Things I wish I had done when building?

ThePiedPiper · 24-08-2009 12:26pm

We wish we'd put bigger windows on the house.. We've a great view out the front of house but now windows are in, we haven't taken advantage of it as much as we could've.. Our engineer/architect said the ones in the drawings are as big as would be allowed but we reckon he was just making things as easy as possible for himself!

fitzie79 · 06-09-2009 12:40pm

changed the location of the front door. When it's windy the wind blows directly into the front of the house. Over the past week I've noticed that the door can be caught with the wind and can be difficult to open. Possibly would have put the door at the side of the porch where it's more sheltered but it wouldnt have looked as well.

Wonky Knees · 10-09-2009 11:06pm

Hired a QS to price up and monitor invoicing. No matter how good the builders are there comes a point where convenience takes precedent over getting best price.

Doubled checked the architects measurements on the plans against the frame of the build "before ordering bathrooms".

Leave plumbing points behind the wall in case an extra rad is needed.

Plumb for tap to front and/or back for watering instead of dragging hose through the house.

Paid the extra for the motorised velux roof windows.

that's for starters.

observer · 24-09-2009 9:11pm

RunForestRun wrote: »

We wish we'd put bigger windows on the house.. We've a great view out the front of house but now windows are in, we haven't taken advantage of it as much as we could've.. Our engineer/architect said the ones in the drawings are as big as would be allowed but we reckon he was just making things as easy as possible for himself!

how do you mean your engineer/architect??

There is no limit to the size of windows. I am an architect and you can get windows / doors up to 3m wide! this is so dissappointing to hear as a professional wanting and loving to work for people on their houses and achieving everything they want

muffler · 24-09-2009 9:28pm

observer wrote: »

how do you mean your engineer/architect??

There is no limit to the size of windows. I am an architect and you can get windows / doors up to 3m wide! this is so dissappointing to hear as a professional wanting and loving to work for people on their houses and achieving everything they want

I think what was meant (possibly) was that due to design constraints set out in a PA's Development Plan traditional sliding sash style windows would be encouraged. Glass/wall ratio could well have been a factor.

Anyhow this is something that would merit a thread of its own as I dont want to see this thread pulled off topic.

14-10-2009 3:21pm

...built large fireplaces - all of them.

Much easier to close them in than widen them out.:(

Larrson · 07-11-2009 12:25pm

inchbyinch wrote: »

1) Keep the utility away from the kitchen and put in a larder to store excess food. It keeps all your washing/ironing board/dirty gear etc and general storage away from your kitchen which makes it so much easier to keep your kitchen clean. So when people arrive in you don't have to shut the door of the utility to hide the mess and the mess in the utility becomes a fact of life!!
2)If you can keep it near the bedrooms
3)Small freezer in the kitchen and large one in the garage (if you have a large family)
4)A proper drying room which is insulated heated and ventilated!!!......the moisture inside on a wet day is awful!![/quote
Agree 100% with everything you said, we are definitely on the same wavelength

aero2k · 11-11-2009 11:15pm

mukki wrote: »

keep the pipe from the hot water cylinder to the kitchen sink as short as possibal, i moved that tank into a wardrobe at the last minute to get it closer to the stove and now have to run the tap for 2 mins to get hot water

Sorry, just found this thread today.
I believe this problem can be avoided by having a loop of pipe from the cylinder to all the hot taps and a tiny pump to circulate it - you get hot water almost immediately that way.

Wonky Knees · 04-12-2009 2:43pm

Link the smoke detectors together for a future connect to the monitored fire alarm.

Take photos of the studs when the plumbing goes in so you can remember where not to drill!

Thank my plumber for persuading me to get a combi-boiler. The hot water feature is fantastic.

Every time you buy materials ask for a further 10% off.

auzworld · 02-01-2010 3:56pm

Other ideas i'll be doing are ...
Build in a lundry shute directly to utility room if you can
Build sliding draws under stair case for storage + in attic conversion built into wall
Add Extra double sockets EVERYWHERE
Install A intercom/phone system to each room ( had one in family house and was very handy to ring other rooms in house.)
Install one unused cables for future applications ( Multicorev6+ )
Surround sound speaker wires for TV
Front door wires for video monitoring / door release
Walk in Warddrobe

guideanna · 04-01-2010 4:05pm

fatimamansions wrote: »

Link the smoke detectors together for a future connect to the monitored fire alarm.

