OK folks, as mentioned yesterday we are embarking on the journey of building our dream home. There are so many ideas swirling through my head of things on my wish list. Yeah, not all of them are necessary, but some are kinda cool and worth mentioning, such as…
Outlet in fireplace mantel for lamps or Christmas lights from GardenWeb
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Under cabinet outlets from At Home in the Northwest
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Paper towel cubby from Southern Living
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Outlet in bathroom vanity from Beagle’s Do It Better
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Pocket baby gate as seen on Houzz
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Pull out trash can from Southern Hospitality
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Bookcase under the stairs from Remodelista
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Functional entry closet from House of Smiths
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Some other ideas on my dream home wishlist…
• Switch in the master bedroom for all exterior lights
• Exterior outlet for Christmas lights near the gutters
• Outlet in the master bedroom closet for ironing board
• Broom closet for vacuum, mops, cleaners, etc.
• 9Ft ceilings on the main floor
• Cubbies for kids bookbags and coats
• Small fridge in the kitchen for healthy snacks and drinks for the kids
• Additional hose outlets around exterior
• Central vac system
• Roll out trays in your base cabinets
• Under cabinet lighting
• A light switch at the head of your bed so you can turn out the light once you are in bed
• Minimal walls, and lots of windows
• Walk in pantry
• Double ovens in the kitchen
• Audio system you could control with your iPhone
• Rain showerhead in the master bath
(ok, maybe some of these are a little far fetched!)
OK, so do you have any cool ideas?
What would YOU add to your dream home?Leave your ideas in the comments section below!
jill says
Natural gas line ran to the outside BBQ so you don’t need a propane tank, speaker wires all ran inside walls or under floor including to outside patio.
Katie says
Central vac would be a definite must if we were building our home from scratch. Floor to Ceiling windows in my craft room/ photo study and maybe even in the living room/ dinning room. Outlet on the kitchen island *which I currently have and love. His and hers plug sockets in the master bathroom. Also, linen closets… our current home was built without a single linen closet!
howtonestforless says
Definitely lots of windows!! That’s the one thing I hate about our current house!
Jen says
We started our blog (www.dejongdreamhouse) on this very topic! We moved in last year, and included several things on your list, including outlets in the mantle, under the cabinet lights (LOVE not breaking up our pretty backsplash), touch-activated pull out recycling center with bins for trash, glass/plastic/large paper, flat paper, and irregular recycling like light bulbs, batteries, and ink cartridges, 10 ft ceiling on the first floor and 9′ on the second floor, mudroom cubbies, central vac, nearly all drawers in the kitchen (even better than roll outs because you only have to open once), double overs and a huge walk in pantry.
A lot of my dream house list went into the kitchen and pantry, which you can see in the links below:
http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/2012/04/introducingour-dream-kitchen.html
http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/2012/11/my-perfect-pantry-dream-home-edition.html
I also wanted lots of wall space for photo galleries, like this:
http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/2013/03/chair-rail-family-gallery.html
One of the things we are most happiest about with our home is that we aimed to build the most earth-friendly, energy-efficient, universally designed home that we could afford. It doesn’t look any different than the other houses in our neighborhood from the outside, but our energy bills are about half what our neighbors are paying!
howtonestforless says
Oh, tall ceilings are a MUST! Can’t wait to explore your site and get some new ideas. Thanks Jen!!
Jenny says
The outlet on the mantle is a genius idea! I’d have an irrigation system put in before they sod.
howtonestforless says
Irrigation system… my husband is fighting for that one!
Ceci Bean says
What fun things to think about! I’m in the middle of fixing up our kitchen, so when I saw “under cabinet lighting” I exclaimed “Yes!”
I don’t get the outlet in the bathroom drawer though. For like a hair dryer?
howtonestforless says
Under cabinet lighting sets such a nice tone in the kitchen. LOVE!!
