I know several people who have put themselves through the stress of having a new home built to their specifications. It’s always fun to follow along on their adventure. The highs the lows. They are sincerely proud of the design choices they have made.
I have never been a homeowner, and it seems highly unlikely that I would ever have a home built to my specifications. I am always amazed that these people never include the coolest features which I would never miss.
Like a secret room. Okay, maybe they have that and they’re just not telling me. But what about a hidden door?
I’d definitely have a place where you have to throw back the carpet to reveal a door concealed in the floor that leads down a dimly lit stairs to who knows where.
And a tower, I think I’d like a tower. Just to see around.
What about you, if money were no object what cool design feature would you surely include in your dream house plan?
Wine cellar? Solarium? Pantry?
Wisdom is the boobie prize,they give you when you’ve been --unwise!
I like the door in the floor idea too. I would have two. They’d be located in my children’s rooms. They would be closet doors. That way when they want to put their clothes away instead of sweeping them off their beds onto the floor they could open their closets and kick them inside.
Some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen involved a home entertainment system that was built into the house itself. OH, it was beautiful…
I want a giant screen surrounded by speakers, all built into the structure. I want the home theater components hidden, with IR transmitters in front of them so I can control them from a master panel while the cabinet containing the theater components is closed. I want the lights to dim automatically when the DVD player starts playing.
I want wallplates that’ll allow speaker connections in every room. I want speakers concealed in the ceiling of rooms that can’t have standing speakers. I want to be able to select which speakers are active by pushing a couple of buttons on the wall. I want the doorbell wired into the system, so that the program drops in volume and rings the bell when it’s pushed.
The only thing I ever wanted in a house was a library, and I’ve pretty much got it now! Last summer I decided that there was no need to continue using my Formal Living Room as a storage room when I could make it into a Victorian Library Looking Room. Sure, it doesn’t match the rest of my house. Sure, the heavy burgundy curtains don’t quite match the modern artwork in the foyer. I don’t give a shit. I have a wall of books, a bar with fancy Cognac and Scotch bottles on top, and several comfy reading chairs. I’m in heaven!
I’d like a secret room. It would be a secret bedroom, or more accurately, an adult play room. With red velvet covering the walls, a swing, hooks, straps, all kinds of stuff built right into the walls.
Try not to have a good time…this is supposed to be educational.
-Charles Schulz
I stayed at a house once that heated water in the toilets so that when you sat down on cold winter mornings, it was nice and toasty. That was very cool.
I think I would want a HUGE bathtub, like 20’ X 20’ with jets and all that, wet bar right near it, and designed so that it’s easy to lay back and read. I also think it would be kind of cool to have formal gardens and a maze. And maybe one of those really big banquet rooms with a long table. Oh, and balconies! Inside!
We just had our house built and the only really cool thing we got was a gas fireplace that you can turn on with a switch on the wall. It’s killer to be able to get home, turn the fire on, and curl up on the couch with no effort expended at all.
I’ve always thought a bathroom made entirely from stainless steel would be pretty cool. When it needs to be cleaned you could just turn on the steam jets for 10 minutes and then flush. Of course, you’ll need some kind of warming device integral to the toilet seat. That thing would be one cold sonofabitch in the winter.
IIRC Once they got their dream home, Kathleen Turner’s character welcomes soemone to the house. She turns to the wall and presses on a portion of paneling, releasing a magnetized door that hides the front closet.
I want that!
My kids brighten up our home. They never turn the lights off. -A Wallyism
I’d like an indoor/outdoor pool. Something with a retractable glass wall/roof. And a swim-up bar. And a big-screen so I can watch “Jaws” while floating in my pool.
That and (I’m with the traditionalists on this one) the Victorian library with secret passage.
The Impossible is out of your price range.
We are running a special on The Highly Improbable, though.
A big laundry room with washer and dryer, hanging racks, flat screens for drying sweaters, iron, garment steamer, and a great big table for folding on the same floor as the bedrooms - I HATE trudging up and down three flights! Also, this room would have a radio/CD player and TV to make the entire process a little more enjoyable.
