If money were no object...

getmore4less

UK we tend to have far to much in a kitchen.
Laundry facilities should be elsewhere.
Good storage/larder can be elsewhere holding stock piles of non perishables
Large chilled storage with some freezer space in kitchen
Large freezer elsewhere.

Another must is transition space from outside to in for boot/coats.

Then there is easy access to toilet facilities from outdoor entertainment space.
Most place seem to have the downstairs toilet in the middle/front hall

Morbier

Bearing in mind the current climate (literally), if money were no object, then air-conditioning throughout might be a good idea?

Also, consider whether or not this would be your 'for ever' house and consider how you would live in it if you become less mobile in later years. Think about being able to convert a downstairs room to a bedroom/shower room/wet room/loo downstairs? (Money being no object - install a lift!).

Back to reality - you can't have too much built-in (and hidden) storage.

aliby21

After advice on here, I had a data cable run round the downstairs. If I was doing it again, i'd also put it upstairs. Make sure you have the phone line coming in somewhere central, mine is at one end of the house and the other end I get poor wireless signal. LED lights - have an LED strip in the garage rather than flourescent tube, it is so much better. I'd have got nicer sockets and switches, I am happy with white plastic but the ones I have are a bit cheap looking, didn't even think to look at what the electrician was going to use. You could think about having a plug in point for an electric car.

A lot of the 'latest best must haves' I wasnt convinced by, mostly plumbing related! i resisted having an unvented hot water cylinder, really can't see the point of having a tank of pressurised water sitting in the middle of the house. i have a downstairs shower which is gravity fed and an upstairs power shower - nothing fancy, not a separate pump, and all in one thing. I am very happy with both. i also resisted the suggestions to have all the pipes hidden, having experienced what happens when something goes wrong and half the bathroom has to be ripped out. i have got a sealed central heating system, but if I had twigged I would have stuck to an old fashioned boiler - i am not comfortable having one that you have to check the pressure on and twiddle with things to fill it up. I've also got the boiler in the garage, which seemed a great idea, till the middle of winter when it pings on and off all through the night.

I'd have spent more time thinking where furniture was going, so i got switches and sockets in the right place, and doors opening the right way!

If money was no object I'd have had everything skimmed before decorating.

Also if you have the luxury of doing so, i'd be prepared to say 'that's not right, take it out and try something else' as you go along, if you are not completely happy, Rather than sucking it up and then always looking at it and wondering.

happyandcontented

I have subscribed to this thread because we are waiting for our dream house (needing complete renovation) to go through probate and be put on the market. We are hoping we are not going to be pipped at the post for it!!

We will have the luxury of living in our current house whilst at least starting the more disruptive renovations. However, we really want to get this right and future proof it as well. The bones of the house are great and there is also room to extend if we decide it is needed, although I think that would only be in the form of an Orangery or Summer room.

getmore4less

Doozergirl wrote: »

If money were no object, I wouldn't choose to have that in a basement. Costs a fortune and is potentially unreliable.
.

Other countries have no problem utilising basement spaces reliably.

FreeBear

getmore4less wrote: »

Other countries have no problem utilising basement spaces reliably.

You mean like this place - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6684271/Real-estate-listing-suburban-Pennsylvania-home-comes-complete-furnished-SEX-DUNGEON.html :eek:

kerri_gt

Plan for the worst, it's great fitting all these things and hiding them away (cables routed behind skirting boards etc) but have some kind of idea that if the worst happens and you need to get it them for maintenance/replacment, can you do so without tearing the whole room apart.

I had a plumber once remark baths with the taps in the centre at the back are all very well...until you may need to get to them and that can mean taking the whole bath out.

I do realise these instances are generally, thankfully, few and far between but from experience, plan for the worst, hope for the best.

getmore4less

kerri_gt wrote: »

Plan for the worst, it's great fitting all these things and hiding them away (cables routed behind skirting boards etc) but have some kind of idea that if the worst happens and you need to get it them for maintenance/replacment, can you do so without tearing the whole room apart.

I had a plumber once remark baths with the taps in the centre at the back are all very well...until you may need to get to them and that can mean taking the whole bath out.

I do realise these instances are generally, thankfully, few and far between but from experience, plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Don't put them on an outside wall then have access from the other side of the wall.

Doozergirl

FreeBear wrote: »

You mean like this place - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6684271/Real-estate-listing-suburban-Pennsylvania-home-comes-complete-furnished-SEX-DUNGEON.html :eek:

You really didn't need to, but I appreciate any additional publicity.

snowcat75

kerri_gt wrote: »

Plan for the worst, it's great fitting all these things and hiding them away (cables routed behind skirting boards etc) but have some kind of idea that if the worst happens and you need to get it them for maintenance/replacment, can you do so without tearing the whole room apart.

I had a plumber once remark baths with the taps in the centre at the back are all very well...until you may need to get to them and that can mean taking the whole bath out.

I do realise these instances are generally, thankfully, few and far between but from experience, plan for the worst, hope for the best.

I couldn't agree more, the dull things such as this make living much easier, When I plumbed mine I also made parts of the house so they could be isolated, bathrooms parts of the heating kitchen can all be switched off without effecting the rest of the house.

From my experience as a self builder of 3 the most important thing is the basics, as others mentioned well insulated, plug points coax, inherent cables all dropped (even if there not pulled out) in plenty of places, decent layout with natural light and air flow and rooms that work.


What works for one might not for someone else, so its important to think what you want and need and ignore the stuff that doesn't.


Personally Id always put UFH in.


Gadgets well im not keen, most technological thing Iv put in is electric Velux windows and only because there in a vaulted ceiling.... Technology tends to either not get used, goes wrong or becomes obsolete, Things like hive per example are a complete waste of time with wet UFH. A 20T slab of concreate cant just be controlled on or off once on in the winter it just ticks over a constant heat controlled on stats, It takes around 3 days+ to lose its heat and 12hrs to heat there's no point in switching that on and off from a mobile phone!.