House design, what would you do differently 2nd time around?

[Steel]

DH and I are in the planning stages for our new home.

We are deisigning from scratch and are limited by local rules to one level; ie a bungalow.

So, my question is this:

Now that you are in your homes, or perhaps also designing, What is the benefit of your experience?

Is a double shower a must have or a nightmare to clean?

Would you have less french/patio doors and more windows or vice versa?

Would you enclose the loo in your master bathroom?

Would you have more fireplaces - or less?

What was the biggest waste of space or money?

What would you change? What did you get right?

Please share.......

 

[KimberlyH]

We didn''t design our house, so I hope it''s okay if I pipe in.

We have two fireplaces, one in the family room and one in our bedroom, we use and love them both.

We have a walk in shower in our master bath and I love it. I much prefer it to a shower/tub combo. Don''t think I''d love a double shower.

Our toilet is enclosed and I don''t think it''s necessary.

I like having fresh air so I prefer lots of windows to french doors w/o screens.

I can''t imagine living in a house without a breakfast nook. We have inherited a lot of antiques so our living/dining room combo is very formal, I like having an informal space to eat in. We rarely use our dining room (the table is 400 years old and I''m afraid of it) but eat all our dinners in the breakfast area.

I love to cook and am so glad we have such a large kitchen, lots of counter space and a big pantry.

Our kitchen opens up to the breakfast nook/bar and family room and I love that I can be in the kitchen cooking and DH is with me, even though he''s on the couch in the family room. So I''d definitely have a great room as opposed to a closed off kitchen if I were designing my own home.

 

[Kay]

We bought a 40-year-old house and have done quite a bit of remodeling. There are times I wish we could have started from scratch to avoid fixing or living with someone else''s bad taste/shoddy work, but starting from the ground up would probably have required me to quit my job for a year since I am so OCD about tiny details. Here’s what I have learned:

Electrical: We replaced all the electrical wiring before we moved in because it was easier and our contractor thought it was a fire hazard because of the overloaded fuse box. The contractor replaced everything, but pretty much left the outlet and switch placements as they were originally. If we had lived in the house first, I would have done a few things differently. For instance, we have a hall light, but the switch is halfway down the hall, which is inconvenient when it is dark. It would be better to have switches at both ends. We have the same problem with the dining room – there is a light switch at one entrance to the room, but not the other. Also, think about where you want your microwave (microwave/hood combo over stove or on a particular counter) so they can install a "home run" (direct line) to the fuse box (required in CA). We installed Monster cable for a 5:1 surround sound system in the living room when we added that room on. We got the speakers on sale and thought they were pretty good since we never had surround sound before. Now, DH wishes we had gotten more and better speakers, and I wish we had purchased and installed flush, in-the-wall/ceiling speakers rather than the wall mounted speakers, which I try to hide even though they are small. It is much easier to make those changes before the drywall goes up.

Bathrooms: My parents’ old house had the toilet in a small alcove that was separated from the rest of the bathroom by a pocket door. I felt claustrophobic in there, like I was peeing in a coat closet. Each of our bathrooms has a wall that extends just along the side of the toilet so that you do not see it from the door or sink area, but the area in front of the toilet is open. It does not provide privacy for actually using the loo if someone else is using another part of the bathroom, but I think it provides a better aesthetic look to not have to look at the toilet when you are in there for other reasons.

We have a whirlpool bathtub and a separate walk-in shower, which I like much better than showering in a tub. I have used the whirlpool tub 3 times in 2 years, so it was a waste of money for us, but I figure buyers expect to see one in a remodeled bathroom, so I hope it will be a good investment from a resale perspective. Our shower probably is not considered a “double” shower since it only has one shower head, but it is big enough for two, which is very nice (approx. 72” x 32”). Speaking of doubles, we love having a large vanity area with two sinks so we do not have to share in the morning.

Doors: When we were searching for a carved wood front door, the salesman showed us the Jeld-Wen Aurora line, which had a few styles we really liked. Then he told us they were fiberglass, not real wood. If you look at them very closely or run your hand over the surface, you can tell, but just looking at them casually they look like real wood. We do not have a front porch or overhang, so our door is exposed to the elements, like rain and bright sun, and the salesman said we would have a lot of upkeep with real wood. We bought one that is “mahogany” with wrought iron accents and it is just beautiful. It will never rot or fade and have to be sanded or re-stained, and when it is dusty we can just clean it with a garden hose.

I love French doors. We have sliders in the master bedroom and living room that I would love to replace with French doors someday. I think it looks lovely to use them in just a couple of rooms in a house.

Buying fixtures: We fell in love with some pricey brushed nickel AquaBrass faucets at Home Expo. I found them online for much less at www.homeclick.com. We ended up buying our bathroom faucets (sink & tub), matching towel bars, shower heads, stainless steel Elkay kitchen sink, light fixtures and barbeque grill from Homeclick because the prices were so much better than local B&M stores and they had free shipping on orders over $300. (They now have free shipping, but a $9 handling fee for any size order.) They have a sale every weekend that ranges from 7-10% off their regular prices, so I would check in for a few weekends in a row until it hit 10% and then place my order.

And finally, the most important thing for me: large walk-in closets!

 

[Kay]

I also have to post our shower head, because we love it and everyone who sees it says they want one. It is the Hansgrohe Raindance Unica 36" wallbar set http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/products/singleprod.php?prod_line=raindance&prod_num=27870&page=brand_return.php Our is brushed nickel and is very attractive IMHO as well as extremely versatile.

The shower head is on a 36" vertical track, so you can adjust the height to accommodate someone who is 3''6" or 6''6". The head also pivots left and right and up and down -- it can be aimed straight down or straight out from the wall (to be used as a body spray by also adjusting the height) or any angle in between. The head can also be removed from the track to use as a hand-held shower (very convenient when cleaning the tile).

 

[divergrrl]

We added 1600sq ft on our old home & remodeled the old part......here is my list of things I wish I''d done in retrospect:

Well, I wish we had more storage closets on the main floor.

Pantry in the kitchen

Vinyl windows instead of my overly expensive ridiculous wood Pellas. (just had to have ''em...coulda spent that money elsewhere)

Washer & Dryer on the main. (I have a 3 story with daylight basement...laundry is down there, but dh found a way to move it to our huge 4ft closet in our front bathroom on the main floor -- yay! I get swell new frontloaders out of it as a bonus!)

