What would you want from a new house..???

[Tubbycatdoll]

Hi I am new and a first time poster. I buy and refurbish old stone houses. I am starting a new project in September. A house that I will build and design from scratch. The old stone house on the land will have to be demolished as its not safe. I have permission to build up to 3 floors. I plan to live in this house with my dc 13 and 9. What would you want in your house if you could start at the begining.? Thank you in advance for any answers I may receive.

[HoneyPablo]

I would want it to be as eco-friendly and self-sufficient as it could be so it wouldn't cost a fortune to run.
I would want fantastic big windows in every room with equally fantastic views if possible.
I would want a huge hallway with an impressive statement staircase.
I would want a handmade wooden kitchen and 2 bathrooms.
I would want floor to ceiling cupboards in every room so there was a place for everything.
I would want a state of the art 'hub' that controlled all the lights, heating, tv, etc with a wireless sound system that I could hear in every room.
I would want real fires/woodburners
I would want a huge garden so I could grow my own fruit and veg and possibly have room for some chickens.
And I would like it not to be white inside.

[Fizzylemonade]

Large enough hall so you can get you and your children in and shut the front door behind you.

A place in that hall to hide loads of shoes and hang up coats. A place to put wet coats/umbrellas

storage for the following items, hoover, ironing board, long handled brushes, towels, bedding, children's toys/books (throughout the house, so hall, kitchen and bedrooms)

Enough worktop in the kitchen to prepare, cook and importantly plate up food.

[Fizzylemonade]

Agree with Honey, floor to ceiling storage, maybe along the hall, one whole wall to accommodate tall things.

[bagelmonkey]

Definitely a utility room. Maybe with the boiler in to heat it to dry clothes?

Open plan living / dining to create a large living area is great. Open plan kitchen / living leads to weight gain. :-)

Plenty of toilets. Possibly a second shower room.

Storage. Storage. Storage.

[mousymouse]

• large enough hall for storage of pushchairs/walking frames, wardrobe for coats and shoe rack
  
• rooms big enough that they fit normal size beds
  
• master bedroom big enough for a super kingzise bed
  
• kitchen big enough for a dining table
  
• kitchen separate from living room
  
• separate laundry room with proper ventilation
  
• plumbing good enough so you can have a shower while the washing mashine is on/someone flushes the loo
  
• environmentally sound= efficient heating, triple glazed windows
  
• rainwater collection for the garden

[Tubbycatdoll]

Thank you HP and FL for yr replies. I have worked so hard over the years to make this happen and my dc have moved home far too many times. This will be our forever house and I want to make it right.The plot does not have any fantastic views but I will make a lovely garden. The house we live in now is 125 yrs old made from stone. Hand made kitchen , log beamed celing, range master cooker, buttler sink, roll top baths etc all brought from the uk. The lounge is very Cath Kidson but with the wii drum kit, guitar and all that stuff it just looks a mess. I love the idea of the state of the art hub thing, wood burner an eco friendly living. The big staircase would be nice but I known that sound would be a problem from up to downstairs and also very hard to keep cool in the summer months its 36 here today. A place to hide school stuff, bags and shoes would also be very good and not only a large downstairs wc but im thinking now a downstairs wet room after beach an rugby days would be good, also a dump the laundry room. Floor to celing storage in the bedrooms also a must this time round. Would love some chickens too but I dont think I have the space 300sqm plot..Thanks again :-)

[Tubbycatdoll]

Thanks BM so utility room is a must. I like the idea of open plan living. Ive never had it due to my love of old stone houses. Toilets, one downstairs would be enough.. yeah..?? Storage storage storage I agree totally as my xmas tree is now under my bed. MM seperate kitchen from living area.... I was thinking an all together space would be nice, but with a seperate kids room. Never had it so I dont really know. The rain water is a good idea as when it rains here ir really does rain.. Thank you all.

[mousymouse]

separate kitchen: I like to close the door on the mess, and also hate to sit watching tv and the dishwasher running...

[Tubbycatdoll]

I like the floor to ceiling storage in the hall that would be nice. If not white then what colour..??? Am a long long way off the colour stage yet.. But for all my projects thats what I use. Its home now so I guess I can go with whatever colour me and the dc like.

[HoneyPablo]

I hate white houses with a passion. They just seem so soulless and clinical to me. I like deep, rich colours with cream/beige as a contrast and lots of natural wood. But decorating a house for yourself is so different to decorating a house to sell.

[RandomMess]

2 dishwashers in the kitchen
A sunken bath
I'd consider a back to front house - kitchen next to where you park the car for unloading or an upside down house with the living area upstairs that kind of thing.

[bagelmonkey]

2 sinks in the kitchen is a must. Always want to tip something down the sink as soon as you've run a full sink of clean soapy water.

[ThisIsANiceCage]

Much easier to be eco-friendly when you're building from scratch. Take a look at the www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/ and/or get their Green Building Bible.

