Going to build a new house

Lowsuv wrote:
We built a 2450 sq. ft. single level house with a 1400 sq ft garage in 1999 .
I have been in the lumber business since 1969 , an owner since 1977 .
We have built 4 custom houses in our lifetime and I am a student of building materials .
The list of unique things we did is long . Some highlights :
3 or 4 foot over roof over hang helps keep down the solar heat gain.
Casement windows ( crank out ) seal the best . We used Eagle Clad ( Andersen high line ) which have engineered wood inside and anodized aluminum outside .
If you install an upgrade air-condition / natural gas heating system , not every window has to be operable .
A non-movable sash is the most energy efficient and cheaper to buy .
Do not use sliding or double hung windows as they leak air .
A house that is more of a square has less exterior wall length than one that is a rectangle . Less heat issues .
South facing walls can have more windows as long as there is minimum 3'-4' overhang .
The west facing wall should have a minimum or no windows . Heat gain from wes facing windows is brutal .
Hardiplank cement/composite siding holds paint twice as long, does not warp , and does not shrink/swell with temp changes .
Raise your house an extra foot or so by building a taller stem wall . Insulate the stem walls and Use at least R-30 under the floor .
It is not greatly more expensive to use 2x8 for the exterior walls . 2x8x10 is a low demand size that costs less per board foot . This gives R 26 minimum with fiberglass insulation .
Consider using 9 foot interior ceilings in most rooms and not taller than 12-13' for the feature rooms . Higher vaults are expensive to heat .
Consider R 40 to R-50 as minimum in the ceiling .
Do not use sliding patio doors . Only use swinging patio doors with a 3 point or 5 point lock .
Garage doors should be steel insulated in a 1.5" or 2" thickness . No windows . I used 9'W x 8'H for the cars .
Tile floors at the entrances and down hallways are maintenance free and will eliminate "tracking " from outside .
I installed 3 drains in my garage that slope to the middle .
I wash my cars inside in winter .
I installed an operating casement window at each end of my garage .
In the summer I open them and the breeze goes through the garage .
Bend has 85 degree days and 50 degree nights in summer .
I wasted money on fluorescent lights in the garage .
Cheapie porcelain holders with a compact fluorescent and double the fixtures and switches is a better way to go . I need light in one part of the garage mostly and not all of the garage at the same time .

See here in MN it would seem that having the windows let light and heat in would be a good thing most of the year. In our short summers I've seen people add metal awnings above the windows that they then remove when winter comes.

And, although still expensive, LED lighting is the way of the future. If I had the money to build a home/garage I would consider using that instead of fluorescents.