Things we definitely got right:

Master suite: I designed my bedroom to a little bit smaller (its still big) in order to have 2 HUGE walk in closets (mine is 15ft long by 6ft wide) and DH''s is big too, (6ft by 6ft maybe? I can''t remember) so all our furniture is in our closets...our bedroom just has one large king bed, an armoire for tv, and 2 night stands.

I also wanted my master bath to be HUUUUGE. I have a large walk in shower, a separate soaking tub built into a custom cherry cabinet, double sinks & vanity, and a separate toilet enclosure. (sorry, I just like my potty private--that was a MUST HAVE for me)

So my tradeoff for some square footage normally alotted for the bedroom portion really made a huge difference. My closet is more of a "dressing room" and has mirrors, highboy dressers, mutlitple places to hang things, tons of shelving, a large glass block window for light, a place to sit, ample storage for all my shoes..so I never have a mess in my room, its so easy to stay organized. DH''s isn''t as big as mine, but he can also dress in his closet.

I love the big bathroom...both DH & I can get ready, etc, and have plenty of space or privacy if we need it.

Kitchen: Open design with a ton of cabinetry. I haven''t even filled a few of them...but that''s ok...I''d rather have extra space than not enough.

 

[lumpkin]

Our kitchen layout is not as good for us as I thought it would be. The garage opens into our kitchen, which I thought would be great -- bring in the groceries and set them on the counter, put them away. Well, in reality, out kitchen ends up being the drop zone for everything, and I wish the garage opened into a foyer instead. We don''t get groceries every day but in the winter I have to be on everyone to go to the hall closet instead of leaving their coats hanging on the kitchen chairs. And my husband about leaving his laptop and work gear on the kitchen table. So I would have the garage open into a mud room with a place to hang our coats, put our boots and umbrellas, and be near our office so mail, work and homework stuff would not end up on the kitchen table.

Our kitchen is big enough, but there are windows on one was and a door opening on all the other walls. There is not enough counterspace or cabinet space, so we had to make the laundry area into a pantry and put the laundry area in our smallest bedroom upstairs (or it could have gone to the basement, but I didn''t want it so far from our closets). It has worked out well, but I wonder how a different owner might feel if we ever sell it. Personally, I like having the laundry near the bedrooms. In a bungalow I would want to have my washer and dryer on the main level.

I do like how our kitchen opens to our family room. I like how we were able to take the living room which we never used, and make it into our office. We have nice, big bedrooms and plenty of closet space. We don''t have walk in closets, but I like the closets we have. My husband has a closet and I have one -- they are connected but he has his own set of doors and I have mine.

We have nice bathrooms, but they are not "glamour" bathrooms. Our master bathroom has a dressing area separated by a door from the toilet and shower. We don''t take baths so this is great -- no wasted space on a tub. Our other bathroom has a tub/shower combo very common in the 70''s built homes. It''s fine for our kids because the younger one still takes baths and the older one takes showers. Ample counter and cabinet space in the bathrooms. Personally, I like the look of the big bathrooms with the separate shower and whirlpool tub, but I think we appreciate the extra space we have elsewhere rather than in a room we only spend about 1/2 hour a day in.

We have a full basement. If you can do that, I highly recommend it. We have a place for my treadmill, my husband has a work shop, we have storage, and the kids have a big place for their toys and things.

We have an attached garage -- I love not having to scrape the car in the winter or bring in groceries in the rain.



We also have a large linen closet.

 

[NYCsparkle]

always add more cabinets in the kitchen. i didn''t think we''d need so many, but we wound up ordering more after they came in. theres just seems to be never enough room for kitchen stuff.

i''d add a ceiling fan in the living room.

 

[jcrow]

we just moved into our spec home. we did some changes. here's some of my thoughts.

-- ran extra speaker wiring all over the place.
-- have a double-sided fireplace. above each side we ran hdmi/cable and an electrical outlet so that we could put a tv if wanted.
-- have a pantry and we added roll-out shelves. love that.
-- added hampers (swing out shelves that you can put clothes in and it lands in the basket below). so we have his & her hampers in the linen closet of the master bath.
-- have lots of cabinets in the kitchen. we don't even have stuff in some of them. love the extra space.
-- have a closed in toliet room in the master bath. LOVE that.
-- 6ft. whirlpool tub & separate shower in master bath. we both love the tub. it's large and comfy.
-- changed the centerset faucets to the widespread. so much eaiser to clean!

i thought about adding outlets under the eaves for xmas lights. but we wound up not doing it.
i'm sure i'll think of other stuff.

 

[chrono]

Things that I love about our house and glad we had added in as extras:
1. French doors to seperate the kitchen from the family room
2. Lot of windows for brightness
3. Breakfast nook
4. Lights in every bedroom
5. Fluorescent light in every closet
6. Fireplace in the corner which takes up less room
7. Whirlpool tub & shower in the master bathroom
8. Lots of cabinets (love the roll out style) - for the corners, I had a rotating style shelf)

Things I wish I had done
1. 3 car garage instead of an oversized 2 car garage and a shed so I don't have to trek to get my garden tools, bicycle, etc.
2. Bedroom above the garage (connected to the master bedroom) which would serve as a nursery, then transformed into am office when the baby is older.
3. French windows where I can add cushions to sit and read.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/18/2007 7:29:05 PM
Author: KimberlyH
We didn''t design our house, so I hope it''s okay if I pipe in.

We have two fireplaces, one in the family room and one in our bedroom, we use and love them both.

We have a walk in shower in our master bath and I love it. I much prefer it to a shower/tub combo. Don''t think I''d love a double shower.

Our toilet is enclosed and I don''t think it''s necessary.

I like having fresh air so I prefer lots of windows to french doors w/o screens.

I can''t imagine living in a house without a breakfast nook. We have inherited a lot of antiques so our living/dining room combo is very formal, I like having an informal space to eat in. We rarely use our dining room (the table is 400 years old and I''m afraid of it) but eat all our dinners in the breakfast area.

I love to cook and am so glad we have such a large kitchen, lots of counter space and a big pantry.

