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  • #16
    I agree with D-hole on the kitchen and storage. I kick myself every day for not adding a 3rd car garage.
    *Banned*

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    • #17
      Originally posted by cougjunkie View Post
      I agree with D-hole on the kitchen and storage. I kick myself every day for not adding a 3rd car garage.
      speaking of this, I learned something new (for me, anyway).

      The builders I spoke with yesterday said that not adding the extra space in the garage is usually a huge mistake because the additional cost for a 3-car or even 4-car is extremely nominal....even as cheap as an extra 5K or so (assuming you are cool with the added land usage).

      Also, why are basements so much cheaper to build out? The builders were saying that basements can be finished for approx $25-30 a square foot. Why is this?
      Fitter. Happier. More Productive.

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      • #18
        Originally posted by TripletDaddy View Post
        speaking of this, I learned something new (for me, anyway).

        The builders I spoke with yesterday said that not adding the extra space in the garage is usually a huge mistake because the additional cost for a 3-car or even 4-car is extremely nominal....even as cheap as an extra 5K or so (assuming you are cool with the added land usage).

        Also, why are basements so much cheaper to build out? The builders were saying that basements can be finished for approx $25-30 a square foot. Why is this?
        Basements are cheaper because you don't have to finish the exterior, and they require less lumber for framing. Those advantages go away to some extent if it's a walk out basement.

        EDIT: Also, there is generally very little cabinetry, plumbing, carpentry in most basements. And those are the items that really impact the cost per sq ft.
        Prepare to put mustard on those words, for you will soon be consuming them, along with this slice of humble pie that comes direct from the oven of shame set at gas mark “egg on your face”! -- Moss

        There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese. --Coach Finstock

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        • #19
          Originally posted by TripletDaddy View Post
          speaking of this, I learned something new (for me, anyway).

          The builders I spoke with yesterday said that not adding the extra space in the garage is usually a huge mistake because the additional cost for a 3-car or even 4-car is extremely nominal....even as cheap as an extra 5K or so (assuming you are cool with the added land usage).

          Also, why are basements so much cheaper to build out? The builders were saying that basements can be finished for approx $25-30 a square foot. Why is this?
          I think because they are already dug out, wired, plumbed and sometimes even framed. The hardest parts are done already.
          *Banned*

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          • #20
            Originally posted by San Juan Sun View Post

            My brother in law is a contractor, and will be building it for us.
            First and foremost, I will NEVER do business with family or friends.

            For your media room, if you are going to use a projection TV be sure to use a room without a single window.

            GOOD sized closets in the bathrooms. Most homes (my own especially) have far too little storage space in the bathroom. A small linen closet in the hallway is also useful.

            As stated above having a GOOD flow from kitchen/dining/family room is far more important than most other things. An impressive entry way and a formal dining room are often wasted space, which could be better used as a 'gathering spot' within the house.

            I am renovating the kids' hallway bathroom and put in tile with radiant heat. ABSOLUTELY love it so far! I will put radiant heat in every tile floor from this point forward.

            A finished, walkup attic space is preferable to vaulted ceilings on the 2nd floor.

            Wood and/or tile in every room on the main floor. This is more important if dog and/or kids track mud through the house on a daily basis.

            If you have a relatively high water table it MAY be worth looking into a geothermal heat pump system. They are very expensive, but may qualify for tax incentives, and once installed cost very little to heat or cool the house.

            Make a punchlist of incomplete or improperly finished items within the house. Be certain these items will ACTUALLY be fixed after closing, or else DO NOT CLOSE ON THE HOUSE!!! I learned this one the hard way. We even held back ~$7k so they would put the final coat on the wood floor and installed the grass, and it STILL took over 10 months until they got it all complete. Had I simply delayed closing by a week or so until these items were finished, I would have eliminated a significant hassle from the whole process.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by Donuthole View Post
              Basements are cheaper because you don't have to finish the exterior, and they require less lumber for framing. Those advantages go away to some extent if it's a walk out basement.

              EDIT: Also, there is generally very little cabinetry, plumbing, carpentry in most basements. And those are the items that really impact the cost per sq ft.
              Yup. When we built we examined the cost of putting a bonus room above the garage compared to finishing the basement. For a roughly 500 square foot bonus room, the cost was about the same to finish roughly 1,500 square feet in the basement. We ended up doing neither, though are considering doing the basement now. It is because like DDD and CJ have said, a lot of the work is already done. You don't have the extra cost of roofing, exterior, etc. and the Basement doesn't have any exterior brick/stucco costs.

              A few things we did:
              *Big garage. 3rd car plus added depth. Should be able to add a work shop area towards the back and still have enough room for a 3rd car/boat/trailer easily.
              *Higher Master ceiling. My wife and I are both tallish, so the extra space is a bonus.
              *Framed exit out of the Master Bath. Eventually when we put a hot-tub in a back nook in our yard, we've already got it framed for a door. This won't happen for another 10 years at least likely, but we're already there
              *House wired with Ethernet jacks in every room

              One thing I wish we would have done was a walkout basement. We have a pool table that, unfortunately, we can't get into our basement because the hallway is too tight. So it is sitting in our garage at the moment, not getting used and taking up space. If we had a walkout basement, we'd be able to move it down there easily.

