As I look at houses online, more often than not I can immediately skip over most of them as soon as I see a picture or two. There are some things I just don’t like in houses. There are certain features that I really want and there are some features I definitely do not want.
So how about a little discussion about your realistic dream house? And by adding the word realistic I mean within the realm of possibility. There are dream houses and then there are Dream Houses. I’m talking about the ones we could actually afford.
And please no one be offended if someone says they absolutely don’t want X, Y or Z and your house has one, two or all of those features.
So what am I looking for in our next (and hopefully last) house?
Some things are non-negotiables. Central air. Lots of windows and natural light. No depressing views. Three bedrooms and a den/office or four bedrooms. Ample closets and storage. At least one and a half baths. Must have curb appeal.
Very high on my really, really want list: fireplace(s), a screened-in porch or three season room, master bath, wood floors, trees, garden space, already finished basement with ample natural light.
Things that seem to matter a great deal to other people but don’t to me: main floor laundry, three stall garage, decks, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, tiled floors.
Deal breakers (as in I wouldn’t buy no matter how much I liked everything else): dark and/or small kitchens (especially galley style that are long and narrow), split levels/raised ranch, dirt basement, no garage, complicated (read: expensive) roofing jobs.
One thing I’ve learned living in this house is that aesthetics inside and out are critically important to my well-being and mental health. I’ve learned a great deal and won’t make some of the same mistakes again.
Well, I’m sure I forgot some things since those are just off the top of my head, but it’s a good start. So what did you look for or what will you be looking for?
Kathy of the HavinsNest
We had this house built 33 years ago when we were still engaged and 6 months from our wedding. I’m not certain why anyone let a 19 year old and an almost 21 year old buy a house but that’s a whole ‘nother story. LOL
Our little house is a 3-2-2 with split bedrooms – our master is on the other side of the house from the other two bedrooms.
We’ve talked about what type of house we want to retire to – on a lake.
Must have 4 bedrooms (plenty of room for visitors and Camp Grandma participants 😉 ), Central air and heat which we have now but I’d rather have gas heat and water heater instead of the total electric we currently have, 2.5 to 3 baths (including our master bath), I’d like two living and two dining areas. In other words, lots of room for entertaining and family.
I love my solid surface countertops and would like that again but it doesn’t have to be granite (although my daughter’s granite countertops are beautiful). I have spent 23 years getting my stainless steel kitchen (sink and appliances) put together so I’d like to have that again, too. Big kitchen, built in desk in the kitchen like I have now.
Don’t care about 1 story or 2 so long as master is downstairs and split from the others. Laundry room is a must, preferably larger than the one I have.
Large deck – covered with a ceiling fan. Lots of windows that make for cross ventilation (something we don’t have now).
Not many deal breakers…the split master would be the biggie.
John Wilson
Aesthetics would be big on my list. Anything designed and/or built in the past 10-15 years crushes my spirit.
I would like lots of nooks and crannies. Spaces to be in.
Everything on my wife’s deal breaker list is on mine. So no granite counter tops!
I need a workshop / creative space, and in the long run I would like space for a photo studio. Peggy needs a workshop too, and we need rooms for kids. So, big.
Interested in seeing what Peggy has to say.
Sallie @ a quiet simple life
Kathy – It must have been okay at 19 and 21 if you are still there and together 33 years later!
John – Normally I would agree with you on the old house thing. I absolutely adore the character of older houses. (We live in one as you know since you and Peggy have been here!) But there are two things about living in an older house that have taken a toll on me. One, it never is finished unless you have a lot of money to burn through. If someone can live with things that never look quite right or finished, then they would be fine in an older house. Personally, it drives me nuts. The other thing is the dust. Living in an older house has been terrible for my allergies. We’ve done everything to try to make it better and it just doesn’t work. So I’m guessing our next house will be a newer house and we’ll hope it doesn’t have defective drywall from China or some other problem. 😯
That said, my ideal house would be a new house built to look older. I have clipped many magazine articles about this and that’s what I would really like. But they tend to be more expensive than we can afford since they generally include a lot more trim and detail work.
I thought of something else that is a deal breaker for me… Slanted ceilings in the bedroom. I love the cottage look with the sloped ceilings, but they feel claustrophobic to me. We stayed at one inn and had to ask for a different room because it had so many angled ceilings that I felt extremely uncomfortable in the room. At the same time, I don’t want soaring ceilings either. I like defined spaces. Wide open floor plans tend to make me feel restless. Ideally, I like ten foot ceilings which is what we have now. Anything higher is too high and eight foot just seems too confined.
