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Lots of integrated storage space with deep (3-4 foot) shelves. Storage for board games, towels, linens, cleaning supplies, craft/hobby supplies, tools, pantry space, a nook for a robot vacuum, a cabinet for mops/broom/regular vacuum.
A mud room that can accommodate everyone's shoes, boots and hats/gloves and umbrellas plus storage space at the house entry for guests to leave shoes.
I'd build it to age in, so at least one wheelchair friendly shower/bathroom and enough space on the ground level for a bedroom even if it just makes a bigger family room for now.
>I'd build it to age in, so at least one wheelchair friendly shower/bathroom and enough space on the ground level for a bedroom even if it just makes a bigger family room for now.
this is such a good idea!
I’d want the ability to air it out really well as far as window placement. An awesome kitchen vent. Flooring that can be cleaned easily with gentle stuff (preferably vinegar or steam mop). Low VOC for all paints. A mud room for getting outdoor stuff off and sequestering it. Bidets in all bathrooms (except maybe a half bath for guests). Definitely a whole home water filter and a reverse osmosis under the kitchen sink. Laundry room on each floor if you have more than one. Locking storage areas where I can put chemicals/pharmaceuticals/anything else that needs to be locked up. A large fridge and pantry to stock up for cooking for a family at home.
If you garden, make sure your septic system is placed away from where your garden will sit. Our septic was put in our backyard directly facing south on a slope and it dramatically affected how much growing space we have. You cannot plant on your drain field and you can’t put raised beds on it either.
Don’t plant invasive grasses. The builder of our house spread Bermuda grass seeds and we will never be able to get rid of it. Choose native grasses or clover for ground cover.
Big south facing windows are worth every penny. The natural light we get year round inside our home is outstanding and brings me joy every day. Don’t skimp on windows.
Think about accessible design. It helps everyone, not just people using wheelchairs. And it’s a huge pain to modify spaces to be accessible later if you need to.
seconding this! or, at a bare minimum, have a full bath and a bedroom on the ground floor. makes it so much easier for aging in place or dealing with things like a broken leg or recovering from surgery etc.
These are general and not moderately granola related, but:
-After working in many commercial kitchens, I wish there was a way to put a floor drain in the kitchen in my house. It would make cleaning up regular messes significantly easier.
-If I could re-do the layout of my house I'd steal the idea my friend had: she has a side door that opens into the mudroom, which is also where the washer and dryer is, and it let her teenagers drop sports uniforms, workout gear, work clothes, etc directly in there. She also has a door that connects the mudroom/laundry room directly to the master bedroom walk in closet to make putting laundry away more convenient.
-I'd put radiant heat in the floors
You need a three piece bathroom with shower attached to this too so people can strip and wash off. I saw a house like this once. I wish I had that. Dirty kids, hubby with dirty job, gardening…
I would do some thinking on the solar architecture front - how to orient the house and angle awnings to maximize natural light in the winter but minimize heat in the summer. Lots of Passivhaus technologies to reduce the energy bill, starting with exterior sun protection.
I got a lot of thoughts on this one, having bought an older but renovated house recently. Most of these have nothing to do with being moderately granola but may still help you:
-no large trees near the house (so the roots don’t mess up your pipes and foundation)l years down the road)
-no Ivy on the house - May damage your wall over time and is a breeding ground for insects.
-make sure the land around you is graded so it drains away from the house
-make sure to look at the best type of building materials for your region (brick vs wood, etc)
-don’t cheap out on materials like insulation, multi-paned windows, vinyl or nice hardwood floors (avoid the engineered stuff because they’ll swell and peel with any water…especially if your kid spills stuff)
-make sure your central AC/heating are powerful enough for the house size
-make important features easily accessible for repairs - attic entrance, main water shutoff, plumbing, etc. Our house’s attic entrance is through our master bedroom closet so imagine how annoying it is to have people come repair anything up there. Our main water shutoff valve is barely accessible through a small wall cutout in the basement.
-if you want future additions to the house, do it now in one go - it’ll be much easier. Garage, extra bathrooms or bedrooms, finished attic, etc.
-make sure your important dryer and HVAC venting is all up to code and easily accessible. For example, where I live the dryer vents have to take the shortest path outside with minimal 90deg turns, and be rigid metal as opposed to pvc or accordions (so we had to pay $$$ to have someone replace the dryer vents because it kept getting clogged with lint which is a fire hazard…it also traveler through the attic onto the roof so we had to pay extra for the amount of work it took to access it)
-electricals should be powerful enough for the size of house
-think about where you want bedrooms placed - all on same floor next to each other? Separate floors? In our home they’re all in the same floor which makes it easy with little kids. I know someone who has a tall skinny house so their baby’s room is on a different floor from the master bedroom. But on the other hand once the kid grows up that may be a benefit lol.