Our kitchen opens up to the breakfast nook/bar and family room and I love that I can be in the kitchen cooking and DH is with me, even though he''s on the couch in the family room. So I''d definitely have a great room as opposed to a closed off kitchen if I were designing my own home.

Hi KimberlyH,

I''m delighted, it soulds like you are happy and got a lot right 1st time. Well done!

Regarding the toilet issue, not to get personal but do you not find an enclosed loo means more privacy? Its my and DH''s policy to use the loo in private so I spent ages convincing him to box in the loo in the master bath. I hope its not a mistake!

Thanks for responding.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/18/2007 9:06:35 PM
Author: Kay

We bought a 40-year-old house and have done quite a bit of remodeling. There are times I wish we could have started from scratch to avoid fixing or living with someone else's bad taste/shoddy work, but starting from the ground up would probably have required me to quit my job for a year since I am so OCD about tiny details. Here’s what I have learned:

Electrical: We replaced all the electrical wiring before we moved in because it was easier and our contractor thought it was a fire hazard because of the overloaded fuse box. The contractor replaced everything, but pretty much left the outlet and switch placements as they were originally. If we had lived in the house first, I would have done a few things differently. For instance, we have a hall light, but the switch is halfway down the hall, which is inconvenient when it is dark. It would be better to have switches at both ends. We have the same problem with the dining room – there is a light switch at one entrance to the room, but not the other. Also, think about where you want your microwave (microwave/hood combo over stove or on a particular counter) so they can install a 'home run' (direct line) to the fuse box (required in CA). We installed Monster cable for a 5:1 surround sound system in the living room when we added that room on. We got the speakers on sale and thought they were pretty good since we never had surround sound before. Now, DH wishes we had gotten more and better speakers, and I wish we had purchased and installed flush, in-the-wall/ceiling speakers rather than the wall mounted speakers, which I try to hide even though they are small. It is much easier to make those changes before the drywall goes up.

Bathrooms: My parents’ old house had the toilet in a small alcove that was separated from the rest of the bathroom by a pocket door. I felt claustrophobic in there, like I was peeing in a coat closet. Each of our bathrooms has a wall that extends just along the side of the toilet so that you do not see it from the door or sink area, but the area in front of the toilet is open. It does not provide privacy for actually using the loo if someone else is using another part of the bathroom, but I think it provides a better aesthetic look to not have to look at the toilet when you are in there for other reasons.

We have a whirlpool bathtub and a separate walk-in shower, which I like much better than showering in a tub. I have used the whirlpool tub 3 times in 2 years, so it was a waste of money for us, but I figure buyers expect to see one in a remodeled bathroom, so I hope it will be a good investment from a resale perspective. Our shower probably is not considered a “double” shower since it only has one shower head, but it is big enough for two, which is very nice (approx. 72” x 32”). Speaking of doubles, we love having a large vanity area with two sinks so we do not have to share in the morning.

Doors: When we were searching for a carved wood front door, the salesman showed us the Jeld-Wen Aurora line, which had a few styles we really liked. Then he told us they were fiberglass, not real wood. If you look at them very closely or run your hand over the surface, you can tell, but just looking at them casually they look like real wood. We do not have a front porch or overhang, so our door is exposed to the elements, like rain and bright sun, and the salesman said we would have a lot of upkeep with real wood. We bought one that is “mahogany” with wrought iron accents and it is just beautiful. It will never rot or fade and have to be sanded or re-stained, and when it is dusty we can just clean it with a garden hose.

I love French doors. We have sliders in the master bedroom and living room that I would love to replace with French doors someday. I think it looks lovely to use them in just a couple of rooms in a house.

Buying fixtures: We fell in love with some pricey brushed nickel AquaBrass faucets at Home Expo. I found them online for much less at www.homeclick.com. We ended up buying our bathroom faucets (sink & tub), matching towel bars, shower heads, stainless steel Elkay kitchen sink, light fixtures and barbeque grill from Homeclick because the prices were so much better than local B&M stores and they had free shipping on orders over $300. (They now have free shipping, but a $9 handling fee for any size order.) They have a sale every weekend that ranges from 7-10% off their regular prices, so I would check in for a few weekends in a row until it hit 10% and then place my order.

And finally, the most important thing for me: large walk-in closets!

Hi Kay,

Great response - thanks for taking the time to write this.

The toilet privacy wall is a great option - very clever.

I was wavering about the tub. I found my dream bathtub about €1000, but its an additional €1600 ish for the jets to make it a spa tub. DH didnt mind the idea but I felt that as a double bath, it would be annoying to have jets behind and around each of you and then to pay extra! NOPE! You have made my mind up, no point in paying for something which I may never use anyway.

I considered the outside door issue and just today decided to set the door back into the house 3 ft. Also stops visitors having to wait in the wind and rain while I languish in the (non spa) tub!

I wish our master closet could be bigger - I had planned on seperate rooms (his and hers) but we decided to reduce the size of the house so that we would have a very small mortgage. That was a hard decision. To build the big dream or have more money every month in daily life? We decided we could extend if we got it badly wrong and if not more room for that upgrade

.

ETA: Your shower looks great. Super choice. We will have to get something similar over here as I am just under a foot shorter than DH.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 1:57:07 AM
Author: divergrrl

We added 1600sq ft on our old home & remodeled the old part......here is my list of things I wish I'd done in retrospect:

Well, I wish we had more storage closets on the main floor.

Pantry in the kitchen

Vinyl windows instead of my overly expensive ridiculous wood Pellas. (just had to have 'em...coulda spent that money elsewhere)

Washer & Dryer on the main. (I have a 3 story with daylight basement...laundry is down there, but dh found a way to move it to our huge 4ft closet in our front bathroom on the main floor -- yay! I get swell new frontloaders out of it as a bonus!)

Things we definitely got right:

Master suite: I designed my bedroom to a little bit smaller (its still big) in order to have 2 HUGE walk in closets (mine is 15ft long by 6ft wide) and DH's is big too, (6ft by 6ft maybe? I can't remember) so all our furniture is in our closets...our bedroom just has one large king bed, an armoire for tv, and 2 night stands.

