Making Room for Mechanicals: Expert Advice for Efficient Home Design

[@gerhardschulzy]

I'm in service end in construction for HVAC. Yes, builders and architects need to plan for servicing equipment ! There is a reason why I'm in commercial and not residental service

[@lg3187]

corridor idea is genius I've thought about that as well

[@jimpie231]

I’m 78 and had a tract home built 21 years ago in a NW suburb of Chicago. This was my retirement home. It is a 2240 sqft ranch with 9’ ceilings, vaulted ceiling in entry/family room and a deeper full basement. It has 3 full baths (one in the basement with a large shower). I tried to anticipate some of the things mentioned in your video. I did a Werner aluminum pulldown ladder in the three garage, it can be used even with 3 cars in the garage. I wanted larger doors (32” doors would be minimum for a small/medium wheelchair) but that wasn’t available. The master bedroom has a 48” wide opening with 2 doors, this works well with wheelchairs. The 50 gallon water heater is close to the middle of the basement, next to the furnace. It only takes 30 seconds for hot water to get to the master bath (furthest away from the water heater). It has 2 steps to get into the front door and 3 steps into the garage. I had a front door green 16’ x 32” wide wheelchair ramp made about 8 years ago, that can be installed in less than 1/2 hour. I have used it twice, once through the winter for about 1 year, the other time for 4 months. The only opening that could have been larger is the kitchen entrance 29 1/2” from the hallway. The dining room entrance to the dining room (no door) is 37 1/2” and is great. The other side of the dining room has an 8’ opening. The front door is a 36” door, but only a 35” opening. The mudroom door to the attached garage is 32”, with a 31” opening, but the other door is 30” with a 29” opening……strange that they are different. My 20” wheelchair is 27 1/2” wide. If I was building a new home I would do all passageway openings at least 36” and hallways 46” minimum (my hallways are 41 1/2”, with post at one point making it 36”). I have bumped into the walls and corners damaging the drywall when using the wheelchair. PS: I also added a whole house 36” 2speed fan, which I use in the spring and fall to cool down the home when necessary.

[@ErikEngland-x2g]

We're doing the full ACCA JSDT for architects in California. Knowing the duct sizes during the planning phase really helps when the client wants cathedral ceilings everywhere.

[@raymondergarcia]

You should totally do an episode on the sound system design for this house. It's something you rarely see covered on a new construction video, but there are people (like myself) who would benefit greatly from insight into a professional install for a whole house system.

[@atyt11]

Matt, You are so helpful and inspiring for future new home builders. Education is the key to using all this 1st world country modern tech and design options that we are so blessed with. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU👊👊👍👍

[@compactc9]

I also dearly love drop ceilings in basements. I know "they look ugly" or whatever, but the idea of the ability to remove the whole ceiling or just a few panels without any cutting or construction to put it back afterwords is a beautiful thing to me. It's also my appeal to the conditioned attic, complete ease of access with no insulation in the way of the ceilings and tops of walls, and the obvious benefit of it being a comfortable temperature to work in. I've noticed some things that make my life easier when installing or working on a central vac system, and things that make life hell. I know anything that makes it easier for me would for any trade, and I like the easier, less messy option for being able to access anything for repair, upgrading, or adding something in the house.

[@nickwulf]

Back up the refrigerater to the heat pump water heater haha "It's all water under the fridge"

[@whymindsetmatters]

Great episode

[@CapitanGreenhat]

Cantral heat pump with distributed lines going to individual mini outs. They make ceiling mounted ones that are fantastic

[@JimMcGuigan]

"Water is a hot commodity" I see what you did there Steve. Well done.

[@greg925911]

Mat, it's about time, that you start talking about Those "WHAT IF'S" what if, I or someone need to get to something later, as I work started on my Cargo Conversion Trailer 3 years ago, my thought always was WHAT IF, I have to get to something, how would I get to this point and how much would I have to replace or even redesign again to fix something

[@help8help]

Question: would it be better to have two mechanical rooms? One would be for the water heater and HVAC and the other would be for electronic equipment mounted on racks like a server and sound system and video and home automation. That way you would protect the electronics from water /humidity and heat damage. Or maybe that’s unnecessary?

