5 Construction Tips & Upgrades from a Firefighter

Will King gives Matt 5 construction tips & upgrades from a firefighter. They tour this new build and give some smart ideas of what you can incorporate on your next build.
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[@hifiandmtb]

Will is super comfortable on camera - and very listenable.

[@HighCottonHomes]

Thanks!

[@azadtayar347]

@@HighCottonHomes you should make content on your channel! You wouldn’t believe the bozos on here giving advice when they have no business giving it.

[@bwillan]

This is something I think most people designing and building houses should keep in mind. Design the house as if you're 75-80 years old with bad arthritis. So minimize the number of steps to get to the front door. Have flush transitions on your floor materials. The recessed shower idea is a great one. His last point of access for having 3' wide doors all the way to the master bath is great. Just do that every where. Sooner or later someone in your family may need a walker or end up in a wheel chair. Think of these acessibility items up front is a small amount extra to the budget, but it is a huge savings if you have to retrofit after the house is already built.

[@tysleight]

If I can't go up a set of stairs then it is time I move on to greener pastures.

[@Austin-fc5gs]

@@tysleight Breaks pinky toe. Cocks shotgun

[@cobalt0690]

This is what I am going to do. Can’t believe it’s not more common.

[@probablynot1368]

We worked with a builder to design and implement these things for aging in place. Our curbless shower with built in seating is also large enough for a wheelchair to enter and turn around in. We also have adjustable hand-held shower wands placed on a slider bar so that one can stand or sit in the shower. Our master toilet is wall-mounted, providing more clearance in front and beneath the toilet bowl. The walls in every bathroom have been blocked between the studs for any future attachment of grab bars. Faucets have lever controls, instead of knobs that are difficult for arthritic hands to grab. The living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen are all ‘open concept’ to allow ease of navigation. All window coverings are powered, and can be programmed to open and close at specific times of the day throughout the year. All 3-foot wide doors have handles, not knobs. No carpeting, as it is too difficult for walkers or wheelchairs to ‘plow’ over the pad. We have created area rugs using a carpet square product called FLOR - pretty cool stuff, very easy to clean, and easy for wheelchairs to navigate over. Oh, and our lights are on a programmable Lutron timer. Our city required a fire suppression system in the ceiling throughout the house, too.

[@granatmof]

Yeah, more rigorous ADA compliance for all new construction is something everyone can benefit from

[@lentztu]

Will is great at explaining stuff. He’s an excellent guest that you should have on more often.

[@HighCottonHomes]

Thanks!

[@boobacockaa]

Maybe he should stop interrupting Will.

[@JeremeyHowlett]

Will is smoking, he should curl the ends of his mustache.

[@jtderby]

In addition to the door width and front steps for access, I’d add another thought. Have closets stacked on each floor that can be converted to an elevator shaft down the road if needed. Cheap to frame in during the design phase and you can always use the closets if you never need the elevator.

[@D2O2]

Yes, way easier to provision this during build and frame the floor for it. Linen/Hall closets are my choice to stack.

[@compactc9]

I've thought of this, and I'm DEFINITELY doing it when I build my house!! What do you do when you're too old or some medical thing happens and you can't do stairs? Rip out the closets and put in the elevator!

[@jimsubtle886]

Matt, please get more episodes of this amazing Will on this channel. So good !

[@HighCottonHomes]

Thank you!

[@dozer101308]

Great video, here are some more ideas that I wish more people would do. Installed a NFPA 13d fire sprinkler system. Use all concealed sprinkler heads to minimize the risk of accidently breaking one. This type of head is hardly noticeable because all you see is a flat cover plate. That plate can be factory painted to match the paint in the room. Install a full fire alarm system with smoke and heat detectors that is monitored 24/7 by a monitoring company. Connect a water flow switch on the sprinkler system to the fire alarms. This will notify the fire department if a sprinkler head activates. Connect all HVAC to the fire alarm system so they shut down when a fire alarm activates. This will prevent all the toxic smoke from spreading through the house. The smoke will incapacitate a person before the fire gets to them, so you need the HVAC to shut down. Install a Knox box or some kind of key box so the fire department can get in quickly without causing damage to a door. The water shut off is nice if you happen to be home when something breaks. I would go with one that ties into the alarm system and install water detectors in key areas (wash machine, under sinks, by toilets, etc.) so if water is detected, it automatically shuts the valve off on the domestic water line.