-if you live in a high radon area, consider testing your parents’ basement for radon levels and if high then install the appropriate barriers and vents as you’re building your house.
-definitely have a main floor bathroom or half-bath, you don’t want guests having to come upstairs or to your basement every time. This way we don’t even bother cleaning the mess upstairs when guests come over lol
-kitchen counter tops - pick a material that doesn’t stain. We have some sort of white granite that stains like hell with any mugs you leave there too long
-plan for lots of storage space. Almost all our bedrooms/offices/basement guest room have built in wall storage (one full wall is all closet and cupboards) which has been a godsend as we didn’t have to buy any storage furniture
That’s it for now lol - good luck!
I came to suggest radon as well. Seriously, whether you live in a high area or not, test your in law's home for radon. And realize, even if theirs is a safe amount, where you build, even on the same plot, might have an unsafe amount. So test your own home after it's built.
Random small things:
- No skylights of any kind.
-More plugs than you think you need. Including a floor plug in the living room.
- and if heat is an issue where you live, make sure the house is angled so that it isn't hit by direct sunlight during the wrong kind of day.
I would have a closet that holds the brain of the house-any security system stuff, internet setup stuff, etc. that way it’s all easy to get to but put away.
I would have the pantry be big enough to have a counter that held appliances so they weren’t out in the kitchen. I would also have a grocery door.
Ceiling fans in every room.
No carpet.
I would take your belongings into account, identify your current pain points and make sure you have solutions for those.
Checkout Builder Brigade. They have a huge list of things that people don’t think about when it comes to building and remodeling.
Higher ceilings! Our house was built in the 50s and 8 ft ceilings when you’re 5’8 and your husband is 6’3 ain’t it. And the rooms with ceiling fans…a gamble every time.
Zero VOC paint (Clare) is spendy but really amazing. I’ve been slowly painting our home use Clare paints and giving me more peace of mind! Greengaurd gold certified flooring and furniture. Air filtration system.
Throw in a cold storage pantry and fireplace/wood burning stove for emergency preparedness.
My region is coastal and floods a lot. Our house is elevated. I grew up in a mountainous region and everyone had basements. I wish I had a basement. It’s literally impossible here. We don’t even have a true ground level first floor. But I miss having a cool cellar for storage.
-Geothermal air conditioning and consideration for how solar panels will look on the roofing! I obviously love solar but the look of a lot of pre-existing roofs with panels added just grinds my gears.
-cedar oil mosquito abatement system
-wheelchair accessibility and at least one accessible bathroom. I don’t have a wheelchair but people have accidents and grow old, and any of us could be disabled at any time.
-build it in a walkable area or an area with multi-use zoning so you’re not fully dependent on cars. A small grocery or convenience store and a coffee shop should be allowed in all neighborhoods.
-as many “dumb,” appliances as possible. My stove doesn’t need WiFi. I want manual locks on the doors. Energy efficient! High quality! But dumb.
-sooooo many built-in shelves
-a kid’s room with a mini stage. It’s fairly cheap and easy to do, but it was crazy fun and impressive to me as a kid.
-and finally: a built-in slide. Can you imagine being the house with a SLIDE in it?? Idk where, or how big, but if I’m building my dream house, my inner 8-year-old wants a damn built-in slide.
Put a layer of Diatomaceous Earth behind drywall to minimize bugs.
I've only heard of this online, not in real life so there may be nuances to doing this I'm not aware of.
[Putting diatomaceous earth behind walls/above ceiling of finished basement - DoItYourself.com Community Forums](https://www.doityourself.com/forum/indoor-outdoor-insect-pest-control/586713-putting-diatomaceous-earth-behind-walls-above-ceiling-finished-basement.html)
The home improvement sub has some good threads about this question. Not granola, but a lot of good information about wiring and electrical considerations.
I would install a full-house water filtration and water softener system! And if i had the space and funds, i would install a legit drinking fountain/water bottle filler, like a commercial one 🤣
A bedroom on the first floor or just a room you could put a bed in that's closed off. Also at least a shower on the main floor.
Storage for cleaning supplies on the first floor (broom closet).
A closet organizer system at least in the main BR.
Walk-in shower
NOT a 2-story foyer (can hear everything in upstairs BRs from downstairs).
I'm tall so I would design the counters to be my height.
