Current considerations:
- Japanese toilet
- Hydronic heating
- Wine cellar/closet
- Ethernet everywhere
- Heated towel rails
- Smart doorbell
Building a New House, Thoughts on What I Should Spec?
netpenthe on 10/09/2020 - 14:23
Comments
You spelled Ethernet wrong ;)
How else will you watch Rage on ABC in the garage at 3am in the morning?
Stream from a Beyonwiz conveniently located elsewhere in the house ;-)
ABC Android TV app
Use one of the 4 raspberry Pis lying around and a cheap USB DVB tuner and create a tvheadend server.
Despite the convenience of garage TV. Pls be considerate to your neighbours as it tends to amplify the sounds, like a large boom box. Whenever my neighbour listens to the radio, I can hear it at my place, (we are friends) so I cured him on it and he has lowered his volume now.
how about a roof?
And a front door to save walking around the back.
Walls, to keep that roof up?
Lol yeah half of OPs list are hardly 'house specs'
good idea to have foundations …
Double glazed windows
Storage in attic
Automatic lights outside
Garden bedsAutomatic lights outside
And powered / cabled for security cameras.
That's Ethernet everywhere
Double glazed windows are the primary necessity. High initial cost but will save OP with heating and cooling costs in the long run.
'Double glazed windows' are only considered important in snow or sub-zero zones (hello Canbella !)
and are lower benefit/cost value than 1. roof insulation, 2. wall insulation, and probably too late but the most important of all - location followed by aspect
ideally you want north-facing living area glass for lovely winter warm sun streaming in, and ideal activity area temp like 20C, and south-facing sleeping area for ideal temp for sleep like 15C
but again - if OP has already committed to build that's proly already too late
Have you searched the forums? This question has been asked few times already.
Ceiling mounting points for swings/hammocks
just in the master bedroom, right? lol
Why restrict yourself?
big pole - for dancing on
What kind of swings are we talking here?
Good insulation
Yep insulation everywhere.
I don't even own a house and i vouch for this. It's much easier cooling a house in summer if the cold air doesn't escape easily from the night.
On the other hand, I wish we could remove our ceiling insulation temporarily after a few hot days. Once the house heats up, the insulation keeps it in, if it wasn’t there the house would cool more quickly at night.
Fortunately we don’t need a lot of cooling.
Insulation doesn't keep heat in the way thermal mass does.
Opening windows at night when outside is cooler than inside is much more effective than not having insulation.
@JimB: +1 on that. The bathroom is at the top of our house so, in Summer, when it is cooler outside, we open up all the windows, and doors, and put on the exhaust fan to pump out the hot air and draw in the cold; it acts as a chimney. We have a big sliding door, for our main bedroom, so we can open up the bedroom and use a big fan to draw in the cool air. The door is double glazed, has eco glass and, we put a thermal curtain on the outside to stop the sun getting on the glass.
We have an open plan warehouse but we recently found a way to cordon off part of the house with thermal curtains made of two queen bed sheets sandwiching a king size Doona. We’ve dropped our gas usage to less than half our original usage and we are very warm.
Finding passive ways to deal with extreme temperatures is the best. Anyone building should look at orientation, shading, etc to ensure best thermal efficiency.
@try2bhelpful: 'Anyone building should look at orientation, shading, etc to ensure best thermal efficiency'
yairbut did you notice the OP asked only about fancy technology treats - all of which consume electricity -
reminds me of about 1985 - when hydronic heating of floor slabs was all the rage - someone told me their new house renovation had it
they loved it - until they got their first electricity bill after the winter - about $500 more than the previous bill (in 1985) - they freaked, promptly turned it off, and never used it again …
and due to the thermal mass of concrete floor slabs - like 2 days to heat up and cool down - any unseasonally warm winter days and you'd be uncomfortably hot inside - so yeah - fabulous - except when it's not - and you get the bills …
SOUND insulation as well not only thermal
I've researched double glazing -
for best thermal performance the gap might be small - maybe 5mm and helium/argon filled whatever
for best sound insulation for heavily trafficked roads - more like 100mm between glazing
which is no longer the best temperature performance due to convection currents within the larger airspace
3 phase electricity
just wondering - will solar feed / assist a 3 phase air con?
yes, bigger AC units can be installed with 3 phase, and solar EXPORT is normally limited to 5kw per phase.
I am in Melb and we built a heated large wardrobe in the laundry that is hooked up to the main duct heater, very useful when it rains a lot in winter.
CCTV all round the house, four port GPOs, solar and power wall, water tank.
