What are some things you would do differently in building your own home?

Question

Any things you would change, re-design, eliminate, add, etc?

Any things that don't work in terms of design?...Not functionaly practical?

Answer 1

I would add on a screened in wrap around porch. I live in an older farm house and while there is a porch, I would like a bigger one. Also more closet and cabinet space. Older houses really lack storage space outside of an attic. Outside of that I am pretty content with my home as it has been rewired, new heating, windows, we just hung the most gorgeous tin ceilings, added a full bath and redesigned a half bath, plus we have new insulation and roofing. Perhaps there is one more thing. My home faces a big river and although there are windows in every room with views of the water, I would selfishly like a balcony off of my bedroom where I could go in good weather to read the paper, drink my coffe and watch the seagulls and eagles fly by.

Answer 2

I'd go for the luxury touches: gourmet kitchen with granite countertops, big steam shower in the bath, heated floors and heated towel racks, etc. I'd have a master suite with a sitting area and a big walk-in closet. There would be a dedicated space for an office, and my guest suites would be ***** - 5 star!
I'd have a wonderful patio and a terrace off my bedroom so I could watch the sunset while sipping a glass of white wine.
And I'd have a room for my cats - sunny window seats, tall perches, their own rugs and furniture, and etc.
I will never have any of the above unless I win the lotto big time - so in the interim, I'll just try to be content with what I have - a small duplex with tiny rooms, a Barbie doll sized kitchen, two little '80's bathrooms, and worn-out carpet. I can, however, enjoy the sunset from my back porch while sipping wine and dreaming about my "dream home." Bottoms Up!

Answer 3

Build a more private sanctuary where me or my wife can get away from the kids for a little bit.

Hardwoods are beautiful, but GOD are they a pain in the *** to sweep. Dust bunnies and hair on them all the time.

Prewire the house for surround sound in the entertainment room. Nothing worse than running speaker wires across floors or along baseboards.

Multi-story homes are fine, but make sure you put a nice master bedroom suite on the ground floor, or else you will have trouble reselling the home to anyone over age 50. It's fine to have guest rooms on a second floor.

Realtors report that those big, elaborate jetted tubs people put in their master bathrooms are almost NEVER used. Waste of money. Better to invest into a nicer shower.

Answer 4

First thing I would do is to put a real back door onto the back of the house which is where i would add a sunporch that has a door also that leads into the kitchen !! Then I would add a bathroom in the upstairs of the house and I would make the plumbing line easier to access (crawl space sucks) and the steps leading to basement would be wider and easier to go up & down ( ones we have now are ladder-like) also all new windows and central air!!

Answer 5

I live in New Jersey, so I would desire the front of my home to face the south so in winter we could minimize the use of salt for ice and heavy snow storms. (The plants don't like it and the residue tracks into the house.)

My homes A-Fram roof has the garage roof perpendicular to it on the north side. I get moss and mold on the garage roof, which eats away the shingles. I have added Zinc strips which help control, but haven't eliminated the problem. So I must chemically treat twice a year. So any roof intersections should also be on the south side. (My neighbor has the same home, but mirror image. His south facing garage roof is in pefect condition.)

Split levels can suck if you heat with forced air.

The outside AC unit should be away from the sun, or hidden under a tree if you can't.

Plenty of insulation in attic and walls. Go for insulated windows as well.

Answer 6

I would make it all about convenience, one story, large living/kitchen/dining area for friends and family to gather and a nice master suite with a bathroom that is completely water proof, no shower doors and large soaking tub and doors that completely open up to a private patio. For that matter I would want all of my doors to open up to outdoor areas, so even if I had only 1200 sqft it would feel like it was larger. I would definately put in a studio room so I could paint and draw and be alone when I needed to. Almost no doors in the house and if there are any doors maybe just sliding doors or frosted glass on the bathrooms. Very rustic modern.

Answer 7

First thing is to be positive your foundation won't settle. If you have plastic soil conditions in your area I would be sure to have piering done during the construction to be sure you have a solid base. Also I recommend you put 3 ft of smooth gravel under to give good water flow as well as possible drain system installed around perimeter of house. These can all save you a great deal of headaches in the future

Answer 8

think about the places you spent most of your time.. those are the rooms to make the best..

for me it was the kitchen / living room and bed / bathrooms

for the bath rooms I put in what is called a ( water closed ) skylight and a raise bathtub in the middle of the room with a heated -spanish tile 12 x12 stone floor... everything was bought from home depot..

the living room.. I put in speakers for the TV / radio all around the room / can lights along one wall..carpet and a stone floor..

bed room I knocked out a wall.. made 2 walk in closets.. his/hers.. more tinted windows wood floors

and all over the house I added more insulations to keep the sound of the outside... outside

Answer 9

I would build out, not up. I live in a 3 storey house. Too many stairs, rather live in a bungalow! I have no under stairs storage because there are 2 flights of stairs aswell. I would prefer to have bay windows too.

Answer 10

Put in much better insulation and use the best thermopane windows and doors. In the long run, the home will be much more comfortable to live in, and be much more energy efficient. This is true no matter what climate you live in.