NPBR - House Preferences

[ljgs1010]

Is this a forever (until you're okd and senile) home?

Then one. Minimize stairs.

I essentially live in a one floor house - it's a split level ranch but all the rooms we currently use are on the upper floor. I really like it, but I wish it were bigger (longer) so that the bedrooms were further away from the kitchen and living area, to minimize sound issues. I also wish our bedroom wasn't right by the kids' rooms - it's nice now, in the baby stage, but I foresee it being not so nice as the kids grow up.

If you do one level, I'd make sure the garage isn't right by the bedrooms.

I grew up in a colonial, with my parents' room on the other end of a hall from my and my sister's room. That's ideal, no if you can swing it.

If this isn't a forever home, is go for a two level. At least around here, colonials demand high resale prices.

[ljgs1010]

Love a ranch. They're unusual around here, but if they were more common that's what I would have gone for.

Eta: a ranch that isn't split level, I mean.

[ke2009]

After living in multiple 2 story homes, I prefer a 1 story. No stairs! But I agree layout is important. Our 1 story is "split"--living areas on 1 side, 3 beds and 1 bath on the other and the master suite at the back. I wish our master wasn't directly off the living room, but it's not a huge deal. If you do go for a 2 story, one of my friends has a great layout with the master suite on the ground floor, so that as they age, they don't HAVE to go upstairs (where they have bedrooms, 1 bath and a den).

[leopardgurl831]

I will leave you were the house I want to build link

I want a one story and DH a 2 story. I think we can compromise with a walk out.

We currently have a 2 story and it sucks. Hauling crap up and downstairs, your basement isn't as big. LM can't just play in his room, because I can't trust him to do the stairs and he doesn't like the gate shut. My life would be easier with out stairs.

[JEMandtheHolograms]

I love a two-story, they feel larger to me than a one-story home. However, in my area two-story single family homes and townhomes are the norm.

Still, I vote two-story, with the laundry room upstairs with the bedrooms. Bonus points if you have the square footage for a den/open room on the top level--one day the kid(s) and their mess can stay up there, and then you have a nice, adult-type space on the main floor. Now, I'm checking out real estate and dreaming....if only I had won the Power Ball...

[mskatiep]

shanbp, Do basements count as a story? Personally I would do a ranch with a basement, but I don't know if that would be considered a two-story? We live in a ranch right now and LOVE it. So nice to have everything on one floor. But for a long term home I would want a basement.

[JoeLies]

I think it depends on your neighborhood. Colonials are big here and you'd never get your money back if you built a large 1 story home. But that's very location specific.

If you DO choose to go with a 2 story, determine how important it is to have all your bedrooms on the same floor and how much privacy you want. We've got all our bedrooms on our 2nd floor and it's great because C is right down the hall. Also our first floor is where we entertain and I like having the delineation between private and hosting space.

[ggandlee]

Thankfully DH and I have pretty similar taste and sort of already had an idea of what we wanted before we even started looking at plans. We did however, look at literally thousands of plans online. We scoured the internet. We would find a few things that we liked about one and a few things that we liked about another one, but never found one plan that had everything exactly like we wanted. This is going to be our forever home, built on over 19 acres, so we want it to be perfect. We met with an architect and took him all of the plans that we liked a few things from as well as some pinterest pictures and gave him of list of our must haves and desires. He drew up our plans and we met with him several more times to make adjustments, and now we have our completely unique, perfect for us plans. He did an amazing job, and I am so happy that we decided to go with an architect instead of settling for something else that was not exactly what we wanted.

We decided on a two story so that the bedrooms would be completely separate from the living area and there will be an upstairs playroom, it better fit with the look we want, and because we want huge vaulted ceilings in the downstairs great room. Our house is sort of going to be a mix of craftsman style and timber frame/mountain style.

We couldn't decide on where to put the master. We wanted it downstairs for when our kids are older and when we are old, but for now with young children wanted it upstairs, close to them. So, we have a small master upstairs for now that will later either be a guest room or a kid's room, depending on how many kids we have, and an amazing, huge master downstairs. I figure we will move down there in a few years, and for now our guests get to enjoy it. If we did not have the flexibility of having two masters, I would have put it downstairs because I figure it is only a relatively short time that I will want it upstairs.

DH wanted the laundry room upstairs, I wanted it downstairs in the mudroom, so we agreed instead to have it downstairs with an electric dumbwaiter to send laundry and other things up and down. That is one thing that I am most excited about.
If you want more info, I'd be happy to share more details, just PM me.

