Wish List In New Home

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santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
As per the title, this thread is a place to list features, amenities you'd want to include in a new home if you were to build one now. Please keep it to the actual house (if this thread works well, we can start another one later for outbuildings) I'll start.

I'd build it from the start as disabled friendly: no carpets, no steps, electric outlets slightly higher and light switches slightly lower (to allow easy reach from a wheelchair) I'm not in one but having these features built in adds no additional costs but could be very expensive to convert later. Likewise it would have wider interior doors for the same reason. Obviously this would necessitate the house being relegated to a single floor.

I'd like it as maintenance free as possible, therefore it would likely be concrete block and any framing would be steel frame and the roofing would be metal. Low energy draw LED lighting; natural gas heating, natural gas, on demand water heater, natural gas stove, and natural gas tumble dryer (all the gas appliances just as I currently have)

I'd prefer large closets, a separate pantry, and utility/laundry room.

EDIT TO ADD THE FOLLOWING ITEMS THAT BR & TODDY REMINDED ME OF:

-Porches front and back. Both large enough for a porch swing and rocking chairs. At least the back prch will be screened for bug protection (not sure yet about the front) The back porch will also need an outlet to the gas supply for outdoor heaters, gas BBQ, etc. (my current house already has this as standard)

-A 1500 watt natural gas generator hard wired to the house for emergency power after hurricanes, etc. (these are fairly common here now and are set to come on automatically if the power supply is interrupted and to isolate the house circuit from the mains so as not to electrocute linemen making repairs)

-Proper shutters on windows (but in my case they'd be exterior shutters for storm protection) and on any exterior glass doors (French doors or sliding glass doors)

-Although I stated a single story home, I'd also like the full house cellar for the same reasons BR noted as well as a storm shelter.

-House orientation will depend on siting as I'd want to take full advantage of the site contours (part of the house might well be underground or partially so (a bermed house) negating the need for the cellar mentioned above. Indeed, if I ever move back to my land in Mississippi, I have land with the perfect hills to accomplish this.

-I'd also make use of pocket doors whenever possible to retain as much usable interior wall space as practical.
 
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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
You did ask!

Single story, slate roof and deep cellar the full size of the house.

House oriented West to East - one full length of the roof South Facing. This to be covered in Solar Panels both for hot water and PV.

East end of the house to be a tall tower. Water tank to be in the top of the tower to provide pressure. Tank to be filled via a wind pump.

West End of the House to be a large open plan kitchen / living room with solid fuel range, large seating area ans separate dining area. Range to be on the Eastern internal wall of the kitchen. Behind the range is the bathroom. BAth on the opposite side of the wall from the range using hot water from the range without a pump. Trap door in the kitchen leading down to the cellar. Most of which is for temperature controlled food storage (root cellar), but properly framed out, plastered and tiled. Leading off from the kitchen would be the pantry, utility, laundry and dairy rooms. Bedrooms and study at the other end of the house.

House will be wired predominantly for 12V with inverters only for appliances such as laundry and dishwasher.

Each bedroom to have a small woodburner and the remainder of the house heated by radiators driven from the range via 12V pump.

The house will be self sustaining with no mains "services" beyond satellite broadband.

The house would be stone built, well insulated, with storage in the roof space. The windows will have traditional internal shutters rather than curtains. Floors will flagged in the kitchen, living and dining areas (plus laundry etc.) and hardwood in the sleeping area.

If you imagine a modern, self sustaining Devon long house, you wont go wrong.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Porches at both back and front doors; big enough to take off wet boots and jackets and hang them to dry and still allow folks in and out past that guddle, and with windowsills wide enough to use as though they were greenhouses.

I'd prefer skirting board radiators throughout, but a big central patch of underfloor heating in the living room, and I prefer carpeted floors everywhere except the porches, the kitchen, the scullery/utility room, the bathrooms and loo.
All taps to be lever action and I would love one of the Japanese style sit-in-hot-water-up-to-your-chin baths :)

I want masses of cupboards in the central walls of the house, not the outside ones.

Aaaand, if we're really going for broke, an endless pool and a sauna :D

Don't want much, do I ? :eek: :eek:

