Next house must haves? Deal breakers?

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 4/23/2009 11:05:27 AM
Author: TheBigT
I DEFinitely need to be near an apartment building!

... I couldn''t help it. Sorry.


In all honesty, all I want out of life is my own washer/dryer.

Lol. That was very funny.

P.S. I love your ring! I have to search for your SMTR thread later today.

 

[absolut_blonde]

SO is a contractor, so many things are not dealbreakers for me because they are (relatively) easily fixable for us.

My musts:
- Ensuite off the master bedroom with a soaker tub and separate shower (for some reason I dislike shower/tub combos)
- Walk in closet in the master bedroom
- Large kitchen (details are unimportant, we can swap out the finishes/appliances)
- Two storey home - bungalows here don''t provide enough space unless they are the very high end, very expensive bungalows
- 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath
- Location - must be in a certain quadrant of the city

Other things that would be nice:
- Second floor bonus room
- Main floor office/den
- Main floor laundry - I don''t want to be hauling loads down into the basement constantly, particularly once we have kids. However, some floor plans simply don''t have the space for this on the main level.

We actually prefer homes with an undeveloped basement and no garage, simply because it''s a lot cheaper for SO to build them himself. However, neither of us is into heavy duty renos so something relatively new that requires mostly cosmetic work is preferable.

 

[CNOS128]

Date: 4/23/2009 12:38:13 PM
Author: Loves Vintage

Date: 4/23/2009 11:05:27 AM

Author: TheBigT

I DEFinitely need to be near an apartment building!

... I couldn''t help it. Sorry.



In all honesty, all I want out of life is my own washer/dryer.

Lol. That was very funny.


P.S. I love your ring! I have to search for your SMTR thread later today.

Oh, thank you LV! (And I think you''re probably the only person other than me who thinks I''m funny!) I''m not sure if I ever had a SMTR thread, but I''ve definitely posted pictures of my ring (which belonged to fiance''s grandmother)...

And, to stay on topic -- I also wouldn''t want to live in a split-level house (i think that''s what it''s called). They kind of freak me out, but I''m not sure why. I had a really good friend growing up who lived in a split-level, and something about it never felt quite right to me. Although their house was GORGEOUS. Anyway...

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 4/23/2009 12:54:05 PM
Author: TheBigT

Date: 4/23/2009 12:38:13 PM
Author: Loves Vintage

Date: 4/23/2009 11:05:27 AM

Author: TheBigT

I DEFinitely need to be near an apartment building!

... I couldn't help it. Sorry.



In all honesty, all I want out of life is my own washer/dryer.

Lol. That was very funny.


P.S. I love your ring! I have to search for your SMTR thread later today.

Oh, thank you LV! (And I think you're probably the only person other than me who thinks I'm funny!) I'm not sure if I ever had a SMTR thread, but I've definitely posted pictures of my ring (which belonged to fiance's grandmother)...

And, to stay on topic -- I also wouldn't want to live in a split-level house (i think that's what it's called). They kind of freak me out, but I'm not sure why. I had a really good friend growing up who lived in a split-level, and something about it never felt quite right to me. Although their house was GORGEOUS. Anyway...

Ahh, that explains it! I'm nothing if not consistent on my preferences!

Maybe you should start a SMTR thread? That ring deserves one!

And to stay on topic, we are more or less living in our dream home now, so I have a lot of my must haves, one of which is a huge tree'd yard.

The things that I would like, but do not have are:

-- a garden area with full sun. Our trees (I still have to figure out what kind they are) are 60 ft-ish high, maybe more, so even though they are spread apart, they create a huge canopy and only allow filtered light into the yard, which is a huge plus in the heat, but not so good for tomatoes!

-- built-in bookcases. We will probably add these in family room. DIY.

-- 1930's character. My first home (pre-marriage) was a colonial built in 1930. I love that house (and still own it due to the market; renting it now.) But, it has picture-frame hardwood floors in the living room and dining room, leaded glass windows (ahh), original subway tile on the bathroom walls with black and white trim and a basket weave tile floor, original deep tub with those "H" and "C" porcelain handles, those crystal door knobs. Gorgeous wood trim. If my house had been built in 1930, instead of 1967, it would be perfection!