God really has His work cut out for Him to help me find a house! 😀
Ann
I’m in my dream house right now. It has four bedrooms, 10 foot ceilings on the first floor, central air, finished basement, a “poofed” ceiling in the master, a real master bathroom, tons of windows, just the right size for us (2000 sf), BIG kitchen, 2.5 baths, tons of storage, two car garage, front porch, nice landscaping, and it’s only ten years old. Even though it is only ten years old, it has lots of architectural detail and is styled to look old-fashioned and traditional.
The one downside is that our yard is on the small side and not private, it adjoins two other yards openly. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because our two neighbors have kids the same age and all we have to do is go out there and it’s an instant playdate. Which is great for me since I’m a low-energy introvert : )
Peggy
The biggest deal-breaker for me is an HOA (homeowner’s association). I don’t need restrictions on outdoor clotheslines, paint colors, gardens, dandelions, what’s parked in the driveway, and science experiments done out on the lawn.
My husband says we need a big house, actually I think we need maybe 1500 to 1800 square feet at the most. We’re feeling cramped now with 1200 or so square feet because we don’t have a garage, a basement, a laundry room, a workshop, or built-in bookshelves. I want room to build some sheds for workshops and whatnot. I prefer the kitchen-dining room-living room to be fairly open, but with some little nooks here and there, and for the bedrooms to be upstairs and much smaller and cozier. I want good transitions between the house and the yard; one path through a mud room and one directly out from the main living space. A good work triangle in the kitchen.
I also don’t want to pay mortgage payments and interest for fancy finishes like granite countertops. Flippers have ruined a lot of the housing market for me. I want to start with something plainer and improve it over time.
Having some ugly stuff to rip out would be a plus; I’ve tolerated a lot of atrocities in rentals over the last fifteen years.
Lindsey
I don’t care if bedrooms are smaller…but the living areas like kitchen/livingroom must be spacey and open because this is where we spend 99% of our time (in our house bedrooms are pretty much only used for sleeping). Large yard, plenty of gardening space and area for kids to run around. Like a safe place where my kids can play outside, ride bikes on the street and not worry about traffic, etc.
My home has all these things and they are the non negotiables. The things I’d really LIKE but don’t have: marble countertops 🙂 and an extra bathroom for guests. But hey, we don’t always get what we want!
Christian @ Modobject at Home
Deal breakers for our next house:
– covered parking
– at least 2 bathrooms
– den/office space
– natural light, natural light, natural light
– windows, windows, windows
– no new construction (unless we design and build it)
– no planned neighborhoods (they depress me)
– established neighborhood
– trees and mature landscaping
– intuitive floor plan
Preferences for our next house:
– 4 bedrooms
– fireplace
– mid-century mod or mid century traditional
– not a fixer-upper
– quiet street
– outdoor living space
Susanna
I think houses over here are quite different to what people are used to in the States in terms of size for money. We have three boys and live in a 3 up 2 down house- bathroom and 2 double bedrooms upstairs, lounge and kitchen diner downstairs. We will have to move at some point as we need more space, however I don’t think I am going to have the chance to be too choosy about any future moves either due to money. But I would love:
1- safe, enclosed garden, child friendly
2- downstairs toilet (that would be bliss!)
3-Seperate space for my washing machine (it is in my kitchen)
4-Central heating (gas)
5- Easy car parking (off street would be too much for my budget I think!)
3- 3 beds at least (4 would be gorgeous bur again- wishful thinking)
Nice bounses would be wooden flooring, large bathroom (mine is a good size and I do not want to go anywhere with a smaller one) and a good sized kitchen.
John Wilson
Sallie: I don’t have a problem with dust, but I do worry about mold in older houses. Have had some bad experiences with that. Honestly, they should mount houses on rails, and during the summer you could slide the house out from the basement and get some sunshine down there!
For this reason I’d be totally okay with a dirt floor basement if the dirt was nearly all sand. I lived in one of those houses (grandparents bought it for 75 bucks during the Depression) and it was fine. Anything else, not so much.
As for things being “just so” I don’t think I have to worry about it, because Peggy gets the urge to completely re-arrange the house every year or two. In fact, any future house we get should probably be able to stand quite a bit of re-arranging. Like, maybe we could put velcro up on the walls just in case she wants to mount the couch sideways.
