Building a new house: Gotchas

[Cas77]

Depends on the province. I would never install it without a drain pan AND single Lever shut off for both H&C.

I'd be surprised you could even get insurance without it.

In my builds I always put in flood shutoff sensors...for ~$100 it's a no brainer.

[coolspot]

I'm a 'younger generation' and I would never consider washer/dryer on the second floor. About half of my laundry is hung dry in the basement, rope hung from the beams. There would be no room for that in the upstairs or even main level of my home.

Same, too small, too noisy, I prefer it in the basement.

Out of curiousity, but when they build these second floor washer dryer rooms, do they not have drains in them incase of overflow or whatever?

Surprisingly no, saw a new townhouse in Ontario, no drain. But even if you had a drain, not all the water will flow down into it. I'm sure a lot will seep into nearby walls, etc.

[tagaravabha]

Great tips. My wife and I just took possession of a new home in Edmonton and did many of the things you mentioned. Here are a couple of custom things we did:

1) Multi-room audio. Went with a 4-zone, 4-source system, which can play any source of stereo music in any of four different locations.
2) Usually all the sources are located in the same room as the multi-room audio receiver, but I wanted to be able to use my iphone (which I keep next to my bed) as a source, and also anticipated having potential music sources in my office downstairs, so I had inputs to wired to these locations
3) I had a PVC conduit installed that goes from my attic all the way to my basement near the electrical panel. This will be used to feed coaxial cable from an HDTV OTA antenna to all my TV cables. I wish I had asked for an electrical outlet in the attic near this location, since I would have liked to put a low-noise pre-amplifier in this location.
4) I wired the home internally for things like motion sensors and carbon monoxide detectors. Just so that my alarm company wont make me run unsightly exposed wires.
5) I wired the rear speakers of my 5.1 audio to the ceiling. Although not ideal from a surround-sound perspective, they allow me to increase the available space in this room.
6) I, too, added windows wherever I could. The extra light is priceless. We even enlarged the basement windows.
7) The wife didnt want to buy an air conditioner given that Edmonton really doesnt get too many very hot days. Instead, we installed ceiling fans in a couple of rooms. They, along with some strategically opened windows, provide a good amount of air flow and cooling capacity.
8) We installed a granite sink. No more clanging pots, and reportedly much easier to clean. Will report back if its true!
9) We went a bit crazy with the vac-pans. After seeing how cool they were, we installed five - one each in the front entry, rear entry, kitchen island, master ensuite, and upper-floor guest bathroom. Going to install a cana-vac central vac soon.
10) Our builder provided vent timers in the upper bathrooms - you just press a button, and the vent stays on for a fixed period (you can choose this) and shuts off automatically.
11) My wife insisted on a rough-in for a laundry sink. Good idea to have an extra sink in the house.
12) We installed tile just in the kitchen and in the rear entry via the walk-through pantry. One caveat: when selecting the tile, we didnt realize the type of variation we could get when installed - the patterns are very heterogeneous and much more so than the sample we saw when choosing it. When in doubt, err on the side of a more uniform pattern.
13) We installed a blower under our gas fireplace in the living room. This, in addition to a two-zone furnace (required in Alberta for homes >2300 square feet) gives us a great deal of control as to how to heat the home for maximum effect and efficiency.

Excellent post, OP - this would have been a great resource to us before we got started. We figured out what we wanted after spending nearly two years visiting show homes!

