Pwtr02ss home build

[Tonyv__]

I'm not big on "smart home" things, but I would like to have a few things. Thermostat, ability to turn on lights, and few others. I just worry about someone hacking it or whatever

Let’s just say when my van was broken into 2 years ago… I refuse to believe that my driveway camera blacking out for about 48 hours was just a coincidence…. So I totally get it.

BUT I also see it as no different than having virtual money. Bank accounts, credit cards, online shopping, identity theft. Luck of the draw. You get hacked or you dont

 

[pwtr02ss]

Have you ever walked into a room that doesn't have overhead lighting, and had to flip a wall switch to turn on a table lamp? Usually electrical outlets like that are wired so that one of the duplex outlets is switched on/off by the wall switch; but the other one is hot all the time, like a normal electrical outlet.

Pic of a duplex outlet below. Both sockets can be hot at all times, or one can be controlled by a wall switch. Or both could be controlled by a switch, but that's not very common.

View attachment 465245

I get what you're saying now.

Behind the oven but idk how heavy your oven will be. (That’s only an option if the plumbing comes from the slab). Or maybe an access panel inside the cabinet closest to the oven.

I believe there could possibly be access to the back from underneath the stairs, but I'm not sure they will be high enough at that point.

 

[Tonyv__]

I believe there could possibly be access to the back from underneath the stairs, but I'm not sure they will be high enough at that point.

If under the steps is just dead space then they should definitely be able to have a shut off under the vanity of that powder room too.

But wait, have you mentioned in the past or considered a maniblock? Individual shut offs to the entire house would be located in 1 spot.

 

[THE YETI]

I'm not big on "smart home" things, but I would like to have a few things. Thermostat, ability to turn on lights, and few others. I just worry about someone hacking it or whatever

I think all my lighting is smart switches nowadays. All Kasa/TP-link. So nice to just have the lights go on/off/dim by themselves and i don’t have to touch a thing.

If you’re doing cameras, make sure you have them run CAT6 to the camera areas so you can get them powered up.

 

[pwtr02ss]

If under the steps is just dead space then they should definitely be able to have a shut off under the vanity of that powder room too.

But wait, have you mentioned in the past or considered a maniblock? Individual shut offs to the entire house would be located in 1 spot.

Is that a manifold? I was wondering where I would have all the electrical panel and water stuff. I'm thinking that little closet in the garage would be the perfect "mechanical" room.

My only concern with a true, prefab manifold is restriction. I want a true 1" manifold with no restricter built in.

I think all my lighting is smart switches nowadays. All Kasa/TP-link. So nice to just have the lights go on/off/dim by themselves and i don’t have to touch a thing.

If you’re doing cameras, make sure you have them run CAT6 to the camera areas so you can get them powered up.

How are your switches wired/connected? Or do they make them wireless and have a central gateway? I'm very NOT tech savy so I'll apologize in advance.

The lights are a big thing. Being so far off the road, I'd much prefer walking into the house with a light on. If there's a problem, hopefully it give me some time to react or them to exit. I'll also have to figure out internet to the shed and having enough WiFi to cover the house. My current setup does fine, but the house is a smaller footprint. We have the router centrally located in the living room.

 

[Tonyv__]

Is that a manifold? I was wondering where I would have all the electrical panel and water stuff. I'm thinking that little closet in the garage would be the perfect "mechanical" room.

My only concern with a true, prefab manifold is restriction. I want a true 1" manifold with no restricter built in.

I’m unaware of any restrictions in the prefabs but any skilled plumber can make a manifold from scratch.

What kind of pipe are you looking to supply the whole house? Copper, pex A , Pex B, cpvc?


We use WYZE smart equipment. We didn’t do the whole house but we have a few outlets here and there mainly for holiday lighting. The app is super simple and just works.

 

[Fless]

Is that a manifold? I was wondering where I would have all the electrical panel and water stuff. I'm thinking that little closet in the garage would be the perfect "mechanical" room.

My only concern with a true, prefab manifold is restriction. I want a true 1" manifold with no restricter built in.

How are your switches wired/connected? Or do they make them wireless and have a central gateway? I'm very NOT tech savy so I'll apologize in advance.

The lights are a big thing. Being so far off the road, I'd much prefer walking into the house with a light on. If there's a problem, hopefully it give me some time to react or them to exit. I'll also have to figure out internet to the shed and having enough WiFi to cover the house. My current setup does fine, but the house is a smaller footprint. We have the router centrally located in the living room.

