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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask your home must haves?

141 replies

Fishface77 · 25/06/2017 08:34

Aibu to ask that If you could design your own home what would you class as essential?
I have the opportunity to extend our current house. I would like

  1. A pantry
  2. An ensuite bedroom
  3. Walk in wardrobe

We are having a bigger kitchen with a conservatory attached but DH thinks a walk in wardrobe and en suite are unnecessary and we should make an extra bedroom which would be for guests.

OP posts:
LakieLady · 25/06/2017 10:22

A downstairs lav and a utility room would be my first two things.

Then an en suite and a dressing room.

Then a boot room which would double as a dog grooming room.

DP's list would be more off-street parking and a bigger garage!

flibberdee · 25/06/2017 10:24

Mine would be kitchen/diner together. Forget a separate dining room - would much rather a huge kitchen space with sofa + dining table making it the main room of the house. Big and airy.
Front room small and cosy.
One guest room with ensuite.
Master with ensuite and walk in wardrobe.
Utility room with enough space to hoist up an ironing board and manoeuvre around it.

Pantry not so important.
Two fridges, one in the garage maybe.

Heratnumber7 · 25/06/2017 10:29

If I was planning the location of our ensuite again, I would make it with two doors, one off the landing and one off our room.

When we have a house full it doesn't make sense that everyone has to share one bathroom while DH and I have one to ourselves. We let our DCs use ours in these circumstances, but it would be easier if they didn't Ned to traipse through our room.

If a two door ensuite wasn't practical I'd opt for two communal bathrooms, rather than one plus ensuite.

RebelandaStunner · 25/06/2017 10:29

Most essential is storage so everything gets put away and makes a clutter free, spacious environment.
I wouldn't be without a utility room, decent size bedrooms and a big kitchen diner.
Having two bathrooms is great, but ours are separate to the bedrooms as not over fond of ensuites.
I also love big windows.

MissT2095 · 25/06/2017 10:31

I would hate to be without my utility room. It was (secretly) the deciding factor when we bought our current home.

Iamastonished · 25/06/2017 10:39

Actually, I would like a downstairs cloakroom or huge coat/boot cupboard for space to hang coats and leave shoes/boots. Currently, coats go in the cupboard under the stairs and shoes in the shoe rack by the front door.

Frazzledmum123 · 25/06/2017 10:40

We only have a 3 bed semi but are lucky enough to have a downstairs loo and a large cupboard at the top and bottom of the stairs and a small cupboard for shoes I our hallway . I would struggle without those and would be a definite addition if we moved to somewhere without them. I also love having a hallway and don't think I'd move to somewhere without one now. What I'd love to add is a utility room that was big enough to hold our washing basket and ironing board, so a laundry room really. A pantry would be fab but only because our kitchen is so small, if it was bigger I'm not sure how essential it'd be, I'd just get some really clever cupboards. An en suite not essential to me but my kids are young so may be needed when they are teenagers and I would def want one if I didn't have a downstairs loo. My one other wish would be for a play room, somewhere I could have the kids toys properly set out ready to play with that I should hide away at the end of the day so my lounge was an adult place, I'd love that!
Is there no way of just making the smaller room bigger in the extension either for your son or just big enough for a double bed for guests? It depends how often you have guests really, wouldn't be on my list

MinkowskisButterfly · 25/06/2017 10:40

For me a pantry would be the most wanted assuming all the housing basic needs were met, not bothered about an ensuite (though a second loo would be nice sometimes as the teen seems to take up residence in the bathroom!), walk in wardrobe - meh - I don't have enough clothes for a normal wardrobe!

Iamastonished · 25/06/2017 10:41

"An en suite not essential to me but my kids are young so may be needed when they are teenagers"

Never underestimate how long teenagers spend in the bathroom Grin

Amee1992x · 25/06/2017 10:42

Id just like a dressing room & a pantry.

Kinda have a pantry that crosses over as the laundry room 🤷🏻‍♀️

But I love my room, I have a dressing table in our room it's home.

RoyalUnited · 25/06/2017 10:42

Things I have that I like:

Porch/boot room - large enough to store coats, shoes, shopping bags etc neatly.
Open plan kitchen/diner/seating area
Separate living room
Downstairs loo
5 good (but not massive) size bedrooms - 2 used as office/study
1 ensuite
Off road parking for 2 cars
Well stocked and designed garden (but small)

I would like the following (but not enough to move for):

Large utility room - ours is very small - would like to be able to store all laundry there and keep ironing board out
Pantry - I have good storage in the kitchen but a pantry...well that would be lovely
More kitchen worktop space
Much bigger garden (3x bigger) - maybe with a field out back for the dog (who isn't keen on other dogs) and games
Off road parking for 3+ cars (we have converted our single garage in part and don't miss it, so not going to put a garage on). 2 spaces fine now but when teenagers start to drive...
A downstairs study (or two)
A walk-in wardrobe would be nice too but lowest down on my list of dreams
If study downstairs then could have fewer bedrooms upstairs - maybe three (and slightly bigger) but all ensuite (ignore the cleaning for now).