I also wanted my master bath to be HUUUUGE. I have a large walk in shower, a separate soaking tub built into a custom cherry cabinet, double sinks & vanity, and a separate toilet enclosure. (sorry, I just like my potty private--that was a MUST HAVE for me)

So my tradeoff for some square footage normally alotted for the bedroom portion really made a huge difference. My closet is more of a 'dressing room' and has mirrors, highboy dressers, mutlitple places to hang things, tons of shelving, a large glass block window for light, a place to sit, ample storage for all my shoes..so I never have a mess in my room, its so easy to stay organized. DH's isn't as big as mine, but he can also dress in his closet.

I love the big bathroom...both DH & I can get ready, etc, and have plenty of space or privacy if we need it.

Kitchen: Open design with a ton of cabinetry. I haven't even filled a few of them...but that's ok...I'd rather have extra space than not enough.

Hi Divergrrl,

Thanks for responding.

You have done exactly what I want with the bedroom - all closets in the dressing room and just bed, tv and ocassional tables. You guys make me feel sane!

Over here, the reactions I have got are disbelief when I even suggested a seperate closet never mind a seperate master closet/room! Phew. Glad to know I'm on the right track.

I'm glad you are in my corner re seperate potty issue. I can brush my teeth while DH uses the master loo or vice versa. The luxury!

THANK YOU. (and thank you NYC Sparkle) Even DH looks at me sideways when I say how many cabinets I want in the kitchen, ants to know what I will put in them all. I keep saying, we are X and X (ages) now, I plan to collect a lot of kit equipment etc and they all need homes. Also I am so past having cluttered cupboards with expired products long forgotten at the back.

Yeah for empty cabinets.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 8:45:25 AM
Author: lumpkin
Our kitchen layout is not as good for us as I thought it would be. The garage opens into our kitchen, which I thought would be great -- bring in the groceries and set them on the counter, put them away. Well, in reality, out kitchen ends up being the drop zone for everything, and I wish the garage opened into a foyer instead. We don''t get groceries every day but in the winter I have to be on everyone to go to the hall closet instead of leaving their coats hanging on the kitchen chairs. And my husband about leaving his laptop and work gear on the kitchen table. So I would have the garage open into a mud room with a place to hang our coats, put our boots and umbrellas, and be near our office so mail, work and homework stuff would not end up on the kitchen table.

Our kitchen is big enough, but there are windows on one was and a door opening on all the other walls. There is not enough counterspace or cabinet space, so we had to make the laundry area into a pantry and put the laundry area in our smallest bedroom upstairs (or it could have gone to the basement, but I didn''t want it so far from our closets). It has worked out well, but I wonder how a different owner might feel if we ever sell it. Personally, I like having the laundry near the bedrooms. In a bungalow I would want to have my washer and dryer on the main level.

I do like how our kitchen opens to our family room. I like how we were able to take the living room which we never used, and make it into our office. We have nice, big bedrooms and plenty of closet space. We don''t have walk in closets, but I like the closets we have. My husband has a closet and I have one -- they are connected but he has his own set of doors and I have mine.

We have nice bathrooms, but they are not ''glamour'' bathrooms. Our master bathroom has a dressing area separated by a door from the toilet and shower. We don''t take baths so this is great -- no wasted space on a tub. Our other bathroom has a tub/shower combo very common in the 70''s built homes. It''s fine for our kids because the younger one still takes baths and the older one takes showers. Ample counter and cabinet space in the bathrooms. Personally, I like the look of the big bathrooms with the separate shower and whirlpool tub, but I think we appreciate the extra space we have elsewhere rather than in a room we only spend about 1/2 hour a day in.

We have a full basement. If you can do that, I highly recommend it. We have a place for my treadmill, my husband has a work shop, we have storage, and the kids have a big place for their toys and things.

We have an attached garage -- I love not having to scrape the car in the winter or bring in groceries in the rain.



We also have a large linen closet.

Hi lumpkin,

Sorry about the kitchen bottleneck

. You can''t anticipate everything!

Thanks for sharing.

Unfort, we cant have a basement so must stash everything on the same level. We have designed a utility room to join the garage to the kitchen so hopefully that will work out.

I understand what you are saying about not having a huge bathroom. This is what I had in the first plan, which had twice the sq footage of the revised version. But to have that luxury along with similar unnecessaries I worked out would have cost us more than €75k in interest over the period of the mortgage

. Once I worked that out my mind was made up - now the bathroom is half the size

.

I am so looking forwards to the attatched garage. No more windswept hair just getting to the car. (Well I won''t be able to use the excuse anymore anyway

)

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 11:41:00 AM
Author: jcrow
we just moved into our spec home. we did some changes. here''s some of my thoughts.

-- ran extra speaker wiring all over the place.
-- have a double-sided fireplace. above each side we ran hdmi/cable and an electrical outlet so that we could put a tv if wanted.
-- have a pantry and we added roll-out shelves. love that.
-- added hampers (swing out shelves that you can put clothes in and it lands in the basket below). so we have his & her hampers in the linen closet of the master bath.
-- have lots of cabinets in the kitchen. we don''t even have stuff in some of them. love the extra space.
-- have a closed in toliet room in the master bath. LOVE that.
-- 6ft. whirlpool tub & separate shower in master bath. we both love the tub. it''s large and comfy.
-- changed the centerset faucets to the widespread. so much eaiser to clean!

i thought about adding outlets under the eaves for xmas lights. but we wound up not doing it.
i''m sure i''ll think of other stuff.

Thanks for your comments Jcrow,

DH thanks you for the comment about surround sound wiring

.

You seem to be another vote for plentiful cabinets in the kitchen. Can never have enough I say...

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 11:48:46 AM
Author: Chrono
Things that I love about our house and glad we had added in as extras:
1. French doors to seperate the kitchen from the family room
2. Lot of windows for brightness
3. Breakfast nook
4. Lights in every bedroom
5. Fluorescent light in every closet
6. Fireplace in the corner which takes up less room
7. Whirlpool tub & shower in the master bathroom
8. Lots of cabinets (love the roll out style) - for the corners, I had a rotating style shelf)

Things I wish I had done
1. 3 car garage instead of an oversized 2 car garage and a shed so I don''t have to trek to get my garden tools, bicycle, etc.
2. Bedroom above the garage (connected to the master bedroom) which would serve as a nursery, then transformed into am office when the baby is older.
3. French windows where I can add cushions to sit and read.

