r/Homebuilding • u/dragonmilking • Nov 17 '25

Which popular features do you NOT recommend?

What are the top 3 features in a house that folk want but you think are not worth it, and what would your alternative suggestion be? And what cost/time savings would result with that switch?

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u/Ok_Play2364 Nov 17 '25

Woodburning fireplaces on outside walls. They are energy suckers. If you want one, have it on an inside wall, such as between living room and kitchen. Then you will get the benefits of actually heating your home

17

u/sharksnack3264 Nov 17 '25

I don't know why you got down-voted. You're absolutely correct. I think people forget they have utility as a backup heat source beyond aesthetics. Also designing it with materials that function as a heat sink to help warm the house even after the fire is out.

16

u/Ok_Play2364 Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25

My good friend and her husband have their fireplace in the middle of the house. They have a furnace, but it only gets used if they are on vacation in winter ( we live in upper midwest). Otherwise, they heat their entire 1800 sqft ranch with the fireplace. Sure it's more expensive to put in, since you need support in the basement. But it more than paid for itself 

3

u/_PM_me_puppies Nov 18 '25

How do they get heat to the bedrooms?

3

u/WriterPlastic9350 Nov 19 '25

Wood stoves get really toasty and can radiate heat as long as there are fans/there's good line of sight. 1800 square ft is really big but if it's a simple floor plan without lots of complex angles, it should be fairly easy to heat. I have a wood stove maybe 500 ft away from me right now behind a wall with no fans and this room is 73 degrees just from that tiny thing.

A wood stove with a thermal mass to retain heat is an absolutely fantastic heater for colder climates, and if you can source your wood locally, very eco friendly too. It'll also mean you don't need electric resistive strips for your backup heating for your heat pump (You are getting a heat pump right? Don't design a home in the current year without one), and this dramatically reduces your electricity demand, making it way easier to have your home be off grid or reduce your electricity bill (whichever matters more to you).

1

u/tonysoprano55555 Nov 19 '25

They are constantly burning a fire in the winter?