Home Design Input

[87 TriStar 190]

As mentioned before, I designed the garage and tucked the house on the side of that. 46 feet deep so I can leave the Denali connected to the MC all summer. Also have a floor drain and sink with both hot and cold water. Fully insulated and windows for at least some light. Also have attic access for off season 'stuff'. Add a shelf and bar to hang vests on behind the boat so you can easily hang things without getting in and out of the boat. I also added electrical outlets under the eaves for Christmas lights. All outdoor outlets are switched to inside so I don't have to go out and plug them in, or run too many cords. Put a lot of electrical outlets in the garage and basement. Cheap when building and you won't regret it. Add a fan above the boat if you store it there nightly. Really helps to dry it out after a day of skiing. Garage needs to be at least 26 feet deep so you can get around your boat. Deeper if you have a bigger boat. High basement ceiling are important. Most builders have forms for it and you just need to ask.

Put everything in the contract and try to estimate ahead what you will need for allowances and either remove those from the builder and do it yourself, or increase the allowance to line up with your estimates. Can't emphsize that enough.

36 inch wide stairways are great. I also made my stairs straight. Furniture movers love me for that. Also allow staight approach to the stairs for lining things up at top and bottom. A wall right at the bottom of the steps can be difficult.

Put undercabinet lights in you kitchen right away. Hard to wire in later.

Visit the site every day if you can. Changes are easy and usually inexpensive if done before things are closed in.

Be your builders best friend. Ask for his input on the design and for cost drivers. Some things that are expensive may not be important to you. Always be happy when you work with him and let him know how much you appreciate his work. He'll do extra for you. It really counts.

Good luck and keep us posted with photos as it gets going.

[skps190]

x2 on what 87 Tristar said.

When we built our house I nearly doubled the amount of ceiling lights and then just put dimmer switches in. It is a lot easier to put a dimmer switch in than to add extra can lights after you find out there's not enough light at night. I screwed up and didnt put under cabinet lights in ahead of time, same thing, its easier to do it right away than to wait.

The thing I wish I had done but didn't was make sure I had direct access to a bathroom from the garage. It's one thing to take a leak outside behind the garage but if you gotta drop a deuce and you're working outside it'll pay for itself, not to mention you won't piss your wife off by tracking dirt/mud/grass clippings across the house. Good luck

[georgea0731]

I tried Google Sketch, but it seemed a little difficult compared to Powerpoint.
Here's the basic room sizes and layout. I did them in PPT, but had to photograph
them since MC doesn't upload PPT on here. Heated Upstairs approx. 2,350
Thanks for all the input so far!

[skps190]

Try www.floorplanner.com, I used their site for designing my plans for finishing my basement. It takes a bit of playing around with it but once you get the hang of it, its a pretty slick sight. I also liked how you can view your plans in 3D. Best part is its free.

[milkmania]

you asked for home design input....
I still like the pass through garage idea! http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...ghlight=garage

it may or may not fit in your size limitations, but man it sure looks like it could help with a narrow lot

[TRBenj]

Agree with everyone else... you really need to get this into a better format so we can see the layout. Powerpoint isnt going to cut it.

When you lay it out and repost, be sure to include the orientation. I am unclear as to which side faces the lake vs. the road. On a lakefront piece of property, front = lake side, back = road side.

While I would normally agree to keep the garage at the forefront of your design considerations, the fact that this is a lakefront home changes everything. Use and view of the water are king, not where you park.

[JohnE]

Originally Posted by TRBenj

Agree with everyone else... you really need to get this into a better format so we can see the layout. Powerpoint isnt going to cut it.

When you lay it out and repost, be sure to include the orientation. I am unclear as to which side faces the lake vs. the road. On a lakefront piece of property, front = lake side, back = road side.

While I would normally agree to keep the garage at the forefront of your design considerations, the fact that this is a lakefront home changes everything. Use and view of the water are king, not where you park.

Totally agree about the garage at a lake house. Lake and living would be my priority.

Huge garage takes up a ton of space that often isnt available on the water

[mikeg205]

don't forget to design this flip mechanism... you never know..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2RDh0EqRH8

[87 TriStar 190]

I agree with having bathroom access from the garage. One of my homes, I had to cross carpet to get to the bathroom. Aviod that. Mine is inside, but only a few steps across a tiled floor to get there.

[onewheat]

Is this Lake House as in 'second home' or Primary Residence that happens to luckily be on a lake? What's the intended usage of the house - how many residents, year-round, etc?