Your ideal house

[iluvcarats]

Date: 5/4/2009 10:21:48 PM
Author: Elmorton
DH and I both love old houses, which means tons of compromising when it comes to your *ideal* home. We''ll probably never find a place we love with an attached garage or big closets and certainly not a master suite. But that''s ok by me


Anyway, if I let my imagination run wild -


Craftsman, natural wood trim, interesting built-ins

Fenced backyard with patio for hot tub

Open, square, updated kitchen (basically, I want to take my current kitchen with me to the next place)

Formal dining room with built-in cabinets/china hutch

Formal living room with fireplace

3+bedrooms with ample closets. Bedrooms don''t need to be big, but should be able to hold a full/queen bed and at least one dresser; preferably 2

Bathroom on each level if multi-level, two bathrooms +, at least one is a full (that one should be near the bedrooms - multiple houses we looked at had the only full bathroom next to the kitchen - lovely.)

Finished basement holding study/tv area with extra space for guest bedroom (this is the plan for our house)

Love to have a 4-season porch

Mud room

Landscaped already

Bonus room/play area

This pretty much describes our house. We love old houses too. We have a Tudor from 1926 that is craftsman inside with built ins and original tile with all sorts of different wood. Lots of original details. We added on a new kitchen, family room, mudroom and 3 car garage. We are in our late 30''s and this is our 3rd and probably final house for a while.

 

[absolut_blonde]

SO and I both work in the real estate industry (vastly different aspects) so we have seen a lot and unfortunately, we are big dreamers as a result

He designed something that is pretty close to our 'realistic' dream home awhile ago:

- Around 3500 square feet
- 4 bedrooms above grade, 2 more bedrooms in the basement (walk-out basement)
- Huge master ensuite with jetted tub, two-person tiled shower
- Study for him (in retrospect I would probably want an office of my own as well)
- Formal dining room
- Large kitchen with 2 sinks, wine fridge, big island (perfect for baking!)
- 3 car garage
- Laundry on the second floor with all of the bedrooms... a nice big laundry room with lots of cupboard space, countertop area and room for drying racks.
- Wine cellar in the basement. Also a nice wet bar in the basement for entertaining (so I don't have to put up with SO and his friends during playoff season, LOL)

Another thing I'd like is for his study to be his 'man cave' complete with a TV (for sports! Aside from hockey, I HATE sports on TV) and bathroom. Now that we live together, I think separate bathrooms would be ideal for several reasons

Oh! And how could I forget?? I want a dressing room. Preferably with the walls done in a warm shade of pink. With a little island in the middle for jewelry and other accessories, a sitting chair or two, a window for natural light... it would be lovely.


Realistically in the short-term? 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and hopefully a not-too-teeny kitchen.

 

[whitby_2773]

for me it''s more about lay out than size. i love small, really well laid out houses and have been reading and learning about them over the last few years.

my ideal home is on a single story - built around the 1930''s with all the lovely period detail from that time. i prefer cement rendered, which is fabulous for temp control, 2 bedrooms with a large office (so my husband and i can share) which is large enough to have a fireplace and a tv, a ton of wardrobe space - all well laid out, one formal living area, a dedicated eating area and a fully functional kitchen.

i prefer a flat lot, a beautiful garden, and a layout which is conducive to eating al fresco. i need trees, and enjoy paved (cobblestone) areas, and verandahs. this can be anywhere from around 1500sq ft +

what i have is a 3 story plus basement wooden victorian, very pretty, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, home with a formal dining room, formal living room and separate tv room. we''re planning on adding a large dedicated eating area off the kitchen with windows/french doors right the way round which open to the back yard, and a 1/2 bathroom/combined laundry. this will push our 2000sq ft home up to about 2200sq ft, which is MORE than enough for the 2 of us (and the dogs). since we''re australians living in NY, we''re always conscious of having a comfortable guest room and being able ot make people feel at home; that''s important to us.

 

[Pandora II]

A nice sized stately home with staff, formal gardens (laid out by Capability Brown would be nice), orchards, a maze, perhaps a moat... oh, and enough $$$ to heat the place and fix the roof.

Realistically, I LOVE my current apartment, I would just like to add an extra bedroom, a study/library, a dining-room and extend the terrace by about 12ft outwards. Then I could stay here for a very long time!

 

[puffy]

our current house is approximately 3500 sq ft, and i think it''s way too small and we only have 1 child now. we do have a giant master bedroom and a very good sized playroom. the living room and dining rooms are also a pretty good size and the kitchen is big.
my ideal house would be bigger, with a bigger backyard (right now the backyard is big, but we have a play set out there which takes up a good amount it), either a bigger master bed with a larger walk in closet, and 3 additional rooms, formal dining room, living room, a play room for the kids, which i would either want to be in the same size as is now or larger, 3 baths including the master bath.
it sounds like i should just move into a mansion!!!

 

[elrohwen]

I don't have kids yet, but I imagine we'll have one or two. With only two kids I would absolutely want to have a bedroom for each of them, so I guess a 3-4 bedroom house would be perfect (it would be nice to have a guest room). The house doesn't have to be huge, but I would like it to at least have a living room, dining room, and another room to use as a library/office. The kitchen would need to be big enough to store my stuff and be useful, but I don't need a gigantic magazine worthy kitchen either. I guess my requirements are pretty simple!

