a lot of what I am typing here has been discussed before, but I am bad at using the CB search function to find previous posts. If someone cares to search for items like this previously discussed, then have at it. This is a general post to think about your home in all aspects of infrastructure.

Always keep this in mind: Good bones scale through time; facades just fade through time.

I prefer to build than buy, so my mind set is always based on a blank sheet and going from there. I can also look at a space and design some very practical, functional space. For this post, let’s go for it all, a blank slate.

Documentation

Like all projects, document your process with a camcorder. Narrate what, where, when, etc. This is your documentation for your home. So, as an example, you would say something to this effect: This trench is 5 ft. deep running from east to west 5ft off the northern property line to mechanical room. I would have wife record and you discuss what is going on or reverse.  Either way, document!

Also, take a blank sheet and write outside on one sheet and start with what you want for your outside. Say, conduit etc, and then break out from each. This is your chance to get some thoughts down (yes, do this with your wife). You will find what MAY afford or not. Women tend to gravitate to the facades instead of the bones. So my advice to you, sell the bones…trust me, this will be the best plan you will ever dream off.

Outside

Grading

Normally graders grade dirt to form a mound where your garage (slab) will be poured. This is called slab on grade. You want your grader to grade your garage so that you can use room under garage after it is finished. You are paying your grader a one-time fee to “move dirt” so have him more your dirt where you want it moved.

YOU do want to build under your garage (will explain later). You want your footings to go around that entire space with French drains around that entire span as well. You want to put a 12 or 16” I-beam as a header, footer and depending on the span, put in two more at least.

You will need to get a structural engineer to just design that space so they can sign off on that.

I would consider pouring at least 6” concrete walls. You can look at solutions that insulate out and inside of that concrete pour. But for exterior walls, you want them sprayed then have a membrane put over them to keep water out. Membrane is a pinkish color (will repeal water) and you can talk with your builder about that.

Curb to house

Run conduit from street to where your mechanical room is located. Dig 5-6ft deep (this can be done by your grader). You want to buy 5” pipes to run the entire length of the dig. Conduit will be used for power and data. Of course you need to keep these at least 4 ft apart. Deeper dig keeps them away from your other pipes for irrigation, etc used for your yard.

Bring all conduits to your mechanical area and make sure you have those pipes come out about 3.5 feet out of the ground. Cap that pipe on both ends, and you can cut off the caps when power and data plan on being installed, which is later on in the build.

Installers will LOVE you when this is provided as all they do if fish that through and terminate on the ends. For data, you can use the exiting wire as a pull wire when something better comes down the road (fiber is king, end of story). Installers can also install rope (no extra charge) as they run their data lines (fibre or coax).

 They should come out of the ground where you are going to have your wall, so as to snake up and have power terminated to your panel (s) and your other conduit will come up where you have your “termination wall”.

Garage

Go to a van dealership and measure a family van with all doors open and add a foot to each measurement (HxWxD). This becomes your ONE car garage. So if you plan on having a THREE car garage, then you know your expectations. Does this mean you are planning on a 15 passenger van? Maybe; BUT what this gives you is a bigger garage to house what you will use daily, your vehicles. With plenty of room to store “other stuff” AND plenty room to move, work on your car (change oil, wash car) without any hindrance to the other vehicles.

Your garage floor can be raked from back to front and you want a 12” rise then put your sill plate down then frame up from there. Why raked? Because at the back of the garage you are going to run water pipes so you can wash your car in your garage and the water will run to the garage door and out. A foot height block with sill plates on top will give your garage that much more when you are washing your car and general easier to keep clean.

You might as well run three hose bibs, one for each space where you plan on parking. Oh and the best part, they are installed on an interior wall and with spay form protected from freezing. You can also get a “warm” or “hot” wash which is better for everything. I would also recommend putting down some “garage floor” type solution. They are out there, but make keeping your garage much cleaner with a show room effect.

Central Vac: Without ANY question, you need to run a line there with a 45’ hose…cold outside, can’t vacuum the car dad…Hold on son, let me open the register and then you are set.  For your garage walls, I would run power and data to that space and if you need to heat that space, then put in a HVAC supply, so you can close during spring/summer but use during winter. I would also put in a tall tank air compressor with a line to the outside; you can connect/disconnect a coil connection with ease…

Outside of a larger garage, just build a three car garage and build a shed outback to house all your other stuff (bikes, mower, etc).Keep your garage for just that, your vehicles.

Soffit:  24” is plenty enough to put in your coax/electrical/Ethernet drops. IF you have columns, you can put a plug by each column (at the top) so you can add lighting to that column. Keep in mind, anything that is powered that can be TON/TOFF manually can also be automated. 24" soffits give you much more flexiblity to place your cameras, lighting in a way that is setup for your needs, not what the builder wants.

Lighting: Halogen lights for the back yard from the back deck. Useful for when you have multiple entertainment pockets going on outside as it gets darker…

I like LED landscaping lights, so make sure you have a sleeve under your side walk (cap at both ends that cover the width of the walkway). You can run wires later, but you want to a dedicated circuit for all your outdoor lighting.

Outside Outlets: You want outlets on all sides of our home. Make sure you have at least TWO circuits for outside outlets. Why? Because when your children say Dad, I want to have a blow up jump set for my birthday, then you are set to rent for that special event. They will require two different circuits.

HVAC: Pay the extra and get an upgrade in SEER rating (they won't sweat as you work them). Keep a dedicated unit for each level in your house and have all of them on a pad, large enough to have them serviced. I highly recommend servicing your furnances and AC units.

