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aimless07

What were some things you just had to have in your house?

Aims
9 years ago

I really enjoy learning about what other people find important in their own homes.

Us:

Reading nook with built in book shelves and chaise lounge.

Appliance garage in kitchen that is about 5 feet long to hide the toaster, coffee maker, blender, etc.

Moen Motion Sense kitchen faucet. I am so very excited about that.

Ginormous lazy Susan in our island for the many other kitchen gadgets.

2nd full size fridge in the laundry room so we can continue to buy in bulk and have an easier time storing it all.

Dog bath out in the garage.

Master bath has a Victoria and Albert tub. I am so looking forward to long soaks!

Master closet will have a locking cabinet with an outlet for charging and securing hubby's police gear.

Back porch is almost the length of the entire house and is being wired in case we want to TV out there near our eating area. Our old house had a very small porch and with the bassett hound from hell next door, we couldn't use it peacefully anyway. The other end of the porch will have hubby's grill. We would love to do some sort of small outdoor kitchen eventually, but we won't have the money for that at first.

This post was edited by aimless07 on Sat, Dec 27, 14 at 0:55

Comments (21)

  • funkycamper
    9 years ago

    Private lot with space between us and other houses.

    Lots of big windows. Lots of 'em. Did I say lots? ;) Oh, and those windows need a nice view.

    Good, functional kitchen with an appliance garage or other storage easy to hide small appliances. Doesn't have to be fancy but has to be functional. (I don't have that right now but a remodel will accomplish that.)

    Decent pantry space and room for extra fridge and freezer.

    Double garage with a workshop area and storage for tools, bikes, and other sports equipment; must be able to enter home without having to go outside so either built into the home's footprint or attached via an enclosed walkway of some kind.

    Nice outdoor living space with at least a small outdoor kitchen/cooking area, partially covered, with a heat source to extend outdoor living earlier/later in the year. (Currently have the nice patio with great grills and a partial kitchen. Will add to the kitchen counter and storage and partially cover it this coming summer.)

    Very private backyard.

    Laundry near bedrooms.

    Fun discussion idea!

  • gabbythecat
    9 years ago

    Grab rails in the master bathroom. True, I am the one with bad knees but we both like them. We're not that old, either.

  • housebuilder14
    9 years ago

    lots of closets and cabinets to hide all my clutter. now matter how hard i try i just can't be neat -- so i've settled for hiding my messes. the clutter stresses me out, so its something i really am looking forward to. oh an a command station that is not in the kitchen -- so those bills are out of sight (but never out of mind)

    a separate tv area for the kids, so i make an "adult" area

    being by the beach :)

  • LE
    9 years ago

    A small footprint, excellent insulation, low maintenance materials (I'm finished taking care of a wooden deck, painting wood windows, etc.)
    Efficient, but small kitchen
    Lots of natural light
    At least one "no-step" entrance for accessibility
    Wide doorways on first floor
    A tub and a no-curb shower on first floor
    Rooms that are all intended to be used every day
    An art studio! (OK, it has the laundry and the main computer set up in there as well, but they are also both used creatively)
    Built-in storage furniture, esp. in MBR
    An L-shaped banquette in dining area with a corner window
    TV in its own room (sofa bed for guests in that room)
    Heated floors

    All these items came out in the questionnaire our architect had us fill out after our first meeting.

  • bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
    9 years ago

    Lots of windows with every major room(great room, dining room, library, kitchen, office, and bedrooms) getting natural light from 2 directions.

    Wrap-around porch with room enough for a couple of rocking chairs and a porch swing.

    Semi-open plan with great room, dining room and library open to each other. (We entertain 50 to 75 people at a time on at least a monthly basis so needed room for this but did not want a humongous great room. Letting these three rooms flow into each other allows all three to be reasonably sized while still allowing for entertaining large crowds.)

    A kitchen work area that was NOT visible from great room/library/dining area. (I am not always the neatest cook and I don't want my guests looking at dirty dishes piled in the sink!)

    All bedrooms and the laundry room and TV room upstairs. (I consider these areas as private and having them on the second floor keeps guests from accidentally wondering into private spaces.)