As for exterior style, I like things that look older and not so, uh, 1970s or generic McMansion. I love Victorian, Colonial, French country (I don't think that's a real style, but it kind of describes what I'm thinking of), and love Craftsman. So pretty traditional.

ETA: I had to add that my described house is not within our price range where we currently live (CT) but would absolutely be in our price range in a cheaper area.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

oops, I thought you meant after the kids were gone. . .

 

[MichelleCarmen]

We have most of the features of our "dream home," so we have lucked out and hope not to move for at least a few years. . .once we find a dream home to buy, it'll be right near where we currently live! Same neighborhood.

We have four bedrooms - two kids rooms, the master, and an office. Yes, the boys need their own rooms. Both my kids like to read at night and if they're in the same room, they talk.

We also have a hot tub, which is a huge deal for us because we had one in our last house and the second to one before that, too, and use it frequently. The kids also love to go in there!

A decent size yard is another must-have. Big enough to move around and landscape, but small enough to be manageable (we have .25 acre). I do ALL the yard work and we have just a little too much for me to maintain since there is more landscaping than grass, but I'd rather pull weeds all day than have a postage-size-stamped yard!

Also, a family room and then a formal living room. If one of my kids and me want to play a game, I do not want the TV blaring in the background.

 

[tigian]

What is a mud room?

 

[Elmorton]

A mud room is an area off of an entrance (usually the back) where you can keep shoes, toys, coats - whatever you need to set down/take off before entering the house. I''ve always wanted a mud room with an antique coat tree/bench like this:

http://images.netshops.com/mgen/master:HMS013.jpg

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/5/2009 2:27:25 PM
Author: Elmorton
A mud room is an area off of an entrance (usually the back) where you can keep shoes, toys, coats - whatever you need to set down/take off before entering the house. I''ve always wanted a mud room with an antique coat tree/bench like this:

http://images.netshops.com/mgen/master:HMS013.jpg

We had a mud room in our previous house and in our current, as well. Both are also located to the side of the laundry room. Wonderfully convenient!

 

[Burk]

Our mud room is right when you come in from the garage and it will have a built-in very similar to the one Elmorton posted as well as a coat closet. SO convenient!

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 5/4/2009 10:37:47 PM
Author: iluvcarats

Date: 5/4/2009 10:21:48 PM

Author: Elmorton

DH and I both love old houses, which means tons of compromising when it comes to your *ideal* home. We'll probably never find a place we love with an attached garage or big closets and certainly not a master suite. But that's ok by me



Anyway, if I let my imagination run wild -



Craftsman, natural wood trim, interesting built-ins


Fenced backyard with patio for hot tub


Open, square, updated kitchen (basically, I want to take my current kitchen with me to the next place)


Formal dining room with built-in cabinets/china hutch


Formal living room with fireplace


3+bedrooms with ample closets. Bedrooms don't need to be big, but should be able to hold a full/queen bed and at least one dresser; preferably 2


Bathroom on each level if multi-level, two bathrooms +, at least one is a full (that one should be near the bedrooms - multiple houses we looked at had the only full bathroom next to the kitchen - lovely.)


Finished basement holding study/tv area with extra space for guest bedroom (this is the plan for our house)


Love to have a 4-season porch


Mud room


Landscaped already


Bonus room/play area

This pretty much describes our house. We love old houses too. We have a Tudor from 1926 that is craftsman inside with built ins and original tile with all sorts of different wood. Lots of original details. We added on a new kitchen, family room, mudroom and 3 car garage. We are in our late 30's and this is our 3rd and probably final house for a while.

Elmorten and other craftsman lovers
You could certainly find your affordable dream house here if you are willing to brave western NY winters

 

[swimmer]

I love your dreamy homes! Our apt is 1000 sq ft so a house is really just beyond my capability even for fantasy. I dream of closets! Just one built into the wall and regular length would be so awesome. We are so used to tiny spaces (easier to heat and close to the city) that we would love to find an older house with the funky details but hopefully updated electricity. Mostly I need a funky and diverse neighborhood with good schools and public transportation. THAT is going to be the stickler.

 

[Haven]

Date: 5/5/2009 6:46:37 AM
Author: whitby_2773
for me it''s more about lay out than size. i love small, really well laid out houses and have been reading and learning about them over the last few years.

Whitby--Have you read the Not So Big House books by Susanka? I love them.

Any good recs for books about small, really well laid out homes? I LOVE houses of that sort--cozy, and extremely well-loved.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

In my dreams, I''d love a house that cleaned itself and had an invisible cone of silence when for when my DH talks....nonstop......

My ideal house would be a rambling bungalow. Lots of natural light. Detached garage. Wild and hardscaped yard. Wine cellar. Backing onto natural reserve.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[zhuzhu]

Date: 5/5/2009 10:13:23 AM
Author: puffy
our current house is approximately 3500 sq ft, and i think it''s way too small and we only have 1 child now. we do have a giant master bedroom and a very good sized playroom. the living room and dining rooms are also a pretty good size and the kitchen is big.

my ideal house would be bigger, with a bigger backyard (right now the backyard is big, but we have a play set out there which takes up a good amount it), either a bigger master bed with a larger walk in closet, and 3 additional rooms, formal dining room, living room, a play room for the kids, which i would either want to be in the same size as is now or larger, 3 baths including the master bath.

it sounds like i should just move into a mansion!!!

Puffy, your house sounds wonderful. A house does require a lot moew cleaning when it gets bigger though. How do you find time to clean with a little one?