Hi Chrono,

Yeah- Windows windows windows.

I''m glad you like french doors also. I was beginning to feel a bit freaky for asking for so many french doors. DH and the architect were both looking at me funny today as most rooms have 2 sets of french doors opening outside (except the bedroom which only has 1 set

). I know, I know. My name is Steel and I have a window and french door addiction... But- they cost the same as windows, allow lots more light and give flexibility when entertaining.

I must remember lighting in the dressing room closets. Do you have the ones that turn on when the door opens or the ones with string to turn them on?

I would love a 3 bay garage. SOB. But as I said earlier, I am happy to have 2 considering the interest I will save over the life of the mortgage. Darn banks.

 

[chrono]

Date: 7/19/2007 2:02:45 PM
Author: Steel
Hi Chrono,

Yeah- Windows windows windows.

I''m glad you like french doors also. I was beginning to feel a bit freaky for asking for so many french doors. DH and the architect were both looking at me funny today as most rooms have 2 sets of french doors opening outside (except the bedroom which only has 1 set

). I know, I know. My name is Steel and I have a window and french door addiction... But- they cost the same as windows, allow lots more light and give flexibility when entertaining.

I must remember lighting in the dressing room closets. Do you have the ones that turn on when the door opens or the ones with string to turn them on?

I would love a 3 bay garage. SOB. But as I said earlier, I am happy to have 2 considering the interest I will save over the life of the mortgage. Darn banks.

All our closets (in all 4 bedrooms) have a switch on the inside wall off to the side. No funky string to grope around for in the dark.

 

[Steel]

Would you believer i never thought of a switch. That sounds sturdy and practical.

Hmmmmmm.

 

[Kay]

Divergrrl: I would love to have a walk-in closet big enough to also be a dressing room. That would cut down on so much clutter. I will have to remember that idea if we ever build a house.

Re "potty privacy" -- I feel I should clarify. The partial wall we have next to the toilets (which was done by the previous owner) are great to hide the toilets, but neither DH nor I would dream of actually using the loo while someone else was in the bathroom showering or brushing teeth or whatever. Quite frankly, I''m not sure I would want to even with a door separating the 2 spaces since they are so close. We have two bathrooms and no kids, so if one of us needs to use the facilities while the other is getting ready for work, he or she just uses the hall bathroom that is right next door to the master bedroom.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 7/19/2007 1:26:15 PM
Author: Steel

Date: 7/18/2007 7:29:05 PM
Author: KimberlyH
We didn''t design our house, so I hope it''s okay if I pipe in.

We have two fireplaces, one in the family room and one in our bedroom, we use and love them both.

We have a walk in shower in our master bath and I love it. I much prefer it to a shower/tub combo. Don''t think I''d love a double shower.

Our toilet is enclosed and I don''t think it''s necessary.

I like having fresh air so I prefer lots of windows to french doors w/o screens.

I can''t imagine living in a house without a breakfast nook. We have inherited a lot of antiques so our living/dining room combo is very formal, I like having an informal space to eat in. We rarely use our dining room (the table is 400 years old and I''m afraid of it) but eat all our dinners in the breakfast area.

I love to cook and am so glad we have such a large kitchen, lots of counter space and a big pantry.

Our kitchen opens up to the breakfast nook/bar and family room and I love that I can be in the kitchen cooking and DH is with me, even though he''s on the couch in the family room. So I''d definitely have a great room as opposed to a closed off kitchen if I were designing my own home.

Hi KimberlyH,

I''m delighted, it soulds like you are happy and got a lot right 1st time. Well done!

Regarding the toilet issue, not to get personal but do you not find an enclosed loo means more privacy? Its my and DH''s policy to use the loo in private so I spent ages convincing him to box in the loo in the master bath. I hope its not a mistake!

Thanks for responding.

Hi Steel,

I don''t mind sharing at all! DH has and I don''t share a bathroom or closet. We''ve converted one of our bedrooms that has it''s own bathroom into an office for him and he uses it, I get the master bath and walk in closet all to myself.

~K

 

[poshpepper]

Date: 7/18/2007 6:52:58 PM
Author:Steel
DH and I are in the planning stages for our new home.

We are deisigning from scratch and are limited by local rules to one level; ie a bungalow.

So, my question is this:

Now that you are in your homes, or perhaps also designing, What is the benefit of your experience?

Is a double shower a must have or a nightmare to clean?

Would you have less french/patio doors and more windows or vice versa?

Would you enclose the loo in your master bathroom?

Would you have more fireplaces - or less?

What was the biggest waste of space or money?

What would you change? What did you get right?

Please share.......

My FI and I are wrapping up the final parts on our new house. Its pretty small (only 1300sqft) but since I designed it myself I got to put the space where I wanted it.

We have a walk in shower in the master bedroom (it has two shower heads) and I do not anticipate it to be difficult to clean. It is completely tiled and so it should be as easy to clean as the floor.

Since it is a small house, we have a set of french doors, but quite a few windows. I am a big fan of natural light so that was a must for me. They are all double pane gas filled which helps maintain the temperature inside the home.

As for an enclosed toilet in the master bath, this was a MUST for us. My FI is super sensitive about doing his business anywhere in my "visual" vicinity... this way he can close the door. For what its worth, we have a second bathroom also that he could have used for his privacy issues (just kidding, I really do agree with them) but I thought if we had company over he could still retreat to the master bath.

We didn''t design any fireplaces into the house because 1) it is so small to begin with and 2) we live in Southern California so its never really COLD COLD here...

Since we were working with such a small base, I purposely did not waste any space. We have a good sized master bedroom (14x15) and a good sized closet (14x6) and a wonderfully sized master bathroom (13x14). Our second bedroom is a little smaller because it was to be used as an office (12x11) and our kitchen and living room is basically one space that is visually separated by the cabinets.

What I would change: I would be more involved in the actual construction process (meaning the oversight of it) because there were a lot of things that needed to be moved (like switches and outlets)... but our contractor assured us that this was normal...

