Dear homeowners

[crabcake]

Don't forget the outside shower; I sooooooo want one of those!!!

These really come in handy if you live near a beach or have outside water activities (pool, hot tub, etc) so you can rinse off before going back inside. We had one at our beach house and during the hot summer months, I'd shower outside in the morning/night b/c it was really nice.

 

[jazz lady]

9' ceilings.

It makes a WORLD of difference. My old house had 8' ceilings and it felt downright claustrophobic going back there.

 

[Pegster710]

A couple of things - if you have a fireplace with a mantle, make sure they install an electrical outlet in the center and just above the mantle. You'll use it a lot!

Also, if you do outdoor lighting during holidays, it would be wise to install outdoor electrical outlets either under or over each window.

Have cabinet makers install turntables in all corner cabinets - saves you from having to dig in the back corner where you can't see.

Consider installing lighting under cabinets in the kitchen. Also, add extra electrical outlets around kitchen counters - about every two to three feet.

Have outlets installed under every window inside your home, as well as about every four feet in living and bedrooms.

Consider using pocket doors for closets - and have shelving and shoe racks built into closets. Also, put lighting in all your closets, with the switches just inside the door - or you can have the light automatically come on when the door is opened.

Put hose bibs on both ends of your home. Consider hot and cold taps at the end you use most.

Consider "warm air" heat pump (about a ton larger than your square footage calls for) with atached humidifier - feels really good and electric seems to be the least expensive fuel, at least for now.

Consider installing decorative towel bars behind bedroom and den doors or in walk-in closets for a handy place to store extra blankets.

Hope these hints help... If I think of any more, I'll post for you. I used to work for a builder and got these ideas from customers. Also, keep an eye on your builder and the progress of your house, daily, if possible. You'll catch lots of mistakes if you do!

Good Luck!

 

[Oz]

I got it and the wife loves it.

 

[Pegster710]

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my house. We looked at TONS of plans and did lots of walk-throughs of other houses to get ideas.

But some things I would like to change:

• Add more closet space. There is never enough closet space.
• Made some of the rooms bigger.
• Wish I hadn't taken out the large cupboard in the kitchen.
• Built the garage at the same time, even if it meant living on a shoestring for a couple of months until the other house sold.

Things I am glad of:

• 2.5 bathrooms.
• Big screened-in back porch.
• Huge master bathroom with dual sinks, separate shower, jacuzzi tub.
• One floor with NO stairs. Very pertinent for the older you get.
• Master bedroom separate from living room for privacy.
• LOTS of windows.
• Hardwood floors through most of the living area.
• Open floor plan for the living area.
• BIG kitchen with central island with cooktop.

I'm sure I'll think of other things. We do use almost every inch of our house, so we did good in picking the design.

Also consider three-foot hallways and doorways - they accommodate wheelchairs and stretchers nicely - especially if you plan to spend your "golden years" in this house.

 

[sleuth]

I want a kitchen island with a hibachi grill like you see at the Japanese Steakhouses. I'd cook a helluva lot more. You'll need a hood above it though.

And you can always build a cover for it out of countertop materials for when you're not using it. Maybe even put it on some kinda drawer slider thingy that allows it to drop down beside the island and moves without much effort.

 

[morganj614]

I want a kitchen island with a hibachi grill like you see at the Japanese Steakhouses. I'd cook a helluva lot more. You'll need a hood above it though.

And you can always build a cover for it out of countertop materials for when you're not using it. Maybe even put it on some kinda drawer slider thingy that allows it to drop down beside the island and moves without much effort.

we had a grill stove(interchangable units) but with the side vent downdraft fan. No hood needed.

 

[jwwb2000]

I love my built in china cabinet. Below the area for all of the dishes is a storage place. I keep the plastic stuff down there along with the cerals and pet treats. It is one of the things I love about the kitchen!

 

[spookthis]

We just build our house last year. I love our central vac. Has a feature called a dustpan that is mounted under one of the kit cabinets that you can sweep the dirt to, kick the switch and it sucks the dirt away then and there. I would have more of those added to rooms that have hardwood floors. And I would have had the plumber run a faucet out over the cooktop. The kind that would swing back against the wall when not in use.

