If you were building a house, what is your must have?

[Minnie]

Probably. LOL

[BigBCalgary]

A couple things we really appreciate from our house are, the steam shower, just awesome after a good workout or bad weather day. Mud room as part of the garage entrance to house. Seperate playroom for the kids crap and the coated floor in the garage with decent cabinets... A little extra storage can go a long way.
One of the things I've seen lately is a separate beverage fridge at one end of the kitchen island and another in the wet bar downstairs. Always a good to have a supply of beer and the like handy, especially when entertaining.

[V]

If we're dreaming, all I really care about is a large shop with at least 20' ceilings, a bathroom, a tonne of power, gas and air, and a pressurized spray room. I couldn't care less what the house looked like.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

That looks like a death trap.

I don't think you have a keen eye for identifying danger.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

Quad electrical outlets in the kitchen, living room, media room, basement, garage, and on the wall where you think your bed will go.

And in the bathroom if you tend to leave a lot of stuff plugged in.

[Also...those whole house surge protectors that Holmes on Homes repeatedly pushes might be worth installing]

Don't bother with a whole house surge protector. They're a bit of a scam. Their installation method they suggest doesn't align with how the product actually works. Also nowhere on its technical specs does it say how fast it acts, without knowing that, it's tough to say if it will actually stop a surge immediately or if it will go through a few cycles of electricity and burn your stuff.

Unless it comes with some sort of guarantee and warranty I wouldn't touch it.

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Close! 2015 edition of the CEC.

Which rule/section? Not saying it's not true, but curious since I couldn't find it and the CoC (and other cities) doesn't mention it in their homeowner wiring guide. And was never mentioned as required when I had the city inspect my electrical last week.

I know that Quebec was going to make 240v outlets mandatory in new builds and that requirement would be part of the building code.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

Which rule/section? Not saying it's not true, but curious since I couldn't find it and the CoC (and other cities) doesn't mention it in their homeowner wiring guide. And was never mentioned as required when I had the city inspect my electrical last week.

I know that Quebec was going to make 240v outlets mandatory in new builds and that requirement would be part of the building code.

26-710 item O

Where required by the National building code of Canada, receptacles for use with electrical vehicle supply equipment as specified in rule 86-306 SHALL be provided for car spaces in a garage or car port serving buildings of residential occupancy.

The reason for bolding the word shall, is that in code terminology it means "must". 86-306 doesn't specify anything in particular to this conversation. Car charging stations are 240v (some come with 120v cords but aren't considered stations). The common interpretation isn't that a 240v receptacle must be present, but be available (240v panel, conduit to pull in 240v between the house and garage, wire capable of running 240v at appropriate current levels).

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by Reaper

I don't think you have a keen eye for identifying danger.

It is one of most comfortable looking death traps Ive ever seen. Not many that I would consider napping on...before my imminent and unavoidable death.

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

26-710 item O

Where required by the National building code of Canada, receptacles for use with electrical vehicle supply equipment as specified in rule 86-306 SHALL be provided for car spaces in a garage or car port serving buildings of residential occupancy.

The reason for bolding the word shall, is that in code terminology it means "must". 86-306 doesn't specify anything in particular to this conversation. Car charging stations are 240v (some come with 120v cords but aren't considered stations). The common interpretation isn't that a 240v receptacle must be present, but be available (240v panel, conduit to pull in 240v between the house and garage, wire capable of running 240v at appropriate current levels).

Since 86-306 doesn't specify, would a 110v receptacle not be acceptable? I can charge an EV off one of those no problem, I don't need 240v.

[PaperBagger'14]

Charging stations don't run on 120v, they use 240v. The plug adapters they give aren't considered a station, that's where the 240v comes in.

[OMG!WTF!]

Really great original art. And the nooks, crannies and lights needed to feature them.

[calgarywinning]

Originally Posted by V

Ugh. You sound like an electrician. Pot lights are awful. You want to know which place had the lighting designed by an electrician? Look for all the pot lights.

No electrician here, but understand the need for good lighting to eliminate the darkness of a home. In Calgary's winters when that sun sets, no matter how many windows you have you still live in a hole. Good lighting can change that.

When you are in a newly framed home and it's been boarded, you really get the sense of the darkness of the structure you live in for shelter.

What is the alternative? There are many different types of pot lights. We used flush gimbals that are flush mount. We have uplighting, we have stair lighting. The home comes alive despite darkness, which is an aspect that is important to building, because it's difficult to change after the fact. As I also pointed out, it comes alive with mood and not just brightness.

Many off the better homes i've been in take advantage of modern lighting to elevate the home.

Pot lights are important but mood lighting, chandeliers, and fixtures are just as important, but to me these can be added after the fact if need be, on a new build getting proper lighting in using pot lights is your only real shot at it.

You go into so many homes that use a central fixture to light and you end up with a bubble of light around the bed, where illumination is not actually needed. Augmented with lamps, and most often those lamps aren't on a switch.

Lighting is a very important part of building a home from scratch. Couple thousand can make it shine, instead of shadow.

[To Be Quite Honest]

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.t...000120703.html

Have these shooting down to all the floors, including the basement.

[t0rrent98]

Open Kitchen with walk through pantry, 3 or 4 ensuite Master bedroom with a decent sized walk in closet, and a massive garage ( like Jay Leno's :P)

my dream shower one day with a see through wall over looking the master bed room.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by t0rrent98

Open Kitchen with walk through pantry, 3 or 4 ensuite Master bedroom with a decent sized walk in closet, and a massive garage ( like Jay Leno's :P)

my dream shower one day with a see through wall over looking the master bed room.

That jet at the bottom would sure make cleaning the ol bumhole easier.

[Stormageddon]

Originally Posted by Minnie

Also this, that I ran across tonight, if your pantry wall is adjacent to the garage - a small door to unload groceries directly into the pantry as opposed to a dozen trips from vehicle into house, to pantry and back to vehicle:

That seems like a massive pain if you have anything more than a couple bags of groceries

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

That jet at the bottom would sure make cleaning the ol bumhole easier.

Or drive that corn so far up that it gets pooped out a week removed from eating it.

[2ArmBands]

Originally Posted by t0rrent98

Open Kitchen with walk through pantry, 3 or 4 ensuite Master bedroom with a decent sized walk in closet, and a massive garage ( like Jay Leno's :P)

my dream shower one day with a see through wall over looking the master bed room.

Well... The wife wouldn't have any use for me anymore

[Thor]

That shower just looks scary.

[Cappy]

Many good ideas

I would argue for the need of separate "his" and "her" areas when the are feasible.

Walk in closet? Split it with the hallway to the bathroom, both getting one side.

Two sinks in the bathroom? Make them separate counter spaces.

Prevents spillage that surely happens