- Motion-sensitive lighting in storage spaces. - Dawn-to-dusk sensing light bulbs/fixtures for porch lights. - A lighted switch for rooms you otherwise keep dark (makes it easier to find the switch when entering). - Outlets or table lamps with USB charge ports in strategic locations for guests and wherever your tech gear tends to accumulate. - If you have pets, a shower head on a hose makes a great dog-wash station. Not an every-day point, but it has also proved convenient for safer bathing when I've been recovering from certain injuries (especially paired with a sturdy shower bench).
10:00 Electrician here, you can get Tamper Proof outlets labeled with TP on the package and product. GFCIs come in TP versions as well. This means you don't need the added plug cover as no one can press their finger into the hot/neutral receptacles. For outdoors you can find ones labeled Weather Rated (WR).
Something I discovered while staying at a hotel in Taiwan was heated toilet seats. If you had asked me about them before, heated toilet seats would probably be last on my list of things I would ever consider. They sounded like such a frivolous and even silly feature. After living with them for a month, it was a shock to come home to my regular cold toilet seats. If I ever renovate my bathroom I'll 100% be installing a toilet with a heated seat.
additionally: - eight sleep for cooling and heating in bed. - bosch 42 db dishwasher - dimmer switches to control lights. - toilets with "side skirts" for easy cleaning and better looking. - add a bidet to your toilet as well.
+1 for the quiet dishwasher. Didn't realise how good ours was until we visited friends and heard the unbelievable noise from their "normal" dishwasher.
We recently changed the kitchen cabinets from cupboards to soft close drawers where possible. Hardwood drawer organisers with velvet lined drawers. Added a small draft seal to the bottom of the front doors. Drop down privacy blinds (like on a super yacht) in the lounge to control bright sunlight. Three layer curtains/drapes in all rooms. Matching cutlery etc.
Here's one more - Smart switches for lighting and other appliances. I used cheap amazon switches, configured voice commands for different moods and now I don;t touch switches for most tasks. "Switch to cool lighting", "switch to ambient lighting", "turn heating on/off" etc. Game changer for me.
Re “night lights,” I found these great outlet covers that have small light-sensing down lights in them. They use residual energy from the outlet to shine small lights downward when it’s dark. I have them throughout my house because I don’t like walking into pitch-dark rooms. Highly recommend them! Great video, BTW!
Automatic / motion detection light switches. In certain situations they make a huge difference. We installed these in the breezeway between the garage and house, and in a laundry room with an otherwise poorly placed wired switch. The light comes on when you enter the room without having to find the switch - or pay to rewire.
The best upgrade I did so far was installing the Philips shower water filter (you can stack them as double or triple for better water filtration) and the handheld shower head made in Japan by Mizsei. The best shower experience period, plus softer water quality without breaking the bank on whole house water filtration system. Also, I am still waiting on the Dyson PH04 to drop the price for an improvement in air quality with moisturized air flow.
Thanks Brock! I'm thinking of a very similar setup for our entrance. Perhaps a useful tip to hide the mess: we have a bench with an integrated furniture with double doors to store shoes. This way it always looks tidy from the outside!
My list includes Govee smart bulbs and other lighting. I use Alexa in several rooms, and it has worked well. I also have timers set for most to come on when the day begins. Outside, I replaced wired landscape lights with inexpensive solar LED landscape lights. Inexpensive, and while not "smart," they are capable of changing colors. I take the wireless charger even further having one in the bedroom, my office, and a couple random rooms to pop on if needed.
I think the dining room should always have a dimmer switch. Changing the light bulb colour is good, but I really like to be able to dial down the brightness when we’re having a special dinner.
No! Having dimmer switches in ALL rooms is what you need. Ok maybe not the bathroom. Changing to just rocker switches is a fail. Being able to adjust lighting is such a massive upgrade for not that much cost
@@marlowbulldog6033 you can't just add a dimmer switch to ceiling fans. You'd have to swap out the fixture too (maybe worth it for some, but we didn't think so).
