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Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

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Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#21

Post by lachyg »

JCB_K wrote: post #20
roel_v wrote: post #17

If I had had more time the last time around, I would have build in a 'secret' vault that is controlled by RFID. I have an RFID chip in my hand and I'd be able to open the vault by waving my hand in front of it. You need to think this through if you want to do it, though - devise a way to unlock it mechanically, make sure it doesn't open when the power is off, etc. More mundane things: - induction cooking plates in yo…

I wouldn't say induction cooking is a no-brainer, not everybody likes it. I rather cook on a gas stove.

I would go induction any day of the week, incredibly handy.

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#22

Post by nhebb »

JCB_K wrote: post #2

I'd definitely put in ethernet. But maybe there's some way you can wire everything through 1" PVC pipes, so it's relatively easy to replace it. For Wireless music you can also using Apple's Airport Express? I don't know how expensive solar panels are where you live, but here they are definitely worth it, especially as they get subsidized by the government. Another good green thing is a big tank which uses all your ov…

+1 for PVC pipe in the walls. A friend of mine did that, and it's worked on great for him.

If you have vent system for heating and cooling, it might be worthwhile to look at smart systems with per room control. In my house it's all or nothing, so the bathroom can be 85F while the living room is 65F. (My low tech solution was to cut out thin cardboard from cereal boxes and place it under the vent covers. It's visually unobtrusive, easy to do, and makes a big difference in the heating / cooling effectiveness.)

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#23

Post by CJefferson »

While less exciting, make sure you have access to everywhere.

One day water will drip through the ceiling into the downstairs, and you'll have to start either tearing up the floorboards, or cutting holes in the ceiling, to find out what is leaking from where.

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#24

Post by petervandijck »

JCB_K wrote: post #20
roel_v wrote: post #17

If I had had more time the last time around, I would have build in a 'secret' vault that is controlled by RFID. I have an RFID chip in my hand and I'd be able to open the vault by waving my hand in front of it. You need to think this through if you want to do it, though - devise a way to unlock it mechanically, make sure it doesn't open when the power is off, etc. More mundane things: - induction cooking plates in yo…

I wouldn't say induction cooking is a no-brainer, not everybody likes it. I rather cook on a gas stove.

Agreed, I much prefer cooking gas. Dislike induction.

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#25

Post by petervandijck »

bodski wrote: post #9
petervandijck wrote: post #3

- Plain old electric outlets in almost every corner, more than you think you'd need :) - I'm putting in 2 wood stoves too. - Yes on the ethernet, wifi only takes you that far.

If you are burying cables in the wall you may as well spend the extra and go for Cat. 6a UTP as it's spec'd to carry 10 Gbit Ethernet. Watch out for the minimum bend radius though its often around 30 mm with Cat 6a (4x cable's outer diameter). More and more stuff can be carried down UTP like video (HDMI over Ethernet) and USB devices, it is also ideal for hooking up phones around the place too. You can never have too…

But isn't ethernet way faster than your internet connection, which is your true bottleneck? Unless you're gonna do heaps of local movie streaming or something?

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#26

Post by yaxdotcom »

I rebuilt a house in the SF Bay Area several years ago.

In-floor radiant heating is my absolute favorite feature. Nothing like it.

On-demand tankless hot water system. With two loops (one open, one closed) and a heat exchanger between the two, one on-demand system can serve your domestic hot water plus the in-floor heating.

Humidity switches in the bathrooms to kick on the exhaust fan when moisture builds up from the shower (an anti-mold measure).

I put in structured wiring for phone, Ethernet (CAT 6), and video. I feel really stupid now as the only video I watch is on the computer and I gave up my landline to go solely cellular. I still like the Ethernet jacks in every room but mostly because I can put my wireless router anywhere. Lesson learned: technology changes rapidly. My structured wiring box looks quaint instead of high-tech after only five years.

A solar tube (basically a round skylight with a thirty foot reflective tube) that brings natural light down to ground floor rooms. Very nice.

One piece of advice: Don't get started on house remodeling or construction if you're doing a startup or trying to run a business. It tends to demand far more time than you have. And it's true it can put a strain on relationships (for the same reason).

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#27

Post by nileshk »

Ethernet is absolutely worth it. Streaming video or audio will benefit from this. Having a wired network can help improve your wifi network because you can put wireless access points anywhere you have a wired connection.

The combination of Apple's iTunes + Airport Express + Remote app works very well. But it's much more reliable on a wired network. I used to have this setup on a wifi network, and the music would cut out every so often, but that was because my wifi network was unreliable. Also note when it is on ethernet, the Airport Express can also function as a wireless access point at the same time as streaming music.

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#28

Post by roel_v »

JCB_K wrote: post #20
roel_v wrote: post #17

If I had had more time the last time around, I would have build in a 'secret' vault that is controlled by RFID. I have an RFID chip in my hand and I'd be able to open the vault by waving my hand in front of it. You need to think this through if you want to do it, though - devise a way to unlock it mechanically, make sure it doesn't open when the power is off, etc. More mundane things: - induction cooking plates in yo…

I wouldn't say induction cooking is a no-brainer, not everybody likes it. I rather cook on a gas stove.

Come on, that's either because you didn't really adapt to induction, or because you had a crap stove. Induction is equally good or better than gas in every aspect but one:

- Lower energy use

- Induction responds equally fast as gas (i.e, instantaneously)

- Standing over an induction stove doesn't get nearly as hot as over a gas stove

- Induction is much much much easier to clean.

- No need to find matches/lighter (unless you get a gas stove with build-in ignition)

- No need to put in separate gas piping

- Safer: never having to worry about children turning on the gas, or accidentally turning it on e.g. by bumping into it with a pot

- Pots are on the stove in a much more stable position, both safer and easier to use.

- Induction comes with build-in timers to turn off the heat for a pot (maybe some gas stoves have this, but then only the very expensive ones - I've never seen an induction plate that didn't have it).

Only disadvantage is that not all pots work on it (i.e., you need pots with iron in it, aluminum won't work).

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#29

Post by elliottcarlson »

_ques wrote: post #5

These: http://store.fastmac.com/product_info.php?products_id=458

Highly disappointing that that final design differs so much from the one here: http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/truepower-ucs-usb-power-outlet-...

I'm sure there are technical/electrical issues that forced a different design - just a shame it's not as well executed (and over double the price).

Re: Ask HN: I'm renovating a house, what clever stuff should I build in?

#30

Post by Heimy »

roel_v wrote: post #28
JCB_K wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't say induction cooking is a no-brainer, not everybody likes it. I rather cook on a gas stove.

Come on, that's either because you didn't really adapt to induction, or because you had a crap stove. Induction is equally good or better than gas in every aspect but one: - Lower energy use - Induction responds equally fast as gas (i.e, instantaneously) - Standing over an induction stove doesn't get nearly as hot as over a gas stove - Induction is much much much easier to clean. - No need to find matches/lighter (un…

It still wouldn't call it a no-brainer just because of the "only disadvantage" that you mention. I'd have to throw away half of my pots (including a beautiful tagine)
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