If you were going to build your own home, what features would

[Flaxbee]

you HAVE to have? What kinds of conveniences?

We might be building our own place and I'd love ideas. I know I need the laundry room somewhere easy to reach, not down in a basement, and I want a utility room with sink for all manner of cat/dog stuff (including litter boxes) and a separate mud-room entryway to take off muddy shoes, wet coats, etc.

Of course, nice master bath, convenient kitchen (but for us it can be small bc/ it's just me and hubby). Separate work space for me and husband, though mine needn't be big - just a good desk and chair and plenty of surface space for drawings/ideas/etc.

And built-in bookshelves are a must. Nice windows, french doors perhaps.

What would you choose?

[SeattleGirl]

1. A cook's kitchen!

By that I mean, one that has lots of storage, a pantry, an island, etc. My current kitchen is NOT conducive to cooking, though I manage.

[EstimatedProphet]

17. Absolutely!

[auntAgonist]

2. I would have to have

as you said, a laundry room that isn't in the basement.
- An efficient source of heat (wood burner etc)
- Spice cupboard in the kitchen (a big one)
- I would want a dressing room off of the master bedroom, we have one now, nice feature.
- good lighting. Sky lights if possible.

just a few ideas.

[Flaxbee]

3. yup - dressing room w/vanity! Yay!

and we'll probably have a flat roof, or at least part of it flat, so I can have a high-up deck w/potted trees & plants.

[Lars39]

4. In our last house,

we had our laundry connecting with the master bedroom closet, with the closet connecting to the bedroom and the master bathroom. The laundry room was placed right off the kitchen, and had room for the cats litter box and about 5 hampers underneath about 6 feet of closet rod. Incredibly handy.
We also had a custom built 3.5'X 5.5 shower with 12"tiles going to the ceiling(9'), 2 shower faucets and a short curb.
I was in ill health at the time and that short curb really made a huge difference.
If you even think you're going to retire in the house you build, give strong consideration to future disabilities and zero to very low maintenance.

[Flaxbee]

5. we'll probably build in a dumbwaiter of sorts just in

case we ever need one - maybe make the shaft large enough to turn it into a mini-lift if ever needed. Hubby's 15 years older than I am and we're both fine, but still -- he thinks we won't live there forever but I'd like the house to be able to accommodate changing lifestyles & needs.

[Kali]

6. tiled interior

huge floor drain and built in fire hoses.

At least the bathroom, if not the whole house.}(

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Big kitchen, high ceilings, giant private master bathroom with hottub,

and a large living area with all glass doors opening onto the giant deck, and hidden shelving all over the place, and exposed bookshelves all over.

[DanCa]

8. I would like to have a jungle room like Elvis.

But if i could have one feature it would be a massive rec room complete with a full size pool table.

[DanCa]

9. I would also like a secret under ground passage to the nudie bar (nt)

:evilgrin:

[Robb]

42. Ah! Bongo's Dream House:

[Floogeldy]

10. An extra faucet on the sink that produces a chocolate malted shake.

:)

[Flaxbee]

15. but only true, good, old-fashioned malts with real whipped

cream (or would the whipped cream be a separate faucet?). None of this malt-that-tastes-no-different-from-a-milkshake-crud!

[Greyhound]

11. At least one high ceilinged over-sized room, preferably two.

Parties, movies, dogs.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

12. Oh we dream about this all the time...

Gourmet kitchen; Master Suite with a kick ass bathroom: huge shower big enough for two, separate tub big enough for two; home theatre; 4 bedrooms; at least 3 bathrooms; a finished basement with a bar; built ins, french doors, lots of ceiling fans, a huge front porch. I basically want one of those historical looking victorian homes. Like three stories with a basement. I could totally go on, but that's enough to start. Oh and a pool!
Duckie

[bertha katzenengel]

13. One story. Laundry room next to master bedr. with a pass-through for

soiled clothing. Huge double-glazed windows everywhere. Skylights. Large lot. Three guest rooms with private baths.

[Flaxbee]

16. yay! it's bertha!

yeah - we're thinking maybe the office space will be somehow next to a car/park with a garage, and a NICE guest suite above the office space. That way the office and guest room (with small kitchenette) will be separate from the house.

I am also tempted to build in a kitty rec-room, covered floor-to-ceiling with corrugated cardboard (replaceable in panels, of course). :D

(edited to fix a smilie)

[bertha katzenengel]

22. hi, Flaxbee

don't tell the kitties I forgot to factor in their room :yoiks:

[LeftyMom]

14. A big soaking bathtub

built-in bookshelves and a huge kitchen with a commercial gas stove, two ovens and a ton of storage and prep space.

