Spin-Off of House Hunter Thread: Must Have Home Features

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our own mailbox in front of our house

My mom still has that although it's actually attached to her house but TBH I actually like the cluster mailboxes that are what you get now in newer neighborhoods.

There's a level of protection from theft there. The space inside ours is larger than my mom's mailbox and there's also an overflow box that if you have a package that will fit (and there's quite a few that could) the post office will put it there and then put the key for it in your assigned mail box.

But I get the inconvenience of having to walk (or drive in some cases) to get your mail. We've been lucky that in the rental house we lived in that also had a cluster mailbox it was located at the end of the driveway and for our present home this is the same story.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Things we would insist on because our current house doesn't have them:

• A completely flat driveway
• Separate temp controls for each floor

Things we love about this house we'd definitely want to duplicate:

• Large kitchen
• Den/office for DH away from main living area
• More than one bathroom

Not necessarily deal-breakers on an existing house, but less common things we would absolutely add if we were building our own:

• A dedicated storage room on the main floor
• A 3-car-wide driveway (or just widened at the end if it's long)
• A coffee station separate from the main work area of the kitchen - Keurig, pods, spoons, even a mini-fridge for creamer

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

An (often overlooked) absolute must for me is a floored-in attic with a pull down ladder.

That's a good point. We have two attic access points (separated attic spaces though). The garage one would absolutely need a ladder to get to it and in hindsight we should have asked the builder to install one for us. The other one is located in our 2nd story laundry room and a normal ladder can reach that but it's kinda awkward. We can more easily install one for confined spaces ourselves we just haven't had to. Our attic is just insulation really but the access would be nice in case we ever want to do something with it.

Like I've been thinking it would be nice to have a drop-down from the attic electric storage option so we could put up lesser used boxes and tubs up there for the garage attic access

 

[kdonnel]

Simultaneously located in the mountains, on the beach, and in a neighborhood. Yet some how far from neighbors and still right next door with no traffic.

 

[Lumpy1106]

That's a good point. We have two attic access points (separated attic spaces though). The garage one would absolutely need a ladder to get to it and in hindsight we should have asked the builder to install one for us. The other one is located in our 2nd story laundry room and a normal ladder can reach that but it's kinda awkward. We can more easily install one for confined spaces ourselves we just haven't had to. Our attic is just insulation really but the access would be nice in case we ever want to do something with it.

Like I've been thinking it would be nice to have a drop-down from the attic electric storage option so we could put up lesser used boxes and tubs up there for the garage attic access

You have to be careful with attic storage - most houses really aren't built for it no matter how savvy you are about getting stuff up there. We were frustrated (small) bungalow owners and made it a priority when we built a new garage and added a 2nd floor. We now have about 1000sf of storage space combined and that's totally made it work.

How much of that stuff we could just get rid of is another story...

 

[tvguy]

Sorry, but you and I cannot be friends. An electric stovetop is no way to cook. You can just try (and fail) and pry my 1958 O'Keefe & Merritt stove from my cold dead hands - not giving it up.

An (often overlooked) absolute must for me is a floored-in attic with a pull down ladder.

No problem there, you can keep your old gas stove. You just can't buy a new one in many states now.
But are you concerned at all about the negative impact of natural gas stoves on your health?

 

[DLgal]

No problem there, you can keep your old gas stove. You just can't buy a new one in many states now.
But are you concerned at all about the negative impact of natural gas stoves on your health?

As long as you vent the gas every time you use the stove (and the vent goes directly outdoors, per code) there is no harm done. Most people never turn on their vents, or only do it when cooking with lots of smoke or odors. I do it very time I turn on the gas, religiously, and taught my kids to do it always. We have a vent in our laundry room also, since our dryer is gas, and that fan switch has been taped down in the "on" position since we moved in 8 years ago. There was a sticker note that advised running the vent 24/7 for safety.

The harm comes from improper venting or failure to vent while using the gas appliances.

 

[disney-inspired]

• Gas stove
• Driveway (if house) and garage parking (house & apt)
• Central AC
• Single story (or ground floor condo)
• ceiling fans in most rooms (air circulation is a must)
• double-paned windows
• privacy (gates/fences/no direct views into the house).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You have to be careful with attic storage - most houses really aren't built for it no matter how savvy you are about getting stuff up there. We were frustrated (small) bungalow owners and made it a priority when we built a new garage and added a 2nd floor. We now have about 1000sf of storage space combined and that's totally made it work.

