Doing up a house, anyone done this and can offer advice?

[JC180]

Hi Gents,

I've just bought my dream home, built in 1983 as a bespoke commission and is done like a true Georgian manor including Georgian sliding sash windows and external French doors, timber moulding in the soffits etc.

It's not been lived in for around 8 years and needs updating but it is in great shape and mostly requires modern services and cosmetic work.

I'm a Chartered Surveyor so know what needs doing and how to do it but the point of this post is to establish of you can shed any light on the things I may overlook like hard wired smoke detectors, cat 6 cabling, security and other items that would be worth doing/installing at this juncture.

I'm set on the hot water and central heating systems, Windows, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring etc but would be keen to hear from people who have been through this process and may have any insights or advice. I'm particularly ignorant when it comes to electrical services, audio visual, security and networking...

Any advice would be welcome.

Cheers

JC

[Mr Stoat]

Just coming to the end of my ground floor re-furb in my house. I'm thrilled with the overall job but sometimes it's the stupid little things that please the most ... standard double wall sockets but with built in USB charge points so no more adaptors to plug in to charge the various phones and tablets / zoned and dimmable lighting in each room / under floor wet heating.

When it comes to alarm systems I was recommended away from wi-fi sensors with a SIM card dial out and to a more traditional hardwired with landline drop and dial set up .... harder to install due to the wiring but considerably more reliable (especially if you live in an area with poor mobile signal).

[simoscribbler]

Just a general point, really. I'd try to avoid costly 'mission creep', especially in the area of 'boys toys.' For me the tech moves too fast to hard wire all that much, and if you ever sell the kit may be obsolete/not attractive to a buyer. There are bound to be loads of posts here about lovely, lovely tech.

If it was me I'd spend hard on energy efficiency, quality finishes (especially flooring - we've just bought some Junckers solid stuff that's nice and not daftly expensive) and be careful in terms of overall design. Mock Georgian is tricky to get right at the best of times - and if it were me I'd tone that aspect right down if I possibly could. But obviously that's just a matter of personal preference.

[Andyg]

Hi Gents,

I've just bought my dream home, built in 1983 as a bespoke commission and is done like a true Georgian manor including Georgian sliding sash windows and external French doors, timber moulding in the soffits etc.

It's not been lived in for around 8 years and needs updating but it is in great shape and mostly requires modern services and cosmetic work.

I'm a Chartered Surveyor so know what needs doing and how to do it but the point of this post is to establish of you can shed any light on the things I may overlook like hard wired smoke detectors, cat 6 cabling, security and other items that would be worth doing/installing at this juncture.

I'm set on the hot water and central heating systems, Windows, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring etc but would be keen to hear from people who have been through this process and may have any insights or advice. I'm particularly ignorant when it comes to electrical services, audio visual, security and networking...

Any advice would be welcome.


Cheers

JC

Why Cat6 cabling - why not just use Wifi??

[TheFlyingBanana]

We've recently completed a fairly major restoration on a large house built in the ealry 1840's -- it was definitely a learning experience.

One thing we didn't do (or haven't done yet) is put in full air conditioning. I understand this is now cheaper to use for home heating than gas or oil, and has the added benefit of cooling in the summer of course.

I woud consider putting it in your new home.

[alex]

Work out how many sockets you need and then add more... Can never have enough!

Re smoke alarms, id recommend the Nest Protect alarms. Also happy with our Nest thermostat if your planning on going for a smart thermostat.

[Paddy]

If you insulate, also add a moisture barrier, or you'll get lots of lovely damp on the cold side. Always add the vapour/moisture barrier on the 'hot' side. The govt. telling people to add wodges of loft insulation but omitting to tell them about a vapour barrier is storing up problems of rotten roofs in future years. Consider adding vent tiles too, to keep the roof space ventilated and minimise condensation.

[MB2]

I have been looking/undertaking similar - definitely run cables to all rooms for Cat 6, smart lighting systems, alarm & CCTV now. You don't need to go with a full system now but run the cables - you can stash behind the face plates for now - that is what I am doing. Also double the power points now & lots where you will site the TVs.

I would also consider some extra sockets in the downstairs cupboard for alarm, CCTV etc.

AC for the master bedroom is also worth considering depending upon the house structure.

[funkstar]

When I'm specc'ing this sort of thing and it's my absolute dream I go through the various design / high end living magazines for ideas that we may not normally come across. Attention to detail is also very important, so go for very good coving / architrave / skirting.

Personally I'd love a wine cellar or if there's no space at least a very smart wine cabinet.

http://hhomedesign.com/wp-content/up...onnoisseur.jpg


I'd think about what people are doing with lighting systems too - this game is moving so fast but you're in a great position to get a modern zoned system.

I would definitely get USB ports installed next to the standard 3 pig sockets.

Wet rooms are very popular too, and in smaller homes I seen great use made out of otherwise unusable recesses in this regard.

We like a very tidy home so get lots of built in storage, again this is where design magazines will show some wonderful ideas that carpenters can build and that look 100 times better than the stuff you see advertised on the tv.

Dont forget underfloor heating either.

[draftsmann]

Having done a few major renovations my contribution to this thread is to say "service ducts and access panels- lots of them." That is all.

[bambam]

Definitely second a lot of the advice on here.