Those are the things that help me relax, I might as well enjoy them as much as possible. :)

[DS1]

18. smart placement for best solar power options, elevated deck

closed in cedar sunroom with interchangable glass/screen windows, hot tub - outdoor in back with privacy fencing. big master bedroom/bath, dedicated tv room with one wall that's got no windows, extra soundproofing. my own "Giger" room, which I can airbrush by myself, which is also about 18" lower than the rest of the floor so you have to step down into it - low lighting all custom in it, soft leather chairs, less extravagant tv system.

central air is a must.

[Beware the Beast Man]

19. A bathroom with a fully-stocked periodical library.

[China_cat]

20. I agree on the bookshelves

floor to ceiling in every room...including the bathrooms.

But for me the really important stuff would be superior insulation, solar panels and a gray water system.

[Flaxbee]

21. damn. just noticed my star's gone.

be back in a minute or two...

[Omphaloskepsis]

23. I always wanted a bowling alley.

Just two lanes with all of the automation.

A boy can dream.

[gristy]

24. I'd start with first floor living

It's a dream compared to hiking up and down stairs all day.
I'd keep the master bath scaled down in size - but that's just me. These Roman baths big enough for an entire Roman family drive me crazy.
I'd pay attention to the flooplan's effect on sight lines and the flow of people.
I'd buy books on the traditional style of homes in your area, especially going back 100 years or so.
I'd go to open houses in the area to get ideas.
I'd use local building materials wherever possible.
Well-planned built-ins are nice.
A well-designed house feels cozy and well-proportioned.
I'd get an architect at some point late in the process of discovery and idea generation.
I'd not be afraid to design the house a couple times. Take your time. The second and third time designing it will be much different from the first, especially if you do this over the course of a couple years.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. My dear Flaxbee.....

Lots of excellent suggestions here. We did build our dream home 4 years ago.....

Pages and pages of things we wanted, and things we didn't!

We live next door to a house with a pool, so all the outside walls are 6" thick. And fully insulated as well. And most of our windows don't face sideways towards our neighbors, for privacy.

A dumb waiter is a must for a two story house. We use ours all the time. Laundry near the bedrooms is a must. Bookcases everywhere! All the windows are dual-glazed. 4 skylights, 2 clear and 2 cloudy. Me and my husband each got to pick which ones were what!

I have a huge kitchen with a built-in 6 burner cooktop, and double ovens, also built-in.....no more leaning over for this lady! Big island, with tons of storage.

I would strongly recommend that you hire an architect. I know that a lot of folks feel that architects are too expensive, but I feel that you get what you pay for. They include things you didn't even know you wanted. They can also help you find a builder.

We love our home, and are still close with the builder and the architect. Excellent people, all of them.....

Good luck!

:hi:

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

26. Build your pantry between the garage and the kitchen!!!

TTTTInclude your main freezer(s) and your main cold room (for root vegies, etc) in the pantry. That way, you can move your groceries directly to their storage from your vehicle... with a pass-through from the pantry area to the kitchen, you can then move foods to your prep area, or to short-term storage in the kitchen proper! Makes it much easer to store your food after shopping, and to plan and prepare your meals!
TTTTSecond, be sure to design in a central prep island in the center of the kitchen, so that your never more than a step or two from the short-term storage, the sink (for washing produce, etc.) and your stove/range/oven. You might include a hanging rack over this island for pots and pans you use a lot. This is also a great place for friends to sit while helping prepare the meal... the original chat room!
TTTTThird, double deep sinks are a necessity -- each with its own seperate taps and high(!) faucet... you don't know annoyance until you need to fill a large pot or kettle from an ordinary-height tap! Also, a third, smaller laving sink with a screen or mesh frame (for washing produce, etc) is a godsend!
TTTTFinally, no matter how much storage space you think you'll need, design in a little more... ditto for work space AND ventilation; you can never have too much of any of those things!
TTTTBon Appetit!

[Digit]

27. Solar capability of some sort, being that you are in NC

You still get some decent tax breaks in NC for solar.
I also would have the crawl space floor made of concrete, and since you are building from scratch, you can do it easily.
Oh, and if you are in the Triassic Basin, be sure to dig the footings deep enough to deal with the expansive clay.
The other stuff is cosmetic.

[Cleita]

28. I would have a really nice and big outdooor space.

I mean gardens and water features, because once you become attuned to the outdoors, you really only need a place to take a shower, eat and keep your stuff.

