If money were no object...

splishsplash

My house is in need of a makeover. I will pretty much gut the interior and start again as well as replacing the roof, doors and windows.

I really haven't done anything to the house for years, and am painfully ignorant about my options. For example, I didn't know air to water heat pumps were a thing, I didn't know click flooring was a thing... I'm really clueless.

I would like to do all this in one fell swoop in a year or two's time. I want to make the house as finished and future proofed as possible because I don't want to plan disruption on this scale again. I will have to move out and rent until the work is completed.

So, if money were no object, what do you think should I consider including in my 'makeover'?

What are the best/most efficient options for everything?
What are the quirky little features that make your house fun?
What are you glad you put in your house or what have you done that you wish you hadn't?

I'm really looking for ideas here - please help!

ic

I'm not sure about money no object, the things I have were because I could afford them, and being the sensible person I am I could reason why to get them.

Remote controlled velux in the kitchen extension - use it all the time for letting fresh air into the house. No faffing around waving poles around, plus the window closes itself automatically if its starts to rain.

Two ovens. No cupboards below the worktop - everything is soft close drawers, so no need to get down on hands and knees to get to the back of cupboards. Induction hob - easy to clean and just as good as gas.

In the bathroom a humidistat fan (money no object it would be heat recovery too!), digital shower which is turned on from outside the cubicle, back-lit and heated mirror.

Super-king bed with differing firmness levels between the two sides (I'm bigger than my partner, so have firmer springs on my side).

If I had the room, I'd have separate washer and dryer, and two dishwashers (empty one to fill the other). If I was installing a new system I'd have remote TRVs on all the radiators linking back to the main control (Tado, Bosch EasyControl, etc) - but I'd also have underfloor heating in many places. I'd have all smart bulbs throughout the house - but some of the bulbs available just aren't bright enough for my liking.

gwynlas

You have not given us any idea of age or size of your current house but in above scenario I would opt for seperate utility room with american appliances for speedy washing drying.
Underfloor heating eliminating radiators freeing wall space.
Walk in closets rather than bedroom furniture.
Mains power large showers.
en suites for every bedroom.
Pan drawers in kitchen as above poster eye level ovens so no bending. ice/chilled water dispenser.
Space for recycling.
Storage space throughout.
Adequate elecrical sockets in every room
Ground source heat pump and rain water harvesting .
Patios and balconies overlooking low maintenance garden.
Services of daily housekeeper/cook.

ka7e

I'm just about to start a whole-house renovation and it's frightening how a reasonable budget gets eaten up by the most mundane things!


Getting whole house re-wired, move electric meter, new consumer board, hard-wired fire and CO2 alarms, 3-6 double socket per room (excluding kitchen), 2 electric showers and extractor fans, USB and TV connections in each room. Would like ethernet wiring and smart cameras, smart heating controls.


Getting vinyl flooring to all downstairs, except living room. Would like underfloor heating and upgraded floor covering.


Hardwearing carpet. Would love wool, but have had problems with carpet moths - they are becoming more of a problem each year.


Coloured gloss kitchen (if I see another grey kitchen...) with laminate worktop and mid-range integrated appliances. Would love a bespoke colour, a hob with integrated extractor, pull-out larders and a snazzy prep-station sink.


Remove chimney breasts to gain valuable room. Gets ceilings replaced where necessary (helps when you're re-wiring anyway). Over-estimate the number of sockets you need. Hardwire bedside lights to save an extra socket. We have the old-fashion pullswitch above the bed to turn off the bedroom light - definitely keeping those! Install the max wiring your consumer unit will allow for showers - older installations have their limitations. Maximise storage - you can never have too much. Keep your outside areas as green as possible - plants soak up lots of rain and keep your garden cooler and don't have to be high-maintenance. Buy energy-efficient appliances. Car-charging port?



There doesn't seem to be a limit to how far you can "smart" up your home - depends if you want to switch the kettle on or draw the blinds with an app!

FreeBear

splishsplash wrote: »

So, if money were no object, what do you think should I consider including in my 'makeover'?

Insulation. As much as you can reasonably fit. The loft is the easy one everyone mentions, but the floors and walls also need it. Just one inch of Celotex/Kingspan on the inside of the external walls will pay dividends in the long term. Floors are not so easy to deal with, and is very much dependent of the type (i.e. concrete or suspended timber).

The one improvement that I am pleased with is the multifuel stove in the lounge. Well worth the effort.
The one "improvement" I'm not so happy with is the multifuel stove in the lounge. I should have gone for a Stovax Riva with fan & duct kit so that some of the heat could have been piped to other rooms.

Doozergirl

I find this a really hard question to answer, and I do this all the time for other people and we're building our own house!

I just think time planning, reading and looking is really valuable. Homebuilding and Renovating magazine was always a good source of bitesize knowledge. Pinterest is brilliant for looking for ideas and storing them in one place. Instagram would be useful for looking for ideas again, but also being able to interract with people going through renovations themselves.