Susan @ sunflowerhugs.blogspot.com says
If you are building a 2 story house–put the laundry room on the 2nd floor!
howtonestforless says
I have seen that a lot recently. My friend has one though in a brand new house. Apparently they got a busted pipe and it leaked through the ceiling and into their dining room. That’s my only worry!!
Kelly miller says
A pull out drawer under kitchen sink . Mine looks like two doors but it pulls out so no bending down trying to get items out. Favorite thing in my newly built home other then my cottage kitchen ! Have a fantastic time planning and dreaming !
howtonestforless says
Thanks so much Kelly! Any extra drawers in the kitchen will definitely be needed!
Karen R says
I’ve built two homes and would love to do the process again! I’ve learned so much. Outlets are a great idea, if you don’t have a sofet above the cabinets in the kitchen, maybe one or two on top in the event you’d like to light anything on top. Also, if your home is going to have a garage, look into putting a door from the garage to the yard and also bumping out the garage by a foot or two for extra space. (They seem to be smaller and vehicles barely fit in!)
Extra storage or display areas are never a bad thing. I would have put a light in my closets if I thought about it. There are so many things.
One word of advise though, if you are on a budget-and who isn’t?-put your money into square footage as anything else can be added when time and money permits. Also, think about what you want to be paying on for 30 years-carpet or square footage?
Good luck and can’t wait to see the process through your lens!
howtonestforless says
Thanks Karen. Totally agree with putting money into square footage! Lighting and flooring is so expensive, but we keep having to remind ourselves that we can always upgrade that later!!
Renatta says
Hi! 3 things: I’d love a discrete built in shredder and paper recycle bin below my mailbox so the junk never makes it inside. I dont know why f this is an invention yet, but I want Chamelion Windows. Imagine 2 layers of glass melded to be one pane, but sandwiched in between is a translucent layer of mesh or whatever material that changes with a remote control from clear to either subtle shading, black put for sleeping, privacy mode, an art works replica or just a pretty color! No more shades or blinds to disrupt clean lines and clutter free decor:-) Lastly, slim but elevated strip of running turf along the inside border of my fence. I like your pediatric pocket door idea and bet it would be AWESOME on the stairway for kids and pets!
Renatta says
2 more… I’d also like a snack/beverage fridge but the door would be glass and look like another cabinet. Dogs can be trained to potty in the same spot each time and my dog goes before our run so Im not picking up poo midway. It would be great if the poo spot had top cover for bad weather and a trapdoor with a flushing mechanism.
Kim says
We are in the planning process for our new house. We hope to do this…
Laundry room: In cupboard hide-away ironing board; a counter for folding; under counter cubbies for our 5 mini doxie’s beds–with removable walls for easy mopping or solitary confinement; a floor drain; doggie door in the wall for immediate outdoor access to a designated potty area; definitely a utility sink for bathing dogs, etc.
Walk-in Pantry with storage for small appliances, the ‘good’ dishes, seldom used items, and a small chest freezer.
Interior French doors between the front foyer and living room to keep out cold winter air when folks go in and out the front door.
A motion activated light IN the shower (have one now, love it). Nooks/shelves in the shower for shampoo, etc. Adjustable height shower head (hubby is 6’5″, I’m 5’6″).
Exterior outlets around the house for Christmas light, etc. Extra faucets, including one up on the porch.
Radiant heat in the master bath and bedroom floor.
Recessed/covered outlets in living room floor for mid-room needs (lamps, laptops, etc)
Pull-out, under counter breadboards.
Programmable/zoned heat and air—turn down the rest of the house at night or unused bedrooms.
The basement….hmmm, well, those plans changed. But I wanted a closeable access tube in the kitchen that went down to the basement recycling bin for all the soda cans that accumulate in my sink. A dumbwaiter might have been nice too. A downstairs family room with a snack bar area (small fridge, microwave, tiny sink, coffee corner) so we don’t have to run back upstairs. And there was room for a ‘his and her’ area—-ahhh, miss having that basement in the plan.