I want to start a new discussion on homebuilders.
Thoughts?
What type? The big-name builders, or custom builders?
In general, the big names give you various floorplans to choose from, and you have to live with the plusses and minuses of any given plan. Custom builders are exactly that: you give them a design (which you have to work up yourself, either with them or with an architect), and you get exactly what you want.
We did the latter. Still made some mistakes, but avoided a lot of things we didn’t like about pre-set floorplans (often stupid things, in our opinion…like putting a laundry room on the second floor, where a burst supply line can flood your whole house). When we were hunting, we would love a kitchen, but hate the master suite. Or, more often, hate a kitchen layout (or placement), but like some other aspect. So many plans had formal dining rooms, with the kitchen completely separated from everything else. We didn’t want that. We finally gave up on them and went fully custom, trying to omit the stuff we hated from those designs.
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I have often bought condominiums pre-construction at big discount to the “ready to see price”, and when buying in California and most of Mexico I really really really want insist on an inspection visit in early construction to check that the seismic related foundation and support column work is done exactly correct. One Los Angeles site gave me a significant credit when I found some of the crucial wire knots binding rebar together lacked the correct looping (one loop short of the correct count). When I was making the same sort of inspection at a condo construction on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, the site supervisor saw me, complemented me on my “sagacity”, and invited me back to his construction shed for a tip of local Mezcal. There he pulled down a small binder from an upper shelf and opened it. It was a memorial to a nephew of his who had died in the collapse of a badly constructed Mexico City school. He said I should have no worries about this building — he took construction “personally”.
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That’s another big difference between large production type builders and custom builders…quality!
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So, no bathroom either on 2nd floor? There would be supply lines for that too.
That is true, thought the washer lines are larger. It’s probably OK if you put a drain in, but they never do (at least not around here). I’ve never heard tell of a toilet line bursting. I have known people whose washer line burst**.
We saw one design that had the master suite on the ground floor (which was kinda cool), but then the W/D upstairs with the other bedrooms.
**One reason I won’t buy laminated particle board furniture…hers was sitting in an inch of water, and the furniture started to collapse.
If building your own home, don’t discount having a good architect. While we had an excellent, well known and respected builder, our architect made a huge difference. Thought of things we didn’t think of.
Of course, you really don’t know how you’re going to use the space until you start living in it. For me, I would’ve built a proper wood working shop but didn’t anticipate that hobby fully. For the wife, a greenhouse. Didn’t anticipate that hobby as much either. It can still be added but would have designed the yard/garden lay out differently so that it would look like it was always there instead of an afterthought.
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Another thought to add to the project, if not too late is accessibility in your later years, fewer stairs, wider hallways, doors, curbless showers, right height toilets, storage spaces for 'stuff. long with workshop space, office spaces…
Just some of the things we had to remodel for, down the line… But we’ve been here for 50 years, so, obviously many needs changed as kids left, our interests, hobbies changed… That BBQ out on the deck, covered, unused for a few years now.. Time marches on…
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We did a bit of that. All doors are wide enough for a wheelchair. No stairs, but there are a few small steps (like at the entry, and in both showers). You can’t really roll inside in a wheelchair, even though there is space adjacent to the shower for it. So, not strictly ADA. We do have seats in both showers, and a grab bar in one of them. None of the counters are low enough for a wheel chair, either.
An architect is a good idea. We did our own design, working with the builder. Missed a few things, like a “broom closet” (to store various cleaning supplies). Old house didn’t have one, and we didn’t think about it. But it would be nice to have a place to put mops, dusters, the vacuum cleaner, etc. Thought of some stuff you don’t usually see in a production home, and we like the overall layout we did.
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And how!
I had a lot of success in “flipping” Los Angeles single family real estate;
selecting and buying for optimal payoffs (hard),
(mostly using as my primary residence until sold);
living on site studying “reality” for three months or so,
planning in great and flexible detail,
then remodeling using 90% my own labor,
then selling at an optimal time.
I quickly found that the right type of architect/architectural consultancy service can clue you into awareness of choices so as to maximize return upon sale.
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@flyerboys - Definitely an architect’s added elements to the home added so much more. Based on your comments, I should note I saw a wonderful story about The Stahl House being sold. Yes, the original owners had some great ideas. But so did the architect.
https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/stahl-house-for-sale-first-time-21199246.php
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Nope. The lines coming in to a house are typically 1”. The supply lines to various parts of the house are often 3/4”, sufficient to run a bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet being flushed at the same time. If your toilet flushing makes the shower run scalding, then your plumber cheaped out by running 1/2” lines as service.
The line to a laundry room is typically 1/2”,the only reason to run it larger would be if there is going to be additional demand nearby (if you laundry room backs up to your kitchen, say.)
The biggest problems with washing machines are the flexible supply lines which are a common point of failure, especially in homes with higher pressure. The experts tell you to change out and put new hoses in every 10 years, but I’d be surprised if anybody does.
If you have particle board furniture it should be elevated off the floor at least 1/4”, easily accomplished by nailing (or screwing) “feet” on to the bottoms to elevate it away from casual or catastrophic moisture.
https://www.amazon.com/furniture-glides-nail/s?k=furniture+glides+nail+on
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That’s what I was referring to. Not the in-wall piping.
I replaced the hose to the dishwasher a few years ago with a metal mesh hose (recommended by the plumber). Perhaps I should look at doing that with the clothes washer, too. It current has original hoses.
Nowadays they do change the hoses every 10 years … because the washing machines wear out by the 10 year mark. 
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I have a stainless steel washing machine hose with a 125 psi working pressure and 1,500 psi burst pressure. It will survive the PVC plumbing in my condo. We have high water pressure in my neigborhood – 80 psi. All the water meters have pressure regulators on them.
intercst
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I included the full-height broom closet and storage when I had my walk-in closet remodeled. While I was at it, I had a hidden secret compartment built behind the broom closet for my fireproof safe.
Wendy
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Somewhat less secret now…
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