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We are getting ready to build a house and I am compiling a list of things we want/would like in our new home. I obviously have to pick & choose otherwise we'd spend wayyy over our budget, but I'm just curious to see what other people's "must-haves" are. Try not to come up with anything crazy that would cost a fortune ;)
So far we have:
-Granite everywhere (kitchen, bathrooms)
-Jetted OR garden tub in master bath with double vanity
-Actual laundry room
-Mud room with "lockers"
-Pantry
-26' deep garage with 18'x8' door
-2.5 baths on main level (in a ranch)
Thanks!!
I'm interested in this thread too! We're looking at building as well!
For me: garage (double)
dark cabinets/floors
extra insulation (I know...not fun...but saves $$)
master bath/walk in closet
bigger kids rooms than what comes standard
that's all I can think of for right now, but we haven't started looking at all the "options" yet!
EDIT: I also want an actual laundry room and mud room!
My must haves are...
lots of storage and a really nice kitchen....oh, and storage in the bathroom!
we're still renting, but House Hunters has given me some ideas, haha
we built a year ago!
must haves were granite, hardwood, upgraded carpets in bed rooms
should have:
asked for a linen closet!!! we didn't even notice we didnt have one. such a pain
made our walk in closet bigger
We didn't build, but honestly the layout was most important to us. Since space is at such a premium here the location of the bathroom was crucial. It had to be private enough but not only accessible through the master bedroom or something.
Also, having a semi-open concept kitchen was definitely a must have. I spend a lot of time cooking and I don't like to feel shut out, so we had to have it open slightly to the living room. I didn't want it totally open though since I still wanted the kitchen to be a separate room.
I say concentrate on where you want things and save on materials like cabinets, hardware, fixtures, etc.
Some of ours: hardwood floors throughout, central vacuuming system, hot water tap on the sink (SOOO much more convenient than waiting for the sink water to warm up), room for an office/studio, fireplace. Not "must have" but exposed brick would be nice (which we are hoping to soon reveal on one wall of our bedroom and the sunroom!)
When we were looking, our only requirements were:
Other than that, we were open to pretty much anything.
@hisgoosiegirl: Love HGTV :o)
I don't have a big list IMO. We want 3 bed, 2 bath with a basement and 2 car garage, would love a fire place but not necessary. Everything else is extra :)
We're looking and our list of must haves is
- good roof/foundation/septic
- land (1+ acres)
- 3+ bedrooms
- good sized kitchen
- garage
- hubby would say a big corner tub haha
I will say first that with the situation we are in right now, we have a very small budget. We plan to stay in the house we're looking to buy for somewhere from 4-7 years and then move into more of a very long term home. This is also due to us being in the area for about that amount of time and possibly moving back closer to family when our time here is up.
We actually have an offer in right now but our must haves were:
Have bought an older home, which isnt even that old for New England standards at 1990... if this is a forever home for you, or at least a while and you care about maintenance.... put in access panels anywhere you can. If you put in a jetted tub, dont tile it up, finish it off with wood panel doors, if not, hide an access panel in the closet. Behind your tub, behind your sink, access panel. And while we're at at.. since you're building, make sure you get a layout of your plumbing. It could save you from tearing down walls and looking for where the problem *might* be years down the road if you ever start to have leaks and drips.
we have an heritage older house but what i dream about is.... a big ass kitchen with a kitchen island and lots cupboards to hide stuff as i like clean benchspace and a pot rack thingy hanging from the ceiling
covered rear entertainment area that the house opens onto with big glass doors
big deep bathtub to comfortably fit a 6ft person or 2 ;-)
double garage with automatic door lifter
double sinks in master bath or his and hers bathrooms
kitchen must have ample counterspace and cabinets accessible by short peeps
large open living area that easily hosts small parties
double garage
double sinks in master bath or his and hers bathrooms
kitchen must have ample counterspace and cabinets accessible by short peeps
large open living area that easily hosts small parties
double garage
in my dream house and i would do with smaller bedrooms to have this!
mud room off of the garage WITH a walk in dog/people bathtub/shower thingie with hot/cold running water
walk in pantry with a deep freeze
large laundry room with a sink/counter space/ironing space/and cubbies to put clothes in organized
large kitchen/lots of cabinet and counter space and open to a dining (not formal) area with a bar
lots of windows/natural lighting
easy to clean appliances
porches in front and back at least one probably the back one screened
lots of storage space that i don't have to climb to get into
closet space
a maid to keep it clean!
For us:
Location. Needs to be close to the city but still have decent schools.
A music room/office for DH (a finished basement would work for this too)
Main floor laundry
walk-in closet in the master suite
Open floor plan/good flow
Pantry
Good amount of storage
Not necessarily a must, but preferrably it would be an old home with plenty of original detail like inlaid hardwoods, pocket doors, mouldings, etc.
