All of you home owners...tell me.....

[Ratpack]

It looks like we will be building once we are settled in our new town. There are so many options with building a home. Let me hear your favorites and dislikes about a feature in your home and why. (Not necessarily a decorating idea or such- but actual feature.)
For example: Laundry room upstairs?

Help me and DW decide on these isuues!

 

[Serena]

One thing I would need to know first is, how long are you planning on staying there.
See, there are some options that are great now, but as we get older it's not so great.
I know plans change as well, so I'm not talking about that. But it would be much different between just a few years, and plan to stay there forever.

 

[FroggyinArk]

hmmmm our favorite thing about this house is the location,, its right across street from my grandmothers shes 80 and needs family close by,, after she is gone,, we will prolly move into her house tear this o ne down and rebuild in this spot of course then we will own 6 lots on the street and can do what we want with it..lol( thats half the block

 

[Reginat]

Hi!

My hint is to have the house on all one level. If not possible, at least have the master bedroom on the 1st floor.

Regina in NC

 

[mom2boys]

If your new house will have a basement - make sure it is a walk-out.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Depending on your family size, one of the things that I like best is a great room.. which we are adding on right now to our new house. I had it in my previous house and could not get use to a small family room. Also, I have my laundry and first floor half bath together, separated by a door. I would hate going to the basement to do my laundry. One more thing, first floor master bedroom, is always nice.

 

[Ratpack]

Thanks to those quick replys. Well, we hope that we will be there at least 10 years or more. With jobs like they are right now, NOTHING is written in stone.
We will not be near family-they are 3 hours away, so that part is not an issue right now-wish they were closer. We are looking at 2500sq. feet or a little more- awful hard to get that on one story anymore, but it is possible and very tempting! We have a two story now. I really am disliking our stairs with moving and all right now.
I guess I am looking for little more in depth, more specific things like kitchen (stainless steel sink?), Master down? Master bath- extended shower or bath/shower combo?) Those type of things. Anybody with "builder" type answers.

 

[snoopy]

My favorite thing about my house - location, location, location! I also like that its a small house -- tall and narrow:

 

[Desnik]

If you are going to have 2 floors, then definately put the laundry room upstairs. Also, a mud room is wonderful. No messy kids running through your house. I would have a door at the side or back of the house(where ever the kids will usually be playing)going into a room that has a closet for their shoes/coats and just space for them or anyone to just drop everything before walking into the rest of the house. Another thing that is so popular is a family room and a living room. Most of the time the living room goes unused, waisted space. Utilize all the space with rooms you will actually use. I also like an extended counter or island where you could put stools for extra eating space. I actually don't like an eat in kitchen if I have a dining room. Why 2 tables? For us, it's not needed. If you will have a basement, and plan on finishing it off someday for extra space, then make it a walkout. Something that would be very hard to do later. If the space is finished, easy access to the back yard is important. Especially for kids.

I'll post again if I can think of something else. This is our 3rd house. One of which we built. I do know know alot about this stuff and we learn more about how we like to live with each hose. DH and I have kind of made this our hobby, funny as it sounds. We are actually looking into moving again, building again in a great new developement in our village. Many think we're crazy but, when they hear the profit we have made, they are amazed!!!

Good luck.

 

[tassie42]

I would get the large hot water heater I think 50 gallon or more. we can run a load of wash have the dish washer on and still shower with hot water. (you don't want to take a cold shower!)

also, If you want ceiling fans in your bedrooms or other rooms have the builder do the wiring now cause its a lot cheaper and less of a hassle.We didn't do that many upgrades . just couldn't afford it at the time. Good Luck!

 

[Pooh67_68]

Yes a laundry upstairs can't be beat, plus mine is in my kitchen.
Make sure you have lights put in, for some reason a lot of homes don't have lights. None of our bedrooms have lights so we had to get table lamps and I hate them.

 

[bananiem]

I have a 2 story that we LOVE and are probably building it again with a few modifications in the next town. I really like my kitchen/dinette/family room-some might call it a hearth room- combination. It's pretty much one room but the right size when we have people over and they can sit and converse on the comfortable furniture but I can be at the stove or sink and dh can pop out to the grill.
I also like having the main floor laundry. I considered moving it upstairs but after polling several friends I found they all said the same thing- NO WAY! They all thought that then they'd be running up the stairs all day to put in another load. We all agreed that we're seldom upstairs except to sleep so it's as big a pain to have it upstairs as in the basement. My laundry is off the back hall by the kitchen so I bring it into the family room and fold it in front of the tv. I'm currently training the kids and dh to take up their stacks on laundry day!
And another thing about the laundry- I was concerned if I put it upstairs it might over flow. The builder would put in a panic pan but I even worry about overflowing that. I wanted to situate it over the garage and the builder talked me out of it stating our winters and freezing pipes.
This will be the 3rd house (2nd with this builder) we've built. I love the process and there's such a feeling of pride when it's done and you can show it off!

 

[twocjsmom]

For both of the homes we have lived in since we were married, we built new. One was a townhouse, the other a single family home. I agree with the walkout basement tip that many have given here. Out lot on our current home didn't allow for one, but we just put in a Bilco Window which is an emegency egress window that works for basements below grade. Not only does it give us more peace of mind, but it also lets is a great amount of light.