[XemaSab]

29. I'd have a really BIG sunroom/porch

With windows that open to let the breeze in.

I'd have a tile or concrete floor, and high ceilings, and I'd turn it into a pseudo-greenhouse with all my plants. I might even have a hot tub in there. Just me and my plants.

And no puppies. :hide:

(I'd also have a big kitchen and LOTS of bookshelves in every room, but above all I'd have some sort of room like I just described.)

[Starlight]

30. 2 person bathtub; multi jet shower, big windows, separate dressing room,

fitness center, commercial kitchen. When do we start building? :woohoo:

[havocmom]

31. Greenhouse on south side

with access to the master bath for me 'n the dog for quick showers when we've been working out in the mud. Oh, and the bathroom vent would have a duct to get the steam into the greenhouse to keep the humidity up (live in arid country)

And a SAUNA!

Havocdad needs a library

[Benfea]

32. All homes should be equipped with a nuclear missile silo.

That and a petunia garden.

[Wcross]

33. #1 in the design would be a passive solar.

I would make sure it was orientated correctly to take advantage of natural sun for passive heating. I would also go with a geo-thermal system for heating/cooling. I would make sure there was plenty of south facing roofing for solar panels and I would also take advantage of passive water heating.
As far as interior features I would love built in's all over the place. I would love a large pantry and a root cellar (with dirt floor) for storing my produce from the garden.
This is my plan for the future. I have my property already and currently live in a small house on it. I plan on building my dream home and removing this house.

[samplegirl]

34. first floor laundry rooms

are absolutely no good in a two story home especially without a clothes chute.

I would never want another two story home I want
a nice ranch with all the modern convinces.

[GalleryGod]

37. Hi,Sweetie! Fly-in and do my hardwood floors today. I've got the Murphy's

Wood Soap? No? Can't Convince You? Hmmm? I KNEW you were a Smart Dame!


Then Let's Go Here.In Sunday's Imagination Travel World. Beats Ohio to Hell. That's the Windjammer "Mandalay" anchored off Virgin Gorda,BVI.

[Callalily]

39. Ohhhh, I'm with

you. I do have some sailing experience so this should be fun.

[samplegirl]

41. Hark now hear the sailors cry

smell the sea and feel the sky. You wanna rock
my gypsy soul?? Just like the days of old. Then
magnificently float into the mystic. I would gladly swab the deck with my swiffer or whatever the hell you call it. LOL

[GalleryGod]

35. Here's Two 19th Century Items: A Dumb Waiter and a Laundry Chute

from each bedroom to the basement !

Had a house in Baltimore (Ruxton section for all you Bawl'mer Folk) I rented for one academic year..that had those two conveniences...I wept when I had to leave the place

RIP,Don. And Thanks. For Every word. Every line. Every Nuance. Thanks.

[AngryAmish]

36. Geo-thermal heating/cooling

Steam room, green house, jacuzzi, humidor, movie room,

[murielm99]

38. My house has all of those things you mentioned.

I am thankful.

[Atmashine]

40. A castle.

With a moat. And a dragon.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

43. I'd build an environmentally correct home for Minnesota:

It would incorporate some design features from the pre-modern days, such as a screened-in back porch for the summers and an enclosed entrance that jutted out from the rest of the house and could be closed off from the rest of the house. Water would be heated by natural gas, and it would be one of those "on-demand" heaters, like they use in Japan.

It would have screened windows properly placed for cross-ventilation and with slide-down storm windows. (This is in anticipation of air conditioning possibly becoming too expensive.)

There would be a section of the house that had no water or sewer pipes and could therefore be closed off during the winter to save fuel.

The walls would be thick for better insulation in both winter and summer, and there would be trees all around.

As far as features are concerned, I'd have a kitchen with lots of counter space and a big study with built-in bookshelves covering three walls.

[samplegirl]

44. My house is way to big and to much to clean

I would love to downside. Guess I will have to wait for a new president now.

[mzteris]

45. solar panels . . .

and underfloor heating.

Built-in vac system.

And when I'm really dreaming - a small "waterfall wall" in the living room with a small pond at the bottom.

[CabalPowered]

46. After watching my folks and several friends build houses

I actually would place most of my emphasis on the quality of the sub-contractors. I've seen some plumbing installations that had to be replaced after several years. They were poorly designed and poorly installed. For myself, I would certainly want a plumbing system with a cold water manifold, hot water manifold, whole house filter, water softner and reverse osmosis in kitchens AND bathroom vanities.