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              • #22
                I wish I had advice for you, but really you should talk to my wife. We finished building a little over a year ago and are completely happy with it, but she took care of all of the details. I will say that it would be really hard to do it from a distance (aren't you a resident?). I bet she spent 10-20 hours a week talking to the contractor and subs. Is it possible to rent for a year so you can be there during the process? We used a really good interior designer who saved us far more money in rookie mistakes that we would have made than she cost us--I wouldn't skimp here. I also wouldn't use family members. We had our house all bid out, contractor selected, when my cousin approached us and said that he could really use the work. He was a good builder and had done some really nice custom homes for the Parade in St George, so against my better judgment, I decided to help him out. Even though I think we are happier than most with the final product, there are just always little hiccups that come along the way (and potentially big hiccups), and resolving these just becomes more awkward and difficult when it's friends or family.

                Also...please don't try to come up with plans yourself. Pay for a good set of plans. It's painfully obvious (and will be for the life of the home) when people try to save some money here.
                At least the Big Ten went after a big-time addition in Nebraska; the Pac-10 wanted a game so badly, it added Utah
                -Berry Trammel, 12/3/10

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                • #23
                  My next house will have a 3 car garage with a wash basin in the garage. Laundry room will be out there also.

                  My master bedroom/bathroom will be the next main focus.

                  Kitchen will be third.

                  Media room 4th.

                  I could give two shits about the rest of it.

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by The_Tick View Post
                    My next house will have a 3 car garage with a wash basin in the garage. Laundry room will be out there also.

                    My master bedroom/bathroom will be the next main focus.

                    Kitchen will be third.

                    Media room 4th.

                    I could give two shits about the rest of it.
                    In regards to the 3 car garage...the 3rd car slot will also have a roll up back door on the backside to the back yard. I have seen this a bunch and believe it to be kick ass.

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                    • #25
                      There has been some great advice here so I am only going to add one thing. Don't forget the invisible stuff. The engineering if you will. When we built our home, our upgrades were much more weighted towards insulation, 2x6 vs. 2x4 construction, efficient HVAC system, the foundation, etc. Only then did we do things like hardwood floors, etc.
                      "It's true that everything happens for a reason. Just remember that sometimes that reason is that you did something really, really, stupid."

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by FMCoug View Post
                        There has been some great advice here so I am only going to add one thing. Don't forget the invisible stuff. The engineering if you will. When we built our home, our upgrades were much more weighted towards insulation, 2x6 vs. 2x4 construction, efficient HVAC system, the foundation, etc. Only then did we do things like hardwood floors, etc.
                        I absolutely agree with this.
                        "Nobody listens to Turtle."
                        -Turtle
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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by FMCoug View Post
                          There has been some great advice here so I am only going to add one thing. Don't forget the invisible stuff. The engineering if you will. When we built our home, our upgrades were much more weighted towards insulation, 2x6 vs. 2x4 construction, efficient HVAC system, the foundation, etc. Only then did we do things like hardwood floors, etc.
                          Very true. You can always go back and add cosmetics later. I remember one couple who built a custom home and money was not a concern. The woman had a ton of ideas about designs, etc. All the husband cared about was that he didn't want the main and upper floors to feel suspended. So they spent an extra $15-20k and put upgraded floor joists at 8" on-center (instead of the usual 12 to 20 required, depending on the span).
                          Prepare to put mustard on those words, for you will soon be consuming them, along with this slice of humble pie that comes direct from the oven of shame set at gas mark “egg on your face”! -- Moss

                          There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese. --Coach Finstock

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                          • #28
                            I also installed speaker wires for a full surround system in 3 different rooms. In two of the rooms I set it up for two possible entertainment systems locations.

                            Installing stereo wires prior to drywall install takes a few hours or less per room. Installing them after the drywall is installed will be a major undertaking.

                            Put a good layer of insulation between each floor. This is for sound damping more than anything else.

                            My inlaws have a laundry chute starting in their bathroom and terminating in a cabinet in the laundry room above the washing machine. This is very simple to install and is a wonderful thing to have!

                            An 'appliance garage' corner cabinet in the kitchen. In fact, be sure to have much more counter space in the kitchen than you think you will need. For some reason I always need far more than I have.

                            If you get a gas fireplace insert for a backup heat source, be sure it will work when the power is out. Some of the autostart fireplaces won't work without electricity. Another option is to get a wood or pellet stove.

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by NorthwestUteFan View Post
                              Put a good layer of insulation between each floor. This is for sound damping more than anything else.
                              Great suggestion. Also, if you're doing a home theater, insulate all the walls, not just the exterior ones for the same reason. You can of course go far beyond that when it comes to soundproofing but that is something cheap and easy to do.
                              "It's true that everything happens for a reason. Just remember that sometimes that reason is that you did something really, really, stupid."

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Donuthole View Post
                                Very true. You can always go back and add cosmetics later. I remember one couple who built a custom home and money was not a concern. The woman had a ton of ideas about designs, etc. All the husband cared about was that he didn't want the main and upper floors to feel suspended. So they spent an extra $15-20k and put upgraded floor joists at 8" on-center (instead of the usual 12 to 20 required, depending on the span).
                                The other thing I would say about cosmetics is choose the stuff that's hard to add first. Go with upgraded fixtures (cabinets, plumbing, etc.) before floor coverings for example.
                                "It's true that everything happens for a reason. Just remember that sometimes that reason is that you did something really, really, stupid."

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