Best simple ideas and concepts to design in to new build

[Jeremy Harris]

In our case the only place for a mirror was right where an internal light switch would have to be placed, so a pull cord was the better option.  Our shower room sits under the eaves, so there's only a limited amount of usable wall space (you can see the still overly-long pull cord at the left of this photo):

 

[newhome]

2 minutes ago, Ed Davies said:

 

Out of interest, why outside? So long as it's more than 600 mm from the bath or shower (i.e., outside the zones) it can be inside. Does a zone overlap the obvious place for it just inside the door?

 

I think most of them would be within 600mm of either a bath or shower potentially but we had them outside in our last house (developer built) so I guess we were used to them being there anyway. The downstairs wet room is the one that isn't within 600mm but maybe it's not so clever to have an inside switch in a wet room that has no screen anyway. Plus having them outside means we didn't have to tile round them. I don't know for sure TBH as the hubby did all of the electrics here. I do know there are a few things I would change in respect of the socket / switches positions in general . 

 

 

[Hecateh]

On 01/12/2018 at 02:28, albert said:

I have asked my electrician for a master light switch by the front and back door  that shuts down all lighting apart from the external lights. My idea is when all the light are left on I just hit one switch to turn them off when we leave the house. Simple to wire.

 

My hall lights are on a pir, light comes on as soon as I go through the door, great when hands fully of shopping

 

On 01/12/2018 at 06:44, Jenjen said:

We will be making sure our shower  controls are far away from our shower head,  no more wet arm turning it on in the morning. 

I have done that too, 

 

19 hours ago, Jude1234 said:

We have light switches next to our beds, great so that you don't have to get out of bed to turn lights on or off.

 

We have inset sockets in our island rather than the pull up ones, much tidier, one socket and 2 usbs

 

bed side wall lights, on an adjustable arm (thanks Newhome)  plus can control the main bedroom light from there too

3 hours ago, Stones said:

Things that make your life easier:

 

Multipanel / shower wall panels - really easy to keep clean

Kitchen - incorporate drawers and cupboard pull outs for anything below worktop height

 

Yes and Yes

 

Plus remember that common sense isn't common and someone else's common sense is not yours.

 

Don't just agree something and think it will get done that way, make sure it is marked on a plan that you have given them, and where possible on the place itself as well.

 

So many things are in not quite the right place because 'someone' decided without asking me - or even after asking me still doing it the way they had already decided.  For example I have a pir in my dressing room/ensuite for a low night light (got some ultra bright LEDs in there that would blind me at night).  Pir put just inside the door, the room is U shaped, when I go round to the loo I am out of range of the pir, tough if I am longer than 2 minutes I'll be plunged into darkness.  No big deal now but as I get older.  Pir for the outside lights is out of range of the front door, gets the drive great, but step outside and it doesn't come on until a couple of steps away.  Luckily the door is reasonable lit from a street light but so frustrating. 

[newhome]

Just now, Hecateh said:

My hall lights are on a pir, light comes on as soon as I go through the door, great when hands fully of shopping

 

 

That would be ace! Would love that! 

 

My outside PIRs aren't the best. They come on when I park the drive on the car but unless I leave the car pretty quickly they switch off before I reach the back gate which is annoying. And they don't trigger when I leave the back door until I get all the way across to the gate. I would have the light at the back door on a PIR out of choice too. Currently it's either switched on or off. 

 

5 minutes ago, Hecateh said:

when I go round to the loo I am out of range of the pir, tough if I am longer than 2 minutes I'll be plunged into darkness. 

 

. It reminds me of the original pod like superloos they installed in London decades ago. They flung the doors open when you were out of time!! Needless to say there was no damn way I was ever going to risk one of those!! 

 

[Jeremy Harris]

13 minutes ago, Hecateh said:

So many things are in not quite the right place because 'someone' decided without asking me - or even after asking me still doing it the way they had already decided.  For example I have a pir in my dressing room/ensuite for a low night light (got some ultra bright LEDs in there that would blind me at night).  Pir put just inside the door, the room is U shaped, when I go round to the loo I am out of range of the pir, tough if I am longer than 2 minutes I'll be plunged into darkness.  No big deal now but as I get older.  Pir for the outside lights is out of range of the front door, gets the drive great, but step outside and it doesn't come on until a couple of steps away.  Luckily the door is reasonable lit from a street light but so frustrating. 