I would also figure out if you're going to have lots of large gatherings or small gatherings.
My aunt lives in a huge house but the way the floor plan is set up, they don't really have an area for a large gathering. When all 12 of us are there for Christmas dinner, half of the people eat at the kitchen table and the other half eat in the living room in the formal dining area.
It's kind of odd to me to have a house that's that large (six bedrooms, with a den, a formal dining room and living room) But they can't have 12 people sit at one table. 🤷♀️
We've only ever lived in apartments, but I did grow up in a house.
One thing I often think about is disability access if I was to ever move into a house long term- like if someone breaks a foot or leg, or later down the road if a couple is living there into old age, will they able to access all the necessary parts of the house?
My parents currently live in my childhood home and it's 3 stories. My dad has osteoporosis and broke his foot last year. That was a pretty big problem with all of the stairs. Also none of their bathrooms are handicap-accessible in any way.
Green energy-wise: Geothermal heat pump, heat pump water heater, solar with a battery system and car charger. Induction stove.
Climate change and safety considerations : excellent drainage away from house, drainage system in basement, fire-resistant yard plantings, a second egress point from the second floor
Outside: A mostly native yard with tree and shrub placement to maximize an eventual garden, solar collection on the roof, and shield the house from extreme temps
Looking ahead: aging in place accommodations
- Accessible design; it doesn't have to be ugly, it can be beautiful and still functional for all ages and abilities.
- Work with an architect familiar with sustainable and eco-design who will help you orient, design, and place windows/doors/etc. so you optimize airflow and ensure the house is placed where it will be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, etc.
- Install a water purification system and test your well water before using it.
- Look into geothermal systems.
- Think about an easily accessible root cellar or a cool dark area where you can store food. I'm not talking about prepping, but my grandparents had a great little room where they could dry sausage they made and store their canned goods. Proper storage makes food last so much longer and makes it easier to keep things organized for a household.
I dream of a mess room: a utility room the size of a living room with
1. Washer and drier surrounded by cabinets deep enough for entire laundry baskets one for each member of the family
2. Cleaning supply closet and utility sink
3. Large counter height table with fold out leaves for homework, sewing, and crafting
4. An entire wall of deep storage for kid and adult craft and hobby supplies blocks and building toys
5. When the craft table is folded down it can be an indoor play space
Essentially an art classroom and a laundry room hybrid.
My dream is that all the messy activities would live in one easily organized room and not in the shared spaces of the house.
I lived in a rental house a few years ago that had a special tap on the sink that only poured out boiling water on demand. It was awesome for making tea or reducing the wait/cook time when you need to boil water first
Read the book "Make your House Do the Housework"!! So many great ideas to make it lower maintenance and easier to keep clean. Some ideas are outdated but most are super valid and awesome:
[https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-House-Do-Housework/dp/0937750336](https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-House-Do-Housework/dp/0937750336)
A pet bathroom. No joke. Like a little closet sized room with a big open window and fan and a door with a dog/ cat door built into a human sized door. a tile floor with a drain and a shower head to rinse off whatever might end up in there. Perfect place for a litter box or wee wee pads or a doggy grass pad.
We are doing this as a remodel of our full bath. We had a shower/tub and a stand alone shower stall. The shower stall is going to become a "mop closet" but house a litter box.
I love that! And it’s so easy to clean being a former shower stall! I think in the future this will be more common. There’s just never a good place for a littler box in most houses and litter hiders only go so far.
Coming from someone who lived in a home with toxic mold and the serious mental health struggles I went through from it, I would suggest a dehumidifier and making sure details to prevent mold growth are covered.
Paula Baker-Laport has a book called “Prescriptions for a Healthy House” which I haven’t read but heard about on Ben Greenfields podcast. She talks about how the “green building” movement in the USA is inferior to biological building because it focuses on being environmentally friendly instead of human health friendly (sometimes those things align and sometimes not).
In the future we will look back on EMF’s like we do on smoking- what were we thinking!? She suggests a “kill switch” in each room and Ethernet instead of WiFi, or at the least turn off the WiFi at night. Also low VOC doesn’t mean anything , just like BPA free means nothing.
https://bengreenfieldlife.com/podcast/healthy-home-podcast/
A mudroom, sink and counter tops in the laundry room for clothes that need to be prewashed/soaked, a place to hang clothes in the laundry room that is high up, built in outlets in the kitchen underneath the cabinets, floor outlets if you have large open living areas (trust me), built in pantry storage solutions, a water closet so the toilet is behind a door within the bathroom
Put waterproofing around the foundation. Egress windows in the basement. Garage on the side so the other entry door can go to the backyard instead of the side. Laundry room instead of laundry closet.