What we got right: This is our first house and we didn''t have a huge budget so we wanted luxury on a small scale. We did not go for a huge kitchen or lots of storage space (we will build a shed for that) so that we could maximize the living space.

Good luck on your project. Be sure to monitor your contractors closely!

 

[Miranda]

Date: 7/18/2007 6:52:58 PM
Author:Steel
DH and I are in the planning stages for our new home.

We are deisigning from scratch and are limited by local rules to one level; ie a bungalow.

So, my question is this:

Now that you are in your homes, or perhaps also designing, What is the benefit of your experience?

Is a double shower a must have or a nightmare to clean?

Would you have less french/patio doors and more windows or vice versa?

Would you enclose the loo in your master bathroom?

Would you have more fireplaces - or less?

What was the biggest waste of space or money?

What would you change? What did you get right?

Please share.......

What fun! We moved into our new home last year and are loving it. It was a tract development so we didn''t have total control, but, we did have a bit of say. I can answer a few of your questions, though.

I don''t know if a double shower would be more of a pain to clean, but, I''d love one! It would be worth it.

I would have fewer windows. My house has 65 windows...It is just plain too many! The shutters alone cost a fortune!

Enclosed loo is a must!!!!

For the price we paid per square foot for this place I didn''t want any wasted space. I planned to use every room every day. It hasn''t quite worked out like that. I have a small living room in the front of the house that doesn''t get used very often at all. I''d rather have a third car garage.

The things I would change, hmmmm...I guess it would be to have that third car garage. This house suits us very well. There is ample storage and the bedrooms are large enough for the kids. They love having a playroom. I love the jetted tub in the master bath. Even the dog and cat have their own space.

Good luck with your project!

 

[aljdewey]

Is this a house you''re going to want to stay in for a long time? If so, I''d want to think of things that might come along later.

I want a single level house at some point. Here in New England, the style I''d like isn''t really very common, and as first-time home buyers, hubby and I weren''t experienced enough to go the ''build'' route, but if we had, here were things I wanted.....

As in the pictures below, I''d want the "main" living areas of the house centrally located - the great room (or living room), the kitchen, and the dining room. I''d want the master suite to come off one side, and the other bedrooms to come off the other. This makes the house more versatile in the event that in-laws might need to stay with you in later years....they can do so with some privacy for you and them.

Another thing I like about this floorplan - washer/dryer (utility room) located just outside the bedroom - not directy abutting the family room.

Another thing - i don''t like to see the dining room from the main room (great or living room). If the dining room isn''t viewed from the main room, you can take
dinner guests into the living room without picking up right away, visit until they leave, and THEN pick up without having company sitting looking at dishes
left on the table. I can''t stand the newer floor plans that have combined dining/living room.

As someone else mentioned, I''d want several rooms wired for speakers/music.
I''d want french doors off breakfast area to a patio.
I''d want the walk-in shower and separate tub.
Copious kitchen cabinets.
Pick materials that require little maintenance.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 5:52:19 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 7/19/2007 1:26:15 PM
Author: Steel

Date: 7/18/2007 7:29:05 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Hi Steel,

I don''t mind sharing at all! DH has and I don''t share a bathroom or closet. We''ve converted one of our bedrooms that has it''s own bathroom into an office for him and he uses it, I get the master bath and walk in closet all to myself.

~K

Wow, seperate loos! You are my Idol!

I would love that....where are those plans? Perhaps I could squeeze a port-a-potty in!

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 7:44:43 PM
Author: poshpepper

Date: 7/18/2007 6:52:58 PM
Author:Steel
Please share.......

My FI and I are wrapping up the final parts on our new house. Its pretty small (only 1300sqft) but since I designed it myself I got to put the space where I wanted it.

We have a walk in shower in the master bedroom (it has two shower heads) and I do not anticipate it to be difficult to clean. It is completely tiled and so it should be as easy to clean as the floor.

Since it is a small house, we have a set of french doors, but quite a few windows. I am a big fan of natural light so that was a must for me. They are all double pane gas filled which helps maintain the temperature inside the home.

As for an enclosed toilet in the master bath, this was a MUST for us. My FI is super sensitive about doing his business anywhere in my ''visual'' vicinity... this way he can close the door. For what its worth, we have a second bathroom also that he could have used for his privacy issues (just kidding, I really do agree with them) but I thought if we had company over he could still retreat to the master bath.

We didn''t design any fireplaces into the house because 1) it is so small to begin with and 2) we live in Southern California so its never really COLD COLD here...

Since we were working with such a small base, I purposely did not waste any space. We have a good sized master bedroom (14x15) and a good sized closet (14x6) and a wonderfully sized master bathroom (13x14). Our second bedroom is a little smaller because it was to be used as an office (12x11) and our kitchen and living room is basically one space that is visually separated by the cabinets.

What I would change: I would be more involved in the actual construction process (meaning the oversight of it) because there were a lot of things that needed to be moved (like switches and outlets)... but our contractor assured us that this was normal...

What we got right: This is our first house and we didn''t have a huge budget so we wanted luxury on a small scale. We did not go for a huge kitchen or lots of storage space (we will build a shed for that) so that we could maximize the living space.

Good luck on your project. Be sure to monitor your contractors closely!

Hi PoshPepper,

Thanks for sharing. Your room sizes sound lovely, especially for a first home. Good choices.

Yes, DH and I still don''t know how to work out how many switches and outlets we want per room. Its ideal to switch on the hall light at the start of the hall and off at the end, but our hall is T shaped. So I want hall lights to be switched on at the top of the T off at the middle of the T (or on!) then on or off when I reach the foyer outside. SO really I want about 6 hall switches for the same set of lights! DH suggested I buy one of those constuction/mining hats with the light on the top and use that inside instead of the hall lights. No switches and on where ever I go!

In the same light I want outlets every 2 feet in the kitchen, i so don''t want to say when we are built, damn the cord dosent stretch. Or have to unplug the kettle for the kitchen aid (again).

Does E-bay do crystal balls? Be good to know the future

.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 7/20/2007 1:46:12 PM
Author: Steel

Date: 7/19/2007 5:52:19 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 7/19/2007 1:26:15 PM
Author: Steel

Date: 7/18/2007 7:29:05 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Hi Steel,

I don''t mind sharing at all! DH has and I don''t share a bathroom or closet. We''ve converted one of our bedrooms that has it''s own bathroom into an office for him and he uses it, I get the master bath and walk in closet all to myself.