Stuff that we put in that has proved most useful (so far):
- decent 3 plug sockets with usb charging points - get used every day
- cat6 cables where we might have tv or media items and wifi may be patchy - inexpensive to do
- coax cable for FM/DAB and tv reception
- wet underfloor heating in new floor area - gets very warm and not that easy to control in terms of quick response
- more power sockets than you think you'll need
- LED lights

Put in speaker cables in the ceiling but use Sonos speakers now. Still, the cable is there and in the grand scheme of things was inexpensive and I still have the option to use.

Cheers

[TimeOut]

Number one priority: Underfloor heated en-suits for all bedrooms.

Large sonos and Apple TV systems need their own designated WIFI network and access points or CAT6 to really work well. Better off getting a pro in to install Crestron IMHO. https://www.crestron.com

Circulating hot water is also a must for me..

[Nogbad The Bad]

Why Cat6 cabling - why not just use Wifi??

If your doing the heating, electrics, etc ... It makes sense to install Ethernet cables.

You can hang access-points from the end on the Ethernet cables to provide full WiFi coverage if needed.

i'd also pop some cables into the ceiling space, even if you don't use them straight away there might be a need for WiFi at a later date, Ethernet cable is cheap, better its run when your doing the work.

[TimeOut]

If your doing the heating, electrics, etc ... It makes sense to install Ethernet cables.

You can hang access-points from the end on the Ethernet cables to provide full WiFi coverage if needed.

i'd also pop some cables into the ceiling space, even if you don't use them straight away there might be a need for WiFi at a later date, Ethernet cable is cheap, better its run when your doing the work.

Dead right. Just put 2km's of the stuff into a boat, that was a small system too!

[ArcofZen]

I recently had a ground source heat pump fitted, fantastic bit of kit and will return £18k over the next seven years. Mind you it does make a mess of the garden.

Agree regarding sockets, you can't have too many! I'm typing this whilst sat in my office, which has eight double sockets, four cat 6 cables and two TV points.

Lighting is very important too. I could not find a way when designing one side of the house to get light into a long, dark corridor. So we bought two 'Light Tubes', what a difference! They work so well that even bright moonlight illuminates the hall now. Brilliant things.

[JC180]

Thank you Chaps, all information very gratefully received. A few observations: -

Re Mock Georgian, see the pic below, we would rather not render it all and put dark grey or black aluminium windows in as so many people have locally. We love the traditional look and Georgian bar. We specifically did not want a modern looking house.

My biggest wrangle at the moment is whether to overhaul the timber sash windows and french doors, replace all the doors with double glazed timber (but keep the frames and fit DG in the fanlight) and replace all window sashes with new double glazed sashes with brush seals throughout or go PVC replacement sliding sash but go very high end where they're virtually indistinguishable from timber (mechanical butt joints, putty line bars, deeper bottom rail, wood grain finish etc) but for a good £15k more.

All windows will then be DG (albeit 8mm at best argon cavity's) but would not have the same U values nonetheless as PVC and there is the periodic redecoration of timber to consider, the cost and hassle.

[JC180]

Just coming to the end of my ground floor re-furb in my house. I'm thrilled with the overall job but sometimes it's the stupid little things that please the most ... standard double wall sockets but with built in USB charge points so no more adaptors to plug in to charge the various phones and tablets / zoned and dimmable lighting in each room / under floor wet heating.

When it comes to alarm systems I was recommended away from wi-fi sensors with a SIM card dial out and to a more traditional hardwired with landline drop and dial set up .... harder to install due to the wiring but considerably more reliable (especially if you live in an area with poor mobile signal).

I never even knew these existed, nice one, will definitely be fitting these, cheers!

Just a general point, really. I'd try to avoid costly 'mission creep', especially in the area of 'boys toys.' For me the tech moves too fast to hard wire all that much, and if you ever sell the kit may be obsolete/not attractive to a buyer. There are bound to be loads of posts here about lovely, lovely tech.

If it was me I'd spend hard on energy efficiency, quality finishes (especially flooring - we've just bought some Junckers solid stuff that's nice and not daftly expensive) and be careful in terms of overall design. Mock Georgian is tricky to get right at the best of times - and if it were me I'd tone that aspect right down if I possibly could. But obviously that's just a matter of personal preference.

See above, Simo, it's nice Georgian not naff poorly executed Georgian. I have told the missus, everything will be top quality but there will be no gimmicks, the budget won't allow and the novelty wears off too quickly!

We've recently completed a fairly major restoration on a large house built in the ealry 1840's -- it was definitely a learning experience.

One thing we didn't do (or haven't done yet) is put in full air conditioning. I understand this is now cheaper to use for home heating than gas or oil, and has the added benefit of cooling in the summer of course.

I woud consider putting it in your new home.

Cheers, I've got this now in the conservatory and a couple of south facing bedrooms, will definately be calling my mate Rick of Kool-it (recommended on here!) to quote up some cassette units.

Work out how many sockets you need and then add more... Can never have enough!

Re smoke alarms, id recommend the Nest Protect alarms. Also happy with our Nest thermostat if your planning on going for a smart thermostat.

We're actually going for Nest's big brother, the Honeywell Evo Home which is infinitely zone able and controllable remotely.

I have been looking/undertaking similar - definitely run cables to all rooms for Cat 6, smart lighting systems, alarm & CCTV now. You don't need to go with a full system now but run the cables - you can stash behind the face plates for now - that is what I am doing. Also double the power points now & lots where you will site the TVs.

