Build me a house 3TC!

Excitedtostart

MH & I dream of someday building a home. We like to keep our ideas jotted down so we'll remember when the time comes. 

In our dreams we are also insanely rich. 

So what is your favorite aspect of your current/future/dream house? 

It can be big or small, but I need the reasoning as to WHY it ranks as your favorite. 

And................ GO!

Excitedtostart

I'll start us off. 

Wide hallways. 

Nothing makes me crazier than narrow halls. I want to be able to walk by someone in the hall without being forced into a do-si-do. 

And for that matter, all doors should be standard width. I recently went to an open house where all closets had half-width doors, including the downstairs bath. I AM NOT A DWARF, I DESERVE A FULL SIZED DOOR!

Raggedy1

I'll add a huge walk-in shower with 2 shower heads, and skip the jetted tub - I've had them and never gotten in them - they're more for looks than functionality. 

alb245

My dream house musts are a massive kitchen with a beautiful island, a double oven, and a pinterest-style walk in pantry that is organized beyond belief. 

Outside we will have a gorgeous wood deck with some sunny spots and some covered spots (covered for a cozy outdoor fireplace with a tv above for watching football games), a hammock, and a hot tub. Oh and since we're dreaming, we also have an amazing view on top of a mountain but we don't have to drive up the windy mountain roads to get there

Now off to work I go to make money to pay the rent on our apartment that overlooks an alley and an abandoned condo building  

buckeyebaby814

We have an older home, so it's very traditional with a room for the kitchen, room for dining and a living room.  MH and I always talk about when we build, we really want a large, open concept main floor plan.

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bandwife928

Most ready-made floor plans have garages that are the minimum size to be considered "two car." My favorite part of the house we just bought is that the builder bumped out the garage. It fits both cars, the motorcycle and the mower.

Put an electrical outlet in the pantry. I wish I could plug my dirt devil in there.

I agree with PP that giant tubs are useless. If you're ever going to sell, you need one but fudge the size in favor of a larger shower when possible.

Install landscaping that matches the amt of work you want to do. For us, we have taken out some nice stuff in order to put in slower growing, lower maintenance stuff.

Nice trim! Save somewhere else and put crown and nice door casings and wide base boards everywhere. It's what makes the difference between a luxe house and a builder grade one. I love house talk!

ksfrye

Great question! 

I would love to have a huge resort style backyard.  I want a pool with a rock waterfall, slide, swim up bar and jacuzzi.  I would also want an outdoor kitchen for grilling and entertaining.  Then most importantly, a sand volleyball court.  We spend a lot of time outdoors.  

notquiteblushing

I want a house that looks like a classic Victorian on the outside but has a modern layout on the inside.  Also an outdoor kitchen.  And a basement movie room.

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katib77

Don't be hating on the huge tubs!  It is the one thing I love about our townhouse that we rent.  But that's because I am a big fan of baths.  I take one in my huge soaker tub anywhere from four to ten times a week (yes I know that equals more than one a day).  Because for me it is the worlds best way to relax.  To be submerged in warmth.  I have a little portable DVD on the side when I feel like watching something, and if not, I often read books or magazines in there.  

I once told someone when I first met him and he was trying to pick between three houses "Pick whichever has the largest bathtub and closets".  He gave me a funny look and I was actually surprised at that time it had come out of my mouth because at that point in my life I had never thought of it before.  But 8 years later it still holds true in my mind.  

Rvnsgrl81

We just built our dream house a year ago. July it will be a year we have lived there.

Mine is my kitchen with Cherry cabinets, cherry hardwood floors, grantie countertops, stainless steel appliances and a huge island.

MJ14323

I want a kitchen that is open to the living are and a separate dining room.  I'd also love a double shower in the master. There are so many things...

One of my favorite websites for house dreaming is Houzz.com.  They have an awesome website and iPad app. It's like pinterest for houses only. So addicting

Gregermis

A beautiful greenhouse or a solarium (sp?)  Because I like growing things   Also a wall that is also an amazing fish tank would be pretty cool too!

Neesey

I agree with the laundry shoot. That would be great. Even better would be a small laundry area close to the bedrooms!

 I know it is small but a trash compactor. We never had one before this house and I loved it. Ours died and I'm saving for a new one. They are SO expensive but worth it. 

Two kitchens. Again not something that would have been on my list before this house. We have a MIL quarters downstairs with a full kitchen. It is fabulous for entertaining or big family dinners. I have three ovens and I use them all!  The glass doors go straight out to the yard so it is very convenient for BBQing. The fridge gives DH room for beer and snacks in the man cave.  

 

Jules10

I like this question! We have a small ranch right now and can't wait until we can afford our dream home. The best part of our current house is the finished basement. There's a built in bar, big screen tv, and surround sound down there. It's perfect for entertaining. I would like to just relocate it to what ever house we end up in down the road. The thing I want the most in our future home is a big chef's kitchen with a huge walk in pantry.

cdale86

Not dreaming too big today... I just want a double vanity in the master bath!!! There are a lot of things I like about our home (open concept, basement, gorgeous deck) but the bathroom needs some help.

