John Borman wrote:

Hi people, am just looking to pick peoples brains. After 4 year battle with
the local planners we have finally got planning permission for the
conversion of a Barn into residential premises. Waiting so long we are eager
to get things rolling, and will be seeing the architect in the next week or
so.

However after doing our first house as a self build there were a number of
things we missed and would have liked. We want this one to be perfect not
just for us but for families down the line. So what I was looking for was
things that people on here would really like to have see in their house.
Things we are considering a Network cables to most rooms, Underfloor
heating, Reed bed sewage treatment, Heat exchangers. Now this is only a few
things if people on here have ideas on these or any others ideas I would be
much appreciated.

Things I liked about mone were

UFH
TV.radio distribution amp Every TV works flawlessly
Enough cat 5 around to have phones and computers wherever you want
without using silly DECT ond WiFi.
Doorphones instead of doorbells
Sepearrte switched and possibly dimmed circuits for lights, incldng 5A
sockets for 'occasional' lighting - standard, desk and table lamps.
LV spots if spots are what you want. Never ever use mains halogens. In
laws have riopped them all out after months of expensive bulb
replacements. I hardly have had to replace any LV bulbs at all.
Alarm cables laid in to feed sensors, bells etc etc.
A couple of wet rooms where we can shower the dog amd clean wellies.
Slate floors in the busy areas to take the mud that country living involves.
Outside electrical sockets, and hose places for watering the garden,
washing mud off wellies, and running the odd power tool and gardeing
implements.
Designed in patios, walls, steps, car parking, etc etc. Including a way
to get vehicles into the back garden for log cutting, and general
tractor and digger access. Note that some car toyts are 1/48 scale, and
many drawing are done at 1:50. This allows you to practice reversing in
your drive without building it. It sounds silly, but it helped us
enormously to utilise the space we had for vehicular access.
Rainwater runoff vectored into a pond.
Mains pressure hot water. With a BIG hot water tank.
Water softening.
Outside lights at every door.
Single glazed lead lights. These are gorgeouus, and we never get
condensation, except in the bathroom in the coldets weather, and the fan
soon clears, and heavy grade thermally lined curtains make them better
than double glazed, when drawn.
Aga. A style decision.
Working open fires of massive proportions. With underfloor vents to feed
air to them.
Insulation to teh highest possible standards.
Re routing overhead 11KV to underground, an repalcing a patheric pole
mounted transfrmner with a huge one in the garden corner. Ugly brute,
but no more dimming lights when the microwave comes on.
Fully boarded loft space, with storage racking. And lights. makes it
easy to use for stirage, and easy to get to teh pipeworlkifnecessary,
but al pipes are now enclosed om wooden ducts packed with rockwool.


Things I didn't get quite right

Lighting. Could use more switches, and more lights.
UFH upstairs. It was almost impossible to install there (almost zero
floor depth), but I wish I had made the effort However the wet fan blown
convectors work very well and are less ugly than radiators.
Chimneys. I ended up with smoke hoods. Not my fault but the builder whom
I mistakenly trusted.
I would have put even MORE insulation under the floor than the regs wanted.
I would have paid FAR more ettention to micro draughts had I known how
much diference a little gap in a piece of celotex made.
Solid wood flooring rather than engineering laminate. I thik it would
have been possible with UFH, if it were done with that in mind. We may
one day remove the lot and go parquet...
Pay to have the telephone feed undergrounded.
Even bigger (than 22mm) water pipes everywhere. In a big house even thse
lead to some flow reduction on CH and hot and cold water. Likewise a
bigger bore than 22mm water softener. Its OK, but not quite as massive a
flow as before I fitted it. Circulation systems for 'instant' hot water
are a balance beytween how much heat you lose and how much water you
swaste. Do the sums. I am unmetered on water.
Even MORE detailed plans of layouts etc. Especially of things like
utility rooms, and bathrooms and showers. Moving a bog post drainage
installation is hugely difficult. Likewise when She wants the bed where
the phone point and bedside light points are not, its a bit of a rewire..
A slightly more sophisticated and zoned heating controller. And more
stats even than I have. Not hard to retrofit though.
Even more built in storage than exists.
Electricity in the garage. And maybe water too,
A custom built workshop.
A place for garden machinery that is thief proof.
Some way to have cat flaps without draughts.
Ditto a letter box.





Yours
John