We bought a new house in 2020. It was a spec house so no chance of picking out anything. We immediately switched the dining room chandelier. It was massive, hideous and would catch bugs. I replaced the laundry room sink faucet. It didn’t allow you to put a bucket in the sink. I also replaced the kitchen faucet. Just didn’t like it. I’d love to replace the kitchen trash to soft close but it’s $175! My dream is to replace two of our bathroom shower doors with undated soft close as well.
Lots of great suggestions. I agree with everything except the outlets. I can’t stand the child resistant ones! Plugs never go in easily. We switched all our bulbs to warm LEDs, too. And I COMPLETELY agree about soft close toilet seats! They should be mandatory. (I always love watching your watch winders in the background! So awesome.)
Great video :) I love hearing these perspectives. Good to keep in mind for later! A good comforter has been a game changer, especially because I like a super chilly room also!
I'm a total believer in "investing" in higher quality mundane things that you use all the time since it allows you to be more consistently happy in life rather than being annoyed or dreading things. One of my personal favorites is the Simplehuman trash can system. It's really easy to keep clean, it looks good, the Simple human bags fit perfectly and are very high quality, replacing the bags is super easy since the trash cans have a built in holder, and they have a soft open/close lid. I just use the step can, I don't think the sensor is that helpful. It just makes taking the trash out a nice experience rather than dealing with a can that slams shut, and the bag doesn't fit exactly so it slips down or it isn't the highest quality so it risks ripping. People think it's silly to spend $100+ on a trash can, but 100% worth it to me.
May I suggest the Snap Power lighted switch covers and outlet lights. Pricey, but outlet not taken up by nightlight. Turns off automatically when sunlight fills room or can manually turned off.
@@zoulzopan Ah, they have an electric cable. It heats both the water and the seat at the temperature you prefer. It also has an air fryer and some have nightlights but I don't use those features much, I just dry with baby wipes.
Thanks Brock, great tips! Some things that I have that fit in this category for me are a gas line for my grill. It’s super convenient for weekday grilling. I also enjoy our smart thermostats. They make it much easier to control the temps at the house whether we’re there or on vacation.
Any new additions to your wardrobe? I'll be returning to my local thrift store in the near future. Appreciate all the content as always and excellent upgrades by the way.
Great video as usual. I leathered a lot. I've been watching of years and didn't know you had tow small kids.I have to small girls too so I understand. And your wife did a wonderful job on de-IKEA-izing the shoe cabinet.
I don't think you need GFCIs on every outlet. They're made to be near places where the outlet could get wet and you only need one at the beginning of the circuit. I guess they do work as extra safety if kids are messing with them though but it's not a requirement.
Kinda wish you'd have mentioned heat pumps with the mini-splits -- they are super energy efficient and so will pay for themselves over time. Plus there's a bunch of federal tax credits and subsidies for them.
I liked your accent walls more than I expected, probably because your choice of walls was limited in scale and involved contrasting frames and doorways.
Getting rid of the wife is an acceptable substitution for upsizing to a King size bed. No wife to get rid of? Promptly throw yourself a party and thank the Lord for how fortunate you are!
Vous ressemblez un oeu à l’acteur américain Vincent Vantresca ! Je cherchais depuis un moment et en renvoyant un épisode de la série Monk j’ai dit eureka Désolé c’est hors sujet 😅
@ CLEARLY. And for Amazon. I bet you’re looking forward to all the kickbacks you’ll receive not only on these items but on all items in your viewers carts. Hey, if it works for you, good on you.
@@fredflintstone2234lol I wish. You’re vastly overestimating how lucrative the Amazon Associates program is for UA-camrs. When I ran blogs, it was a 5 figure per month revenue stream. No so much on YT. I actually wrote about this when I used to publish income reports - brockmcgoff.com/category/income-reports/ (Sick burn though)
About a year ago I also replaced/upgraded a bunch of our outlets to GFCI and they give such peace of mind, if budget is a concern you can strategically place some and they’ll protect all of the rest of the downstream outlets. I HAVE to call out that some models additionally have a light sensitive LED night light built in. BEST. UPGRADE. EVER for our kiddo’s bathroom. Absolutely recommended.
