Building first house

[Anniez]

Hi there
We are in the process of building our first home and it can be quite daunting so I thought why not start a thread and people can post ideas or things they have learnt along the way ie things to do or not to do, or just great nifty ideas. From lighting to flooring to tiles or even great raves.
Let the posting begin

[Julie-Ann]

Think out your layouts before you install powerpoints. You can never have too many powerpoints. The one room that I said 1 powerpoint was enough - is the one room I now need an extra powerpoint!


Take the extras included in a package, even if they are not good quality or what you ultimately want. They will tide you over until you can afford your ideal choice.

[Flora]

Make sure the toilet roll holder is at the perfect distance when you're sitting. There is nothing more annoying than having to lean forward or twist backwards to reach the toilet paper.

[Rubyfig]

If you'll have a soap dish in your shower, try and avoid putting it in at elbow height. The amount of times I've hit my funny bone on that damn thing :mad:

Pay extra to have bathroom tiles all the way to the ceiling. Ditto for the kitchen splash back.

[Sunnygal]

things that helped buildings stay cool/warm & minimised noise. also, look into recycling shower or kitchen water to be used for flushing your toilet or on your garden. there's so many of these ideas around!

[Anniez]

We have to do our pre start and make all the choices in 2 weeks. Any last hints. I'm a little nervous.

[Whyme]

Our builder was going to charge a fortune for any extra lights. He allowed only 1 light in the centre of each room. so we organised for an electrician to install our halogen downlights after the builder finished. We also got the builder to install his 1 light in a place that was going to work with all the other lights, that the electrician installed after.This saved us thousands