If you were building a new house, what would you put in it? Please recommend anything from boilers to lights to appliances.

[Apatite1]

The title says it all. Looks like we are building from scratch. House will be about 2500 sq ft. I now need to make a zillion decisions.

If anyone can recommend anything from their insulation to their furniture, I'm all ears.

In particular, we really need guidance on:

Underfloor heating
Engineered wood flooring
Carpets
Ventilation systems
Lighting plans
Joinery for dressing room and library
Stair makers
Kitchen companies and fitters
Bathroom companies and fitters
Landscapers
Paint
Granite suppliers
Tiles
Aluminium window suppliers
Sliding door suppliers
Burglar alarm systems
Fire alarms

Really, any tips are very welcome. There are so many companies, I've no clue who is good and who isn't. I don't mind expensive services, as long they are worth it, we will try to budget them in.

Thank you all!

Congrats
Bigger than 2500 sq feet? That's a big house for 3 or 4 people. Remember the bigger it is the more costly to fit out as well as run (dont forget the cleaning bills)and while heating zones will help reduce running costs you'll still need to heat it all for at least part of the day in winter. If you have a enough land I'd love a ground source heat pump, very economical by all accounts.

Laundry shute? I wish we had put one in almost daily.

Oh and zoned heating might be worth looking at. I love ours.

Thanks Sheba! Yes I know it's all getting a bit big, but we are cutting a bit of the higher spec uneccessary bits to extend to 3000 sqft. It's probably the hormones but I now want a bigger family and I'd rather build it now than have to extend later. I'm told a playroom is a good idea, we hadn't planned a nursery either. We have the room, might as well use it! I will look into ground source heat pumps though, sounds practical.

I'm ridiculously happy can't wait till maternity leave

AS many renewable technologies as you can manage

• PV built into the roof
• solar thermal built into the roof
• thermal storage into the airing cupboard / floors
• rainwater harvesting
• greywater re-use

Not for any particular green reasons - just that they will make the house significantly cheaper to run over the 100 years it will be standing

the difference between a super insulated renewable house and a cheap older house can be thousands of pounds per year, every year in utilities

You're right, a playroom is essential if you hate clutter (I think you said that earlier?)

It's so nice for all the toys and mess to be somewhere else and have a nice room to spend time in after they've gone to bed.

However much kitchen storage you think you need, add more.

I recommend good modern radiators, if you're having radiators. They use less water and heat more efficiently, so you can end up having more ehat for less money. We went for Jaga but there are other firms around. They come in funky colours too. We've got a bright red one in the hall.

Also, a modern cork floor (no nasty tiles) for the playroom. Warm, comfortable, cushiony. I wanted one like this, but sadly our money ran out and we had to settle for a more conventional one. Still comfortable though.

Oh, and more insulation than you ever thought possible, everywhere.

I was thinking carpet for the playroom monstrous, but a cork floor sounds easier to keep clean. I do hate clutter. My office at work is immaculate. I must have a playroom or I think I might go mad! An adults only formal lounge also sounds good, carpet for here. I think tiles in the kitchen.

TP, I will look into all you've listed, thank you!

Yes, yes, yes to the upstairs laundry. I'd also build in 2 dishwashers, with my 3 DCs and a DH that cooks lucky bitch aren't I, 1 is never ever enough. Storage everywhere. We've just got a bio ethanol fire too which is fab in our very open plan and very white kitchen. Yes to white walls, dulux Matt brilliant white from top to bottom interspersed with some gorgeous statement wallpaper. Budget in for art work too, that can really add up. We have our sink in the island looking over the kitchen, love it and would like to add one of those lovely boiling tap thingies at some stage. You lucky bloody mare!

Waste disposal unit

Lots of out door taps and electrical sockets

Outdoor gas supply for a plumbed in gas BBQ

More sockets than you think. I thought I had loads and I still didn't have enough.

Isolator valves EVERYWHERE and on everything. (Gas and water)

Nice straight drains with rodding points and inspection chambers galore

A BIG letter box plate so postie can fit small parcels in the door

GRANITE : have a look at what's on offer at a decent size granite importers. There is so much more interesting and beautiful granite around than the standard stuff on offer at most kitchen and hardware stores ( look up a company called something like pasini ?? based near Heathrow). It can work out cheaper too.