[@rojohe]

My preference is split system (AKA air-to-water,) heat pump water heaters. While not nearly as common as its self-contained cousin, the design solves some of the issues when it comes to placing heat pump water heaters. For example, the evaporator coil unit can be placed virtually anywhere on the exterior of the building envelope.

[@guyball73]

Matt, you should look into the Elair one touch attic ladder. They are made right here in Texas.

[@tsand430]

With that mixing of cold and hot air are you concerned about condensation?

[@mackman77095]

I think that corridor in a Texas house is called the attic. :)

[@3nertia]

He said with ample room to work around everything though 😉

[@hhectorlector]

I love your content. You're sponsored by Huber--will you ask them about doing a video on their Exacore MgO board product? It's one of the few Magnesium Oxide board products we can get in North America

[@rojohe]

MgO board, which has been around for quite a while, is finally starting to become a more readily available option in the North American market. I would like to see it completely supplant gypsum drywall and even cement board.

[@3nertia]

@@rojohe May I ask why?

[@craigkennedy9968]

At 2½ miniutes you mentioned the HP Water Heater, that is good and bad. If the HP portion fails, it gets trashed, if Tank fails ... it gets trashed. Someone does make a HP for a Water Heater that is stand alone. Actually, there are several different types, but the one being pushed on Americans by the box stores and supply houses is by far the worst design. There is a self contained HP unit, that ties in to a solar water heater tank, so it is similar to what you showed. But there are also inverter HP units where the inverter condensing unit goes outside just like all other mini-splits and looks the same. The benefits to these units ... you don't have to trash the tank if the HP portion fails, and vice versa. So you can grab a Rheem Marathon solar Water Heater, that should never fail due to its polycarbonate tank. Replace the anode with a Corro-Protec electronic anode rod, and forget about it until its time to flush it. Some even have electric heaters for back up and supplemental hot water. But in Texas, why aren't you using a solar hot water panel ? At 10 minutes in, Matt and Steve are standing in front of that mechanical closet and discussing planning for system maintenance, HOWEVER ...lol, we see the transition for the AHU hanging down and it appears to be offset in the closet. The issue is for Maintenance and Repairs ... that Air Handling Unit requires a minimum of 2.3 times the footprint of the AHU itself on the panel side. The reason for this is to pull the coil out for replacement, or the blower wheel, etc. And you probably want a minimum of 2½ times that footprint to allow for electrical to be swung out of the way without increased labor costs in order to get that blower wheel or coil in and out. Scuttle holes are nice, and those accordion ladders are kinda OK at best, but those pull downs should be no smaller than the largest appliance in that space. Going through the gable and such increases Repair costs on any future repairs ... scaffolding, extra men, etc ... And all that flex, it's insane. Flex reduces airflow due to the wire bound inner sheath causing cavitation of the airflow ... flex is only best when used as a noise isolator .... never a length greater than 6'. Run hard pipe within 4' of boot, and tie in with flex. I have seen plenty of attics, especially hot attics where the flex insulation had settled and the inner sheath had collapsed in on itself ... it happens in around 10 years in how attics, and up to 15-20 on other attics. Not to mention the sags that occur within 5 years, the collapsed bends that tend to happen I less than 10. Just a really bad idea you go cheap and use flex as a duct in it's entirety. And flex is required by code to be strapped at every 3 feet. Not done on these flex lines. Having ductwork touching roof trusses is a bad idea due to heat transfer, having linesets in contact invite heat transfer which lead to a decrease in energy efficiency and premature failures, increased repairs due to leaks, and vibrations that can be heard in the home.

[@ritste1654]

With an attic that large, I would want a dumbwaiter to get the stuff up to the storage area. I can imagine some codes may not allow a dumbwaiter, but designing a space for one, in case the code changes (wink wink) would be awesome. I could not imagine getting a large Christmas tree out of an attic using the fold up stairs. Actually I can, did it for years and hated myself twice a year for it. I also love the idea of the outside hatch to the mechanical attic. Real simple to do I imagine.