Take photos of the studs when the plumbing goes in so you can remember where not to drill!

Thank my plumber for persuading me to get a combi-boiler. The hot water feature is fantastic.

Every time you buy materials ask for a further 10% off.

Is that the back boiler your plumber persuaded you to get? Ours has talked us OUT of getting it!

justflow1983 · 10-02-2010 10:29am

guideanna wrote: »

Is that the back boiler your plumber persuaded you to get? Ours has talked us OUT of getting it!

If I remember correctly, a combi-boiler is a boiler that can also produce on-demand hot water instead of having a tank. The hot water just comes straight off the boiler.

afrofish · 11-02-2010 5:15pm

I haven't actually started yet but some of the ones I have thought of are:

If building a garage consider adding an inspection pit when doing the foundations.
When planning bathrooms try to ensure that the shower and bath are further from the door than the sink and toilet. (You don't want to have to walk over wet floors to get to the toilet).
If you can put your hotpress next to the bathroom have a hatch to reach in and grab towels
Have an Audio Visual cupboard in a room adjoining the living room (the kitchen in our plans). By opening the cupboard door in the kitchen you have easy access to the back of the components. Ie the connectors for the telly, sat-nav, free-view, play station and god knows what else. It also allows them to be recessed into the wall to save clutter.

more to come when we start the build

Technophobe · 11-02-2010 6:10pm

Hey Afrofish

best of luck with the build....:D
I am going thru the joy/torture etc at the moment and you have to stick with it...thru thick and thin!!

Great ideas there re the Audio visual cupboard...now why didn't I think of that...:(

Not exactly a thing I wish I had done, but more of a motto...."It's better to be looking at it than for it"......as in, if in doubt put it in early when u still have the chance....;)

lanod2407 · 13-02-2010 6:36pm

afrofish wrote: »

I haven't actually started yet but some of the ones I have thought of are:
Have an Audio Visual cupboard in a room adjoining the living room (the kitchen in our plans). By opening the cupboard door in the kitchen you have easy access to the back of the components. Ie the connectors for the telly, sat-nav, free-view, play station and god knows what else. It also allows them to be recessed into the wall to save clutter.

more to come when we start the build

Just make sure its well ventilated - I've had over-heating probs with the playstation, and its in open ventilated space.
Might even be a good idea to put a fan in the door for air circulation.

13-02-2010 7:16pm

lanod2407 wrote: »

Just make sure its well ventilated - I've had over-heating probs with the playstation, and its in open ventilated space.
Might even be a good idea to put a fan in the door for air circulation.

You could also put in an exhaust vent to the MHRV system and use the waste heat to warm the house.

Technophobe · 15-02-2010 9:48am

Deleted User wrote: »

You could also put in an exhaust vent to the MHRV system and use the waste heat to warm the house.

What a brilliant idea..I would nearly knock my house down and start again...;)
So based on this, can you calculate the "payback" period for a PS3 now???:D:D:D

15-02-2010 10:01am

Technophobe wrote: »

What a brilliant idea..I would nearly knock my house down and start again...;)

I feel like doing that sometimes as well! I've seen it written by a "serial self builder" that you get it right by the third house! :eek:

OK it isn't perfect, but there are only a few changes I'd do.

Integrated Garage, would have saved a lot on the building costs as well as shorter pipe runs to the boiler.

Bigger roof, to shade the windows in the summer.
Pay attention to soundproofing between rooms.

afrofish · 15-02-2010 4:04pm

and that's why I love these forums...

The AV cubboard was a good idea (but flawed)

Plumbing it into my MHRV...now thats just genius!

morning delight · 18-02-2010 12:18am

aero2k wrote: »

I believe this problem can be avoided by having a loop of pipe from the cylinder to all the hot taps and a tiny pump to circulate it - you get hot water almost immediately that way.