[ljgs1010]

Feb 12, 2015 13:43:58 GMT -5 ggandlee said:

Thankfully DH and I have pretty similar taste and sort of already had an idea of what we wanted before we even started looking at plans. We did however, look at literally thousands of plans online. We scoured the internet. We would find a few things that we liked about one and a few things that we liked about another one, but never found one plan that had everything exactly like we wanted. This is going to be our forever home, built on over 19 acres, so we want it to be perfect. We met with an architect and took him all of the plans that we liked a few things from as well as some pinterest pictures and gave him of list of our must haves and desires. He drew up our plans and we met with him several more times to make adjustments, and now we have our completely unique, perfect for us plans. He did an amazing job, and I am so happy that we decided to go with an architect instead of settling for something else that was not exactly what we wanted.

We decided on a two story so that the bedrooms would be completely separate from the living area and there will be an upstairs playroom, it better fit with the look we want, and because we want huge vaulted ceilings in the downstairs great room. Our house is sort of going to be a mix of craftsman style and timber frame/mountain style.

We couldn't decide on where to put the master. We wanted it downstairs for when our kids are older and when we are old, but for now with young children wanted it upstairs, close to them. So, we have a small master upstairs for now that will later either be a guest room or a kid's room, depending on how many kids we have, and an amazing, huge master downstairs. I figure we will move down there in a few years, and for now our guests get to enjoy it. If we did not have the flexibility of having two masters, I would have put it downstairs because I figure it is only a relatively short time that I will want it upstairs.

DH wanted the laundry room upstairs, I wanted it downstairs in the mudroom, so we agreed instead to have it downstairs with an electric dumbwaiter to send laundry and other things up and down. That is one thing that I am most excited about.
If you want more info, I'd be happy to share more details, just PM me.

My parents live in a condo now, but have AMAZING masters on the main floor and also upstairs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this if you have the room. They use the downstairs one, and upstairs is a guest room...but it's the perfect layout if you have kids now but eventually want to have one floor living.

[ljgs1010]

Also, I need pictures of all of these amazing houses as they come to fruition, so that I can be jealous that DH and I will never be able to afford to build what would be our dream home...

[kim22]

Growing up I didn't know anyone in a 1 story house. Properties here are just too small to not have 2 stories. I love the idea of 2 masters, one upstairs and downstairs if you can do that. I love my laundry upstairs by the bedrooms.

[cagoldi]

One story. Our condo is 3 stories and the layout is cute and fun, but not once you have kids. The space feels so broken up. I also vote for a ranch style home.

[mskatiep]

Feb 12, 2015 15:23:31 GMT -5 shanbp said:

Feb 12, 2015 13:03:25 GMT -5 mskatiep said:

shanbp, Do basements count as a story? Personally I would do a ranch with a basement, but I don't know if that would be considered a two-story? We live in a ranch right now and LOVE it. So nice to have everything on one floor. But for a long term home I would want a basement.

We don't have basements in TX - at least not in Austin/Houston

Learn something new everyday. I just had to google that. Well in that case, I still vote ranch!

[88sharonlee]

It's interesting to hear people's preferences- This would be my list:
1) two levels of living space with all bedrooms on the upper level (a bonus guest room/future master would be ok for future options) plus a basement or walk up attic for storage.
2) powder room on the main level, a full bath plus an on suite bathroom on the second level (no more- who wants to clean 6 toilets!)
3) backyard that is accessed directly off the main living level (not a raised deck)
4) laundry on the level with the bedrooms.
5) a mud room and front hall coat closet
6) no split entry
7) small covered front porch, LARGE back deck

I wish I could design and build my dream home! Enjoy the process. Looking at floor plans can be overwhelming- tour real homes for a better sense of how spaces will feel..

[LizInFL]

I grew up in a 4500sf+ one-story home. Split floor plan, so the kids' and guest rooms were at one end (nearest kitchen and family room)...living and dining rooms in the middle...master and a study/adult TV room with bar at the opposite end. To me something like that is ideal. I also like the idea of having the guest room off by itself a bit...a little more privacy for everyone!

Lot size, topography, etc. can play a role in whether you do multiple stories. So if you fall in love with a lot with big oak trees you want to keep, for example, that can/will dictate layout and orientation to an extent.

I'm kind of traditional in that I still want separate formal living and dining rooms. I like the kitchen and family room to be "open concept"/open to one another, but I do like some separation from the more formal areas of the home. I also like a dedicated formal entry hall with space for a hall table/bench/art/etc..I don't like walking into a main living space when I enter a home. 

I would love a keeping room off the kitchen to serve as a playroom, that you could turn into a cozy reading nook or office when the kids are older.