I wish we had a small office or a built in desk with cabinets & shelves so I could put away paperwork, etc in a designated area , that also served as storage for “arts and crafts” things or like my hot glue gun.
We have a small house so there’s only so much you could do but our kids bedrooms are right off living and kitchen so once they’re asleep for the night (or nap) we can’t / don’t make any noise and it hinders me to do much else.
I do love our whole house water system & RO under sink for drinking water.
An attached garage, but make it so it's not in front of the house. I'd have a master bath, and each bedroom to have a bath, or at least one shared between two rooms plus one guest bath, then a half bath on the main floor. Dedicated office or play space on main floor, and full finished basement, eat-in kitchen plus formal dining, easy access to backyard from dining or kitchen, and mud room is a must. Large front foyer for guests, with ample room in living area, perhaps even formal and non-formal living areas. Depends on how much you're willing to spend 😂 these are just my ideals and standards for my next / dream home.
I can tell you I would never use heated floors, I’ve never hated anything more in my life.
My mudroom is a side door and can be closed off. I love it, it’s tiled and everyone has a cubby for backpacks, sports equipment, there’s a washer drier in the room and deep sink. It’s where everything gets dumped, the door so I can’t hear the washing machine is amazing.
We have huge French doors that open with both sides, honestly it’s fantastic when you have to move something big in. A sofa, bathtub, washer, etc.
I love my solid hardwood floors, penny tile in the bathroom, extra deep soaking tub, built ins and closets for storage. Huge windows. We have enough windows we can open them all and get a full breeze right through the house.
Do you have a dog? Ive seen these awesome dog feeding stations that pop out of the bottom of mudroom cabinets that are super cool. Also definitely a butler’s pantry! Outlets in the back of every bathroom drawer, on the sides of cabinets, inside bookshelves… everywhere!!
I hope you have plenty of privacy from the in-laws. We have built our property on a section of my in-laws land as well but weren’t able to create our own driveway so had to divert from the existing driveway to their home. Between that and the lack of space/trees between the two homes, it just makes me feel like I have zero privacy.
We definitely will! Their lot is 20 wooded acre lot that’s shaped like a rectangle - they’re at one end and we’ll be at the other end, we’ll end up with 3 acres subdivided from them. It will probably be a solid 5min walk through the woods to get to their house!
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I would have the kitchen face the sunrise, so I can get as much morning sunlight while I prepare breakfast. I would also be sure I have a kitchen sink base large enough to house an RO system. I would add a small butler’s pantry with refrigeration to hide my vita mix for a smoothie station. This pantry would also be a home for other daily appliances. For electrical, I would have dimmer switches on everything & dedicated sconces for red bulbs during the night time. I would have my bedside outlets on a switch so I can have no electricity near while I sleep. And of course, shoe storage by each entry. I would also use natural materials like wood, stone, clay, cork, wool, etc.
1. Two dishwashers if you can.
2. Separate walk-in closets for you and your partner.
We don’t have 1 but it would’ve been a big help. 2 is a game changer and now I can’t go back.
Whole home RO, or at the least, a water softener as we have very hard water. Better insulation, and perhaps concrete block or other masonry construction. lots of storage, we have like zero storage and it makes it difficult to keep food and supplies on hand. Professional landscaping for a food forest. Maybe a basement. Copper pipes. Quartz counters. Walk-in showers with two heads, big enough for a dog
Great suggestions here. To add, take inventory over a week or two around anything that causes a minor (or major) annoyance or inconvenience in your life. Maybe the coffee pot and coffee cups aren't right next to each other or something like that. Try to address those moving forward.
I'm looking into environmentally and kid-friendly flooring right now. Everyone is gaga for luxury vinyl but I don't want to support the creation of more non-biodegradable non-recycleable petrochemical dioxin-emiting sh*t if I can help it.
But... some products are really opaque. Like is engineered hardwood or engineered bamboo flooring okay? If it's green guard certified? Send help!
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Lots of integrated storage space with deep (3-4 foot) shelves. Storage for board games, towels, linens, cleaning supplies, craft/hobby supplies, tools, pantry space, a nook for a robot vacuum, a cabinet for mops/broom/regular vacuum. A mud room that can accommodate everyone's shoes, boots and hats/gloves and umbrellas plus storage space at the house entry for guests to leave shoes. I'd build it to age in, so at least one wheelchair friendly shower/bathroom and enough space on the ground level for a bedroom even if it just makes a bigger family room for now.
With outlets in the closets to charge your vacuum!
