How to build in cleanliness!

[Somanyillustrations]

We have just been granted planning permission to build a new house, and now we need to decide what to do with the inside!

I have always lived in crumbling old cottages, and so have just accepted that my slatternly ways mean that the house is always a bit grubby

I want to build in as much tidyness/easy cleaning stuff as possible, however, it is still on a working farm, with labradors, children and a log burner!

What have you done/would you do to make life easy and keep the housework down? I have been considering a central vacuum system and hard floors with no change in surface throughout downstairs. Outside door from yard into utility room with space to dump muddy clothes and boots.

Any suggestions?

This kind of flooring is super easy to keep looking stunning
www.houzz.co.uk/photos/52094711/oneplan-project-vands-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-london
And you can use UFH with it - looks like wood but is actually ceramic !
This might be a better pic of the effect ...
www.houzz.co.uk/photos/52094563/oneplan-project-vands-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-london

Plan plan plan were everything will be going and have enough sockets everywhere !

NB. Toasters positioned near the eating place ( table or bar ) are more useful than away in a pantry !

Washing machines and tumble dryers with loads of folding space and basket space for darks, lights, whites, dry clean only etc are great for families. Space to leave your ironing ing board up, a hanging rail for shirts, with a tv on the wall in the laundry room would ease the process too .

Making sure the kids can access bathrooms in the night easily and without going through lounge ( which will wake them up more if you are watching tv ) and similarly making sure there's a loo for adults still up that doesn't disturb the kids is also a good idea when they sleep downstairs.

Keeping a vacuum cleaner and cleaning equipment cupboard on each floor can help...

Sorry no suggestions, just wanted to say lucky you this sounds fabulous! There are some great ideas from other posters. Good luck with it.

Be careful that the utility room does not end up being an "everything room" - laundry, cloaks, boot, dog bathing, storage for hoovers, pantry....otherwise it will be cramped, chaotic and dysfunctional (like mine) or would need to be the size of a double garage....

I would separate out all of the roles - so def outside tap/porch for washing muddy boots, then boot room where you could wash dogs, then separate front door cloak room for guests coats, laundry upstairs and if down stairs not in with wet coats/boots/dogs...pantry in the kitchen...and then a dedicated admin zone - also in the kitchen where everything gets done - basically storage next to where the action happens....love the dishwasher system described above...although

would also have a scullery with double sink, dishwasher and crockery storage as I hate the fact that I put my sink on my island and it is always piled up with stuff to go in the dishwasher or pans draining after being hand washed.

When my 4 children were little I kept all of their clothes together in huge floor to ceiling cupboards next to the laundry so it saved me dividing everything up and dragging it around to their bedrooms - much easier to wash dry put away in one place and then when getting then dressed select everything from one place....

Central vacuum with vacuum baseboards in a few locations.

Kelpeed that is a very timely post...

We have just parted ways with our architect who has delivered a design that we live. He was supposed to be project managing, but we are so temperamentally incompatible that it was not going to work...

We now have a new project manager and I am so worried that he will try to push us towards making decisions that just don't work for us as a family...

Also, food for thought with the concrete floor... I love the look, but worry about kids and dogs, one of whom is getting old. The problem is that I want one flooring type throughout as it is open plan, but worry about wood in the kitchen.

Thanks Snakewitch

We are very fortunate to have generous and lovely in laws who have gifted us some land on the farm. It's a big adventure for us, and something we could never have done without their help.

Operate my mother's rule of 30 years on working farm. Really dirty people (wheat/barley harvest or really muddy root veg harvest) strip in the utility room.

Somany I've seen Karndean recommended on here for flooring that's kid and dog friendly. Some of their "wood" styles look quite good I think.

I read that Kardean has it issues too -shrinking, scratches and fading and it isn't cheap...
I would either go for solid wood (expensive), sealed well and then you can sand it down to your hearts content.
Or even good quality (but cheaper) water safe laminate with a view to having it all replaced when the DCs are adults with something nicer...
Which is what I'm doing in new house..
Here I had cheap (not even water safe) laminate put down as a stop gap - cost maybe £500 inc fitting for an area 35m square ish inc high traffic areas like the hall. It is a darker wood effect with a pattern so it doesn't show the dirt .
It is 14 yrs old (had a 12 yr guarantee) and has had an absolute battering - I split a litre of gloss on it (dropped the can walking through - never walk around with an open paint can!), have found DP mending his bike etc on it, endless amounts of nail varnish split on it, endless amounts of drinks/yoghut/cereal etc - I have two small gaps between boards (hidden thankfully) from when we had a bad radiator flood - I think it also caused the edges of a couple of nearby boards to raise slightly and they are starting to look scuffed (I'll say again this is isn't the waterproof stuff) - I think if I cared I could touch them up. Under the wheels of my office chair is badly marked (think from walking girt in one winter and not taking off my shoes) and I have one big (thankfully not too noticeable) scratch from the bottom of an actual car seat (long story - bought for DPs boat, he brought in to show us - one of the DC decided to sit in it). I have had to lift an area to get under the floor for maintenance and it survived refitting.
I used to mop it but for the last few years have steam mopped it (and I don't think you are supposed to).
I'm so impressed with it I had waterproof fake tile effect laminate put down in the kitchen 7 years ago - has survived a washing machine flood and a hot pan being dropped on it - worse thing is has is one or two chips from dropped knives. When it was first fitted a friend ( v. posh) saw it and I said 'I love your floor tiles' (I then pointed out it was fake!)
We have wooden floors (could have bare boards but I find them too cold) which means for real ceramic tiles in the kitchen I'd have to have a thick base board to stop them cracking and that would make that bit of floor higher -would be a step up.
The worse thing about laminate it is slippy when wet - but so are my mum's supposedly non slip quarry tiles (as discovered when a DC ran in from the paddling pool - a really nasty hard fall)
Also I'd be aware of anything becoming dated and clashing with furniture/decor changes - try to pick something timeless and/or neutral (but not plain/too light -show all the dirt). Especially if you are spending a lot on it in the first place...

Great tips from everyone, particularly not having shaker ledges as tiled skirting boards.

We have a hoover up and down downstairs. At the front door, mostly for visitors theres a few coat hooks and a shelf - looks minimal and tidy. Then all the family crap at the back door whihc comes straight into a boot room. We always go in/out this door.

We have a huge airing cupboard, I put in loads of slatted shelves and have towels, sheets, bath mats, duvet covers, hanging rail for any damp clothes. All shelves labelled so everyone can fetch the correct item (as it seemed too hard for the rest of the family .