How would you future proof a house whilst completing renovation?

[Tweddle]

We’re about to start a major renovation of our new home that hasn’t been touched in decades. Most of the rooms need taking back to brick so we’re in a position where we can design each room from scratch.
it’s a Victorian property and I’m keen to keep as many features as possible but I also want to future proof it as much as possible as it’s unlikely that we will ever have the funds in the future to undertake a major overhaul.
Our youngest dc is in her mid teens so we don’t need to think about babies/young children, and there’s not much we can do to the garden as it’s quite small and has been well kept by the lady who lived here.
What would you include in the referb if you were in our position?

Ensure that toilet cistern and under bath access panels are easily removed without destroying tiles.
South facing windows - think about shading (plants, sailcloth, awnings, external blinds). It’s only going to get hotter.
Easily accessible stopcock.
Water softener system.
Power to outside the house, front and back, for Xmas lights or car charging.

I'm a developer, build many houses in the past.

I just moved into a new build house and one thing which I will put above all others is underfloor heating.
If you have gas go for a good powerful combi- boiler (36kw).
Lots of electrical sockets.
If you are able to put roof windows put as many as possible.

Great suggestions!

Banisters on both sides of the staircase for greater stability when more wobbly - the person, not the staircase.

Microwave oven at the level where you neither have to bend nor reach up to use: the risk of cascading scalding food on oneself on higher-placed ovens is a problem.

Utility room so that you don't have to have the washing machine/tumble dryer in the kitchen, which makes no sense at all.

Plan in utility functions: where will wet washing dry, where does the recycling go, where do you store bikes/camping gear/gardening stuff etc.

Carefully thought out storage. No one ever says ‘lovely house but too much atorage’

Underfloor heating from an air source or ground source heat pump , insulation that is up to new build spec and fitted properly
2 foot 9 doors everywhere
level entry and thresholds to front and back door
wet rooms with wc hung from wall , we put a light underneath wc that is on a sensor so will light up at night if u need a pee without turning on all lights
200 mm deep niche in wetroom for shampoo etc
last two projects have been tiled everywhere on floors with rugs

Insulation.

downstairs loo.

get the plumbing and drains right.

spend money on the bones of it, everything else is detail.

For age - wide paths/ steps/ entrance door to house. Chose material carefully - nothing that gets slippy when wet.

A space between the front door and the hallway for boots, umbrellas, coats etc. The old Victorians had small glass porches - bring 'em back! If need be move the front door further into the hallway.

Widen ALL the doors, especially downstairs.

Downstairs toilet.

Drawers in the kitchen. We have only one cupboard. It is floor to ceiling, 6ft wide and has jib doors that sit flat to the wall when open. Everything goes into it, doors close and the kitchen is tidy!

A fireplace. It is so nice for my mum to sit by the fire as walking is difficult. It brings cheer and comfort to her.

Laundry upstairs - best thing I ever did. The machines are on the landing at the top of the stairs in a cupboard. Two jib doors that sit flush to the wall when open (sse a theme here?) but you don't notice it when closed. Bloody MARVELOUS. No more carting laundry up and down stairs.

An upstairs toilet that is not in a/the bathroom. That is a very nice separation that enhances my life. DH is smelly!

Really good insulation.
Pay attention to windows - cold in winter but airflow in the summer.
Underfloor heating.
Really good lighting.

How do you hang the washing outside if you never have to cart it up and down stairs anymore ?

if I had a forever house I would design it so that if I lost mobility I could stay there as in independently as possible and still be able to get outside.
bedroom bathroom on ground floor with level access to outside.
ramp or space for ramp to front/back doors.
kitchen accessible
yes to the higher plug points and dropped light switches
space for 2 handrails on stairs
its so hard on people when a move is forced on them because their home can no longer work for them. Or when someone lives upstairs only and is housebound.