[@brandonmyers3860]

Will seems like an absolutely awesome guy! Well spoken.

[@jakeaurod]

After experiencing cardiac arrest at home, I can appreciate his suggestion to have easy access for EMTs. I'm better now, but if I ever own my own place in the future, I'll be looking for that.

[@adrielrowley]

12:50 When Dad unexpectedly deceased home alone, so much stuff in the residence the funeral home had to get extra staff to remove him through the bedroom window about six feet off the ground, cost a stiff additional fee. Tried getting him help, though being out of state and him stubborn, wasn't possible.

[@tlangdon12]

In the UK, every home is required to have a water shutoff valve inside the property. For about $75 we can get ones that have a remote on/off switch that operate on water pressure alone. No electrical connection required. These are really handy for older people, tenants, and anyone that wants to be able to turn off there was with the press a switch located somewhere convenient.

[@mykarma0011]

Would love to have you do a walk through of this house and it’s features, aside from what you’ve covered, once it’s done. The styling of the house looks beautiful!

[@HighCottonHomes]

I can’t wait to show off this house when we are 100%

[@roadkillraker]

Its the little details that make a huge difference in value and piece of mind.

[@bobjoatmon1993]

Yup, I'm no big custom builder like Matt but I figured out in my mid-20s due to just having situational awareness of older people that sooner or later everyone ends up in a wheelchair so the couple of houses I built and all the ones I remodeled I put in (where the mod was possible) wider doors. And I grew to love pocket doors for the space they free up since they don't have swing when doing these widening mods.

[@forgotmylogininfo]

I've always said I wanted larger doors in my home when I build one, hadn't thought far enough out to think about swing clearance. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

[@ryansoo4000]

Great video! It’s always nice to hear from someone who has a wealth of experience in another field like fire-fighting and then they explain how to apply their knowledge to home design and construction. With regards to Will’s comment on the vulnerabilities of garage doors in a high wind event, is there a product (like a brace) that could be installed up against the inside of the garage door to help stiffen it and prevent the door from being blown in during a tornado or hurricane? The brace would probably have two or three diagonal struts running from the top, middle and bottom of the vertical door support down to a metal anchor set into the concrete garage slab. In the event of a hurricane or tornado warning, the homeowner could put the brace in place, anchor it to the floor and quickly improve the strength and durability of his overhead doors.

[@JamesJackson-Hailey]

If you have and google devices in the home, you could always broadcast to them, either as a whole, or separate rooms just by telling google to broadcast. Pretty handy when my kiddos are upstairs at dinner time.

[@SeanBlader]

Hey Build Show team, I'm constructing my tiny house on wheels myself, and thanks to you I have the confidence to have a vague idea of what I'm doing, and what I can do better along the way!

[@leesharp3826]

Great video and clearly well-thought-through "pre-issue" solutions. One additional suggestion - (9:49), put the receptacle for the hot water supply "parallel or above" the unit. If it leaks, it will flow into the receptacle - it's probably a AF/GFCI but a simple thought. Keep these coming!

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

one of the best videos in a long time. recessed closet tip is great.

[@JeremeyHowlett]

Was that band iron holding up that pvc pipe in the crawl space? I love how Matt highlighted that, he couldn’t just say something, he had to put it on blast. Lol

[@Richie_7777]

Using type X drywall! Better finish, better durability, less sound transmission, and fire rated! Slowing down the spread of fire from room to room.

[@DanielSwick]

As a real estate agent in Ohio who's been in hundreds of homes I don't think I've ever seen a house that did not have a water shut off inside.. so I think it's hilarious that down south you see the opposite. Also I live very close to the universal design living laboratory in Central Ohio and I Love to see those principles being applied for safety and visitability with the low door threshold and full width doors.

[@bwillan]

It's plumbing code in most areas of Canada to have a shutoff valve on the main incoming water line. The auto shut off feature on flooding is a good idea too.

[@boby115]

Same here in Missouri 👍. Water shut offs, common sense I would think🤷🏻‍♂️.

