New home build. Lots of technology to go into it

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Talkiet

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#213995 22-Apr-2017 21:23

Well my build has started strong now - I was passing by today and all the framing (not roof) was already up and I had only just received the progress invoice for the foundation pour!

I'm doing this on a definite budget, but want a nice place with lots of technology at the end with a stupid garage... Basically..

- Rolleston location - 880m2 section

- 3 BR, 2 bath

- Combined kitchen/dining

- Lounge is actually more of a media room

- 70m2 garage (!)

Some of the extras...

- Ceiling storage above garage - about 10-12m2 with a ladder

- All lighting controlled by Z-wave smartiness... Probably openhab/Alexa or openhab/Google Home. (Currently trialling in my current place with Alexa)

- In ceiling drop down projector screen

- In ceiling hinged drop down projector lift

Screw it - Here's the youtube link. Why every forum has a different method for embedding youtube clips I'll never know...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAe0xEpJoho

- Integrated smart control of multizone heat pump

- Lots of integrated cabling (I think about 40 ports at last count)

- Extra cabling to each soffit corner for POE IP cameras

- Space in the garage for a lathe and mill (MAYBE CNC if I don't blow the build budget)

After signing the build and it starting it's been racing on and earlier today I saw this...

Which was a great surprise.

I still haven't decided on the kitchen top material or the interior colours, or even the driveway (probably not tarmac, might go for the fancy exposed aggregate look). Also landscaping is something I have no idea about... Will think about that closer to the time.

All pretty exciting and the garage is a lot bigger than I thought it would be, even after I marked it out in chalk on my current driveway! Oh well... More room for activities I guess!

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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#1769078 22-Apr-2017 21:34

Get a 300L hot water cylinder instead of the more typical 180L. More options for smart control, or heating with night rate power.

Jase2985

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#1769079 22-Apr-2017 21:34

Looking good Neil

Will be following this closely as we are just starting the design phase on ours.

hairy1

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#1769080 22-Apr-2017 21:39

Insulated garage and garage door if not already spec'd. Looking good so far!

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

DarthKermit

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#1769082 22-Apr-2017 22:00

Do you have a dedicated space intended for a server, network switch and/or a NAS?

Talkiet

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#1769083 22-Apr-2017 22:01

Yep, it's a 300L unit, Solar (tubes) ready... I decided against insulated garage deliberately for condensation reasons mostly. Well, actually about 1/3 of the garage walls and ceiling will be insulated and there's one big double glazed window so that part of the garage could be cheaply converted to a 4th bedroom for resale if needed.

Oh, I have a very occasional set of entries here as well...

http://bignewgarage.blogspot.co.nz/

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

driller2000

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#1769085 22-Apr-2017 22:02

I realise you didn't come here for build advice per se :)

But by the sounds of it you still have a few items and therefore PS (Provisional Sums) to lock down.

I would lock these down ASAP if I was you as they can quickly get away for you, as most build companies std PS's are low - so you may end up having to compromise on stuff you didn't want to if you don't price and prioritise now.

It will also give you more certainty about your build cost now rather than getting a suprise later.

Build companies prefer vaugeness as it means they have you by the short and curlies come variation time.

I locked down every single item/PS before we signed (as I should being a Civil Eng / PM) - pissed the builders off a bit as it slowed the process down - but it meant I came in EXACTLY on budget.

And...all the best with the build :) - it is great to be able to create the home YOU want rather than live in someone else's creation :)

Talkiet

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#1769087 22-Apr-2017 22:03

DarthKermit:

Do you have a dedicated space intended for a server, network switch and/or a NAS?

There's a 9U deep cabinet in the garage which will fit a 48 port switch, UPS, NVR, NAS, Fibre termination, a couple of Odroid C2s and a Pi. I used to have a stupid home system with lots of machines, now apart form my main machine all I need is a NAS and a couple of SBCs for non intensive tasks...

It looked like this...

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Talkiet

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#1769089 22-Apr-2017 22:07

driller2000:

I realise you didn't come here for build advice per se :)

But by the sounds of it you still have a few items and therefore PS (Provisional Sums) to lock down.

I would lock these down ASAP if I was you as they can quickly get away for you, as most build companies std PS's are low - so you may end up having to compromise on stuff you didn't want to if you don't price and prioritise now.

It will also give you more certainty about your build cost now rather than getting a suprise later.

Build companies prefer vaugeness as it means they have you by the short and curlies come variation time.

I locked down every single item/PS before we signed (as I should being a Civil Eng / PM) - pissed the builders off a bit as it slowed the process down - but it meant I came in EXACTLY on budget.

And...all the best with the build :) - it is great to be able to create the home YOU want rather than live in someone else's creation :)

Chuckle - read the blog I just posted. I am painfully aware of PS and PC sums...

