AIBU to ask things you have in house that are not low maintenance

[Newdonewhugh]

Hi

I’m building a house and I really want it to be as low maintenance as possible. Can you talk to me about things that have made your home life easier and things that are a nightmare.

Some examples:

A friend told me not to get a handless kitchen as the scoop bits to open the doors are always filthy.

Another thing I want to talk about are these new black taps? Will they save me from the grind of constantly filthy, finger marked stainless steel or will they just be covered in limescale instead?

What about a shower screen? They drive me insane. Shall I just build a wall instead I f shower screen?

Robot hoovers.... are they worth it?

Please help me live a life where I can sit down and relax on a sofa one day.

If it’s the housework you’re wanting to eradicate then I feel certain I have the answer, after years of experience.
Never, ever have three huge, muggy, shedding, dribbling Labradors at the same time.
Ok?

@userxx

No stainless steel anywhere.

This.

Never ever again will I have a stainless steel sink. They show every water mark. My next sink will most definitely be ceramic.

@safariboot

Bins are the bane of my life. Pedal bins the mechanisms break. Swing bins the swing gets in the way and gets filthy. A loose lid needs to be put somewhere. What I just want is a lid that opens by hand and stays open when it's open. What I have is no lid at all which is a bit manky.

You want a Brabantia touch top bin.

Not the stupid skinny ones you have to buy specific bags for though...

We have this one...

www.brabantia.com/uk/touch-bin-new-40-litre-plastic-inner-bucket-white/

I know it's a lot of money for a bin but it looks good, holds plenty and the lid mechanism is still going strong in its third year.

@PamsterWheel

This is brilliant! Anyone come up with a solution for shampoo bottles etc in use?

Hate the wire rack things. Could not entertain the 'have everything in a wash bag' concept. Currently have built in shelving on the same wall that shower is on. Looks fabulous but is a total pain for collecting water . Wouldn't do it again.

Another mistake I made when doing my bathroom was only having an overhead shower with no hand shower (or whatever they are called) because to my eyes it looks better BUT a fucking ballache when cleaning the shower as can't just spray the tiles.

We have these in our bathrooms...

Zero bottles of crap laying around...

www2.simplehuman.com/uk/triple-wall-mount-pumps-stainless-steel-15-fl-oz

Don’t spend £140 on a Brabantia bin! John Lewis make an identical one for £50. We’ve just bought one to replace the Brabantia one I spent silly money on.

@Judashascomeintosomemoney

If it’s the housework you’re wanting to eradicate then I feel certain I have the answer, after years of experience. Never, ever have three huge, muggy, shedding, dribbling Labradors at the same time. Ok?

Can I add Bengal cats to that? Not much shedding but their paws bring in so much mud and their still damp after coming through the utility, kitchen, halls, stairs, landing and bedroom carpets to dry them completely on your white bedding.

I never got the bin thing, I have a door mounted one on the back of 5he kitchen cupboard which gets emptied every night. £15 in dunelm.

One of the best things I did was clear out the cupboard under the sink for bins. I have 2 small and 1 bigger Ikea bins that just fill the cupboard. It’s not fancy (I’d love it to slide out) but there’s enough space for one day’s worth of rubbish, compost and recycling and that’s not enough time for anything to start to smell. When I finally get my new kitchen I’m keeping those bins because they’re just perfect.
I’d rather change the bins every day, than have to clean them and while they’re not fancy looking, it doesn’t matter because they’re hidden away anyway.

DH - sorry, couldn't resist

We're thinking about having 2 dishwashers - although I was thinking for the second one
we could just get one of those tabletop ones. We're having a small appliance cupboard with the kettle and tea/coffee making stuff etc and a lot of our dishwasher space is taken up with mugs, so it seemed to make sense! Has anyone done this? Is it a terrible idea?

I wouldn't have a table top one as it defeats the object. Just sling some mugs on he bottom rack.

The whole point is that you have 2 cupboards that wash their contents and not having to unload the darn things... (just the last few bits of clean once the other one is full of dirty and due to go on)

You would end up having to unload the main one I reckon...

Move the bathroom light switch to outside the room - no manky pull cord and we have put all the spotlights on a dimmer so can choose level depending on reading or snoozing...