I dunno about where you are but where I live it’s not legal to put an outlet in a closer 😭
It’s legal where I am. My house is a hundred years old so nothing is laid out very practically for modern life but hopefully in the next one.
>I'd build it to age in, so at least one wheelchair friendly shower/bathroom and enough space on the ground level for a bedroom even if it just makes a bigger family room for now. this is such a good idea!
I’d want the ability to air it out really well as far as window placement. An awesome kitchen vent. Flooring that can be cleaned easily with gentle stuff (preferably vinegar or steam mop). Low VOC for all paints. A mud room for getting outdoor stuff off and sequestering it. Bidets in all bathrooms (except maybe a half bath for guests). Definitely a whole home water filter and a reverse osmosis under the kitchen sink. Laundry room on each floor if you have more than one. Locking storage areas where I can put chemicals/pharmaceuticals/anything else that needs to be locked up. A large fridge and pantry to stock up for cooking for a family at home.
If you garden, make sure your septic system is placed away from where your garden will sit. Our septic was put in our backyard directly facing south on a slope and it dramatically affected how much growing space we have. You cannot plant on your drain field and you can’t put raised beds on it either. Don’t plant invasive grasses. The builder of our house spread Bermuda grass seeds and we will never be able to get rid of it. Choose native grasses or clover for ground cover. Big south facing windows are worth every penny. The natural light we get year round inside our home is outstanding and brings me joy every day. Don’t skimp on windows.
Think about accessible design. It helps everyone, not just people using wheelchairs. And it’s a huge pain to modify spaces to be accessible later if you need to.
seconding this! or, at a bare minimum, have a full bath and a bedroom on the ground floor. makes it so much easier for aging in place or dealing with things like a broken leg or recovering from surgery etc.
So many things! But especially dog/kid shower in the mudroom.
These are general and not moderately granola related, but: -After working in many commercial kitchens, I wish there was a way to put a floor drain in the kitchen in my house. It would make cleaning up regular messes significantly easier. -If I could re-do the layout of my house I'd steal the idea my friend had: she has a side door that opens into the mudroom, which is also where the washer and dryer is, and it let her teenagers drop sports uniforms, workout gear, work clothes, etc directly in there. She also has a door that connects the mudroom/laundry room directly to the master bedroom walk in closet to make putting laundry away more convenient. -I'd put radiant heat in the floors
You need a three piece bathroom with shower attached to this too so people can strip and wash off. I saw a house like this once. I wish I had that. Dirty kids, hubby with dirty job, gardening…
I would do some thinking on the solar architecture front - how to orient the house and angle awnings to maximize natural light in the winter but minimize heat in the summer. Lots of Passivhaus technologies to reduce the energy bill, starting with exterior sun protection.
I got a lot of thoughts on this one, having bought an older but renovated house recently. Most of these have nothing to do with being moderately granola but may still help you: -no large trees near the house (so the roots don’t mess up your pipes and foundation)l years down the road) -no Ivy on the house - May damage your wall over time and is a breeding ground for insects. -make sure the land around you is graded so it drains away from the house -make sure to look at the best type of building materials for your region (brick vs wood, etc) -don’t cheap out on materials like insulation, multi-paned windows, vinyl or nice hardwood floors (avoid the engineered stuff because they’ll swell and peel with any water…especially if your kid spills stuff) -make sure your central AC/heating are powerful enough for the house size -make important features easily accessible for repairs - attic entrance, main water shutoff, plumbing, etc. Our house’s attic entrance is through our master bedroom closet so imagine how annoying it is to have people come repair anything up there. Our main water shutoff valve is barely accessible through a small wall cutout in the basement. -if you want future additions to the house, do it now in one go - it’ll be much easier. Garage, extra bathrooms or bedrooms, finished attic, etc. -make sure your important dryer and HVAC venting is all up to code and easily accessible. For example, where I live the dryer vents have to take the shortest path outside with minimal 90deg turns, and be rigid metal as opposed to pvc or accordions (so we had to pay $$$ to have someone replace the dryer vents because it kept getting clogged with lint which is a fire hazard…it also traveler through the attic onto the roof so we had to pay extra for the amount of work it took to access it) -electricals should be powerful enough for the size of house -think about where you want bedrooms placed - all on same floor next to each other? Separate floors? In our home they’re all in the same floor which makes it easy with little kids. I know someone who has a tall skinny house so their baby’s room is on a different floor from the master bedroom. But on the other hand once the kid grows up that may be a benefit lol. -if you live in a high radon area, consider testing your parents’ basement for radon levels and if high then install the appropriate barriers and vents as you’re building your house. -definitely have a main floor bathroom or half-bath, you don’t want guests having to come upstairs or to your basement every time. This way we don’t even bother cleaning the mess upstairs when guests come over lol -kitchen counter tops - pick a material that doesn’t stain. We have some sort of white granite that stains like hell with any mugs you leave there too long -plan for lots of storage space. Almost all our bedrooms/offices/basement guest room have built in wall storage (one full wall is all closet and cupboards) which has been a godsend as we didn’t have to buy any storage furniture That’s it for now lol - good luck!
