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<p>I would love that! It’s the only thing missing from my house.</p>
<p>I’d suggest getting a good Home Design book and study it. A good one will give good checklists for every room including suggestions for low maintenance as well as wish lists. I studied quite a few books before building our current home and I’ll have to say I’m still happy with everything we did even after all these years. Kitchen design is worth studying also–it’ll save a lot of steps!
I’ll agree that bigger living space is not always better (but bigger closets are always better). Functionality is the real key.
Have your kitchen drawers (and any cabinet drawers) made to pull ALL the way out. It costs more but very worth it.
If you have very high ceilings don’t rely on can lighting to light up your space.
And don’t get so high tech (someone mentioned smart house) that nobody can figure out which of the six remotes actually turns on the TV!</p>
<p>Footlights that automatically come on at night an go off in the morning.</p>
<p>We have them up our stairs and in our bathrooms. No need to turn on lights to pee or get a midnight snack.</p>
<p>It’s something our house came with and the best thing I would’ve never thought of.</p>
<p>Brick walls everywhere</p>
<p>Along the vein of not having a huge home (it wasn’t stated directly but…) this is simply a design preference and the way we live, but in THE home I won’t waste sqft on a dining rm. I’ll save the room for the kitchen and great room. The kitchen needs to have enough room for a dining table to seat ten. It sounds odd, but if the design is very open it works well.</p>
<p>How about some magical device that kept the house clean all the time and decorated it wonderously?</p>
<p>Something like, a wife?</p>
<p>Or a Roomba! (seriously, best purchase ever.)</p>
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<li>One extra bedroom designated as Kids’ Study for all three, with their desks, chairs, computer. All bookbags and homework went only there, not to bedrooms. It was on a main floor, so we parents passed by often to interact. The 3 kids bonded and helped each other, also had silly fights of course. Open door policy.</li>
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<p>In the bedrooms everything was soft (clothing, bedding) and dreamy.
Each had their own bookshelf in their own bedroom to store books or for pleasure reading. </p>
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<li>Extra washer/dryer upstairs, very near to the kids’ bedrooms. </li>
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<p>We had this in an oversize upstairs bathroom, when ours were in middle and high school. Best compliance ever - they did all their own laundry. I never saw it.</p>
<p>My dogs hunted down my roomba and killed it! They were quite proud of themselves. sigh.</p>
<p>Yeah, one of our dogs (our german shepherd) has a grudge against our roomba too. But luckily only when it’s on.</p>
<p>I have a friend who has radiant heat under wood floors throughout the house. I liked it at first but after a while my feet got tired of walking over warm floors. Radiant heat heats up very slowly so it’s inconvenient as the sole source of heat.</p>
<p>I would love bedroom closets with a safe in each one. And reinforced doors with a code to enter. Also in the master bedroom a small fridge. A formal library and a gym…tennis court. A large butler’s pantry with space for lots of dishes. And a morning room…which we had until I was forced to open it up for a more open concept. And beautiful fireplaces in the den, formal living room, dining room and master bedroom. An office for my husband. Oh, and a home theatre…Oh, we have four closets in our bedroom…still no enough space. Lots of wall space for art…</p>
<p>25 meter self-cleaning lap swimming pool complete with starting block that is properly heated winter and cooled summer. If budget and backyard allows, 50 meter would be even better!</p>
<p>If I can’t get the pool, I want at least an inground spa in back patio with wine and beer on tap within arm’s reach of the spa.</p>
<p>meadow garden, orchard, and porch swing…studio space, finished basement with a kitchen, and two stainless steel farm sinks with extra tall touch -activated faucets. and a dorm style childrens room for the grandbabies yet to come!</p>
<p>things any new house we buy must have: central vac, central air, master bedroom on first floor and a garage. Other nice to have things: mudroom, separate isolated family/play room where kids can have friends sleep over and they have some privacy in the morning and I don’t have to tiptoe around, two ovens for those 2-3 X a year I cook big meals, and a laundry room on first floor.</p>
<p>Ohh, touch activated faucets reminded me–get a tapmaster foot activated control for your kitchen faucet. Do an internet search. People swear by them. I’m renovating and unfortunately my DH thinks some of these ideas are too gimmicky. No heated bathroom floors no tapmaster for me. But I’d be getting both otherwise!</p>
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<p>BG - I am sure I am the only one on earth who wants a separate dining room. I am a messy cook and would like to just shut the door to the kitchen.</p>
<p>Iglooo, count me in with those who want a separate dining room with nice china, silverware and crystal.</p>
<p>I would like some kind of outdoor kitchen/dining area that is separate from the house. Perhaps accessible via gently lit flagstone steps. Perhaps near the heated pool that is magically self-cleaning but looks rustic and fits into the landscape.</p>
<p>Lots of closets, pantry, granite surfaces tile walls in a kitchen/bathrooms, shady yard, 3 car garage and a basement, no fireplaces, please, sunroofs, taller cealings and noise isolation in the walls.
However, I would never ever build the house, I rather buy whatever. Building is too challenging, too time consuming, all that supervision over, and it is much more expansive. None of it is attractive to spend time on.
Best wishes to you, I hope you will enjoy the process!</p>