[@johnhaller5851]

It's because there is no frost line, and the meter is by the street just below ground, and there is a shutoff so the city can turn off the water and lock it if you don't pay. My water line comes into the house under a bedroom, so there's no good place to put a shutoff. In theory, there is a water heater closet just past that bedroom and a bathroom that would have worked, or in the bathroom under the sink. This is one of the downfalls of slab-on-grade construction.

[@sammax4245]

Texas has no frost line,Ohio does

[@boby115]

@@sammax4245 , Texas had a frost line in February of 2021 ,🥶

[@jeffo1108]

Surprised he didn't mention a residential sprinkler system. 🤷‍♂️

[@mtcrabtree]

He's a builder now, builders dont like sprinklers.

[@tlangdon12]

@@mtcrabtree There are some very easy to install misting systems that can put out a fire with a very small amount of water.

[@shubinternet]

Yeah, ADA compliance for all the doors, hallways, bathrooms, etc... is key. You need to be able to get through there with a wheelchair.

[@macgyver03ga]

I made every single exterior door in my house 3/0 minimum. Some are 6/0 doubles. I don’t understand why anyone would do less? It’s not that much more $$ to make the doors 3/0. Also on the access topic, one feature that I LOVE and I’m grateful every time I use it, is I did a basement garage/workshop in our walk-out basement with an 8x9 garage door and a separate gravel driveway to access that garage door. I had to make the room meet fire code, but nbd. it’s a godsend. Loading/unloading things is a breeze down there. At my old house you had to walk down a hill to access the basement entry door and I had a basement workshop there too so bringing materials down there was always a pain.

[@wraitheffect]

I always put old cannon balls in my fireplace. ;)

[@monteglover4133]

I know of several fires and massive repair costs from animals chewing on Romex (Non-Mettalic, Sheathed Cable) EMT conduit can not be damaged by animals and if the wiring is overloaded it is contained, plus the wiring can be somewhat modified if needed. This at a somewhat minimal cost by skilled professional electricians.

[@ricktorres545]

Both of their voices sound the same. I was like ... Who's speaking??😂

[@Billybob-go8hn]

The handrail for the stairs work as great ladders for kids.

[@boby115]

Billy Bob, I noticed that as well, considering he was a paramedic, I wonder if he thought that one out.

[@jimyeats]

He’s giving general tips that are applicable to many homes. With that said, he still builds custom homes and the customer wanted that railing.

[@dinkyshopYT]

The way I dealt with slowing possible fire spread w/ trusses is to sandwich the house in 1/3rds or 1/4 (of the horz house length) with trusses that fire stopped by placing 5/8 fire core drywall sandwiched on either side of the truss.

[@boby115]

It’s code where I live

[@littlemanwithglasses5491]

This house is amazing!!! Beautiful work

[@seanbhaney]

Excellent video and great tips!

[@tacomafan5186]

Great informative video!

[@glennakam]

Love the kurdi in the mechanical room. I adopted rock wool for my bus to rv build for all of the reasons given, plus it is hydrophobic. Keep feeding me more building science and building ideas 😀

[@bluenadas]

That beaker panel next to the water heater doesn't seem well thought out. The water proofing in there is pretty awesome though. Too many repairs on upstairs washer/water heater failures to count. And that under the porch safe room is pretty slick. Is it designed to the FEMA standards for tornado protection?

[@GoCoyote]

That breaker panel would be an inspection fail in my jurisdiction, as it does not meet electrical code.

[@georgewelker853]

This guy has a great pile of good thoughts

[@b-ryanistryin]

Cool House, louver door is backwards… Been there! 7:34

[@fredericomacabu2618]

Good video, and nice house.

[@joshmartin8714]

Hey Matt, Love your content!

[@buildshow]

Thanks! Appreciate the support

[@largefarva4712]

Ol Lady just had her third foot surgery, definitely in the back of my mind for my next house.

[@JeffPalk]

Beautiful house.

[@buildshow]

Will and his team do amazing work.

[@pcno2832]

3:30 I've never seen a house in the Boston area (or anywhere else) without in inside water shutoff; I assumed they were required by code. For those who won't be installing leak detectors throughout the house, don't they make valves that automatically cut off the water when they detect an abnormally high flow? It wouldn't stop all water damage, but it would prevent catastrophic floods from broken pipes.

[@theferallife8812]

residential sprinklers save lives and reduce property damage!

