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I love DARK BEDROOMS! I don't want a bedroom with skylights and lots of natural light! If I am ever in there during the day time, I will want to SLEEP. If I am still in there in the morning, I do NOT want the sun streaming in at dawn... I want drapes or blinds and dark warm paint colors in a bedroom.
I dislike skylights in general, because I have found them to be hot in summer, and a source of heat loss in winter. And they are loud when it's raining. I live in Western WA. I don't want it to be loud every time it rains.
I find it interesting...you'd think from the responses here that having a pool is a negative. I guess it depends on where you live. Here in Texas we have temps over 95 degrees at least three months out of the year. NOTHING...and I mean nothing...beats a pool. When the pool is not in use, it is a pretty water feature in a backyard, especially with well thought out landscaping and a waterfall. It's an expense yes, but so is the rest of the house. It's so worth it, though.
P.S. In reading some of the posts, though, that list so many likes and/or dislikes, it makes me wonder if some people would ever be happy buying a previously owned home unless they had a good-sized budget for redecorating and/or remodeling!
My house is 60 years old and I haven't touched the kitchen other than to replace a light fixture and paint the walls. The original Mamie Eisenhower pink master bath is untouched. If I was building custom I wouldn't choose a pink bathroom at all, but hey...it works. Why mess with it if I don't have to? It's not ugly. It's just...PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK.
Except he's wrong. HOA's can certainly fine homeowners for noncompliance.
There are certain HOAs out there that are "voluntary" that probably do not have any sort of enforcement powers, my parents have also lived in a home in one of those neighborhoods, and yes, the HOA couldn't enforce anything. The homeowner just had to comply with city regulations.
Except that the worst of the violators simply walk away from the property. Sure, liens may be issued, but if the owner walks away, there are no sale proceeds to collect from that owner. It goes back to the bank, who will tell the HOA to take a hike. Then the HOA sells it to a collection agency for pennies on the dollar and the rest of the owners have to take up the slack.
As for fines, sure they can issue "fines" though these are not really "fines" in a legal sense but rather a breach of contract by the owner ... but collecting is another matter as it is a civil matter. Is it worth the HOA's money and time to sue an owner over $300 or $3000 in "fines"?
HOAs are for the protection of the builders' interests, first and foremost. Some offer services (we have a community pool my kid loves and trash/recycling pickup is included) to owners, but to think they have the type of control over owners and community that is commonly thought? Nope.
damp basement to keep canned items from the garden
and one of those round balls old people have in their well manicured lawns,,,gazing balls??
oh and a star on the side of the garage,,,,not sure what it means but there are thousands of them around rural maine and new Hampshire
and pink flamingos...old tires in the yard...
8 years ago we got to custom this elegant large condo,,,,we got the stainless steel appliances, we had a 16 foot granite cookstove /prep island
it was picturesque...
but , once we were there,,,the stainless steel was very high maintenance....and the granite was very unforgiving,,,chipped easily and scratches ..
I wouldn't get either one today
one amenity I did like was remote central air and this shower that was a waterfall
we sold the condo and moved back in our original place - smaller house on a lake in the country..
peaceful and see lots of wildlife,,
I will always live on the water,,,, love to swim fish and boatride,,and paddle a canoe and kayak
Excessive square footage - make it smaller and use the space more efficiently. Less to clean and heat! There is so much wasted space in most designs. And if I wanted to live in a cavern I'd go spelunking.
Tubs in general - they seem like a good idea but in practice I've never had one get enough use to justify the cleaning or space
Likes:
Swimming pool
Lots of big windows
1960's and '70's architecture
Real wood floors
Smooth walls
Stained wood trim
Concrete counters
Hot tub
Big lot w/ no neighbors nearby
Wood shingle roofs
Dramatic views
Dislikes:
Most new construction
Faux Tuscan anything
Mosaic tile backspash
Beige walls w/ white trim
Pergo floors
Carpet
White vinyl windows ....yuk!
Textured walls / ceilings
Cherry cabinets
Granite
I love DARK BEDROOMS! I don't want a bedroom with skylights and lots of natural light! If I am ever in there during the day time, I will want to SLEEP. If I am still in there in the morning, I do NOT want the sun streaming in at dawn... I want drapes or blinds and dark warm paint colors in a bedroom.
I dislike skylights in general, because I have found them to be hot in summer, and a source of heat loss in winter. And they are loud when it's raining. I live in Western WA. I don't want it to be loud every time it rains.
Agreed. Here in Texas, heat and sun will find any possible way into a house and turn your otherwise happy home into the fiery pits of hell in a trice, so my wife came up with a cute and clever idea to block all the sun coming into our bedroom. Never mind mini blinds or curtains; she put her dresser right in front of our bedroom window and a heavy oak three panel mirror above it so it blocks all the light and most of the heat coming into the bedroom. We don't mind the lack of light/heat/cold. It makes a big difference, and it's especially helpful because I'm a day napper.
FYI for you who are anti HOA: they are not all the same. Really. We are in an HOA neighborhood. Very few rules. But it's a gated neighborhood with some extra security features. I feel far safer here than I did when we lived "outside", and I've made a ton of friends at neighborhood meetings.
Likes: wood stoves, natural yard, wildlife in the yard.
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If I was building custom I wouldn't choose a pink bathroom at all, but hey...it works. Why mess with it if I don't have to? It's not ugly. It's just...PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK.
