If money were no object...

splishsplash

gwynlas wrote: »

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. I agree - the plan is to house wm, td, ironing equipment, pet beds and pets in a garden room from now on.
Underfloor heating eliminating radiators freeing wall space.
Walk in closets rather than bedroom furniture. yes, I think I agree.
Mains power large showers. Is the pressure much better in a mains power than an electric shower?
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 . Further googling required on this I think
Patios and balconies overlooking low maintenance garden.
Services of daily housekeeper/cook.

I must be a bit odd but I like cooking and cleaning so this one I can leave off my list for now:beer:.

trailingspouse

The best thing you can do at the moment is research. Visit all the DIY sheds, all the high-end suppliers, talk to designers, talk to trades. And write it all down. Every little bit of information you come across will lead to another question, so ask all the questions and really pin down what you're trying to achieve.


You might not have to move out, if you plan things carefully (for example, always have one fully functioning loo...). We lived in this house while it was a building site for the best part of two years - but at any given moment, a different part was a building site, if you see what I mean. We had the whole house re-wired, then started at the top and worked our way down.



The hardest part was managing without a kitchen. But it's amazing what you can achieve with a microwave in the living room (and having the fridge by the sofa has its advantages...)

splishsplash

ka7e wrote: »

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!
I haven't started pricing yet - I just want a birdseye view of what I need to choose from before getting down to the nitty gritty.

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.What sort of vinyl? Do you mean these engineered wood floorboards I see? They look very durable.


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. I like the look of some of the glass splashbacks I see.


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. *turns to google once again*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!

Agreed. The IoT is drawing ever closer...

splishsplash

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). I currently have suspended timber floors.
I have to say my house is very warm, but you're right - I should think about insulation.

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.

Lots to think about, thank you!

splishsplash

Doozergirl wrote: »

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.
Hopefully after a couple of trade fairs and exhibitions I'll be inspired!
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. I like the idea of the tap for spraying, that makes a lot of sense.

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. Mine will be outside.

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. Any suggestions regarding systems?


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

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.

Agreed - I'd really like to have mainly flowers for the bees and butterflys.

splishsplash

coffeehound wrote: »

@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.I think the systems I'm looking at offer both heating and cooling - is that what MHRV is?

Also
Double sink, double drainer in the kitchen
Wall-wash lighting without centre pendants *runs off to google*
Wall-hung bathroom suite -- make a room feel bigger and easier housework definitely
Ovens that can vent to outdoors. didn't know you could get this!
Pot-filler tap near the hob (some American homes have one over the hob but I doubt that would be allowable in the UK)haven't heard of this.
RO water system to feed drinking water chiller, ice-maker and coffee machines (with some hardness added back).
Central vacuum cleaning system

Would the water system be a separate tap?

splishsplash

trailingspouse wrote: »

The best thing you can do at the moment is research. Visit all the DIY sheds, all the high-end suppliers, talk to designers, talk to trades. And write it all down. Every little bit of information you come across will lead to another question, so ask all the questions and really pin down what you're trying to achieve. Yes, it's a time consuming task as I'm hours away from these places, but am getting there slowly.


You might not have to move out, if you plan things carefully (for example, always have one fully functioning loo...). We lived in this house while it was a building site for the best part of two years - but at any given moment, a different part was a building site, if you see what I mean. We had the whole house re-wired, then started at the top and worked our way down.



The hardest part was managing without a kitchen. But it's amazing what you can achieve with a microwave in the living room (and having the fridge by the sofa has its advantages...)

Yes, I was thinking about that, but I may end up really gutting the place as in tearing down the interior ceilings and altering room heights... all in the air yet.

Doozergirl

splishsplash wrote: »

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 know someone (and her husband) who will be offering free advice via appointments in the Renovation Centre at Grand Designs on the 11th and 12th of October.

;)

coffeehound

splishsplash wrote: »

I think the systems I'm looking at offer both heating and cooling - is that what MHRV is?

Mechanical heat-recovery ventilation strictly refers to the ventilation system, but it's commonly combined with an air-to-air heat pump. However if you chose air-to-water heat pump and underfloor heating, you could still have MHRV as a separate system.

splishsplash wrote: »

Would the water system be a separate tap?

Lots of different options there, one being those always-on Quooker type hot/cold taps, or a combination kitchen tap which includes a drinking water tap. Or a separate drinking water tap. Also RO water can feed an American-style fridge with in-built water chiller and ice-maker.

bouicca21

Young(ish) relatives invested in an architect and got much better ideas about how to use the space. Before and after pictures are amazing, you wouldn’t think it could be the same place. Mind you not to my taste ...