[@lyfandeth]

And in hurricane country, they often require OUT swinging doors, so the wind can't blow them in. Vault doors being about as common as unicorns.

[@seanmccay6448]

really good video

[@akchuck100]

I am not a builder or an EMT, but as a senior citizen I am thinking of what would be easy access for EMT's. Also, What about furniture deliveries and movers. I think like The Dixie Chicks, 'Wide Open Spaces, Room to make your big mistakes ...'

[@drakewauters2109]

Good ideas.

[@tevawiese6248]

Killer intro

[@Bradimus1]

That is one pretty house.

[@disqusrubbish5467]

That is a NICE looking house. Couple of thoughts that aren't criticisms... Between the front porch and the garage a ramp might have also fit without distracting at ll from the look. Wheelchair, gurney, whatever... But all that concrete (cough, cough) out front...(ouch) Wide doors and flush floors are excellent for new builds.

[@markfoster2833]

Needs a 13d sprinkler system

[@umeng2002]

It's a known fact that A/C only leak and break at night, on the weekends, and on holidays.

[@andrewfischer556]

Great episode, great information and tips. But one thing confused me. The room with the fireplace he says he wants to compartmentalize the room with safe and sound Rockwall. But yet he’s using wood stud frames walls and ceiling Joists. Wouldn’t you want to use metal studs and joists were you trying to make the room fire resistant?

[@DrMJJr]

For a house of that caliber, that PEX plumbing looks like a trashy mess. I can't believe they think that's acceptable!!

[@shanetaylor7369]

Dude you are in my back yard. I live in the shoals area

[@HighCottonHomes]

Nice!!

[@ernieforrest7218]

House design starts with the lot it will be built on. Or at least it should start there. All to often people pick the design before selecting the lot.

[@Scott-J]

Great ideas in the video, and in the comments! Thanks y'all.

[@theshermano3000]

You guys have such a similar voice and accent. Too funny. Might want to get a DNA test. 🤣

[@157-40_T]

Excellent suggestions. Please post the web link for garage door and it’s framing.

[@buildshow]

I’ll add that.

[@generodriguez8809]

Great topic. But as a 35 year firefighter I was greatly disappointed that Will did not include a fire sprinkler system. I have had a sprinkler system in my homes for 30 years now. They save lives and are relatively inexpensive.

[@jimyeats]

If this was a video about ALL the things you can do to make you house more fire resistant, then yes, obviously that would be on there, but this is a video dedicated to showcasing Will and the homes he builds, not actually much about fire safety.

[@pcno2832]

I'm not against sprinklers, but I don't like the fact that passive fire safety codes are sometimes waved for buildings that have them. Every few months there are cases of huge fires in "podium buildings", in which the fire gets around the sprinkler system. My worry about these buildings is that as they age and become less desirable, the sprinklers will spring leaks and get disconnected rather than repaired, leaving the buildings as dangerous fire traps.

[@williamcox8491]

Details on that water shutoff?

[@TheKingOfInappropriateComments]

I'm surprised he didn't say anything about residential fire sprinkler systems.

[@granatmof]

Even in commercial fire sprinkler systems often times the water just sits and corrodes, and now you have additional water and plumbing that's really most likely to just leak instead of reduce a fire. When it is triggers the water is pretty nasty. It's risk VS reward. Really if you're installing a sprinkler system it needs to be regularly inspected and possibly flushed, but I don't know if that's something that is ever done. Regular inspection is something most people don't want to pay for, and if it became common it would be unsustainable. There's plenty of mitigation devices both passive and active

[@erictucker5633]

If you’re out in the country without a fire hydrant for miles a residential fire suppression system would make sense. Also, I’ve seen dry pipe sprinkler systems that use a nitrogen blanket to address the corrosion issues. But they’re really expensive and have their own draw backs.

[@TheKingOfInappropriateComments]

@@granatmof Yes but the occupants get to live. Damaged stuff but the family and all the pets get to live. Not a hard decision for me. And by the way you can make the same case for ABC fire extinguishers. If you go using one of those in your house, you might as well let the place just burn down.