I would also consider some extra sockets in the downstairs cupboard for alarm, CCTV etc.

AC for the master bedroom is also worth considering depending upon the house structure.

Cheers, Cat6 will happen for all manner of reasons and probably coax too (although I'm not a big TV watcher) when I work out where to put all the outlets!

Having done a few major renovations my contribution to this thread is to say "service ducts and access panels- lots of them." That is all.

Good advice, although it's not a new built, I can think of a few locations for risers and such. The worst thing is having to cut holes everywhere to retro fit or track an issue!

Definitely second a lot of the advice on here.

Stuff that we put in that has proved most useful (so far):
- decent 3 plug sockets with usb charging points - get used every day
- cat6 cables where we might have tv or media items and wifi may be patchy - inexpensive to do
- coax cable for FM/DAB and tv reception
- wet underfloor heating in new floor area - gets very warm and not that easy to control in terms of quick response
- more power sockets than you think you'll need
- LED lights

Put in speaker cables in the ceiling but use Sonos speakers now. Still, the cable is there and in the grand scheme of things was inexpensive and I still have the option to use.

Cheers

Underfloor heating is great but would be too costly to retrofit a wet system on suspended timber floors that I have down presently. I will resign myself to an electric system in the bathrooms only and as we're having vinyl in the kitchen and morning room and there is a dry void below the floor (and insulation) it shouldn't ever get cold.

Number one priority: Underfloor heated en-suits for all bedrooms.

Large sonos and Apple TV systems need their own designated WIFI network and access points or CAT6 to really work well. Better off getting a pro in to install Crestron IMHO. https://www.crestron.com

Circulating hot water is also a must for me..

will check out that link, cheers

recirculating hot water is a nice luxury and one I will have fitted, in a big house saves you waiting 30 sec or more for hot water, also nice when you jump in the shower and get instant hot water!

I recently had a ground source heat pump fitted, fantastic bit of kit and will return £18k over the next seven years. Mind you it does make a mess of the garden.

Agree regarding sockets, you can't have too many! I'm typing this whilst sat in my office, which has eight double sockets, four cat 6 cables and two TV points.

Lighting is very important too. I could not find a way when designing one side of the house to get light into a long, dark corridor. So we bought two 'Light Tubes', what a difference! They work so well that even bright moonlight illuminates the hall now. Brilliant things.

Yes, the GSHP is nice, we have a big enough garden but need to explore the payback period v cost of installation. The sub pipes are brilliant but light wells (where possible) are even better and I'm going to try for this in the dressing room.

Keep them coming, wealth of advice and good ideas on here, thanks.

[Nogbad The Bad]

When running Ethernet you need to make sure each length of cable needs to be under 100 m in length, allow for the drop cables between the switch/faceplate & faceplate/device, but I'm sure you won't got over 100 m.

If you can place the switch on the second floor towards the middle of the house would be the best location.

Also it might be better having a switch on each floor and interlink the switches vertically. Ground floor switch to first floor switch & ground floor switch to second floor switch, I'm guessing the Internet will come into the house on the ground floor.

Using 3 switches reduces the length of the cables and also most of the cables would just run horizontally.

[JC180]

When running Ethernet you need to make sure each length of cable needs to be under 100 m in length, allow for the drop cables between the switch/faceplate & faceplate/device, but I'm sure you won't got over 100 m.

If you can place the switch on the second floor towards the middle of the house would be the best location.

Also it might be better having a switch on each floor and interlink the switches vertically. Ground floor switch to first floor switch & ground floor switch to second floor switch, I'm guessing the Internet will come into the house on the ground floor.

Using 3 switches reduces the length of the cables and also most of the cables would just run horizontally.

Thanks, that's useful info. There is no 2nd floor though, those dormers are fake!

[demonloop]

Lovely house pal, so congrats on that.

On our new build I asked for 2x twin sockets, a telephone extension, 4x coax sockets for sky tv and a standard coax for aerial behind where we were putting the TV. Sounded like overkill at the time but in hindsight should have asked for 3x twins. You can buy modular faceplates, so I have the 4x coax, 1x aerial and the phone all in one double socket sized face plate. Great job for TV.

Also, go for the hard wired alarm as mentioned, but get a telephone extension run to where the control box will be. They'll need it,mix you go for a monitored system.

Also, get them to put an alarm keypad at both the front and back door. Invaluable.

That's the only things we did which I would recommend.

[MickM]

After the amount of cat5e (Cat5 for cost purposes as it was acquired from work) cable I've just run in my flat my best advice is run twice as much as you think you will need. You'll find you will want to geek out a little and run HDMI over cat6 which will require two cables alone!

As mentioned the USB wall sockets are a godsend, no more finding the damn Apple charger.

Other thing I'm glad I done was install Karndean flooring, way better than wood in my opinion.

Best of luck with the work!

[steviefleming]

What a lovely looking house ......well done , you and misses must be well chuffed.

I know what you are saying about grey aluminium Windows , they look really good in a new white rendered house ......I'm not so sure about yours though ???.....I rather like the look of a crisp white window against the brick . Makes the place look clean , neat and tidy .

[steviefleming]

Definitely second a lot of the advice on here.

Put in speaker cables in the ceiling but use Sonos speakers now. Still, the cable is there and in the grand scheme of things was inexpensive and I still have the option to use.

Cheers

Hi,
Can I ask why you don't use the speakers in the ceiling instead of the sonos speakers ?......what are the kinda benefits you are getting from the sonos ?