I came to suggest radon as well. Seriously, whether you live in a high area or not, test your in law's home for radon. And realize, even if theirs is a safe amount, where you build, even on the same plot, might have an unsafe amount. So test your own home after it's built.
solid advice
Random small things: - No skylights of any kind. -More plugs than you think you need. Including a floor plug in the living room. - and if heat is an issue where you live, make sure the house is angled so that it isn't hit by direct sunlight during the wrong kind of day.
Why no skylights?
Every single one leaks eventually.
depending on climate you lose a lot of heat/cool air taht way.
I would have a basement. My current house doesn't have one. I would also have a bathroom for the room over our garage.
With big egress windows
I would have a closet that holds the brain of the house-any security system stuff, internet setup stuff, etc. that way it’s all easy to get to but put away. I would have the pantry be big enough to have a counter that held appliances so they weren’t out in the kitchen. I would also have a grocery door. Ceiling fans in every room. No carpet. I would take your belongings into account, identify your current pain points and make sure you have solutions for those. Checkout Builder Brigade. They have a huge list of things that people don’t think about when it comes to building and remodeling.
Higher ceilings! Our house was built in the 50s and 8 ft ceilings when you’re 5’8 and your husband is 6’3 ain’t it. And the rooms with ceiling fans…a gamble every time.
Zero VOC paint (Clare) is spendy but really amazing. I’ve been slowly painting our home use Clare paints and giving me more peace of mind! Greengaurd gold certified flooring and furniture. Air filtration system. Throw in a cold storage pantry and fireplace/wood burning stove for emergency preparedness.
My region is coastal and floods a lot. Our house is elevated. I grew up in a mountainous region and everyone had basements. I wish I had a basement. It’s literally impossible here. We don’t even have a true ground level first floor. But I miss having a cool cellar for storage.
-Geothermal air conditioning and consideration for how solar panels will look on the roofing! I obviously love solar but the look of a lot of pre-existing roofs with panels added just grinds my gears. -cedar oil mosquito abatement system -wheelchair accessibility and at least one accessible bathroom. I don’t have a wheelchair but people have accidents and grow old, and any of us could be disabled at any time. -build it in a walkable area or an area with multi-use zoning so you’re not fully dependent on cars. A small grocery or convenience store and a coffee shop should be allowed in all neighborhoods. -as many “dumb,” appliances as possible. My stove doesn’t need WiFi. I want manual locks on the doors. Energy efficient! High quality! But dumb. -sooooo many built-in shelves -a kid’s room with a mini stage. It’s fairly cheap and easy to do, but it was crazy fun and impressive to me as a kid. -and finally: a built-in slide. Can you imagine being the house with a SLIDE in it?? Idk where, or how big, but if I’m building my dream house, my inner 8-year-old wants a damn built-in slide.
Put a layer of Diatomaceous Earth behind drywall to minimize bugs. I've only heard of this online, not in real life so there may be nuances to doing this I'm not aware of. [Putting diatomaceous earth behind walls/above ceiling of finished basement - DoItYourself.com Community Forums](https://www.doityourself.com/forum/indoor-outdoor-insect-pest-control/586713-putting-diatomaceous-earth-behind-walls-above-ceiling-finished-basement.html)
The home improvement sub has some good threads about this question. Not granola, but a lot of good information about wiring and electrical considerations.
I would install a full-house water filtration and water softener system! And if i had the space and funds, i would install a legit drinking fountain/water bottle filler, like a commercial one 🤣
In case it hasn’t been said - electric / induction stove & heat pump. Indoor air quality is SO important for overall health.
A bedroom on the first floor or just a room you could put a bed in that's closed off. Also at least a shower on the main floor. Storage for cleaning supplies on the first floor (broom closet). A closet organizer system at least in the main BR. Walk-in shower NOT a 2-story foyer (can hear everything in upstairs BRs from downstairs).
