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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?

#31

Post by dirkgadsden »

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…

Totally air-tight houses can be a danger as well; in my home (which is old and "breathes"), a heater once malfunctioned; when I noticed the malfunction (black accumulant around the vents) and called a technician to come check it out, the technician said that if the house had been air-tight I would likely be either severely hospitalized or dead, so sometimes a little non-air-tightness can be good, especially since it encourages you to open the windows and doors and get some fresh air instead of relying on the air conditioner all year round.

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

#32

Post by adestefan »

Go pellet/corn instead of a true wood stove. I got so sick of splitting wood and cleaning a crappy wood stove that I replaced mine. Now I just dump in 40 lbs of pellets and let her rip. After a couple bags I just need to take my vacuum and 5 minutes later I have a clean stove. Plus I can keep the bags in the garage instead of lugging outside in the snow.

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

#33

Post by adestefan »

dirkgadsden wrote: post #31
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…

Totally air-tight houses can be a danger as well; in my home (which is old and "breathes"), a heater once malfunctioned; when I noticed the malfunction (black accumulant around the vents) and called a technician to come check it out, the technician said that if the house had been air-tight I would likely be either severely hospitalized or dead, so sometimes a little non-air-tightness can be good, especially since it…

A home that can breath is also more comfortable. It keeps moisture in check and helps with stale air transfer.

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

#34

Post by Mz »

Look into passive solar design options. There are lots of "old" things that can be done to make the house functional without having to constantly run up the electric bill for heating, air conditioning, etc. Passive solar works best if you are building from the ground up because house orientation and things like that can be big factors. But that doesn't mean you can't incorporate some passive solar design principles into a renovation.

If it were my house, I would make sure all those modern gizmos are bells and whistles/icing on the cake and that the entire thing doesn't simply fall apart without them. That's part of my wishlist for some time in the future.

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

#35

Post by qjz »

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…

Note that portable single "burner" induction cooktops are available at under $100 for anyone who wants to investigate the technology before committing to it. It will remain a useful appliance, whatever your preference (warming plate, at-table presentations, cooking on the porch, etc.).

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

#36

Post by comforteagle »

Having read some of the comments already I vote heartily for radiant heating floors, green tech which does not cause more maintenance proceedures/confusion for next buyer, proper amounts of electrical plugs (id put them in the floor in the main living areas or at least at the very base of the floor molds. Lots of houses have ethernet cabling... I think you're safe with that. Air exchanges aren't sexy, but awesome.

hack summer - partly screened in deck/porch from mosquitos are wonderful.

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

#38

Post by bryanlarsen »

petervandijck wrote: post #25
bodski wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

In 20 years time, 10 Gigabit ethernet is going to be slow. Maybe he'll want to stream holographic projections or something and he can't do it because his wires only support gigabit ethernet. That's the problem with house remodelling: predicting the future. That's why you always overbuild while you have the drywall off and laying cable is relatively cheap.

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

#39

Post by qjz »

adestefan wrote: post #32

Go pellet/corn instead of a true wood stove. I got so sick of splitting wood and cleaning a crappy wood stove that I replaced mine. Now I just dump in 40 lbs of pellets and let her rip. After a couple bags I just need to take my vacuum and 5 minutes later I have a clean stove. Plus I can keep the bags in the garage instead of lugging outside in the snow.

Also consider a rocket stove, which are increasing in popularity due to their efficiency.

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

#40

Post by jerrytap »

A couple things I wish I had after visiting some friends. Wire the opposite sides of your rooms on different fuses. Run gas lines to your backyard for access to heaters and grill. The gas from your house is different than what you would use for your grill/outside heating you may need to change the aperture of the openings. Walk around your house and find somewhere you would like your garden. Find a window that looks over that spot, and install a switch inside next to the window that controls an outlet outside the house. It's nice to be able to water your garden with a flip of a switch. :)
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