 

[Winks_Elf]

We''re actually house hunting right now. Not sure of when we''ll move, but here are deal breakers for me: Oil heat, only one toilet, swimming pools, multi-family dwellings!

We want to find a home that: has at least three bedrooms, minimum two toilets, safe yard (no big boulders in the yard, must have enough grass to play on), set back from the road if it''s a busy street (little ones LOVE to bolt from door to street!), and have a minimum of seven rooms (3 bedrooms, LR, DR, EIK, family room), and a finished or walk-out basement would be a huge bonus. Couldn''t care less about a garage, but it''s a great place to store stuff. Oh, and there has to be room either in the basement or kitchen for my stand-up freezer! With all the kids, I stock up on meat, bread, chicken nuggets and fish sticks.

 

[Aloros]

We love our home right now. It''s more than I ever dreamed of having for a first-time home. It''s spacious, well-lit, across from a huge park, and is just beautiful. But if we moved, I''d look for a couple of things:
-granite countertops (I hate our tile ones - it''s on "the list" for improvements)
-walk-in pantry
-1/2 bath downstairs NOT located near the dining room

Things I want to change in our house and are do-able:
-nicer baseboards
-windowsills
-make our closet smaller (the closet is the size of the other three bedrooms!) and extend the master bath for a separate soaker tub and shower
-granite countertops
-dark bamboo flooring in dining room
-replace all cupboards and cabinets with dark solid wood
-new countertops in bathrooms with separate sinks (right now the sink is built into the countertop, I hate it...I think it looks very "apartment")
-install crown moulding - I love this stuff
-GET RID OF THE WHITE CARPET. Seriously, with a kid, a cat, and a dog, it is driving me NUTS. Beige, sand, cream - anything but white!

 

[E B]

Date: 4/23/2009 1:49:43 PM
Author: Aloros

-GET RID OF THE WHITE CARPET. Seriously, with a kid, a cat, and a dog, it is driving me NUTS. Beige, sand, cream - anything but white!

I feel the same way about pale/white flooring or countertops anywhere in the house. I know some prefer the crisp, clean look, but they must be robot clean, because white surfaces (especially floors) show everything. Our kitchen floor in our last rental was white laminate and it was such a PITA. Never again.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

MIL had white carpeting in her last two houses and I finally convinced her to go with a tan for their new house. She is a neat freak but even her old carpeting had stains. Ick!

Split levels here (or any house with strange layout) is really difficult to sell. People want something more mainstream. So it is a good idea if you are only going to live in the house for a few years to look at it with a neutral eye not just want you love about it.

 

[Burk]

Things that are on the can not do without list right now (as we finish the plans for our house we''re building):

walk-in pantry
large family room (two story)
open plan, but not so open that you can see everything in the kitchen from the family room because I,too, want to be able to entertain and NOT see the dirty pots and pans)
large master bath and closet(s)
walk-out basement (this was more DH''s thing and mostly for resale)
laundry room-as in a place where I can iron and hang things that need to hang to dry
office on main floor
crown molding and thick baseboards (white)
oh, and there will be NO white carpet.

I''m sure there''s more....

And as for the comment about stainless steal "going out" does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh be careful of open floor plans where the family room is two stories and the 2nd floor hall looks down and the bedrooms are off there b/c ANY conversation, kitchen noise, TV, anything can be heard. Really annoying!

 

[Camille]

Large kitchen w/pantry is a must!
Office space
Lots of windows
Natural floors/granite tops NOTHING fake for sure
Main floor laundry
Main floor bed/bath [aging/accidents/sick]
NO carpet
Tall ceilings, the higher the better, seriously
Decent distance between the neighbors
Not to far from the city but not IN the city

 

[Burk]

Date: 4/23/2009 3:39:15 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Oh be careful of open floor plans where the family room is two stories and the 2nd floor hall looks down and the bedrooms are off there b/c ANY conversation, kitchen noise, TV, anything can be heard. Really annoying!

Ours won''t be like a hallway on the 2nd and a railing you can look over to see the family room. It will be a full wall because of noise and also for safety. The kids rooms will be the only ones on the second floor. First floor master is not for everyone, but what we wanted.