[@TheKingOfInappropriateComments]

@@erictucker5633 Last I heard nobody has ever died in a structure fire that had sprinklers. And by the way, you could say that I live out in the country but strangely on city water. There is a fire hydrant within 1000 feet but most insurance companies wont write me a policy because the house is more than 6 miles away from the fire station. And it is. I mean by the time they got here a good 20 minutes later the house would be a pile of ash. But it really doesn't even matter. I have family that lost their house last year. They live in Dallas and went out to walk the dog and came back and the house was fully involved.

[@AsHellBored]

When I was in college in the dorms, the rooms have steal doors. a common prank is to "penny someone in" you wedge a penny into the gap and you cant open the door because there is to much friction on the latch to open the door. I think if you have enough pressure on that door its at risk of not opening even with an inswing.

[@js-wq6zy]

Any escape possible from the safe room to the outside to avoid a fire etc....

[@tinoslaponi8514]

Just do Monolithic ICF pours for all exterior walls and roof deck. The whole house will be a tight and efficient safe room. Just don't plan on remodeling it. 😂

[@judmcfeters9054]

Wider doors also helps with getting furniture in and out…

[@shubinternet]

So, could you wrap your I-joists with something with Hardie Board, in addition to the Rockwool?

[@homes24]

yeah but why? At that point get traditional lumber. Or steel I joist

[@King_TuTT]

sweet house but thats some big bucks for a house like that. cool video

[@BrianBaldridgeC]

What are the dimensions of the safe room?

[@hotshot619]

How are you plumbing the P trap for that mechanical room drain? You need to run a dripper to make sure there is always water to stop sewer gases from coming into the house when the never used drain dry out. I like the idea of a back up but unless that is straight piped to a utility sink that gets used I'd be worried about the trap drying out.

[@Evanijoe]

You already gave the answer, its probably piped to something nearby that can have a full water trap all year. Same thing goes for AC condensate drains that also can be dry all winter.

[@boby115]

@@Evanijoe , basements always have traps the dry out, how about using a little common sense and adding some water every two months. I can send a reminder to your phone.

[@apostolakisl]

Would you be required to run that emergency floor drain to the sewer? My condensate lines don't run to the sewer (they just run outside next to the condensing unit and into the lawn), so would a floor drain that serves as a backup condensate not fall under the same rules?

[@raymondpeters9186]

If you want a fireproof tornado proof hurricane proof house Pumicecrete is by far the best building material on the planet Pumicecrete is a mixture of pumice cement and water mixed and poured into a set of reusable forms walls are poured from 12"to 24" thick pumicecrete is fireproof termite proof rust rot and mold proof non toxic and has a high R value and good sound attenuation solid poured walls means no critters can live in your walls Pumicecrete can be built for a fraction of the cost and time and pumice is one of the few building materials that can go directly from the mine to the job site ready to use without any additional possessing and zero waste Google all the walls of my house are made of pumicecrete Take care Ray

[@jonathanmilton9753]

How would you water prof that?

[@MegaTimothy88]

Why isn’t there fire sprinklers?!? In New Zealand they are becoming more and more common.

[@mikejf4377]

What about the width of doors in the house, I have a 24" width door, yes it isn't nice with a walker.

[@dickfalkenbury1106]

First, look at the 'aftermath' videos of tornado damage: it is almost entirely the roof being torn off. The walls of the house remain intact for the most part. And the reason why the roofs get torn off is that they have eaves. Eaves were 'invented' in Tudor England to keep water off of the wattle and plaster walls. They are no longer needed. Second, most house fires begin in the kitchen; most kitchen fires start on the cook top. There is good news! Induction cooktops can not catch fire except under very unusual circumstances--you almost have to force a fire on them. Finally, you have a 10,000 gallon reserve of water--the swimming pool. Put a small generator and a pump near the pool, then put a Rainbird (disguised as a weathervane) on the top of the roof. (Forget about 'safe rooms'--the thief will get mad and set the house on fire; let them have 'your stuff', it is cheaper than the alternative.

[@mazie.wilson]

Why would a thief get mad about a safe room? If anything it would be more beneficial to the thief knowing the owners are locked away and not coming out to try to stop them. Somebody there to hurt the owners might get mad about a safe room tho, but not a thief

[@flyingjeff1956]

Did you tell Will about the mineral oil trick?