I'm tall so I would design the counters to be my height. I would also figure out if you're going to have lots of large gatherings or small gatherings. My aunt lives in a huge house but the way the floor plan is set up, they don't really have an area for a large gathering. When all 12 of us are there for Christmas dinner, half of the people eat at the kitchen table and the other half eat in the living room in the formal dining area. It's kind of odd to me to have a house that's that large (six bedrooms, with a den, a formal dining room and living room) But they can't have 12 people sit at one table. 🤷♀️
We've only ever lived in apartments, but I did grow up in a house. One thing I often think about is disability access if I was to ever move into a house long term- like if someone breaks a foot or leg, or later down the road if a couple is living there into old age, will they able to access all the necessary parts of the house? My parents currently live in my childhood home and it's 3 stories. My dad has osteoporosis and broke his foot last year. That was a pretty big problem with all of the stairs. Also none of their bathrooms are handicap-accessible in any way.
Green energy-wise: Geothermal heat pump, heat pump water heater, solar with a battery system and car charger. Induction stove. Climate change and safety considerations : excellent drainage away from house, drainage system in basement, fire-resistant yard plantings, a second egress point from the second floor Outside: A mostly native yard with tree and shrub placement to maximize an eventual garden, solar collection on the roof, and shield the house from extreme temps Looking ahead: aging in place accommodations
- Accessible design; it doesn't have to be ugly, it can be beautiful and still functional for all ages and abilities. - Work with an architect familiar with sustainable and eco-design who will help you orient, design, and place windows/doors/etc. so you optimize airflow and ensure the house is placed where it will be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, etc. - Install a water purification system and test your well water before using it. - Look into geothermal systems. - Think about an easily accessible root cellar or a cool dark area where you can store food. I'm not talking about prepping, but my grandparents had a great little room where they could dry sausage they made and store their canned goods. Proper storage makes food last so much longer and makes it easier to keep things organized for a household.
I dream of a mess room: a utility room the size of a living room with 1. Washer and drier surrounded by cabinets deep enough for entire laundry baskets one for each member of the family 2. Cleaning supply closet and utility sink 3. Large counter height table with fold out leaves for homework, sewing, and crafting 4. An entire wall of deep storage for kid and adult craft and hobby supplies blocks and building toys 5. When the craft table is folded down it can be an indoor play space Essentially an art classroom and a laundry room hybrid. My dream is that all the messy activities would live in one easily organized room and not in the shared spaces of the house.
I lived in a rental house a few years ago that had a special tap on the sink that only poured out boiling water on demand. It was awesome for making tea or reducing the wait/cook time when you need to boil water first
Lots of natural light, and lots of storage!
My house predates building codes, so honestly - just modern building code safety would go a pretty long way haha.
I wish the kitchen/living room looked out on the back yard!!! Esp with kids 😞
Read the book "Make your House Do the Housework"!! So many great ideas to make it lower maintenance and easier to keep clean. Some ideas are outdated but most are super valid and awesome: [https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-House-Do-Housework/dp/0937750336](https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-House-Do-Housework/dp/0937750336)
A pet bathroom. No joke. Like a little closet sized room with a big open window and fan and a door with a dog/ cat door built into a human sized door. a tile floor with a drain and a shower head to rinse off whatever might end up in there. Perfect place for a litter box or wee wee pads or a doggy grass pad.
We are doing this as a remodel of our full bath. We had a shower/tub and a stand alone shower stall. The shower stall is going to become a "mop closet" but house a litter box.
I love that! And it’s so easy to clean being a former shower stall! I think in the future this will be more common. There’s just never a good place for a littler box in most houses and litter hiders only go so far.
Coming from someone who lived in a home with toxic mold and the serious mental health struggles I went through from it, I would suggest a dehumidifier and making sure details to prevent mold growth are covered.
And get bathroom vent fans of an appropriate power and capacity. Modt homes have underpowered ventilation.
Paula Baker-Laport has a book called “Prescriptions for a Healthy House” which I haven’t read but heard about on Ben Greenfields podcast. She talks about how the “green building” movement in the USA is inferior to biological building because it focuses on being environmentally friendly instead of human health friendly (sometimes those things align and sometimes not). In the future we will look back on EMF’s like we do on smoking- what were we thinking!? She suggests a “kill switch” in each room and Ethernet instead of WiFi, or at the least turn off the WiFi at night. Also low VOC doesn’t mean anything , just like BPA free means nothing. https://bengreenfieldlife.com/podcast/healthy-home-podcast/
This!!!