 

An alternative option to PIR for auto light switching is doppler microwave sensors.  I replaced the PIR ceiling switch just inside our back door because it was being nuisance triggered through the glazing in the back door (it would randomly trigger on for no obvious reason).  The microwave ceiling sensor was a straight swap for the PIR and isn't line-of-sight, so will detect movement in a room even if it's around a corner.

 

Might be an easy fix for your problem.

 

We have PIR or microwave light switches all over the place, in cupboards, the walk in wardrobe, hall, utility room, downstairs WC etc.

[Hecateh]

19 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

That would be ace! Would love that! 

 

My outside PIRs aren't the best. They come on when I park the drive on the car but unless I leave the car pretty quickly they switch off before I reach the back gate which is annoying. And they don't trigger when I leave the back door until I get all the way across to the gate. I would have the light at the back door on a PIR out of choice too. Currently it's either switched on or off. 

 

PIRs are adjustable, mine were staying on for all of 6 seconds to start with and the hall ones were set to come on even in daylight.  It was so annoying with the click click click happening every 6 seconds even when I switched them on override (even worse if were switched off)

19 minutes ago, newhome said:

. It reminds me of the original pod like superloos they installed in London decades ago. They flung the doors open when you were out of time!! Needless to say there was no damn way I was ever going to risk one of those!! 

?? No one is likely to see me lol

 

21 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

 

An alternative option to PIR for auto light switching is doppler microwave sensors.  I replaced the PIR ceiling switch just inside our back door because it was being nuisance triggered through the glazing in the back door (it would randomly trigger on for no obvious reason).  The microwave ceiling sensor was a straight swap for the PIR and isn't line-of-sight, so will detect movement in a room even if it's around a corner.

 

Might be an easy fix for your problem.

 

We have PIR or microwave light switches all over the place, in cupboards, the walk in wardrobe, hall, utility room, downstairs WC etc.

Would those work outside too?  The inside one works fine.  My electrician was one of the better trades I had but he didn't have a great imagination.  It took him ages to work out how to give me the voice/alexa operated lighting I wanted and I'm pretty sure it isn't going to be nearly as effective as I wanted.  I don't know yet though as it isn't yet operational as the Sonos controller came inoperative and I'm waiting for the replacement to be fitted.

 

I have battery operated ones in the hall and bathroom now and that is why I knew I wanted them.  Will probably end up with a back up battery one in my bathroom as well as the other toilets and cupboards.  

[Jeremy Harris]

Just now, Hecateh said:

Would those work outside too?  The inside one works fine. 

 

 

I'm not sure, as I've only used one inside as a replacement for a ceiling mounted PIR switch that turned on our utility room lights whenever we came in the back door or the door from the kitchen.  I suspect that the microwave sensors might be more susceptible to nuisance triggering when used outside, as they sense any motion, not just the motion from warm objects.  Their main advantages are that they aren't triggered by warm air movement (which is what I suspect may have been false triggering our utility room PIR) and they will "see" around corners, so can sense movement that's not line-of-sight to the sensor.

[albert]

Wow.. some great ideas . Thanks everyone. 

[canalsiderenovation]

One thing from staying a lot in hotels, a must is plug sockets/usb next to the bed. The amount of times there isn't one or you find one and they have hard wired a lamp into it!

 

Some kind of floor lighting or similar so you can get to the ensuite without the light waking up your other half.

[joe90]

26 minutes ago, canalsiderenovation said:

Some kind of floor lighting or similar so you can get to the ensuite without the light waking up your other half.

 

Yes, we had that in a hotel recently and I have wired (yet to be installed) for exactly this with a small movement sensor just inside the bathroom door that illuminates a row of LED,s under the mirror edge to give a glow in the en suite. ?

[canalsiderenovation]

1 minute ago, joe90 said:

 

Yes, we had that in a hotel recently and I have wired (yet to be installed) for exactly this with a small movement sensor just inside the bathroom door that illuminates a row of LED,s under the mirror edge to give a glow in the en suite. ?

 

Great idea!

[Lesgrandepotato]

7 hours ago, joe90 said:

 

Yes, we had that in a hotel recently and I have wired (yet to be installed) for exactly this with a small movement sensor just inside the bathroom door that illuminates a row of LED,s under the mirror edge to give a glow in the en suite. ?

We have our nest smokes set out to do this. They are in key locations so the night light function can get you round the house to the loo at night! 

[jack]

9 hours ago, canalsiderenovation said:

One thing from staying a lot in hotels, a must is plug sockets/usb next to the bed. The amount of times there isn't one or you find one and they have hard wired a lamp into it!

