Not that you have to use all of them, or would even want all of them,
but you might find some interesting features that you have not thought of for your new home.  Many items are relatively inexpensive to add,  others can add substantial cost.  All will add to the quality and convenience of your new home.

GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

• 10 foot ceilings basement,  main floor,  2nd floor, garages.
• All door  locks to be top quality and "silent" design.  (I like Baldwin Lever Locks inside.) 
• All brickwork not supported by a foundation,  must have a  steel angle  support.  Brickwork MUST NOT rest on or be supported by roof structure.
• Exterior  doors  to be Fiberglass / foam core  insulated  doors.  I like iButton Electronic Locks for exterior doors.  See: http://ibuttonlock.com/product/Residential.htm
• Exterior walls and chimneys shall be brick for long life and low maintenance.
• Major  building timbers to be bolted together with 0.5  inch  or larger  carriage bolts (or equal) (including  critical  roof timbers)  for maximum tornado protection.  Roof and walls  to have   frequent  cross  bracing  at  strategic  points   for structural integrity.  Exterior framed walls shall use plywood sheathing  fastened with cement coated nails or screws for maximum strength.  (Applies to both brick veneer and siding houses.)
• Wood sill  plate  structure  to be  bolted  to  poured  concrete foundation  at regular intervals of approximately 6 feet  or to local building code.  Bolts to be "poured in place"  L-type as  opposed to taper lock type added after the  concrete  is poured.
• Concrete  foundation  to be 10 inch nominal  with  4 inch brick  ledge.  Brick ledge to begin at least two bricks below nominal grade (Nominal grade is dirt level 7 feet  from wall at all points.  Note:  Dirt  piled  against brick  to provide drainage shall not be deemed to raise  the nominal grade.)
• Install  2" rigid insulation designed for below grade  installation  outside  poured  concrete walls  and  foundation  over (outside of) waterproofing.   Waterproofing to be "RubberWall"  brand  or approved equal with lifetime waterproofing guarantee.
• Behind  Brick walls and above grade,  use 0.5"  Sheathing  Grade plywood  with Tyvec housewrap covering ALL plywood  surfaces of the entire house.  Including unheated and attic  areas.)
• 2"  x  6" framing studs and high density 6  inch  fiberglass insulation bats will be used on ALL exterior walls.    TYVEC 6 mil infiltration wrap to be applied on all exterior  walls (on top of plywood sheathing) to permit water vapor migration to outside while minimizing exterior air migration, prior to installing brick.  Note:  Foamed in Place insulation or tight fitting 5-1/2 inch Styrofoam batts  are preferable to fiberglass if available.
• Prior to installation of insulation and after wires, pipes, ducts, etc. are installed, carefully caulk and seal every single crack and crevice on all outside walls with cans of foaming sealant (such as "Great Stuff").   Seal all holes  all around the house up and downstairs where pipes and  wires run between floors and be ESPECIALLY careful in and around the kitchen areas.  Check every underground pipe and wire entrance to make sure it is well sealed FROM BOTH THE OUTSIDE and the inside before the pipes/wires are covered.   The effort is to frustrate the entrance of ants,  roaches,  termites and other vermin from the outside AND if they get in,  prevent them from traveling between rooms or floors via cracks.  (This is a job easily done by the homeowner at the proper time.  I did this in my own home (using about 90 cans of Great Stuff) and we have been here 12 years without an exterminator and without ants, roaches, etc.)
• In Garages, bathrooms, kitchens,  and any other areas where sheet rock  is or may be  exposed to moisture,  use type WR water resistant sheet rock.
• Studs on 16 inch centers.,  Floor joists on 12 inch centers  for all 16 ft spans to minimize squeaks and increase floor rigidity..
• Fasten  all  sheet  rock with glue AND  screws  to  studs.  (not nails as nails tend to back out over time).   NOTE:   Holes  for  electrical  outlet  boxes  and similar are to be cut BEFORE the sheetrock is nailed  and glued to  the wall.  If this is not done,  the sheet rock WILL fail to lay flat  in many places and the switch and outlet  covers  will not lay flat when the workers come back and cut the outlet box holes after the glue has dried.
