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.

In my kitchen has many of those poxy flush-mounted lights that switch on a groups. One is wired to come on singly; enough light to nip in and get something, not running up a bill needlessly. My kitchen is not large I should say.

Loving this threAd.

Black taps are so lovely!!! But only if you live in a soft water area or have water softener installed! Otherwise you will have limescale all over it unless you literally wipe it dry after every single use!!
Hard water is one of the reason I hate south, never knew what limescale was til I moved here and found out the hard way!
We're going to get our WC done soon, really tempted to go do the black taps... but I know I'll regret it, I keep telling myself the WC doesn't get used much, may not be too bad but who am I kidding! I've been looking at gold taps now.. lol

Our builder put in brushed steel handles, j was rather annoyed as I specified chrome handles, I just like shiny things, but now am glad as you can't see finger marks on brushed steel.

We have black nickel sockets all over the house except the kitchen where we have chrome sockets, black nickel is defo better at not showing finger marks, they are there if you look closely, but at a distance you can't see it, where as with the chrome sockets, you can see every single mark from a mile Away!

Have plenty of kitchen units, even if you work out you don't need that many, trust me you will one day! Better to have loads than too less. I have lots of empty kitchen units, I love it as I know i have the space for anything else I buy in the future.

I love handleless kitchen, they look so much more sleeker, I have it and if your someone who keeps on top of cleaning, you won't find dirt in the grooves.

Get simple skirting, easier to wipe clean.

A walk in pantry, I mean I would even have a walk in fridge if I could...

Walk in wardrobe

Utility room is a must!

Lots of big windows to let light in. Bay windows are amazing at letting light in 3 way!

Lots and lots of sockets, if your WiFi requires phone line, then also get phone line socket placed in more than one room, then you have option to move it around

Lvt flooring, as you can mop it, unlike laminate due to the wood.
Tiles are nicer looking, but a pain to clean
I have white tiles, am forever cleAning, use anti bacterial grout. They don't stain.

Wide stair cAse

Cloakroom for coats and shoes bag

Fitted Wardrobes

Wall hung bathroom cabinets/sink/toilet
Get shelves fitted within the wall the bathroom with the tiles, so you then don't have to screw in actual shelves, they look better too.

Shower screens are the Bain of my life, they look beautiful when cleaned and no water marks, otherwise hideous, I've found wiping the water off with a chamois cloth after every shower prevents the limescale showing up too quickly

Built in bins in cupboard, or sensor bin. I didn't like the idea of built in bins, as when I've gone round to others, I find the bin stinks so bad everytime it's opened and there's not much rubbish in them at all. I love my sensor bin, I got
It in white with copper lid, I've had it for 7 months and still looks brand new like the day I bought it

Gloss units show up every finger print, water mark. A simple wipe isn't sufficient, you will need a special cloth to them make it smear free! Matte is better, I wipe with anti bac and it dries smear free. Mine is light grey

Double sink or a very large sink! Personally double is better
Sometimes you don't know
What you need until you have it and then can't live without it.

When we moved in to our house, there was a double sink that both myself and DH rolled our eyes at, but we very quickly realised how convenient it is, I could leave things to soak or
Drain and still have a full size sink to use.
So when we renovated our kitchen, double sink was the first on the list!

Best thing ever, is an incinerator waste disposal system in the utility room. Scrape your plate directly into it. Peel carrots into it. Grind them away. No disgusting smells in the bin and no food waste caddy or composting bollocks (hats off to you if it's your thing but I'm crap at it).

Don't get a range cooker with gas hob get the induction where you just wipe a piece of glass clean. I"m about to change mine. My friends told me. I didn't listen.

What else makes things easy...getting rid of the kids? Will you take my kids off my hands? I found a banana skin in my son's room so old I thought it was a vanilla pod. And since when are used tissues crusty and such an odd colour?

You can get electric toothbrush chargers installed into your bathroom (we replaced a shaver point with one). Loved it and prevents ugly wires dangling everywhere.

Really interesting thread!

I've got planning to build house. 5 bed detached in countryside but I want to revise plans. We copied house we liked but changed the inside and it's not working for me.

There's no space for a coat cupboard as you enter the house.

The utility room isn't directly off the kitchen.

I'm trying to figure out where our kitchen bin will be.

Where will the wheelie bins be kept - out of sight but accessible.

I don't want a utility room with a door as it's always a mess in my house and I want to close it odd to visitors.

I want to future proof the house too - stairs that can handle a stairlift

A room which downstairs which could be converted into a bedroom so will put piping in for an en-suite when being built (but won't put en-suite in)

I want a dumb waiter too

Also trying to figure out whether to have a large walk in wardrobe or use that space to make home office bigger and have a sleek wall of wardrobes instead.

Hand showers in shower cubicles and baths, easier cleaning.
Sensor lights in down stairs loos and pantries.
Underfloor heating in bathrooms.
Light switches on every level to turn off every floors landing lights.
Underfloor heating in our huge living areas is £££££££

I am a architect and have just completed renovating my own home :

-sockets as per above with USB connection
-'rimless' kitchen sink ie : drop in sink that is easy to clean (Franke ) make
-wall hung toilet
-turn lock from inside to bedroom doors
-concealed lighting LEDs (no spotlights)
-bedrooms sills that you can sit on !

I regret the bathroom sink plug - I got one of those spinny disc things which are there all the time and spin and rotate. But you have to put your hand in through a sinkful of water to open it and let the water out, and you can't take it out to clean underneath it. I wouldn't have one of those again.

@whatever1980; if you've got room, I'd go for a home lift instead. We had one installed a couple of years ago, as my husband has seizures; and wouldn't be safe on a stair-lift (the rep actually told us he wouldn't recommend it to us, which shows how much it matters) We got ours done by Stiltz, and it goes directly from the dining room, through a hole in the ceiling into the bedroom above. If you've got room, it could stand in the hallway.

Thanks @sueelleker that's really useful. Was the cost extortionate can I ask please?

Trying to future proof house and also provide for older in-laws should they come and live with us. I've a friend who is in a wheelchair and they live in a house and they never get to see the top story of the house. No bungalows either for them to live to.

It cost £12,000, but it's been worth every penny.

As a mom of toddlers I realized I have spent far too much of my life cleaning. Life is meant to be lived. I love the tub shower combos that have the plastic back part connected (I don’t know how else to explain it) it is sooo easy to clean! On that note I would stay away from showers with glass or sliding doors because the glass doors get water marks really easily that become permanent if not immediately attended too and the tracks in the sliding shower doors get really gross with hard water buildup that is hard to get out.

Also, we are renting and have a white fridge and I love it. It doesn’t look as sleek as stainless steel but also doesn’t show fingerprints.

Also, our carpet is a really neutral shade of brown which hide stains really well. Getting your carpets cleaned once a year will really extend their life.

Thanks @sueelleker