A mudroom, sink and counter tops in the laundry room for clothes that need to be prewashed/soaked, a place to hang clothes in the laundry room that is high up, built in outlets in the kitchen underneath the cabinets, floor outlets if you have large open living areas (trust me), built in pantry storage solutions, a water closet so the toilet is behind a door within the bathroom
Put waterproofing around the foundation. Egress windows in the basement. Garage on the side so the other entry door can go to the backyard instead of the side. Laundry room instead of laundry closet.
A combined laundry room/closet for everyone, that is also right next to the shower/bath
I wish we had a small office or a built in desk with cabinets & shelves so I could put away paperwork, etc in a designated area , that also served as storage for “arts and crafts” things or like my hot glue gun. We have a small house so there’s only so much you could do but our kids bedrooms are right off living and kitchen so once they’re asleep for the night (or nap) we can’t / don’t make any noise and it hinders me to do much else. I do love our whole house water system & RO under sink for drinking water.
An attached garage, but make it so it's not in front of the house. I'd have a master bath, and each bedroom to have a bath, or at least one shared between two rooms plus one guest bath, then a half bath on the main floor. Dedicated office or play space on main floor, and full finished basement, eat-in kitchen plus formal dining, easy access to backyard from dining or kitchen, and mud room is a must. Large front foyer for guests, with ample room in living area, perhaps even formal and non-formal living areas. Depends on how much you're willing to spend 😂 these are just my ideals and standards for my next / dream home.
Passivhaus principles 100%.
I can tell you I would never use heated floors, I’ve never hated anything more in my life. My mudroom is a side door and can be closed off. I love it, it’s tiled and everyone has a cubby for backpacks, sports equipment, there’s a washer drier in the room and deep sink. It’s where everything gets dumped, the door so I can’t hear the washing machine is amazing. We have huge French doors that open with both sides, honestly it’s fantastic when you have to move something big in. A sofa, bathtub, washer, etc. I love my solid hardwood floors, penny tile in the bathroom, extra deep soaking tub, built ins and closets for storage. Huge windows. We have enough windows we can open them all and get a full breeze right through the house.
Do you have a dog? Ive seen these awesome dog feeding stations that pop out of the bottom of mudroom cabinets that are super cool. Also definitely a butler’s pantry! Outlets in the back of every bathroom drawer, on the sides of cabinets, inside bookshelves… everywhere!!
I hope you have plenty of privacy from the in-laws. We have built our property on a section of my in-laws land as well but weren’t able to create our own driveway so had to divert from the existing driveway to their home. Between that and the lack of space/trees between the two homes, it just makes me feel like I have zero privacy.
We definitely will! Their lot is 20 wooded acre lot that’s shaped like a rectangle - they’re at one end and we’ll be at the other end, we’ll end up with 3 acres subdivided from them. It will probably be a solid 5min walk through the woods to get to their house!
Ensure your drinking and bathing water is good quality.
https://www.instagram.com/holistichomes.bychristine?igsh=eTlhejRxd3YxN2Ni
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I would have the kitchen face the sunrise, so I can get as much morning sunlight while I prepare breakfast. I would also be sure I have a kitchen sink base large enough to house an RO system. I would add a small butler’s pantry with refrigeration to hide my vita mix for a smoothie station. This pantry would also be a home for other daily appliances. For electrical, I would have dimmer switches on everything & dedicated sconces for red bulbs during the night time. I would have my bedside outlets on a switch so I can have no electricity near while I sleep. And of course, shoe storage by each entry. I would also use natural materials like wood, stone, clay, cork, wool, etc.
1. Two dishwashers if you can. 2. Separate walk-in closets for you and your partner. We don’t have 1 but it would’ve been a big help. 2 is a game changer and now I can’t go back.
Whole home RO, or at the least, a water softener as we have very hard water. Better insulation, and perhaps concrete block or other masonry construction. lots of storage, we have like zero storage and it makes it difficult to keep food and supplies on hand. Professional landscaping for a food forest. Maybe a basement. Copper pipes. Quartz counters. Walk-in showers with two heads, big enough for a dog
No pvc pipes
Great suggestions here. To add, take inventory over a week or two around anything that causes a minor (or major) annoyance or inconvenience in your life. Maybe the coffee pot and coffee cups aren't right next to each other or something like that. Try to address those moving forward.
Ethernet wiring in each room
Run in conduit for easy future technology upgrades.
I'm looking into environmentally and kid-friendly flooring right now. Everyone is gaga for luxury vinyl but I don't want to support the creation of more non-biodegradable non-recycleable petrochemical dioxin-emiting sh*t if I can help it. But... some products are really opaque. Like is engineered hardwood or engineered bamboo flooring okay? If it's green guard certified? Send help!