What do you especially like about your house/flat, and what do you wish was different?

[Earlybird]

I especially like
the central yet tucked away location,
the functional floorplan,
the decor and cozy furniture,
the size and 'feel' of the garden,
the lovely heated floor in my bathroom
having a guest bedroom/bath so friends can stay
spacious kitchen pantry
separate laundry room
garage

Things I wish were different:
wish there were more windows/more natural light, as the rooms can be quite dark on a cloudy day.
Wish the dining room was a bit larger, and had a window
Wish there was space for a big table in the kitchen

We don't own this house, so I'm pretty objective about it.

Don't like:
its aspect - faces east and back door is west, BUT the back of it is a hill that is part of a national forest, so it looses the sun very early

the kitchen - too small. the wall needs knocked through

secondary glazing - too cold. needs double-glazed big style

driveway - the gravel is great for drainage, much-needed round here, but it would be nice to monoblock two tracks up it. would make that easier to get the buggy, a wheelbarrow and other small wheeled items up and down

the decor - needs major updating

except the doors and the windows, most of the original features have been taken out

What I like:

the lay out is great - very functional. all the rooms in a column.

two toilets

a utility room

there's original real wood flooring under the nasty carpets

original doors

size - just right

detached

expat - is this your first family house (even if it is rented)? It is mine. We had a family house growing up, but since I've lived on my own I've always had flats until now. Living in a house has taken some getting used to.

Sometimes the things you end up loving most about a living space weren't immediately obvious, and sometimes things you didn't consider can develop into big problems.

House repairs and maintenance are much more of a factor (and an expense) than I realised.

I love my kitchen, which is big enough to fit a table and chairs in and has just the right amount of cupboard space for our needs. I also love the fact that the whole house is light and fairly uncluttered and the couple of original features it's got, especially its name and the angel archway in the hall.

I would like to:

• move it around the corner about 200 yards
• have it all re-plastered
• somehow make it warmer and less draughty and less inclined to gather dust in the corners
• have entirely new furniture throughout

I like:

• the location
• the street
• the view from the back garden
• the real working fireplace in the lounge
• it's my home, and we're happy

I dislike:

• the lack of storage space
• titch bathroom
• the kitchen - there's lots of potential but it's a crap design and doesn't take advantage of the space that's there
• too small generally

Like:

• the living room space. Lots of room, good size and very useable space too

• the garden - ideal size for us (i,e quite small, lol) and pretty private

• the newness. I lvoe new ouses, everything all used for the first time, nothing needing doing.

• utility room - a godsend

• ensuite - essential now

• location, lovely.

Would change

• kitchen. I would love to have a really big modern kitchen, with room for a central work station, a big Smeg fridge, range cooker etc. And room for a comfy sofa for friends to sit at when I am cooking, plus room for a little breakfast table, etc.

• bigger bedrooms. Our room is not great for the size of the overall house

like

the view from rear
feeling of space
having utility room and attic playroom
village location, near dc's school
wooden floors downstairs
bath in ensuite and separate shower and bath in main bathroom

dislike

lack of garage
having a garden that still needs a fair bit of work
road noise
narrowness of plot and proximity of neigbouring houses

I like the kitchen as it gets a lot of light

I don't like the understairs loo and the lack of doors (most of the house is open plan)

The upsides
the light - lots and lots of natural light
the trees
the farmhouse kitchen - large and relatively new
the landing and staircase
the walks nearby
the neighbours
the ease of travel and commuting

The downsides
It takes a lot of maintenance (both in terms of updating and cleaning)
It takes a lot of heating
The leaves - I spend a lot of time brandishing a leaf hoover
The driveway is not right

oh and woudl like (when we win the lottery !) dining room extenion with long windows giving a study too, dormer window to attic and new windows all round !

Love

It's big without being unwelcoming

It's warm

We've done loads to both the house and the garden so it really feels like 'ours'

Plenty of bathroom space

My lovely big shower in the ensuite

Really big rooms

Large hallway and wide staircase, great for getting furiture in !