On my list, in addition to obvious insulation, would be:

? porch, possibly internal, ideally large enough to be airlock

? airtight build

? showersaver or similar for heat-recovery from hot water

? solar thermal hot water

[ThisIsANiceCage]

Oh, and heat-recovery ventilation is something you might consider - you get rid of all the moisture from cooking, bathing, breathing, etc, without losing all your heat.

[nokissymum]

Id like 2 bedrooms that are no smaller than 17 by 22.
Ensuites to all rooms or at least the 2 larger rooms
A sitting room of about 33 by 20
A playroom
A study
A kitchen of 15 by 17, with loads of storage top and bottom and then one standalone cupboard that you could use to store a large sack of potatoes or onions.
A large hallway
Loads of natural light

[tassisssss]

I would want a large hallway, an amazing kitchen/living room open plan with big table in there too. I'd like a separate lounge and dining room and 4/5 bedrooms. I'd like an obvious space to put a piano, upstairs and downstairs bathrooms and at least one en suite.

A utility room with a PULLEY, a floored loft with pull down ladder, lots of built in cupboards (esp a huge one in the hall for coats/school bags etc).

I also love having a big, garden for all my kids play equipment.

DH would like a conservatory. I'd have a hot tub too if anyone's offering!

Happy building!!

[Tubbycatdoll]

Thanks for all the ideas.

[DooinMeCleanin]

A garden
A huge living area/play space
Spare bedrooms
A giant 'main' bathroom + smaller en suites.
A massive kitchen with an 'island' in the middle

[queenmaeve]

our house is 2 years old, we built it ourselves. I included the following
-walk in pantry-pretty much everything fits in here and kicthen cupboards are uncluttered
-drying room- slotted shleves etc for clothes.
-built in wardrobes in all the rooms-can be cheaply fitted out with conti board and rails.
-underfloor heating, Roth is a good make.
-good insulation will be a requirement of any new build and is worth everypenny, would suggest Kingspan.
-fitted cupboard storage on upstairs landing for hoover etc.
-good space for downstairs storage like shoes, coats etc.
-shower on ground floor. dh broke his leg when we were in our last house and its was a nightmare having no shower on ground floor. In this house it is a wet room and so handy. Its just off the back hall so dc come in muddy and can jump straight in the shower.
-think seriously about either woodpellet burner or geo thermal for your heating. We decided in the last minutes against the pellet burner but kicking ourselves now as oil prices rise. You need to plan space in the house for pellet storage etc.
-an outer porch cuts down on drafts from front door.
-we attached gargage to the house which backs onto the utility room and downstairs bathroom. As a result we have a huge space above for a games room and for a big dressing room.
-large kitchen/living/dining space is great as an open plan room. We also included in the kitchen an area to house lap top, etc, for the dc to use within our sight.
-even if you are not planning to use a thrid floor it is worth playing a bit extra for the roof struts to allow this in future and it is only the difference of a few extra rows of block to give a good roof height.
-and a MUST is concrete bisons for upstairs. Expensive but worth it for reduced noise and gives a much more solid feel to the house.

[bagelmonkey]

If you have room in the main bathroom - separate shower cubicle rather than one in the bath. The over bath showers can be awkward for the less mobile and always spray all over the floor, whatever kind of shield is meant to be keeping it all in.
Underfloor heating in the bathroom would be great too. Especially for going for a pee in the middle of the night in bare feet.

[Panzee]

A massive kitchen. That's all.

[mylovelymonster]

Everything Honey said, plus a good size study in a quiet part of the house and an enormous walk-in linen cupboard. A large double garage with doors wide & tall enough to get the cars inside.

[mylovelymonster]

queenmaeve - whereabouts did you build and how did you get the land? What designation was it when you got hold of it and how straightforward was it to get planning permission?

[GreatNorksOfFire]

I would like to be able to walk all the way around it and have a big driveway as well as a large garden at the back.

I would want it on 2 floors not 3.

I would want a master bedroom, with walk-in wardrobe, shoe cupboards and ensuite with walk-in shower and plenty of storage

I would want a guest bedroom with an en-suite

I would want at least 2 further bedrooms, each a double and with wardrobes

I would want a big sitting room with fireplace

I would want a downstairs loo

I would want a huge kitchen/breakfast room

I would want a utility and a larder. Or a bootroom. Or all three

I would want an extra room downstairs for a playroom initally (hide all the toys) which could grow with the children

I would want a study - doesn't have to be big, but somewhere quiet to go

I would want lots of storage everywhere

I would want wooden floors downstairs; carpet up

Additionally, I would want a double garage

Oh, and I would definitely want a hallway. Cannot abide walking straight into a main living space

I must be very lucky as I have at least 90% of the above.

[littlemisslost]

essential-good sized family lounge, big enough to be spacious small enough to be cosy.
essential-Kitchen breakfast room
desirable-Spare ground floor room for a study/playroom
essential-Utility for all the washing, ironing, dog bed etc
desireable-A bedroom for each family member plus one good sized spare essential- Private good sized, safe garden
Essential- spare ground floor toilet
Garage
nice outlook