If you could build your home from [almost] the ground up... (dishwasher, pools)

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by Charles

No Formal Dining room. no one ever sues them except for three meals a year - all that wasted space. Same for double ovens - you'll use the second oven three times in the next ten years.

Sitting rooms and parlors are wasted space too.

I must be in the minority in using my formal dining room but thankfully, even those who don't use them never "sues" them.

Pantry, butler's pantry, built ins to store various serving pieces, linens, vases, glassware etc.

Large living/family room but also smaller sitting room that can also be used as the kids are growing as "their" space.

Outlets placed in anticipation of various electronics, Christmas lights etc.

Large kitchen space with an island or place for kids to do homework etc while you cook that is out of the way.

[Squirl]

Solar tubes are great for dark hallways.

Glad you are keeping a bedroom downstairs. If someone breaks a leg or otherwise becomes unable to climb stairs its very useful.

How about a balcony off the master and a little service bar in master with small fridge/icemaker/coffee station?

In my perfect world the master would have 2 bathrooms...each with a walk in closet. In one house I owned it was a single master bath but had 2 doorways, each flanked by a separate vanity area. I liked that.

[Coldjensens]

I got to do this sort of. We moved an old house and then added on to it. I desgined the addition and the basement finish (and built some of it). My first design was wonderful. However after the architect drew it up and then we got prices, we had a second reality based design.

These are some of the things that we included:

Secret doors. The best one is a cabinet int he kitchen that rolls aside to reveal what we call the scullery. This is a tiny room with a dishwahser, stainless steel dish sink, counter and some cabinets and shelves. It lets us dump the dirty dishes in the dish sink and then just close the door and forget them. We can also store some of the ugllier or rarely used pans and things in there, out of sight. It also masks the sound and sight of the dishwasher (our kitchen is all 1927-1931, so we hide the modern amenities like dishwasher, microwave, etc.)

Secret doors are just plain cool. But they can be a bit pricy. We still have two to instal when we can afford them. One will look like a spice rack in the kitchen and open up to the pantry. The other will look like part of a bookshelf and open up to the basement bedrooms and bathroom. You can get some really neat switches/latches, but they are really expensive. One of them is a chess set that unlatches the door when the pieces are placed in the correct position. You cna get the classic pull a book out to open the door. Even that is expensive. We will just have a lever or latch possibly hidden behind a book.

Large walk in pantry.

Big butcher block island in the kitchen.

Stained glass windows and doors.

Solid five panel interior doors.

Mercury vapor exterior lights. (In places. These are very bright, but they make colors all funny.). Still they are great if you need to light a very large area with a single light.

Commercial type sprayer in the dish sink.

R.O. Water filter.

Motion sensor light switches in the pantry, scullery, basement stairway, anywhere that people are likely to leave lights on and forget them for days and days.

Loads of exterior outlets and water faucets.

Thermostatically controlled temperature regulating shower valves (pretty expensive, we could not put them in all fo the showers)

Sunflower shower heads.

Outdoor shower (remove mud or chlorine fromthe pool before coming in).

Hardwood floors.

Large mudroom wiht seperate coat closet, shelves for each person to store boots, shoes and backpacks and a broom/vacuum closet.

Tankless water heater.

Radiated heat.

Exterior wood burning fireplace (already had two interior ones).

Front/side porch

ICYNENE insulation.

Extra outlest all over the place all of them 20 amp circuits.

automatic back up generator.

Wood wainscotting in the kitchen, mudroom and one bathroom.

Good sized sunroom (eventually to be heated by a woodstove)

Loads of exterior doors (however you insurance company may object to this - our solution: find a different insurance company).

Finshed game room/theater in basement.


These things got cut due to cost.
Laundry chute.

Small Fireplace in the master bedroom.

Sitting area in the master bedroom.

Balcony off the master bedroom.

Bay windows (however we did put a "garden" window of sorts int he kuitchen over the sink)

Elevator.

Circular staircase (alternative to elevator - still too expensive).

Large concrete pad for parking, basketball, rollerskating, etc.

Lifetime warranty roof shingles.

Koi pond and waterfall.

If you have dog(s), do not forget to include a space for them. Not necessarily their own room, but just think about where they will sleep, where they will hang out during the day.

Suggestion: Skip the jacuzzi bathtub. Big cost that never gets used. Also skip the showerthingy that sprays water jets out the side, or includes foot washers/massagers. They sound neat, but really get no use. Usually when you take a shower, you are in a hurry.

It is fun to play around and experiment with different finshes in various rooms.

It is a nightmare as someone mentioned above. You will lose a lot of money. If you look at it as an investment rather than a home it is a bad investment. On the other hand, it is really awesome to have a home that you absolutely love everything about it.

[K'ledgeBldr]

When it comes to building and/or remodeling in CA. everything you ever heard about from any other part of the country goes out the window.
For the most part CA. has adopted the ICC's (International Code Council) IRC (International Residential Code) but, with a lot of other exceptions, addendums, and codes specific to CA., like CALGreen. http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/shl/2010_CA_Green_Bldg.pdf
More specifically Chapter 4: Residential Mandatory Measures.
As far as San Diego itself, here's the minimum code requirements-
http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/dplu/docs/DPLU081.pdf (broken link)
This will let you know what is required of the general contractor. It's good reading for everybody across the country because, California is the originator of a lot of code that is now standard across the country. Whatever they come up with will eventually find it's way into your state, county, or local municipality.
With that being said, a few things that were previously mentioned are not allowed in the state of CA; or anywhere else for that matter. But, that's not to say people don't do it after they move into their home.
On to the question at-hand- "I wish I'd done... (this list is based on the most requested additions I've been asked to add to the construction of new homes, they are in no particular order)
*300amp service
*50gal W/H (I had requests for two 40gal- teenagers in the house) If you decide to go tankless, dedicate one for the kitchen, and depending on the layout of the house one or more for the bathes.
*Radiant Barrier roof decking
*More exterior receptacles (other than the code minimum)
*Floor receptacle(s) (at specific locations- usually in the greatroom where a console table or end table would be located)
*Home network cabling/ Cat-5 and RG-6 (even in the kitchen)
*Automation- mostly remote control lighting when coming home
*Wire and brace For ceiling fans in all bedrooms
*Recessed lighting (especially in the kitchen) Also quite popular for exterior house lighting (instead of up-lighting, the recessed cans are mounted in the soffit and wash the wall down).
*Landscape lighting (or at least the circuit to the exterior for future installation)
*Dedicated circuits for ALL appliances (like that extra fridge, or ice maker, beverage cooler, wine chiller, etc.
*Electronic or media filter cleaner on HVAC System
*Whole house Humidifier
*High efficiency HVAC System
*Security System (always had requests for additional keypads for other entry doors other than the standard garage entry door and master bdrm)
*Hoist for Foyer Chandelier (if two story)
*Intercom system
*Central Vac
* Speaker pre-wire for surround system
*Insulated garage doors with nylon rollers and rubber isolation mounts for the opener(s)
*Stained concrete floor in garage
*Master Bdrm fireplace
*Radiant floor heat- Master bath
*Lots of Hardwood flooring/ceramic tile
*Built-in cabinetry- Butler's pantry, flanking fireplaces, breakfast bars, libraries, hallway bookcases, etc.
*Partial screened-in porch/deck
*Recycling center
*Walk-in pantry with adjustable solid wood shelving- NO WIRE MESH! (Boy, did I hear that a lot)
*Custom closet built-ins
*More crown molding
*Interior french doors (instead of regular panel doors)
*solid core doors
*Lever hardware for doors
*Wrought iron balusters/handrail
*Wainscoting for mudrooms, dining rooms, garages, and kitchens
*Coffered ceiling(s)
*Trey ceiling(s)
*Brick paver patio instead of the standard poured concrete
*Interior wall sound insulation- Master Bdrm, Laundry room, bathrooms
*Landry rooms large enough for ironing
*Wash tub/sink in laundry room and wall cabinetry
* Laundry curbed and drained for washer (not just a floor drain or the washer pan)
*Driveway with extra parking area- or circle drive
*Pool and/or hot tub (or at least a circuit for a future hot tub)
*Gazebo/poolhouse/Guesthouse
*Detached garage/workshop with living space above (man-cave, apartment, office, studio, etc)
*Outdoor Kitchen
*Wine cellar
*Sauna
*Irrigation system for landscaping
*Cistern hooked to downspouts (used for irrigation)

[Sheepie2000]

Do you have a dog? I would absolutely love to have the feeding station on the kitchen island and the dog bathing station in the mud room like in these photos-- Dogs Design, Pictures, Remodeling, Decor and Ideas

[NOLA2SGF]

About that laundry room..... I have a real THING about laundry rooms, and dream about the ideal laundry room.