I moved into a house in 2014 which had a 8 year old multi room system installed with ceiling speakers in each room...I've stuck with it , adding a dedicated Home Cinema amp .
I also added Bluetooth to the setup which now allows me to stream Spotify et al around the house ........but I'd be really curious to know what extras sonos might give me

Cheers

[Schofie]

Not much I can add apart from maybe put a positive input ventilation unit in the loft. Great for air quality and keeping humidity down

[Fords]

Nice Gaff, Very R Chase.

Think about outbuildings as well Garden rooms, summer houses, log cabins.

Power, drainage etc. if you want one.

[Snowdon]

I have no experience of this. But wanted to ask that if it is not too much trouble, it would be interesting to see what you do by way of a build photo diary.

Also, there is useful information available on the pistonheads homes sub forum

[Carlton-Browne]

When running Ethernet you need to make sure each length of cable needs to be under 100 m in length, allow for the drop cables between the switch/faceplate & faceplate/device, but I'm sure you won't got over 100 m.

If you can place the switch on the second floor towards the middle of the house would be the best location.

Also it might be better having a switch on each floor and interlink the switches vertically. Ground floor switch to first floor switch & ground floor switch to second floor switch, I'm guessing the Internet will come into the house on the ground floor.

Using 3 switches reduces the length of the cables and also most of the cables would just run horizontally.

The 100 metre rule will mean that structured Cat 6 cabling runs will be a maximum of 90 metres with 10 kept as an allowance for fly leads and patch panels at either end. I would hope that you'd be able to keep within this in a domestic property as having accessible multiple patch panels may be a pain and also you'e got extra electronics running 24/7.

Make sure that the cabling contractor is pukka - not so sure about now but in the early 90s I experienced the aftermath of several electrical contractors who "claimed" they did data and consequently ballsed everything up. You're not necessarily wanting to pay for a fully certified installation with a 15 year guarantee but you can tell them that you'd like to see test reports and will conduct a sample test at the end to keep them on their toes.

[JC180]

I have no experience of this. But wanted to ask that if it is not too much trouble, it would be interesting to see what you do by way of a build photo diary.

Also, there is useful information available on the pistonheads homes sub forum

I'll be happy to update this as an ongoing thread, it all kicks off in April with land drains and other drainage repairs and the heating and hot water systems.

The systems going it will be two 30KW Vaillant or Worcester standard boilers, with all new Stelrad Vita Deco radiators, Honeywell Evo Home intelligent and infinitely zone-able thermostats etc.

Hot water will be a 1250l storage tank in the garage pumped through an unvented OSO powercyl 380l cylinder by new 22mm pipes to bathrooms with a hot water return pump as above. The pressure on this can be set between 1-6 bar I think and should make for ample, instant and very powerful hot water with a high flow rate of 20l/min. I've been without a shower at home for 11 years and I'm missing it badly (my wife prefers a bath, so the shower wasn't a "priority").

Next will be scaffold going up to overhaul the roof and fit a new skylight over the stairwell, see below, re-bed all ridge and hip tiles, clean it down, wash the roof, remove all gutters and repair/redecorate fascias and gutters and install new aluminium seamless gutters and downpipes. They actually extrude this on site and can install 30m seamless runs.

Then, the external brickwork will be acid cleaned and jet washed with any defects to pointing remedied, then to the windows and doors, still very much torn between overhauling the timber or installing new high end UPVC sliding sash windowns. Cost difference is substantial but UPVC will perform better and be low maintenance.

After this, building works to the rear, just a couple of small alterations/extensions with roof lights. Some internal alterations to the master bedroom suite and some extra doorways. All internal doors removing, stripped and refitted with new ironmongery and new glazing... It will be a project and a half but I'm looking forward to it.

The reclaimed victorian rooflight internally: -



The roof externally where a new glazed rooflight is going



And the type of rooflight

[Captain Morgan]

Did this on a more modest scale a few years ago, so here's my views.

1) Draw up some plans, I just used power point to get the rough room sizes / layouts and use these to play with lighting, power, switches, ethernet and furniture lay outs, its surprising how quickly you can get a sense of what works or not from this and its easy to keep playing with it.

2) Where will all of the ethernet / home networking go back to? again what will be here just network switch / router / BT Master socket or will you have sky multi room etc and pass hdmi over ethernet???

3) As others have said add more ethernet than you think you need. I have 4 x cat5 to my av point and have eaten them all and had to add a second local 4 port switch to allow for growth, (TV, PVR, BluRay, Sonos, AV Amp, Philips Hue, Media PC)

4) Philips Hue is a reasonable way to get connected and controlled lighting in place if you want to try, I use it to back light the tv for movies and also for random patens when we are out to add to the we are in feel of the house.

5) Heating, I've mentioned this in other threads but used Heatmiser as the Honeywell system was to new when we did ours, I don't know if the Honeywell can also do UFEH now but if not Heatmiser can so could be another option. Either way remote heating is very handy.

6) Hot water loop, also fitted this, you need to make sure that the loop is well insulated, most of ours is but some areas were hard to insulate and in winter it impacts the water temperature needing an extra heating period to maintain piping hot water.

7) Showers - mira platinum. a remote controlled mixer shower gives you flexibility on where pipes run and where the controls are we have a mixer box in the loft with a rainfall shower head coming though the ceiling and the control "puck" on the entrance to the walk in shower. It saved having to plumb a thermostatic mixer valve in behind the tiles and kept the plumbing simple.

