If you have or could build your home from scratch

[Bluebird]

I love my house, but it is a builder spec home, and I would have done some things differently if I’d gotten to build it myself.

Best things:
1.5 stories - almost everything is on the main level, but upstairs is a huge game room/loft with a walk in storage closet and a half bath
Massive kitchen island

Things I wish we had:
Recessed lighting in the living room
Powder room half bath
Better soundproofing throughout
Bigger laundry room with a utility sink
Gas line to the patio for the grill

[STP]

I wouldn’t buy a home without a fireplace, it’s such a part of my fall/winter routine.

[cnf]

Jul 9, 2024 7:52:31 GMT -6 STP said:

I wouldn’t buy a home without a fireplace, it’s such a part of my fall/winter routine.

Same. I adore having a fireplace, especially living in snow hell for a good chunk of the year, lol

[fb]

Jul 9, 2024 7:52:31 GMT -6 STP said:

I wouldn’t buy a home without a fireplace, it’s such a part of my fall/winter routine.

I just did and guess what our first big project is....building a fireplace wall.

[ponyhairs]

Many of my suggestions come from a place of having cared for a sick/disabled family member and from planning for aging parents to live with me, so keep that in mind but I would say:
Single story
Make all doorways and walkways ADA compliant
Have one shower that is stall style and curb-less
Extra thick wall insulation on any shared bedroom walls and in bathrooms
More wall outlets than you think you will need (and get the smart ones that can be controlled with Alexa or Google home and that have USB and USB C ports)
Smart light switches so you can control lighting from Alexa/Google Home (I love being able to tell Alexa to turn off my bedroom light from bed)
More storage areas than you think you will need (it's a nice problem to have too much storage)
Cabinetry in the kitchen that allows for plates and glasses to be stored in drawers rather than in upper cabinets
Motion controlled lighting in bathrooms, walk in closets and laundry areas.
Under cabinet kitchen lighting
Can lights that you can adjust the light "temperature" (make them warmer or cooler, I hate lighting that is too white/cool or yellow/warm)
Plan spaces in room for little splurges like towel warmers in the bathrooms, or space in the kitchen for a countertop ice maker, etc.
When you are planning your spaces, really think about how you actually live and what pain points you have in your current living spaces. When I redid our primary bathroom, I didn't take into consideration when I was going to plug in my electric toothbrush and Water Pik on the vanity. I also didn't realize how wide the vanity was going to be and now I have a hard time putting on my eye make-up because I am farther from the mirror than I was in my other bathroom.
Hidden trashcans in the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry

[leahcar]

A full bath and bedroom downstairs (or a 1 story house, likely)
ADA accessible doorways and hallways

My FIL broke his hip 8 years ago and they only had a half bath and NO bedrooms downstairs. It was awful. We spent a month with them so MH could carry him up and downstairs.

I thought I was super smart with having a downstairs master in this house. Then I realized I have 1979 width doorways so a walker or wheelchair still won't fit.

Our next house, theoretically, will be the downsize house so accessibility is definitely on my mind. It COULD be our retirement house so I want an option to age in place.

[AmyG]

Having wider doorways are nice even if you don't plan to live there forever cause you never know what's going to happen in your life

Outlets everywhere esp any place you think you may want to plug xmas lights tree decorations lol

Don't let anyone in the design of the plans assume you are only going to put furniture in a certain place and then they put outlets the places that would go around certain furniture cause everybody does things different. Choose for yourself and put them more places in pantry above any pot shelf maybe in closets up under eves

[clucky]

Bedrooms with large closets
Laundry by the bedrooms and in the mud room, especially if the rooms are on a 2nd floor or a laundry room with 2 dryers
Large linen closet
Whole house fan
Generator
Water softener
Whole house water filter
Outdoor kitchen/grill/smoker with a pizza oven
Small balcony off primary
More outlets, split up electrical wiring & breakers to eliminate any future issues, maybe this isn't an issue in newer homes, but 1959 weird wiring is getting to me.
Outlets for decorating outside and a few up high inside

Things our current home has that I would keep
Bedrooms separate from living space, currently we have 1/2 flight separation and I prefer that to a whole flight of stairs.
Separate garage doors, door access to outside
Extra large garage, we can open all doors on cars but 1 with loads of storage
Water spigot on front and back of house, we also have hot & cold faucets in the garage (would prefer an actual mudroom)
Fireplace
Separate Oven and Cooktop
Shutters on main level windows
Storm shelter - in ground, concrete room off the basement with a light and outlet for radio
Sink in laundry room plus shelves and hanging storage

[jamboree]

I know this post is dead and buried but I just have to add mine

NO LAWN! My yard is tiny and probably wouldn’t work for anything much larger than a tiny one but I love having only mulch. Plants love the protection and it’s so easy to keep up with the weeding. My yard is L shaped where each arm is make 8x20. One arm is mulch and one arm is ground cover (pachysandra) and I never have to weed that.