• All chimneys and flues shall be equipped with bird screens and a metal chimney top cover and flue top cover to prevent water intrusion into the top of the chimney or into the flue itself.
• Any siding shall be commercial grade Concrete siding for long life.  Pilot  holes for the nails MUST be drilled in the siding prior to nailing to  avoid weakening the concrete siding due to  "punch  out" around the nail hole on the rear of the sheet.
• All Subfloors  to  be  Plywood and glued and  screwed  to  floor  joists,  not nailed.  NO PARTICLE OR FLAKEBOARD ALLOWED. I like a subfloor consisting of TWO layers of 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed down to the floor joists. The second layer of plywood is glued and screwed on top of the first with a different lay pattern.  This on top of a 12" spacing floor joist system gives exceptional rigidity and absence of "squeaky fllors".
• Any steps and porches need a footing like everything else so as to avoid settling.
• Use only   3500 psi or better,  4in slump concrete  mix,   heavy wire mesh and/or re-bar reinforcement in all slabs.  Use the techniques in Joe Mehaffey's "How to make Quality Concrete Slabs"  article as  an installation guide for slabs and driveways.  Driveways  need no  gravel  under the concrete but must be  laid  on  dry and tamped earth. (Tamping means using a mechanical piston tamper OR road roller.  Rolling over with a bobcat or similar does not count.  If any concrete worker  tells you that "Gravel is self tamping", fire him at once as he does not know what he is talking about and may try and cut corners in many ways on your concrete slab job. )  ALWAYS have a concrete engineer present to inspect PRIOR to pouring to see if subsurface preparation has been done properly  and DURING the time a slab is poured IF you want the slab to end up with minimum cracking and long life.  Concrete paving can last 3 years or 50 years without major problems.  It just depends on the quality of the installation and materials.   Residential Concrete workmen are (in our area at least) the least likely to do a quality job of all the crafts used in homebuilding.  There ARE exceptions who do great work.  (Artcraft Concrete and Howard Concrete Construction are two that I know of in the Atlanta area).
• Prior  to Concrete wall pouring,  insert (hang with  wall ties through the pipe or otherwise) short lengths of proper size  plastic pipe or other forms (couplings on  both ends and ends covered with heavy metal foil) into places  in wall where cables and  pipes must come through. Size so that when wall ties are installed the pipe inserts are tight against the forms on BOTH sides.   (When walls are poured and forms removed, metal foil can be punched  out and  mating plastic pipe can be inserted from  both  sides and a GOOD seal around the pipe is automatic.)
• ALL wall  and roof sheathing to be PLYWOOD and not  particle  or flake  board.   Use tongue and groove sheathing.   Roof  and exterior  sheathing to be 5/8" CDX grade  exterior  plywood,  tongue and groove.  Other sheathing sized as required.
• Gutters,  Aluminum gutters and downspouts,  downspouts size = 3 x 4 inch nominal.  Gutters shall be large cross section and be fitted  with  drain connections sized 3x4  inches  to  match gutters.   Gutters shall have good quality galvanized  steel gutter  guards fitted throughout.  Gutters feed  into  rigid plastic  drain pipe and delivered to storm sewer as appropriate.   Individual  drain  pipe,   4  inch,    feed multiples  into  6  inch  pipe  or  larger  as   engineering requirements  dictate  so  as  to  handle  largest  expected waterflow.  At no point is a gutter to dump directly onto  a roof surface.
• Kitchen  to have walk in PANTRY with supported wood  (or other as desired) shelves  all around  and  down to within 2.5 feet of floor.  Walk  way  4 feet  wide.  Shelf depth 16 inches.  Shelf spacing  starting at  floor,  27 inches,  13 inches,  13 inches,   13  inches,  13  inches,   13 inches,  13 inches.    Shelves  to  support heavy loads of canned goods without distortion.