If anything else comes to mind I'll add it. The most important thing is to have fun....

[JC180]

Did this on a more modest scale a few years ago, so here's my views.

1) Draw up some plans, I just used power point to get the rough room sizes / layouts and use these to play with lighting, power, switches, ethernet and furniture lay outs, its surprising how quickly you can get a sense of what works or not from this and its easy to keep playing with it.

2) Where will all of the ethernet / home networking go back to? again what will be here just network switch / router / BT Master socket or will you have sky multi room etc and pass hdmi over ethernet???

3) As others have said add more ethernet than you think you need. I have 4 x cat5 to my av point and have eaten them all and had to add a second local 4 port switch to allow for growth, (TV, PVR, BluRay, Sonos, AV Amp, Philips Hue, Media PC)

4) Philips Hue is a reasonable way to get connected and controlled lighting in place if you want to try, I use it to back light the tv for movies and also for random patens when we are out to add to the we are in feel of the house.

5) Heating, I've mentioned this in other threads but used Heatmiser as the Honeywell system was to new when we did ours, I don't know if the Honeywell can also do UFEH now but if not Heatmiser can so could be another option. Either way remote heating is very handy.

6) Hot water loop, also fitted this, you need to make sure that the loop is well insulated, most of ours is but some areas were hard to insulate and in winter it impacts the water temperature needing an extra heating period to maintain piping hot water.

7) Showers - mira platinum. a remote controlled mixer shower gives you flexibility on where pipes run and where the controls are we have a mixer box in the loft with a rainfall shower head coming though the ceiling and the control "puck" on the entrance to the walk in shower. It saved having to plumb a thermostatic mixer valve in behind the tiles and kept the plumbing simple.

If anything else comes to mind I'll add it. The most important thing is to have fun....

1) I have an architectural technician we sub work out to coming tomorrow to do floor plans, these will be extremely useful I agree.

2) No idea, I'm not all that tech savvy and just want to have sky and high speed broadband cabled to a couple of rooms and a good wifi signal throughout.

3) notes thanks.

5) Honeywell can do it all, except the proximity thing I think which is not an issue for me.

6) Yes, heat loss can be a major issue but as I'm having new pipework to the bathrooms and the existing pipework is lagged and accessible I intend to check this thoroughly.

7) Never even knew they existed. Very clever system and not all that expensive compared to all the hansgrohe bits too, will definitely consider one of these in one of the bathrooms.

[JC180]

What a lovely looking house ......well done , you and misses must be well chuffed.

I know what you are saying about grey aluminium Windows , they look really good in a new white rendered house ......I'm not so sure about yours though ???.....I rather like the look of a crisp white window against the brick . Makes the place look clean , neat and tidy .

Yes we intend to keep the Windows white and sliding sash and Georgian, it just suits the look of the house and I don't want to mess with that classic look.



My big problem is deciding between refurbishing the timber Windows and doors or fitting very expensive new upvc wood lookalike sliding sash Windows....

[plw]

May be worth talking to Ventrolla about the windows - possibly refurb and DG the existing.

[JC180]

May be worth talking to Ventrolla about the windows - possibly refurb and DG the existing.

Thanks but they look expensive! I've asked a couple of firms for quotes, both bespoke joiners that specialise in timber sash Windows.

They're to to quote for replacement double glazed sashes in every window, replacement double glazed French doors and new double glazed fanlights. New staff and parting beads with brush seals etc to drought proof and better insulate. They will also refurbish all the boxes and replace any rotted cills.

Im very tempted to save £20k and refresh the timber as I love the look and feel of timber even though it will be a pain to keep looking fresh.

Or do I just go for pain free and great heat and noise insulation not to mention security of PVC...?

[Plug]

Hi Jacob,

If you're planning on wiring the house with cat5e/cat6 (and I strongly suggest you do, wifi is great but nothing beats copper for reliability), take time to consider the layout and bring all the cable back to a star point, a utility cupboard or some such. Fit a small 19" wall mount rack unit, something like this should be fine for a house such as yours:

http://www.netshop.co.uk/product/170...ith-glass-door

Then stick one of these in the cabinet to distribute as needs be:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/comput...98894-pdt.html

I've deployed loads of the Netgear Prosafe stuff over the years, we ran the old company on it and it's pretty much bombproof. Fit and forget.

That will take up 1U of the 6U in your rack (the U being a standard unit height in networking, actually 44.45mm for fans of specifics), leaving plenty of room for patch panels etc. that may be needed for your alarm system or whatever. UTP cable is incredibly useful stuff, always stick in more than you think you need!

Once you've got a cable infrastructure in place, you can tap wireless access points off as needed to create the wi-fi network. Maybe a couple on each floor, from looking at the photos, to keep the signal strength up.

Talking about the photos, how did you take those? Drone?

Cheers,

Plug

[JC180]

Hi Jacob,

If you're planning on wiring the house with cat5e/cat6 (and I strongly suggest you do, wifi is great but nothing beats copper for reliability), take time to consider the layout and bring all the cable back to a star point, a utility cupboard or some such. Fit a small 19" wall mount rack unit, something like this should be fine for a house such as yours:

http://www.netshop.co.uk/product/170...ith-glass-door

Then stick one of these in the cabinet to distribute as needs be:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/comput...98894-pdt.html

I've deployed loads of the Netgear Prosafe stuff over the years, we ran the old company on it and it's pretty much bombproof. Fit and forget.

