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.

I never hang my washing out, too lazy. The upstairs room will have room for drying and tumble dryer.
When I was a kid my favourite program was tomorrow’s World. That program pretty much led me to believe that standing up would be unnecessary by now! I thought my bed was going to drive me to work and then fly me home. I blame tomorrow’s World for my obsession with trying to achieve the eutopia of doing absolutely nothing around the house.

I would have a drying room where the clothes go onto hangers and from there into wardrobes. If you have your washing machine only on a 800 spin and take them straight out 99% won't need ironing!

Air conditioning in bedrooms? Where do you live?!

I had coloured grout on bathroom tiles (you can get masses of colours, from pale to dark) - marvellous.

Orvis trapper mats at entry points. Expensive but revolutionary in terms of dirt being trodden in.

I searched for the most powerful flushing toilet on the market. Most modern toilets are all style and no substance!

I wish I could have two dishwashers so the dirty stuff wasn’t piled up waiting to go in.

I would never have a Kitchen island, you get fed up walking around it, it ends up as a dumping ground and some are so big you cant reach the middle.

NTFT so apologies if this is a repeat, but look at microcement for showers. Ease of cleaning of shower panels but looks amazing and you can have whatever colour you like.

Many loo seats now have an easy release system. We've got some pretty cheap ones at the mo, but it's so easy to take the whole thing off to clean around the hinge area and it's all plastic so no manky steel.

@inappropriateraspberry

Many loo seats now have an easy release system. We've got some pretty cheap ones at the mo, but it's so easy to take the whole thing off to clean around the hinge area and it's all plastic so no manky steel.

Yes, but wouldn't it be easier for the pan to just have be comfortable shape to sit on? Then there'd be nowhere for the man-wee and the limescale to get caught.

Most modern toilets are all style and no substance!

I've got an old fashioned high level cistern and it's pretty rubbish too. I think it's down to water pressure or something.

And another thing! My loo is SQUARE inside, providing more awkward corners for the limescale.

@thenightsky yep, they're so much better than tiles. I love the sparkle too.

Oh yes loos!
Many continental ones are made with a sort of ledge before the water begins, apparently this is because the Germans like to inspect their poo??? Anyway avoid those unless you want skid marks every time. You want one where there is just a single slope all the way down.

@1dayatatime

Avoid loads of small recessed lights which look great in the brochures but you end up spending a lot of time replacing the one dud bulb (otherwise it looks sht). Especially avoid G10 bulbs cos they get stuck in the socket requiring you to rip out the flush mounting and never really be able to put it back again properly.

Sorry lightbulb rant over, I know first world problem.

Don't you have the little suction device that grips the bulb so it comes out easily?

We have lots of small recessed lights and never had a problem.

Dishdrawers rather than dishwasher - you can load one whilst the other is running and unless you have loads of dishes, use the top one mostly so no bending

Skirting/architave/doors - all solid oak - no painting is bliss. Staircase will be next

In tiled rooms (hall, kitchen/diner/cloakroom) we have tile skirting - zero maintenance

Hidden recycling bins

Laundry baskets in cupboards in utility. Could go American and have upstairs utility. My US friends are always baffled why we take everything downstairs, wash it, then drag it all back up again!

Induction hob & glass splashbacks, no grout to get dirty

Wall hung loo and sink in vanity - much easier floor cleaning. Removable loo seat for easy/more thorough cleaning

If you have decking - go hardwood and seal with good quality yacht oil. About 3-4 times more expensive than softwood but so much less maintenance, looks really good and lasts much better

Brushed finish on handles, no fingerprints

Loads of sockets, including USB

One to avoid - do not get real limestone paving - £££ and oh my word the stains...

Very high maintenance, dark, matt worktops, show every little mark, steam even marks it. Low maintenance, shower wall instead of tiles.

Chuffed with my “recycling station” fitted under an island - 2 paces from the sink.

Also the concealed bin cut into the worktop - to shoot all the teabags, apple cores and compostables into before wandering outside to the garden compost bin when the mood takes

@Choccyp1g I think an all in one seat would be very cold though! It would have to have a heated element around the top to take the edge off!

[quote inappropriateraspberry]@Choccyp1g I think an all in one seat would be very cold though! It would have to have a heated element around the top to take the edge off![/quote]
Good point.

Though I think some toilets in service stations are all-in-one, and I've never noticed them being cold..maybe they are heated, or maybe the constant use keeps them warm.

Things that bug me:

• somewhere for incoming post to live
• somewhere for the WiFi router to not be on show

Things I’ve seen at friends houses that I wish I had:

• anti fog thingy behind bathroom mirrors. The mirrors then NEVER get steamed up. It is wizardry
• instead of shower screen - walk in shower with full glass wall. Yes still neeeds cleaning but shower was big enough that it didn’t get much water splashed on it at all.
• a safe built into the wall hidden behind A picture or mirror
• pan drawer
• skinny floor to ceiling “drawer” (pull out cupboard really) in kitchen for spices and condiments / jars and bottles

Yes to wet wall in showers but not a textured one as it collects dirt, also suction things don't work

Anyone in hard water area - absolutely do get an entire house water softener they are the dogs bollocks!!!

Hardwood Parquet flooring
seems bomb proof ours is 60 years old and just maintenance free.

Just got a new kitchen...
Walk in Corner larder with multiple shelves - amazing
Hidden 2x 100l pull out bins
A bench with shoe storage shelves underneath in utility
Hidden washer dryer behind a cupboard door
Loving my butler sink, far easier to clean than stainless steel!
Distressed wood effect quickstep flooring- hides a myriad of sins with kids
Pan drawers !
2x 'crap' drawers for keys, lip salve, post, chewing gum !

things I forgot :
A tea towel rail, which I will now get installed on one of the the island ends.
A place for kids drawings / reminders/ vouchers, I have an integrated fridge so no magnets anymore .
An induction hob is brill but does mean all new pans.
Make sure of the layout. Our sink is on the island , so when I turn from the cooker area I only really have either side of the sink as workspace which is really limiting, even though I've got a huge island. It feels wrong to walk around the other side to chop stuff. I wish I had designed it better.

Avoid having cats/dogs/horses/children. The attendant mud, hay, straw, cat victims will ruin all your hard work. From one who knows!

My PILs have a very nifty kitchen bin that you just wave your hand over and the lid opens up no touching, so no fingerprints!

Best thing we have is a huge cupboard with sliding doors (essentially a wardrobe) downstairs that has built in shoe racks, clothes rails for coats (everything is on hangers) and pull out baskets for school bags. There is no clutter by either the front or back door. I love it!

One of the things I would really like is an antifog mirror in the bathroom.

And I have a special sort of flush in the loo, that's an original crapper design I think. They used to be a problem because they're leaky but the seals have been improved now so they don't, and you can adjust the water usage.

www.screwfix.com/p/fluidmaster-toilet-flush-valve-conversion-kit/38533

This sort. Super dull but it's not a crap (!) flush, it gets rid of what it needs to, you don't have the annoying useless dual flush thing where it just doesn't really work and there's no membrane etc to tear.