[@KJSvitko]

All homes should be built to accommodate the elderly and disabled. This will be better for everyone. Large wide doorways and hallways make using a cane, walker or wheel chair much easier. Bathrooms or wet rooms need to have flat floors and no shower hump or pan. A flat floor allows for easy access and drains need to provided. Easy to use lever door and faucet handles are easier for the elderly to grip and open. Main floors should include a master bedroom, restroom, shower, laundry and wide walk in closet with few steps to enter. Homes should be designed with aging in place in mind.

[@MorryB]

Pretty sure that Matt did a show on that topic sometime in the last year.

[@kingduck3192]

Even in the north we are starting to embrace floating frost protected slabs over basement

[@alansnyder8448]

As someone planning on building a house in the next 3-5 years. Is it common to have two small water heaters closer to use in say a larger home? I'm actually considering a mid-west barndo-minium-style home, and was thinking that instead of long runs for the hot water. My current house has the main shower very far from the basement water heater, and waiting so long for it to warm up is a bit annoying.

[@jazdragen]

Yep. building a house right now and having two water heaters at opposite corner was what my builder suggested. good luck with your future build!

[@tomaskey6844]

An on demand heater might be great for that. 😊

[@Padoinky]

Easy-peasy - just dig an extra high (deep?) basement and incorporate into your design the appropriate use of stand alone, self contained HVAC room units - never worry about them and they’re easily accessed - nothing more impressive than a well designed and executed mechanicals plan and room

[@D2O2]

Easy in SOME parts of the country.

[@CapitanGreenhat]

No one likes floor registers

[@BitsOfInterest]

My new neighbors told me they had to use dynamite to put a pool in the backyard, so not so easy peasy where I live in Texas... I'm currently using a big contractor hammer drill to put in a dog fence, only takes about an hour to hammer a hole per post 😂

[@plumbthumbs9584]

'Water is a hot commodity.' - hey-ooh!

[@r.j.bedore9884]

14:50 Actually Matt, a super hot attic is an excellent place to put a heat pump water heater. The space will likely be large enough to accommodate the cubic feet of air requirements for the water heater, and the heat pump on it will cool and dehumidify the attic. As long as you build the trusses to support the weight and put in a drain pan for the condensate and to protect the house in the case of a catastrophic leak, the hot attic of a southern home is probably the best place imaginable to put a heat pump water heater. Also, did I understand correctly that the makeup air system for the kitchen vent hood pulls in tempered air from the garage instead of unconditioned air from outside? I really like that idea from an energy usage and comfort standpoint, but does code allow something like that with the possibility of pulling fumes from a car or chemicals stored in the garage into the living space?

[@OrthopedicRegenerativeMedicine]

just put ducting from the heat pump water heater to and from the attic......

[@steven7650]

@steve harhar water's a hot commodity.

[@bcrogers57]

And Matt didn’t bite on it… sad. 😂

[@SamPatterson-l2e]

00:14 Center left is a NEC code violation of 314.16, 12-2 NM can't go in a 4in Pancake box.

[@winterfar2814]

Nothing wrong with recirc, we’re talking minimal energy cost to run the pump(1/16th hp). So not a waste at all.

[@tarahall1025]

Building in 6 weeks! Owner builder...I thought about having a conditioned mechanical room on the 2nd floor- but I have an area over the kitchen/greatroom that will have walk in attic 10'x8'- isn't it better to skip the conditioned mechanical room (in midlands SC) and just use that attic space?

[@lydia535]

I’m the person you can do my HVAC for. I live in SW Minnesota 😊

[@lg3187]

water is a hot commodity 🙂

[@Marcela-eq7tb]

Where is the discount code in the description for the VIP Pass at the November show? Thanks in advance.

[@VillelaHN]

25:25 Don’t forget his KZbin channel.