Peggy: Oh, the home owner’s association is spot on. That’s so out of the picture it didn’t even occur to me to list it as a deal breaker. Saying “I want to buy a house and property that is not governed by an HOA” is like saying “I want to buy a house that’s not currently on fire.”
And, of course, I’m totally okay with the workshop/photo studio being in a separate building. You’re way better at the whole “looking at something and knowing square footage” thing than I am, so you probably have a better idea of what is really big vs. not big. (I was thinking of Dana’s house when I said big.)
So by big I guess I mean, more space than we have now. At work we have a complete video studio and I must say I’m quite tempted to have something similar in the future for photography. There’s no place in our apt. to put up lights and set up a studio scene without causing a major disruption.
Other things:
Room for a garden (must), chickens (nice to have), possibly sheep (ideal)
Architecturally, I prefer a detached garage. As a parent, it’d be nice to have an attached garage. But…. I think architecture wins; I’d gladly, gladly shlep the groceries and kids an extra 50 yards if it means the garage does not dominate the house.
Lots of interior wall space for photographs and bookshelves would also be nice; some family friends lived in this amazing custom architect-designed house, and it was all windows and open floor plan. Our friends argued quite a bit about what to put up on the walls because each person had their own special things they wanted up and they didn’t consider that before they moved in.
Jo Anne
We are pretty much ‘done’ as it relates to moving, or moving up. We’re at that age where, if we move again, it will be to a smaller house.
Our current home is a late 70’s brick ranch with a full finished basement. We have 3 bdrms/2 baths upstairs with a formal dining room, formal living room, family room w/fireplace and a modern kitchen (solid surface counter tops and stainless steel appliances). We are not fans of an open floors plan – we love having people over, so the various rooms make it nice for the different groups to have places to sit down, talk, etc. if others are watching the game or movie on the TV. We also have a 2 car garage, 2 outdoor decks (one outside the family room and one off the sliders in the basement) with a big gas grill that we use a lot during the spring/summer/early fall. Our bottom deck is big enough to have several sets of tables and chairs, and since the decks hang out over the back of the house, you’re facing trees and the vista of city below & sunsets! We’re on top of a large hill with old trees everywhere. Fortunately, our neighborhood was sold in lots, meaning that you had to build your own house vs. buying in a planned subdivision. Oh – our basement is finished off with a laundry room, bedroom (which is our home office until Mom comes to live with us) living room, full bath, dining room and 3 huge storage areas (one behind our drive under garage).
If we were raising children now, I would love to have a mud room and move the master bedroom to the other side of the house from the secondary bedrooms.
We’ve lived in two subdivisions before, with HOAs. HATE THOSE. As another comment mentioned – they tell you how to keep your property, to the point that we would get letters if the grass wasn’t mowed every week during the summer! NEVER again. You have to paint your house a color that is pre-approved by the Board. If you want to put up a fence, pool, jungle gym, shed, etc. you have to fill out an application and send it to the Board! How crazy is that?
It’s funny – Americans, for the most part (unless you live in a big city like NYC, San Fran, Chi Town, etc.), usually have quite nice, large affordable homes, compared to the rest of the planet. Most of our friends who live overseas would be thrilled to have a 1200 sq. ft. home. And to have a eat in kitchen would be a thrill for them, not to mention having a 2nd bath.
This is a great thread Sallie!! Praying you and your family find the house of your dreams soon! 😆
Jenny
When we married we bought a brand new “cookie cutter” type house in an upscale neighborhood that eventually formed an HOA. Within a few years we found the changes we were making to our new home were an attempt to give it the character of an older home so we decided to move. We now live in a Colonial style brick two story home built in 1937 and hope to never move again.
What we insisted on:
Kitchen with eating space
Three bedrooms two bath (for resale value)
Formal dining
Smaller yard but still room for a garden (we’d had 1/4 acre and for just two of us that was too much)
In addition to that we got some extras that we love:
Wood floors throughout
Glass doorknobs
Plaster walls
Real dormer windows upstairs
A vintage bathroom with the original tile floor and tub
Some of the things we didn’t care for were the kitchen and bathroom re-do. They were done in a hurry to sell the house and not consistent with the time period, architecture, or spirit of the house. We don’t mind restoring those however and actually look forward to the project.