Same goes for electrical. Some electricians are just plain lazy and run romex in every possible direction in the crawl space. Makes for a tangled mess and if you ever have a problem, fixing it will cost more. It also increases the fire hazard. A proper installation should have wires organized in raceways in your crawl space. In addition, it will cost you more up front but save money over the long run, a centralized low voltage system can allow you to turn off any light in the house from panels that can be installed anywhere in the house.

Also with the advances in PEX plumbing, you can have residential fire sprinklers without breaking the bank. Check out this system..

http://www.wirsbo.ca/default.php?id=34

When it comes to HVAC, you'll save yourself money in the long run with a zoned system.

[Inspired]

47. Me too

"We might be building our own place and I'd love ideas. I know I need the laundry room somewhere easy to reach, not down in a basement, and I want a utility room with sink for all manner of cat/dog stuff (including litter boxes) and a separate mud-room entryway to take off muddy shoes, wet coats, etc."

This is exactly what I would choose too.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

48. I'd have to have a room for writing/music, but that's just me.

Are you into conservatories???? :P :P :P

;)

[Alleycat]

49. Dream Home?

*fireplace in the family/living room.
*A cook's kitchen with lots of counter and storage space. An island that you can pull up a few stools to. Iwould not make it an eat in kitchen I would like my table seperate so I would be force to use the dining room all the time. May people have seperate dining rooms but hardly ever use them this would force you to use it and not waste space.
*1st floor MBR - This way you can grow old here and not have to move when you get up in age.
*1st floor laundry can be combined to mud room to accomodate, shoe and boot area, cat boxes, cleaning supplies.
*Lots of south facing windows to suck up the sunshine. Ialso kinda like the windows I think Pella makes them that have the shades in between the window panes. Less dust, no cords.
*A soaking tub-not a jacuzzi. A nice deep tub to just soak in.
*Hardwood floor throughout except bathroom and laundry. With hardwood you will never have to replace the rugs plus they can be easily cleaned.
*A deep front porch so you can use it as another room in warmer months.
*a bunch ot outlets and phone jacks. I never have enough.
*Closet space whereever possible.

[graywarrior]

50. Geo dome.

Or some sort of round building with lots of curves. Massisve kitchen with 2 6-burner gas stoves. In the mountains, the White Mountains of NH to be exact.

[Flaxbee]

51. yeah, husband actually wants it to be round - made of

concrete... I can get into that if my other requests are covered. I want stained-concrete floors, maybe hardwood on the upper floor. I HATE carpet! HATE IT!!

He likes a partially-underground lower level for all his computer & etc. stuff and zillions of technical books, then a middle living level (which would essentially be ground level - the lowest level wouldn't be accessible thru the main house) with kitchen, living room/library (bookshelves curved around the entire space) and bed & full bathroom, and then a larger (maybe square, though I'm no so sure I like the visual) upper level with the master bed, bath, laundry, "sitting room", two decks (each side) and rooftop garden. Sorta like a master suite upstairs. My office would be removed from the house, but on the same land.

Lots of insulation so heating/cooling costs can be low, plus solar. Hubby's designed a very nice solar regulator to maximize solar power, so that'll be a feature to incorporate in our design.

My kitchen will need to have a seating bar, and I'd like some nice wine storage.

The house we're renting has a nice screened-in porch off the kitchen so I can have the windows wide open w/o worrying about flies or mosquitos or other pests.

We'll probably find some land we like, put up a small 'regular' house while we build the other, and then transform the regular house into my office and guest space when the other house is done.

[graywarrior]

57. Sounds great! Invite me to visit once it's done.

[Whoa_Nelly]

52. Kitchen HAS to be direct (or as close to) access from the garage

Nothing bugs me more than a home designed where the groceries have to be carried across the house to get to the kitchen.

Also, were I to build a home today, besides having alternative power sources (solar, wind), I would want a built in vacuum system. These systems have been greatly inmproved over the years.

And triple pane windows!

And no double story ceiling heights. In terms of cost and energy use, it takes a lot to cool or heat.

[yellowdogintexas]

53. A cook's kitchen for me as well. and a regular laundry room

(my washer and dryer are in the garage)

a brazillion bookshelves

hot tub or whirlpool bath tub
a lot of closet space
xtra bathroom for the cat boxes

and the whole thing has to be self cleaning.

[wain]

54. Central vacuum system

with a separate hose on each floor

[applegrove]

55. Surround Porch!

[maveric]

56. A Urinal in the bathroom.

Its convenient and you dont have to EVER lift the seat.

[Deja Q]

58. My own legal glory hole...

:spray: :rofl: