Things to include in a new house

[CC21]

If you were going to build a new house, what things would you put in and why?

For example, a lady that I work with said she has a deep drawer in her kitchen that is lined with stainless steel and has a stainless steel sliding lid. She keeps her bread in it and says it stays fresh forever. She also said that she would recommend at least a slab of marble on one of the countertops for baking (rolling out dough and such).

I know one thing I would want. Ya know that wasted space between the front of your counters and the kitchen sink. I want a tip out tray so I can keep my scrubbers out of sight.

I would also like a large walk-in pantry where I could store food, but also my larger less-used appliances.

And a large laundry room. Big enough that I can keep my ironing board up all of the time, and with a deep sink for soaking and rinsing out stains.

Champagne ideas on a beer budget.... :rolleyes:

[MeatBall]

I just bot a newly constructed townhouse and have a wishlist:
external water spouts on each wall
natural gas line to back yard for bbq
walk-in closets (and more closets)
jacuzzi tub
family room actually large enough for pool table
bath tubs large enough to take a bath!
larger bathroom
sink(s) in laundry room
island in kitchen
fireplace
wiring for speakers in ceilings
The list is just going to get longer! Don't get swayed by new construction...make a list of everything you want and make sure they are done BEFORE you close the deal!!!

[CC21]

Originally posted by MeatBall
wiring for speakers in ceilings

Ooh, I want that too. I actually mentioned this to DH the other night but forgot to include it on my list.

[Csara]

can I just say ALL OF THE ABOVE?? ;)

[honeybunny]

sink in the island in the kitchen
large covered back patio
large hall closet (I don't have one of these and I really really want one)

that's what I can think of for now :D

[jana]

Omg, here we go...may I remind you all that we currently live in an apartment, and probably will for quite some time.... :rolleyes:

namely, lots of storage
mud room
bike storage/workshop
big laundry room with utility sink, clothes-folding table, rack for clothes on hangers
arched doorways
kitchen island with sink, possibly range
pull-out pantries as well as a walk-in pantry
dishwasher drawers instead of the traditional fold-down door
roll-out recycling/trash bins (in cabinets)
pull-out shelves in pot/pan storage cabinets (and/or ceiling pot rack)
pass-through/half wall between kitchen and living room
library with floor to ceiling shelves for lots of books
hot tub
greenhouse hallway with deep planters
stained & maybe stamped concrete floors (I've seen a bunch of these that look really nice)
L-shaped or open shower with 2 showerheads, bench, no door
large (jacuzzi or not) bathtub
large master closet that flows into master bath (as a dressing room)
tankless water heater
graywater reuse system
disappearing (http://www.nanawallsystems.com/cgi-bin/portfolio/photo.asp?file_name=HSW65_Residence_Barger5) walls (http://www.nanawallsystems.com/cgi-bin/portfolio/photo.asp?file_name=HSW65_Residence_Barger3) opening up onto patio
compost bin
land + barn for horses
and probably more I can't remember right now...

Yeah, when I dream, I dream big. :D

[HeavenLeigh]

Tons of storage space/ closets, pantries, etc....
Bigger bedroom
Big jacuzzi
Game room w/ a pool table :p
A room with nothing but closets and shelves (can ya tell I have too much crap?)
Bigger rooms

[monkeygirl38]

I know this is becoming standard now, but Two sinks in the bathrooms!!

Other than that:

*Extra plugs on the wall where the tv/dvd/stereo will be.
*If your fridge will be surrounded by cabinets, make sure that the space is big enough for the BIG fridges incase you want bigger later!
*closets in the bathrooms if possible!
*Garage WITH a door
*The new kind of windows that have a release so you can open them IN and clean them with out having to go outside and take the screens off!

[veda]

Jana! haha, your "dream big" list looks like ours!! :biglaugh:

all of these ideas are so cool... great thread... printing it out now :D

[Mrs. July]

I could be here for weeks listing everything I want, but our primary need is more storage space- EVERYWHRE.