GARAGE:

• Garage is minimum 25 ft x 25 ft in size for a 2 car garage.
• Garage doors to be 10 ft. width and minimum 8ft height.
• Garage to have 10ft ceilings.
• Breezeway or other outside area  where rain may blow is a few inches (or one step) lower than both main level of garage  and main  level  of house to prevent  possibility  of  rainwater washing into garage or house in heavy wind blown rain.
• Floor of both the upper and lower level of garage will  slightly slope  (about 1" per 20ft.)  toward garage doors to  prevent water  collection  in garages.  Extra care in concrete finishing will be  used  to prevent water puddling in the garages.

INSULATION:

• Styrofoam batts or foamed in place insulation have the best available R-factors and provide the best protection against air intrusion through the walls.  FiberGlass batts are OK  but not as energy efficient as the Styrofoam batts.
• Exterior  walls  to have 2 x 6 timbers and  maximum  insulation.  This  includes walls adjoining unheated areas such as garages and storage rooms.
• Stairwell areas shall  be treated as HEATED AREAS and  shall  have insulation on the outside wall and have insulation and sheet rock  applied to stairwell walls inside if the stairwell is enclosed and is to be treated as an unheated area.
• ALL upstairs Ceilings and exterior ceilings of all types   to  be R38 (14 inch Fiberglass) insulation  or  (better yet) batts of styrafoam  as thick as possible in ceilings will improve the energy efficiency of the house.
• HVAC ducts  to be sealed with tape and wrapped  with minimum  2  inch insulation. Better to use 4inches of duct insulation in unheated areas.  DO NOT put HVAC ducts into unheated attic spaces.  Use interior ductways so as to minimize exterior heating and cooling losses.    Mastic sealant to be used as required  on all joints to prevent air leakage at joints.  (Better NOT to use insulation on the INSIDE of ducts as such insulation tends to trap dust and can result in mold and allergy problems.  Do NOT use non-metallic ducts for the same reason.)
• Foam Sheathing  2 inch insulation rated for below  ground  level installation along entire exterior basement foundation below first  floor level.  Insulation shall be  protected  against damage  during  backfill  of  foundation
• Walls between Master Bath/Living Room,  Dining Room/Family Room,  Dining   Room/Pantry,   Family  Room/MBR  closets    to   be insulated with 4 inch insulation for sound deadening and  to prevent  heat  loss  when adjacent  rooms  are  not  heated.
• Walls  between  ALL bedrooms and adjacent to either  the  family room,  Hallways or other bedrooms shall be constructed using a six inch thick wall with staggered 2x4s on 8 inch  centers for  sound deadening.  4 inch insulation will  be  installed horizontally in these walls interleaving between the vertical 2x4 studs for insulation and additional sound deadening.
• Vapor  barrier  (interior under sheetrock,  on exterior  walls  and walls adjacent to unheated areas)  6 mil Visqueen (or equal Polyethylene) film  over paper  vapor  barrier  on all  exterior  wall  and  exterior ceiling insulation.  Note: This MUST be on the INTERIOR of the studs.  Tyvec (which breathes and allows moisture to escape) must be used  on exterior to prevent trapping moisture inside the walls.
• Exterior  Wind  Barrier TYVEC 6 mil or equal over  all  exterior sheathing prior to brick or siding installation To be  installed  STRICTLY  in accord with manufacturer's instructions including  installation of sill seal and putting TYVEC under sills using ¼” to ½” foam seal under sill plate to prevent air infiltration (and incidentally to prevent insect infiltration into the structure).

PLUMBING SYSTEM:

