【Careful Preparation Leads to Victory】Comfort Guaranteed! Outlet Planning.

Introduction

Eighty percent of the work is in the preparation, twenty percent in the execution.
Prepare thoroughly to achieve your mission
and carry out the subsequent work without a hitch.

Starring Jason Statham
Movie: The Mechanic

I feel like Jason is teaching me
tips for building a house.
Careful outlet planning.
Mistakes are not allowed.

I really struggled with this.
kyu's outlet planning.
A record of the battle to avoid regrets with outlets,
please take a look!

So, let's get started today!

Outlet Planning

Outlet placement planning is something that must be decided
in the final stages of building a house.
It is likely one of the specification decisions that comes along
when your judgment is dulled by meeting fatigue.

The house manufacturer should provide some proposals, but
do they really have a firm grasp of the list of appliances you use, their frequency of use, and the appliances you will use in the future?
Conversely, have you communicated this clearly?
In my case, I was not asked for details.
They certainly assumed the appliances I would normally use, but


I felt there was a risk in being completely at ease and leaving it all to them.

I feel that the appeal of a custom-built home is that you can
personalizeit to your own specifications.
So, I started thinking about it quite a while before the timing when the talk of outlets would come up.
I didn't have the courage to decide everything in one meeting.
kyu is the type who wants to think things through thoroughly.

Based on the floor plan I received,
I started the task of marking the appliance list and the locations where I wanted outlets
by hand.

Listing

First, I decided to make a list of the appliances I use.
This should be possible even in my current home.

I also picked out the appliances I want to use in my new home.

Since there are truly so many home appliances, I think it's easy to overlook some.

In the kitchen, for example, a refrigerated rice bin or a yogurt maker. In the bathroom, a shaver or electric toothbrush. In the laundry room, a circulator or iron.

Let's write them all down so nothing is missed.

By making a list,
you can prepare to decide the "address" for each appliance.

The location for each one

Once you have finished listing your appliances,
check where each one will be used.


By doing this, you can grasp the number of outlets needed for each room.

Humidifier -> Living room
Dehumidifier -> Laundry room
Kettle -> Kitchen

It goes something like that.

I think you can imagine the kitchen appliances.
However, you never know what kind of convenient appliances will appear in the future.
Let's prepare so that we can accommodate something even if it increases beyond what we listed.

Especially on the cupboard or in the pantry.
It's a good idea to leave some extra space in both places.

Also, I think things that become necessary due to changes in life stages will naturally emerge.
For example, for those with children,
a place to charge tablets will be needed when they start tablet-based learning.

Whether it's a study corner or a child's room,
I think it's better to decide to some extent.

Octopus ~The first home building failure~

When checking home appliances at my old house before moving,
I notice that there are places where wiring is concentrated.
These include charging stations and storage areas.

My home's various appliance storage areas.
Freezer, espresso machine,
Rice cooker, Sous Vide (BONIQ)

It's chaos.
And it's a tangled mess of power strips.
This is a failure! It was unplanned.
I think that by grasping the current situation again, you will have these kinds of realizations.

To make my current life better,
I must optimize the locations of appliances and outlet placement.
This is a lesson learned from the failure of my first home build.

Difficulty level ★★★★★＋★

And finally,
the difficulty level is maxed out.
That is the position of the outlets.
How many centimeters from the floor should the outlets be placed?

No, no,
isn't that for the house manufacturer to decide?
Some people might say that.

Of course, you should listen to professional advice,
but there are also theories you should know to some extent.
I think the "enthusiasts" who have followed me this far
are itching to decide the outlet positions themselves...

I understand. I understand.
So, please bear with me a little longer!

Basically, the position of the outlet is set by the distance from
the floor to the center of the outlet plate.※ Just to be sure, let's confirm this with the house manufacturer!
I think it is often set at 25-30cm from the floor as a standard.
If you don't specify, it might just be placed there quietly.

When looking at social media, I often see people saying
the standard position is too high, so I specified it lower!
Kyu also set the LDK to 20cm for furniture outlets.
I think people will understand if I call them horizontal outlets,
but if you call them furniture outlets, you might sound a bit "in the know" lol

In my house, in places that are showpieces,
I have installed Panasonic S-plate outlets.
It costs a few hundred yen extra per location,
but it is stylish and reduces the dowdiness.

However, wait a minute.

Low outlets.
It is true that you can make them less noticeable, but abusing them is dangerous.
Kyu hasn't gone that far outside of the LDK.

Try to imagine it.
You might be fit right now, but
as you get older, your body will lose its freedom of movement.
The posture of bending forward should become quite painful.
Outlets that are too low place aconsiderable burden on your knees and lower back.

Be especially careful in places where you plug and unplug frequently.
I think choosing 40cm is also
a perfectly fine option if you have the courage.

Also, when installing outlets on a study counter or cupboard,
you will likely specify how many cm from the countertop.

When using an AC adapter with this kind of shape,
if the outlet is too close to the countertop, it may interfere.
Even if it doesn't interfere, your hand might hit the countertop every time you plug or unplug it,
making it difficult to use!

The right answer for you

Keep it inconspicuous.
Yet, keep it practical.

I don't think others can understand such a delicate sense.
Use the opinions of architects and information from social media as a reference to some extent,
but think about whether you and your family can use it without stress.

Don't just blindly accept opinions that say 'This is the right answer!'; imagine your own life.
You should definitely copy things you think are good,
but I don't think you should copy something just because someone else said so, even if you don't think it's that great.

I feel that is different from the original purpose of a custom-built home.

Life in your new home might not actually be used as you imagined.
Even so, you want to reduce the possibility of failure as much as possible, right!

Summary

This time, I talked about outlets.
It's a plain topic, but I wrote this article with the hope of making your new life convenient and comfortable.
I hope this is helpful.

I hope this will be of some reference
to everyone planning a custom-built home!

I will deliver another article about custom-built homes next time.
Please follow me and stay tuned!