[@KJSvitko]

New homes should come with solar panels, a rain water collection system and an electric vehicle charger in the garage. Large roof overhangs add beauty and protection for the doors , windows and siding from the sun, wind and rain

[@davidcarbone3385]

As an end-unit 1856 square foot townhome original owner, I appreciate the thoughtfulness for designing this home. In my case, my attic is huge and very tall. But the space, other than housing the furnace, is unusable because the attic is full of 2 by 4s holding up the roof. The roof is super high. I have a roofer who checks my roof every 2 or 3 years and cleans my gutters, but he said he likely would not do my roof when it needs to be replaced because of how it was designed. He did install an exhaust fan into my roof because the electrician was to skiddish to go up on such a high roof. Luckily, the 25-year rated roof appears as if it does not have to be replaced for maybe 5 to 8 years per the roofer. The small hatch access to the attic is in the small hallway where the master bedroom cloests are that leads to the master bathroom. The builder built that scuttle hatch with no ladder so I got a Werner ladder and would leave it in one of the two master bedroom closests. But, I found a contractor who attached a pull down Werner ladder to the attic floor with the wand that you have to open the hatch. I don't have a basement because of a high water level due to a small river being about 150 feet behind me and 800 feet beyond my front door. My hot water heater is on the 2nd floor in a closest and sits next to the full size washer/dryer stackables. I had a unit attached to my furnace that accommodates a 6 inch GAP filter so I only change the filter 2x a year when the HVAC tech comes to check the furnace and A/C. They won't install a humidifier because of the chance of a leak in the attic. The nice thing is I have a pretty long hallway separating the master bedroom from the 2 other bedrooms with a linen closet, the hot water heater closet on one side and an open library area and 2nd full bath on the other side. Plus for a townhome I have more privacy than many single family homes because of the river on two sides and an open area across the street from me. My project now is replacing my pressurerized wood step deck with a composite but deciding whether to expand the step deck to 120 or up to 200 square feet with permissions from the HOA and township.

[@BigTee-lp7qu]

B o r I n g,... so sad I actually read thru your whole boring story just to find the obvious, need for mommy's boy therapy😢

[@davidcarbone3385]

@@BigTee-lp7qu omg you nailed it! You won! What's your address, so we can personally deliver it to you.

[@davidcarbone3385]

@@BigTee-lp7qu You did? You won! Share your home address here so we can deliver your prize to you. I'll patiently wait for your therapy to end.

[@ericscott3997]

You'll need that removable panel when that "heat recovery" thermo drain starts developing pinhole leaks. Talked to several homeowners that had theirs fail. KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid, you gain is minor to nothing at best. A proper waste drain is all you need.

[@AdamMcReynolds]

what was the brand of that attic ladder mentioned at 21:25??

[@bookie9273]

The brand is called Fakro

[@nw9723]

Maybe I’m not seeing it, but aren’t there supposed to be A 6-8” step down into the garage from living space? To keep car fumes from getting into living space.

[@project4funner]

We have to duct our heat pump water heaters to outside in Washington.

[@flech3025]

Did Matt say he is going to be pulling air from the garage for make up air?

[@mattgruber3933]

I'd rather have just an 8 gal WH in each bathroom and in the kitchen, each with a frugal on/off switch.

[@DrMJJr]

17:50 😂😂😂😂

[@viktorvasilik5477]

Nobody ever plans for HVAC

[@mitchdenner9743]

I would ☝️

[@davidwhetherholt2370]

Show the stuff they are talking about

[@michaela.5363]

My mechanical room is small af

[@imtheonevanhalen1557]

Really cool tech, but c'mon man.......raised floor crawl space eliminates most of this.

[@helmanfrow]

I don't understand; is Matt building himself a new family home?

[@VillelaHN]

17:50 🤣🤣🤣

[@mitchdenner9743]

You gotta lay off the cheesburgers steve, ladders probably rated for 300.

[@williamdemilia6223]

not nice.

[@daviddelpolito7067]

LG is “Garbage “ their sealed system has almost 100% failure rate especially since they are using R600A. Natural gas hot water heater is the best choice, most efficient, fastest recovery and most reliable.

[@BigTee-lp7qu]

Nice camera angle and direction for 6:30-7:30 to showcase the head architect, Steve's dickiedoo!! Yep gut sticks out way past where his dickie do😅😅 😅.ya killin' it Steve. Sad part, I'm right there with you. The comedic effect and profile shot pays for itself!!😢😢

[@kingduck3192]

Look how tall he is and hid bear paw hands don’t be so sure there honey. 😊

[@BigTee-lp7qu]

@kingduck3192 well you never know, that's right. Donald T claimed small hand and big bands had no correlation until Stormy called him out on his baby belly. Uh, more of a commentary on Steve's gut but given the profile shots, I win this round.