~K

Wow, seperate loos! You are my Idol!

I would love that....where are those plans? Perhaps I could squeeze a port-a-potty in!

Thanks for the suggestion.

Steel, we live in a rather large house and every one of the bedrooms has its own bath. One is a jack-and-jill the rest are en suite. We also have a 1/2 in the hallway for guests. We intend to move to a much smaller place within the next year. When we do DH will convert the garage into an office with a private bath and I''ll get the master again. We decided some things aren''t meant to be shared, and a bathroom is one of those things!

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/19/2007 11:33:49 PM
Author: Miranda

Date: 7/18/2007 6:52:58 PM
Author:Steel

What fun! We moved into our new home last year and are loving it. It was a tract development so we didn''t have total control, but, we did have a bit of say. I can answer a few of your questions, though.

I don''t know if a double shower would be more of a pain to clean, but, I''d love one! It would be worth it.

I would have fewer windows. My house has 65 windows...It is just plain too many! The shutters alone cost a fortune!

Enclosed loo is a must!!!!

For the price we paid per square foot for this place I didn''t want any wasted space. I planned to use every room every day. It hasn''t quite worked out like that. I have a small living room in the front of the house that doesn''t get used very often at all. I''d rather have a third car garage.

The things I would change, hmmmm...I guess it would be to have that third car garage. This house suits us very well. There is ample storage and the bedrooms are large enough for the kids. They love having a playroom. I love the jetted tub in the master bath. Even the dog and cat have their own space.

Good luck with your project!

65 Windows.

I love it! You must be the curtain (drapes) / blinds QUEEN

. DO you have swags and tails? I LOVE them!

3 car garage, I will say this to DH! I really wanted 3 bays in the beginning but was cut to 2 for costs. Perhaps this is a ''false economy''. Hmmm

Dog and Cat space - So cute.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/20/2007 1:02:57 AM
Author: aljdewey
Is this a house you''re going to want to stay in for a long time? If so, I''d want to think of things that might come along later.

I want a single level house at some point. Here in New England, the style I''d like isn''t really very common, and as first-time home buyers, hubby and I weren''t experienced enough to go the ''build'' route, but if we had, here were things I wanted.....

As in the pictures below, I''d want the ''main'' living areas of the house centrally located - the great room (or living room), the kitchen, and the dining room. I''d want the master suite to come off one side, and the other bedrooms to come off the other. This makes the house more versatile in the event that in-laws might need to stay with you in later years....they can do so with some privacy for you and them.

Another thing I like about this floorplan - washer/dryer (utility room) located just outside the bedroom - not directy abutting the family room.

Another thing - i don''t like to see the dining room from the main room (great or living room). If the dining room isn''t viewed from the main room, you can take
dinner guests into the living room without picking up right away, visit until they leave, and THEN pick up without having company sitting looking at dishes
left on the table. I can''t stand the newer floor plans that have combined dining/living room.

As someone else mentioned, I''d want several rooms wired for speakers/music.
I''d want french doors off breakfast area to a patio.
I''d want the walk-in shower and separate tub.
Copious kitchen cabinets.
Pick materials that require little maintenance.

Hello aljdewey,

Thank you for replying!

Yes, I demanded that the reception rooms be away from the dining room for that exact same reason! Thank you for suggesting it though. I would have prefered that the dining room not be visible from the kitchen but the cloth can only be cut so many ways so this was a compromise that we build an arch from kit to dining but then keep the 2 reception rooms seperate.

Dh and I spoke about the wiring today, we think we will wire the 2 reception rooms. I am not a fan but with the pricescopers behind him DH wins out!

YEAH another vote for crazy amounts of cabinets. Last count we will have about 120 ft of cabinet space (top and bottom). DH fainted when we worked that out but he is coming around to the idea, especially when I agreed to drop the pantry. Cabinets, cabinets, cabinets WOoooo.

Re materials, I am so ashamed, as i am normally a very cost conscious person.... But, I love the look of polished black marble for the hall and foyer(s) flooring. My issue is that the shop says they require sealing and maint every 5 years, plus are 5 times the cost of regular tiles. So the compromise is perhaps we will leave the flooring for a while (till we win the lottery perhaps!).

(Said in Homer Simpson type fashion re Doughnuts: Hmmmmmm Black Polished Marble)

iI thought I would want wood planks for flooring but tiles are so much easier to clean and sanitise. So it will prob be tiles. Thats a vote for easy clean!

 

[eks6426]

I built my first house over 10 years ago on a new college grad salary. I''ve since moved 2 times. I''m not into the super large houses that are going up now. It''s the little details that make the difference to me. Things that I consider useful:

1. Agree on lights in closets. Put them on a motion detector. You walk in and they go on. After you leave, they turn off. Simple and easy. Motion dectors can also work in the hallways. You can put a switch to turn them off in case you want it dark for some reason.

2. Electrical outlets--think about where you are going to plug in the vacuum, put up Christmas lights, table top fountains etc. They are super easy to add when building but a pain to do it later. Think about floor outlets too especially if you have a great room.

3. Pantry storage. Get the pull out kind or have shallow shelving. Deep shelving in the pantry tends to just get messy and it''s hard to find things.

4. Utility closets. Make sure there are enough places to put the vacuum, brooms etc. Better yet, install a whole house vac. At the very least, put a utility closet on every floor so you don''t have to drag the vacuum around as much. You can never have too many closets

5. Laundry should be located near the bedrooms that generate the laundry. Basement or even 1st floor (in a multi-story house) means a lot of schlepping. I don''t really think you need a whole laundry room but it is nice to have more than just space for the washer & dryer. I like a little extra space to put the sorter hamper so people put their clothes in already the right spot and it is easy to tell when a load needs to be done. Much easier than having hampers in everyone''s rooms...hate it when my kid decides that he is finally going to haul out the laundry in his hamper and suddenly I''m needing to do 5 loads.... Also, don''t forget space to drip dry clothes if you have any.

