Electrical outlets outside, on the balcony or in the yard as appropriate.
I don’t know why all houses, condos, and apartments don’t already have access to the power supply without having to run a cable through your door or window. It seems so basic and obvious, like wheels on suitcases.
Ok, some really cool ideas here. I’d put in:
**A library. ** I’ve got a collection of hundreds, if not thousands, of books and am adding more all the time. Since I’m rich enough to build my dream home, I’m going to go ahead and buy pretty much every fantasy, sci-fi, and literature novel out there to add to my collection.
Huge, fully equipped kitchen. I can’t really cook too much right now, and when I do it’s pretty basic stuff. But I would love to have one of those amazing kitchens. An island in the middle, complete with sink, grill, etc. Dutch oven, quality cutlery and cookware, all kinds of Alton Brown type gadgets, etc.
Arcade. Something I’ve dreamed about since I was a wee lad. My very own darkened arcade, complete with black lights and all the vintage arcade machines.
Go Karts! I want my own go kart track. And not one of those basic ovals either. I want a huge, complicated track. I want under and overpasses, figure 8’s, jumps, those sloped curves (forget what they’re called), the works.
Pond and acres of trees. Not one of those nasty green ponds the birds shit in. A nice crystal blue pond, surrounded by a beautiful landscape where I can just sit and relax. Which brings me to the next one…
A Japanese Garden. I’ve only seen these in films, but they are beautiful little bastions of tranquility, and I’d love to have one.
Suits of armor. “Where’s this one come from?” “Japan” “How do you know?” “Because…I bought it in Japan”. Yeah, I want one of those. A room with suits of armor and weapons.
Theater room. There used to be a coffee shop in the student district here where the hipsters could hang out and watch movies. I used to hang out at a video game place nearby, and the owner was friends with the coffee shop owner. They invited us over one day to play Playstation games on their digital projector. Screw your paltry 52 inch plasma televisions. Video games crystal clear on an 18 by 25 foot screen is pure awesomeness, and I must have one.
Of course, this is all going to be pretty high maintenance, so I also need:
An army of robotic servants to maintain it all. They’ll go back in their robot closets when I don’t need them.
What I would most like would be a convenient place to wash my dogs 9golden retrievers). Maybe a special shower area in a mudroom or attached garage, or maybe even just a shower stall in an unfinished basement with exterior access.
Having said that, I kinda like unfinished basements with exterior access, for storage, work space . . .
An open front porch, and a screened in porch in the back.
I’m a huge fan of woodwork - a la craftsman trim and built-ins.
These are all pretty practical and achievable. One step further would be a greenhouse and a pond - maybe even an inside pond . . .
More important than many interior features would be a decent sized (at least 1/4 acre - hopefully bigger) lot with privacy and plenty of space for planting.
And I have a strong preference NOT to have wasted space, as in volume ceilings, huge bathrooms and kitchens, etc.
Craftsman style, with a slate roof and copper gutters that will not need any particular attention or repair for 50 years.
Storage space.
Radiant heat, plus air conditioning. Yes, I know the AC needs ductwork, so why not heat through them? There’s just something about warm floors that appeals to the tiny reptilian core at the bottom of my brain.
Electric outlets will be on separate circuits from lighting. Circuits will feed at most one room, so overloads are less likely and less disruptive when they do happen. Wiring devices shall be commercial or industrial grade - none of those nasty 59-cent outlets allowed.
Cat 6 will be run to all rooms and home-run to a dedicated network and phone switch room. No more balancing routers on the freezer in the garage…
Storage space.
Central vacuum system.
Woodworking shop large enough and stocked to make Norm Abram envious. Enough floor space that I don’t need to do the ‘move the table saw away so I can pull out the router table’ two-step. A dedicated finishing room will be part of the shop.
Instant tankless water heaters at all points of use, enabling us to run laundry, dishes and multiple showers at the same time and not run out of hot water.
Laundry will be adjacent to bedrooms, and will have a dedicated folding table and ironing center.
The kitchen…
Full pantry
LIGHT!
COUNTERTOP OUTLETS!
A dedicated patch of land for the stand mixer to stay on, plus adjacent storage for its attachments.
Dedicated spaces for the smaller appliances like the blender, food processor and coffee maker to life on.
A coffee station - some place next to a sink and under the cabinet where the coffee cups live for the coffee maker, the coffee and sweeteners to stay. If we upgrade to a plumbed commercial style brewer, this will not need to be next to a sink.
Two dishwashers, preferably of the drawer design so we can run either tons of dishes or just a few. When we entertain, we average about half a load per guest with all of the cookware, dishes and glasses, and we’re not even being particularly fancy.
Handwashing sink with foot pedals, like at a hospital so you don’t have to touch anything with sticky or greasy hands.
Built-in “dustpans” connected to the central vac system - just sweep the floor into the pocket and it’s sucked away without needing a dustpan.
Pot-filler faucet at the cooktop.
Gas cooktop
Electric convection wall ovens
Solid-surface countertops with seamless sinks. No tiny corners for nasties to grow in.
Storage space. (Did I mention that my current house has very little storage space?)