[rdy2rac with]

You know every time me & Rob talk about "the next house" (which is at least once a week) it always centers around 2 acres of land so that we can have a killer pull barn. I've even told him about how I envision it & he says its better than his mental picture. So here's my picture of our perfect garage:

-long enough for 3 work bays on each side (w/workbenches on both sides of each bay)
-center area should have enough room for 4 cars to park (2 across & 2 deep)
-doors at both ends so that you can drive straight through
- over 1 side of bays will be a loft which will be a club house of sorts for out truck group, it will be carpeted, have a pool table (at least), tv with cable/satalite, almost a full kitchen, plenty of couches & recliners
-the center area will also have a lift for working under the trucks/cars
-it will have the beams expossed entirely & they will be large enough & strong enough to have an engine hoist over any beam, anywhere in the garage.
-there will be a carport on the side large enough for our enclose racing trailer. It will be open on both ends so that we can pull in, unhook the trailer & pull the truck straight out.

We figure our garage will probably end up twice as big as our house.

The only thing we've said our house will have is a large tub (like said before, big enough to take a bath in), hot tub & hubby wants a great room.

[pikachu0519]

My cousins just finished building their house last December, and when we went there, I found that they had installed what I think is the coolest little gadget, and would get rid of one of my biggest pet peeves. Of course my cousin has his own contracting company and builds houses for a living, so it figures they'd have all these neat and ingenious ideas in their home.:rolleyes: In the kitchen, in the baseboard of the cupboards (hidden very well below the doors) they have a tiny little door about as big as a standard 4x6" floor vent/heating vent. There is a little button on the floor next to it, and I asked what it was for. It is a little garbage receptacle for when you sweep the floor! You know how when you sweep up your dirt with the dustpan you can never get rid of that darn dirt line where the dust hits the edge of the pan? No matter how many times you sweep, it never goes away. I hate that!:argh: Well with this, you step on the button, the little door opens, and you just sweep your dirt into there. There's a light vacuum action that sucks the dirt in and down, and it's gone! No more dustpan line! I'd never seen those before and I just thought that was the coolest thing!!!:clap: Doesn't take much to amuse me, does it?:biglaugh:

[monkeygirl38]

Do you know if they a central vaccum system?

That sounds like the neatest little gadget!!

[Tearianna]

Ah ... central vac! We have one of those, and I couldn't live without it. Way more sucking power than uprights, its very easy to do the stairs and hardwood floors with ... and the bag lasts for ages without having to be changed, and the system is in the basement, so there's no messy dust getting up into the house when you do vac/change bag!

[Tearianna]

Also ... get the house wired for speakers, cable and internet/network access! We have speakers in every room and it is so nice!

[Journeyman]

And if its 2 or 3 levels consider putting the washer and dryer on the floor where the laundry is generated. Same floor as bedrooms. No sense in taking clothes from 2nd floor to the basement dirty then back to the 2nd floor clean.;)

[Jo Beth]

I really agree with pre wiring the house. Wire every bedroom even if you don't need it know. It is good for resale. Also we are think about building and we would like to build a walk out basement, with a second kitchen set up down there. As well as a bedroom and full bathroom. This way if we have company they have their own space. Our children are growing up and moving out. But we want them to come back to visit.
I also want a 1st floor master bed room, so I don't have to climb stairs. (I'm heading toward 50 and I see a need to limit my stair climbing)
Don't get me going on the little things I want in a house. But this will be a site I continue to read to get ideas, as I start designing my floor plan.

[MeatBall]

Not much action since I posted 9/3/03! I can give an update as we just celebrated our one year anniversary in the house!
Game room - got a 7' black on black pool table, ping pong top, darts, bar, and the coolest pinball machine ~ revenge from mars! Painted the room purple!
Gym - recumbent bike, treadmill, golds three station weight system, "power block" weights...put down rubber flooring, threw in tv and stereo ~ lost 35 pounds! Serene powder blue...
Guest room - moved queen size bed, set up home office, just got digital cable and internet - next project is to hook up wireless access for the whole house.
Bedroom - king size bed, chest, IJOY chair for my wife's bad back, painted light brown.
Living room - two oversized couches, recliner couch, fooseball! Looking into surround sound and home theater....
Kitchen / dining - big sur oak table with inserts - comfy oak chairs...
Backyard - need to bring in a few thousand pounds of dirt - but have removed all construction debri, rocks, weeds - looks like a backyard now!
Garage - hung bikes, added storage containers, painted white and epoxied the floor.
What a year! Credit cards are smoking!