Build Your House Yourself University

Today I’ll review things you should consider when choosing your home site.  After deciding to build instead of buying a new home, many people are so focused on the house design that they give little thought to the LAND on which they will place their future home.  But what lot you choose is a major factor in determining how much it will cost you to build and maintain your home and how much you will ultimately enjoy it.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

What’s the best place for your washer and dryer? I’m a fan of putting them near bedrooms and bathrooms where there is easy access to where dirty clothes are taken off and clean clothes are stored.  But there are also some benefits to locating the laundry room in other parts of the house, such as the near the kitchen, in a mudroom, in a hallway closet or even a basement. This week we’ll talk about the pros and cons of locating your laundry room in different areas of the house.

Show notes at BYHYU 191

As I was going over the lighting plan for my new house, I wondered if there were different rules for lighting rooms with tall ceilings as opposed to standard 8 foot ceilings.  Is ok to use the same type and average number of recessed lights throughout your house, no matter a room’s function or ceiling height?  Does a 2 story foyer or rooms with vaulted ceilings need special lighting considerations? 

Worse than not installing enough canned lights and lighting fixtures is wasting money by having an appropriate number of fixtures, but fixtures that don’t put out adequate light in specific situations, like rooms with tall ceilings.  So I did some research about how to light rooms with tall ceilings, which many of us will have in our new builds. The information was much harder to find than I anticipated.  But, after days for searching lighting design, electrician, lighting manufacturer, and retail lighting websites, I came up with a few tips for some basic guidelines for lighting rooms with ceiling greater than the standard 8 feet.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

This week I have a rebroadcast of one of my most popular episodes.  It’s a mini lesson packed full of information.  It covers lighting design basics and lighting terminology.  This is a good review for next week when I’ll have a brand new episode that will discuss lighting specifically for rooms with tall ceilings, that is ceilings that are  9 feet or higher.  Basic lighting design principles need to be tweaked a bit for rooms with high ceilings, and we’ll talk about that next week. But have a listen to Lighting 101 now, so you’ll be ready for next week.  And quiz yourself, if you’ve listened before.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

This week we’ll review a previously built, energy-efficient home so we can consider some of the materials and methods for our own homes.  The case study house is an affordable greenhouse that cost $114 per square foot and is located in Seattle, Washington, where the average house is $200 per square foot.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Whether you want to hire a professional to design and install the landscaping for your new home or do it yourself, there are a few basic tips and rules that will help you plan outdoor spaces.   

Show notes at BYHYU.com

This week we’re going over a list of features that many homeowners are requesting in new homes that they’re buying or building.  This is according to an article in Professional Builder magazine where builders, architects, designers, and other industry experts were asked about must-have features that today’s homeowners want.  Take a look and see how many things on the list will be included in your new home.  You may not want to include all these elements, but consider the ones that are best for you and your family. 

Show notes at BYHYU.com

How should you coordinate your backsplash and countertop?  Should they be a match or contrasting?  What should you choose first?   And how much influence should your flooring and cabinet choices have on your choice of backsplash and countertop?  This week I’ll give you a few quick tips to help with making choices for these two major surfaces of the kitchen.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

It’s one thing to see small samples of countertops, tile, paint, and flooring in a showroom or retail space, but to see those design features displayed in new houses is so much more helpful. Not even full-sized samples such as doors, plumbing fixtures, and lighting fixtures have the same impact in a showroom or a photo as they do up close and personal in real-life applications.  That’s why I take as many opportunities as I can to go to new homes around the country.  I want to stay on the pulse of what's new and trending and what design features seem to be here to stay for the foreseeable future— the ones that emerged several years ago, but don’t seem to be going anywhere, like linear fireplaces.   

I recently went to 2 parades of homes— in Kansas City and one in the Memphis TN area.  I visited about 30 different brand new homes— about 6 in Memphis and the rest in Kansas City. Many of the features that I saw, we’ve talked about on other design trend episodes, but I think it’s important to keep revisiting the topic of home design so we don’t build and decorate a brand new house in a way that looks dated soon after we move in.  Here are some of the top design elements that I saw in those parades of homes…

Show notes at BYHYU.com

The Energy Information Administration says that home appliances produce the third-largest energy expenditure in the home, representing about 9% of the typical energy bill.  Only heating and cooling, and water heating use more energy.   

Specifically, refrigerators and clothes dryers have the highest operating costs per year.  To decrease the amount of energy used in our homes, we can choose Energy Star appliances and products.  This week, we’ll learn more about the Energy Star program and how much more efficient its certified appliances are.

Show notes at BYHYU.com