Multiple towel rails in every bathroom.
separate toilet. if the toilet is in the bathroom, no towel rails near the toilet!
This. My toilet is near my hand towel rail. I don't use my hand towel. But, if I ever run out of toilet paper ;)
'if the toilet is in the bathroom, no towel rails near the toilet!'
I saw what you did there …
Heated towel racks
Fall of Rome.
Need more info boss…
It sounds like you are in a crusty cold place as mentioning heating ect, some places in Aus heating is the last thing you need but cooling and solar would be a must.
In saying that if you don't have fttp see if you can get that fitted :)oh, adelaide
Network cabling definitely. Think about where you would want the modem to be and then run cables away from there. Or if you want to take it back a step, just enough cabling to allow for a cabled backbone for a mesh network.
Ethernet port to the garage
I regret setting up my main hub in the garage when I did a new build. It gets extremely hot in a garage in summer, and can also get very dusty depending on location/how well sealed the garage is. Neither of these are good things for the equipment.
And put two ethernet points at each location. It barely costs extra in material, and it saves a bunch of time which installing. It's a mitigation against any failure in the future.
Also consider where you might put wireless access points (one example is the Ubiquiti range). These can run on power over ethernet, but you want these on the ceiling - so consider putting some cabling up there as well.
Acoustic insulation in walls to bed or study, but you need to make sure they put it in during construction. Definitely noticed the kids noise during WFH. It's a cheap thing you can do now which you can't do later. I am a light sleeper. Also double glazing for thermal and acoustics.
Good idea.
And dont forget the toilet…
Make sure you get the cabling right when you put insulation in the walls. Because once that stuff goes in, you don't want to be modifying cabling.
why not go a step further and use acoustic insulation in ceiling as well? Acoustic insulation has very good thermal rating already. Helps reduce noise from roof and walls.
If budget allows, you can use soundproof plasterboards for all room walls, helps a lot, maybe even double plasterboards in between rooms.ideal was maybe kids rooms at opposite end from parents' retreat ?
Kebab machine / Tandoor oven / Pizza oven / Barista coffee corner etc
Seriously though, consider a huge butlers pantry, master suite with large ensuite (his & hers vanity sinks, his&hers rain showers). large entertaining patio/deck running off your kitchen/living areas.
his & hers vanity sinks
I have never understood the need for these
if you never lived with someone or your current partner doesnt take up all the space in your sink that you dont even have a space for your toothbrush, then good for you!
Would a larger vanity unit or another cupboard be easier than having two sinks
We just have a long vanity with one sink. Lots of room for toothbrushes, his shaver, heater, cups, etc.
i've had wood pizza oven before.. used if for 1 or 2 summers.. but then got to be too much work
i also had a kamado - similar to pizza oven.. good if you have time and fun, but its more an event
i'm thinking of gas bbq at the back
- maybe some space for the latest trend in bbq (pizza oven / kamado / offset smoker etc)deffo butlers/ensuite (tho i think 1 sink is enough), deck etc
Outdoor power points for things like a robot mower.
Lawn & garden watering system
Extra power points
Ducted aircon
Speaker cables (or pilot cables or conduit for later installation)Yeah, power points on every wall. Even in bedrooms. Remember to have one on either side of where the beds are going to go.
Blackjack. And Hookers. In fact… forget the house
With blackjack and hookers the house always wins.
Even better a hooker called blackjack saves on room
Helipad
And a train station, for my train. Which I can also afford.
Don't forget the space port and harbour. The only reason you wanted a train station was to make moving your rockets around easier. And you need your harbour to ship earth moving equipment for your international airport to your artificial island.
Aw man wouldnt that be awesome? A helipad with your own helicopter, a train station with your personal train and a space port and habour for when you wanna go outta space or go sailing!
Power and network ‘everywhere’
More importantly, passive heating and cooling design and natural lighting to offset the energy costs of all those toys.Sauna
Secret basement
Gimp room hey
- Insulation Within wall and ceiling
- Sound proofing between floors
- Solar Panel + 400lL Hot water tank + Solar inverter controller (google it)
- AC
- Ceiling Fans
Should find ways to reduce ongoing cost
Seal the whole house and maintain it at positive pressure, to keep the little bugs out.
Install a gym space in the room that most closely abuts your neighbors bedroom so they get a chance to share your mad gains at 4.30am in the morning.
Remember not to install damping to the gym floor. Hard concrete is the best to drop your weights on.
i love the ozbargain meme lorebook.