The other thing was the location being on a busy street. At first I didn’t like it at all but once we got into the house we saw that noise was not a problem and since it is in an older part of town, we actually grew to like it. It reminds me of Virginia Burton’s story about the little house that started in the country but the city grew up around her. We’ve since started a hedge that will provide a buffer and also create a courtyard closer to the house.
Moving from new to old was one of the best decisions we ever made.
Em
I don’t even know where to begin answering this, haha, as I have a degree in architectural design.
I actually designed the house we are currently living in. . . it’s 5 years old, but I designed it to look like an older farmhouse with modern conveniences and some green features. I am fine with it, but I am disappointed that we didn’t go ahead and put the screened-in porch on when initially building it (we’re in NC). We decided to wait until later to foot the bill for it. Having grown up in a family with 6 kids, I made sure we had plenty of storage, but I have no qualms about making my own 5 kids share bedroom space.
My idea of a dream home includes:
– a large kitchen and eat-in space (think the Waltons)
– deep front porch
– a library/office
– four bedrooms
– a place to put a piano
– a laundry room with a cleaning supply closet and room for other items like an extra freezer and space to fold/work on laundry
– natural light, not dim
– a hot-water heater with ample capacity!
– not in a de-treed subdivision
– access to nature and garden space
– hardwood floors throughout (except baths)
– a large pantry (doesn’t have to be walk-in)
– a dual-fuel range (picky, I know)
I can keep going, but I won’t!
I love my home, am very thankful for it, but honestly, it’s a lot to clean and take care of. I have learned throughout my life (all 37 years, haha) that the more storage space you have, the more junk you tend to keep. It becomes too much to manage and can detract from the things you really want to pay attention to. . . So, husband and I have talked that when we “retire”, we definitely want to downsize and be near our children and their families (if God wants us to be close by. . . but we’ll go wherever He leads and keep on serving Him instead of taking up the leisurely life). We’d be happy in a little cabin in the woods, I think. We’re pretty simple people, and I’m at a point in life where I don’t covet the lifestyle of acquiring and going bigger.
I am totally, negatively affected by cluttery homes. I like meaningful and natural objects around me, but I am thinking “spare” is good.
A dealbreaker would be a home requiring a lot of work at this point and time. Any smoking home. Any home where pets lived inside. Bad neighbors.
Heather
After living in parsonages for 10 years, home ownership is a mixed blessing! Both homes we have owned have had big problems and unexpected headaches and bills that go along with those problems! Our first purchase was a 2 year old house and we had huge expenses with it, including water in the basement and rebellious appliances! Our present home was built in the 1940’s and so far it has been a money pit. We still have a long list of things that need attention, but that’s how it is with older homes, I guess.
Things that we love:
* mature trees
* one acre
* privacy because of shrubbery and location
* all on one floor
* skylights
* lots of windows
* long driveway (except when it snows heavily!)
* knowing that this is the home God has for us for this season of our lives and that He will provide the resources to care for it as needed!
judy
I lived in my dream house, which was a rental, but was torn down because it was deemed an ‘eye-sore’ by the powers-that-be. We offered to buy it, but were turned down. Almost broke my heart. Still hurts when I drive my the now empty lot.
So, my dream house would be a 1920’s Craftsmen style bungalow. Front porch, hard wood floors, pained windows, french doors, LOTS of vintage charm and character. I kept the blue prints. Occasionally, I’ll pull them out and rework a few things in my head. All that stands in my way is money, and the idea that someday the house I cannot even imagine will be mine in Heaven. That helps a lot with the ‘no-money’ problems!
Now all I want for THIS house I’m in now is an open floor plan – something I never thought I’d want, and a fenced in yard. I’ve learned that I can live just about anywhere if it’s fenced in, and this place is not. Yet.
Isn’t it FUN to dream?
margo
What a fun question!
My husband and I are decidedly in our dream house. It is a 3 storey 1880s house in a beautiful city neighborhood. We’ve got some mature trees for privacy and shade and a reasonably sized back yard. We rent out part of the second floor and the third floor as apartments. Eventually, we will break the wall into the second floor apartment and then we will have 2200 square feet, not including basement, 2 porches. Our bedroom and bathroom are on the first floor, so we do plan to be here as old people (we’re in our 30s now!). My husband is an architect, so he created a master plan for our house and we are slowly moving through the renovations, a stage at a time. I don’t have tons of storage space in this house, but it forces me to keep my stuff pared down, which I like. Old houses do have expensive problems, so I do wish for more money to repoint our brick and pave our dirt basement and fix our trim in spots.