In our house we planned the room sizes to the furniture we want. Bit hard in a renovation, but you can alter where doorways go to improve what you can fit into a room.

Built in storage is better than any separate piece of furniture as it uses the wall space as well as the floor. Great big built in wardrobes for every family member, a tall storage unit in the hall, a wall of storage/display units in the lounge. We will have a dressing room so I won't bother with doors on our wardrobes, just one on the room.

In the kitchen we will have two ovens, two dishwashers, a large pantry unit (I'd like a real pantry room, but no space). We've integrated four bins into pull-out cupboards. Two for waste/recycling, but two for the dog food bins! We have four separate bins in our kitchen presently and it drives me to distraction. Drawers are better than cupboards. They cost more but they're far more accessible as you can fill them to the back and still see what's in there. Tap with pull out for spraying, sink big enough for an oven tray, sockets in the sides of the island. Also, symmetry.

Washing machine and tumble drier will be upstairs in their own room. Washing may never need to come downstairs - I'm not very good at hanging it out.

Beautifully planned bathrooms with no awkward gaps or spaces, no pipes on show. Recesses in the walls in showers and near the bath for neat storage of bottles.

Considered plan of exactly what needs to be plugged in and where - meaning proper placement of sockets to accommodate everything in the right place. More sockets than probably needed.

A bespoke lighting plan. I just know what an amazing difference it can make to the feel of a space and so I'm going to spend money on making it cosy.

LVT - luxury vinyl tile. The most durable flooring I've come across. Good for dealing with kids, dogs and builders.

An outdoor sofa and a pergola. Having a sofa and a gazebo this year has completely changed how much I use the garden. Plenty of plants but no grass. I just hate mowing the lawn.

Doozergirl

FreeBear wrote: »

Insulation. As much as you can reasonably fit. The loft is the easy one everyone mentions, but the floors and walls also need it. Just one inch of Celotex/Kingspan on the inside of the external walls will pay dividends in the long term. Floors are not so easy to deal with, and is very much dependent of the type (i.e. concrete or suspended timber).

This is fundamental. We all want to be comfortable and it really does make a difference.

paddy's_mum

gwynlas wrote: »

en suites for every bedroom.

Services of daily housekeeper

Well, you'd need the second if you had the first plus perhaps a family bathroom and a cloakroom.

Otherwise you'd spend half your life on your knees scrubbing porcelain! :rotfl:

coffeehound

@Doozergirl: didn't you say you are having a full MHRV system? That would definitely be on my list. Think we underestimate the importance of indoor air quality. It's so nice having outdoor freshness indoors without stuffy nose or itchy eyes.

Also
Double sink, double drainer in the kitchen
Wall-wash lighting without centre pendants
Wall-hung bathroom suite -- make a room feel bigger and easier housework
Ovens that can vent to outdoors.
Pot-filler tap near the hob (some American homes have one over the hob but I doubt that would be allowable in the UK)
RO water system to feed drinking water chiller, ice-maker and coffee machines (with some hardness added back).
Central vacuum cleaning system

splishsplash

Wow, already so much to google and think about, thank you!

I have booked into a couple of trade fairs for the autumn and am browsing showrooms at the weekends, but the more I see the more I know how little I know.

I like the idea of wirelessly charging everything in a room (Wi-Charge).

Is this available at present or a thing of the future?

splishsplash

ic wrote: »

I'm not sure about money no object, the things I have were because I could afford them, and being the sensible person I am I could reason why to get them.

Remote controlled velux in the kitchen extension - use it all the time for letting fresh air into the house. No faffing around waving poles around, plus the window closes itself automatically if its starts to rain. I am considering a kitchen extension so this is really useful, thank you!

Two ovens. No cupboards below the worktop - everything is soft close drawers, so no need to get down on hands and knees to get to the back of cupboards. Induction hob - easy to clean and just as good as gas. Yes, looking at kitchens is a full time job in itself - there are so many great things to choose from.

In the bathroom a humidistat fan (money no object it would be heat recovery too!), digital shower which is turned on from outside the cubicle, back-lit and heated mirror. I like the idea of a digital shower very much

Super-king bed with differing firmness levels between the two sides (I'm bigger than my partner, so have firmer springs on my side).

If I had the room, I'd have separate washer and dryer, and two dishwashers (empty one to fill the other). If I was installing a new system I'd have remote TRVs on all the radiators linking back to the main control (Tado, Bosch EasyControl, etc) - but I'd also have underfloor heating in many places. I'd have all smart bulbs throughout the house - but some of the bulbs available just aren't bright enough for my liking.

Do people generally find underfloor heating problematic or not? I like the idea of not having radiators but hate to think of having to rip up floors if there's a problem. How long do underfloor pipes last? Off to google all the heating control systems... thank you!