That will take up 1U of the 6U in your rack (the U being a standard unit height in networking, actually 44.45mm for fans of specifics), leaving plenty of room for patch panels etc. that may be needed for your alarm system or whatever. UTP cable is incredibly useful stuff, always stick in more than you think you need!

Once you've got a cable infrastructure in place, you can tap wireless access points off as needed to create the wi-fi network. Maybe a couple on each floor, from looking at the photos, to keep the signal strength up.

Talking about the photos, how did you take those? Drone?

Cheers,

Plug

Cheers plug, very useful info thanks. My IT guy is pretty young (although keen as mustard) so I could do with checking specifics by someone with experience. This is similar to my company network (although smaller set up) so is familiar, I have POE there for the phone system, not sure it's needed here. My issue is where to have the sockets for the cat6 or whether to just leave them in the ceilings and floors...

The photos were taken with a Sony wifi cam on top of an 8m fishing pole concerted with a tripod mount. Very very useful for what we do (surveyors) and easy to transport with excellent photo quality. The pole has an iPhone mount and the whole camera is controlled through an app.

To get the top of the roof, I did need to stand on one of our telescopic ladders but all the others were from ground level.

Take care

Jacob.

[Captain Morgan]

Hi Jacob,

If you're planning on wiring the house with cat5e/cat6 (and I strongly suggest you do, wifi is great but nothing beats copper for reliability), take time to consider the layout and bring all the cable back to a star point, a utility cupboard or some such. Fit a small 19" wall mount rack unit, something like this should be fine for a house such as yours:

http://www.netshop.co.uk/product/170...ith-glass-door

Then stick one of these in the cabinet to distribute as needs be:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/comput...98894-pdt.html

I've deployed loads of the Netgear Prosafe stuff over the years, we ran the old company on it and it's pretty much bombproof. Fit and forget.

That will take up 1U of the 6U in your rack (the U being a standard unit height in networking, actually 44.45mm for fans of specifics), leaving plenty of room for patch panels etc. that may be needed for your alarm system or whatever. UTP cable is incredibly useful stuff, always stick in more than you think you need!

Once you've got a cable infrastructure in place, you can tap wireless access points off as needed to create the wi-fi network. Maybe a couple on each floor, from looking at the photos, to keep the signal strength up.

Talking about the photos, how did you take those? Drone?

Cheers,

Plug

Cheers plug, very useful info thanks. My IT guy is pretty young (although keen as mustard) so I could do with checking specifics by someone with experience. This is similar to my company network (although smaller set up) so is familiar, I have POE there for the phone system, not sure it's needed here. My issue is where to have the sockets for the cat6 or whether to just leave them in the ceilings and floors...

The photos were taken with a Sony wifi cam on top of an 8m fishing pole concerted with a tripod mount. Very very useful for what we do (surveyors) and easy to transport with excellent photo quality. The pole has an iPhone mount and the whole camera is controlled through an app.

To get the top of the roof, I did need to stand on one of our telescopic ladders but all the others were from ground level.

Take care

Jacob.

Hey Jacob,


Plug makes some good points re the network, I'd add to my earlier point about what you put there and where it goes, I call it the centre node.

We had to put ours in the loft as we had no other available space bar the garage and I wasn't keen on that as its a bit damp, I worried that it would effect the durability of the kit.
I have a small cab like plug recommended but in your case something a bit larger might be in order, if you are going to house the cat6 patch panels, network switch, sky boxes, what else might you add day one and then need room to grow?

You could have your av amp here and run the speaker and video (hdmi over cat6?) back?
a nas drive for backing up home computers and storing audio and video files?
Are you having Sonos in the master / kids bedrooms / Kitchen, if so are you doing play speakers or did you want in ceiling speakers, if the latter again do you have the amp local or run back to the cab / centre node?

Space wise you get 24 ports per 1U patch panel and normally have a 1U cable management panel for every 2 patch panels or switches

If you assume 48 cat6 (I know 48 sounds a lot but I could see a house that size easily swallowing 24 ports we have 18 in ours!), and a 24 port switch is 5U with management.
I don't have sky but guess the sky box is about 2U high so two of them is 4U, 9U total.
A av amp, ~5U (inc space to vent), total 14U.

Add in some nas drives or Sonos and you eat another 2-3U for each type, you should get 3-4 sonos amps per shelf. the nas might be bigger more like a usb HDD and again you could get more than one per shelf.

It's easy to use up the space by putting things like this in the same place.

Another couple of points are noise / heat, you probably don't want this next to the bedside so a spare landing cupboard, loft or garage would be my suggestion.


To give you an idea on the number of cat6 drops ours is a three bed (two & home office) with a open plan U shaped kitchen / living area, we had none in the kitchen (okay but now i would add two or four), two in the lounge area, four in the av area, two in the snug, two in the garage, four in the master bedroom (a pair either side of the bed), and four in the office.
I've installed in pairs as a twin port face plate and two runs of cable is not much more expensive that one and should one fail you've got spare ;)
Location wise its hard to say without plans, hence my first point, once you have theses then play around with where you think the furniture will go and dot the drop points from that.