Future outside projects

Anything running to the backyard from your main electrical panel (data runs as well) you want to run through conduit. You may not terminate now, but while you are building the infrastructure is already done...that is the harder part. Easier part is to run the wires and terminate to a subpanel or terminate the data lines to a wall jack. This layout will suffice for a pavillion, shed, pool area.

Plumbing to pool area as well, plan ahead. You may not do it now, but cheaper to plan now for such future projects.

Inside

Bathrooms:  Toilets that are enlongated and high (18”). Each rough hole costs about 250 or so. Dual sinks all the time, no question. This should be a standard build. Night lights so that you don’t have to TON overhead lights…IF you want sensor to TON/TOFF then plan for data line to that faucet…so that means a data jack by that sink basin (underneath). Night lights (in the bathroom), vac pan in the master bathroom), fan, outlets with data connections (some like to watch news while they get ready for the day).

Hallway/Galley: central vac outlets on each floor and power outlets around with night lights…Those come in handy when you wake up and want to check on kids, young or hold..

Bedrooms: Power outlets double gang/four plug on each side of the bed. You want to have your bed be in two different locations, so plan for outlets there as well.  TV (high) on wall with double gang power behind and data drops. Ethernet (2), RG6, HDMI (2 or 3). Nothing wrong with putting your stand connected to the TV while you use Velcro to put your DVD/BR player attached to it. Makes it very easy to switch to a diferent source.

Walk in cloest that lights turn on automatically and TOFF after a while.

People talk about putting in speakers in the bedroom, which is fine, but that means one of two things: 1. Multi room from your AV (centrally lcoated) 2. Bedroom has it's own A/V with speakers in the ceiling/walls so you can enjoy 7.1 or what have you. Here is my experience. You will fall asleep watching TV because you are busy parent taking care of multiple things during the day. All you want with the TV is to just keep current with daily stuff or watch a BYU event.

So spend that money for a dedciated space (that is coming up shortly).

Kitchen: Vac pan, outlets everywhere (even on kitchen island). Run data to that space as well  can mount a TV in that space. If you have gas, then vent that to the outside. Kitchen will open to family room of course, so you can enjoy pockets of entertainment. Flow is key here; you want multiple functions going on without any hindrance to anyone. Open concept rules the day and has for a long while (at least a decade).

Pantry: Oh yeah, have lights that TON automatically as you are bringing in goceries. Also, make that space at least 6ft deep and 15ft long.

Walls: Spray foam is so so good, highly recommended EVERYWHERE, including intererior walls. Two types: Open cell used for wood installs and closed cell used for concrete applications.

Mechanical Room

This is the “hub” for all data and power termination. This should be accessible by a 3ft door that is vented. If you don’t use a vented door, you can bring in outside air to that space. Just make sure that air stays in that room.

Termination wall: Used for data. You need a rack for your patch panel, you need a rack size switch with at least 48 port switch. (Look at university sales for these, including racks). Some installers have extra older equipment that they just MIGHT give to you…

Data wiring: Cat6 everywhere. Every bedroom should have at least four drops (to accommodate moving beds around). Master bedroom will need more, due to a much bigger space.  All rooms will have wall jacks that you simply plug in your device and go. Hard wire IS and WILL always be faster than wireless. Talk to your IT guys, they miight have 14' cable runs that they don't need

HDMI/RG6:  Oh yes, run this to rooms where you will have that wall interface to connect to said laptops, etc.

WiFi: two schools of thought here. 1. Access point on main level (will need power and data runs). These are hardwired data jacks to the router you install. Double gang box (four plugs) that will power router, ext HD, etc. Ext HD connected to router via USB cord.

2. Access point on each floor. All hard wired to your hub. Cable modem has an Ethernet connection to the hub.

My take: Buy a router that covers the entire span, say 6,000 square feet and put on main level with all your LAN ports wired to your hub in the mechanical room. You can buy another one and connect to each other to cover 11, 00 square feet.

Conduit: Run one or two long pipes from basement to attic. Any future runs for data you can fish and terminate with ease. Make these pipe about 4” in diameter, plenty of space for data wires.

 Home Theater

My favorite area, and it is getting late for me so here goes.

7.2 with plans for Atmos, Two subs in stereo. Raked seating, 120-155” fixed screen behind a curtain that closes with a touch of a button. Rack in mechanical room with wire running to just under the screen or up high so you can control all devices.

Look for university sales for amps, AV equipment they are selling for PENNIES. You get commerical grade for cheap and better than residental stuff that is new. Yes, those commercial equipment support latest codec, etc.

Night lights to show where you walk. On floor, put in a couch with a pull out bed. Too sleepy to walk up stairs? Then just tuck in and go to sleep, watching BYU sports of course.

Cooling: Two HVAC supplies to keep room cool. Thermostat in that space or close by.

Under garage: Raked poured concrete. cooling/heating to that space, place to go and be safe. Put communication devices in there, get access to internet, etc. My place to put your home theater. Best location so now you can turn up the game, movie, or music you want to jam to. I would build 10 ft out of the garage space as well. So that means the garage floor needs to have at least a 4" fiberglass mix pour onto a corrougated plate that sits on your I beams. Build out you space with soffit to house your ductwork, finish off as HT space with awesome seating.

4' door openings to basement space..where you have game room, etc.

Too tired, can't think anymore...sorry.