Hi aero2k, do have some more info on this? Is it produced by a particular company or just something the plumber does?

It does annoy me to see so much water been wasted from the tap while waiting for hot water. And what's more, water is set to become an expensive commodity in the near future!

aero2k · 18-02-2010 5:52pm

morning delight wrote: »

Hi aero2k, do have some more info on this? Is it produced by a particular company or just something the plumber does?

It was just something I heard of in conversation with a plumber. It seems like a great idea, if the pipe is well lagged the water will stay as hot as the water in the tank. It would only need a small pump to circulate it and this wouldn't need to run continuously. I don't know how the running costs compare to the cost savings from not wasting water that has been heated up and then allowed to cool. I reckon the comfort factor of instant hot water is worth something too.

morning delight · 18-02-2010 9:18pm

Yeah sounds interesting. I'll have to enquire about it.

I came across a product in a US magazine that performs this function. Cut and Paste from their website: "The Metlund® Hot Water D'MAND® System consists of an electronically controlled pump and valve assembly that allows for the rapid delivery of hot water to plumbing fixtures without the loss of cold water down the drain".

Don't know much about plumbing but I think they have different size fittings etc over there so I don't know if it would work here. Surely if someone here developed it at a reasonable cost it would sell well!

lanod2407 · 18-02-2010 11:22pm

Hotels have this system in place - that's how you have hot water within seconds all the time. Costs though to have the pump running all the time....

JuniorB · 22-02-2010 2:20pm

lanod2407 wrote: »

Hotels have this system in place - that's how you have hot water within seconds all the time. Costs though to have the pump running all the time....

Could you put this pump on a timer ... a couple of hrs in morning and evening ??

Gulliver · 01-03-2010 11:06am

What I did:

I buried a 4" sewer pipe from house to garage at foundation pouring time for cables. Fed ropes through and tied them off.
Asked builder to leave 6" gap at ceiling height in internal blockwork of each room for HRV.
Got roof steel coated by supplier (had to do garage lintels myself and it took ages)
Got concrete slabs on first floor with insulation in the hollow core.
Asked digger driver to dig up hedge along road and re-plant along side boundary. 90% has survived and we now have instant indigenous hedging.

What I wish I'd done:

Got at least 20 of the rafters treated/tanalised for gables (maybe all the wood should have been treated. Roofer AND supplier said this wasn't necessary.)
We ended up with a basement storage area in garage due to slope of site. Wish I had asked builder to do cavity walls down there.
Moved house further away from road. Co.Council said it's back as far as it can go. Also, there's quite a fall on the site, but it would have been nice.
Made study AT LEAST 50% bigger.
Bought the bigger container of frostproofer!.
Covered my stone cills - even with a shovel of sand. Apparently not the builder's job to keep them clean. (I didn't know they were in and he was just being awkward)
Had the foresight to buy five more acros when I was getting them cheap. Had to rent the last five. D'oh.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

PureBred · 02-03-2010 4:45pm

If your doing an audio visual cupboard be careful of the components overheating. ie. have some sort of ventalation for them.

superelectric · 03-03-2010 11:07pm

Villain wrote: »

I had an idea for a sticky thread that would allow people who have built houses or extensions in the past and then when it was finished or even many years after say "I wish I did X,Y and Z when I was building, if I was ever to build again I would ......"

I should have went with the first, more expensive quote. As I tried to explain to my missus, "Who knew the en-suite window would fall out after 2 years?"

tfer · 13-03-2010 3:48pm

we had the washing machine and drier upstairs in the the house we just sold, we are renting until we build again so the machines are downstairs and she definitely wants them back upstairs in new house, ironing board as well as plenty of shelves

JuniorB · 13-04-2010 1:28pm

A topical future proofing addition would be a connection to charge my electric car on the side of my garage??
Anyone any idea what sort of connection this is?? Are they standard or different for different makes/models?

muffler · 13-04-2010 1:55pm

JuniorB wrote: »

A topical future proofing addition would be a connection to charge my electric car on the side of my garage??
Anyone any idea what sort of connection this is?? Are they standard or different for different makes/models?

They should know in the Dept. Environment.

Things I wish I had done when building?

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