To ask: if you could design your house, what would be essential for you?

[theDudesmummy]

Hi, I know this is not really an AIBU, I am posting here for traffic, but I really would love some thoughts on this. Essentially we are renovating an old derelict stone house completely by ourselves, we have got to the stage where the roof is on and we can start to design the interior. It is basically just walls and roof at the moment, no plumbing, electrics, nothing. So we can put in anything, wherever we want.

The kitchen will be built on at the back, entirely from scratch, it will be big (40 square metres).

So we can put in absolutely anything we want, how we want. If you had the choice, what would you deem essential to include in your dream house. It may be relevant to note that we are older people (50s and planning to grow old in this house) and have only one child left at home, DS is 11 and has special needs (no physical disabilities).

I am looking for ideas not just about big important things, but maybe little features/lifehacks that people have put in their homes or would have put in if they had had this opportunity.

Pocket doors - really well built with the best quality hardware I could find.

Mine would be storage ,storage and more storage.
Definitely walk in wardrobes/dressing room so you can see all your clothes.
Walk in shower, my husband is disabled and we now need our bath taken out.
Walk in larder/ pantry for all your dry/ tinned stuff/ spices etc
A separate utility room with washer/ dryer etc, with a cupboard to store ironing boards, hoover.
And I have always wanted a bedroom that had a balcony with a small table and chairs so I can enjoy my morning in summer looking over garden.

I would want a utility room. Washing machine and tumble dryer, laundry maid swinging from the roof, shelves to hold cleaning materials and laundry basket (or hooks for baskets to keep off floor).

This room to have direct access to garden, so also includes hooks for coats and hats, shelf for boots and outdoor shoes, sink for hands (large enough to hand wash a few clothes if needed), and either a tap draining onto a tiled floor with drain or tap on wall just outside door to be able to rinse boots and tools etc as necessary, fill watering cans etc. Plenty of storage room for hand tools for f
Gardening, seeds etc, garden games and any cushions/picnic baskets/bbq tools etc for putdoor living. And those large platters that only come out when entertaining or for Christmas lunch...

In kitchen, space for utensils for general cooking and for baking, and plenty of space for different types of food. I'd also love a proper pantry for long term storage (to reduce food shopping and allow more preservation of home grown food/seasonal gluts from local producers).

Chest freezer.

Built in bookcases with adjustable shelves in living room, and a wood burning stove.

Space for a desk, whether a dainty one in a nook in main living space, or a dedicated study type space that can be more utilitarian (and might have space for crafting materials also, rolls of wrapping paper, postage supplies, etc).

Storage. Not just the daily laundry and items always in use, but things like seasonal clothes (heavy winter jumpers that get put away in summer, or light summer dresses not seen for winter months), decorations (Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc), spares (batteries, candles, glasses for parties rather than everyday, etc). Which can be put "away" but still need to be relatively accessible.

If I wasn't particularly restricted to size/cost but not costing millions:

A mudroom with a dog shower

A separate utility (we have a tiny one now and I love it but a little more space would be good)

A snug somewhere with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a cosy seat to curl up into and escape reality for a while

A walk in larder off the kitchen

A bathroom big enough for a roll top bath

A window seat (suppose this could be in conjunction with the reading snug/nook if I had to)

I don't know what your son's needs are but if he is likely to be living at home long term, make sure he has room in his bedroom for a double bed and comfy seating desk etc,
Also when you both retire make sure you have enough living space to be able to do your own thing a study craft reading room second reception space, lockdown has taught us we sometimes need to get away from loved ones without actually leaving the house. I'm deaf so the volume I need is too loud for others, also I can' t hear on phone etc if there's other noise in room so I need to be able to take calls or zoom in a separate room, as you get older hearing problems are very very common

Laundry area
Double plug sockets and lots of them
Phone charge points in kitchen, both sides of bed
Large showers
Lots of storage for appliances, to keep worktops clear
Outside power dockets fir tools, garden lights, music 😃
We have three outside taps

@theDudesmummy

I was so pleased to see this thread as DH and I are planning a total renovation of our house later in the year - lots of useful ideas! Then I came across the post where you, OP, mentioned that you're in the far west of Ireland - well, so are we! It sounds like you're doing a lot of the work yourselves, which we won't be (not unless we want things to fall apart, anyway) - but I'd be interested in hearing more about your renovation experience as it progresses - and best of luck with it!

Separate utility room big enough for washer, sink, outdoor clothes & boot storage, a bench to sit on to take wet / muddy stuff off.

@theDudesmummy

The laundry room issue is very interesting, I hadn't really thought it out before. Maybe not a whole room, but a big cupboard with washer, dryer and some hanging and storage space? Atm I use a spare bedroom as drying space!

Don't put a washing machine /tumble dryer in a cupboard, they need ventilation. Put them in a room with high windows. You'll get the ventilation you need plus if you have a laundry maid you will dry everything in the wettest of weathers Put a towel rail on the wail too, this allows you to dry smaller stuff without taking up much room Laundry shoots and vaccums that feed from the walls are just added maintenance, they were OK in the 80's get a cordless vacuum cleaner instead

Yes, our son is most likely always going to live with us (and after we are both gone he will get the house together with his sisters, at least one of whom would probably live there with him). He is getting a nice big bedroom which will have room for double bed, desk etc, with ensuite shower room/loo

I agree so much about the need for individual spaces, I wfh and will have my own study upstairs, and there will also be a second lounge/TV area downstairs. Plus DH will have a workshop in the garden (still to be built! There used to be a barn, which has been dismantled, but it is still there on the official land registry plan, so can be rebuilt without planning permission).