Thanks for watching! Shop the video here ⬇
Blinds/shades - amzn.to/3YDG5eO
Bed frame - amzn.to/4e3wQsI
Wireless charger - prf.hn/l/VxBbP8b/
Toilet seat - amzn.to/40hWJ4U
Shoe cabinet - go.magik.ly/ml/26g52/
Watch winder - shrsl.com/4mfze
Peg board - go.magik.ly/ml/26g7n/
Dim light bulbs - amzn.to/4dZkuSt
Nite lights - amzn.to/4e04EqL
Easy house plants - amzn.to/40lpLRk
Dish rack - amzn.to/3C95W5n
Mini split - amzn.to/4e3xeaE
Keypad lock - amzn.to/3C8YMOy
Shower head (similar) - amzn.to/4e10G1g
*affiliate links
We just installed soft close toilet seats, and with a recently potty trained toddler they've been a game changer. No more smashed fingers!
- Motion-sensitive lighting in storage spaces.
- Dawn-to-dusk sensing light bulbs/fixtures for porch lights.
- A lighted switch for rooms you otherwise keep dark (makes it easier to find the switch when entering).
- Outlets or table lamps with USB charge ports in strategic locations for guests and wherever your tech gear tends to accumulate.
- If you have pets, a shower head on a hose makes a great dog-wash station. Not an every-day point, but it has also proved convenient for safer bathing when I've been recovering from certain injuries (especially paired with a sturdy shower bench).
10:00 Electrician here, you can get Tamper Proof outlets labeled with TP on the package and product. GFCIs come in TP versions as well. This means you don't need the added plug cover as no one can press their finger into the hot/neutral receptacles. For outdoors you can find ones labeled Weather Rated (WR).
Something I discovered while staying at a hotel in Taiwan was heated toilet seats. If you had asked me about them before, heated toilet seats would probably be last on my list of things I would ever consider. They sounded like such a frivolous and even silly feature. After living with them for a month, it was a shock to come home to my regular cold toilet seats. If I ever renovate my bathroom I'll 100% be installing a toilet with a heated seat.
additionally:
- eight sleep for cooling and heating in bed.
- bosch 42 db dishwasher
- dimmer switches to control lights.
- toilets with "side skirts" for easy cleaning and better looking.
- add a bidet to your toilet as well.
+1 for the quiet dishwasher. Didn't realise how good ours was until we visited friends and heard the unbelievable noise from their "normal" dishwasher.
We recently changed the kitchen cabinets from cupboards to soft close drawers where possible. Hardwood drawer organisers with velvet lined drawers. Added a small draft seal to the bottom of the front doors. Drop down privacy blinds (like on a super yacht) in the lounge to control bright sunlight. Three layer curtains/drapes in all rooms. Matching cutlery etc.
Here's one more - Smart switches for lighting and other appliances. I used cheap amazon switches, configured voice commands for different moods and now I don;t touch switches for most tasks. "Switch to cool lighting", "switch to ambient lighting", "turn heating on/off" etc. Game changer for me.
Agreed on blackout window curtains! They aren't that much more expensive than standard curtains and in the bedroom, they really make sleep awesome.
Re “night lights,” I found these great outlet covers that have small light-sensing down lights in them. They use residual energy from the outlet to shine small lights downward when it’s dark. I have them throughout my house because I don’t like walking into pitch-dark rooms. Highly recommend them! Great video, BTW!
For my apartment, I upgraded the kitchen faucet to something modern and with a kitchen sprayer. Easy installation!
That’s a huge upgrade, nice!
Automatic / motion detection light switches. In certain situations they make a huge difference. We installed these in the breezeway between the garage and house, and in a laundry room with an otherwise poorly placed wired switch. The light comes on when you enter the room without having to find the switch - or pay to rewire.
The best upgrade I did so far was installing the Philips shower water filter (you can stack them as double or triple for better water filtration) and the handheld shower head made in Japan by Mizsei. The best shower experience period, plus softer water quality without breaking the bank on whole house water filtration system. Also, I am still waiting on the Dyson PH04 to drop the price for an improvement in air quality with moisturized air flow.
