If you could build a new house. ..

dingdongavoncalling

What would you like it to have?

I would like somewhere to put all shoes, coats, pushchairs etc so the hall isn't a tip!

Plenty of storage (for same reason!)

No rooms that are used as walkways...the carpet gets so grubby

A dressing room?!

Hintza

We did and best thing is the inset 2m x 2m coir mat at the front door.

Lots of sockets, architect thought we were nuts and we still don't have enough!

DigForVictory

A tile-floored "mud room" that drains, has lowerable drying racks for soaking wet coats & fresh picked herbs (to each their season, or possibly rack!) and a timer controlled heater.

A larder. Nothing plugged in, but lit, and plenty of cool stone.

A cellar, barrel vaulted (as they're beautiful) & possibly concealed... (We almost bought an old pub as the cellar not only had a steam running through it (channelled), but was a great place to learn to ride a bike. Bad survey stopped us.)

Bedrooms per person - that way I can share a room with husband *and* have a guest bedroom. Each with its own hanging space.

Shower cube & WC on each floor (great for anyone who needs a loo in a hurry & a downstairs shower cube just off the utility room means soaking scouts can be brought in, stripped, scrubbed & clad in clean warm dry stuff befroe entering the rest of the house. Illumination controlled not by a switch but by motion sensor, so I don't have to stump around turning lights off.

A library. Possibly with a reinforced floor so I can have a press to hold the titles I do not want on display.

At least 6 sockets in every room that has mostly people in it, and at least 4 along each wall of wherever my technology collection is installed.

A charging booth, where all the chargers are kept & used & where their little lights do not disturb fussy sleepers.

A trough of buckets for things to take to school, keys, glasses, phones, wallets, etc so when someone asks "where's my X" the reply is "It Ought to be in your bucket"... Last child out to check buckets & take anything forgotten into school and handed to brother whith whatever version of "you forgot this" is deemed appropriate.

A bathroom with a seven foot long bath so my family can actually soak at length when they need to. Plus a power shower to actually get them clean in a hurry all the rest of the time.

A well lit and abundantly power socketed project room, with heavy duty extraction facilities, for woodwork, painting (solvents stink) and whatever else the family choose to do that's messy, smelly & a chore to scrub off carpets. (Flooring to be something heavy industrial for easy brushing, washing & if all else fails, replacing.)

House to be configured so solar panels are possible and unobtrusive. Any satellite dishes to be concealed from road view.

Fibre broadband with the area green box within 100 yards of the house.

My own water souce/well. (As all this new build means my water usage will be metered.) Properly housed, with a UV bug-discourager.

All meters that need reading to be sited in the mud room.
The main fusebox likewise.
(Better have a darn good security system installed too. With a link to the copshop to reduce home insurance premia.)

All windows to be double glazed (minimum) and fire routes out planned. 30/30 doors wherever logical (slow the progress of fire & smoke.)

At least one real working fireplace, and a managed copse to supply it.
Possibly using a woodburner as part of the central heating setup.

The possibility of a double garage & overhead space so I can evict any boomerang offspring and their parties to the garage if necessary.

A controlling interest if not outright ownership of the land around the house, in the interests of keeping a splendid view and being able to stay polite to the neighbours.

Doozergirl

You've not given this much thought, DigForVictory! :rotfl:

Gettin256

We're just building our 'house for life' and aside from plenty of light, on the must have list was a walk in wardrobe, large utility room, a cloakroom and wet room at back door - all in an attempt to keep the place tidy!we also wanted a room downstairs that would change as we needed it to, so it might be a bedroom, study, playroom, etc.

on the nice-to-have list was a centre staircase and a hole in the wall double sided gas fire in the open plan kitchen dining (as well as the multi fuel stove in the sunroom)..

can't wait to have it all finished!

totally agree with sockets everywhere! also thinking about hiding the sockets in the kitchen under the units but we'll see how that turns out. ..must look into the inset coir mat, sounds like a great idea.

bossymoo

Definitely mud room, utility/laundry room, large kitchen but separate dining room too spacious lounge - would think about where doors are - my lounge isn't tiny but can only fit a sofa along one wall so limited options.