As i mentioned in your other post concentrate on the things you cant add later. Definately do the 2.5 bath, the larger garage, jet tub and structural for actual laundry room/mudroom. You can easily add a panty, laundry room cabinets, granite countertops(with upgraded sinks/faucets)for half the price than a builder would charge). Also i would also consider higher ceilings, larger windows in basement, pre wiring for mounted tvs or speakers, any electrical and deeper fireplace mantle.
We built our home too but we are going to build again in about 5-10 years for our dream home. Our must haves:
Hardwood in the entire home
No jet tubs-we did this in our current home and it's a waste of space, we never use it. We want a large double head shower.
Granite in the kitchen, we love marble in the bath like we have now.
Walk in pantry
Mud room
Open plan
We currently have a double vanity in the master bath and love it.
Hideaway bookshelves with finger print system for gun storage
3 car garage with pole barn
Dh wants geothermal heating but I don't know much about it. :/
ITEMS WE UPGRADED:
Kitchen – I wanted to have my dream kitchen.
So definitely upgrade to a maple cabinet,Valance Lighting, Crown Moulding, Taller Uppers (if you have 9 foot ceilings), and a Fridge Enclosure/Gable. We added more things (like glass, angled corner cabinets, wall oven, pull out trash, Dummy doors on island, enlarged our island but these things aren’t necessary. The other items I would definitely do. However, you could always add the crown moulding/valance later if budget is a concern.
Here are some other items we upgraded:
- Bathroom Cabinets
- Upgraded our ceilings from Stucco to smooth.
- Higher Ceilings
- Trim throughout the house
- Doors to 2 panel
- Oak Stair Case/upgraded railing , pickets and nosing also
- Tile(upgraded to larger tile) and on a brick pattern
- Upgraded Carpet and Underpad in our Bedrooms
- Bathtubs (Master to Jets and other washrooms to deeper tubs)
- Frameless Glass Shower in Master
- Electrical
- Pre wired speakers and requested central vac outlets so that we could hide the wires when we mounted our tv on our wall.
- Potlights (Interior and Exterior)
- French Doors and Windows
- Deleted all porcelain Toilet paper holders and towel bars. We put in decorative ones.
- Deleted Powder Room/Ensuite Mirror so I could put in a decorative mirrors.
- Door Hardware(that can be done later)
- A few structural changes to our floor plan
- Made our fireplace deeper
ITEMS WE DID LATER:
- Granite/Faucets/Sinks in Kitchen/Quartz in Master
- Hardwood (we had our builder delete the carpet areas)and we installed once we took possession
- Backsplash
- Carpet Runners for Stairs
- Crown Moulding
- Laundry Room Cabinetry
- Paint
We did this when we were looking for a home and it made the painful house buying process so much easier! We knew our house was "the one" as soon as we stepped inside and could check everything off of our list. Big things for us were:
a garage
a big kitchen
a backyard big enough to play catch in
more than one bathroom
plus a bunch of minor stuff, like a fireplace (that we have, and never, ever use!)
**ETA: just noticed you said you were building a house, not buying - but I think it all still applies! :) good luck!
For us the absolute minimum was:
Good location (safe neighborhood, good schools, nice property)
4 bed / 2.5 bath
2 car garage
Formal dining room
Dry basement
5 acres with water on the property (lake, pond, river, stream) 3 Bedroom 2 1/2 baths, Mud room, 2 car garage with enough room in the back to work on stuff, fireplaces, large main floor master, walk in closets, coat closet, office space, seperate dining room, laundry room with lots of counters
Kitchen
There was a thread like this that you may find useful: http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/forever-home-must-haves
Before buying our first house my must have's were:
3 bedrooms, large yard, garage (detached or attached), around 1500 sqft, updated kitchen and bathrooms, stainless steel appliances...we found a house that met all of this but it was built in 1960, then renovated this past year but it lacks curb appeal and functional space.
After being home owners, we have realized we need over 2000 sqft, no basement, curb appeal, an attached garage, no older than 5 years, less yard, no tile (cold feet!), 4 bedrooms and the pretty aspects like hardwood isn't so important. We'll be looking for our forever home, probably within two years.
My musts were:
- Land & Location. Wanted a min of 2 acres and lots of privacy.
- Garage
- Minimum 2 bathrooms
- Minimum 3 bedrooms
- Seperate Dining room
- Central AC
- Kitchen Island
Funny enough, DH and I talked about this the other day since we are starting to look at houses. Here are our must haves:
- At least 4 bedrooms
- At least 4 bathrooms
- Study/Office (preferably main level)
- Playroom
- Large Family room
- Large master bedroom w/ huge en suite bathroom and 2 walk in closets
- Separate laundry area
- Basement which we will turn into man cave and movie room
- At least 2 car garage
- Large fenced in backyard
Things I wanted but scarificed were:
Stainless steel appliances, mud room, inground pool, granite counter tops.
