Building a new master suite. Any cool new features we should add?
shaxs
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years agoDavid Cary
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Do we love our new build homes because we need to?
Comments (34)We "built" the house we live in now, tract home in new neighborhood, with some customization. House conversations with friends and neighbors always have regrets in there. Bump-outs, boneheaded designs we should have caught, upgrades that should have been made, upgrades that aren't worth it... the list goes on. Based on our experiences here, I already know there will be design / decor issues that will have D'oh! moments. It's impossible to think about EVERYthing. I think we've hit all the major points, and have enough flexibility to change in the future. Our lives changed quite a bit in the 6 years since building (the once large pantry is now crammed because I now do the majority of grocery shopping at Costco and that not change for at least 15 years for example). I can't see into the future, but we learned from this build, and kept the evolution of our family in mind with our design. 1) The architect/draftsman is only as good as the information provided. They don't know us, or live our lives, ( I wonder if there'd be a benefit to having separate design consultations with the clients, much like relationship counseling, to get a really clear picture, lol), which is why we rely on their education and expertise. 2) The reason copy editors exist: to catch the technical mistakes writers make, and can no longer "see" due to closeness to the project. Same reason med errors occur. I think when we originally like a design, then look at it, dream about it, obsess over it, we can't "see" the flaws or potential problems that others might. Hence all the floor plan critique posts here. I think too, that online and builder plans lull us into a false sense of security- "they design and build houses all the time, they're experts, hundreds of people have bought the design, what could go wrong?!" We found that customizing our builders plan threw them for a loop, and didn't realize it would do so, until after the house was built, and weird things weren't right; towel bar location, depth o linen closet, outlets, etc. 3) We are often playing on tilt. We're all living SOMEwhere, right now, and designing a new place to live, with many features that we love (or would love to have) or without the ones we loathe, those HTOD, that we obsess over in our current or past homes. Finally, the same way any artist of any medium does, we aren't always satisfied with the end result of a project. Sometimes you just have to be DONE, even if to your artists eye, you could have kept going. Having said all that, I know there's going to be some regrets, but hopefully -I believe- the joy will outweigh them!...See MoreThoughts on Master Bath/Closet & Powder Room design - new build
Comments (62)Some thoughts: A hot water recirculating pump is the next best thing to an electric water heater right at the faucet. I have hot water in my shower and everywhere in 6 seconds. Small expense. Saves water. Instant gratification many times a day. A shower only *needs* to be big enough for an adult to face the spray and rotate with his elbows out. People of any age benefit from a hand-hold at the spray and at the door. Shower seats are dangerous and awkward to clean. Our hand-held spray is adjustable on a vertical bar -- no additional, stationary spray. A swinging shower door is easy to wash; must be far enough from the spray not to require a side seal. Our MBA would be drafty without it's own door. Spend for a *powerful* exhaust fan. I'm glad we installed floor heat under the bathroom tile. We have two large pedestal sinks with 'laying space' on them. Two mirrored-in-and-out 'medicine' cabinets are sunk 5" into the walls above the sinks -- doors close flush with the walls. A full closet holds towels, toilet paper, bottles, soaps, cleaning supplies. There's no stooping to root through lower cabinets, and the room looks larger. I find pocket doors cumbersome for daily use. They have a less secure 'seal', and the sliding motion is unnatural for me. We have only two, on our his/hers walk-in closets, and only close them for 'company'....See MoreMaster bath - building now - should we keep the tub?
Comments (24)I see...thank you Mark. I do like that idea. I had a friend who dabbles in design and remodels a lot come by tonight and she had another thought...shorten the shower pan by 12" to accommodate more tub space, add a wall of glass from the outside wall (your long "L") and leave open (or put in a door) on the side of your short "L" . She favors the freestanding tub for the looks. I'm not sure what to think. Unfortunately I am late with my concerns. The framing was last week and the trusses will be finished up tomorrow. I asked these questions of our PM 3 days ago and will be meeting again on site Tuesday with the PM and site supervisor. I can ask that these can be brought up with the designer too. Thanks everyone for all your thoughts. It is wonderful to reach out to you and get good advice from you all. I wish I had done this earlier!...See MoreNew Build: Wanting to Add a Sauna
Comments (13)OP, a few thoughts if you do a sauna (I'm a fan of them, especially if you live in a colder climate). - There's a popular saying in Europe that "90% of sauna's in the U.S. are bad and the other 10% are worse". This is primarily due to poor ventilation but also benches too low, temps too low, too few rocks, etc. - Ventilation is critical. The easiest metric is 6 air changes per hour. So if you have a sauna of 200 cubic feet then you need 20 CFM of ventilation. And it's critical that this flow through the sauna. The ventilation supply should not be from your bathroom or a closet but from outside, a hallway or your bedroom. - The foot bench (lower bench in the U.S.) should ideally be equal to or above the top of the rocks in the heater. This helps to keep your feet from being too much cooler than your head. - Consider a more public location. While sauna can be very enjoyable alone or with a partner, it is a great social activity with friends. - Check saunologia and saunatimes for more info....See Moreathomeeileen
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