One thing to be aware of with the in-floor hydronic heating:
It is great at keeping a home at a consistent temperature and the warm floors are great,
however, it does take a very long time to heat or cool a room with this method.
It is not a type of heating you can “turn down at night” or “turn on when you get home from work” since it takes so long to change the temp.
I’ve never been to SoCal but if you have sudden weather changes that require instant heating you may have to wait a half a day to warm the house.
Similarily when it suddenly becomes warm outside it’s not that easy to just “shut off” the heat. The floor will continue to radiate heat long after you’ve stopped running hot water through the pipes.
Good point on the electrical blackout thing. If you’re prone to those, an on-demand hot water service mightn’t be the best thing ever. Yes, it’s super-great when the electricity’s on, but there’s no hot water reserved so if the power’s off, you’re in trouble.
Could you explain what you mean by “closets”? You say your not having closets and then you say
I thought “closet” was just the American word for “wardrobe”? Or do you mean like a separate “walk-in” wardrobe?
Other than that, sounds good. The “on-demand” gas water heating works fine IME, although I find it a bit odd that you say you’re going for all-electric appliances and solar panels, and then you’re piping in gas specially to heat the water. My house uses no gas for anything*, have you considered going all electric? If you’re getting solar panels then cost shouldn’t be an option.
That doesn’t stop the gas man coming every couple of years to try and read our meter. I have had to show him round before now to prove that we don’t have a gas meter :smack:
[1] Every report I’ve read said that infloor radiant heating feels nice. It costs more to heat a room to the same temperature, but you will probably be more comfortable at a lower temperature. As a WAG (and they’re out of fashion), but a solar water heater might work well with this.
[2] I’ve heard good things about using evaporative coolers in the desert or in dry climates. Check with an HVAC guy, but you might want an air conditioner for when it gets really hot.
[3] I’d at least have a gas stove and water heater. I prefer gas for cooking, and gas is cheaper for heating.
[4] Resale aside, I like your idea of not having closets. You could always put a little extra room in the floor plan and add closets before you sell. Personally, I like ‘french closets’, where a series of shallow closets with overlapping sliding doors runs along an entire wall, and I’m jealous that you have learned to not accumulate stuff.
[5] Modern water heaters are very well insulated; there really isn’t that much heat loss. I seem to recall that tankless water heaters work well where you have a long run of pipe and don’t want to wait at the end for your hot water, but they don’t offer much in costs savings for daily use. Also, it’s a specialized thing, so replacement/installation costs may be higher when that time comes.
[6] Cork flooring is comfortable; I’d guess that it would be a good way to cushion a slab foundation. I might worry about durability if you were raising a family, but it doesn’t sound like your building this home to raise a family.
[7] I’d expect a properly installed Galvalume roof (zinc-aluminum galvanized) to last at least twenty years and would expect a well-done copper roof to last my lifetime (though I may be a little optimistic on that one.) A standing seam roof will have no exposed fasteners which could leak. Even with exposed fasteners (I like the way it looks), the roof will last a lot longer than a composition roof.
First of all, this combination is pretty common in parts of the country - like New England. It also goes together as a system, usually. Baseboard/floorboard heating works quite well. You may want fans for some air circulation, though, occasionally.
Quite common in the dry southwest - like Arizona and West Texas. It does not work efficiently when it’s humid - be prepared for the occasional hot, humid day. Even if they’re improved, the basic evaporative action simply does not work efficiently when it’s humid outside. Other than that, they are very energy efficient, and low maintenance.
Entirely personal preference. For each person you find that likes gas stoves, you’ll find another that prefers electric (like me). Get what you like. Personally, I like those glass top single countertop stoves.
Personally, I couldn’t stand not having closet space for hidden storage. It means everything you want stored away will need furniture, and that furniture will take up floor space. You’ll want rooms to be larger, and you’ll have the expense of the furniture, and it may hurt the houses resale value. If you’re okay with all of that, go for it.
How well does it hold up under traffic? Do you want it for halls and entries? How well does it clean - do you want something easier to clean in the kitchen and baths? Other than those points, I don’t see an issue.
He’s distinguishing between built-in areas of the house, and furniture used for that purpose.
Generally, in US usage, “closet” refers to a closet/wardrobe built-in to the house, whether walk-in or just shelves with a door. “Wardrobe” would normally refer to a piece of furniture purchased for the same purpose.
I love the IDEA of in-floor heating, but I’ve always been a little leary of it. With a conventional furnace, when (when, not if) something breaks, it’s easy to access the system for repair or replacement. What do you do with the in-floor systems? The ones I’m familiar with have tubing run in the cement of the floor. If something goes wrong, that’s going to be a total pain to repair.
And life without closets has got to suck more. Where are you going to keep the vacuum cleaner? Your not going to want to life that thing in to an amoire. Do you really want your out-of season clothes and rarely used stuff (ski parkas, christmas ornaments, pool toys) taking up floor space and being more obtrusive than they need to be?
Maybe you could build a small open room to the side of the bedrooms. With an amoire and a screen, you’ve got a nice little dressing area. But with a few doors and poles, it could be a walk in closet for the future.
I lived in Europe with those closet-less apartments. They suck. You have to buy those clunky wardrobes that don’t really hold squat. Every European who has come to visit me here loved the American walk-in closets and has wet dreams about them when they go home. However, if you are determined not to have them, at least set aside one room, 12’ x 12’ for storage - Christmas decorations, winter clothes in the summer, and - well - you will be amazed at the stuff that needs to be stored somewhere.
I have only heard horror stories about cork floors. They seem to bleach out in direct sunlight, so after a short period, you will have major discoloration in rooms that get partial direct sun. Plus they scratch. Look into Pergo floors or something like that.
I like the water heater idea. Had them in Europe, but mine were all gas heated, so don’t know about the electric. Seems like you will waste a lot of water while waiting for the water to heat up - thus ending any ecological advantage.
Ever hear of an electic stove in a restaurant? Exactly. That is because anybody who likes to cook, or cooks professionally, would never want to use an electric stove unless they had to.
I like the solar panel idea.
BTW, here is a new builder with an interesting concept if you haven’t already found a contractor:
