What would or wouldn't you have in your dream house?

[MrsMcTats]

After looking for a new house for several years, we're coming to the conclusion that we may have to build our own. I find this quite terrifying as we have zero experience, but the thought of having exactly what we want (within reason) is very exciting.

I prefer character properties, so would love to build with reclaimed brick and would want it to feel solid and like it had always been there. Wide window sills, oak staircase, hard-wood floors etc. A timeless design that looks beautiful, but is very functional too. We have 3 DC so it needs to be hard-wearing.

So, let's pretend money is no object...help me build our dream home! What elements do you have that you love? Is there anything you regret? What brands would you recommend?

A big walk in pantry
A library area for me
Games room
Cellar with a bar
A laundry room
Big open garden

I would want a pantry and a laundry room. Since this is a dream house, then a proper bathroom, downstairs, plus a downstairs bedroom, initially for guests but eventually for me, would be a must.

A good sized kitchen diner but at least one more separate reception room. We like to carve out our own space rather than constantly be in each other's faces and I don't like the acoustics of massive rooms with too many hard surfaces.

So an entirely open plan layout is a don't want.

Also don't want enduites in every bedroom. Don't trust Ds2 not to flood them, they take up too much space for the use they get and you have to clean the bloody things.

No bloody overpriced, underengineered bifold doors. Ordinary French doors fine. I like the fresh air, when it's actually warm enough, but prefer to keep the outside out.

AVOID:
Wooden work surfaces in the kitchen, unless you want to spend lots of time obsessively mopping up drops and splashes of water

Number one on my wish list is an upstairs laundry room.
I'd also like somewhere to have a piano a sofa in my bedroom and a really roomy hall cupboard for coats, shoes, bags etc.
That's it really.

In loads of land so that you didn't have neighbours.
Garden behind house south or west facing
Swimming pool
Hot tub
Woodland area
Huge bathroom with freestanding bath and double shower cubicle with rainfall head (and excellent water pressure!)
Solar panels and other eco power so that house would be as self sufficient as possible
I would have a timber New England style house with veranda. Love those!
Balcony
Really really good storage and loads of it.
Utility room
Upstairs laundry room with soundproofing and big enough to dry washing.
Large kitchen diner with bifolds onto patio or decking
Place to put American style fridge
Bathroom with fridge for those toiletries that have to go in the fridge.
Bathroom with share sockets on a cupboard for electric toothbrushes.
Plug sockets everywhere
Insulated garden room with small kitchen and bathroom
Power to the garden
Bedroom big enough for super king size bed. Having slept in one on holiday they are an absolute necesssiy!!!
Downstairs shower room
Large porch or boot room as you enter the house - plenty of space for coats and shoes and boots and bags. And a place to sit to put them on. And a place for keys etc. I have a tiny thin porch - so annoying
A kitchen island
Loads of storage in kitchen
Excellent lighting.
A soundproof music/games room
A place for outdoor entertaining.

A walk in closet/dressing room
An en suite for the master bedroom

And agreedm with previous poster, no to open fires or Woodburning stoves. Lovely but bad for you and bad for air pollution. Makes life awful for people with lung conditions.

Oh and definitely a boiling water tap, why would you not want one!

And a water softener if needed for your area.

Oh and a pantry.

I'll stop now 😀

Other people. Well, not other than my perky butler, personal trainer etc.
Definitely a secret passage as above. And a turret! Great thread.

We have most of these, love our house

Enough double bedrooms for everyone plus at least one extra
Several en suites and bathrooms
Boot room
Downstairs loo
Utility room with sheila maid, washing machine and tumble drier
Garden with space to grow things and a lawn, not overlooked
Several reception rooms, one without a tv but with cosy sofas
Large kitchen, pantry, range cooker
Open fires
Detached, off street parking
Fast broadband
Large master bedroom with super king sized bed and en suite
Catchment for good schools
Near countryside for walking
Waitrose nearby, places that deliver
Media room / playroom
Space to work from home
Garages

If I could add anything it would be:
swimming pool
a gym
Dressing rooms x 2
More storage

An upstairs utility! No lugging washing down stairs and back up again when clean!