Underfloor heating

City centre location

Loads of parking

It's mine

Wish was different

Wish neighbour was a bit more maintenance minded when it comes to the outside of their house

No window in downstairs loo (putting one in in the next year or so)

Would like woodburner in living room, currently we have a very gas number but it just isn't the same.

Would like a downstairs study (hopefully going to put one on in next few years)

Would like double doors onto garden from kitchen (hopefully getting that done at same time as study extension)

All in all, we're very happy here.

I love

1)the view, picture on profile
2)the location, fields to the back and lovely town on doorstep
3)My main living room is really spacious
4)walk in wardrobe in our room
5) extra bathroom downsytairs with shower
6) fireplace is cosy
7) huge windows make it airy and light

dislike
1)it is an ugly 1970s house
2)spare room is too small
3)upstairs bathroom has a turquoise sweet
4)Cerami hob is a nightmare
5)Kitchen was too small for my super duper
6)double fridge with ice machine
7) As much as I love the town I wish it was in a different school catchment
8) next door is too close
9) we dont own it and it £100K over budget to buy

Although i have more dislikes than likes I love my house.

I love everything about mine. Even the neighbours! Well maybe the location could be a bit better, but the downside is that we're only renting. And could not afford to buy similar. Ho hum.

I like

The view of the river
The facilities (concierge, swimming pool, gym, residents' lounge)
The convenient location
The big sitting room with lots of windows
The fact that it's not south-facing (sounds strange I know, but some of the flats are mostly south-facing and I know they are impossible to keep cool in the summer)
The big terrace

I don't like
The master bedroom is too small
The head of the bed, the door to the ensuite and the loo are all in a line so that DH wakes me up when he pees in the night
You can't eat in the kitchen
The kitchen is usually cold
There is a large water feature that attracts school children on hot summer days, and drunks at closing time who are very noisy
It's one room too small (needs either a fourth bedroom or a study)
No garden

love
floorplan
separate study
downstairs loo
french windows onto southfacing garden
great village
opposite Dr's surgery & dentists
the space we have
field to walk in at end of road
Cherry tree in front garden
lots of lovely birds in the garden

downside.
garden really small for size of house
kitchen really awful
no playpark in the village
awful fire that needs taking out so we can use the chimney
proximity to neighbours (even thought they are fab)

The upsides
The location, fabulous street full of families and things for children to do (we have Europe's highest concentration of under 4s here) with loads of great shops (I have SpaceNK, Waitrose, Jigsaw, Kiehls, and coming soon, Jamie Oliver in my road along with countless family friendly restaurants and bars) plus two massive parks less than 200 yards from the house.

Lots of natural light, south West facing living room so we always have lovely sunsets and masses of daylight.

The Decor, it's taken lots of work but I've finally got it looking how I want.

The room sizes, pretty good all in all, good solid Victorian proportions.

The proximity to work/central London/family/the greatest living childminder on earth.

The roof garden, precious outside space, a little urban oasis (when I take care of it properly)

The downsides:
It's a flat

It's too small, no spare room, tiny kitchen, one reception room.

The stairs, two flights to our front door, no lift.

The parking, typical London residents parking permit scheme, ie you pay to park miles from your own front door.

Like:
Love the town it's in
the street
neighbours
enough bedrooms
light and airy
our ensuite

Don't like
Hasn't got a hall, would love a hall
very small bathroom
small garden

I love...
-The view (open fields and moorland.)
-The open downstairs area, it's not truely openplan but we have no doors so it seems it.
-The wooden floors downstairs (even if they're fake.)
-The garden, very small, on a big unmanagable slope, but with a lot of work by my parents it's been turned into 3 very managable and usable levels. Deck, planted area and patio.
-The living room, cosy and a wall of books.
-The furniture, almost all second hand but it's good solid old stuff... I hate Argos and Ikea.
-The town, halfway between both sets of parents, close to big cities, but quite, reasonably safe, and student free.
-All the DIY my parents have done helping me make it a home.