We also co located our alarm master panel nearby so we had easy access to a landline and a secure location. have you had a look at the visonic power master range?
You can have a central alarm unit and then remote keypads where needed and control via smart phone, (http://ace-alarms.co.uk/the-new-viso...-alarm-panels/ & http://ace-alarms.co.uk/visonic-interactive/) It will also do fire and leak detection if you wanted.

[Mr Stoat]

When it comes to your windows personally I'd be coughing up on maintenance free uPVC sash windows. If the close up look is really important to you then get wood effect embossed frames (a friend did this and they look great, although the just like really wood the embossing does harvest the dirt!).

Whilst wood frames look great and are more authentic, in reality the house isn't authentic, it's a modern take on Georgian so using up to date materials to get the overall effect isn't a compromise too far to my mind .... plus you'll not have the 5 year cycle of sanding and painting the things, better heat insulation, and perhaps stick with a hardwood front door rather then a uPVC embossed door as that's the thing you'll come into contact most often?

[Nogbad The Bad]

If your going to buy a switch look at one with power over Ethernet, that way the wifi access-points are powered over the cat6 cable.

I've seen these used when people can't find a network closet :-

http://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/234-apc...proof-cabinets

[Scepticalist]

Why Cat6 cabling - why not just use Wifi??

Hard cabling is faster, more reliable and avoids "not spots" in the house. At the very least you want a full speed connection in the living room for streaming TV services such as Amazon/Sky NowTV/Netflix. On top of that I'd always need a full speed connection in the office to work from home.

If you have a blank slate like the OP it simply makes sense to put it in. Leave the wireless for the occasional devices like phones/tablets and for multiroom audio like Sonos if you want it. Also run a cable end to the loft


To answer the OP question and add to Plug's comprehensive reply, I'd put a socket in at least both ends of the living room/office and one in the most sensible place in every other room. If money no object two in each room to avoid possible long cable runs which look untidy.

[Chabsy]

As it was built in the 80s the timber used for the windows wont be up to much. Its not worth trying to save them replace with PVC sashes

[Tomw2000]

Little to add other than support the comments of others.

My main point: Spend the time to think carefully about where you'll want power sockets and lighting. Best to over-egg it now than be frustrated later.

Our old place is a Georgian Old Rectory (currently for sale ;) ) - and the new build/extensive renovation we recently did on our other property (moved in, in Oct last year) is a completely different proposition. And the most frustrating issues that remain really are around lighting and sockets - we've only ourselves to blame. Should have thought about it more and specified more clearly to the builders (who did a brilliant job to be fair)
Apart from that, we're very very pleased with it.

Windows - I'd always prefer wooden. We refurbished all the original sash windows in our old Georgian place. But given that yours isn't 'period' I am sure UPVC windows have moved on since I last looked and you'd be able to find something that looked fine.

[maxf]

I've just about finished my place, which is Victorian, but had all of the features ripped out when it became a buy to let.

My advice:

Sockets everywhere!

Ethernet is so much better than w-fi and you can really take the load off the wi-fi router by having desktops and tvs wired up physically.

Don't bother with ceiling speakers - I obsessed about these and now hardly use them (aside from the one in the shower with a sonos amp, which gets used for an hour each morning). The exception would be rear surround speakers, which can be hidden away really nicely in the ceiling.

Get your lighting layout designed properly, rather than just putting lights where you think! I saved a lot of money and ended up with better lighting by having someone design the layout - they put lights where I wouldn't have thought and left spaces where I would have put a light - but the end result is a well lit space. However, I spent a fortune on fancy digital switches - normal would have been much cheaper and more reliable.

Engineered wood floors are great - I obsessed about solid oak, but was persuaded to get engineered instead and am glad I did.

Nest thermostats are ok but only control a single zone. Nest protect smoke alarms are useless - I wouldn't have them again; they go off and alert your phone and you can see there isn't a fire, but you have to physically turn them off rather than remotely!

PIR sensors and low level (ie skirting board level) lights in the WCs are great - really useful. We have them in the hall too, so when you come in with shopping bags, the low level lights come on when you enter the house.

Don't skimp on internal doors - I went for mid level pine (painted) doors, which were solid, but I wish I'd gone for custom made ones, rather than off the shelf as the finish would have been much better.

Skirting, plaster mouldings and architrave are really expensive, but well worth the cost if you are trying to create a look (we had to put Victorian style back in which cost a lot, but we're glad we did).

Think about where a lot of people would put the TV... then put a log burner there and the TV somewhere else. Get a good hi-fi and spend the evenings watching the fire and listening to music rather than watching East Enders!

Good luck - its a fun journey, although it can be frustrating too!

[ism123]

Nice pad, I did mine 6 years ago and was at Elex show yesterday in Manchester, interesting how things have moved on: here would be my wish-list

Underfloor heating - wet system for downstairs
Zoned heating - s plan + or ++ with some sort of remote automated app / control
Hard wired cat 6 with loads of points
Lights automation with remote app
Door / gate automation see here for examples http://www.gira.com/en/land.html
Heat recovery
I'd be looking at how to distribute sky round various rooms

Looking forward to updates!

Ian

[JC180]

Great stuff so far, all the networking feedback taken on board as has that in relation to under floor heating.

I have solid wood parquet downstairs laid directly on the joists and insulated below which I'm reluctant to rip up, the floorboards generally are solid wood unmolested since built and I'm reluctant to rip them up either as nothing creaks or flexes. I wonder if it can be installed from the floor void to the underside...?