• No  water pipes  to  run  up exterior walls or in  walls  adjacent  to unheated  spaces.
• No water pipes in attic or in unheated attic floors.
• All water supply pipes to be insulated copper pipe.  Copper is quieter and much more reliable than plastic pipe in normal water systems.
• Cold water  feed pipe from street to house to be 2 inch  copper (to support fire sprinkler system).
• Bring  2 inch pipe to main house cutoff inside house.  Output of  2  inch  house  cutoff to Tee drop to  1  inch  to  feed pressure  regulator and TEE drop (in front of regulator)  to 3/4  to feed outdoor building mounted faucets.   Plumber  to plug  off  one 2 inch feed fitted with 2  inch  female  pipe thread  for  use by fire sprinkler system.  This  fire  feed located in the mechanical equipment room.  Note: Pipe size may be adjusted to suit particular home size and fire sprinkler system needs.
• Main domestic water feed line  to have drain at low point inside house.
• Output of water pressure regulator to be 1 inch and continue to  water  heater.  (Regulator  set  to 40 psig.)   Drop offs at  half  inch  as required  for individual outlets (Except tub in master bath at 3/4 inch).  Cold water pipe to continue at 1 inch as  far as master bath.
• All hot water pipes in building to be insulated with closed cell 3/4  inch (1 inch better still) polyfoam insulation throughout house.
• All water waste pipes INSIDE STRUCTURE to be cast iron for noise control.  Wastes from  individual  sinks may be plastic from  sink  to  floor under  sink.   A  maximum  1  ft  VERTICAL  (only)   plastic connection pipe is allowed to toilets, showers and tubs  for ease of connection if required. Underslab waste pipes to be PVC schedule 40 pressure type pipe.
• Bidet in Master Bathroom. 
• Two 50  gallon  hot water heaters connected in  series.   (Water heaters  to  be  50 gallon BEST GRADE  from  Home  Depot  or approved  equal.)   Heater  #1 set to  warm  water  to  80F,  Heater  #2  set to warm water to 125F.  Feed  from  pressure regulator to hot water heater,  1 inch.  Feed from hot water heater  to  first main branch,  1 inch.  (I know  the  water heater outlet is 3/4 inch.).  Note: In times of normal water use,  the “preheat to 80F tank” has little standby heat loss.  In summer the preheat tank will run very little.  The temperature setting of the preheat tank can be adjusted upward for guest visits or unusual needs.
• Closed  loop  with water circulating pump to  be  provided for  instant  hot  water.    (Hot  water  pipes  and recirculate pipes (1/2" return lines OK)  all fully insulated.  Circulating pump can be wired to turn on based on a thermostat positioned at the end of the return line OR it can be wired to turn on when any bathroom light turns on if more energy conservation is required.  A flapper type check valve shall be fitted (sitting horizontally) in the circulation water return pipe near the water heater to prevent backflow when hot water is used.
• All water feed Pipe size 3/4 inch minimum.  Feeds inside walls to individual faucets 0.5 inch minimum. (except tub faucets in Master bath 3/4 inch)
• Each shower  to  have shelf to hold shampoo, etc.
• Floors in front of shower, tub, toilets, bidet, and tub(s) (or perhaps the entire MBR floor) shall have electrical heat pads buried in grout under tile and shall be thermostatically controlled by control in bath area.  A timer can be installed to control heat times.
• One outdoor faucet to be installed each of the four sides of the house.  These outdoor faucets are to be  sourced  with CITY  WATER PRESSURE and connected in front of the  pressure regulator but after the house cutoff valve.  Outside faucets to  have cutoff and drain inside house.  Single  cutoff  and drain  at low point OK.   Outside Faucet piping  to  be  3/4 inch copper pipe.  (Note: "No Freeze" type faucets are required.)
• Drains  in  basement floor ( multiple  places as required for proper drainage),  (with  trap),  one  at location  of  hot water heater for over  temperature  drain.  One  at  location  of furnaces in equipment  room.  Drains to storm drain.
• Stub in  drains  (only) for one standard toilet,   shower,   and wash basin in basement or other places where you MIGHT want a fixture later.  This is inexpensive when the house is being built.  Costly later..
• All miscellaneous  valves,  cutoffs, hose faucets,  to  be  high quality brass.  Use full port "ball" type valves for all cutoff valves.
• Cornice  lighting  in tray ceiling around 4 sides of Family room.   Use Lithonia dimable fixtures with T-8 fluorescents hidden behind cornices
• Fireplaces shall have insert of high efficiency type  with external  source  for combustion air  and  integral  damper.  Heatalator Mark 4 or approved equal.  (Note: I have second thoughts about Heatalator as my furnance insert has developed flue gas leakage into the output warm air duct after 8 years of relatively low use of the fireplace.  I had to block the heat outlets in the hallway behind the fireplace to eliminate this problem.)
• Gas Lighter for Fireplace.

FLOORS

• Sub floors (all over the house) to be two layers of tongue and groove plywood SCREWED AND GLUED to floor joists.  Bottom layer 3/4 inch, top layer 5/8 or 3/4 inch.   The two layers of plywood shall  be  glued  and screwed  together.   Make sure adjacent plywood  panels  and layers are overlapped and NOT installed postage stamp style.
• Wood floors shall be  tongue and groove Oak with 4 coats of polyurethane coating with sanding between each coat.