I don't love...
-The neighbours, it's a council estate and the neighbours are both council tenants who don't look after their properties.
-The steep slope, or the 8 steps up to the house. Lethal in winter, but at least no one can look in on us.
-The fact it's a 1950's council house, I'd love something with some age and character.
-The fireplace, gas with pebbles. I miss the coal fire from our old house.
-The fact the living room and kitchen need decorating.
-That the previous owners were daft enough to block up the pantry.

Like:

Views- arable fields to the front, horse fields and hills at the back (have a fab window seat in my bedroom where I can sit and watch the horses).
Size - it is a tardis. It looks small from the outside, but inside feels big (for a 3 bed house, obviously not that big in the Buckingham Palace terms).
Bathrooms - 3, including a huge (and hidden) ensuite.
Good size kitchen - easily fits a table.
Location - fab for country walks with the dog. Small village, feels rural, but cycling distance of station and airport.
Not on flight path of said airport.
Huge windows at the back (patio doors from sitting room and kitchen out onto garden).

Dislike:
Layout - too open plan. Didn't appreciate how irritating that would be until I had dcs.
Kitchen, stairs, landing, our bedroom need decorating (textured wallpaper - yuk).
Stairs very open plan and dangerous.
Would prefer to be detached.
Only have offroad parking for 1 car. Room for other car on the road, but parking for visitors is very tricky.
No fireplaces or chimneys.

I love:

• it's a proper, large flat (not a conversion)

• the architectural style (Art Deco apartment with geometric decorative mouldings in every room/high ceilings/huge floor to ceiling windows and lots of light/parquet floors throughout)

• great L-shaped layout with all the living rooms (the "downstairs") in the front part and the bedrooms and bathrooms (the "upstairs") at the back, quietly away from the road

• central heating and hot water for the whole building

• building maintenance taken care of by management company

I don't like:

• too small kitchen with no heating

• laundry room and one loo were made out of a corridor and need to be jigged about a bit (but this would be major work)

• there is a leak we cannot identify coming from a neighbour that is ruining the paintwork in the back hall

love big light rooms
period fires in all rooms
massive kitchen diner with full glass
doors to garden
range
room for piano and sofa in kitchem
nice road
exposed brick in a few areas

loathe cold at times
smallish main bathroom considering
other rooms
no money left to finish it!

I like:
the neighbourhood
the large rooms
the small garden

I don't like:
the fact there isn't enough natural light in the kitchen.
the fact something always needs to be fixed.

i owned a 'family house' in the US, but at the time i didn't have a family, unless you count the cats .

but of course, teh layout in the US tends to be quite different.

To add to my 'dislike and wish it was different' list below:

wish the kitchen looked out to either back garden (so I could keep an eye on dd when she's there) or onto the road (so I could watch for friends/family/delivery arrivals). Looking out to the side of the property (house is detached) is pleasant enough by not useful as I keep darting to either front of house or back of house windows to check on outside activities.

Love:

The village: doctors, dentist & alternative therapies all with a short walk; small shops, post office & pubs close by; play groups & nursery close by. Fantastic schools, both state & private locallly.
The size of the bedrooms & bathrooms.
The amount of storage
The fact it is a very easy house to keep clean
Our fantastic new extension with triple doors out to garden
The outlook to the back of the house

Don't love:

The fact it is attached. I want a house I can walk around!
The size of the downstairs rooms (although the extension has balanced this out a bit)
It's not in the prettiest street in a very attractive village
The outlook to the front of the house leaves much to be desired because of a tight-arsed local landowner/butcher/landlord not caring to just tidy up a small area directly in front of our house & refusing to do anything about it (I have stopped shopping in his very nice butcher's shop because of it!).
The fact it is a good 1.5 hour drive to family & close friends.