We’ve done most of these upgrades around the home. I agree with the benefits.
Great timing as we just bought an apartment and are doing big renovation works!
Congrats and good luck!
Thanks Brock! I'm thinking of a very similar setup for our entrance.
Perhaps a useful tip to hide the mess: we have a bench with an integrated furniture with double doors to store shoes. This way it always looks tidy from the outside!
My list includes Govee smart bulbs and other lighting. I use Alexa in several rooms, and it has worked well. I also have timers set for most to come on when the day begins. Outside, I replaced wired landscape lights with inexpensive solar LED landscape lights. Inexpensive, and while not "smart," they are capable of changing colors. I take the wireless charger even further having one in the bedroom, my office, and a couple random rooms to pop on if needed.
I think the dining room should always have a dimmer switch. Changing the light bulb colour is good, but I really like to be able to dial down the brightness when we’re having a special dinner.
Good point!
No! Having dimmer switches in ALL rooms is what you need. Ok maybe not the bathroom. Changing to just rocker switches is a fail. Being able to adjust lighting is such a massive upgrade for not that much cost
@@marlowbulldog6033 you can't just add a dimmer switch to ceiling fans. You'd have to swap out the fixture too (maybe worth it for some, but we didn't think so).
Dimmable lamps for the vibe
A good stereo/good speakers. Even if it's just for streaming and movies.
-and if you go bargainhunting or look for pre-owned it doesnt even have to be that expensive.
We bought a new house in 2020. It was a spec house so no chance of picking out anything. We immediately switched the dining room chandelier. It was massive, hideous and would catch bugs. I replaced the laundry room sink faucet. It didn’t allow you to put a bucket in the sink. I also replaced the kitchen faucet. Just didn’t like it. I’d love to replace the kitchen trash to soft close but it’s $175! My dream is to replace two of our bathroom shower doors with undated soft close as well.
Lots of great suggestions. I agree with everything except the outlets. I can’t stand the child resistant ones! Plugs never go in easily. We switched all our bulbs to warm LEDs, too. And I COMPLETELY agree about soft close toilet seats! They should be mandatory. (I always love watching your watch winders in the background! So awesome.)
Keep pumping out vids that show me things to buy
People do seem to enjoy them! I have a couple more in the queue...
just in time to update my black friday shopping list
Great video :) I love hearing these perspectives. Good to keep in mind for later!
A good comforter has been a game changer, especially because I like a super chilly room also!
Standing desk is another good investment for those who work from home
i always love what you make, keep the videos uploading every week. 😊
Thank you! Will do!
You touch base on a lot of what I’ve done for my house but I would say a ring door bell camera was a huge upgrade for my house
Nice AMI polo btw
Amazing video
I'm a total believer in "investing" in higher quality mundane things that you use all the time since it allows you to be more consistently happy in life rather than being annoyed or dreading things. One of my personal favorites is the Simplehuman trash can system. It's really easy to keep clean, it looks good, the Simple human bags fit perfectly and are very high quality, replacing the bags is super easy since the trash cans have a built in holder, and they have a soft open/close lid. I just use the step can, I don't think the sensor is that helpful. It just makes taking the trash out a nice experience rather than dealing with a can that slams shut, and the bag doesn't fit exactly so it slips down or it isn't the highest quality so it risks ripping. People think it's silly to spend $100+ on a trash can, but 100% worth it to me.
Well said! Simplehuman makes such good stuff. They're kind of like the Apple of housewares.
May I suggest the Snap Power lighted switch covers and outlet lights. Pricey, but outlet not taken up by nightlight. Turns off automatically when sunlight fills room or can manually turned off.
Bidet, with heated seat and water temperature control.
how?
@zoulzopan They sell them at Costco.
@@Neoprototype no how does it get heated?
@@zoulzopan Ah, they have an electric cable. It heats both the water and the seat at the temperature you prefer. It also has an air fryer and some have nightlights but I don't use those features much, I just dry with baby wipes.