[Thai]

We're in the early stages of building a new home. Some of our main must have options so far:

1. Skylights
2. 9' ceilings on mail floor, maybe basement, maybe 2nd floor
3. Corner whirlpool tub
4. Full glass shower
5. 6' soaker tub
6. Extend double garage width by 3 ft
7. Potlights over breakfast bar
8. External potlights on 2nd floor
9. Move laundry from 2nd floor to main floor mudroom by garage (in the last 2 months alone, 2 of our friends washers on their 2nd floor have leaked and ruined their main floor ceilings)

[onlineharvest]

We're in the early stages of building a new home. Some of our main must have options so far:

1. Skylights
2. 9' ceilings on mail floor, maybe basement, maybe 2nd floor
3. Corner whirlpool tub
4. Full glass shower
5. 6' soaker tub
6. Extend double garage width by 3 ft
7. Potlights over breakfast bar
8. External potlights on 2nd floor
9. Move laundry from 2nd floor to main floor mudroom by garage (in the last 2 months alone, 2 of our friends washers on their 2nd floor have leaked and ruined their main floor ceilings)

Can't recall if it was Mike Holmes who said it, washers/dryers should not be on the 2nd level. Good on you for that change.

I actually moved mine from the mudroom by garage to the basement. I know people don't like to go to the basement but I don't mind. I have more room to hang dry my clothes. Also, in my case, moving the laundry room downstairs increased the size of my kitchen by 3 feet after we moved the wall.

[lazymonkeygod]

We're in the early stages of building a new home. Some of our main must have options so far:

1. Skylights
2. 9' ceilings on mail floor, maybe basement, maybe 2nd floor
3. Corner whirlpool tub
4. Full glass shower
5. 6' soaker tub
6. Extend double garage width by 3 ft
7. Potlights over breakfast bar
8. External potlights on 2nd floor
9. Move laundry from 2nd floor to main floor mudroom by garage (in the last 2 months alone, 2 of our friends washers on their 2nd floor have leaked and ruined their main floor ceilings)

Isn't there a drain in the laundry room? I believe by code they should have a drain.

[lazymonkeygod]

We're in the early stages of building a new home. Some of our main must have options so far:

1. Skylights
2. 9' ceilings on mail floor, maybe basement, maybe 2nd floor
3. Corner whirlpool tub
4. Full glass shower
5. 6' soaker tub
6. Extend double garage width by 3 ft
7. Potlights over breakfast bar
8. External potlights on 2nd floor
9. Move laundry from 2nd floor to main floor mudroom by garage (in the last 2 months alone, 2 of our friends washers on their 2nd floor have leaked and ruined their main floor ceilings)

I would definitely go with 9' in the basement. When you develop the basement there's a big difference between 9' and 8'.

[Thai]

Isn't there a drain in the laundry room? I believe by code they should have a drain.

I don't know if it's code. Our builder lists having a drain on the second floor laundry as an upgrade/option.

[lazymonkeygod]

Some more new upgrades that I'm proud to have done,

1) Widened driveway - normally the standard driveway that comes with your new front garage house will curve from the entrance of your front door to the width of the garage. So there's a narrow point when you're walking up your driveway to go to your front door. I paid a bit extra for extra cement so that that curve doesn't exist. I made my driveway flush with the front entrance. This made my house look a lot bigger from the outside.