Would love those sliding external doors right along the back of the house into a perfectly manicured garden too :rotfl:

And lots of bedrooms, each with a self-cleaning bathroom

Mrs_Boo_Boo

Totally agree about the mud room. We are having a small extension built which will include a back door with a shower room and then hopefully a boiler with room for wet coats and shoes. This leads to a pantry which will house the washing machine and freezer. The room upstairs will be a study come craft room yippie. My husband is a carpenter so he can decontaminate before he reaches the rest of the house. Used to live in a modern house and there was no room for the messy things in life.

In my dreams it would be room for a pony. An indoor swimmming pool,but with glass doors which opened when it was sunny!!!A laundry room where the ironing board could be permanently up and clothes could be aired. A big gas tumble dryer like the ones in the launderette. A powerful vacuum cleaner perhaps the in house one.Not much else,but the money to enjoy it have have all the luxuries,like never having to worry about keeping the heating on.

DigForVictory

If *anyone* thinks I've thought it out a bit, a quick scan shows fascinating areas I have omitted *entirely*.
Like laundry. Ah, Freud...

missprice

Only had quick think about this and first thing is double the electric sockets I think I need. When had new kitchen in couple years ago I made all the sockets into doubles and still don't have enough really.
Living room even worse for sockets with 4 doubles its still not enough.
Really would love a mud room type thing for all the shoes and coats, a utility too with rack for washing in winter cos not everything can be put in dryer.
Also a downstairs loo, been my dream for years that one or at least a separate loo. :j

Fraise

DigForVictory wrote: »

A tile-floored "mud room" that drains, has lowerable drying racks for soaking wet coats & fresh picked herbs (to each their season, or possibly rack!) and a timer controlled heater.

A larder. Nothing plugged in, but lit, and plenty of cool stone.

A cellar, barrel vaulted (as they're beautiful) & possibly concealed... (We almost bought an old pub as the cellar not only had a steam running through it (channelled), but was a great place to learn to ride a bike. Bad survey stopped us.)

Bedrooms per person - that way I can share a room with husband *and* have a guest bedroom. Each with its own hanging space.

Shower cube & WC on each floor (great for anyone who needs a loo in a hurry & a downstairs shower cube just off the utility room means soaking scouts can be brought in, stripped, scrubbed & clad in clean warm dry stuff befroe entering the rest of the house. Illumination controlled not by a switch but by motion sensor, so I don't have to stump around turning lights off.

A library. Possibly with a reinforced floor so I can have a press to hold the titles I do not want on display.

At least 6 sockets in every room that has mostly people in it, and at least 4 along each wall of wherever my technology collection is installed.

A charging booth, where all the chargers are kept & used & where their little lights do not disturb fussy sleepers.

A trough of buckets for things to take to school, keys, glasses, phones, wallets, etc so when someone asks "where's my X" the reply is "It Ought to be in your bucket"... Last child out to check buckets & take anything forgotten into school and handed to brother whith whatever version of "you forgot this" is deemed appropriate.

A bathroom with a seven foot long bath so my family can actually soak at length when they need to. Plus a power shower to actually get them clean in a hurry all the rest of the time.

A well lit and abundantly power socketed project room, with heavy duty extraction facilities, for woodwork, painting (solvents stink) and whatever else the family choose to do that's messy, smelly & a chore to scrub off carpets. (Flooring to be something heavy industrial for easy brushing, washing & if all else fails, replacing.)

House to be configured so solar panels are possible and unobtrusive. Any satellite dishes to be concealed from road view.

Fibre broadband with the area green box within 100 yards of the house.

My own water souce/well. (As all this new build means my water usage will be metered.) Properly housed, with a UV bug-discourager.

All meters that need reading to be sited in the mud room.
The main fusebox likewise.
(Better have a darn good security system installed too. With a link to the copshop to reduce home insurance premia.)

All windows to be double glazed (minimum) and fire routes out planned. 30/30 doors wherever logical (slow the progress of fire & smoke.)

At least one real working fireplace, and a managed copse to supply it.
Possibly using a woodburner as part of the central heating setup.

The possibility of a double garage & overhead space so I can evict any boomerang offspring and their parties to the garage if necessary.

A controlling interest if not outright ownership of the land around the house, in the interests of keeping a splendid view and being able to stay polite to the neighbours.

What actually is a mud room?

I_have_spoken

Fraise wrote: »

What actually is a mud room?

A posh porch