Hi Adam,

Monday, September 18, 2006, 8:02:26 PM, you wrote:

> what would you build into a custom designed house?

A Japanese style bathtub - they are great for soaking in. The one I liked was as
wide as a tub but not as long, and deep enough to sit with water up to your neck
- there was a low seat on one side. I don't know how available they are outside
of Japan; I don't have one now, and sometimes toy with the idea of making one.

A "stink fan." Imagine 2" PVC plumbed to the toilet, and the end squashed almost
flat to fit under the seat. The squashed end is not glued to the rest of the PVC
for ease of cleaning. The other end has a fan and is vented outside. The fan is
on a timer. A louder fan, if installed near the bathroom can give some privacy.
I don't have a link, but at least one toilet manufacturer (from British
Columbia, Canada, I believe) is making their toilets with under-the-rim venting
and a hole in the back to attach the PVC. Or use stainless steel, rather than
PCV to go under the seat. Stink fans are found in Hutterite bathrooms, as well
as the common ceiling vent fan, which is not used as a stink fan, since it
doesn't work nearly as well.

In many Japanese homes, the toilet water is plumbed as a sink - when it is
flushed, clean water comes out of a pipe so you can wash your hands, and this
water is saved to flush the toilet the next time. Is this feasible as a
do-it-yourself project?

An unheated, separate storage area in the basement is nice for fruits and
vegetables. Build this as a part of the concrete foundation under the front
porch with concrete on all four sides and a door to the basement for access.
It should not freeze in winter, and is cool in summer.

If you are going to go with a central vacuum, consider adding floor-level
sweep-ins throughout the house. They have a foot switch to turn on the vacuum,
and you simply sweep the dust into them. Those that have them tell me they work
well.

A built-in dirty laundry hamper in the bathroom - with an access door(s) in the
hallway - or, if the washing machine is next to the bathroom, have the access
door open right into the laundry room. The hamper opening in the bathroom can be
small. If you had an upstairs bathroom above the main floor bathroom, the
upstairs hamper could be connected to the main floor hamper.

Half, or split doors may be handy for keeping children out of work areas (or
keep them in play areas) but not isolating yourself as much as regular closed
doors do.

I hope you work with an experienced home designer; my brother designs houses and
he has told me about the issues he takes into consideration. Tour a few houses
that person has designed and ask why he or she did things the way they did, and
ask the owner what they like, or would change, and why. I don't think you will
regret the time.

Just my two cents.

-- 
Best regards,
Patrick Murphy
James Valley Colony
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