Consider wiring CAT6 ethernet to the shed; you'll likely be running the electric underground, right? A separate conduit for the ethernet shouldn't be that much additional labor/cost. You could then have an "access point" out there which would run off of your current router. You'll probably have your phones on wifi calling so voice calls would go through the wifi and not the cell network.

 

[pwtr02ss]

I’m unaware of any restrictions in the prefabs but any skilled plumber can make a manifold from scratch.

What kind of pipe are you looking to supply the whole house? Copper, pex A , Pex B, cpvc?


We use WYZE smart equipment. We didn’t do the whole house but we have a few outlets here and there mainly for holiday lighting. The app is super simple and just works.

Pex is what I ran. Not sure the class.

Consider wiring a CAT6 ethernet to the shed; you'll likely be running the electric underground, right? A separate conduit for the ethernet shouldn't be that much additional labor/cost. You could then have an "access point" out there which would run off of your current router. You'll probably have your phones on wifi calling so voice calls would go through the wifi and not the cell network.

Kinda my plan. But figured I'd need a dedicated router.

 

[Fless]

Kinda my plan. But figured I'd need a dedicated router.

There are various types of range extenders, access points (APs), Mesh, etc. and many can be powered over ethernet (PoE) or with a power brick. For reliability when the AP is distant from the router, hard wire (like CAT6) -- as opposed to wireless -- would be recommended.

What is a Wireless Access Point (WAP) ?

Wireless access points (WAPs) are devices that allow you to connect to a wireless network and access the internet. They are often used in homes and businesses to extend the range of a wireless network or to provide wireless access in areas where it is not possible to run Ethernet cables. Nice...

infinity-cable-products.com

You'd probably want to ask your internet service provider what to use if you're going with their equipment. Otherwise someone familiar with networking would be a valuable contact for situational design.

 

[Tonyv__]

Pex is what I ran. Not sure the class.

I asked because you mention restrictions a lot.

Pex b is most common but 1/2 is really 3/8s at the fittings. Pex A is true 1/2 as the pipe is stretched over the fitting and maintain flow

 

[SirReal63]

Somehow I did not get any notifications for this thread, or my old eyes missed it (probably). You have made great progress, the dirt work is always a challenge as no site is perfect.

What I did not do on my house builds and wished I did was run ethernet everywhere. I planned on just using WiFi until I built the home server and installed 13 CCTV cameras. WiFi cameras suck and they are easily defeated, as are all WiFi connections. If you plan on having cameras, and I would plan on it, make sure the electrical plan includes Cat 6 or higher in places like the attic. From there you can use a POE switch for the cameras, ideally there would be a run to each corner of the house.

I don't know how old you are, but I put a 36" doors everywhere, there is no door here less than 36". When my wife destroyed her knee and was in a wheelchair, those 36" doors paid off.

Insulate more than you think you need to, it also pays off. Our Summer electric. bill is never more than $200 when it is over 100 degrees outside, that bill is for both houses and all infrastructure, in a couple of metal buildings with a house built inside. There is a building concept called the "perfect wall system" devised by one of the smartest people alive. It may be too late to incorporate or cost prohibitive but is good information to have when designing a house. The CliffNotes version is we put too much insulation on the inside of our walls and not enough/none on the outside of the walls and all barriers must connect to each other, throughout the structure. ZipR System is based loosely on this concept.

Lastly and most importantly for your sanity, schedule time away from the build as often as you can. I took a week vacation in the middle of my build and it was a life saver. My stress level went back down to normal. I had so much fun with mine I want to do it gain but the wife will never do it again, she got to watch it take a toll on me physically and have a heart attack. (I survived it better than she did.) lol

 

[pwtr02ss]

Somehow I did not get any notifications for this thread, or my old eyes missed it (probably). You have made great progress, the dirt work is always a challenge as no site is perfect.

What I did not do on my house builds and wished I did was run ethernet everywhere. I planned on just using WiFi until I built the home server and installed 13 CCTV cameras. WiFi cameras suck and they are easily defeated, as are all WiFi connections. If you plan on having cameras, and I would plan on it, make sure the electrical plan includes Cat 6 or higher in places like the attic. From there you can use a POE switch for the cameras, ideally there would be a run to each corner of the house.

