New Home Details Wishlist

New-home building details to consider

Bathrooms

• Ensuite dual sinks
• Makeup or vanity area
• Add an outlet in the primary bathroom closet as a night light
• Outlets inside upper and lower vanity cabinets for dryer, etc.
• Heated towel racks
• Do not caulk the bottom of the toilet to the flooring as it will hide leaks
• Make use of a pony (half) wall and turn it into storage space
• Choose standard faucets and fixtures, as these can be replaced with higher quality parts in the future (often less expensively, too)

Closets

• Add outlets to closets that might need it
• Make sure closets have space for both double-hung rods and singles to accommodate for longer clothing
• Include a full-size broom cupboard in pantry or laundry room to hide cleaning items out of sight
• Add cubbies in your mudroom
• Add a motion sensor to pantry and closet lights
• Ask about a laundry chute if laundry room is downstairs
• Add shoe racks in the primary walk-in closet

Outdoor

• Hose outlets on all 4 sides of your home
• Both hot and cold outdoor water is great for washing pets
• Gas line to BBQ
• Keypad entry on garage door
• Prewire for outdoor speakers
• Hot tub hook-up rough-in
• Run conduit under the driveway for future wiring needs
• Outdoor outlets in soffits for Christmas lights, with on/off switch
• Garage door windows add a more high-end appearance

Kitchen

• Outlets in the pantry for charging or for items that may end up staying there
• With wide islands, place cabinets on both sides for storage
• Built-in paper towel holder
• Custom storage organization in kitchen drawers
• Setup for both gas and electric appliances (rough in a gas line to stove)
• Pantry light on motion sensor
• Pull out garbage/recycling/laundry drawer
• Two soap pumps at sink (one hand soap, one dish soap)
• Easy-access cupboard for storing frequently used appliances

Electrical and Plumbing

• Security system and cameras on walkways and front gates
• Run wire and prepare your roof for future solar panels
• 20z circuit with outlets waist-high in garage to plug in tools
• 20z circuit for TV and A/V equipment
• Prewire for indoor and outdoor speakers
• Carbon monoxide unit on the wall near bedrooms
• 220V outlet in garage for tools
• Include a drain in the garage to remove excess water from vehicles during rain or snow periods
• Plan the location of your electrical panel to hide it from sight
• Water faucet in your garage to hose down your garage when it gets dirty

Lighting

• Under-cabinet lighting
• Outdoor lighting on timers or motion sensors
• Primary switch from primary bedroom for all exterior lighting
• Pot light over fireplace (if no TV is present)

Heating and Cooling

• Get a central vac rough-in, even if you don't plan on buying a full vacuum system right away
• Rough-in toe-kicks in kitchen for easy clean up
• Heated floors in basement or tiled areas
• Zoned heating that can control the heating on each floor individually

Basement

• Wet bar and games area
• Pot lights help illuminate dark rooms
• Mechanical rooms are often larger than they have to be (this space can be used as another room or a fitness area)
• TV wall mount, and prewire HDMI and cable wire into wall

Bedrooms

• Silent-slamming doors
• Light switch near the bed

And finally, ask lots of questions.

Ask your site superintendent lots of questions during your walk-throughs. Do research to prepare questions ahead of time, and be as detailed as possible. Make sure to have them point out all light switches, outlets and door swings, so that you can make any adjustments before it's too late.

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