 

[pennquaker09]

Absolute Must Haves
- Powder Room/Half Bath on the first floor. We have people over quite a bit and I think it’s great to have a powder room for entertaining.
- Mud Room - We don’t have mud rooms in the South, but up North, I think they are essential. Especially with kids.
- Formal Dining Room – A lot of people don’t like them, but I hate that I don’t have a true dining space. It’s probably the thing I miss the most about the house we had in Philadelphia. In my family we used the dining room all the time. It’s the way my parents taught me how to eat at formal functions. Well, my grandmother was the one that taught me, but we did use the dining room.
- Garage in the rear. Even though we’re planning on building our next house, if by some chance we find an existing Tudor that would work, the garage has to either be in the back, or it’s moving to the back when we renovate. I hate front facing garages.
- Tudor. It has to be a Tudor. I would love an older Tudor that we could renovate, but we’re completely prepared to build one, but we are going to build it so that it looks like an older Tudor.
- Full basement.
- Lots of closets. Every bedroom is going to have a walk-in with built-ins.


I have a long list, but it does change periodically. I''m not sure if I want a master on main or a 3rd floor that is completely ours. I want a huge closet/dressing room. Kind of like an adult retreat.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Penn, you would love the house I grew up in. It was an English Tutor from 1920 and was amazing. A total money pit but stunning.

Burk, that''s good. Their house had the master on the first too and I think it is nice for when the kids get older! But the noise..uggg...acted like a tunnel. Horrible.

 

[sap483]

Date: 4/25/2009 1:56:23 AM
Author: pennquaker09
Absolute Must Haves
- Powder Room/Half Bath on the first floor. We have people over quite a bit and I think it’s great to have a powder room for entertaining.
- Mud Room - We don’t have mud rooms in the South, but up North, I think they are essential. Especially with kids.
- Formal Dining Room – A lot of people don’t like them, but I hate that I don’t have a true dining space. It’s probably the thing I miss the most about the house we had in Philadelphia. In my family we used the dining room all the time. It’s the way my parents taught me how to eat at formal functions. Well, my grandmother was the one that taught me, but we did use the dining room.
- Garage in the rear. Even though we’re planning on building our next house, if by some chance we find an existing Tudor that would work, the garage has to either be in the back, or it’s moving to the back when we renovate. I hate front facing garages.
- Tudor. It has to be a Tudor. I would love an older Tudor that we could renovate, but we’re completely prepared to build one, but we are going to build it so that it looks like an older Tudor.
- Full basement.
- Lots of closets. Every bedroom is going to have a walk-in with built-ins.


I have a long list, but it does change periodically. I''m not sure if I want a master on main or a 3rd floor that is completely ours. I want a huge closet/dressing room. Kind of like an adult retreat.

Penn, those are all on mine and DH''s list of must haves in our next home besides the Tudor- I love them and put an offer in on one before we bought our current house- DH isn''t a huge fan.

In addition to those, I would also say the following, because they are harder and more expensive to fix on an existing home:
- Southern exposure driveway (ours faces North and it stays icy all winter long)
- Very well insulated/energy efficient doors and windows (our house was built in 1940 and we''ve been spending lots of money to make it more energy efficient)
- Attic Fan and Central Air
- Gas heat (currently have oil)
-Town Sewer (we have septic)
- Cul-de-sac or quiet neighborhood
- At least an acre of land and adequate distance from our neighbors (we have 1.5 acres and can''t really see our neighbors on either side- we love the privacy)
-3 car garage in the back of the house (DH has a lot of tools, motorized toys, and lawn and garden equipement- so much that we can''t park our cars in our current garage, even though we have a couple of large sheds).

 

[zhuzhu]

Our current house pretty much has all the structural "must haves" already: 3 car garage (a must for my DH), nice large lot for garden/landscaping, huge walk in closet, high ceilinsg and high windows throughout. The only interior option that I may like to have in the next house (if ever) is a master bathtub and a walk-in shower separated. However for us to even bother with a house upgrade, the next one has to have either a canyon in the backyard or a beautiful ocean view.

 

[partgypsy]

I have no plans to move anytime soon but it would be curious to see if/when we sell the house what are the dealbreakers, It is a real mix of both desirable and not so desirable traits. There are some who would not be interested in our house due it''s limitations but other people who have visited our house said this type of house is their dream house.