I'm single and planning to be for the long term now, but when I was in a relationship I always thought I'd go for his and hers en-suites if I was having a house built

I'd also have a utility room upstairs for the washing machine & tumble dryer

After years of contemplating this, I have decided that my ideal house would be built on some sort of giant platform you could turn (like you get in some Chinese restaurants) with an outer turning platform around it. That way, I could position the rooms to follow or avoid the sun as I wanted it too. And at different times of year. If it was a cool but sunny spring afternoon, the sitting room could face the sun; if it was roasting, I might spin the house around so it faced north.
The outer platform would mean the right bit of outdoor seating was wherever I wanted it to be at the right moment. We've never been able to decide whether the outdoor table & chairs or then outdoor sofa thing gets the prime spot in the garden. This would solve that problem!

A moat.

Tbf I think I'd prefer an old moat to a fresh built moat iykwim.
Then a nice little archaeological survey pre build, then a house with a large utility, pantry, library, boot room etc.

En-suite bathroom
Large workshop for DP
Side access
Massive studio for me running along the top floor/attic of house - with a large sink and loo
Flat garden with small orchard a the back
Swimming pool
I'd like it to have a cosy feel though

Oh I wouldn't want -
It open plan downstairs
A wet room (?)
A great big "island" in the middle of my kitchen
Everything painted in soft greys
A hot tub/filthy garden sex pond

Definitely consider window sizes. We have a cottage with sash windows and I really notice when looking at new builds that the windows look really small in comparison

Children would have a nursery (top floor with bedrooms, play room and kids library). We have them on a separate floor right now which is great but would love it if we could move the playroom up there as well.

Master suit with compromise a bedroom with two large sitting/dressing rooms each with their en-suite coming off it.

Would like a little suite with its own entrance of bedroom, en-suite and sitting room/kitchenette for nanny which would eventually house a parent maybe two so both of us have room for our parents.

An orangery as well is essential. So would be a hone gym (might actually see DH from time to time that way). And would love a little studio for myself somewhere as well.

Ohh this is good, it would be south facing, large drive and wraparound gardens, double or even triple garage which could have a gym inside but could be turned into a granny flat for if our parents needed it as they got older.
A large kitchen diner with long skylights and underfloor heating.
A utility and boot room for coming back from walking the dogs, hot and cold water taps outside.
A large lounge and separate snug/study wide staircase that widens further at the bottom to at least 4 double bedrooms all with bay windows and dressing rooms/storage not sure about en suite never had one so not sure I'd miss it if didn't have any.
Downstairs bathroom with toilet sink and walk in shower, upstairs large family bathroom with huge roll top bath and 2 sinks and a bedet (is that how you spell it?).
We would also be situated close to forests/woodland and near proximity to a beach probably in Wales.

Large pantry
Underfloor heating throughout
Zoned central heating so you can have them timed separately plus Hive or similar
Central AC

I'd NEVER have one of those multi-temperature taps they've been advertising (boiling, cold, chilled etc) My husband has health problems, and I can very easily imagine him setting it wrong and getting scalded.

Downstairs toilet
Laundry room
Small pantry
At least two living rooms
A playroom
A sun room not a conservatory
A large kitchen with island overlooking the garden
A landing rather than a corridor
At least five decent size bedrooms
A master with a large en-suite
A large put not too large garden that's totally secure for the children

We have some of these but not all

Things we love in our current house:

All the rooms at the back of the house have french doors into the garden, it makes the spaces feel very connected.
Utility room.
Bathroom on every floor - the one on the ground floor is at the back of the house and great when the kids are messy from the garden.
Two good sized sitting rooms, we have 3 DC and use one as a playroom (currently school room!) and one as a quieter, more adult room, the kids read in there or watch TV but there are never toys in there which is bliss. I think open plan spaces are rubbish for a family. It is far better, if you have the space, to have rooms with different functions.
We do have a large kitchen dining room which I like when it's just the family but e.g. when we have visitors I'd prefer having the kitchen less central in the house but that's me being very fussy and frustrated at the ILs inability to finish breakfast before 12pm.
The office space in the attic means when I'm working I can hide away from the family noise on the ground floor.
The driveway (love not having to park on the street any more).
The storage space.

A walk in larder, a proper one, on the north side of the house with stone floor and marble shelving.
A decent sized kitchen , not huge but designed for proper cooking. A gadget corner or cupboard, designed to house electrical equipment for ease of access and use. (Nigel Slater has one. ) Quooker.
A library with built in shelves.
A walled garden and / or outside courtyard. Preferably both.
More living space than bedrooms.
Three bedrooms would be enough for us, but all doubles with en-suite bath or shower rooms, walk in wardrobes and the master bedroom suite with its own dressing room too.
Japanese toilets!