AIBU to think that if I had designed my house...

[fraktion]

I would have installed a laundry chute from the bathrooms to the washing machine? With a dumb waiter system that delivers the washed clothes upstairs?

It would save so much time and hassle and carting baskets of laundry up and down 2 flights of stairs!

What would you put in your sensibly designed home?

An intercom, so I don't have to holler up the stairs like a fishwife every morning

I'd have the washing and drying stuff upstairs

This is why laundry rooms are located upstairs in American homes! Why take dirty washing downstairs to a washing machine then back upstairs afterwards to put it away?? Just have your washing machine upstairs! Laundry rooms are the future (or in my case use your en suite bathroom as a laundry room)

That only works if all your bed/bathrooms are on one floor though? Our house is tall and narrow so it's over 4 floors... I suppose I could have multiple washing machines?

I'd have multiple hoovers on each floor. Perhaps some central hosing system that delivered the gunk to the outside bin.

Certainly an intercom. Also a soundproof room for the washing machine upstairs. And I'd have Gadgetry - I'd want to close all the house curtains at the same time with the press of a button, run a bath from the kitchen, turn on the electric blankets on my bed from the sofa... oh why not throw in something that shoots me from the sofa to bed, cleaning my teeth on the way

My parents' house (that they designed) has a central vacuum system. There is a port in each room and you take the hose from room to room. Was rubbish. No one ever wanted to drag the hose around. Mom ended up buying a regular vacuum cleaner.

My aunt's house has a chute from the bathroom on the first floor to the bathroom on the ground floor. It's ace!

We looked into having a house built last year and DH had them factor in the laundry chute! If you line dry, the washing has to come downstairs at some point.

I would like a slide for coming downstairs.

Central locking. It's got to be the way forward.

Moveable walls - so I can have cozy warm sitting room when it's just us and a big sociable open space when we want to "entertain".

Everything Arith says.

And central locking. One click of the key and all the windows and doors lock themselves.
And one push of another button to turn off all appliances/electricals at the same time.
And childproof and chip proof paint.

Why didn't I ever think of having the washing machine located upstairs.

We even have a spare bathroom it could go in, too!

I'll have to get my OH on the case...

A bit off the topic, but I'd like a Barclaycard-style water flume to take me to work! I wouldn't mind going half as much....

Moveable walls - great idea Crikey.

One large bedroom most of the time, two smaller rooms if guests are coming.

Great ideas here

Not exactly this, but there's some great ideas there!

oops

Firemans pole (Oo-er!) from the top floor to the ground. Would save having to climb over lazy old cat on the way down the stairs

We had a laundry shoot put in with our new extension. From bathroom into a cupboard above washing machine in the utility, really was the best bit of the house. No reverse action though. Unfortunately we had to move and someone else now has the benefit. I did always wonder what the children would get up to with it, ours we too young to experiment!

*chute!

Id have a giant family wardrobe/dressing room - washer and drier, window with a line attached outside so no going downstairs. Walls lined with rails and shelves, a big mirror and a comfy chair.

Id have a kitchen I could fit my fridge in (!!) but also big enough for a long dining table and a comfy sofa.

A self-cleaning house

I would have put more toilets in. Not as fantastical as some of the rest of your ideas, but I have 1 bathroom, and my bedroom is up 2 flights of stairs. Not good for the night wee urge.

I'd really like a video screen you could carry around (iPad style perhaps) so you can see who's at the front door and ignore undesirables.

I'd love a live-in laundry fairy

What goldplated said, that would be bliss.