 

Yup. We have two double sockets on each side of our bed: charger and lamp on both sides, plus a clock radio on my side. My wife quite fancies an electric blanket, which will bring us down to one spare each side. They go fast!

[Barney12]

Back on the subject of washing......

 

Consider mounting your washer and dryer higher up if you have the room. 

Makes it so much easier on the back! You need to design the carcass/units well as it’s subject to a fair amount of vibration if you’ve got your big pants on a 1400 spin  

 

Heres mine and I don’t think  I could go back to ground mounted.....

 

 

 

[newhome]

2 minutes ago, Barney12 said:

 .....

 

You missed - consider putting in a passive cat flap if you have a passive house (and a cat ...) 

 

Like that idea for the washer / dryer. 

[joe90]

@Barney12 cool, must be substantial to deal with a washer on spin tho .

[PeterW]

5 minutes ago, Barney12 said:

Back on the subject of washing......

 

Consider mounting your washer and dryer higher up if you have the room. 

Makes it so much easier on the back! You need to design the carcass/units well as it’s subject to a fair amount of vibration if you’ve got your big pants on a 1400 spin  

 

Heres mine and I don’t think  I could go back to ground mounted.....

 

 

 

 

Saw something similar to that and they built a pair of slide out shelves below them for the basket to stand on. Brilliant idea ..!

[Barney12]

1 minute ago, joe90 said:

@Barney12 cool, must be substantial to deal with a washer on spin tho .

 

Yes, the design is key. The carcass is 25mm with additional reinforcement in various places with the whole thing bolted to the wall. 

 

 

[Barney12]

2 minutes ago, PeterW said:

 

Saw something similar to that and they built a pair of slide out shelves below them for the basket to stand on. Brilliant idea ..!

 

Yes, exactly that. Well at least it will be when I finish it  

The bottom draws open to a flat shelf which lifts up for storage. 

[Ferdinand]

On 02/12/2018 at 17:14, newhome said:

 

I think most of them would be within 600mm of either a bath or shower potentially but we had them outside in our last house (developer built) so I guess we were used to them being there anyway. The downstairs wet room is the one that isn't within 600mm but maybe it's not so clever to have an inside switch in a wet room that has no screen anyway. Plus having them outside means we didn't have to tile round them. I don't know for sure TBH as the hubby did all of the electrics here. I do know there are a few things I would change in respect of the socket / switches positions in general . 

 

 

 

OTOH you need to be able to reach them from inside the shower when you want to turn it off...

[newhome]

20 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

OTOH you need to be able to reach them from inside the shower when you want to turn it off...

 

Que? The light switch? ?

[Ferdinand]

1 minute ago, newhome said:

 

Que? The light switch? ?

 

Oops. Brain addle. The brain was on remote shower taps.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Ferdinand

[newhome]

4 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

Oops. Brain addle. The brain was on remote shower taps.

 

Lol, I thought you had a fettish about getting dried in the dark or something ?

[Jeremy Harris]

9 hours ago, Barney12 said:

Back on the subject of washing......

 

Consider mounting your washer and dryer higher up if you have the room. 

Makes it so much easier on the back! You need to design the carcass/units well as it’s subject to a fair amount of vibration if you’ve got your big pants on a 1400 spin  

 

Heres mine and I don’t think  I could go back to ground mounted.....

 

 

 

 

The only word of caution I'd give relates to the flooding of my late mother's farmhouse.  To make it easier to reach the washer and drier she had a raised plinth built at the end of the kitchen, so they were a foot or so above the tiled floor.  This worked very well, and saved her having to bend down.

 

However, a few years after having done this, she put a load in the washing machine and went around to see the wife of the farmer "next door" (about half a mile away).  She was gone a long time, and one of the suspension units for the drum failed.  The machine must have started vibrating and shook itself forward until it fell, face down, on the floor, smashing the door.  It went on to try and do a rinse/spin cycle, but the level sensor didn't shut off, as it was trying to fill the whole ground floor of the house.  She came home to find the carpets floating off the floor and pretty much everything on the ground floor soaking wet.

 

It took around 3 months to dry the place out, rip the plaster off the walls and re-plaster, replace most of her furniture and all the carpets, etc, during which she had to stay in a hotel - not the easiest place to run a farm from. The insurance company paid out for everything, but even so it was a heck of nuisance.

[Onoff]

Quinetic switches allow you to have "proper" switches in the bathroom instead of a pull cord. You can even place one within easy reach of the bath to dim everything once in the tub.