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.

The nature of DS's special needs is such that he needs to charge several devices, so his room will definitely have a special cupboard with plugs inside, to keep them neat...

A walk in pantry.

My house is small but the main door opens into a small foyer about 4x7 feet, with a closet and large window. Then a single french door leads into living room.

Having this buffer area makes a big difference.

@theDudesmummy

Such good ideas! There is a small entry area but we are knocking it down and rebuilding it more nicely, will have shoe cupboard, coat hooks (maybe coat cupboard, a good idea!)

Was going to mention this. We're building at the minute and designed the house but forgot to put in a separate area for coats/shoes etc in the hall. I hate the thought of coats and shoes giving the hall an untidy look.

More storage is definitely high on our list. I have asked DH to put cupboards literally everywhere! We are currently living in a rented house nearby while we build our house, and it has no cupboards! We bought a few ikea units etc, but we are surrounded by boxes and bags, very annoying...

Outdoor tap and electrical socket. Landscaped garden with water feature, decking and bamboo. I would love an outdoor kitchen to chill my wine and save going in and out of house to eat. Indoors I would always have a downstairs loo as well as upstairs and also ensuite. As you are thinking of living their as you get older I would probably include 1 downstairs bedroom and ensuite just in case at some distant point in future one of you struggles with climbing stairs. Kitchen large enough.for island and small dining table. Conservatory overlooking back garden. Lounge with patio door onto.garden deck area. Good sized bedrooms. I would rather have fewer rooms but good size rather than an extra room but smaller bedroom. An additional freezer in case of further pandemics. Separate utility/boot room with loo in.anf enough room to iron in include putting TV in there too. Plenty.of light so large windows. Plenty of plug sockets in kitchen, lounge and bedrooms. Separate study/computer area with printer/photocopier in.

A toilet that can be accessed from the garden without going through the whole downstairs of the house. We had this in one house... The garden door was through the utility room, which had the downstairs toilet off it. Its so much more useful than one off the hallway, when you have to take muddy shoes off.( Or if you are popping in from the hot tub). Especially with children.

Downstairs toilet
Laundry room with space for hanging and baskets.

Massive boot room/laundry room/utility - basically somewhere you can hide away all of the clutter and detritus of day-to-day living. Houzz is amazing for inspiration.

Said already but - sockets. Think of how many you’ll need and double it. I laughed when our architect specced in lots of them. 10 years later with three tech-mad boys and a husband I am living in a sea of cables and extension leads.

Large walk in at front door for all coats and shoes

Definitely shoe and coat space by the door . I’m always amazed by people who have the willpower to store outdoor items somewhere else in the house - and make their dcs comply!

As many loos as there are occupants. And absolutely essentially a downstairs loo that is not next to living/kitchen areas . I wish outside loos (privies) would make a comeback!

Mil best tip was extra tall kitchen cupboards that go to the ceiling - less dust and max storage

We are not allowed to change the shape of the front of the house, but luckily there is the small entry/foyer already there, which we can pull down and rebuild (it is not part of the stone house but a later concrete addition, which is badly cracked). We will put a tiled floor and boot/shoe cupboard etc. I agree this is very important! (The house is in a very wet/muddy place, basically on a sheep farm)

USB sockets. Relatively easy to fit, and more convenient than chargers everywhere.

@pollyglot

We've just bought a house, lovingly designed and built by an older couple who now have to leave it owing to health issues. They thought of absolutely everything. A huge kitchen island, coffee making corner with dedicated sink, gigantic gas cooker, drawers everywhere, three doors apparently concealing cupboards, but when opened, reveal three actual small "rooms" - a utility room with beautifully designed shelving, a space complete with extractor fan for woks, and other smell-inducing cooking methods. Then a huge walk-in pantry, with tons of storage, and a door leading through to a laundry room with washer, dryer, freezer space, ironing station with hanging rails, and a sewing nook with drawers and cupboards, incorporating under-cupboard lights for fine work. A door leads out of the laundry into the garden and retractable clothes line. Last in the line of doors is a linen room..massive shelves that will hold every item of bedding and towels one could ever desire. In the linen room is a hotwater cylinder which can be solar, electric or gas. So beautiful, and I can't wait until we can move in-only 4 more weeks now!!

Wow, that sounds amazing. Do you have a floor plan?

As someone has already mentioned a dedicated tea/coffee making station is amazing - if you can cover it over with a cupboard door even better. It's amazing how handy it is to be able to make a cuppa without disturbing someone who is baking/cooking/cleaning elsewhere in the kitchen!

Oh yes, the kitchen cupboards going all the way to the ceiling is something we already talked about. Definitely.

My dream is to have 2 utilities. A dirty and a clean one next to each other. Feral animals and children start off in the dirty one, go through a walk in shower and dryer in between, then emerge in the clean one smelling lovely. They are then allowed in the house proper.

Utility room (with big sink), downstairs toilet, ice-dispensing fridge, coat and shoe area, pantry, lots of plugs

Separate boot room with lots of storage cupboards (box up winter/ summer gear etc as needed) - in a dream world a long line of cupboards so boots and coats on pegs all hidden too.

Separate utility/ laundry room (not part of boot room or the mud comes through)

LOTS of full height cupboards/ pantry cupboards in the kitchen with countertops inside to leave coffee machines/ mixers erc ready to go (so hidden and clutter free)

Underfloor heating - love it when I can walk round in socks :)

2 boilers

Hot tap outside and lots of outdoor sockets

As much natural light as possible :) but not a conservatory

Outdoor area designed so that there is a good space for bbq etc and plenty of seating, with lighting etc wired in (and perhaps a water feature too if you’re doing the electrics

Walk in wardrobe/ dressing room with LOTS of drawers erc

Walk in showers

We already have a big chest freezer (bought as a "brexit freezer" before the pandemic was ever thought of. That will go in one of the outhouses, we think. I like the idea of the hot drinks station...

Oh downstairs shower (dogs etc?) (and bedroom or potential bedroom) to future proof.

Large kitchen (not eat-in or open plan), utility/boot room.
Dining-room
Sitting-room
Study
Downstairs cloakroom
I would like my bedroom to have a dressing-room and en suite shower room
Upstairs lavatory, separate from any family bathroom
Depending on how many bedrooms, maybe either all with en suite shower rooms or at least one guest room with an en suite.
I would also like a cellar and a big attic room.
In addition I would have solar panels and a very modern and energy-efficient heating/cooling system.
Not a big fan of under-floor heating, except in bathrooms.
Open fire or log burner in the sitting-room (at least).

Forgot, good roof and wall insulation.
Triple-glazed windows.

I would really like some form of intercom system so you could call people for dinner or ask if anyone wants a drink or similar.