 

[vraiblonde]

Not so great, but not bad - swimming pool. Nice to have, a lot of work to maintain.

See, that's me too - I don't want to deal with a pool. I don't even want to deal with a hot tub.

Great ideas everyone!

 

[pixiegirl]

The thing I like most about my house is that only a couple of the rooms are square. The rest are odd shaped. Take the kitchen for example, make a perfect sqare cut off a corner and add a wall. 5 sides instead of four. And there's a little opening (like a window) on the odd wall that looks out into the living room and my sink is on the kitchen side. The two extra bedrooms upstairs are odd shaped as well. Gives the house a little character.

 

[crabcake]

Gives the house a little character.

As if it's owner didn't do that enough.

j/k

 

[DoWhat]

Propane back up generator.

 

[pixiegirl]

As if it's owner didn't do that enough.

j/k

 

[Bogart]

Do not have any straight lines directly facing the main door. In nature, the paths always meander and curve. They typically do not form straight lines.

High ceilings for example are dramatic and beautiful. However, it could cause, depending on what the room is used for, difficulty in focusing or concentrating. We need to ensure there is a division between heaven and earth. You can alleviate this problem by adding a border, artwork, stenciling, etc.

Beams are also widely used, however, beams are called poison arrows and are particularly not good for a bedroom. They could cause health and relationships issues.

Make sure that your main door does not open up to the stairway, another door or window. This means that as the energy that comes into your main door, will go right out the window or door. The stairs may also send the energy right out the door. The spiral staircases in the "heart" of the home are also not recommended.

Square and rectangular shapes are highly recommended for homes. The odd shapes may cause health problems and the energy to bounce around. It also cuts off certain areas of the home within the eight aspirations. Make sure the lot is level and water views are very auspicious.

Avoid large or overgrown bushes in your front yard by keeping them trimmed. Make sure there is nothing that is obstructing the view and the chi from entering your front door. If there are any dead bushes, trees, or flowers, please remove them immediately.

Listen closely to your intuition upon entering the home. Does it feel right? Does it have an odor? Does it provide you with well-lit rooms? Does it have wide corridors or is the floor plan cramped?

 

[workin hard]

Feng shui?

 

[Bogart]

gesundheit

 

[willie]

Walk out basement and on high ground.

 

[marianne]

Good for you! We did our house plans four years ago. While I thought I had considered everything, there are some things I wish I had known then.

What I love:
large kitchen with island cooktop & adjoining sunroom
large master bathroom with jacuzzi and large closets
office far enough from the noise in the rest of the house
extra high ceilings in the family room & foyer
laundry room on every floor in a soundproofed room
3 car garage
9' basement ceilings with full size windows and walkout
wood burning slate fireplace with raised hearth in the family room

What I have and never use:
second staircase
dining room
formal living room
separate guest bathroom (guests are here infrequently enough that they can share a bath)
sitting room off master bedroom
grill module in the cooktop (it doesn't work very well and leaves you with only 2 burners - better off with a separate George Foreman grill)
recessed lighting above the fireplace mantle

What I wish I had:
made the media room a little bit bigger so it could be fully enclosed
added an instant hot water faucet in the cooktop
put an extra window in the kitchen (can't have too many windows in the kitchen)
added a raised brick fireplace in the kitchen or bar
not put the master bed over the room with the TV (kids/guests watch TV late when you're trying to sleep and you'll hear it)

The best advice I got was to put $ into structural items when you're building. So rather than going for the granite countertop, make the garage bigger or ceilings higher. You can go back and replace appliances or put in extra lighting easier than putting in a new window.

One more thing: if you have big walk-in closets, put an outlet in there so you can iron. My contractor would not put outlets in the closets unless we specifically requested them.

 

[vraiblonde]

We did our house plans four years ago. While I thought I had considered everything, there are some things I wish I had known then.

That's great advice! Thanks!

I think that's us, too - no dining room and no formal living room. We have a basement family room right now that was supposed to be where we watch TV, play games, etc, keeping the living room tidy and free of humans. It didn't work out that way - we NEVER use that family room. Larry has all his guitar crap down there and it's turned into a kind of studio.

I'm thinking of a large great room area that is the family room, kitchen and eating area.