I agree with the majority here in saying that the most important items are: - a good design that fits your family both today and tomorrow. Never confuse "good design" with "huge rooms" or "more rooms". Good design is a layout that makes sense; for example, a dining room located adjacent to the kitchen, nice sight-lines for every doorway /walkway, inviting nooks in which to sit. - quality construction so that you won't be plagued with maintenance issues after (or even before) the new wears off the house. You can always go back and upgrade your countertop or your light fixtures later, but it's much more difficult to go back and upgrade your plumbing or your foundation. Don't skimp on the things that matter. - a house that incorporates all your needs and some of your wants. Keep your needs foremost in your mind, but if you can't get a few bells and whistles along the way, why are you bothering to build? And I'll add a tremendously important detail that's rarely mentioned on this website: - an affordable price tag. It's easy to end up house-poor. It's easy to get caught up in "Wow, refrigerator drawers are cool!" and "Two dishwashers - that sure would be handy!" . . . but those are expensive choices. Even some of the small upgrades that're discussed here add up to big bucks by the time you've said "yes" to just a few seemingly small things. Unless your budget really is unlimited, you're going to have to say "no" to a number of things that would really be great to have. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT gloss over those all-important, long-lasting items in favor of small-but-fun details. Having said that, here are some upgrades and non-obvious details that are on my and my husband's list for our retirement house, which we have collected over the last year: - All brick, low-maintenance exterior - Partial wrap-around porch, also built in a low-maintenance material - Wide, easy-to-climb stairs . . . both to accommodate foot-traffic comfortably and to allow furniture to be placed upstairs - 7' tall windows throughout the house - Windows on two walls in all the major rooms - House designed and oriented to suit our site; for example, garage placed on the less-desirable North side, preserving the better light for the living areas - Natural rock to-the-ceiling masonry for fire place; direct-vent gas firebox - Built-ins in the living room for books, games, DVD and video game storage - Energy efficient windows and appliances - Ample insulation - 32" doorways and wide hallways to accommodate a walker or wheelchair - Leaf guard gutters - Electrical outlets well thought out: Over the mantel, on both sides of the island, in closets and pantry, by desk in garage entryway, at comfortable height over nightstands (4 outlets on each side of the bed) - Electrical outlet switches for the Christmas tree spot (by a front window -- very important to me) and for the holiday porch lights; these lights will be controlled by a switch located in an odd spot behind the front door -- to avoid confusing them with the everyday lights - All light fixtures are to use standard light bulbs rather than odd sizes (and, yes, we already have our dining room chandelier . . . and it uses standard bulbs!) - Keyless entry on garage (main) entrance - Dimmer switches on appropriate lights - Many ceiling fans (we're in the South) - Hardwood floors throughout the house - Plantation shutters in living /dining room - Dining room small enough to be cozy for 4 people . . . but adjacent to a wide pathway so the table can be expaaaaanded to seat twice that many - Small kitchen with nice finishes -- most storage in the adjacent pantry, which is much less expensive to build and will hide messes - Huge pantry: 21' floor-to-ceiling shelving, self-rotating can storage, 5' work space, storage for cookbooks, storage for large /rarely-used cookware, area for broom closet and storage of cleaners, recycling bins - Motion-sensor lights in the pantry and all closets - Mostly drawers in the kitchen . . . traditional cabinets under the sink /one thin cabinet for stand-up cookie sheets and cooling racks - Lift for Kitchen Aide mixer - Built-in bread storage drawer - Built-in knife drawer - Heated granite on the island - Hidden spot for fire extinguisher in the kitchen - Counter-height window over kitchen sink - Undermount Silgranite one-bowl sink with 1 hp garbage disposal - Upper cabinets are to be tall: Will be 15" off the countertop (I'm short) and will reach the ceilings; include extra shelves for all that height - Glass-fronts in some upper cabinets - Central vac dustpan in kitchen . . . and a few more spots throughout the house - Swing lamps attached to the wall by the bed rather than lamps on night stands - Built-ins in bedroom for storage - Safe built into closet wall - Gun safe built into closet by garage entrance - Walk-in closet big enough to incorporate dresser-items - Open, no-barrier shower /good for accessibility in our elderly years . . . moveable bench rather than built-in - Tornado body-dryer in the shower - Raised toilets / electrical outlet near toilet for Toto seat . . . no silly little toilet closet - Plumbing is all kept to the center of the house /upstairs bath stacked over downstairs bath (huge cost savings) - iGlass in the bathroom (since ours will overlook the backyard) - Plywood behind all bathroom walls to add strength to towel bars /handicapped access grab bars - Heated flooring in master bath - Master bath wired for cable TV - Built-in hamper in master bath with other-side door that opens in to the master bedroom; this will allow us to toss in clothes from either direction - Laundry room located near master bedroom - Large patio with stained concrete - Run a PVC pipe w/ hose through patio concrete . . . so that we'll have a hose on the far side of the patio without having a visible hose - Hose bibs on each side of the house and one in the garage - Small fiberglass pool with tanning ledge and bubbler - Small outdoor kitchen - Ample parking for guests / clear pathway to the front door - All flower beds, etc. edged with brick (or similar) to eliminate need for edging -- mowing alone will take care of the yard's main needs - Outlet in the garage for electric car - Rain barrels to collect water for flower beds - Walk-in attic storage space

I guess there is not much that I can't live without because most of my indulgences/must haves are not in my current home for one reason or another. I love and require lots of privacy and space-- from neighbors, the world and my own stuff. I need large rooms and large yard/acreage. I gave up both when I moved back to my hometown when a family member got sick. I love fresh cut flowers through the house-- an indulgence I gave up in the last few years. It is one of those things that has just slipped through the cracks as my schedule has become more hectic. I am hoping that I will be motivated to bring them back when I have my rooms completed. A large kitchen that is functional and homey--a place for creating, conversing and just hanging. This was a known concession when I moved to this house. I did believe that I could work with it ... but the reality is that it is very limiting. A library/quiet room - an indulgence in my last house. I did attempt to create an office in this house with the same vibe but I havent achieved what I had in my last house. I really think the difference is the view-- I look out onto my neighbor's trampoline here. In the old house, I looked out over a wide field and grazing sheep. A foyer or entry-- yeah, I dont have one of those either.

Just a thought, if you're building new construction residential in the bay area, you've already spent a fortune on a building permit based on an extremely detailed set of plans and the building inspector has to check off everything you do. You should go with what your licenced electrician interprets from the plans, so you don't get red tagged and have to go through plan review again. On the other hand, if your plans are just to code, they may not have all the great ideas built in that these guys are recommending and you should take the time now to make sure you'll be happy with what you're paying for. Good Luck!

These links should answer most of your questions. POE is a great feature, and a network cable means the highest quality image and availability, but it also means you have to cable each of your cameras back to your system vs wireless. Not saying that's a bad thing, just something for you to think about. https://www.safety.com/surveillance-systems/#gref https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2475954,00.asp