Asmoto · 25/06/2017 10:43

I've got an ensuite for the first time in my present house and I love it, so that would be what I'd choose from your list. Second would be the walk in wardrobe and pantry would be last on the list because I think kitchen cupboards do the job fine (but I'm not very fond of cooking).

kingfishergreen · 25/06/2017 10:45

I must admit a panty and a utility room have been game changers for us.

I'd also like an airing cupboard (there's nothing nicer than slightly toasty linen) and a garden with a sitting-shed (with a kettle and a radio).

Topseyt · 25/06/2017 10:46

I love having a utility room. Ours isn't a big one, but it houses the washing machine, tumble dryer a large fridge freezer and a big Belfast sink. It means that I can have a second under the counter fridge in the kitchen, which has been a godsend as three children grew up.

My other essentials, whether in a house or a bungalow, are good heating and at least two toilets, one of which would have to be downstairs if we had two storeys. I genuinely have no idea how families have ever coped without at least two toilets, even though when my sister and I were children our house only had one. DH grew up as the eldest of three in a house with only one toilet too. Neither of us would ever like to go back to that.

I am less bothered about an ensuite, just sufficient shower and toilet facilities.

notmyrealnameyo · 25/06/2017 10:46

I had a walk-in wardrobe once, which I liked as it meant our bedroom was completely clear of clutter. But a utility room is better as it means the whole house is clear of washing.

Abetes · 25/06/2017 10:47

Utility room. This is the first house I have owned which has had one and I definitely wouldn't go back now.

pringlecat · 25/06/2017 10:49

All of those things are nice, but I would ditch the ensuite unless I was living on my own. No one wants to share a toilet next to where they share a bed.

An extra bedroom would be best, because you could double it up as another room - like a study.

KanyeWesticle · 25/06/2017 10:50

Not an ensuite neccessarily, but a loo you can use when someone is in the shower - yes!

If you can fit a guest bedroom, I'd choose that over a walk in wardrobe.

I don't have but would love a utility room.

ghostyslovesheets · 25/06/2017 10:50

essential for me

a bedroom each - solves the 'teens in the bathroom' issue (we only have one bathroom having moved form a house with 3 - has not made a difference)

Nice sized bathroom - with shower

Kitchen diner - I like a large kitchen with family space

Study - I work from home a lot

decent garden with storage

The only thing I miss in this house is a hall - I would like a hall next time

Silvercatowner · 25/06/2017 10:50

A kitchen that looks out over the garden rather than the front was hugely important to me when we bought our current house.

Topseyt · 25/06/2017 10:53

Kingfisher, what is a panty room? Grin

I have a few visions of that!

AnUtterIdiot · 25/06/2017 10:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fifthtimelucky · 25/06/2017 10:56

I think you need to think about your priorities and lifestyle. These obviously change over time.

We have been living in our house for 18 years and in that period have extended 3 times. It started off with 4 bedrooms, one of which is tiny and has always been used as a study, and one of which is en-suite. Downstairs was one big room in two distinct halves, a tiny kitchen and an even tinier utility room and a funny sort of nothing space which I remember the estate agents called a "rear lobby". Also a double garage, half of which was integrated and half of which wasn't.

When we first moved, we had a toddler and I was pregnant. My top priority was a kitchen we could eat in. I also wanted a second reception room so could separate TV and piano. We therefore converted the integrated garage. The front became a separate small reception room (which was a play room/music room). The back joined onto the kitchen and utility room to make a bigger kitchen so we could eat in it, and the rear lobby became a new utility room.

Phase 2 became important as the children became teenagers. When we had guests, the two girls shared a room but that was less manageable when they became teenagers because of bed sizes. We therefore built another bedroom over the garage, which is the spare room. I'd have liked this to be ensuite but we had to make it smaller than I wanted (planning permission) so it isn't.

Phase 3 happened because we wanted more space downstairs and I wanted the children to be able to have a separate room downstairs so that could have some privacy with friends or boyfriends without taking them into their bedrooms! The music room became a small sitting/TV room, the piano moved into the main sitting room so that became the new music room, and we added a conservatory to the back of the sitting room, and that became the new sitting/dining room.

The point I am making is the house has adapted and grown with us over time as our needs have changed (and as we have been able to afford it). I think we had anticipated that we would move house and we considered this before phase 2 but rejected it as our current house is in a v convenient location and moving would have been far more expensive.

I think we have now exhausted the possibilities for extending, but I anticipate that we will change usage round in a few years when the children leave home.

In a perfect world, I would have a walk-in larder and the spare room would definitely be en-suite (much more convenient when elderly parents are staying, though sadly we now only have one of those left). A walk-in wardrobe would be a very long way down my personal wish-list.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 25/06/2017 11:06

A pantry and a boot room, would be nice !😄

Crumbs1 · 25/06/2017 11:10

When I married I said I would be happy with a roof over my head. I still think that is the raw essential given increases in homelessness.
Everything else is a bonus and different people want different things.
Given we're older, children are now only part time and we are richer I have certainly got some ideals that I want to make life nicer.
A pantry.
A utility
Ensuites for us and several spares for guests / returning children.
An Aga
A boot room with loo for use from garden, wetsuit storage and returning from muddy walks.
A hot tub (I know they are a bit vulgar but so nice)