"RicodJour" wrote in message
...

What amenities, features and the like do you find in your own area of the
country, such as the above? I'm sure it varies across the country.

Probably less than you think. There really aren't any 'new' uses for
rooms. It's more about custom-made as opposed to high end standard.
You didn't mention mechanical systems. Solar, geothermal, radiant
floors, etc. The higher end stuff is often imported from Europe or
Japan instead of Chile or China. The high end designers spend more
time looking for unique.

Hopefully we've turned a corner and people will spend money on nice
instead of big. Having a 1200 SF master suite or kitchen doesn't make
sense - whoever you are. Some of the 'designer' kitchens you see are
_horrible_ kitchens to work in. That's the main function of a kitchen
- what's the point in having to walk 25' between the refrig and the
sink? I've seen that in kitchens with two separate sinks - 25' was to
the closer one!

Stuff like that is for people new to money where their common sense
hasn't grown along with their income.

R

Agreed. Here in NV, we cool a lot more than we heat. Furnaces are almost
always gas and it's cheaper to install several than to have one and use zone
valves or dampers. One home I'm familiar with has 5 furnaces and AC units,
ranging in size from 3-1/2 ton to 5 ton. The furnaces are horizontal and
they and the A coils are installed in the attic of the homes, typically.

Many of the custom homes with the huge kitchens seem to be more of a
"showcase" for the appliances than for efficient cooking. Still, there are
some I've seen where the architect employed a kitchen designer and they were
very efficient.

The commercial appliances, like the ranges, cooktops, ovens or stoves appear
to offer fewer features and user friendliness than the upper end consumer
varieties. In one house with a Wolf stove, the double ovens had merely
convection, where a "lesser" house had Advantium ovens with bake, broil,
convection, infrared and microwave options. To each their own. My goal is
to find out what is considered "the coolest" features in various areas of
the country. For instance, your reference to a European boiler or water
heater wouldn't be a big deal here in NV, but a garage with a swamp cooler
addition would.

Nonny