Linked by David Adams on Wed 21st Jan 2004 22:52 UTC
If all goes well, this summer I'll be building a new house. I've owned a few houses before, some of them built in the 1920s and 30s, and full of all the charm and quirks of an old house, and a couple that were pretty new, with the lack of craftsmanship and imagination that's typical in most new construction in the USA today. But this time I'm building a custom home, just to my specifications, so I can have whatever features I want, limited only by my imagination (and budget). I'd like to integrate some home automation features into the house, and include wiring for future expansion. 
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A good place to start would be to look at how they built Victorian houses. MASSIVE beams and uprights. In one that I know of, 1 inch oak planks for subflooring. These were laid diagonally, with another layer perpendicular to that. THEN you added the hardwood flooring. There wasn't a whole lot of settling or sqeaking in that house...
If you're strapped for cash, consider using 2x6 or 2x8 construction for your uprights. Even on 24" centers, you will have far better strength than the usual 2x4 construction. A side benefit is that you can stuff a LOT more insulation in there and make the home more energy efficient and sound proof. Also consider engineered wood. In many cases you can use it to span the entire house without any internal support beams. Steel has some great strengths, but realize that should you ever have a fire it will quickly lose that strength.
SERIOUSLY consider installing sprinklers in your wired home. It won't do your electronics any good, but it may save your home and possibly your life.