I love looking at homes and even though I am a few years away from being able to have my own I have already put thought into this. On top of being move in ready...
@newenglandgirl: The driveway thing gets me too. I am shocked in NE that they even make driveways that slant like this: / . I always look at those and wonder how those people don't slide into their garage doors in the winter or if they have to pay for extra home owners insurance to keep replacing them.
I cannot wait til FI and I are married and go house shopping!! I love my condo but now that there's two of us, the parking situation sucks. I only have a one car garage and all the neighbors think any inch of space is theirs to park in. I REALLY wanted a house but since I bought it way before I met my FI I didn't want to do any of the maintenence myself. I want a basement and a yard/deck so badly!! That's the only thing missing from my condo and if I had them we for sure would not be leaving! I think i'm pretty easy to please:
Anything else can be fixed and prettied up!
i am in the process of building another house but it is very different from the last one that i built. (sw ontario vs yucatan, mx) i've heard that it takes a few houses to get the perfect one. you have to live in it a while before you realize the changes you would make.
the list of needs is similar to my last one:
but now with a few additional ammenities:
this one will be poured concrete so it will look very different from the traditional brick house that i am used to. still working with the architect on this. hopefully this will be the dream home that i have been waiting for all of my life.
We are looking at existing homes so our list is a bit different. Our "must haves" focus on things we absolutely cannot change about a house and things that would cost a lot (money, time, and inconvenience) to change (e.g. having to put an addition onto a house).
Construction: Solid, good roof, no water penetration issues, no mold issues, good quality windows, ample insulation, safe electrical system
Location: Districted to one of a list of specific schools the we deem appropriate, safe/quiet neighborhood, within a 45 minute drive of my office
Lot size: At least 3/4 acre with a good spot for my hammock
Square footage: At least 2500 (above ground)
Bedrooms:3 (if is has a seperate office/study), otherwise 4
Bathrooms: 2 (if basement is unfinished), otherwise 2.5, must have an attached master bath
Kitchen: Large size (or extra space in an adjoining room that could be merged to make it a large size)
Dining room: Able to seat 8, though I'd really prefer 12
Living room AND family room
Laundry: Proper laundry room or space within the home to make one on the main floor or upper level
Storage: Ample closet space in all bedrooms with additional large item storage space somewhere (could be garage rafters, seperate storage shed, utility room, etc.)
Light: Lots of natural light. Every room should have at least 1 window.
X factor: Something about the house that makes me say "Wow". It could be tall ceilings, great trim work (crown moldings, beadboard, built-ins, etc.), the view, or some other detail in the house. But it must have a wow factor.
Sturdy construction
A roof that does not leak
Plumbing that works
Safe electrical work
A kitchen with good appliances
A good heating system
LAND
Looks like most pp covered the things I'd need but I didn't see this one so:
a CORNER fireplace in the livingroom.
I can't stand losing a whole wall b/c of the fireplace b/c it dramatically limits where the TV/entertainment system can go and just how you arrange the room in general... Learned this one when my parents built their house when I was a teen. =/
@amnystik: I totally noticed that in a TON of TX houses! They seem to like to put the fireplace in the center, and then have the built in for tv in the corner, and it totally bugged me! That was the first thing I looked at when I was looking at some homes, is there a good place to put the TV! How was it possible that with ALLLL that space in those big TX homes, when you cant even find a good spot for a tv! AHHH!! But I saw a ton with corner fireplace too and loved those!
For us, we absolutely 100% need the following in any home we're going to live in:
-open floor plan with kitchen/living area
-gas heat/cooking (no oil!)
-central air
-2 car garage
-master bath with dual vanity
-walk in closet
If I were to list our wishes for our dream home, I'd run out of room. Tray ceilings and built in wall units are high up there on the list though. It's so nice to dream! lol
I thought of one more for our must have list: Good flow for entertaining. We have people over frequently, and the house needs to work for entertaining groups up to about 35 people. We had 20 people in our current home for NYE and boy did it feel cramped!
If we were to build I have a few must haves:
Must NOT have a formal dining area. And by this I mean having two seperate dining tables in t the house. I don't mind it in other peoples homes, but I would just be bothered by the space not being used enough.
Must have an ensuite
Must have 3 bedrooms
Must have at least 2 bathrooms
Must have lots of windows
I would love a wrap around porch
Must have a great kitchen, preferably country cottage styled
Must have hardwood or quality laminate thorughout the main floor of the house
Nice countertops, does not have to be granite, but hopefully quartz, I would even settle for a nice looking Corian. I like seamless.
Must have some character.
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