M
 

Imagedude

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 24, 2011
2,004
45
Gwynedd
Full length south facing conservatory/trombe wall. Large stream to power hydro electric generator which will power a ground source heat pump. Backup power comes from Lister CS generator which has CHP modifications and also there will be a 5kw wind turbine. South facing roof has solar thermal panels and photo-voltaic panels, these will power the underfloor heating system with help from the GSHP. Main building will be single storey with a lighthouse type building in the middle. Lighthouse will have numerous independently rotating floors with machine gun/rocket launcher positions.
Kitchen will have plenty of horizontal work/storage space at waist height i.e. is suited to the male method of horizontal storage techniques rather than the less useful female vertical storage methods. Add a sprinkling of coal fires and a range in the kitchen and I'm happy.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Indeed I did ask. And these replies are just what I was looking for. You've reminded me of a few things I'd previously put on my wants but had forgotten to list here. I've since edited my original post to include them as well. Hereafter, anything I remember will be in a subsequent post.
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
Underfloor heating with a decent thickness concrete slab that's insulated underneath it.
Large overhanging eaves which lessen the sun when its high but allow full winter sun in when its cold.
Solar PV on a south facing roof, centrally located multifuel stove with its own fresh air duct so there's no draft blowing through the house unless I want it there.
Timber framed, at least five inches of Kingspan (or like it) insulation in the walls and go round every crack in that insulation with squirty foam. I want to be the bloke doing that bit cos everyone else I know apart from one of my brothers just isn't fussy enough. Round window reveals, every hole the spark and plumber puts in the wall I want to foam before it gets plastered.
Can't stand conservatories unless they have a proper roof on them. Room with glass walls is OK but nothing with a glass roof. Too hot in summer and too cold in winter otherwise.

Well insulated attic room with a Velux on both faces of the roof, sometimes I like air moving through the rooms and two on one face of the roof doesn't give cross flow.
Gas central heating, multifuel stove, plenty choices how to heat the place when it is needed.

Massive shed, well insulated and dry. Maybe a few sheds actually.

Be nice with hydro/wind power but thats all location based and I don't like the idea of paying the waterboard for borrowing water to power a turbine before putting it back into a beck slightly lower.
 

Countryman

Native
Jun 26, 2013
1,652
74
North Dorset
Boot room immediately off entrance foyer as you walk in. Tiled floor with drain. Benched all round. Come in kick off boots, hang wet coat on wall hooks. Maybe a sink to clean up in. Maybe a table to dry off kit. Some sort of firearm storage.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1409032722.246240.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1409032730.278834.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
Walls, roof, windows and doors, no rent/mortgage, and a huge great heap of tools and materials to work all the rest out :)
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Boot room immediately off entrance foyer as you walk in. Tiled floor with drain. Benched all round. Come in kick off boots, hang wet coat on wall hooks. Maybe a sink to clean up in. Maybe a table to dry off kit. Some sort of firearm storage.

All of the above - I too love that boot room.

I want a walk in firearms room with a combination lock so I don't have to mess around with cabinets and keys.
 

Zingmo

Eardstapa
Jan 4, 2010
1,295
117
S. Staffs
When we had an extension built, our architect invited us to sketch what we had in mind. Wifey's sketch was very similar to what we have ended up with, mine had certain features that were deemed to be beyond our means at the time. Most notable of these were the observatory tower and the secret underground laboratory.

Z
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Must admit to always having a hankering for a broch. Nice thick stone walls. Open fires, wooden floors. Oh and can I have a moat and gatehouse too? Not that I'm antisocial; it's anti zombie you know!:eek:

broch_1.jpg


Saw one that had been done up in Scottish Field magazine a year or two back and it was stunning.
 

nephilim

Settler
Jul 24, 2014
871
0
Bedfordshire
IF I were to start a new build from scratch, it would have the following:

5 bedrooms: 1 for myself and mrs, 1 for child #1, 1 for child #2, 1 for guests, 1 for man cave.
Dining area large enough for 20 people (my family - including children - seated around a table comes to 15, gives space for additions to the family).
Large kitchen area.
Living room/lounge room with enough space to seat all 20 people as above
Gym area, with machinery hooked into power supply so that I generated some of the power from my work outs.
Separate laundry area
Separate pantry area
3 bathrooms
Machine workshop - with machinery that does not rely entirely on electricity. Many good workshop heavy tools can be made from stone and wood, such as lathes, grinding wheels, forges, etc.

In terms of plugs etc, I would do the same as the OP. Higher plugs, lower switches. However, to tie in with this, I would have 8 sockets where houses usually have 2. Running from extensions can be dangerous and if it is all wired in correctly, it doesn't matter. I would also have the whole house cabled up so that there is at least 4 ethernet ports in each room.

Heating would be underfloor heating, and the whole house would be single floor. Not because of laziness or anything, but because a close friend is wheelchair bound so would need to be taken care of. Power generation would be dealt with largely by a couple of Wind turbines and lots of solar panels. I would tack on an area for growing food and raising livestock (chickens, ducks, geese etc) and go from there.

Sorry for the long post but hey, that's my pipedream if I win the lottery.
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
Surely it has to have a secret passage hidden behind a false wall, a concealed laboratory for conducting experiments, and an emergency escape tunnel.

Oh, and a maid. :)
 
Nov 29, 2004
7,808
22
Scotland
I would have a HUF house and I'd probably want it to be in Germany which ought to take care of my power and infrastructure needs, near a large forest and within an hour of a decent sized town. A private water supply, growing land and nice neighbours.

nC8fUeX.png


That'll do it for me.

:)
 
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