2) I should've added a bbq gasline at the back for my deck, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed cooking outside.
3) Ask your builder to paint your basement concrete before you move in. Makes a huge difference with the dust level.
4) Make sure the electrical panel in the basement is a bit further away from the window so you can plan a wall properly in between. My builder placed the electrical panel right beside our basement window, it's in a very awkward position that makes it hard for me to build a wall right now.
5) In my original house plan, there's a gutter that would've extended across my walkway right outside my front entrance. This is a tripping hazard and an annoyance if I had to go outside everytime it rains to drop it down. Right before they laid down the concrete walkway I went and got some abs pipes (abs is stronger than pvc and won't crack, you don't want it to crack so pay the extra money) and connected my gutter so that the gutter extends under the concrete walk way. This is awesome, I never have to worry about running outside to lower my gutter when it rains. No more tripping hazard too.
6) Added a bunch of motion sensor light switches in spaces that I need light when I go in and occasionally forget to turn it off. Example would be the pantry, garage (that light on the door lifting unit is not enough), hallway (this is in an area of the house that I don't go often), and basement (currently undeveloped so sometimes I forget to turn it off when leaving).
7) I installed tiles on my fireplace front, I specifically requested the builder to leave that for me to do myself because it's a lot cheaper and I get to pick from another supplier, make sure builder installs a solid fire coded wall with reinforced support just in case you choose to install a heavy tile. When I was doing my tiles I pushed hard on the wall and the dry wall behind broke. Fortunately the cement morter and grout harden the wall after they dried.
8) Ledge for my future deck. I moved my back window to the side so that I can build a full deck from one end of my house to the other. The builder only installed a ledger for us for half a deck. Now I'm left with an extra task to install another half ledger.
9) Hardwood will most likely creek when you first move in if your house was built through the winter. This is because it's dry in there. Crank up the humidity in the house to about 60 I believe, your hardwood will expand and the creeking will go away.
10) Check to make sure builder left you touch up paint in the basement. It's important because you will most likely end up needing it.
11) Apparently chain and belt driven garage door both create the same amount of noise despite what I read online. It's a waste of money. You're better off looking into some sound barriers from the garage wall if you want less sound.
12) The water in my area, when dried, leaves a pink color on my sink, toilet, and bathtub. Builder says it's the water in the area, I'm not buying this, what's your situation?
13) I originally did not plan on wall mounting my tv so I didn't get the builder to add in the wall plugs (electrical outlet and cable), but now I think it makes a lot of sense to have the tv mounted on the wall, it looks a lot cleaner and makes your space look a lot bigger.
14) Do not build your deck before rough grade passes, they WILL tell you to rip it out if the inspector is a ***** .
15) You can pay canada post a fee to redirect your mails to your new address for 6 months. I didn't know this, so I kept going back to my old place to get my mail before I can change the address for each mail individually.
16) There is not enough stud walls in my house, everytime I go to hand a mirror or picture frame there's never a stud where I want to hang. Plan your space ahead of time even where you expect to put up frames. Get your builder to put in some horizontal 2x4 studs where you expect to put up a mirror. I bought the ikea monstad mirror, that thing is 60lbs. Extremely heavy and will require stud or some drywall anchors. I prefer it to be on the stud.
17) I have a soaker tub, but one full fill of hot water will use up all the hot water in the house. Maybe look into one of those instant hotwater units vs a hot water tank.
18) Drying water will leave water marks and stain on all your faucets. I should've installed the water purifier in the house, would've saved me a lot elbow grease from wiping those off weekly. Yes I'm pretty lazy.
19) Everyone I know tells me to buy a south facing home because there is more light. This is true if you buy a house where all the bigger windows are in the front. I have a front garage house and I'm south facing. There's NO window in the front that leads into my kitchen! My biggest windows are in the back in the living room like most new houses here in Edmonton. If you want lotsa light, you want a BACK south facing home, or whichever side you have the most windows.
20) IMO railings are much better than drywall. If you have the option to replace drywall with railings, do it. Makes your house feel bigger.
21) Apparently light color interior makes your space feel bigger according to a touchup painter who came into my house. This may be very true because I saw a showhome with dark colors and it's the same size as my house, but my house does feel bigger.

That's all for now, when I notice more things around my house I'll be sure to add to my list.

[lazymonkeygod]

Are you in Edmonton? It's by code here according to my builder, Sabal Homes.

I don't know if it's code. Our builder lists having a drain on the second floor laundry as an upgrade/option.

[onlineharvest]

10) Check to make sure builder left you touch up paint in the basement. It's important because you will most likely end up needing it.

Also make sure to get the exact paint spec as well. Oftentimes the cans are generic that they use for the mixing. Having exact colors is perfect for when you want to fix all the nail pops but are maintaining the same color - no need to repaint the WHOLE house, just the walls that are affected. I went upgrade paint from the start because I didn't care for those light water-down shades typically offerred. Paint I used would not look good to simply touch up, so any wall that was repaired needed to be painted edge to edge.

11) Apparently chain and belt driven garage door both create the same amount of noise despite what I read online. It's a waste of money. You're better off looking into some sound barriers from the garage wall if you want less sound.