    Home elevator which make my two-story home fully handicap accessible. Elevator also goes into the attic which makes it easy to access attic storage areas!

  • Aims
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Bevangel,

    We are hoping to get some rocking chairs too! We have a front porch planned that will accommodate 2 of them.

    An elevator would be really helpful. Especially to the attic to drag down all the Christmas decor! The major reason my husband and I sold our old 2 story house was that he was diagnosed with MS and our house was not accessible with no way to really make it so.

  • mushcreek
    9 years ago

    I'm still working on our house, but all of the decisions have been made.

    In no particular order:

    Large private lot with minimal restrictions

    Small, energy efficient house, built well beyond code in terms of strength and insulation.

    Low maintenance exterior- Hardi siding and tin roof

    Lots of windows and natural light, with windows on at least two walls of all of the major rooms- including the kitchen.

    At least 9' ceilings

    Open LR/DR/kitchen, all facing the mountain view

    Universal design- large doorways, blocking for grab rails, etc

    Attached garage for car parking ONLY

    Large barn so that the previous rule could come true!

    Tin ceiling in the kitchen

    Two sinks in the kitchen

    Recessed refrigerator to match counter depth

    Main kitchen sink with a large window facing view

    Mostly drawers in the kitchen, and no upper cabinets

    Large master closet, with laundry directly adjacent

    Large (for a small house) master bath

    Bench in the shower, as well as multiple shower heads

    Dry, insulated, usable walk-out basement

    Separate bath or powder room so master is truly private

    Various antiques worked into the interior, such as restored lighting fixtures, and type tray pulls for drawer pulls in the kitchen. We are using all antique doors inside as well.

    Lots and lots of electrical outlets, and adequate circuit breakers to handle the load easily.

    Vintage reclaimed wood flooring face nailed with wrought nails

    Ceiling fans in every major room and on the porch

    Large front porch

    Authentic Craftsman exterior

    The best neighbors in the world (sometimes you just get lucky!)

  • mrspete
    9 years ago

    Modest house well below our ability to pay
    No mortgage

    Open floor plan living - dining - kitchen
    Small office as "away room"

    Energy efficient
    Brick exterior
    Quality windows
    Rooms that'll be used every day (except 2 upstairs bedrooms)

    Age-friendly
    Master bedroom on the first floor
    Age-friendly bathroom, particular attention to shower
    No steps at casual entrance

    Excellent storage
    Large pantry
    Good closets throughout
    Built-in bookshelves

    Easy to keep clean

    Outdoor entertainment area including covered porch and small fiberglass pool

  • Michelle
    9 years ago

    -Four bedrooms so each of my kids could have their own.
    -Guest room so we can host an exchange student someday.
    -Kitchen with large island, large pantry, and exterior windows.
    -Large screened in porch.
    -Beautiful private wooded lot.
    -Theater room
    -Two story with stairs near foyer.
    -Freestanding bathtub

    Fun thread!

  • rwiegand
    9 years ago

    Insulation, insulation, and more insulation. Sealing of every possible opening, perimeter drains under the basement floor, siting for good solar collector efficiency, efficient windows.

    Plus a barn and a meadow.

    And more insulation.

  • RobGT90
    9 years ago

    Walk out to patio area at grade or maybe a step or two.
    Central vac.
    Windows and skylights for natural lighting
    Very well insullated
    Regenerative air exchange
    Pantry (cut down on cabinets and for storage)
    Laundry with deep sink.
    Low ceilings (8') in bathrooms to keep in heat on cold mornings
    Open floor plan.
    Covered porch

  • lookintomyeyes83
    9 years ago

    - ICF "to the roof" for energy efficiency, mold-proofness, and sound dampening.
    - 100% wheelchair accessible, including stacking closets for a future elevator
    - library for all my books!!!
    - office for husband to study/escape
    - closed-concept for privacy of spaces
    - entire basement as an 'entertaining area'

