that schmuck is me.
  • Formal dining rooms are a waste of money.
  • SPRAY FOAM!

Forte, Passe, in Vogue, Grandiose? Getting mighty fancy there, Winters.
 
- fewer walls are better
- I wouldn't bother with the central vac system. Vacuums are small and light, who wants to deal with a hose?
- Insulation around the foundation and in the garage floor
- radiant floor heating in garage, bathrooms, kitchen, and anywhere else you have hard flooring
- 2*6 framing with spray foam insulation, entire house. I've wondered about insulating internal walls to control sound
- pex plumbing
- hose bibb (warm and cold) in garage, ideally with a sink
- sufficient height in garage for a lift, ideally high enough for a rack lift so you can store a car over your daily driver
- higher-end garage door openers - you'll have a small place, invariably you'll have living space over the garage; you want them quiet. I'm a big fan of jackshaft openers (see lift master 8500)
- above the counters, open shelving in kitchen (floating shelves), below the counters should have drawers (either behind doors or not)
 
^^^^^

We have two insulated interior walls: one around our first floor laundry room and one around our first floor half bath.
 
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Our house has motion detectors in the bathrooms that illuminate under-cabinet dim lights when you walk in, so you don’t have to throw the switch and blind yourself.

We love the shower heaters in our bathrooms!

This is the first house we’ve lived in with recessed lighting in all rooms except the dining room lights. We really like them. There’s also ceiling fans in nearly all rooms (except kitchen, dining, and bathrooms) without the built-in lights. We also like these better as they (the fans and ceilings) look cleaner than with dangling lights.

I would add a couple of 220v outlets to the garage for air compressors, etc. As AD military, I’ve lived in over a dozen houses over the last 20 years and only one house had a 220v outlet for my air compressor.

Crown molding...never had it before but really feel it classes up the place, lol.
 
I like our oversized wood burning fireplace with gas starter, I don’t like gas logs because I like the smell and heating the crackle/pop. We also have two 6’Hx10’L casement windows in our living room which let in tons of light and great scenery. We have a porch that wraps around to the side of the house, but it isn’t covered. Make sure you make it a covered porch, as it allows for so much more versatility.

As mentioned, allow for wall outlets in garage around 54” above floor, and lots of spray foam insulation. I’d also prewire for surround sound, internet outlets in every room/tv location, as well as for alarm/video camera locations. Wireless can be done, but is more failure prone in every instance.

Make a few exterior doors wide to make moving large objects in/out easier. There’s never enough storage space, so plan for a lot and then add more, lol.


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