What American home design aspects to put in new construction Israel home?

[moe8555]

Hope the topic was clear, but B"H we are building a new single-family home in Israel, and I'm looking to do some collective brainstorming about the "little things" we like in U.S. homes that Israelis are usually ignorant about or skimp out on.  This is going to be a long-term home, so I really want to dot all the "i's" and not forget any little detail.  Basically I'm talking about things like:

• Electrical outlets in bathrooms
• Electrical outlets with 2 sockets
• Hot water hookup in the laundry room
• Bathroom ventilation that doesn't just consist of a window and/or an el-cheapo heat lamp drilled into the wall above the door

You get the idea 

[rbs-g1.5]

carpets?
closets?

[aygart]

Stainless steel kitchen sink

[Sam Finkelstein]

American doors that close with ease (as opposed to the thin Israeli ones with a lip).

[yfr bachur]

• Electrical outlets in bathrooms

As far as I know, against israeli building codes

• Electrical outlets with 2 sockets

I've seen plenty of new build with this.

• Bathroom ventilation that doesn't just consist of a window and/or an el-cheapo heat lamp drilled into the wall above the door

As above, I've seen in new build. BTW The heat lamp is for the winter cold not ventilation.

As a rule, I would trust the local standards. The locals know what works in their climate, and building material.
I have a relative who is a interior designer who told me that the israeli designers are heads and sholders better that US based ones at making best use of available space.

Go look at some high end new build.
 

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[moe8555]

carpets?
closets?

The wife vetoed carpets, and yes, we have planned for a closet in the master bedroom, a shoe/coat closet near the entrance, and possibly a linen closet somewhere.

[moe8555]

American doors that close with ease (as opposed to the thin Israeli ones with a lip).

We actually replaced our doors a couple years back with ones that have the magnetic latch, and my experience has been that they are way better than any kind of lockset I experienced in the U.S.... literally can pull the door shut with my pinky finger, minimal effort.

[Baglach]

We actually replaced our doors a couple years back with ones that have the magnetic latch, and my experience has been that they are way better than any kind of lockset I experienced in the U.S.... literally can pull the door shut with my pinky finger, minimal effort.

I was looking for those in the US but couldn't find anyone that makes them here

[moe8555]

As far as I know, against israeli building codes

I've seen plenty of new build with this.

As above, I've seen in new build. BTW The heat lamp is for the winter cold not ventilation.

As a rule, I would trust the local standards. The locals know what works in their climate, and building material.
I have a relative who is a interior designer who told me that the israeli designers are heads and sholders better that US based ones at making best use of available space.

Go look at some high end new build.
 

I completely agree that the interior design here is good at maximizing space, but I'm more concerned about the fine details that tend to be overlooked.  FYI that outlets in bathrooms are not against code anymore (they used to be, which is probably why they're usually omitted and not really in the general consciousness; the concept of having an outlet in the bathroom hasn't crossed the mind of most Israelis I mention this to).  Most new build I've seen still only go with single-socket outlets everywhere in the house except the kitchen.  Not smart design in this age of cellphones, tablets, laptops, and a million other devices.  For the bathroom, I meant more of a centralized ventilation setup maybe with the heatlight in the ceiling or something - a little more elegant than that thing bolted above the door 

[AsherO]

IINM US-based bathroom outlets have fuse/off buttons in case of water/shorts.

[Dan]

Master shower with a steam feature is amazing, especially when you have a cold.

[coffeebean]

Make sure the dryer vent goes outside. I moved into an apartment the vent was just sitting there indoors and no way out.

[Euclid]

Enough Ethernet outlets so you don't need to rely on wifi extenders

[Dan]

Enough Ethernet outlets so you don't need to rely on wifi extenders

+1, and cat7, not cat5.

[yesitsme]

+1, and cat7, not cat5.

https://www.cablematters.com/Blog/Networking/what-is-cat7-and-why-you-don-t-need-it

[Yehudaa]

Central HVAC, though I assume a new build would have that anyway.

If you have central do you need the heat lamp in the bathroom?

[Yehudaa]

Under floor heating, if you want to go all out. It’s great if all the floors are tile- makes for very evenly spread heat from what I’ve heard.

(I think they call this “yunkers” in Hebrew? I have a friend who built a house there and can’t stop taking about how he regrets not putting in “yunkers”.)

[12HRS]

Enough Ethernet outlets so you don't need to rely on wifi extenders

how big is this israeli house that it needs a wifi extender?

[Yehudaa]

USB/USB C outlets in the wall if you want, though check that they charge quickly. Some on sale in the US still have very slow charging.

[Sam Finkelstein]

how big is this israeli house that it needs a wifi extender?

Signals fades very quickly with stone/concrete construction.

OP, this is a fascinating thread IMO.