What things would you like if you were building a house?

[wintertime6]

We're now starting to think about more of the detail in the house we're building and I just wondered what things I haven't thought about that you would have if you were building a house?

I'm really analysing how we use our current house and what things would make the new house more functional. Little things like a little cupboard in the kitchen to put keys and wallets, a charging drawer to charge phones and tablets without them sitting out on the work surface, having sensor lights in the larder which come on automatically when you open it etc.

What would you have if you were building or doing work to your house? Just things that make a difference to how you use the space, however small.

Errrr to have Kevin McCloud lurking around while I was building it, then to mysteriously fall pregnant?!

I would want a proper utility room, boot room and wet weather access. Somewhere for boots and coats to properly dry out and to be able to dry the dog properly.

Storage storage storage.

Big bedrooms with space for big beds and big wardrobes. New build homes just have tiddly tiny bedrooms.

Somewhere in the entrance area for shoes and coats that is hidden and out of the way.

Some of the plug sockets to have USB.

To be able to dim most of the lights with no flickering.

Beautiful wine fridge. Two dishwashers.

Plenty of patio area outside with some form of heater.

An upstairs laundry room with washer, dryer, hanging space and room to fold. Saves so much mess and faff in the rest of the house.

We’re going for -
Speakers in all ceilings
Roof lanterns to maximise natural light
Large utility & boot room
En suites to at least 2 bedrooms
Dressing area to master
Seperate office and seperate playroom
Wine fridge
Beer fridge
USB sockets in every room
Sockets behind TVs so you don’t have any trailing cables

If I was building my dream house:-

1. Those American style closets where your wardrobe is basically a little room off the bedroom. Keeps the main bedroom neat.
2. An upstairs laundry room. Well kitted out.
3. A downstairs boot room.
4. A walk in larder.
5. A big Family room so kitchen/dining sofa area in one
6. A separate evening living room.
7. The kids have their own bathroom so mine doesn't get as messy.

I would have
A utility room
A boot room
A walk in pantry
Downstairs loo
An entrance hall with proper storage for coats, bags & shoes
A drying room for wet washing
Built in wardrobes, floor to ceiling
Built in book cases, floor to ceiling
Window seats
Lots of power points and charging points for all the electronics
Smart heating and lighting
Triple glazing
Storage, storage, storage
I would of course have to win the lottery to get everything I want! 😊

I would really like a utility room with a loo or even better, a wet room also

A tower, maybe with a glass roof for stargazing, lined with books. A spiral staircase with a slide for the descent. Secret passages, a secret room. An enclosed courtyard. A north facing craft room. A double-height entrance/hallway or a kitchen with tall, vaulted ceiling.

More practically, a large garage with lots of shelves and a door directly to the kitchen/pantry 😄

Things we didn't do and regret are:-

A boot/utility room. Bloody integrated kitchen units are a pain and I wish we had put them into a utility room.

Storage. Really should have factored in more storage.

Things we did do well was to have more socket points that you could ever think of using (yes you use them).

We will have a boot room and utility (downstairs though). Master bedroom will have en suite and dressing room. All those things are really set now, it's more the little details which I'm trying to think about now.

@pinkdragons 2 dishwashers, really? I don't even have one at the minute so am very excited to eventually get one! Do you think there's much benefit to having 2?

Hadn't thought about wine or beer fridge, will give that some consideration.

Laundry chute is a really good addition so clothes go straight to the laundry room and no overflowing washing baskets.

Separate boot room and utility/laundry room. They are often one space which makes no sense. Mud and clean laundry don't mix.
A pantry.
Proper walk in storage cupboard for things like vacuum cleaner, tool boxes etc instead of banging your head on the cupboard under the stairs all the time!
Loads of storage just off the main hall, so there's plenty of space for coats, boots, kit bags, rucksacks, handbags, sports equipment etc.
A boiling water tap.
A gym with sprung floor, mirrored wall, proper equipment and its own sauna, steam room, whirlpool and showers. A swimming pool would be good too.
A library and map room

Those amazing under the stairs storage units (they are click touch)
Automatic skirting lighting for night time.
Really decent sized utility
Pantry I have and am indifferent about. I would rather have decent kitchen units and we are actually removing the pantry installed by prior owners at great expense.
Enough power points in every room.
Do you need a water softener? What's the water pressure like?

Also I have a powder room/tiny room (like 6" by 5" ish) off our main bedroom where I keep all my handbags and have a vanity dresser and full length mirror it's where i do my hair and make-up. It keeps all clutter out of the bedroom and bathroom.