@milktart

The whole point of the two dishwashers is that there’s never dirty dishes sitting on your worktop and making your beautiful new kitchen messy. So I’d say no to a Table top one.

I used mine a lot because we have 5 adult sized people and 4 of them Snack all day and are bone idle. We are over run with dirty mugs and pizza plates.

If there’s just the two tidy adults and you are out at work all day then I don't think you’d need a second one.

I think you are all right 2 full size seems to be the way to go - we are a family of 4 and there is always dirty dishes on the side.

Don’t get a wood worktop, but if you do then get a solid wood one, because when it inevitably goes mouldy round the sink at least you can sand it to fix it.
Robot hoover is brilliant but you have to move cables and fluffy rugs for it, and it can go under things but you’ll still have to go round with the hose thingy sometimes.
Get sash windows that open at top or bottom - not ones that either only open at the top or open like a door - you can’t leave the door style ones open while you’re out and the kind that only open at the top don’t allow for either window boxes or for enough ventilation when it’s boiling hot. Don’t get the kind that don’t open at all!
Electric underfloor heating in bathroom is brilliant and pretty cheap.
Don’t hide your cistern in the wall unless there’s a really good way of accessing it - when the flush breaks 6 years after you installed it you don’t want to have to take the wall apart to replace it.
I think everything in my house is high maintenance, mind you!

Don’t hide your cistern in the wall unless there’s a really good way of accessing it - when the flush breaks 6 years after you installed it you don’t want to have to take the wall apart to replace it.

This is a really good point. Our cistern is hidden in the wall, with the top of the new wall at windowsill height. We have one long piece of worktop to close the top of the wall, shaped into the window so that the windowsill is continuous with the top of the wall. It is not fixed down, just sealed. I can't remember what the work top is made of - it feels like polished stone, but is a modern composite - and its weight keeps it snuggly in place. The bathroom fitter said we could even stand on it.

One day we needed access to the plumbing. The plumber stripped away the sealant, lifted the worktop and did the job without any fuss. It was all back to normal within a few hours. Including the mess of 3 teenagers - another reason why having one huge, wipe-clean bathroom shelf is so good!

Children, the dog? 🤣

Just kidding.

Definitely built in bins, hidden utility, ideally on the same floor as the bedrooms (or a laundry shoot) with a pull down airer

In theory I love the idea of the wall as long as it has a panel or large format tiles- grout is hard to clean.

Love our Amtico flooring, Alexa powered light switches. Smart heating (ideally with individual radiator thermostats). Ring doorbell, wired Nest fire alarms (I can silence it from my phone and would know if the house was actually on fire so someone would know to get the dogs out). I did a lot of research on fire alarms and these are the best. Expensive but not when you consider peace of mind and safety.

Ooh my charging drawer in the island is brilliant. Just an extension wired in, stuck down in the drawer. Takes all our usb charged stuff and a socket for the stand mixer.

Love deep pan drawers in the kitchen, especially under the hob

I put my dishwasher in a mid-height unit so that I didn't have to bend down (due to an injury) but it's so easy!

Hate my laminate floor. It's harder to keep clean than carpet.

Apologies if this has been mentioned before (not read the whole thread).
I would choose skirting boards and internal door that have no design or ridges. We have ridiculously decorative skirting boards and they drive me mad. So much dust collects! Our internal doors have 6 panels per door. Again, dust traps! Hopefully we'll be able to replace them in the future.
Plus, I'd replace them with plain wood. No white paint/gloss in sight!

My ex in laws had Fisher and Paykel dishwasher drawers. They are brilliant, I’m thinking of installing them soon.

@Thehollyandtheirony

My ex in laws had Fisher and Paykel dishwasher drawers. They are brilliant, I’m thinking of installing them soon.

Oh my goodness! I had no idea those existed. I definitely want at least one now.

Most American homes with cellars have the laundry appliances in the cellar.
A big ceramic laundry sink would be nice to have, as well as better drying arrangements. My basement is too damp for clothes to dry quickly. Catproof flat sweater racks are excellent, but difficult to find.

Are you a tall family? If so, mount your basins higher than standard. No stooping when washing hands - so comfortable.