Don't forget that the 'playroom' will be a teens room one day so don't forget to make it changeable iyswim. They need zillions of plugs for different computers and games systems.

I've had an upstairs laundry room but I prefer having it downstairs. I think it's easier than having to keep going upstairs throughout the day. I also didn't like running at nightie when it was upstairs as it was noisy. The final reason I was put off upstairs laundries is that my friends upstairs washing machine flooded - it was a bit of a disaster

Laundry shutes are good though.

Personally I'd pay a Quantity Surveyor to manage the project, they have costs in mind and will manage them well for you

In your kitchen if you have room a cupboard or hole in the kitchen counter for your rubbish bin. If you have a hole in the counter ( with lid) you have a shute leading to the bin and outside access to the rubbish bin. Bin is hidden and you dont have to carry rubbish through the house. If not at least make sure you have room for recycling bins. i hope that makes sense.

Two dream things from me, both seen in magazines.

One is a charging cupboard in a kitchen, but could be anywhere. It was a slim cupboard with lots of shelves and sockets for all those phones, iPads, cameras and other gadgets constantly on charge. I have 3 teenagers and a gadget mad DH and hate the mess of chargers and wires cluttering up every surface in the house.

The other is a staircase where the front face of the treads opened to provide shoe storage. However, if you have a boot room / cloakroom you don't need this I suppose (and I have sometimes wondered if it would cause problems whenever everyone was trying to get out in the morning and the stairs are blocked by someone looking for the right shoes!)

Other than that I would say think ahead. We all have a tendency to plan for our past needs rather than our future. Design the play room to become a teenage den later on, and perhaps a downstairs bedroom for elderly visiting parents after that. Think of the needs of each function.

And have a large contingency. Things will go wrong, so allow time and money for it. If you have to make a compromise on something, prioritise infrastructure that will be difficult to go back and do again, over furniture and fittings which you can always improve on later.

Has anyone mentioned more power sockets? :) You honestly would not believe how many teenagers need!

So Jealous! Congratulations though

I thought our planning permission would have came through ages ago & now I'm back to work next month after maternity leave & no further forward :( we've now been told it will be council stamped this month. Had these dread of kitchen showroom visiting whilst on maternity leave. Cannot wait to be in a bigger house. Toy room was first on our list of priorities!

We are planning on having a lot of things that have been mentioned on this thread -looking forward to a quooker!!

1. Upright / space saving radiators

2. We are having a loft conversion in the garage for storage / possible living area for elderly parents when /if time comes

3. Shower pods (you tube them) no grout or silicone, 25yr guarantee

4. window seats with storage under in bedrooms

Namechange "I think someone mentioned an outside hot water tap ealier - very useful."

Please tell me why? I've been racking my brain all night - and I've looked at previous posts and can't see why. Hot water. Outside. Please explain - thanks

Maybe for washing cars?! I am clutching at straws!

There was one in my last house and the only thing we used it for was filling the paddling pool so it wasn't freezing

I personally would prefer an independent project manager as then there is no conflict. Also what is your project manager qualified in? I have a serious distrust of architects, probably because I'm a QS though! ?? x

Boot room/dog room/second entrance

I see someone has already recommended Megaflo hot water systems. I love mine.

SASASI, didn't we start planning around the same time? I'm sorry you are still waiting for planning permission, fingers crossed for you! We found the builders very quickly purely by chance, just as they were finishing a huge project, so we got lucky. You WILL be off and building soon!

Think I'll forgo the quooker tap, I'm too nervous having them around kids. I know they are thought to be safe but I can't get peace of mind so it's out.

Got a second entrance thanks Cindy.

jynxed, the playroom will be planned for teenagers later, didn't think of that like 90% of the things I've learned from one thread thanks!

I can't think of why we'd need a hot water outside tap. Maybe to melt ice off the cars?? Anyway, it goes on the list!

Between, I'm going for Corian instead of granite. Thinking practical over beautiful in all matters now. I'm sure it'll still look great.

If you live close to the beach then an out door hot water tap is good for hosing yourself off before coming into the house. My DSis has an outdoor shower set up for her kids, they do live right next to a beach though.