1925-1930 wood bungalow
Downsides are: smallish kitchen
very little storage (small or no closets in bedrooms)
washer/dryer in master bedroom (yep you heard right)
very small yard
no garage or even driveway (supposedly the driveway is in our backyard but rather have the yard space)
plus sides
10 foot ceilings, mostly plaster walls
all wood floors
walk-in pantry in kitchen
large master bath with slipper tub
Since it was so untouched (never fixed up) no crappy stuff like cheap fixtures or bad decor in bathroom, kitchen to take out
love our front and back porch, and established neighborhood.

 

[partgypsy]

So as you can see from my downsides if we ever moved I would want a house with a larger yard and at least a driveway to park the car. The rest I could deal with (my husband''s handy

). My dream house would be a custom house that "green" and super energy efficient, not too much bigger (maybe go from 1500-1800) but great storage, bigger yard. Since that would cost buco bucks we like where we are.

 

[Haven]

This is a great thread! We bought our home last summer, and I had a lot of musts on my list. DH and I had *very* different ideas about our ideal home, but in the end, I won. He loves the house now, though.

Must-Haves that we have right now:
- Open layout that''s great for entertaining
- Ranch home
- Big front yard and back yard
- Mud room
- Foyer
- Wood floors
- Lots of windows
- Character
- Location, location, location--walkability, cultural attractions, great schools, great night life, safe, diverse, bike ride away from the lake, no more than a 20 minute drive into the city

Deal-Breakers:
- Split-level homes. Especially raised ranches.
- Choppy floor plan, I need flow between rooms
- Little or poor natural light
- Small front or back yard
- Generic home design
- Faceless suburb (all chains with no local shops or cultural venues)

Must-Haves for our *next* house (OR, things we''ll change when we add on!)
- Open kitchen up to dining room/living room space
- Mahogany or other wood countertops in kitchen
- Attached master bathroom
- Bigger laundry room
- Basement
- Front porch. I have serious front porch envy. Sometimes it''s so bad, it hurts. (I think our white adirondack chairs are aching for a front porch, too. They look great in our back yard, but really, they need a porch.)

DH originally made me promise that we could add-on within the next three years, because he thought the house was too small to raise a family, it''s about 16 sq ft. However, we''re finding that we have a lot of space. I think it is laid out perfectly, so everything has its place, and we could definitely get a few kids in there with all their stuff, too. However, I *really* want a bigger kitchen, so we''ll probably bump out the back 15 ft or so to add a master bath and walk-in closet, extend the kitchen, dining room, and family room, and then move one interior wall to make our laundry/mud room larger.

I think there''s a goldfish effect with living spaces--if I have a lot of space, I naturally accumulate more *stuff*. If I don''t have the space, I don''t accumulate the stuff.

 

[Ara Ann]

Something we learned from our first home, about location...we had a huge back yard, with an additional 6 acres of wooded property that backed to ours...this property ran along the length of our street and made it very woodsy feeling, even though we were in a suburb setting (it was gorgeous)...however, after a few years, the property owners tried to sell the wooded acreage to a developer and they planned to build a 4 story apartment complex, with several buildings behind our houses! So our neighbors got together and we protested the apartment idea...the property still sold and was developed, but with beautiful high end homes instead, whew. So when we built our current home, we made sure our property was landlocked and would not change...we had a choice of lots, the ones across the street from us back to woods, but again, that wooded property behind their yards could be sold and developed someday...so we took the ''safe'' side of the street and have a lovely pond/nature preserve area instead of woods. I still miss the woodsy feel we had, but we won''t have to worry about high rise apartments going in either! Beware of the immediate surroundings when you are buying a home!

And our next home will be a downsize, for sure, once the kids move out...things are great for us now in this house, but it will be too big once we are empty nesters! My dream home is a beautiful log cabin/house, near woods and a private pond or small lake...

Or, a sharp cozy condo in our small but ''cool'' downtown area...I am torn between the two!

 

[October2008bride]

Date: 4/28/2009 5:30:04 PM
Author: Ara Ann
Something we learned from our first home, about location...we had a huge back yard, with an additional 6 acres of wooded property that backed to ours...this property ran along the length of our street and made it very woodsy feeling, even though we were in a suburb setting (it was gorgeous)...however, after a few years, the property owners tried to sell the wooded acreage to a developer and they planned to build a 4 story apartment complex, with several buildings behind our houses! So our neighbors got together and we protested the apartment idea...the property still sold and was developed, but with beautiful high end homes instead, whew. So when we built our current home, we made sure our property was landlocked and would not change...we had a choice of lots, the ones across the street from us back to woods, but again, that wooded property behind their yards could be sold and developed someday...so we took the ''safe'' side of the street and have a lovely pond/nature preserve area instead of woods. I still miss the woodsy feel we had, but we won''t have to worry about high rise apartments going in either! Beware of the immediate surroundings when you are buying a home!