    ...Many people here have commented on the need/love of windows from 2 sides. With our plan, we couldn't arrange furniture/features to make this happen, but a light study for all 4 seasons did show that we'd have sunlight in rooms when we use them most. We also hate windows in bedrooms, so put in the minimum to meet code. (As we 100% believe bedrooms have only two purposes ;) )

  • patty_cakes
    9 years ago

    ALL walk-in closets, double ovens, larger sink(not farmhouse), all wood flooring on first floor(not master bedroom), wrought iron railings, covered patio w/ceiling fans, 8' stained front entrance door(wrought iron over glass), placement of exterior lights *over* garage/front door rather than on the side, that's about all I think of at the moment

  • Oldbluemountainbeach.com
    9 years ago

    2 masters on main floor, both with curb less showers

    carrier infinity variable speed fan for quiet, efficient and humidity control.

    Big screened porch with two sided gas fireplace

    All drawer kitchen base cabs

    toto toilets

    hickory wood floors

    pro grade appliances

    ceiling fan in master bath

    pocket office off master bedroom

    Built in bunk room on 2nd floor

    fans in all rooms

  • r2d2indy r2d2indy
    9 years ago

    BevAngel:
    We have exactly the same specs as you do except the elevator.
    Would have loved the elevator, but cant afford it.. :-)
    Our plan is finalized and we are ready for ground breaking.

  • chicagoans
    9 years ago

    A mudroom.

    Actually I haven't built a custom home but did a major addition / renovation that all started as adding a mudroom and grew. (Actually it started because the kids wanted a dog, and I said no to the dog until I got a mudroom.)

    All counters in kitchen and 4.5 bathrooms are raised to 39". (We're a tall family. This is so much better for us.)

    Separate bathrooms for my 2 kids. I have one of each, both in high school now, both play sports, and we all get ready in the morning at the same time. It's great that they have their own bathrooms - makes mornings and nights much easier.

    Two laundries. (Actually this wasn't an original must-have but has been great.) One for everyday stuff, one for washing cleaning rags / yucky sports gear / camping gear / dog bed etc.

  • jjdcl
    9 years ago

    Tall ceilings in the living room

    An open and large great room with enough space between the rooms so it's not too open.

    A big pretty wood vent hood over the cooktop

    3 car garage

    Space for a mudroom (We have one now and it's a must)

    Master bedroom down

    A lot with no neighbors behind us

    Much bigger kids bedrooms

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    I have two dream homes. One is on my family's lake property, which is small, is on the south side of the lake, and is on Minnesota, so severe winter is an issue.

    There, I want low maintenance, energy and space efficient, good cross ventilation. An open floor plan with informal dining. A screen porch with a sun deck above. Main floor bedroom and laundry. Probably floor heat under Marmoleum in the living space, to accommodate wet, sandy kids coming out of the lake.

    It needs to be two-story, because of the small lot size. The lot is level, and I don't want steps; the basement will be storage and storm shelter, but not living space (no windows to speak of).

    Upstairs, I want bedrooms for guests, and an open area overlooking the deck for a game table - my family loves board games and jigsaw puzzles.

    My other dream home is in the woods somewhere, more of a cozy cabin - though not log. I love the look, hate the maintenance!

  • allen456
    9 years ago

    Detached garage!

    More of a detached "man cave", there's no room for cars. Plenty of room for the ping pong table, a pinball machine, and skateboard rack!

  • zorroslw1
    9 years ago

    In the build process and I HAD to have

    Screened in porch off the kitchen, built up to same floor level as kitchen
    A beautiful cherry fireplace
    Tall, tall windows on each side of the fireplace
    Fans in all bedrooms and great room
    Cherry kitchen cabinets
    A glass door on my pantry that says PANTRY on the glass
    A kitchen Island I saw in a furniture store before we even decided to build
    I am blessed to have gotten all of these.

  • nini804
    9 years ago

    These were the things I told my Dh were non-negotiable when we were deciding to build 4 years ago:
    All brick
    Master down
    10' ceilings down, 9' up
    3 car garage, side or rear-loaded
    Mudroom
    At least 3.5 baths, so my 2 children wouldn't have to share when teens
    Outdoor entertaining, including fireplace
    Private yard