Powerpoints everywhere…..I put a double on just about every wall and still wish I had more
There is an excellent list here of things people wish they had done…..
https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=5823&hilit…
May as well rig up a powerboard as each powerpoint place. And also have at least one power point rated for 50A for when you wanna use that 12000W welder or stereo system you got….
Current considerations:
-Japanese toiletwaste of money.
-Hydronic heatingyou are in SA. It's not that cold. You get much further by upgrading your insulation. Value for summer and winter.
- Wine cellar/closet - only if you're in an upmarket area otherwise it's wasted space. Won't get your capital on selling. Better pay $1k for a couple of aldi win fridges and stick it in the garage.
- Ethernet everywhere - it's a must
- Heated towel rails - yup yup yup
- Smart doorbell - should be covered by "ethernet everywhere". Wire a Pro type PoE smart doorbell yourself.More stuff
- outdoor power points in garden if you have a large garden. Have one near a tap and driveway for use with a pressure hose and/or irrigation system
- Butler's pantry. Way better returns than wine closet.
- molex to curtains.
- 10,000l water tank with pump and filtration and a switch to toggle between town and tank water.molex to curtains? what is that for?
motorised curtain/blind actuator
Now that is a waste of money if we are talking about returns on capex.
Not everything is about return/capital growth. I'd love a wine cellar/closet, couldn't care less whether it adds further value or not.
Power to get motorised curtains is probably my biggest regret from building a new house. It's two floors with 22 windows, smart blinds would have been great.
I like to add new powerpoints on (or should I say under? i.e. not in the roof space) the ceiling for this purpose. It is quick (no need to fish cables) and clean (just drill a small hole for cable and use a cable box below so no gyprocks flying around). You also dont have to drill through those really hard structural pines which quickly wears out drill bits.
I agree, there are lifestyle decisions to be made with a home but many people make them without realising the true cost.
Take for example a wine cellar - it may be an additional $5k to build but the space and/or the financial cost may have been used to build something else, ie a butlers pantry, could mean a resale difference of $20k (just an example).
That decision is really a $20k decision. Some will have the disposable income for that, some people can really make do with an extra $20k.
The actual cost is $5k. The opportunity cost is $20k. Big difference.
Also, what’s the point of building a pantry if you want a wine cellar
@Vote for Pedro: So that one can get a $20k head start in the next chapter in life.
Like I said, some people can afford the discretionary purchase. Some people really need go be wiser with their money and opportunities.
@[Deactivated]: We agree on the opportunity cost of wine cellar vs butlers pantry. But for someone building their new place it can be expected this will be a somewhat long term proposition.
There is also an enjoyment value (not cost) in including something you want as opposed to something you don’t so that it may provide a future value down the track in a potential sale.
@Vote for Pedro: 'actual cost is $5k. The opportunity cost is $20k'
reminds me my bro-in-law - when asked why they didn't have a spare bedroom for guests
he said he'd rather pay $500 a night to put up visiting friends at a luxury hotel
as the opportunity cost of the spare bedroom was probably $30-60,000 + potential lost yield on that - and frankly he didn't have friends coming to stay at his place that often - so yeah u doo the math …
@Hangryuman: I’d rather pay for people not to stay at my place even if i have the space. If it’s not one thing that’s slightly not good enough for them it’s another.
"Japanese toilet" (I'm assuming they mean the bidet seat) a waste of money ? Yet you have heated towel rails as a must? Have you ever sat on a heated toilet seat (That wasn't warmed by the previous person) in the middle of night during a freezing winter? I don't believe in heaven, but that's pretty close to how I'd imagine it.
The toilet is a cool and feels nice but it doesn't actually add function.
The towel heater aids drying which is the difference between potentially moldy damp towels and dry towels.
Also, heated towel rails are a fraction of the total cost.
The bidet definitely adds function. It is much more hygienic than just using toilet paper and also reduces reliance on paper. I've used them for years in Japan and was definitely converted to them. I'm glad they are becoming available in Australia.
I didn't neg you by the way, each to their own.
It is much more hygienic than just using toilet paper
How do you quantify "more hygienic"? Are there any studies showing a lower rate of associated illnesses exclusively amongst bidet users?
reduces reliance on paper.
Reduced reliance on toilet paper comes at the expense of increased reliance on plumbing and electricity. I doubt there are any studies out there that compares the financial/ecological impact of a bidet user vs a paper user. I think that is in part because of the foregone conclusion that the findings, however extreme, would still amount to be too insignificant.
I didn't neg you by the way, each to their own
I appreciate that. I fully expected there to be die hard bidet connoisseurs.
Aerial connections in the garage and alfresco.