Dear homeowners
- Thread starter vraiblonde
- Start date
Oz
You're all F'in Mad...
Ok - here's my take...
We have a tankless hot water heater at work. They are horrible if you want hot water. Before you decide on that, make sure you find out how quickly, and how much water it can warm. Then, find out what the water temp is from the source. Ours produces lukewarm water this time of year, and does a little better in the summer.
A basement - cheapest room in the house.
On top of the basement, rather than traditional post and beams, use floor trusses for the first floor. Then, all of your utilities, duct work and plumbing goes between the trusses and you can finish a basement with full-height (generally 8 ft) ceilings without boxing out the aforementioned utilities.
If you have multiple levels, then either put your laundry on the same level as the bedrooms, or install a laundry chute.
Finally, on the floor with your living room and kitchen areas, go with 9 Foot ceilings. The extra height really opens up your living space.
OH! 2-3 Car garage - BUT either epoxy or tile the floor BEFORE you move into the house. If you don't do it then, your floor will remain concrete indefinitely. (I plan on moving stuff out and spending a weekend tiling mine this spring, 10 years later...) And, no garage is complete without a shiny Corvette... (Right Larry?)
We have a tankless hot water heater at work. They are horrible if you want hot water. Before you decide on that, make sure you find out how quickly, and how much water it can warm. Then, find out what the water temp is from the source. Ours produces lukewarm water this time of year, and does a little better in the summer.
A basement - cheapest room in the house.
On top of the basement, rather than traditional post and beams, use floor trusses for the first floor. Then, all of your utilities, duct work and plumbing goes between the trusses and you can finish a basement with full-height (generally 8 ft) ceilings without boxing out the aforementioned utilities.
If you have multiple levels, then either put your laundry on the same level as the bedrooms, or install a laundry chute.
Finally, on the floor with your living room and kitchen areas, go with 9 Foot ceilings. The extra height really opens up your living space.
OH! 2-3 Car garage - BUT either epoxy or tile the floor BEFORE you move into the house. If you don't do it then, your floor will remain concrete indefinitely. (I plan on moving stuff out and spending a weekend tiling mine this spring, 10 years later...) And, no garage is complete without a shiny Corvette... (Right Larry?)
That sounds neat. Remember Sarah's house where it was the two parts of the house connected by that big breezeway? That was cool, too.Mountain MaMa said:
Definitely. I'm giving up an upstairs so I can have a full finished basement instead.Oz said:
That's a good idea.
I'm afraid if I have two shower heads I'll never shower alone again.JabbaJawz said:Add a double shower head and oversized shower to accommodate this in the master.
That's what the two-person jacuzzi tub is for. 
BadGirl
I am so very blessed
I love living on one level, and enjoy that my primary living area (living room, dining area, and kitchen) is essentially one large room. Also, hardwood floors kick butt - they are so beautiful, and they are very easy to clean. Even though this house doesn't have it, I wish I had larger doorway passages and a wider hallway, for those times when my wheelchair riding mom comes to visit. Also, for mom's consideration, I'd situation my bathroom so that I could have a zero-clearance extra large walk-in shower. I'd also suggest for your bedrooms two swing-out closet doors, instead of a single closet door. My laundry room also serves as my pantry - just wish it were a tad larger. And splurge for a massive fridge. My dishwasher is so very quiet that you can barely hear it running. I wish that my garage was on the same level as the house, instead of a three-step down from the house. Perhaps one day I may convert the garage into living space, and with the current step down, the renovation will always look like an afterthought unless I raise up the garage floor, which is a costly modification. All in all, I love my house.
Railroad
Routinely Derailed
We remodeled our house a few years back, and chose a smooth glass cook top for the kitchen. In retrospect, I think we both would have been happier with a more traditional (and sturdier) cook top. We have to be very careful with spills and watching the heat. Cleaning it is easy when things aren't baked on, but that and its appearance are the only two big advantages.
I'd caution you to make sure you have abundant closet or attic storage space. We've never owned a home (in almost 26 years) that had enough of that. We're not pack rats, but just like an object gathering dust, we seem to gather stuff. Having a basement is a WONDERFUL idea (wish we had one), but I still think you'll want other places for storage.