HVAC

• High efficiency to  SUPER good  sense  standards Furnace  efficiency  to  be 95%,  HVAC/Heat Pump  SEER  >18.  Individual control of room temperature shall be provided using dampers and controls as required.
• Central heat exchanger (E-Z vent system) to provide fresh air  to home  with minimum heat loss/gain.  Minimum fresh  air  heat exchange efficiency,  85%.
• HVAC Condensing  unit  to have efficiency rating SEER  >=18.  A dual fuel HEAT PUMP is desirable with SEER >= 18 and EER>= 9.
• Straight (ONE 45 degree elbow MAX) 8 inch  plastic  pipe from HVAC equipment area  in  basement  to Condensing unit area.  Pipe to convey refrigerant tubing and wiring.
• All HVAC  air ducts will be INSULATED to R6 minimum  AND  TAPED with aluminum duct tape.  Mastic Sealant on joints instead of duct tape is PREFERRED.
• All HVAC ducts will be sheet metal.   Fabric, fiberglass  or plastic ducts not permitted,  not even short lengths. 
• Refrigerant Liquid  lines  to have a) dryer and  b)  moisture  indicating Sporlan or Mueller sight glass.  Sight glass to be installed near evaporators and downstream of filter dryers.
• Provide minimum 7 conductor control cable, minimum 18ga wire, from each furnace to each condensing unit/heat pump to allow for future needs.
• Provide minimum 10ga service to each condensing unit/heat pump from breaker panel to minimize long term wiring energy losses.  (Assumes nominal 15 amp running load for outside equipment.)
  

COMMUNICATIONS and ELECTRICAL

• Every room to have minimum of 2 telephone outlets.  4 pair cable to  each  room from 66B blocks in equipment  room.   5  pair copper cable AND future use fiber optic cable to street from equipment room to street.
• If the house is a large one,  consider a small PBX phone system instead of an intercom system.  A PBX can be just as inexpensive and offers more capabilities.
• All utilities: Cable TV, Telephone, Water, Gas, Electric, etc. to use Underground utilities to street.
• Ethernet LAN outlets to be installed to multiple areas per owner direction.  Minimum one outlet: a) behind/beside  refrigerator and oven,  b) at utility desk area in kitchen, c) two in office area,  d) one at each potential TV location in house and e) as may be further required by owner.
• Basement to have Electric/telephone/EMS/furnace equipment  room.  Inside  of furnace room to be fire resistant sheet  rock  on ceiling and walls.
• TV coax outlets to ALL bedrooms, Kitchen,  4  ports in Family Room.  Use RG-6 (or better) cable.  You might want fiber cable from equipment room to "hard to reach" areas where you might, in future, have multimedia equipment.  Wires  to run to electrical equipment room to amplifier  and splitters  and then on to future roof antenna.  TWO RG-6, direct bury cables from cable TV source to equipment room are to be provided. (One cable is a spare.)   Two RG-6 Coax cables plus 7 conductor #18 cable to be run from equipment room to attic area for possible future use with exterior Satellite TV antenna system.
• Provide   the  following  underground  wiring  from   electrical equipment room to telephone pole  or other utility access at front of property,  a) 5 pair direct bury telephone feed,  b) dual direct bury RG-6 coax cable for  CATV, (Use jacketed direct bury rated FoamFlex if run exceeds 300ft.)  c) fiber optic cable for future TV/Communication Services use.
• If the property has an access gate,  provide  the  following wiring from Equipment room to  point  at front  of  property where gate is to be  located.   a) RG-6 cable for possible TV camera use,  b)  7  conductor #18 control cable,   c)  12-3  with ground  UF cable for gatepost lights and gate operator motor power.  Coil 25 feet of each cable and  bury  for safekeeping  until final decision on gate location is  made.  Make  sure cable is buried where it will not be  damaged  by grading operations.
• Door Bells on front door and  side doors as may be used for access by visitors or deliverymen.
• Each electrical outlet in the MBR,  Family Room,  Library,  and all bedrooms  (and other rooms as directed by owner) shall have one switched and  one  unswitched receptacle.  (except dedicated purpose outlets).  Selected locations shall have double duplex outlets as required.
• TouchPlate  system shall be used for lighting control.   Connections  to  Building Automation System with manual override in normal  switch  positions shall be used to provide timed turnoff of any light left on for an extended period.
• Use TouchPlate  switches  and Westinghouse GHBS  remote  control  in conjunction with HI Solutions total building automation system.
• Transient suppressers shall be located  in fuse panel and on incoming phone lines (including those lines to pool houses, guest houses and other outbuildings) to prevent lightning damage to equipment and to protect all household appliances from potential lightning damage.
• Provide  underground utilities to a) front yard,  b)  back  yard,  etc., c) point where feed for driveway lights  would be made and to any other place where future electrical outlets, lights may be required.  (Cheap to put in at first,  expensive after the building is complete.)
• Provide 3 inch pipe chase from basement to each attic area so that future wiring additions will be easy to route.

