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If you were building a new home...

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  • #31
    Maybe not helpful for TN, but we want a daybed near south-facing windows to lie in the sun on cold mornings when we don't have to get to work.

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    • #32
      Originally posted by idahodude
      I agree with much of what's been listed. Personally, I'd like

      -Large south exposure for winter (though not terrible in TN)
      -Luxurious master bath
      -Large front closet
      -Adequate garage space for vehicles
      -possibly a hot tub
      -Open floor plan
      -Large kitchen
      -Main floor master, kitchen, and laundry
      -If on a lake, nice view, possibly a dock
      -AC is a must if it's humid
      -Nice guest room (or quarters) for family to visit
      -Overhead lighting
      -Deck or Patio
      -Garden

      Guess that's a start
      Ditto on everything, plus:
      -Make at least two stalls of the garage an extra 2 feet deep, or add 5 feet to the side for workspace or yard equipment storage.
      -Geothermal will pay for itself over a few years
      -Avoid South exposure in the TV area (DW always has the blinds closed, so can't see the woods behind us anyhow)
      -Large Master closet (ours is 7.5 X 14 with 2' deep shelves at the end for blankets & some of DW junk)
      Give me a place with 4 S's: Sun, sand, surf, & suds-Dale (from Illinois)

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      • #33
        A few things that we had to add:

        1. Triple sink in kitchen
        2. Electrical outlets in halls and stairs for night lights, vacuum cleaners, etc.
        3. Attic fan ( good and bad about this option).
        4. HVAC vent in Garage for minimal heating & cooling - need a fusable link damper on it
        5. Artifical wood for decks and screened in porches
        6. Oversized access for bath tub plumbing and controls
        7. A lot of outside lights and electrical outlets
        8. Prewire house for modern technology

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        • #34
          What part of TN. We moved from Memphis to east TN in 2006. We are in Maryville which is close to Knoxville, TN. I think she would love it here. It has mountains, lakes and all the beauty of TN. I didn't build my home but I did buy a new home. I wish I had a dining room and larger bedrooms. I have a sun room with all windows that I love. I am also in the country with just a few neighbors. TN is great for screened in porches and basements. I don't have a basement, but wouldn't trade my porch!!! Nothing is better than spring or fall on the porch. Hope you find what you want!
          Merilyn

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          • #35
            I really enjoy reading this thread. Most important to me would be a constant even temperature in your home all year long. I have had it with California forced air heating. You are either too warm or you freeze your butt off. In Europe, you have old radiators heat the home or heating under the floors so why don't they have it here (CA)?

            Lots of light and windows in your home so it is cheery and airy and you can open the windows up when the temperature is nice. If we only could get a robot to do all the cleaning with the new house, your SIL would really be spoiled.

            Living on a lake sounds wonderful and so peaceful.

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            • #36
              Depends.



              Originally posted by iconnections
              Living on a lake sounds wonderful and so peaceful.
              RCI Member Since 24-Aug-1989/150-plus Exchanges***THE TIMESHARE GRIM REAPER~~~Exchanging/Searching/SW Florida/MO/AR/IA/Consumer Advocacy/Estate Planning/Sports/Boating/Fishing/Golf/Lake-living/Retirement****Sometimes ya just gotta be a dick

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              • #37
                Originally posted by JLB View Post
                Depends.

                Yeah, only if you own the lake and all the land around it. Neighbors are neighbors everywhere, even when you think you have enough distance between you.

                Pat

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by wandering gnome
                  36 inch doorways, so it can accommodate a wheelchair it need later.
                  I'll second this, mainly to move anything in or out without removing molding.

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                  • #39
                    Anyone have experience with prewiring?

                    Security Alarm
                    Around Sound for TV
                    Other Sound Systems
                    Televisions
                    Telephones
                    Wall Hung TVs
                    Outside Sound
                    etc.?

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Originally posted by riverdees05
                      Anyone have experience with prewiring?

                      Security Alarm
                      Around Sound for TV
                      Other Sound Systems
                      Televisions
                      Telephones
                      Wall Hung TVs
                      Outside Sound
                      etc.?
                      Sure -- I've pre-wired for almost all of these. What do you need to know?

                      Kurt

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                      • #41
                        What is the key for getting things were you want them?

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                        • #42
                          Prewiring

                          When I built 15 years ago, I thought I would run cable tv wire to every room as a prewire. Well, guess what, it became outdated by the time I got cable tv, and we had to deal with running new which was a MAJOR pain.

                          So this house, I took the large supply line size drip irrigation flexible pipe and in each room, most walls, I attached one end of the pipe up on a rafter so it would be way above the insulation and then ran the other end down the walls to 12" off the floor, then took pictures of the walls pre-sheetrock so I could find them later.

                          Smartest thing we have done. We now have channels to run wire in, so no mater what wiring I want to run ( we have used several) or how wiring changes in the future, I have a simple feed channel down the walls.

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                          • #43
                            Great idea, along with taking many progress photos for future reference.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Pics as being built

                              Originally posted by riverdees05
                              Great idea, along with taking many progress photos for future reference.
                              Oh, having built 3 houses,.....you can not take enough pics. Just be sure and put a point of reference in each. We learned that in our first one. We would go back to look at pics and be going...ok, what wall is this?????? Now, I have some where I put stuff behind the walls I wanted to be able to find later and just wrote on the studs the dimensions from a point and then took a pic of the stud I wrote on.
                              Ginny

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                              • #45
                                I prewired my latest home 2 years ago.

                                A/V and network: I used a bundled wire (2-RG6 quad shield, 2-Cat 5e). This bundle can be used for video / cable / satellite distribution, as well as network and phone. I ran that bundle from a central wiring closet (in the basement) to locations throughout the house. I made two runs to each bedroom (opposite walls), three runs to the entertainment center in the family room, and other locations including garage and kitchen (above counter). I also included runs to the outside -- 4 RG6 wires for satellite / cable, and 2 Cat5 for phone company. For the end points, I used a low-voltage wire box in the wall -- this has the frame but is not a completely closed box, and it give you more flexibility when working w/ the wires in the box.

                                Audio: I didn't put in a whole-house audio solution, but I did prewire for in-ceiling surround sound speakers in the family room, and outdoor speakers for the deck. Those wires ran back to the entertainment system in the family room.

                                Security: I ran 4-wire 22 gauge wire (very small and easy to pull) to every window, outside door jams, and locations high up on the wall in most rooms as well as a few outdoor locations for motion and glass break (inside only) sensors. I then ran that wire, along with a Cat5 wire to locations where a security panel would be placed. In the bedrooms I ran a wire for CO detectors as well. I also ran control wires to the thermostats. These wires were all ran back to the wiring closet. In the end, the security system has sensors on every outside window and door, motion / glass break, CO, and is also integrated with the smoke detectors and HVAC system.

                                I also put in a few conduits from the wiring closet to key points in the house for future wiring needs. I figure if I can get a wire from the wiring closet to the attic (single story house), I can then fish a wire down the wall in the future if needed.

                                This was a lot of wiring, but me and a few friends knocked it off in a weekend.

                                Kurt

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