If I ever have a 2-story, I will insist on the laundry being on the same level as the majority of the bedrooms (learned that the hard way in our KS house!) I do like a downstairs master, the situation ggandlee describes sounds like a great compromise!

Shan, Southern Living has an online library of floor plans...they might serve as inspiration, if nothing else. There are some amazing plans that DH and I like to stalk. I do tend to think an architect is the way to go if this is your "forever" home. Architects and designers are trained to really consider the way you live to come up with the optimum solution/design.

[housewifehair]

My favorite house that I ever lived in was a ranch but it had a finished basement and a finished attic. It was so cool because we spent most of our time on the main floor but then the basement was kind of like a recreational area and then the attic was a great place to put guests that were in town.

I'm really excited for you guys! Building a custom home is the way to go!

[88sharonlee]

Oh and if I could build new and wasnt too big a cost difference I'd go with wall mounted toilets! A minor detail but no more cleaning around the toilet base! And my kitchen would have a refrigerated drawer for beverages in the kitchen island.....daydreaming is fun

[88sharonlee]

It's usually more of a commercial application but you can totally do wall mounted toilets at your house- it hangs on a wall carrier so it just needs a little thicker wall but your contractor will know what to do.
I wish I had a wall mounted toilet, sinks and that the faucets came out if the wall too- super easy clean up of the floor and countertops!

[trtlcrzy]

Feb 12, 2015 21:51:56 GMT -5 88sharonlee said:

It's usually more of a commercial application but you can totally do wall mounted toilets at your house- it hangs on a wall carrier so it just needs a little thicker wall but your contractor will know what to do.
I wish I had a wall mounted toilet, sinks and that the faucets came out if the wall too- super easy clean up of the floor and countertops!

I don't have a wall mounted toilet but I do have one with an concealed trap. SO much easier to clean. 

[88sharonlee]

FYI the wall mounted would be more expensive, that's a nice shitter as well trtlcrzy!!!

[ggandlee]

trtlcrzy We have not gotten to the point of picking out toilets yet, but I love that the bottom of the toilet is enclosed! I just showed it to DH and he agreed. So done, toilets picked out!

[ke2009]

Re: tub in master or not. I now find myself in the perplexing situation of not having a tub in my master bath. The only tub is in the other bath (for C and guests). It's small and covered in toys and I have to take anything I want over there when I take one. If you like baths at all, I advise having one in the master or at least somewhere besides the kids' bath. It needs to be a sanctuary--not a toy chest.

[trtlcrzy]

Feb 12, 2015 22:28:32 GMT -5 ggandlee said:

trtlcrzy We have not gotten to the point of picking out toilets yet, but I love that the bottom of the toilet is enclosed! I just showed it to DH and he agreed. So done, toilets picked out!

When we built our house the first things I picked out after the house plans was the bathroom/kitchen plumbing fixtures. I was so into it, lol. I love my master bathtub.

[Deleted]

MH and I have built two homes in seven years, and we learned a lot about what we would do differently with each one. Now we fantasize weekly about hiring an architect and building our forever home, which we want to do within the next 8 years (before we turn 40).

A tub in the master bath is a must for me. However, in our dream home, MH and I would have separate master baths and his would not have a tub. This would make me so happy.

ggandlee I think the second master downstairs is a great idea. We have a lot of out of town guests so that is definitely something I would want.

LizInFL I love the idea of a room off the kitchen, I'm adding that to my fantasy house plans too.

trtlcrzy I want those toilets!

[Cherhorowitz]

So, my forever house (2 houses from now) is already designed in my head. I would do two floors (especially if you don't intend on being there forever). I would do my master upstairs then I would do an in-law suite on the main floor. This way your guests aren't staying on the same floor as you and if you ever need a first floor bedroom, you have it.

[LizInFL]

We just bought our house in the fall and I already fantasize about our next one (I don't see us buying another home til DH retires from the Navy and it's our 'forever' home). It is a sickness!

[wineallthetime]

Do you use a cleaning service? If so, definitely two story! If not, maybe one because vacuuming the stairs and lugging that vacuum up and down is so annoying. I like having two stories so that when we entertain, we can put the baby to bed and he doesn't hear the noise as much

[JoeLies]

Oooh oooh, you need a double-sized side-by-side fridge/freezer. I'm obsessed with ours and will never have a normal sized one again.

[Cherhorowitz]

I'm obsessed with JoeLies fridge too.

[Guster]

I prefer more than one level. I like the separation for bedrooms, living space ( kitchen, lr, family room) and a basement.