And our next home will be a downsize, for sure, once the kids move out...things are great for us now in this house, but it will be too big once we are empty nesters! My dream home is a beautiful log cabin/house, near woods and a private pond or small lake...

Or, a sharp cozy condo in our small but ''cool'' downtown area...I am torn between the two!

Thank goodness it turned out okay!!

I had a friend who bought a new-build that backed onto a wooded lot - he paid a premium for that lot! 2 months before closing, the wooded lot burnt down in a fire!!

Of course, the cynic in me says they burned it down on purpose - get the premium, burn it down and then build on those lots. Either way, who knows. Poor guy though.

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 4/28/2009 6:43:49 PM
Author: october2008bride

Date: 4/28/2009 5:30:04 PM

Author: Ara Ann

Something we learned from our first home, about location...we had a huge back yard, with an additional 6 acres of wooded property that backed to ours...this property ran along the length of our street and made it very woodsy feeling, even though we were in a suburb setting (it was gorgeous)...however, after a few years, the property owners tried to sell the wooded acreage to a developer and they planned to build a 4 story apartment complex, with several buildings behind our houses! So our neighbors got together and we protested the apartment idea...the property still sold and was developed, but with beautiful high end homes instead, whew. So when we built our current home, we made sure our property was landlocked and would not change...we had a choice of lots, the ones across the street from us back to woods, but again, that wooded property behind their yards could be sold and developed someday...so we took the ''safe'' side of the street and have a lovely pond/nature preserve area instead of woods. I still miss the woodsy feel we had, but we won''t have to worry about high rise apartments going in either! Beware of the immediate surroundings when you are buying a home!


And our next home will be a downsize, for sure, once the kids move out...things are great for us now in this house, but it will be too big once we are empty nesters! My dream home is a beautiful log cabin/house, near woods and a private pond or small lake...

Or, a sharp cozy condo in our small but ''cool'' downtown area...I am torn between the two!

Thank goodness it turned out okay!!


I had a friend who bought a new-build that backed onto a wooded lot - he paid a premium for that lot! 2 months before closing, the wooded lot burnt down in a fire!!


Of course, the cynic in me says they burned it down on purpose - get the premium, burn it down and then build on those lots. Either way, who knows. Poor guy though.

Yikes! That''s horrible...but not much he could do at that point! You just never know....

And I am still happy with our lot choice, LOL...we can enjoy the woods from our side of the street, we get to enjoy the fall color change and the green leaves all spring and summer, but don''t have to deal with the fall clean up, or worry about something else being built back there some day! Works for us!

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 4/22/2009 10:55:53 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Deal breaker for me:
- No closet/storage space. Nothing makes a home crappy as no place to store your sh*t.
- A house that doesn''t get a lot of sunlight because of the direction it is facing
- Crazy giant large trees with scary roots
- Bad water pressure
- Electric stove/appliances
- Not enough electrical outlets

Wheezing I''m laughing so hard ... um, you''ve just described my *current* house. Oy. First time stupid stupid stupid buyer I was.

After living in a cozy, ancient "charming" cottage for seven years I am REALLY REALLY yearning for loft-style, open plan, fresh, modern, huge windows, tall ceilings, lots of light, etc etc. Kind of like the apartment I *left* for this place.

Grass is always greener I suppose.

 

[violet3]

Well, i am pretty easy going when it comes to homes, but after living where i live now i certainly have a few things i cannot or would not tolerate again....

1. I do not want to hear anyone on the next level up, unless they live in the same house as I do and there are two stories

. Right now, i live in a condo with the most horrendous insulation issue. Seriously, i can hear conversations up there in the unit above me.

It's pretty hard to tolerate quite frankly.

2. more than two bedrooms, and more than one bathroom please!

i think that's all. A while back i lived without a dishwasher for a year, and that never bothered me in the slightest compared to the cramping and noise issues i've mentioned above.