What 1 thing would you want in your dream house?

[Egog]

DH and I just bought our forever home, it's in our dream location, lots of space, huge garden... but it's falling apart. (The only way we could afford to buy here!) We've got a wonderful builder on board, and we've renovated before, but I wanted to canvass opinions- if you were taking a house back to its bones, what would you include when you re-did it?

It's a 5 bed Victorian detached with all the original features, albeit mouldy and crumbling. I can't wait to renovate the huge old windows, DH is excited about installing a kitchen island. I'm after inspiration- what would you be most excited about putting in?

Sunlight... never underestimate how much it does for your mood. I love our house, draughts and all, but the lack of a south-facing window really bugs me.

Thank you so much for these suggestions, I'm discussing them with DH as they're arriving.

Staff have sadly been vetoed, but the utility off the kitchen is a definite and we're going to see if there's room for a walk in wardrobe- the master bedroom is huge so there might be space.

We've got space for either large pantry or a medium playroom- while I know which I'd prefer, DD would have another opinion when she's older, I'm sure!

Good point too about the Aga - I always wanted one (mainly for the aesthetics!) and was very excited to find one in this house.

It's not oil though, it's gas and a lot cheaper to run than we expected, luckily. Egogdog is in his element snuggled up to it at the moment!

In our pantry we have a second fridge/freezer, wine fridge, water dispenser, a free standing shelf unit and a console table with drawers. We also have wall mounted shelves with baskets.

Along with extra pantry items (tinned goods, dried pasta, cereals, baking products) we generally use it to store items we don't use every day: cake tins, lunch boxes, trays, icecream maker etc.

In terms of playroom it depends on age of DC - we do have a play room which is set up with a big table for painting/arts& crafts (and was the best thing ever when DC were you get) but as DC get older they don't use it so much. The shared computer has given way to laptops in their rooms and we have a family TV room which they use. In a couple of years we'll re purpose the room entirely

Laundry room
Posh sitting room for visitors
Relaxed lounge/snug/family room
Dressing room and en suite
Large Insulated Garage with stockroom style shelves for storage
Beautiful fireplaces
Walk in shower with a deluge shower head

I'd have a utility room upstairs with a sink, washer, drier, cupboards and space for a couple of clothes airers and storage for a hoover. I don't see the point in dragging all the mucky washing downstairs to wash/dry/iron just to lug it back upstairs to put it away.

I'd love a jack and jill bathroom for the dcs and a lovely big enough suite for us with a big roll top bath and multi jet shower.

I'd also have a small room with wardrobes on all the walls and chest of drawers in the middle for everyones clothes so no need to clutter up the bedrooms.

A library with big squishy chairs for me, pool/darts room for dh, playroom for the kids toys, big kitchen with sparkly granite worktops and big island.

Not forgetting the cleaner to keep it all clean.

I'd best start playing the lottery .

Oh yes, upstairs utility room. I have one and it baffles me why they are normally downstairs when ll the stuff to wash is upstairs. Carrying washing up and downstairs is a bit pointless.

Love the idea of a laundry chute. Also a utility room so have a 'dirty' sink. Handy with kids/ indoor plants etc.

butterflies ours is downstairs and it makes perfect sense for us because our muckiest stuff goes their directly from outside: running/cycling gear, swimming stuff, rugby/football kits, camping stuff...all direct from garage to laundry room.

Plus I travel lots so suitcases get wheeled straight in without lugging upstairs. Perfect

Our laundry room is downstairs because I hang washing outside when I can.

Ah ok, we can't hang washing and live in a fairly dry US state so mud isn't an issue....

I have loads!

Downstairs wc
Wide hallway
Off road parking for at least three cars
Two large reception rooms
Large kitchen/diner
Playroom
En suite to master bedroom
Laundry room
Utility room
Study
Four double bedrooms
Walk in wardrobe
Larder

An en suite with a large shower a bath and double sinks.

A walk in wardrobe split for the two partners.

Plenty of natural light.

A room off the principle room that could double as a bedroom, nursery or living space for principle bedroom.

A pantry and utility room off the kitchen.

A garden

Really picky as we recently moved to our ideal home which has many of the things already mentioned.
Cinema room
and that clever laundry shute someone said.

Decent heating, more than two bathrooms, wood burners, lots of windows and light. APart from that I want it to be set in a little valley with a stream running along the bottom.

Am now dreaming of mud room with dog shower - brilliant idea

Pantry

Big, square kitchen with range cooker

Underfloor heating

Playroom for DC

Games room

Huge bath

Real fire in the lounge (& maybe someone else to set it all up & clean it)

Hallway (and other main rooms) with a fireplace
Aga
Wetroom downstairs for dogs
Kitchen island
Large utility room with space to do ironing etc (although I can't remember the last time I ironed anything!)
Plenty of facilities

The house we just sold had no proper hallway (front door opened into a 36' kitchen/breakfast room, so some consolation, but having previously owned a house with a humungous hall, I needed hall porn, lol!), had a hot tub (put in by us and totally over-rated IMHO), four loos and a shower room that our dogs had done use of.......

The house we completed on a week before Christmas, whilst having a much smaller plot, has a hall with fireplace (and room for a sofa, yay!), an Aga, a mahoosive utility and a d/s loo crying out to be converted into the dogs' wetroom!

There are also three open fires downstairs and the potential to reinstate them in the bedrooms and the room that will become our ensuite. We had a fireplace in a bathroom previously and I'm looking forward to having one again. Won't miss the huge (16kw) woodburner we left behind though.....they're a pita IMHO......

IrianofWay Our last house was set into the side of a hill (as is this one coincidentally) and had 1/3 acre garden with a stream across the bottom and whilst it looked pretty and the dogs loved it, it was a struggle to stop them disappearing up/downstream chasing something......I do miss the tranquility it added to the garden though.....

Our dogs had sole* use of

A walk in wardrobe room - for the whole family - possibly combined with laundry room, or next to it.

• all the suggestions above!

A housekeeper.
But actually, a pantry. I grew up with a pantry and covet one now. A room about 6' x 6' floor to ceiling shelves, a chest freezer and a slate for cold things. It really would be a miracle now.
Same for a really decent sized laundry.
And a cellar.
It's all about keeping the workings of the house hidden and tidy.

Oh! And a Swedish friends had their laundry on the first floor! Totally makes sense. Instead of lugging all washing down an then up - you wash on the floor where it is mostly removed and stored! Genius!

A big bath! Big enough for two adults to fit easily