I only have it because when we got the house we didn't know what to do with the room 🤷‍♀️ but I LOVE it.
It would be amazing as part of a walk in / walk through mortgage.

Wardrobe not mortgage 🤦‍♀️

A tall cupboard with a plug socket in it in the utility room for ironing board and to charge and house a cordless hoover.

A nice shed to put the recycling and rubbish bins by the back door. I porch over back door so you don't get wet when going to the bin.

Hot and cold tap outside when washing down dogs and us after muddy walks.

If you're outdoors people. Downstairs toilet, shower and boot room so no traipsing mud through the house.

A log burner in the sitting room and wood store outside.

2 dishwashers, really? I don't even have one at the minute so am very excited to eventually get one! Do you think there's much benefit to having

Yes that would be fantastic in my dream kitchen. Ideally a large one and a slimline. Meaning nothing gets piled up on the side.

A large entrance hall after the porch.
3 reception rooms
All double bedrooms with an ensuite
A utility room
A downstairs cloakroom
A suitable space to hang coats in a cupboard
Floor to ceiling windows onto the garden
A kitchen big enough for a farmhouse style table
All on the same level from garden into the lounge
A proper wooden front door with kerb appeal
USB power sockets as well as plugs
Double sink and drainer in the kitchen
Sustainable with a minimal carbon footprint

I have the utility room pretty well planned out. Yes to a tall cupboard with socket to charge cordless vacuum. The washing machine and drier will be raised up so you're not bending down, with a pull out shelf beneath both to set the washing basket on. And a deep drawer below that which I think I'll use to store washing that's waiting to be washed.

@pinkdragons I'm giving the 2 dishwasher thing some serious consideration now although DH will think I'm being very extravagant if I tell him about it! I had imagined that we would load the dishwasher during the day (and I work part time so some days there will be less dishes than others) and put it on after the evening meal? I've never had one before so not entirely sure how I'll use it. We're a family of 4. Would be really get use out of 2 dishwashers?

I'd like the house to be built to Passivhaus standard

We built our home a few years ago. it has a 'New England' look with weather boarding painted yellow on some of it. It also has veranda at the front door which I love. We were tight for space and money so we decided to design it with virtually on corridors so as much of the space was useable. We have an open plan hall/dinning so the dinning table gets used lots and isn't a wasted space in a separate room. We also have a separate kitchen dinner with a large island and space to sit and chat or watch the telly with patio doors right onto the deck. We have a decent utility room. All the main rooms have duel aspect windows, our master has 3 so does the sitting room with is sunken with 3 steps down to it giving it a much more spacious look. We have a massive walk in wardrobe and good sized en suite off the master with a spa bath and shower ( my Brother's new build has a sauna in the en suite too!). We have underfloor heating throughout so no radiators and the house is heated by an air source heat pump. In the sitting room we had it wired with a 5amp system which we plug the table/side lamps into and can switch them all off/on with one switch at the door.

My fantasy house has a covered verandah along the back of the outside with a fabulous view of the sea and garden.

Ooh, there's so many things! A large hallway with enough room to sit down and put on your shoes, a hidden cupboard to tuck away guest coats, and an open fireplace so that a fire is roaring to welcome your guests. A separate boot room and laundry room. The laundry room would have a laundry chute straight from the main bedroom and the boot room would have a dog washing station. A tiny cosy snug with lots of book shelves and a wood burner, and a large living room with a vaulted ceiling for entertaining. A concealed cocktail bar hidden behind units in the kitchen. A bath with a huge window and an amazing (private!) view. A veranda with a woodburning stove so that I could watch the stars whilst having a nightcap of an evening. A master bedroom that leads to a dressing room, which in turn leads to a master bathroom (I'm not keen on ensuites directly next to the bedroom, but I quite like the idea of my own private bathroom tucked away behind a dressing room!) Dual aspect windows in as many rooms as I could manage to enjoy the light and how it changes through the day. Sigh! I could go on...

Utility on main bedroom floor.
Open plan kitchen/dining/family room out to garden and separate living room.
Garden studio with shower and toilet for working out and doing art.
Storage for vacuum, mops etc near kitchen
Space for cupboard in hallway for coats and boots etc.
Central vacuuming.
Wood burners
Large hallways.
En suite to each bedroom and walk in closest if possible.
Self contained annex for visitors

Oh and USB charging point at every socket