Not sure if just as reliable, but the rubber chains I've seen are much quieter. There is significant less rumble than a chain driven model. If you want luxury, get a piston driven style, which eliminates those large springs. When I saw that style operate, you could barely tell it was even activated. Probably overkill for most! lol

12) The water in my area, when dried, leaves a pink color on my sink, toilet, and bathtub. Builder says it's the water in the area, I'm not buying this, what's your situation?

Test your water with those mail-in or drop-in kits. Not sure where to get these. I don't trust many companies who are just trying to upsell products. Water from your tap should meet certain guidelines that make it safe to drink straight from the tap. If not, then that needs fixing pronto.

13) I originally did not plan on wall mounting my tv so I didn't get the builder to add in the wall plugs (electrical outlet and cable), but now I think it makes a lot of sense to have the tv mounted on the wall, it looks a lot cleaner and makes your space look a lot bigger.

I personally don't like wall mounted TVs, considering I still need to have a set top box, blue-ray, etc. However, since your basement is unfinished, this kind of change will be easy to do (fishing cable, etc)

16) There is not enough stud walls in my house, everytime I go to hand a mirror or picture frame there's never a stud where I want to hang. Plan your space ahead of time even where you expect to put up frames. Get your builder to put in some horizontal 2x4 studs where you expect to put up a mirror. I bought the ikea monstad mirror, that thing is 60lbs. Extremely heavy and will require stud or some drywall anchors. I prefer it to be on the stud.

Not enough studs? How many inches apart? Isn't code every 16 inches? That is sufficient for most needs.
Besides, 60lbs is not that heavy. There are numerous methods to hanging objects - and those drywall ancors can hold 100lbs PER ancor.
The key to hanging a mirror securely (and most pictures for that matter), is to avoid those center mounted with a wire type hanging methods. Always have 2 ancors on either end. There are all kinds of locking type ancors, etc that are used. Think art gallery or art retailer. They do not have all of those pieces on studs, and they are fastened securely. I find that Lowes has the best selection for non-typical style hangers that are more stable, more secure, and with some of them, offer a more flush hang which is preferred, especially if you will see the picture/frame on an angle. However, hanging on 2 means it is more important to make level - but once leveled, it never go anywhere

[2K6TSX]

I don't know if it's code. Our builder lists having a drain on the second floor laundry as an upgrade/option.

My home doesn't have one and by the time I asked we were too far along in construction. This will always be something I keep a close eye on

[lazymonkeygod]

My home doesn't have one and by the time I asked we were too far along in construction. This will always be something I keep a close eye on

You should check with your insurance company. My uncle works for home insurance company and he said they do not cover water leakages from laundry machines on floors that don't have drain.

[lazymonkeygod]

Not enough studs? How many inches apart? Isn't code every 16 inches? That is sufficient for most needs.
Besides, 60lbs is not that heavy. There are numerous methods to hanging objects - and those drywall ancors can hold 100lbs PER ancor.
The key to hanging a mirror securely (and most pictures for that matter), is to avoid those center mounted with a wire type hanging methods. Always have 2 ancors on either end. There are all kinds of locking type ancors, etc that are used. Think art gallery or art retailer. They do not have all of those pieces on studs, and they are fastened securely. I find that Lowes has the best selection for non-typical style hangers that are more stable, more secure, and with some of them, offer a more flush hang which is preferred, especially if you will see the picture/frame on an angle. However, hanging on 2 means it is more important to make level - but once leveled, it never go anywhere

I think many people would agree that there is never a stud in the location where you want to hang something.

[Techhead]

Out of curiousity, but when they build these second floor washer dryer rooms, do they not have drains in them incase of overflow or whatever?

I'm thinking doing a reno in the future for the second level washer dryer and I plan on adding a floor drain maybe attaching it to the shower drain. Don't know yet, will do more homework in the future.

I think here in Ontario it is code to have a drain in your laundry room, be it main floor and above.