SECURITY SYSTEM

• Monitor all exterior doors,  2 sensors on French Doors.
• Monitor  all  first  floor  windows  and  any  upstairs   windows accessible from roof areas.  Use either magnetic switches or motion detectors as appropriate.
• Monitor all deadbolt locks for "LOCKED" condition on annunciator panel so remote doors can be checked for being locked easily.
• Audible alarm output located in attic areas with audio directed outside toward where the fire and burglar alarms can be heard.
• Rotating light output located on roof for fire and burglar alarm to give visual indication to police and firemen.
• Alarm System Entrance switches at a) kitchen entrance,  b)  porch entrance,  c) Master BedRoom and d) any other doors which may be used for exit and lock up.  If in doubt,  put a wire in the wall for possible future use.
• Fire alarm sensors (smoke detectors or heat detectors as appropriate) in all rooms (except low risk closets) including Kitchen, Basement  (multiple as required),   All bedrooms,  Furnace Room,  Dining  Room, Library, hallways and Media Rooms.  Don't forget smoke detectors in garages and areas where lawn equipment may be stored.
• Radio Alarm output to monitoring station or telephone to alarm monitoring station as an alternative.
• Temperature (fire) sensors  in all attic areas.
• Video cameras shall monitor outside areas and movement shall cause one frame per second recording from each camera on computer based security recording system.  Data storage shall permit nominal one month of stored recordings.  Owner optionally may  select cameras as desired for display on any TV in the house.
• A whole  house  fire sprinkler  system  meeting  the  NFPA  13D  home sprinkler  standard shall be installed.  No  fire  sprinkler piping or equipment shall be installed on exterior walls, or walls  adjacent  to  unheated spaces or  in  unheated  attic areas.  (A fire sprinkler system using fire sprinkler rated plastic pipe can cost as little as 1 or 2% of your home cost,  depends on home layout.)
• Access control gate at front of fenced property,  controlled automatically by use of vehicle sensors, timers,  day/night sensors and/or the building automation system.  Radio control allows access for residents when gate is locked.
• Lightning rods on roof of house shall be installed in accord with building standards and engineering requirements and grounded to a minimum #4 wire buried completely around the house encapsulated within in the concrete footing.   The lightning rod discharge wiring shall be grounded not less than 5 different places around the footing to LOOPS of the #4 wire left protruding from the footing.

LAWN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

• Lawn Sprinklers  to have Hunter  components.  Sprinkler  system  can use plastic pipe and components.  Sprinkler shall feed off 1-1/4 inch line OUTSIDE of house.  Cutoff valve to be  located on  copper  1 1/4 inch line prior to changeover  to  plastic  pipe.  (Lawn Sprinkler is usually not a part of building project.)
• Drip irrigation will be provided for all flower beds, shrubs and planting areas as required so as to conserve irrigation water.
• Place 4 inch PVC sleeves (or other sizes as appropriate) at strategic places under driveways,  under walks,  into the house,  as may be needed later.  Consider such future options as Lawn sprinklers,  lawn lighting,  addition phone lines to the pool, patio,  future pool house,  guest house,  future need for fiber optic cable entry and etc.  It is almost trivial and extremely low cost to place such pipes during construction.  VERY expensive later.

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