If you built a house, what are the top 5 things you would want done?

[Cannon88]

If you do not have a shop also, then taller doors on the house garage.

[fordracing19]

If you do not have a shop also, then taller doors on the house garage.

A good one. Our builder does 16x7 standard and we got a 18x8.

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[Cooter]

most important of all though is your neighborhood, this is far more important then any additions as this can't be upgraded or changed later on!

LOVE my neighborhood!!! quiet little circle. one way in/out. Nobody ever just cruises though. about 20 houses most with acreage. No restrictions, but there aren't any trailers. My property backs up to the bayou and there's about 60 county-owned acres back there. My gate is right next to the county's gate, so I have ultra-easy access to get back there and play around.

[ELVIS]

urinals.

god bless.

[ceyko]

Here are some suggestions, some mentioned.

1. Don't cheap out on windows/doors. I moved into a place with higher-mid range doors and windows. Holy crap, what a difference. Have not seen summer yet, but the winter difference is phenomenal. I know we see it on TV, but I'm confident that windows/doors do pay for themselves.

2. Check out SIPs construction compared to traditional...

http://www.premiersips.com/about-premier-sips/vs-traditional-construction/

I just picked that site for a reference. If you want to see a little SIPs, I can show you my home and a few others that are built that way. I mean, once you read about it though - it looks just like it sounds. Pure Styrofoam between some wood.

3. Geothermal heating/cooling - it's worth a look. However, with the better HVAC systems these days - *I* would not buy one unless it came with a home. (i.e. prior home owner already had one)

4. Separate whole house air filter

5. Reverse osmosis water filter...etc

6. A water manifold with shut offs for every single faucet, toilet, hose in the house!

7. Dryer exhaust duct, make sure nice/simple to clean...etc. My house has one major F'up. The did an exhaust run through the slab about 50' via PVC. Moister makes it a bitch and it gather lint a lot. If you were to do through the slab (which I think is against a lot of city's code), make sure you can just run water via a hose to wash it out.

8. Lighting, especially garage...etc. Cheaper easier to get that 100% spot on during construction

9. Patio/Deck, get it done now as opposed to later. Especially if either involves a roof that is going to connect to the home.

I usually have a whole list but these are all I can remember right now.

[GeorgeG.]

speaking of doors... my next house will have 3 foot doors. My current house has a few narrower doors and it sucks


Water heater!! I almost forgot this one really aggrevates me about our current house. Our water heater is in the garage. Our master bath is on the opposite side of the house and the kid's bath is just past the middle so when we need to shower or brush our teeth, it seems like we're wasting a ton of water each time just wating for the hot water to reach our bathroom. I don't know what options new houses are coming with but this will be on the top of my list next time I move/build. Maybe have the water heater placed somewhere in the middle? ( I know, bad idea in case of failure)

[Binky]

You could also do tankless water heaters which are on-demand. They are pricier, but people swear by them.

[GrayStangGT]

3 car garage 2 cars deep with a tall enough door so the antenna on my truck doesn't hit and a vaulted ceiling to allow for a lift. A big nice covered patio in the back with a natural gas outlet to tie in a grill. Have them prewire the patio for cable TV and a Ceiling fan. When you do the sprinkler system put all the valves in one place and don't bury them, it takes more PVC but well worth it when they break. Dryer vent and plug in the master bath closet, then get a small dryer so you can have warm wrinkle free clothes every morning.

Another nice feature that I've seen is a large closet in the garage that houses all the hot water heaters and AC units and still has enough room to maneuver around in and work on them. A sunken laundry room with a floor drain will be a blessing if you ever spring a leak on your washer.

[STROKD]

25x35+ media room with dedicated electical breaker box + 240, 3 tiered flooring and completely rectangular, with no angles or non 90 degree corners, completely treated for sound isolation.

4 car garage 25x45ish or two 25x25s with 15+ foot cielings to allow 2 lifts.

no formal living room, huge family room 25x20+ and a large game room for pool table, wet bar, and a couple arcade games like Super Sprint or Ivanman's Offroad Challenge.

well insulated windows and attics

heated floors in kitchen and bathrooms

In that order.

[00bolt]

we build our house 10 years ago when we were 21 years old. its getting time to look into buying a new house and we are creating our want list now. Here are things we want

1. pool
2. 3+ car garage
3. 1/2 or more acre yard
4. i REALLY want a basement, however they are hard to find
5. and of course all the goodies like wood/tile flooring, updated kitchens, etc are all nice but things I can do myself if need be. But Im really hung up on the top items, those are things I just cannot add to my current home.