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Is there possibly any suggestion that hasn’t been mentioned yet, perhaps a telescoping roof or motorized walls that open with a remote control? I’m sure that would be a desirable option as well!
Linen closet, there is never enough space for your linens , towels, etc. we had a large linen closet built into our bathroom
We have 2 of the standard sized linen closets and even though there are only 2 of us, they are not big enough to store all the towels and bed linens. Why are linen closets always narrow little closets? I still must keep extra sheets, pillows and blankets in the bedroom closets.
I would also add solar panels to my list. When it is time to replace our roof, we will add them. A ton of our neighbors have added them and been really happy.
^^^ Yes! My new place has solar and it's been great so far. We have hot summers, and for the first time I don't stress over the bill to run the AC, since the sun shines most when it's hot out. I also replaced my gas guzzler with an electric car.
I also screened in the deck so now I have a screened porch. I grew up in the Midwest and one of the best simple pleasures on earth is sitting on the porch during a thunderstorm.
We have 2 of the standard sized linen closets and even though there are only 2 of us, they are not big enough to store all the towels and bed linens. Why are linen closets always narrow little closets? I still must keep extra sheets, pillows and blankets in the bedroom closets.
One of my gripes too. Mine is wider then a bath sheet sized towel folded in 1/2 but it's still pretty small for what I need it for. The top shelf has a lot of space to shove a large comforter, that's where I keep extra sheets for the kids beds then I keep extra towels on 2 shelves. I also have 2 shelves for 4 smallish baskets for various things, soap, toothpaste, trash bags, night light bulbs, baby wipes plus one for my daughters over flow stuff that doesn't fit in the bathroom. In addition I have a green cabinet in the hallway that has cold medicines and big laundry detergent bottles.
The guest room sheets are stored in the guest room dresser with a basket on top that I have an extra pillow, I believe 2 light weight blankets, a bath sheet, regular towel and a hair towel from when my MIL used to come visit us. This way she had everything she needed, plus it didn't fit in the hall linen closet.
I store the master sheets and towels in baskets in the master closet. I think it's 3 or 4 baskets just for that.
In our old house we had a really nice linen closet in the main bathroom. It was way larger then what I have now. It used to be the closet from the room behind it. The original linen closet was about as wide as a boot box. I used to keep the hamper in that spot.
A lot of these are Future Proofing for you home. You may not want/need these things now, but may later. Running electrical or pipes after the build is a real pain and doesn't look good.
- 30A outlets in garage to allow Level 2 charging station hook ups for Electric Vehicles (future proof)
- Extra 110 outlet outside garage (vacuum car or inflate tires, etc...)
- Extra outdoor water spigots around house (easier than dragging a long hose around)
- Extra 110 outlets near yard in case you want to add outdoor lighting
- Wire under eves for security cameras (110 outlet, ethernet cables, etc...)
- Outdoor security lights
- Security cameras in the house may need 110V and ethernet. Typically those are located higher on walls near ceilings (better than battery/WiFi)
- A central point in house to route CATV cable for internet (for central WiFi location). Then distribution panel for ethernet to office or rooms. I like to keep my cable modem, WiFi router and cables hidden.
- Go with best ethernet cable you can afford. CAT 7 or better?
- Raised 110V outlets, HDMI ports and Ethernet ports for mounting HDTV to wall (living room, bedrooms, etc...)
- Natural Gas line to outdoor deck for gas grill or outdoor fire pit
- 220 Volt line to deck if you want a hot tub (some run on 110V as well)
- If you have an overhead porch or back deck cover, run outlet for outdoor fan and lighting
- Under cabinet lighting
- Under cabinet outlets (hot water pump to pull warm water through house)
- Lighting in closets and cabinets (LED's are cheap lighting now)
- Canned or accent LED lighting
- Tankless/Demand type hot water heater
- For cold climates, heated floor in bath
^^^ Yes! My new place has solar and it's been great so far. We have hot summers, and for the first time I don't stress over the bill to run the AC, since the sun shines most when it's hot out. I also replaced my gas guzzler with an electric car.
I also screened in the deck so now I have a screened porch. I grew up in the Midwest and one of the best simple pleasures on earth is sitting on the porch during a thunderstorm.
The house we bought has solar on it and we are in CO. It saved us a TON in the winter using the furnace. Our highest bill was $80 and we were running it at 69 degrees. Most of that cost was due to the gas water heater tied into that bill. (I take a lot of HOT baths)
I'm actually going into Solar sales because I'm psychotic about the environment and because I can prove they really do work and totally worth the investment!
It's hard to make suggestions without knowing where you live and how active you are. Some people treat a house like a big apartment. Do a Frank Lloyd Wright and integrate your house with the landscaping. A lot depends on your plans. Are you going to live there for 30 years? Build for your lifestyle. Are you going to move on in 10 years? Prune the amenities, because you will never get your money back.
Are you going to live there when you are 80? Eliminate stairs. I know an older couple who retired in California at '65 and built a new home on view property not far from here. The driveway would make a great ski jump, the house is 2-story with a full basement (lots of stairs!), and their kitchen window looked out at a dirt bank 15' from the house. That was a lot of work for a house they couldn't live in.