Killer Tomato

I want one of those showers where you walk in and there are no doors and a Cain in the middle of the floor. It feels so much less creepy for late night showers, and seems so much easier to clean. I also want a separate tub that is big enough where my knees and shoulders can be underwater at the same time.

Additionally, i want a garage, a nice big dining room, a workshop, an art studio with good light, a laundry room not in the basement, a dishwasher, an observatory on the roof with a good telescope, a dumb waiter (no particular reason, I just think they are cool,) an indoor/outdoor pool for exercise and relaxation (with to tub, of course,) and a big kitchen with lots of cabinets.

I have always dreamed of a room where the floor is a trampoline, the walls are padded, and there is a tv in the ceiling if one gets tired of bouncing and wants to watch a movie. (my dream house would get the cartoon network and the independent films channel.)

My favorite aspect of my current house is my enclosed porch, where I can read on my papasan. I love my house, but it is very tiny and I dream of having a guest bedroom. 

And no particle board. I HATE particle board. And doors made out of wood, not cardboard and paper thin veneer. Our house has some old doors with skeleton keys...I love those!

okay, that was way more than my favorite thing. I got carried away. 

brachatzipora

A big backyard and a huge vegetable garden!!!

Also, we have these back jets on our shower, that are completely AH-MAZING! 

brookelynpaisley

What I love:

- Our kitchen is very good sized with plenty of counterspace and cabinets up to the ceiling. We don't have an island, but DH is building a portable one

- All the bedrooms are good sized. We have plenty of room in our master, even with a King sized bed

- Huge yard with a patio. We don't, however, have sliding doors. I don't miss having them much, but it would open up the entry off the living room if we did.

- High ceilings. We have vaulted ceilings in most rooms

 - Single story. We were 100% opposed to to a multi-level home

 

What I wish we had, but weren't deal breakers when we bought:

- Bigger living room. It's small and awkward with 2 focal points, one of which is a bay window that I like, but is off-center in the room. Someday, we hope to push out the wall and expand the room while getting rid of the window. But that's a long way down the road, since it's about the only thing we can't do ourselves.

- DH wants to halve the wall between the living room/entry way and kitchen/dining area. I'm not opposed, but can't picture it. It would create a more open feel while keeping two separate spaces. Huge open floor plans freaked me out decorating-wise when we were house shopping.

- Bigger master bath with separate tub and glass shower. We plan to be there forever and aren't very concerned with resale value, so we're considering eliminating the tub and replacing it with a large tiled shower. We do, however, love that we have dual sinks.

- Laundry room as opposed to a laundry closet

twistsandturnsto2

I agree with the built-in storage, walk in pantry, good size tub, and a great porch or two- one in front, one in the back. I would also add a built in fire pit for the back yard, a garage big enough for all of DH's tools, and a great area for gardening. 

All the other things I want for my dream home are more creature comfort things...most of which I have found on pinterest.  

Juicy71

Raggedy1:

I'll add a huge walk-in shower with 2 shower heads, and skip the jetted tub - I've had them and never gotten in them - they're more for looks than functionality. 

Ditto on this.  Our tub is beautiful (although it doesn't have jets) but it takes *forever* to fill and is really not that useful for us.  We will eventually tear it out and put in a huge walk-in shower with *at least* 2 shower heads... I can't wait!!

whoberry

I am obsessed with old houses.  I really hate most modern design and open floor plans.  Our dream house would be full of old house things; pocket doors, wood floors (hard or soft), real wood doors, glass door knobs, working transom windows, picture rail, beautiful molding, wainscotting, beadboard, rear ("servant") staircase, butler's pantry, grand entryway, center hall, doors between all rooms, walk up finished attic, leaded glass windows, fireplaces in most rooms, front porch, screened in sleeping porches, dumbwaiter, slate or tin roof, etc.  Modern amenities in the kitchen and baths with old house style- clawfoot bathtub, shaker style cabinets, tin ceiling, etc.

We'd have an attached 2 car garage hidden behind the house and a detached 3 car garage on the property with an inlaw suite/rental apartment/au pair quarters above it.  All of this would be on at least 1 acre of land on a navigable waterway so we could have a dock, boat, and beautiful water view.

I think I'd prefer the house to be a brick colonial revival or southern plantation style (with two level front porch). I'd love a long plantation driveway with huge trees lining both sides.  We'd have big old magnolias, weeping willows and a fig tree too!

And now I'm off to buy a lottery ticket to finance this bajillion dollar dream home... 

GraceInCA

We did a lot of renovation to make it closer to the "dream".  Things we wanted/got:

- Open floor plan

- Laundry near the bedrooms (which is a big deal once kids are in the equation, yikes does laundry add up)

- Usable outdoor space. This might not be as valuable to someone in a climate where you don't really want to be outdoors for much of the year, but since temperatures here in SoCal are so mild, it's nice to be able to relax outside with a glass of wine on most any night.