How much of that stuff we could just get rid of is another story...

Our house was built in 2014 so at least there's that consideration. My husband has walked up into the attic space accessible via the 2nd story laundry room but yeah if we ever did anything storage-wise we'd ensure it the floor could handle it. We'd also have to look at how that would impact the insulation as far as moving the fiberglass pieces around. It def. makes a difference in the attic space above the laundry room for the house temp. I've peeked up in there and it's hot and for that reason nothing I'd put up there would be stuff temperature sensitive (that stuff gets stored in the basement).

Good things to think about that you've mentioned

 

[tvguy]

As long as you vent the gas every time you use the stove (and the vent goes directly outdoors, per code) there is no harm done. Most people never turn on their vents, or only do it when cooking with lots of smoke or odors. I do it very time I turn on the gas, religiously, and taught my kids to do it always. We have a vent in our laundry room also, since our dryer is gas, and that fan switch has been taped down in the "on" position since we moved in 8 years ago. There was a sticker note that advised running the vent 24/7 for safety.

The harm comes from improper venting or failure to vent while using the gas appliances.

No harm other than releasing those toxic fumes into the environment, which is the reason behind the ban on gas appliances.

 

[kdonnel]

No harm other than releasing those toxic fumes into the environment, which is the reason behind the ban on gas appliances.

The reason for the ban is forced indoor air quality improvements. If properly vented gas appliances are no more danger to indoor air quality than electric appliances.

 

[tvguy]

The reason for the ban is forced indoor air quality improvements. If properly vented gas appliances are no more danger to indoor air quality than electric appliances.

No. It's to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/27/new-york-natural-gas-ban/

 

[tasha99]

My dealbreakers:

Gas stove (I think the selective choice to ban them in some areas, including my own, is absurd and controlling. Let's ban SUVs, more than 1 plane ride per year, or wood stoves instead. /s)
Gas fireplace
Jetted tub
2 ovens, preferably electric (though I could install them easily)
High ceilings
Air conditioning
Quiet neighborhood with low crime
Fenced back yard--can be small, but need enough light for some gardening

 

[DLgal]

No. It's to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/27/new-york-natural-gas-ban/

It won't make a difference until the electricity used by electric stoves is generated using green sources as well. It's a stupid attempt to change something that is a miniscule contributor to greenhouse gasses. Ask any chef how they feel about electric stoves. They are terrible for cooking. Natural gas is "greener" than most electricity at this point.

Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy.

Source:
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained...gas is a relatively,an equal amount of energy.

 

[Lumpy1106]

No. It's to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/27/new-york-natural-gas-ban/

Well, in an attempt to stay away from politics (and this is political IMHO), what happens to the natural gas if they don't pipe it into your house?

And I will say no more...

 

[tvguy]

Well, in an attempt to stay away from politics (and this is political IMHO), what happens to the natural gas if they don't pipe it into your house?

And I will say no more...

No disputing the political aspect. Not sure what you are asking for certain. If it isn't piped into your house, it doesn't get burned and doesn't pollute the air.

 

[porschegrl]

You just can't buy a new one in many states now.

Do you have a source for this? I was curious how many/which states had bans, and all I could find was news from a few days ago stating that New York is poised to be the first state to impose a ban in new construction: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/nyregion/gas-stove-ban-ny.html

 

[tvguy]

It won't make a difference until the electricity used by electric stoves is generated using green sources as well. It's a stupid attempt to change something that is a miniscule contributor to greenhouse gasses. Ask any chef how they feel about electric stoves. They are terrible for cooking. Natural gas is "greener" than most electricity at this point.

Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy.

Source:
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/natural-gas-and-the-environment.php#:~:text=Natural gas is a relatively,an equal amount of energy.

Well, we are hydro and solar here for electric production, so that is much greener that natural gas. Certainly we have brain washed for decades with the natural gas industry advertisting "clean natural gas" when it never was.

 

[kdonnel]

No. It's to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/27/new-york-natural-gas-ban/

Or is it?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/business/gas-stove-ban-federal-agency/index.html

 

[tvguy]

Or is it?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/business/gas-stove-ban-federal-agency/index.html

Kind of a moot point. They are banning natural gas appliances. I don't have a horse in the race, I have an all electric house.