We will put vents/small window in the laundry "cupboard", for sure. We did live in a rented house in the past that had the washing machine and dryer in a cupboard with no vents, and it was fine, but we only lived there for a couple of years and I suspect that damp would have become an issue as time went on...

And definitely second that American fridge freezers are the bees' knees! Would not be without mine. Plenty of room for everything. No problems with reaching everything. Drawers for the bottom for easier access. And would not be without my ice maker.

Sound proof windows if near busy road
Built in air filter
Electricity and tap in garden front and back
Eco insulation and solar panels
Clever discrete storage
Swimming pool
House keeper

Oh yes twice the amount of scockers in every corner and area.
Plan how many you think you need and double it

No busy road, but lots of sheep baa-ing day and night so will be using double glazing.

We looked into solar panels, would have liked to have done that, but put off by saftey concerns (fires).

A swimming pool here would have to be heated all the time, so although I would love one, it would be so expensive to run. We do have a massive lake and the sea within easy distance (cold but I wear a wetsuit)!

Yes to taps and electric sockets outside, for sure.

Housekeeper! Well, once the pandemic is over I will certainly get a cleaning lady (always had one before). But I would like it to be a really easy house to keep clean and tidy! (I am intrinsically a very clean but very untidy person, I want as many cupboards as possible to try and become tidy!).

We are currently renting a good house in Denmark and they really do these houses well - , things I have appreciated— large basement divided into rooms- 2 storage ones , a spare bedroom and a very large utility room with clothes lines and lots of shelving . Large upright stand alone freezer (never had one before) built in cupboard for shoes and coats in hall, pull out pantry shelves in a full height cupboard , qooker (instant boiling water for cups of tea or to steam veg) large built in cupboard with shelves in the bathroom for toiletries and spare towels , extremely good quality soft close internal doors , underfloor heating in bathroom. I would say geothermal heating but that’s dependent on a whole area having it (it’s amazing)

In one house we had, where you always take your shoes off indoors, We didn't have the space for a boot room, but had a extra big cupboard for coats & boots as you come in, so you open the cupboard zig zag doors, & it has a full length bench in it, which is great for putting on boots etc. underneath there is a big plastic tray for wet boots, & custom made compartment/boxes for shoes/boots, above is a rail for all the coats on hangers, & above that 2 shelves for gloves, hats, glasses. on the outside on the end of the cupboard is a heater which coincidently heats the inside of the cupboard & dries & warms like an airing cupboard, (this wasn't expected !)

Apart from:

Boot room
Solar power
Utility
Downstairs wc and shower
2 reception rooms
Hive heating app
Outside lighting
Electric car charging point

Plug sockets at hip height. The older you get, the harder it is to bend down to floor level.

I had a flashback to Boggle Hole YHA (in an old stone house). When we stripped the beds there was a fake "trunk"/treasure chest on the landing that covered a chute down to the laundry. Shame I didn't take a photo.

Lots of storage.

More than one bathroom, but no ensuite bathrooms because I don't like them.

Downstairs loo.

If money was no object I would love air conditioning too. I'm already dreading the summer months because I hate being so hot and bothered.

Space for a double oven or ideally two ovens.

Space for an American style fridge freezer.

That's it really. I'm not particularly bothered about how the rest of it is designed.

I've just refurbed, extended and repositioned my house. The big winners have been a downstairs loo, a utility room, a boiling water tap, self cleaning oven, pantry, outdoor socket and a huge fridge. We integrated an American style fridge and we love it.

Additionally, if you are having work done try not to value engineer out all of these tings above. I'd set yourself three non-negotiables that can't be removed from the budget.

Oh, if you're putting in sockets, put lots and lots of doubles, and put a few that also have USB points in them (they are available for domestic use now - we have 1 in the kitchen and it is SOOOOO useful to plug the lead straight into the wall). So beside the bed, in the kitchen, in teh study and possibly beside the chair you lounge in would be key spots for me.

Our project was fairly similar in that we had a shell to work with. We are completely downstairs with kids upstairs and spare bedrooms in a separate part of the house.

We will be able to get old here. And we've designed it with potential wheel chair access too.

The outside is just as important really. Everything (almost) close enough to want to use.

We also went for all bedroom ensuite which has made the kids and the estate agent happy.

In the kitchen:

Aga and electric ovens and induction and gas hobs.

Quooker tap is great.

We have a roll down cupboard for all he kitchen machines.

1 double sink and 1 single in the island.

Dishwasher mostly empties straight into the cupboard it backs on to.

If you look up Mumsnetter OnePlan (on Houzz) she is a brilliant designer of interior spaces and did our kitchen complete with an order list for DIY kitchens who were our kitchen suppliers. She'll do it for any supplier.

Our doors are solid oak and fab they came from oakdoors.co.uk. We get lots of comments.

All plugs in every room at hip height, bar one.