Amenities depend on the climate and lifestyle. Do you need a covered patio and an outdoor kitchen? We added a gazebo because it rains a lot but temperatures are mild. We can be outdoors without getting wet, and guests have a place they can smoke without getting rained on. There are double French doors in the Dining room opening onto the deck, which has multi-level seating. We can invite 20 or 30 people for a party without feeling crowded.
I added a mop sink and mud room in the garage, where we can shed boots and raincoats.
I set up a front projection home theater with an 8' electric screen that recesses into the ceiling, wired for surround speakers. If we turn off the projector and roll up the screen, there is no monstrous glass eye dominating the decor.
Do you garden? Where will you keep the lawnmower and gardening equipment? If you live in the North, where do you keep the snow blower?
Are you crafty, or do you need a shop? Do you need a safe? A big one has to be installed before the walls go up.
Amen on the window placement. I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and need lots of natural light to keep from getting depressed. We have 370 square feet of glass in this house, including a south wall with an overhang that is shaded in summer but doubles as passive solar heat on a tile floor in the winter. Almost half of the glass area can be opened, so when the weather is great, fresh air abounds.
Is your house going to be all electric? If so, plan for power outages. A generator and transfer switch are a good idea. If you live in the South, a house without AC can quickly become miserable. In the North, it can become a crypt. In a mild climate you can ignore that, because a little camp generator is all you need to keep the freezer cold and watch TV. If you have natural gas, at least you will be able to take a hot shower and cook a meal.
If the latter, ignore what is trendy and build the home to suit your lifestyle.
Personally I like house with lot of rooms over a big wareehouse type building. It does nto really matter to me what the rooms are named, I will use tham as I want to use them. Name it dining room, but I might elect to use it as a bedroom for an elderly parent, or an office, or a weight room, or for storage, or even as a dining room. The names of the rooms are irrelevant to me.
Presonally I think walk in closets are a waste of space, but I do like a small walk in pantry. We keep some heavy things int he pntrylike Kitchen aid mixer or a large slow cooker, or 40-50# bag of dog food. I like to be able to maneuver around to get a good grip on whatever I need to pull out of the pantry. closets, I prefer to have the clothing right at hand where i can see it clearly under the bright bedroom lighing. No need to walk in. I am not going to get dressed in there.
I like to have a mudroom. A large detached garage is also important to me (I do nto like breathing exhaust or other fumes. Aslo I like to have highly flammable things stored in a different building than my house.
I really like having a porch. I think most people never use them though.
Not so much rooms, but cross lighting (and ventilation) in every room is important to me. that means a window on at least two different walls of a room facing in different directions.
Lots and lots of windows matter to me. I like light more than I value privacy. If someone wants to watch me read a book or dance to my favorite song - well good for them. Enjoy yourself.
W found our kitchen nook next to worthless, but we have a large dining room connected to the kitchen. One way or anotehr, you need a central gathering place for meals, homework, whatever.
We have a "library" where we keep the powerful computers and also books. the problem with having the powerful computers in a seperate room, is people go in there and we never see them again. Might be better off wihtout the library.
Two parlors (living room and family room) are nto very useful. We liked them for a while when we frequently had formal guests whom we did nto want to bring into the messy part of the house, but that was just a short time, now the front parlor is set up as a spare bedroom for when my dad visits.
modern dining rooms are usually stupid. they are too small and they are just there so the ads can say there is one and add to the total square footage (very important for marekting and appraisals). However if you put a table and chairs in there, you cannot even walk around the table. Add a sideboard and server and/or a china cabinet and you may as well write the room off as unusable. If you are nto going to make a dining room bigger than 20x20 then do nto bother with one (unless you have some other purpose for it).
i personally like having a lot of outside doors. We have 8. However if you are paranoid about crime or live in a rough area you may not want that. More doors is bad for security. Aslo some insurance companies do not like lots of doors.
The flow of the house is critical. Which door will you use the most? what rooms do you have to go through to get to that door? What tings are you likely to want to grab wothout taking off your shoes if you eat or entertain outside a lot, having the mudroom directly connected to the kitchen is important. We entertain or eat on our large fornt porch quite a bit and you have to wlak through two rooms to get to it from the kitchen - not ideal.
At elast one section of attic with pull down stair for storing christmas and halloween decor. If you use trusses, then you need of use storage trusses for this area. they cost a little more, but not much Better yet just use rafters and increase your liklihood of surviving a fire.
If you are a big indoor entertainer, then you will want a big room or two for a lot of people, plus a few smallish rooms with doors where people can brak off in small groups for more pesonal conversations.
things to avoid IMO:
Two story greatrooms. Impossible to heat or cool comfortably, never well constructed anymore and the big all glass two story walls are prone to wind damage (or snow). Also a two story window wall is going to result in huge utility biulls for cooling and heating.
Houses that are too open. I want some rooms where guests cannto see into the kitchen.
Balconies or fully open stairways. Pretty, but a massive waste of space.
Two story entry ways. Really impractical waste of space, and the modern version - narrow and shallow, just look silly.
I am really fond of large wide upstairs hallway, but it is another major waste of space.
Cheapo flash and dazzle items (like stainless steel in the kitchen - I do nto want to pay for it, clean it, nor feel like I am back in my teens working in a commecial kitchen). Includes 3/8" drywall, fake looking plastic stuff stuck to cielings, chintzy doors, vinyl windows, carpeting, fourescent light fixtures.
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