I don't have anything that's still a PC sum with the building company... The Kitchen benchtop is just me looking at upgrade options on the current fixed price, and the paths and driveway are out of the builders scope - it's up to me.

So far I have been bitten only to the tune of a few hundred dollars when the foundation needed to be 350mm vs the assumed 300mm...

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

SumnerBoy

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#1769095 22-Apr-2017 22:33

Looking good mate - exciting times seeing that framing going up eh?! Things will slow down a bit now but still a great process to be involved with - enjoy!

Sounds like you have put plenty of thought into everything. Looking forward to seeing progress - hope you keep us updated!

blakamin

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#1769099 22-Apr-2017 23:15

Love the size of your garage!!!

mattwnz

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#1769101 22-Apr-2017 23:43

That is certainly a huge garage. Read your blog post about that, and it makes a bit of a mockery on the way some houses are priced in NZ. Guess you could turn it into some additional rooms in the future by simply adding some partition walls

rosco62

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#1769102 22-Apr-2017 23:45

Forget about a hot water cylinder and solar, I did it, never stacked up financially,, took up heaps of space. Last year replaced it all with a rinnai continuous flow gas system and 2 x 45 litre lpg bottles. Best move ever, power bill went way down, a bottle lasts 4 of us 3 months and is $90 to refill and we don't pay to keep stored hot water up to temperature. My plumber says that 90% of the new builds he does are with this type of system.

mattwnz

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#1769103 22-Apr-2017 23:53

rosco62: Forget about a hot water cylinder and solar, I did it, never stacked up financially,, took up heaps of space. Last year replaced it all with a rinnai continuous flow gas system and 2 x 45 litre lpg bottles. Best move ever, power bill went way down, a bottle lasts 4 of us 3 months and is $90 to refill and we don't pay to keep stored hot water up to temperature. My plumber says that 90% of the new builds he does are with this type of system.

The main problem with that, is that those units usually have a shorter life than HWC's. So you have to build the cost of replacement into it. So they possibly last less than half the time of a HWC, depending on the quality you get. I do have an intant gas hot water system myself, and it has just needed an expensive repair, and has now developed a problem with the electronic controller, although it is around 10 years old. HWC though just go forever.

But I would agree about forgetting about using solar tubes. IMO using PV maybe a better option to heat the HWC these days, due to the cost of the panels coming down, and possibly more durable and aesthetically pleasing too.

Talkiet

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#1769104 22-Apr-2017 23:55

rosco62: Forget about a hot water cylinder and solar, I did it, never stacked up financially,, took up heaps of space. Last year replaced it all with a rinnai continuous flow gas system and 2 x 45 litre lpg bottles. Best move ever, power bill went way down, a bottle lasts 4 of us 3 months and is $90 to refill and we don't pay to keep stored hot water up to temperature. My plumber says that 90% of the new builds he does are with this type of system.

I'm well informed on this area... In my current house I originally had low pressure hot water and a few years ago upgraded to a 2*45L LPG hot water system (good size Rinnai). It's better than the LP system (by a lot) but it's NOT as good (in terms of pressure) as a mains pressure HWC.

[changed this bit] In my experience, gas hot water doesn't provide enough temp rise to run a shower at full pressure. And that's my bottom line..

I know PV Solar doesn't stack up economically or environmentally but solar tubes MIGHT... I am not putting them in to start with. I'm the only person living here so the issue of running out of cylinder space isn't a problem.

Cheers - N

ps. I also expect my statement that I don't think Solar stacks up will get some people upset, but FOR ME, the only solar that I would consider would be a system that provides battery backup AND can charge batteries while the grid is down (MOST don't) and has enough capacity (generation and storage) to cover a complete night for half the year. For a system like that, there are significant battery costs, and they aren't a one time deal unfortunately. For what I wanted the ROI was over ten years and by that stage the maintenance costs would be high enough to make it marginal at best. I have a 2kW generator for backup :-)

Oh, and while PV solar is taking demand away from existing renewable energy sources, it doesn't stack up from a greenie point of view...

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

mattwnz

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#1769105 23-Apr-2017 00:05

The problem I have heard of with things with solar tubes and the older HW roof panels, is corrosion. So over time they can get surface corrosion that reduces their effectiveness considerably. They also have to be put on the right angle to be most effective, so you end up seeing a lot of really ugly installs on peoples roofs. I was only talking about using PV solely for water heating similar to how this works https://de.krannich-solar.com/en/self-consumption/self-consumption-for-private-customers/pv-heating.html . So you would still need electricity from the grid. It is just a more modern way for heating your water, over using the tubes. I have done green house design courses, and this is seen a good way to do it. It didn't used to be though, because PV panels used to be very expensive, but not so much anymore. Although purchasing the panels in NZ is probably still quite expensive compared to other countries.

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