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.

Yes to built in rubbish bin/s!

Wouldn't a laundry chute get grotty inside? I mean, all those dirty clothes sliding down an inaccessible area over years. I'm the grottiest slattern on MN but I can tell I wouldn't want this.

A cloakroom downstairs. A cupboard or porch at the entrance to leave coats/boots. Upstairs bathroom with a bath and separate cubicle shower. A large kitchen with access to garden. A utility room. An accessible place to put bikes. A good size shed or garage.

Boot room inside the back door with dog and boot shower.

Laundry room upstairs.
American Fridge Freezer with cold water dispenser.
Boiling water tap.
Walk in pantry so the kitchin could be minimalist.

Ooh I would love a big kitchen so I can have all appliances I want, namely a washing machine and dryer of my choice!
Maybe some space in the corner so I could iron there.
A big bathroom with full size suite, not the pokey one I have now. So a proper nice size wash basin as I like to be able to wash my face without it all going on the floor!
And a nice big bath to sit or stand in to have my shower, a separate shower cubicle would be great but not overly fussed. But if I did have the space for a shower I would have one of those that has the seat in it! Great for shaving your legs and doing your feet 🤣

I work in the construction sector designing and installing low-energy renewables — heat pumps, MVHR, underfloor heating and specialist heating and cooling systems. All the new builds that I'm asked to quote for come designed with a dedicated plant room in which things like a large hot water tank, the inverter for the PV system, the manifold and controls for the underfloor heating and sometimes the ground source heat pump or the biomass boiler can go. As we move away from gas and oil to electricity it'll be more and more important to have space to incorporate this kind of equipment, so designating one area as your plant room, even if at the moment you don't use it for that purpose, would be a good idea. No windows or high ceiling height or anything required, so if you have a dark, difficult space with at least one outside wall (for vents etc) that's the place to put your plant room.

Accessible downstairs loo/ shower room is a no-brainer. It's not just you who might need it but parents and elderly relatives too. A second ground floor living/ dining/ TV/ study room that can be easily turned into a downstairs bedroom is also useful for when parents get too decrepit to tackle stairs or you break your ankle or whatever.

I never used to understand why some people think en suites are so important but now I'm post-menopausal and need access to a loo in the night and first thing in the morning, I do. If you can't have an en suite, then make sure you have at least two loos. I stayed in a rented holiday home with three other women and just the one loo/bathroom last summer and ended up having to pee into a bucket!

@Straussful

NOT an ice dispensing freezer!

We have one and it takes up a huge amount of space in the freezer and while it is a novelty initially it really is not so difficult to take an ice tray out of a freezer.

I Would go for a huge utility room and a laundry room (I have one not these and it's great but I'd probably make it bigger). Lots of storage in bedrooms so that only the bed and current book on a nightstand need be visible.

I agree. Am in the US where ice dispensers are common and they suck. They break, leak, take up space. Really not worth it.

Island in the kitchen and lots of kitchen storage. Downstairs toilet and an en-suite toilet/shower to the master bedroom.

@SardineJam

I would have a laundry room upstairs next to the bathroom; washer, drier, ironing board etc all in that room. Clothes can go in there after bath/shower, door shut and things don't have to be on display esp in winter when some clothing can't be put in the drier and need to be hung out -it can all happen there...and when it's all done just a short distance from that room to the bedroom cupboards and drawers

This all day long!! Why do we bring our washing downstairs to clean to take back upstairs again??

Plug sockets. Millions of them. I've never lived in a house with enough plug sockets.

More than one loo and off-street car parking would be the key things for me.

Although I have both of those things. I suppose if I could redesign my house from scratch I would have a second bathroom as we have three loos but only one shower.

I'd also get rid of the gas central heating and have storage heaters.

Separate laundry room.

Boot room with sink.

Good costs and shoes storage.

At least one fire.

An amazing bath.

Each room must have its own beauty.

This all day long!! Why do we bring our washing downstairs to clean to take back upstairs again

because if your washing machine leaks upstairs it will do a lot more damage

Not rtft but my best decisions were:
lots of storage
having your laundry room upstairs - absolute game changer!
Quooker tap with sparkling water as well as the usual hot/cold
(pretty obvious ones) having an ice maker and wine fridge
Make sure you put in lots of electric sockets and don’t forget to have some outdoor electrical points

Think carefully about how many sockets you will need and double it. USB ports are useful too - no more adaptors!

Boot dog room with sink
Utility room with extra fridge freezer
Kitchen diner for large table

Dog shower outdoors

Plenty of storage space, cupboards, space for coats and shoes when you come in from outside.

Utility Room.

Toilets and Bathrooms - more than you think you need. If you are planning to be there well into your dotage I would consider a downstairs shower room with a walk-in shower and toilet just in case due to mobility issues later in life you need to repurpose a downstairs room as a bedroom.

Loads of plug sockets, with all the technology these days and rechargeable stuff there never seems to be enough plug sockets where you need them.

Outside tap and power.

Power and light in the loft and make it easily accessible for storage.

I'd have a big walk in larder/pantry in the kitchen.

I love this thread!!! I'd definitely have a decent utility where I could keep everything locked away, I'd love to be able to keep an ironing board up all the time and have the clothes airers out of the way. I'd also have a walk in wardrobe so I could see what I have all year. Kitchen wise, a pantry would be fab for dry goods, bulky gadgets and serving dishes. For your son, I'd fit a wired internet connection - very useful if he is a gamer and uses a pc (most gaming ones don't do wi-fi), much better for streaming etc. As others have said, lots of plug sockets including high up ones for tv's and fairy lights!! What an exciting project, good luck x

@GibberAwayGranny

Yes to coat, shoe, bag storage as you come in the front door. Massive cupboard so you can hide it all away.

This and a utility room are my absolute must haves next time we move house.

I have the huge ice/water dispensing fridge, walk in shower, and even the light in the loft.

I don't think i've seen this one yet, I'd like a laundry shoot that goes from the main bathroom upstairs to the utility room. I saw one once, it was amazing.

Also, whilst we're at it, a big wooden slide for humans too.

If my house was being made totally from scratch, I would love an American style house where every bedroom has a walk in wardrobe and there is a basement and loft conversion.

Also toilets on every floor is a must.

I used to help people sort out living arrangements for when people became incapacitated.
You do need to future proof your house at this stage if possible.
Definitely need a downstairs wet room, large enough for possible wheelchair access.
Bedroom/ lounge area for future use.
All ovens at eye level for ease of access, no bending to get things out of the oven.
At least one wide door to allow wheelchair access, or double doors from the kitchen.
Laundry room/utility room downstairs with access to the garden, don’t want to carry heavy wet washing downstairs to peg out.
Somewhere for your hoover/ironing board/brushes etc.
Pantry cupboards for all your barely used large pans/pots/dishes/ bread maker/food mixer etc etc
Retractable clothes line outside so you don’t have to look at it when you’re not using it.

Walk in pantry
Laundry room upstairs, the USA are so much better at this.
Outdoor shower for muddy dog paws
Pocket doors (Is that what they're called? Slide in to the walls instead of opening.)

I'd have a utility with a sink, and a shower room off the utility for when you come in muddy/ sweaty etc.