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Forum Thread
New Home construction
September 21, 2017 at
09:01 PM
We are building a new home in Arkansas, two-storied and about 3,600 sqft.
I am seeking ideas with respect to making our home "smart" save money and add value. I highly appreciate any suggestions or ideas. Regarding "smart" home, is a WiFi thermostat enough or would a Nest Thermostat worth the extra money.
Our electricity rates are in the lower spectrum and we are not too obsessed with making the home too energy efficient.
I read some articles that state attic fans are actually bad. Any personal experiences?
Are there any resources geared towards to new home constructions. Most of the resources I find are either too specific or too general.
Thanks in advance.
I am seeking ideas with respect to making our home "smart" save money and add value. I highly appreciate any suggestions or ideas. Regarding "smart" home, is a WiFi thermostat enough or would a Nest Thermostat worth the extra money.
Our electricity rates are in the lower spectrum and we are not too obsessed with making the home too energy efficient.
I read some articles that state attic fans are actually bad. Any personal experiences?
Are there any resources geared towards to new home constructions. Most of the resources I find are either too specific or too general.
Thanks in advance.
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I just purchased a new construction home with my family a couple months ago. It depends on the builder really (well being in CA you get the basic lot with a home one it, not as much open space compared to maybe how you will be building) and the crew that works on your home. Make sure everything is secured pretty much, nails into trussels etc..
ecobee > all the rest
I am seeking ideas with respect to making our home "smart" save money and add value. I highly appreciate any suggestions or ideas. Regarding "smart" home, is a WiFi thermostat enough or would a Nest Thermostat worth the extra money.
Our electricity rates are in the lower spectrum and we are not too obsessed with making the home too energy efficient.
I read some articles that state attic fans are actually bad. Any personal experiences?
Are there any resources geared towards to new home constructions. Most of the resources I find are either too specific or too general.
Thanks in advance.
It's the dead of winter and someone slams a pole or such...now you don't have your cheap power and your house gets cold because you didn't insulate it.
No biggy for a day...but what if a major storm rolls through and you are out of power for a week...?
Don't plan on things being best case and all is happy...what and how will your house handle worst case days? It's your protection for you and your family.
I'd have them apply closed cell insulation if it's not too late. It performs way better than traditional batting.
Attic fans are fine. They remove moisture and heat from the attic. If you have snow on your roof, you don't want a hot attic as this causes ice damn to form on your roof and then that causes leaks into your house. So having insulation above your ceiling protects you from warming your attic space as well as summer heat warming your upstairs rooms.
wifi and data cabling have been covered by others.
Do you have a sprinkler system a smart one of those i have a Rachio is really nice since you have infinite control over each zone.
I would run tubing to each room vs running cat5 or coax or fiber, with pull strings back to a central point in the basement.
https://www.alliedelec.
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Do you have a tornado room? I would have one built with a L shaped vestibule so that the wind and objects cannot hit the door straight on.
Go for a concrete tile or steel roof so that it will last the life of the house.
make sure you have good drainage
Put cable runs ans power on each corner of the house for security cameras.
Put external duplex outlet boxes under the eaves in case you or someone want to run holiday lights or you need power for tools.
Put in an electrostatic filter for the furnaces
http://www.supplyhouse
Not sure in what part of Arkansas you're building, but spray foam insulation in your attic is a smart decision for several reasons. Of course it's really efficient, but second, you can store things that would normally be damaged, over time, by heat. It's taking longer for this to catch on as you move further north, but it's with the extra money, IMHO. It also adds a bit more stability to your roof. A metal roof is also sturdier and longer lasting than shingles. We changed to one about ten years ago and it still looks like the day we put it on.
Heated floors are a big savings on hearing bills. Just because you have low energy bills now, doesn't mean you always will. Studies have shown that if your floors are warm, you can actually keep your home cooler. A Generac generator is a given if you're going to be in a very rural area where snow and ice may cause power outages. At the very least, plan for alternate ways to heat and cook (fireplace, gas stove, etc.).
My mom is from Arkansas and I have family all over the state. Again, not sure of the topography of your area, but with the crazy weather we've been having, double check for things like flood zones (check with your gravity drainage board), foundation requirements or upgrades, as there have been more frequent earthquakes in the middle of the nation, and tornado shelters, especially ones accessible from inside the home. My folks have property in Mena and have always thought that they were safe from tornados because of the side of the mountain they're on. Several years ago tornado ripped Mena apart.
Have your electrician run an extra access conduit from your breaker box, with a string in it, to pull wit as, so that if you want to run additional power at a later date, it's an easy thing. Also, if you don't have a standby generator, have your house wired to plug in a freestanding one, with plugs for your fridge, freezer and a portable AC or heater. The plugs are normally orange or red, so that you know they're dedicated to a generator. A 50 amp outlet, outside, is great to have if you ever expect to have company with an RV.
One last thing, from the decorator in me - think about outlets, if you plan to decorate for Christmas. Soffits, above cabinets, yard -all places that you would want to put lights. Make sure to think about switches for those plugs, if you don't want to use timers. A client of mine just requested a switch for the plug where she plans to put her Christmas tree. No more bending down to plug in lights!
BIG THING - go through the house after its wired and plumbed, but before it's insulated and take pics of the walls so that you know where everything is when you want to hang things.
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Make sure your HVAC system ductwork is sized properly for your house. This is rarely done. Properly means your square footage along with any future square footage like finishing the basement one day is calculated into the plan and the proper sized main ducts are installed. You really can't do this at a later time and so many homes are not sized properly. Once this is done, your HVAC unit should be sized to whatever you came up with in your calculations for moving air. I also would installed a separate unit for your top level. Again, properly sized.
Make sure the flooring in your kitchen is installed before the cabinets. This ensures it goes under the cabinets and all the way to the walls.
Cable and network outlets anywhere you might want a tv.
As far as other "smart" products go, sign up with Centercode. They're always doing studies for Nest products and it and the installation will be free.