All of these

don’t forget plug sockets in the hall way and also on the landing as well as in the loft!

air con would be a huge plus as is underfloor heating

think about widening doorways for wheelchair access

a boot room with a shower and toilet downstairs if you can

We recently future-proofed our house. Not a full renovation and not a lovely Victorian house - and quite a tight budget considering.....

We put in a downstairs shower room with a decent sized shower, and no sill. We were having a new kitchen, so eye level oven and microwave, drawers instead of cupboards under the counter wherever possible, and pull out larder cupboards. Same flooring throughout the ground floor, with no door sills to trip over. We also ensured that there is a room downstairs that could be used as a bedroom if necessary.
We also use voice controls for most of our lighting etc., but a fully integrated system was beyond our budget. We have upgraded our double glazing and insulation and are as energy efficient as possible.

Be careful with insulation and triple glazing. Old houses are designed to breathe and you need to use traditional materials. If you insulate it to the hilt, you could end up getting damp.

Another vote for insulation and underfloor heating but as above, be careful with non breathable insulation in a Victorian house as you will end up with damp issues if you aren't careful.

Underfloor heating if you can afford it. It's much more efficient, means all walls are free for furniture and runs well off a heat pump.

Yes to multiple plugs (with USB). We also went for lamp sockets so you can switch lamps on and off with the main lights.

Also stick to classics for the things that you won't change - like kitchen and anything built in. Don't do fancy colours or styles.

Use drawers for storage as they are more efficient to use and organise.

Design your home around how you actually live and on what makes you happy, rather than something aspirational. For example big family dinners make me happy so we have a sociable kitchen with an extendable table that can squeeze in more people when needed.

I wish we had prepared our house for an air source heat pump by putting in underfloor heating. Even if we stuck to a boiler for now whilst the tecnology improves.

I also wish we had put in solar panels when we were reroofing anyway.

We have an accessible downstairs bathroom which Im pleased with.

I would think about children a bit - not in terms of everything, but my inlaws have recently replaced a lovely feature coffee table as it was glass with sharp corners (they got fed up with covering it up every time grandchildren visited). Their bath now gets frequent use, & big enough bedrooms with room for a travel cot amongst the other furniture has been great.

I think they are regretting their patio choice; it's quite new but has sharp edges and corners, & the steps are quite step - not great for toddlers (or elderly infirm people, although they are hopefully a good decade or two from that!) & that's a big investment, so I would consider any hard landscaping too.

We considered the upstairs laundry & vetoed it for this reason. We have a laundry cupboard as close to the back door as possible, so I can hang stuff out easily.
Its pretty small - our house is quite compact - but there's room for an airer & dehumidifier in there for really wet weeks / to finish stuff off if needed. I've never had a tumbledrier & I'm trying to resist for eco reasons.

We are mid reno and have done quite a few things mentioned-

Usb plug sockets
Extra insulation
Wifi extenders in the loft for better wifi upstairs
Lowered some of the ceilings for heat
Log burner (controversial but we are rural so it's an extra heat source in case of power outages too)
Full rewire
Electric car charging point

Well at some point you have to cart it around!
if your washing machine is downstairs in the kitchen you have to cart the dirty washing down from the bedrooms.

I have a washing machine upstairs with a drying cupboard. So in the summer it still has to be carted downstairs to the garden, but it’s much easier in the winter.

It’s not as high a priority as some of these items, but I’ve recently become enamoured of smart lighting and blinds/curtains.

There are wonderful ceiling lights available in a discreet neutral style or various styles. Everything can be put on timers or controlled from your phone. I want to upgrade to all of this because I think it is great for security when travelling, in addition to the convenience.

We have a washing machine and a dryer side by side. There is a drying rack above them. A stud wall shelf house the detergent. It really works for us.
The only thing I bring upstairs to wash are tea towels/hand towels, and the sofa covers twice a year.

Laundry chute from up stairs provided you have room

I have also seen washing machine and tumble dryers at eye level with a pull out shelf underneath them