[@lawnpunching6479]

Duct smoke detectors!! Shut down the HVAC if they sense smoke. Isolate form spreading smoke throughout the entire home. Maybe that has been installed but seem to not hear much about them

[@KJSvitko]

More builders need to build with aging in place in mind. Less stairs, wider doors and hallways, kitchen, bedroom, bath, laundry all on the lower level for easy access and ability to age in place.

[@mikev.1034]

👍👍

[@carrabellicusp]

Talk to upnoor or moen to talk about water and flood And leak sensors that’s a water cop from the 90s great but horse and buggy

[@D.N.R.911]

Matt, have you ever built a house with sprinklers?

[@fredrelay1052]

where do i get that door?

[@sevegarza]

0:43 wow he talks just like you! Must be a local way of talking.

[@ryan52403]

Who makes that basement door? 2:20

[@jaysson1151]

Will King kinda reminds me of Harry Connick Jr.

[@lyfandeth]

Is "safe and sound" just rockwool?

[@buildshow]

Yes. That’s the one tuned for sound & fire. No R-value listed on the bag

[@Legendary_UA]

Welcome to Alabama Matt

[@Davesobscurevideos]

Good looking guy. Firefighter. Paramedic. Home builder. Dude must be swimming in it.

[@boby115]

They call them safe rooms now but back in the 1950s they were called bomb shelters , pretty much the same (Google it ,1950s bomb shelter).

[@jakeaurod]

I think I'd want a second exit from a safe room like that. Perhaps a buried tunnel to camouflaged hatch that can be made as secure as the main door. I'd also want there to be 3 feet of packed earth and concrete above the safe room, in case it needs to be used as a fallout shelter.

[@alexanderjamieson7971]

That accept is thicker than molasses

[@HighCottonHomes]

Haha we definitely have a southern accent!

[@PipeDreamerJacques]

Can I just say how SHOCKING it is to build a shelter like that and have no (even tiny) ventilation hole? Shelters like that have a knack of attracting neighbors, and next thing you know, there’s a tornado and you have 10 people crammed in that little room who need to breathe, and sometimes you have to be in the shelter for a while…

[@PatrickKQ4HBD]

There's a FANTASTIC Twilight Zone episode I think called "The Shelter". 😮 Also, you need a forced air fan, possibly human powered in the worst case. FEMA or somebody published a very cool one powered by a rocking chair. I was fascinated.

[@Esiddik]

Mechanical room door is inside out 🙃🙃🙃🙃

[@imscanon]

I don't understand why someone wants a glass front door. It's so easy to break into or break during a tornado or massive storm. Not secure. I want a very solid front door.

[@sethdistler5332]

If someone wants in your home they will break a window. Best to have a firearm and a security system.

[@shubinternet]

In this case, I'm sure it's tempered and armored glass, so tougher than any window you'd have next to the door. And tougher than most any wooden door you have installed. A solid steel or steelcore door might or might not be tougher. Assuming it's spec'ed and installed right, this is not what worries me. Especially since they're talking about the Fortified House standard, and how they have to make sure the whole house is rated for withstanding the pressure of a Hurricane or tornado.

[@onlyscience7120]

0.00000319 is your chance of dying from a house fire in one year (1,055 civilian home fire fatalities / 331,000,000), some people are paranoid about everything.

[@boby115]

Loved the mechanical room . Matt, get the shit out of the attic and put it in a closet like this. I cringe every time you put the mechanical equipment in the attic and then condition the attic like it’s a room (that conditioned attic gets added to the load calculation for the HVAC system; it’s not free).

[@boby115]

You put that much money into a house and did not do a complete walk out basement ,why ? (Crawlspaces suck).

[@HighCottonHomes]

This house is a half basement/half crawlspace

[@PatrickKQ4HBD]

This is a style critique. I really don't like THAT look. Black, harsh white, dark brown, bold lines everywhere. It says "junior architect lives here." Great building tips though!

[@JeremeyHowlett]

That plumbing looks terrible tho!

[@fooflateka]

What’s up with all that nasty flammable spray foam?

[@makeitpay8241]

if you were really worried about fire why build a wooden house? three letters ICF

[@epiphany6]

Combustion air and return air from the same tiny mechanical room with just a louvered door... IDK boys, I doubt it passes, and even if it does - that's pretty poor practice...