My present house has the washer/dryer located just around the corner (about 3 feet from) my dressing room and clothes closets. This takes almost all of the work out of doing laundry, since I can just hang things up right out of the dryer and don't have to lug laundry all over the house. Also, I can just throw dirty clothes directly into the washer as I remove them at the end of the day since I have never sorted them anyway. Then when it fills up, I do laundry. This is ALMOST perfect, but....

My dream laundry room: I have often thought it would make so much sense to have a huge, bedroom sized walk-in closet, big enough for a chest of drawers, a bench to sit on while dressing, the washer/dryer, and a clothes-folding table. It would be sort of a combination walk-in closet, laundry room, and dressing room.

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by Charles

Don't do this.

This is going to be hell for the next two years. Contractors, subcontractors, lawsuits, inspectors, loans.

It will be an economic disaster. You'll never recoup your investment. Your house may be the odd house in the neighborhood and the neighborhood comps will drive your house's resale.

Nothing looks more ridiculous than an added second story to a home in a neighborhood full of one story ranchers.

There's a 69% chance you'll end up moving somewhere else in seven years.

You have two little kids and you may have more; You're going to be kissing good bye to thousands of hours you could be spending with them.

Just get a conventional house in a normal neighborhood with good schools and wipe this crazy idea off your radar screen.

There is no cut and dry one size fits all analysis on home renovations and additions. Some have quite a good pay off and others don't. Here in expensive San Diego there are plenty of very modest and out-dated homes that are in areas where a good number of surrounding homes have been substantially updated to a point that thats what's expected for the area. Not to toot my horn too much but two remodel/additions that I designed a couple of years ago (one doubling the size of a tiny bungalow with a two story addition) ended up being the two most expensive resale houses in the zip code for the last two quarters, so additions such as this aren't necessarily outlandish.

It sounds like you have a good design. I would pay particular attention to natural light and ventilation, especially in our delightfully benign climate here. Make sure you have operable, quality windows on two walls in every room you can for cross ventilation (one can actually be quite small), west facing windows can overheat a room/house quickly, skylights leak- (a sola-tube with a splayed box to a lens is quite nice for a dark hallway) You can never have too much storage- but design it economically, also, closets make excellent sound barriers between rooms. I'm also not a fan of Jack & Jill bathrooms and certainly would never design a shared bathroom with the bedroom only one door removed from a toilet. If you have that upstairs laundry insist on a drain in the floor of that room! Only design decks or outdoor areas that will be used often, but do include them in the overall plan- they are much cheaper living areas than indoor spaces (be cognizant of sun and breezes along with views). You will never regret choosing quality, well wearing materials for areas in the house that will get a lot of use.

Good Luck.

[coastal chic]

Some really great ideas here!

Add hot water to at least one exterior hose bib.

If you like to hang Christmas lights, outlets in the eaves.

If you have pets, consider a spot for litter box, food bowls and where will you wash your dog?

I would do 2 laundry rooms; a stackable in your master bedroom or closet, and a full size stacked pair in the mudroom downstairs with possibly a dumwaiter?

That's all for now.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by Squirl

Solar tubes are great for dark hallways.

Glad you are keeping a bedroom downstairs. If someone breaks a leg or otherwise becomes unable to climb stairs its very useful.

How about a balcony off the master and a little service bar in master with small fridge/icemaker/coffee station?

In my perfect world the master would have 2 bathrooms...each with a walk in closet. In one house I owned it was a single master bath but had 2 doorways, each flanked by a separate vanity area. I liked that.

Having broken my leg once, I totally agree with the downstairs bedroom. Very practical, too, if relatives visit often. We have several elderly people in our family who would be totally unable to use upstairs bedrooms. Also useful for anyone with a serious illness. The caretakers don't have to run upstairs a million times a day.

I used to see a lot of service bars in high-end masters, but I see them less where I live now (Arizona). The big thing here is outdoor access off the master. Usually to a private patio. Masters in one-story homes don't tend to be as big.

Re: Charles' comments, I guess he doesn't do too much entertaining. I serve in my dining room at least once a month, and I entertain much less now than I used to. I guess the style of entertaining is key. In San Diego, people can dine outdoors most of the year, so maybe spending money there on an elaborate patio is more cost-effective. I don't currently have double ovens, but I sure wish I did. Charles, if you can't see the point, you must not cook often for crowds.

[Coldjensens]

One tankless hot water heater is enough. WE have one for seven people (four bathrooms). It woudl be nice to have two once in a while, but usually one is fine. Three or four as suggested would be ridiculous.

We use our formal dining room every single day. Several times a day.

Second the plug for solartubes. they are fantastic. We have two of them, wish we had five.