Buying a 1970's home (currently in escrow), needs some work especially cosmetically but I would like to make the home energy efficient and try to add some cool features without spending TOOOOO much $$
I plan on redoing all flooring, replace windows with dual pane, paint/wallpaper all walls, scrape popcorn ceilings, redoing all bathrooms, new insulation where possible, and will be doing a little room extension.
While I have some walls open i would like to put tv/internet wiring behind the walls, should i place actual cables or lay conduits?
Any suggestions for items to consider, or recommendations for good home technology?
anyone used a Nest thermostat?
http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Learning-...est+thermostat
Depends on how much money you want to put into it. Browse through my personal notes blog here for some ideas, I update it from time to time:
http://smarterhouse.tumblr.com/
Here's some stuff to start you out with:
Ductless HVAC:
One of the coolest things I've seen lately are the mini-split ductless HVAC systems like the Mitsubishi Mr. Slim. If you're not familiar with them, basically it's like a swamp cooler that (1) doesn't sit on the window, and (2) does both heating & cooling. Each room gets their own individual control - the system is made up of the outdoor unit (heat exchange type of thing), the indoor unit (blows the air), and a remote control. You can do between 1 and 8 rooms depending on the unit you get. A basic system looks like this:
http://www.younits.com/images/msz-fe_med.jpg
They are very energy-efficient, and you only have to pay for what you actually heat or cool. My buddy retrofitted his whole house with these bad boys last year and saved approximately a grand a month in oil costs. Worked out really well! The new ones can pull heat from -13F and I saw an iPhone app for it too:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mezo/id385943152?mt=8
Tankless Electric Point-of-Use Water Heaters:
Water is getting pretty easy to do. For starters, you can get tankless water heaters, but rather than getting one for the whole house, you just get one for each location - showers, faucets, dishwasher, washing machine, etc. More energy-efficient (not heating dozen of feet of piping, for one thing), instant-on hot water, and endless hot water. Most stuff is less than 4 or 5 gallons-per-minute (including showers & dishwashers), and that small of point-of-use tankless electric water heater usually runs under $250: (they start getting way more expensive when you hit 6+ GPM)
http://www.amazon.com/Rheem-RTE-13-E...dp/B003UHUSGQ/
Then add PEX plastic piping for the water lines:
http://www.pexinfo.com/
Sharkbite for the connections:
http://www.sharkbite.com/usa/how-it-works
And a Moen ioDigital shower valve system: (my buddy just picked this up, it's amazing!)
http://www.moen.com/iodigital
If you're doing any wet-area stuff, in particular bathrooms and showers, definitely check out the Kerdi system. There's a really good book on tiling if you want to DIY here:
http://www.tileyourworld.com/catalog/
Electrical:
If you're doing any electrical, go with a structured wiring system. They have some panels here:
http://www.smarthome.com/_/Cable_Structured_Wiring/Structured_Panels_Accessories/_/v/1P3/nav.aspx
And then use Monoprice for all your wiring needs: (they have a lot of in-wall stuff too)
http://www.monoprice.com/
If you're adding new receptacles, they sell combo 3-prong & integrated USB charging outlets here: (15 amps, 10w USB
http://www.newertech.com/products/power2u.php
Miscellaneous:
If you need some more budget-oriented ideas, here's some stuff:
AirStone is pretty neat, it's sort of a cheap recycled stone-look material that you can get at Lowes:
http://airstone.com/
There's also a variety of ceiling tiles, some that are made from inexpensive styrofoam, which can easily replace popcorn ceilings:
http://www.decorativeceilingtiles.net/categories/Foam-Ceiling-Tiles/
There is a seller on eBay that sells refurbished Graco HV2900 house paint-spraying guns for $39 with free shipping:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRACO-HV290...0?pt=Paint_Paint_Supplies&hash=item35bc374d66
If you have a little more of a budget, Eldorado Stone makes the best stone/brick veneer I've ever seen: (starts at probably $9/sq foot to DIY up to $25/sq foot installed, for ballpark pricing)
http://www.eldoradostone.com/
Combine that with Laticrete for waterproofing:
http://www.laticrete.com/mvis/
If you're looking for low-maintenance windows, Pella makes an in-swing French casement window, as well as tilt-windows, so you can clean from the inside: (scroll down on this webpage)
http://www.pella.com/windows/explore-window-styles/specialty-windows.aspx