I'd caution you to make sure you have abundant closet or attic storage space. We've never owned a home (in almost 26 years) that had enough of that. We're not pack rats, but just like an object gathering dust, we seem to gather stuff. Having a basement is a WONDERFUL idea (wish we had one), but I still think you'll want other places for storage.
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Christy
b*tch rocket
Railroad said:
I'd also stay away from stainless steel appliances. They never mention in the advertising that stainless steel shows fingerprints like you wouldn't believe. I now long for my old marigold fridge (okay, well that's taking it a bit far ) but I'd go with just plain old white or cream color for appliances.
BadGirl
I am so very blessed
Hmmmm. All of my appliances are stainless steel, and I love 'em. I don't have a problem with fingerprints, although if I had kids I'd probably change my opinion of them.Christy said:
aps45819
24/7 Single Dad
Pay attention to how the house is oriented. Large windows on the south side of the house will allow max sunlight in the winter and help heat your home. Smaller windows or a covered porch on the north side will reduce your cooling costs in the summer. If you like to sleep late, make sure your bedroom windows are on the west side of the house.
Chasey_Lane
Salt Life
Don't forget the outside shower; I sooooooo want one of those!!!
I bought this house with my wife a year ago. It's basically the house she grew up in, and it's the biggest house I've ever lived in.
What I like:
Screened in deck. It's *huge*, and most of our parties are held there in the warm months.
Huge yard. It's deep, and most of it is unshaded and in the back. However, there's enough trees and shrubs to make it very private.
Big garage. Ok, this can be bad, too, because it's a two-car garage that only holds ONE car because of the way the support columns were put in to support the extension above it. But that means I get my own workshop for the first time in my life.
Huge rooms
Nice bathrooms - well, mostly.
Fireplace, game room.
Good landscaping, plants, trees - less work for me to do, unlike my last house, which barely had *grass* when I moved in.
Not so great, but not bad - swimming pool. Nice to have, a lot of work to maintain.
Things I'd like to change:
- Small kitchen. We're hoping to expand it at our first opportunity, into a big country kitchen.
- Main bathroom needs to be bigger. We're big people, and bathtubs that you can actually SOAK in would be nice.
- More light. We have some skylights. A couple more in back or in the bedroom might be nice.
- More deck space. We'd like an open area next to the enclosed deck, to cook on.
- More efficient heating and cooling. It's a BIG house, and electric is just too much.
- Maybe a nice shed, wired, lighted.
- A little bath house near the pool.
What I like:
Screened in deck. It's *huge*, and most of our parties are held there in the warm months.
Huge yard. It's deep, and most of it is unshaded and in the back. However, there's enough trees and shrubs to make it very private.
Big garage. Ok, this can be bad, too, because it's a two-car garage that only holds ONE car because of the way the support columns were put in to support the extension above it. But that means I get my own workshop for the first time in my life.
Huge rooms
Nice bathrooms - well, mostly.
Fireplace, game room.
Good landscaping, plants, trees - less work for me to do, unlike my last house, which barely had *grass* when I moved in.
Not so great, but not bad - swimming pool. Nice to have, a lot of work to maintain.
Things I'd like to change:
- Small kitchen. We're hoping to expand it at our first opportunity, into a big country kitchen.
- Main bathroom needs to be bigger. We're big people, and bathtubs that you can actually SOAK in would be nice.
- More light. We have some skylights. A couple more in back or in the bedroom might be nice.
- More deck space. We'd like an open area next to the enclosed deck, to cook on.
- More efficient heating and cooling. It's a BIG house, and electric is just too much.
- Maybe a nice shed, wired, lighted.
- A little bath house near the pool.
A fireplace in the master bedroom
Private patio area with french doors off the master bedroom
Home office
Craft room with it's own sink
We were thinking of a house shaped like a U with garages on one side and bedrooms on the other. Then you really have a private patio in the middle where we could put a hot tub.
8 ft high privacy fence for the yard.
Private patio area with french doors off the master bedroom
Home office
Craft room with it's own sink
We were thinking of a house shaped like a U with garages on one side and bedrooms on the other. Then you really have a private patio in the middle where we could put a hot tub.
8 ft high privacy fence for the yard.