Currently there is amtico down in the kitchen and rather that replace this with new amtico as well as in to the morning room adjacent, I wonder whether the budget should be spent on UFH and simply time instead?

I hadn't even considered that 1980's timber would be inferior to the extent the boxes should not be retained, they certainly haven't fared well however the house has been neglected for the last decade.

My my quandary therefore is go for my local friendly installer who does generic sliding sash Windows made by others and has given me a really keen price even with a woodgrain finish or pay more than double and go with a bespoke firm that only do sliding sash Windows and make them almost indistinguishable from timber... The one thing that really bugs me about the former is the stick on sash horns but I'm not sure many people would notice.

Some feedback on other posts:-

We're keeping the internal doors and are having them stripped, they're quite beautiful panelled doors and taken back to bare wood and painted afresh with new ironmongery they will look fantastic. The ones currently glazed will robe re-glazed with more contemporary glass.

Not or sure who I can get to design the lighting, generally I just like a well lit and well balanced room with the living laid symmetrically in the ceiling. I'm not sure if the showroom look would work and even if it was desirous, who I could get to design it.

Im going to leave the automation, so much is wireless nowadays and updated with the sort of frequency that before you've completed the installation it is obsolete, even smart switches can be more trouble than they're worth.

I would love a log burner in the lounge in the existing fireplace but the missus so far is steadfastly refusing. May have to reserve that for my log cabin sanctuary at the bottom of the garden...

Power over Ethernet switch is not much dearer and saves a hell of a lot of sockets in my office so it seems sensible to buy the switch for home for CCTV if nothing else.

Alarms, there is currently an ADT monitored system there. It would seem sensible to keep this on but keen to hear your thoughts. I would have a cctv system that I could log in to if I was notified of an activation but there is some comfort in knowing its monitored and will lead to a police response if no key holders can be reached. Or, should I just go for one that leads to an immediate police response anyway?

Plans getting drawn up this week, meeting the plumber on Wednesday to decide on the final plumbing route and to order materials for an April start so will have to make a quick decision on the UFH for the kitchen and morning room. It makes sense in the hallway too but I, loath to rip up the parquet.

Thanks again for all the feedback, gratefully received.

Cheera

Jacob.

[JC180]

Well, since we completed on 31st March (avoiding a SDLT premium as we're keeping the existing house for the time being) things have been moving.

Rather than describe it all in detail, I'll let some annotated photographs do the talking: -

Day after completion, my boilers turned up



House cleared out



























Calm before the storm, lots of trees going to bite the dust including sadly that wizened Silver Birch






Some nice timber rot down the far side of the garage and I discovered a window I never knew the garage had, result!



I discovered a photograph of the house newly constructed...!



Little Daniel is looking forward to the Diggers!



And here it is, a tiny one, breaking ground for the land drains



Made a pilgrimage to Dekko Windows in Hyde to see the Residence 9 windows and doors I've ordered





Drainage coming along







Marking out on the wall in the hall where the new doorway to the morning room will be



My plumber is an artist







Trees and Laurel biting (saw) dust





Progress, stawnin oop, as this lot call it





Clearing out the Garage



Daniel loving the Digger





Side of the drive nearly cleared, waiting for the stump grinder







Front garden before the land drain installation turns it to the Somme!



Conifer down, conifer down!



Scraping oooop all the baaaby sh1t (as me man says)



And this is why it is a swimming pool when it rains...





Scaffold is up, closer look at the roof







Stoned up



Grab Man Jim having a crack at the roots with his wagon



The aftermath



Rootballed Yew (Taxus Baccatta) a little late in the season, struggled initially but doing well now.



Erin to help them along



Planting



Planted, 6ft tall, should be a nice hedge soon. I should hope so for what they cost!





To prevent me watering them twice a day...





Old boiler and asbestos flue removed and UFH piping and manifold going in



Calm before the storm



Rampant destruction (carefully set aside for rebuilding later) to widen the drive and install a pedestrian gate









Ducting going in for gate controls and power and Virgin 200mbps broadband!





Stoned Up





The rotivator and free draining top soil





Barrowed in



Much better, lots more space



Stelrad Compact with Style rads fitted, system flushed prior





Kitchen stripped out





Roof works underway moss being cleaned off







Some very expensive parquet languishing



Before



This is why, decided on a wet system and this is the layout



Wow, even land drains can't cope with this (it was mostly drained a few hours later)



Fascia repaired



clad soffit replaced



Further ongoing timber repairs





The aforementioned parquet was ripped up to install this, battens, 11mm OSB, 100mm Celotex, 15mm pipework, dry screed, new flooring





Chimney breasts pointed and new flauncing





Layout drawings and locations of Electrical and Audio stuff.





Going for these windows, Bygone Collection Symphony, planners allow them in Conservation Areas, it looked bloody awesome in the showroom

[mk1974]

There's plenty of resident 9 copies that are cheaper,thats a job to die for


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mitch Buchannon]

Wow, that's a fantastic job so far.
Love all the pictures. We gutted and redone a bungalow a few years ago. It's still a work in progress with us.

[steviefleming]

Wow !!!!!......loving everything you are doing so far .

Looks amazing.

[Yeti]

that is a fantastic job, a man after my own heart! Well done, I take my hat off to you for your attention to detail..

[stooo]

Fabulous house.


Sent from the helm of NCC1701-D using LCARS.