re: Custom house - stuff you forgot

Good list here. We actually did a lot of this.

A few things we did that worked well:

-bury some 2" or 3" PVC pipe under sidewalks near areas with landscaping. Made it real easy to run wire for lights and pipe for irrigation.

-also buried pipe before landscaping and sod was laid to get rainwater from downspouts away from bedding.

-if you know your doing gutters get the framers to square the fascia boards. Makes it easire to hang gutters.

-add outlets in eaves and on porch that is controlled by switch indoors for XMas lights.

-Add 2x6 or 2x8 blocking to studs were you plan to hang towel bars or toilet paper rolls. Gives solid backing to hang these.

-add plumbing for a wash/laundry tub in the garage. Works well to wash hands, shoes ect.

As for the bonus above the garage. If you spend the extra for bracing (manufactured beams), to plumb, to wire and to sheet rock area you might as well finish it. We thought about just doing beams and nothing else but could envision the mess when it came time to sheetrock it. Just did it all.