6. A place near your main door for purses, keys & other daily things. For a lot of people this can get cluttery..winding up on a table top or counter. If everyone in your family has a place for the stuff, the house tends to look a lot tidier.

7. Outside outlets and faucets. Builders tend to put both of these in dumb, hard to reach places. Adding a few extra outlets is always good especially with the newer outside lights that look like regular lamps. Remember you can put them on your deck or in the yard. They don''t have to be right on the house. For the faucets, put them where you''ll use them most. If you want big pots of flowers by your front door, make sure they will be easy to water (or better yet put them on drip irrigation)

8. A 1/2 bath that is close to an outside door. Really helpful if you''re outside working & dirty and need to pop in to use the loo. Make sure you don''t have to go on any carpet to get there. Extremely handy with kids who seem to always be running in and out of the house.

9. Lighting under cabinets. Makes a big difference. Use a dimmer switch too. In fact, put dimmers on a lot of lights in the house.

10. Outlets on top of the fireplace mantle. You can''t seem them normally, but it is super nice for Xmas decorating or even putting cute little lamps for everyday.

11. Making hallways work more. You can widen a hallway just a foot and have room to install bookshelves. Add lighting & the hallway suddenly is a lot more interesting and useful.

12. Have cabinets that are big enough for bigger kitchen appliances like food processors, stand mixers, bread machines. etc. so they don''t have to live on the counter but also don''t have to go into long term storage.

13. And most importantly stay on top of your builder, especially if you make a lot of changes. It''s easier to have them fix something if you notice right away rather than a week later.

 

[Steel]

Date: 7/24/2007 9:31:19 AM
Author: IslandDreams
I built my first house over 10 years ago on a new college grad salary. I''ve since moved 2 times. I''m not into the super large houses that are going up now. It''s the little details that make the difference to me. Things that I consider useful:

1. Agree on lights in closets. Put them on a motion detector. You walk in and they go on. After you leave, they turn off. Simple and easy. Motion dectors can also work in the hallways. You can put a switch to turn them off in case you want it dark for some reason.

2. Electrical outlets--think about where you are going to plug in the vacuum, put up Christmas lights, table top fountains etc. They are super easy to add when building but a pain to do it later. Think about floor outlets too especially if you have a great room.

3. Pantry storage. Get the pull out kind or have shallow shelving. Deep shelving in the pantry tends to just get messy and it''s hard to find things.

4. Utility closets. Make sure there are enough places to put the vacuum, brooms etc. Better yet, install a whole house vac. At the very least, put a utility closet on every floor so you don''t have to drag the vacuum around as much. You can never have too many closets

5. Laundry should be located near the bedrooms that generate the laundry. Basement or even 1st floor (in a multi-story house) means a lot of schlepping. I don''t really think you need a whole laundry room but it is nice to have more than just space for the washer & dryer. I like a little extra space to put the sorter hamper so people put their clothes in already the right spot and it is easy to tell when a load needs to be done. Much easier than having hampers in everyone''s rooms...hate it when my kid decides that he is finally going to haul out the laundry in his hamper and suddenly I''m needing to do 5 loads.... Also, don''t forget space to drip dry clothes if you have any.

6. A place near your main door for purses, keys & other daily things. For a lot of people this can get cluttery..winding up on a table top or counter. If everyone in your family has a place for the stuff, the house tends to look a lot tidier.

7. Outside outlets and faucets. Builders tend to put both of these in dumb, hard to reach places. Adding a few extra outlets is always good especially with the newer outside lights that look like regular lamps. Remember you can put them on your deck or in the yard. They don''t have to be right on the house. For the faucets, put them where you''ll use them most. If you want big pots of flowers by your front door, make sure they will be easy to water (or better yet put them on drip irrigation)

8. A 1/2 bath that is close to an outside door. Really helpful if you''re outside working & dirty and need to pop in to use the loo. Make sure you don''t have to go on any carpet to get there. Extremely handy with kids who seem to always be running in and out of the house.

9. Lighting under cabinets. Makes a big difference. Use a dimmer switch too. In fact, put dimmers on a lot of lights in the house.

10. Outlets on top of the fireplace mantle. You can''t seem them normally, but it is super nice for Xmas decorating or even putting cute little lamps for everyday.

11. Making hallways work more. You can widen a hallway just a foot and have room to install bookshelves. Add lighting & the hallway suddenly is a lot more interesting and useful.

12. Have cabinets that are big enough for bigger kitchen appliances like food processors, stand mixers, bread machines. etc. so they don''t have to live on the counter but also don''t have to go into long term storage.

13. And most importantly stay on top of your builder, especially if you make a lot of changes. It''s easier to have them fix something if you notice right away rather than a week later.

Gosh, thank you IslandDreams.

Such wonderful suggestions.

I am particularly impressed by the motion sensor idea. I NEVER thought of that, didn''t even know it was available. Do you know a brand name you have had particular sucess with or are the sensors pretty generic?

I love your ideas. Thank you.

This thread is invaluable, it is so hard to try to get it all right. I just know i will forget the most basic thing and have to kick myself. Hopefully with your great advice I wont get anything wrong at all! Well, here''s hoping

.

 

[eks6426]

You can add a motion sensor to any light so you aren''t limited by the styles of lights. It is used frequently instead of a switch. Most electricians should know where to get them. They''re not really Lowes or Home Depot sorts of items. I''ve also seen it done where everytime you open the closet door the light comes on...but if you don''t shut it will usually stay on unless you have it timed where it turns off in 15 minutes or something. You can also put all your exterior lights on photocell so they come on automatically when it gets dark. I used to work for Hubbell Electical Products and learned all sorts of cool electrical stuff. ( I can wire a house on my own. Most useful job training I ever had..but it was a huge shock for a 22 year old marketing grad)

Thought of something else. Think about towel bars/hooks in the bathroom. Most builders put in one or 2 and that is often not enough or they are in dumb places. Also, raise the showerhead to around 7 feet then get an adjustable showernozel on the bar...I think someone suggested this...but the key is to get the pipe coming out of the wall high enough for tall people.

When faced with all the choices in building a house, pay for the changes that you won''t be able to do easily later...adding windows or french doors, moving walls etc. If money is tight, you can skip upgrading the faucets, tile or carpet etc because those aren''t structural so you can always change them later.