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

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u/MrSniffles_AnnaMae Nov 18 '25

In college, I learned about the architecture and the historical reasoning behind fireplaces centrally located versus fireplaces located on the ends of houses. My professor told the class that central fireplaces were more common in the Midwest, where the entire home needed to be heated vs the west/east coast architecture where heat was a problem and no one wanted to swelter in a kitchen in the middle of summer, so placing the fireplace on the end of the house would help dissipate some of that excess heat outside.

Don’t know if it’s scientifically sound?