Other tips:
Definately go for the laundry room ont he 2nd floor if possible.
See if you can expand the garage size (ours is slightly smaller than we would like, and with SUVs getting bigger and bigger, it would be tough to fit some of the longer/wioder ones in our garage with another car)
When choosing kitchen colors, definately remember that colors on the walls are a lot easier to change than countertop colors
Go for the carpet/pad upgrade - it looks better, and wears much better!

Enjoy your home buying process, its tons of fun, and really fun to watch it all come together!

 

[Serena]

I agree, I would love the kitchen, family room, great room thing.
I have my washer and dryer in the basement, but when I get old and cranky, I'll want it on the main floor.
I won't do without a basement. They are very handy for lots of reasons.
I think there should be two accesses to any floor, for safety's sake.

I would love stainless steel sinks. I also want ceramic tile for the counters.

I would use hardwoods for the floors.

Make sure the bathroom door isn't facing any outside doors. Also, having more than one bathroom is really nice.

Having a formal living room and a big dining room would be nice.

Having enough room for the children to have their own desks would be a good idea too.

lol, that's it for the moment.

 

[bananiem]

Originally posted by Ratpack
I guess I am looking for little more in depth, more specific things like kitchen (stainless steel sink?), Master down? Master bath- extended shower or bath/shower combo?) Those type of things. Anybody with "builder" type answers.

Oh! Do you mean info like this?-
I like my kitchen faucet that has the pull out sprayer. I want the instant hot water dispenser next time. I HAVE to have a whirlpool in my master bath and prefer to have a separate shower. I want a seat built into the shower so I can sit down to shave my legs or put my leg up. I think I'd like a central vac but not sure. My dh would probably like the gas piped out to the grill on the deck. I really like my tilt-in double hung Marvin Integrity windows-no condensation and they're a snap to clean. The new thing around here is to put the dishwasher up a little so you don't have to bend over as far. That might be nice.

 

[Blondie]

I have a laundry room right off of my kitchen. I thought it would be great to have one on the second floor, seems logical, but a friend of mine had a problem with her Washer and it overflowed, which means it ruined an area of her ceiling and the rugs underneath. Ever since I heard that, I'm glad my laundry room is where it is!

Some builders will work with you on certain issues. Included in the plans were appliances. We still had fairly new appliances and didn't see the need for brand new ones, so instead of them providing them, we asked if we could have a few other features added to the house like nicer outside light fixtures, a skylight in our bathroom, and some extra windows. They went along with the idea and everyone was happy!

Good luck and have fun. Don't let building a home become a chore.

 

[FroggyinArk]

ok as a builder,, i recommend a stainless kitchen, counter, appliances, even the fan,, its easy to clean and more permenant than other optioons,, also go with commercial appliances if you can , or if you are a cooking family,, would love the extra burners etc,,, also master bath,, shower seperate with a larger tub. double sinks and a walk in dressign area off bath that also has access to br. make sure there is at least one out let in dressing area for iron, hair dryer etc,, and in bath. i like built in cabs and storage in bedroms,, for tv etc? a walk in pantry is a nic efeature, preferably with a freezer figured . i would put laundry on same leval as master bedroom... easier to let kids transfer clothes up and down than mom and dad,, or have a dumbwaiter installed from laundry up to upstairs. avoid carpeting areas that get high traffic and those areas where carpet tends to get stained or damaged. throw rugs are a better bet. get windows that fold in for cleaning, and are easily operated. also make sure master bath is not only \bath on ground or upper floor, put the extra bath in, even if its just a half bath off of living area, you will appreciate it later. if 2 story, avoid carpeting on stairs, or a really slick finish, and make suer handrails are on both sides..... i personally would look into a metal roof last s much longer than composite shingles and less easily dmaged by weather

 

[cynsaun]

I love having my laundry room on the second floor! It has made my most-hated chore a little bit easier!

 

[Mary Ellen]

We lived in a house with the laundry upstairs - NEVER again. I hated it. I don't spend my time upstairs. So when doing laundry, I was running up and down the stairs all day. Now that our home has the laundy off the family room, it gets done much quicker. I can hear when the washer is done and get the clothes in the dryer quicker too.

I find it MUCH easier bringing the dirty clothes downstairs one time on laundry day and taking them back upstairs once, than my going up and down the stairs for each load - and the dryer is always done first, so it was:
put load in washer
go downstairs
upstairs to move clothes to dryer & put in 2nd load to washer
downstairs
up the stairs to take the 1st load out of the dryer,
back downstairs,
upstairs when washer finishes 2nd load to dryer & 3rd load in washer
downstairs
upstairs for 2nd load out of dryer
downstairs
upstairs when I finally realize 3rd load of wash is done and into dryer
downstairs
upstairs when 3rd load is dried.

This is ONLY 3 loads of wash - and assuming one doesn't need to add fabric softener to the washer. For me, it was another round trip for each load for the fabric softener.

You need to decide what your lifestyle is like and what works for YOU.

Good luck

 

[helenabear]

My favorite part of the house is having a huge great room!!! It is so nice to have a huge room when people come over. We can have dining in there or we can move everything around and have an open space. I also love having a huge deck outside. Great again for entertaining.

I am odd and do prefer the laundry in the basement. That way I can have piles down there and also never worry about a leak or anything on carpeting.

The rest doesn't hit me as great or bad in general.