Non-Negotiables for Home Building: Water Heater Access

If I were to build a home brand new today, there would be some non negotiables for me — and these are not design elements.

I’m not an architect or home designer, but I am a homeowner. And as a parent, I would change design elements about my home to accomplish this.

I want a door that can easily access –
Preferably it would be in a closet or it would be in a cabinet, so it would be. Little bit somewhat discreet. –
I want to open the cabinet door and I want there to be a valve so that I can turn off the hot water — not the water — the hot water. To any shower in my home. Because after all the years and banging and screaming and yelling, ‘Get out of the shower!’, the only thing that will ever get your child out of the shower is for the water to turn cold.

You as a homeowner and a bill payer don’t want it to be because it drained all of your hot water. No, you don’t.

This is funny because my dad chuckled about this for years about how our neighbor who had two daughters would go and turn off the hot water whenever they were taking too long of a shower. He just thought it was hilarious, his daughters did not, but it sure got them out of the shower.

And before you say, ‘Really Cori, how hard is it to walk out into the garage or walk outside?’ Some people’s water heaters are in the attic! It’s a pain in the ass and I don’t want to do it.
I don’t want to walk outside in the garage and turn off some valve there.
No, I wanted to be so less inconvenient for me — it is that important.

What’s funny is typically with men, they’re complaining about leaving the lights on because it costs money. To me, it’s not the electricity that costs the money, it’s the water. The water usage and the shower is so expensive. A valve turning off the hot water is going to bring me some peace. I know for a fact I will never build a home, but I can at least advise people to think these things through.

So many people are getting so worked up over the size of their closet or anything like that. I’m just gonna tell you, that’s important, but some of these things. This will save you so much time, energy, heartache, screaming, blood pressure rising, anxiety increasing.
Just trust me.

I think I’m going to do a series on this. I think I might.

As I’m older and I mean peace in my life, the only thing that I could sit there and bring me peace and not raise my blood pressure would be to go in there and just…
*turns off the hot water**
And I would be smiling while I was doing it, close that cabinet, and walk away.