I don't know how old you are, but I put a 36" doors everywhere, there is no door here less than 36". When my wife destroyed her knee and was in a wheelchair, those 36" doors paid off.

Insulate more than you think you need to, it also pays off. Our Summer electric. bill is never more than $200 when it is over 100 degrees outside, that bill is for both houses and all infrastructure, in a couple of metal buildings with a house built inside. There is a building concept called the "perfect wall system" devised by one of the smartest people alive. It may be too late to incorporate or cost prohibitive but is good information to have when designing a house. The CliffNotes version is we put too much insulation on the inside of our walls and not enough/none on the outside of the walls and all barriers must connect to each other, throughout the structure. ZipR System is based loosely on this concept.

Lastly and most importantly for your sanity, schedule time away from the build as often as you can. I took a week vacation in the middle of my build and it was a life saver. My stress level went back down to normal. I had so much fun with mine I want to do it gain but the wife will never do it again, she got to watch it take a toll on me physically and have a heart attack. (I survived it better than she did.) lol

Thank you for the input.

36" doors are already incorporated for just that reason. You never know what the future holds.

We're also doing 2x6 exterior walls to have the additional insulation space. I'm not sure if my builder will use zip or standard house wrap, we haven't gotten that far. I'm seeing some folks complain of the tape not holding up in high heat on the zip system but that could be an installation error on the builder. I'll leave those details up to him.

We've tried to think of everything to future proof, both cost of occupancy and comfort. I'm sure we've missed things tho. Cat6 was planned, as is low voltage wiring for automatic (powered) shades. The windows are beautiful and I don't want them covered by standard blinds, but I do want privacy. The detached garage will also have 2x6 walls, unless we're way over on our budget.

Appliances are something we've been discussing as well. We want low to zero maintenance and things that will last. All of these add up quickly, but will likely payoff in the long run.

I'm ready to hand this project over to the builder. I've project managed this phase and it's been stressful. If the rain will hold off, they say they are within a week of being finished.

 

[THE YETI]

Is that a manifold? I was wondering where I would have all the electrical panel and water stuff. I'm thinking that little closet in the garage would be the perfect "mechanical" room.

My only concern with a true, prefab manifold is restriction. I want a true 1" manifold with no restricter built in.

How are your switches wired/connected? Or do they make them wireless and have a central gateway? I'm very NOT tech savy so I'll apologize in advance.

The lights are a big thing. Being so far off the road, I'd much prefer walking into the house with a light on. If there's a problem, hopefully it give me some time to react or them to exit. I'll also have to figure out internet to the shed and having enough WiFi to cover the house. My current setup does fine, but the house is a smaller footprint. We have the router centrally located in the living room.

They are wired like a normal switch and connected to the WiFi. They are app controlled and work like a normal switch if the internet goes out.

 

[pwtr02ss]

They are wired like a normal switch and connected to the WiFi. They are app controlled and work like a normal switch if the internet goes out.

So the WiFi stuff is built into the switch. Very interesting. Thank you

 

[THE YETI]

So the WiFi stuff is built into the switch. Very interesting. Thank you

Correct.

 

[THE YETI]

The lights are a big thing. Being so far off the road, I'd much prefer walking into the house with a light on. If there's a problem, hopefully it give me some time to react or them to exit. I'll also have to figure out internet to the shed and having enough WiFi to cover the house. My current setup does fine, but the house is a smaller footprint. We have the router centrally located in the living room.

Eeros 7PRO, with the outdoor extender. I have them in my FL house and the NC house too.

 

[pwtr02ss]

First round of the shed plans. I'll adjust the stairs. IMO, would be better going above the bathroom and into the bonus area.

Screenshot

 

[THE YETI]

First round of the shed plans. I'll adjust the stairs. IMO, would be better going above the bathroom and into the bonus area.

Peep show?

 

[pwtr02ss]

Peep show?

Skylight is an option

 

[Tonyv__]

Eeros 7PRO, with the outdoor extender. I have them in my FL house and the NC house too.

I can’t tell if I’m doing something wrong with my erros or I’m just stupid.

First round of the shed plans. I'll adjust the stairs. IMO, would be better going above the bathroom and into the bonus area.

Screenshot
View attachment 465398

i was gonna say, do you really need a covered porch at your shed? I just googled pictures though, looks like the porch would be functional for shaded outdoor work?