Self build house - advice please

Colourjam

Colourjam

Colourjam

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Joined
21 Sep 2007
Posts
128
Hi folks,

I've been a long time lurker on this forum, but decided to start up my own wee thread to get some advice on my new build house. I've posted this in General but feel free to move it if it's better suited elsewhere.

My wife and I decided to build our own 1.5 story bungalow after finding that even with working two good jobs there was no way we couldnt afford to buy even a small house. Luckily we had a very nice neighbour who lived near my parents who sold us her back garden for a great price... and 2.5 years of planning consent and building control later we started the build late May this year!

Pics:

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My question to the tech heads of this forum is... if you were doing a self build what gadgetry would you build into it while all the walls/spaces are accessible?

Obviously I'm a way off yet for looking into this fully but it would be good to get a heads up on the best ways/products for the following:

  • What would be the recommended form of network cable, cat6?
  • What is the best way to get an HD signal from a PC in one room to TV in lounge? Obviously HDMI cable cant be too long. Bedroom 2 on the plan below is actually going to be a study so I would need some sort of line from there to the lounge.
  • What's the best setup for a sound system linked to the TV in the lounge, I was planning on having speakers in each top corner of the room but open to suggestions as I know nothing about this.
  • What kind of speaker cables would I need.
  • Need advice on best speakers/amp (whatever it is).
  • Will I need to reinforce the wall where the plasma TV will be mounted?
  • Id like a projector in the future in the lounge can anyone recommend the wiring I would need to install for this.

Downstairs Plan:
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Upstairs Plan:
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Underfloor Heating Plan:
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Dont have a limitless budget for luxuries like speakers etc but looking for decent stuff for all my questions.

If anyone can help with any of the above queries that would be great, and any ideas or suggestions would be most welcome.

Many thanks
 
Last edited:
Ohhh, looks nice. I'd love to do something like that.

Can't definitavely answer all your questions, but I can offer some advice:

Getting an HD signal from a PC to a TV, I would use some kind of intermediary device to act as storage / streaming / control. That way you dont have to run a long HDMI and you can control the device locally instead of from another room. I use a PS3 for my streaming, but there are alternative and cheaper devices available. I stream using network-over-power since 200mbs is easily sufficient and means I don't have to lay additional cabling.

If you are putting speaker cable (or other AV connectors into the wall or under floors then possibly the best way to do it is to put conduits in with brush plates. That way you can easily change the cables as and when requried and you can add more cables when they are (inevitably) needed.

For surround speakers your front centre and front mains should be about about head height. The rears can be higher, but I prefer them at head height as well. Don't worry too much about getting the perfect amp and speakers now if budget is limited, it can all be upgraded in the future when funds allow.

The TV will have to be fixed to a solid or reinfored wall.
 
Gadgetry... hmm.

Well you cant go wrong with lots of sockets on every wall. The only things I have drilled holes in walls for is ethernet cable and coax from the aerial on the roof.

Retractable kettle leads. :D
 
dannyjo22 said:
Those footings don't look deep at all :confused:

Nice project to start from scratch :)
Click to expand...

Yeah they dont look too deep but they are sufficient, they have been inspected before the concrete was poured, and the house is sitting on extremely hard ground... the digger had a very hard time digging it out.

SkeeterPSA said:
Underfloor heating pannels?
Click to expand...

Yeah already got the kit for this ready to install, good idea though cheers.

Thanks for all replies so far, got some good hints there
 
Central vacuum cleaning system? Pricey but handy :D

Chuck plenty of cat6 around the house, and present it in a patch panel close to where your Telephone lines are coming in etc. Put at least 2 points in every room and when it comes to moving/adding phones, network etc you will be laughing.

Nice project, good luck with the build :)
 
I am seriously jealous! I wish I had the time to build a house from scratch! I can't wait to see the final product!
 
Rain water collector system later on perhaps having a gutter fill up a inbuilt tank in the wall somewhere with a tap on the end. For watering a garden if u plan to have one.

A composter built in somewhere in the kitchen to throw organic waste into to make good compost for gardening also?

Star Trek doors. :p
 
Oh flood it with cat5e or cat6, buy a Power over ethernet switch, install POE cameras covering door, approaches and car parking.

Put a server in some out of the way location, with the switch, and have a port in the living room for a media front end. Have same in the bedroom. Give it lots of disk space, put blu-rays and music on it.

In the living room have a Sony W5500 40" tv and Onkyo 607 AV amp, attach media PC to same....have nice speakers with cables under floor.

Put a N wireless AP in the same place as the server/switch for roaming around, make sure it covers the garden.

I'm doing the same to my house, i'm about 50% of the way there.....
 
SkeeterPSA said:
Rain water collector system later on perhaps having a gutter fill up a inbuilt tank in the wall somewhere with a tap on the end. For watering a garden if u plan to have one.

A composter built in somewhere in the kitchen to throw organic waste into to make good compost for gardening also?
Click to expand...

This. Get some solar panels as well (maybe, I don't know of the effectiveness in England).
 
Great build. I'd forget about an integrated vacuum cleaner, it's pants and the costs associated do not justify the practicality.
I'd recommend treating any timber with long lasting coats before you add any other layers such as the cladding on the facade.

I'll be watching this :) Great work :)
 
Stolly said:
In the living room have a Sony W5500 40" tv and Onkyo 607 AV amp, attach media PC to same....have nice speakers with cables under floor......
Click to expand...

Can you even still buy them? I went into town to buy one after mulling it over for too long and the sonys seem to have been replaced with cheaper worse new models?

If I was starting from scratch I'd want ground source heating. Putting it in on a new build is decent value for money.
 
Projectors are a bit of a pain for day to day use. Cleaning filters, bulbs, ambient lighting etc.

They have come some way but I would never use one for my daily viewer.
 
Stolly said:
Oh flood it with cat5e or cat6, buy a Power over ethernet switch, install POE cameras covering door, approaches and car parking.
Click to expand...

Agreed, you can get adaptors that let you run VGA or HDMI over cat5/6 over long distances. Have it all running back to one point. You can also use it to connect phones (normal phones as well as IP phones).
 
Great project for you, and welcome.

I'd cat6 up the house, and install wiring ducts for speakers in every room (I wouldnt install the wires as you might want to change these, but provision space for them being run into the design).
 
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