Air dryer not fryer. 😂
Thanks Brock, great tips! Some things that I have that fit in this category for me are a gas line for my grill. It’s super convenient for weekday grilling. I also enjoy our smart thermostats. They make it much easier to control the temps at the house whether we’re there or on vacation.
Nice additions! A gas line sounds so convenient. Running out of propane mid-party is the worst.
Any new additions to your wardrobe? I'll be returning to my local thrift store in the near future. Appreciate all the content as always and excellent upgrades by the way.
Great video as usual. I leathered a lot. I've been watching of years and didn't know you had tow small kids.I have to small girls too so I understand. And your wife did a wonderful job on de-IKEA-izing the shoe cabinet.
You don’t need gfci everywhere, only near water you can get standard outlets that are tamper proof as well for much cheaper.
1:55 omg do yourself a favor and do not fast forward!!!!! Brock is in amazing shape SHEESH 🥵
I've never felt anything more then "I need to listen to an audiobook otherwise it's just me and my regrets"
I don't think you need GFCIs on every outlet. They're made to be near places where the outlet could get wet and you only need one at the beginning of the circuit. I guess they do work as extra safety if kids are messing with them though but it's not a requirement.
Get GFCIs with the night light built in!
Kinda wish you'd have mentioned heat pumps with the mini-splits -- they are super energy efficient and so will pay for themselves over time. Plus there's a bunch of federal tax credits and subsidies for them.
May I recommend a good over the sink dish rack? They save a ton of space and are so much more functional
The watch winder link doesn’t work. Anyone knows which is it?
I can imagine that having a Dyson vacuum would be a nice home upgrade even though I don't have one.
Dysons are junk. Get a Miele.
@@fredflintstone2234 Okay
What is that black leather backpack?
1. Air purifier
2. Alexa or Google home with mappable security cameras and lights
Bidets on every toilets!
I liked your accent walls more than I expected, probably because your choice of walls was limited in scale and involved contrasting frames and doorways.
I give my wife all the credit, she’s very good with interior colors.
Brock the Rock gym leader of Pewter City?
mcgoff flossing with this one
not at all. ikea?
No shower head will work right until you rip the water restrictor out with pliers
Getting rid of the wife is an acceptable substitution for upsizing to a King size bed. No wife to get rid of? Promptly throw yourself a party and thank the Lord for how fortunate you are!
What was her name?
@@BrockMcGoff lol They all have the same name! XD
lol 😂
Wrist check? 😎
It's a Vaer watch that I'll show off in an early December video ;)
Thanks for asking so I didn't have to.
Vous ressemblez un oeu à l’acteur américain Vincent Vantresca ! Je cherchais depuis un moment et en renvoyant un épisode de la série Monk j’ai dit eureka
Désolé c’est hors sujet 😅
0:30 No I don't
😉
The thumbnail be like
😢
👉👈
A at home Men’s Urinal at home why not it would do away with the seat up seat down a nice looking men’s Urinal be super at home
Really? That dish rack is plastic and will not last. Did not realize this was going to be an ad.
Yeah, Big Plastic has me on their payroll 🤑
@ CLEARLY. And for Amazon. I bet you’re looking forward to all the kickbacks you’ll receive not only on these items but on all items in your viewers carts. Hey, if it works for you, good on you.
@@fredflintstone2234lol I wish. You’re vastly overestimating how lucrative the Amazon Associates program is for UA-camrs. When I ran blogs, it was a 5 figure per month revenue stream. No so much on YT. I actually wrote about this when I used to publish income reports - brockmcgoff.com/category/income-reports/
(Sick burn though)
@@fredflintstone2234 so easy then do it yourself and swim in the affiliate money
About a year ago I also replaced/upgraded a bunch of our outlets to GFCI and they give such peace of mind, if budget is a concern you can strategically place some and they’ll protect all of the rest of the downstream outlets. I HAVE to call out that some models additionally have a light sensitive LED night light built in. BEST. UPGRADE. EVER for our kiddo’s bathroom. Absolutely recommended.
While watching, I've realized that I'm only missing the keyless lock
Great video Brock 🫰🏻🤌🏻
Thank you!