Enough space for an office, playroom, and workout room.
Walk-in pantry. Not a galley kitchen. I’d prefer a nice center island. Lots of counter space, even more storage space. Fridge with a bottom-mount freezer–we have one now and love it. Gas range.
Master bath–I’ve never lived in a house that had one, and I’d LOVE one.
No separate living room, sitting room, and dining room. I’m fine with just one great room. The rest is just too much wasted space.
Lots of windows, preferably with a view of something other than my next-door neighbor’s house. I’d love a wooded or ravine lot. Big deck or patio with a separate, covered space for our grill/smoker. Wrap-around front porch. No stucco–I hate it.
1 story house on a hill with a 2 story barn/garage in back. The garage would be in the lower section and the upper story would be a workshop that you could walk into from the back yard. It would be a full wood working/machine shop with a drive in bay that could be accessed from the garage to work on the car. It would be fully furnished with bath facilities and big enough for 4 cars.
The house would be 3 bedrooms/ 3 bathrooms. Normal fantasy kitchen with lots of space for cooking and a pantry off to the side. Although I don’t want a large house I would like a 30 x 20 great room that serves as a library and entertainment room. It would have a double-sided fireplace that also fed into the kitchen/dinning room area.
I’d like a windmill to circulate water for a geothermal pump and also to circulate directly through the house and garage in the summer for cooling. Something that looks like an old farm style windmill. The house would be made of concrete for insulation with a colored tile exterior for maintenance free care. I saw a house that had a brown tile exterior and the glaze was brushed on. From a distance it looked like a wood home. Lots of windows with the newest tech stuff like blinds inside the panes, glass that sheds dirt. I’d build a lot of surface area on the roof for when photocells are more practical. I’d put solar thermal cells on the roof to heat the water heater and a cistern to capture rain water. The roof would cover a porch on 3 sides and a 3 season room on the 4th. The 3 season room would basically be a place to hide from bugs when the weather is nice and would include a multi-level deck with a nice smoker/grill.
I suppose if I had an unlimited budget I would get 20 acres of land, put a grass strip on it and build an old style arched hanger. The grass would be zozia or some other dense grass that takes a beating and grows slowly. Basically I’d want something I could take care of myself. I would never be comfortable with servants or gardeners. I might succumb to some neighbor kids mowing my lawn.
More then anything I would want my house to be a home. I’d want it in a neighborhood where everybody knew each other and were good neighbors. I’d rather live in the small house my Dad built and have the society of my youth. We knew all our neighbors and enjoyed each other’s company. I’m afraid the days of a 5 year old walking a ½ mile to school are over.
[QUOTE=ouryL]
I want a urinal.
No more complaints about leaving the seat up.
[/QUOTE]
When I was picking out plumbing fixtures for the house I’m currently building, the supplier actually had more than one home urinal in stock to choose from. I really think it would be very practical and a great way to save water.
[QUOTE=lobotomyboy63]
I think it would be cool to have an aquarium that runs through the house. Cut a section out of the non-loadbearing walls and make a long, meandering aquarium that allows the fish to visit you in the bedroom, then swim over to see what’s happening in the kitchen etc.
Plus an atrium with a waterfall.
[/QUOTE]
forgot to say: My father-in-law, a custom home builder, had a client a few years ago who wanted a trout stream in the house. Don’t remember if they went through with it or not, but it was on the drawing board.
[QUOTE=plnnr]
Except that we have a whirlpool tub in the bathroom and a hot tub on the deck, you described my current house perfectly. And it sits on 5 secluded acres.
Come over any time. It’s wonderful.
[/QUOTE]
I knew someone was living my ideal life. I’ll bring cookies.
[QUOTE=ouryL]
I want a urinal.
No more complaints about leaving the seat up.
[/QUOTE]
I know people who have them in their house. I would definately add one to a mud room or a garage bathroom. As for the seat up/down, I’d go with LID down. That way you always know you have to raise/lower something so there are no surprises in the middle of the night.
[QUOTE=Sigmagirl]
… a trout stream in the house…
[/QUOTE]
The L.L. Bean stores in Freeport have trout streams – one more like a pond or fountain in the main store, one more like a long aquarium in the outlet. Very cool.
[QUOTE=Magiver]
As for the seat up/down, I’d go with LID down. That way you always know you have to raise/lower something so there are no surprises in the middle of the night.
[/QUOTE]
Also, that way you keep the dog from drinking out of the toilet.
[QUOTE=Lissla Lissar]
I want **emilyforce **to design my house.
[/QUOTE]
Woot! My first architect gig! Hope you don’t care about me being all unlicensed and stuff.
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle]
The Haunted Mansion at Disney World has always been my idea of an ideal house. If I could find such a thing, preferably in England, and possessed of a long and bloody history, I’d sell my soul to live there.
Secret passages, huge library, ghosts, the works. I’ll bring cats.
If I were going to improve my current house, I’d want to put a hallway or some sort of buffer between the master bedroom and the living room, a six-burner stove and granite countertops in the kitchen, and skylights in all the bathrooms. And replace the carpet in the bedrooms…with what, I haven’t decided yet. It’s actually the nicest house I’ve ever lived in and I’m quite happy with it as is.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Dinsdale]
My all-time favorite style home is a craftsman bungalow, tho as my legs deteriorate, ranches are looking more and more appealing to me.
I’d definitely like a porch out front, and a screened porch in back.
One silly little luxury I would include in a custom home would be a mud/laundry room with a shower area to bathe dogs.
[/QUOTE]
I definitely won’t have stairs. I look at what my mother in law contends with. We worry about the impending Geriatric Face Plant all the time.
I want about 2K square feet. I need one more bathroom and a dining room. Maybe a workout room. I really don’t have any interest in a big house. Mine is about 1K square feet and it’s too small only because we have The Stairway To Death and therefore don’t use the upstairs except for storage.
[QUOTE=Suse]
I like Foursquare houses too.
[/QUOTE]
We have an American foursquare house here in Kansas City. I am really going to miss this house, the floor plan is so very livable. I especially love the front porch and the porch off our bedroom on the second floor.
As for me, something small will have to do. After all, we are moving to Boston.
I want a pool, hot tub, a couple of big offices (mine goes upstairs in the warmest area), at least one fireplace, a recording studio, a woodworking shed, and a fire pole. Yeah, a fire pole. Whenever we look at houses, I fantasize about finding one with a fire pole, so I can slide down and say, “Wow, this place is great! When can we move in? You gotta try this pole!”
[QUOTE=Magiver]
I know people who have them in their house. I would definately add one to a mud room or a garage bathroom. As for the seat up/down, I’d go with LID down. That way you always know you have to raise/lower something so there are no surprises in the middle of the night.
[/QUOTE]
I’ll bring cookies.
Hope you don’t care about me being all unlicensed and stuff.