If you were building a new home, what would be your must haves?

[dennis99ss]

probably already mentioned, but:
1. Multiple electrical outlets do not matter unless they are on different circuits. Therefore if you are wanting multiple outlets in a room, or outside, etc., if they are all on the same 15-20amp circuit, all you get from all of the outlets is 15-20amp. Divide them up and add more amps/circuits.
2. even in Florida, in areas, it may drop to freezing. place a shut off valve on the main sprinkler line comes into the main, so it can be shut off at cold weather times.
3. Wrap exposed pipes, in the garage attics, etc., with heat tape or cable. Same for pool equipment.
4. Pretreat the foundation for termites before pour, and then again once framing is complete but before drywall.
5. pegboard in garage
6. Whole house water shut off easily accessible
7. tankless waterheater

 

[Kirby]

One thing I wish I had and hope to add to our home sometime in the near future is a safe room/tornado shelter.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Second floor laundry if bedrooms are up there. large with sink and counters. Or on first floor if ranch.
walk-in shower by back door with dog wash
outlets on every wall and floor in everywhere in house.
walkin pantry with lots of room for cans, bags etc
easy to clean wIndows and push out instead of up and down
master bath with walk in shower. In fact every Bath has a walkin shower
a bathroom for every bedroom
A front closet or foyer that has cubbies for boots and shoes and hangers for coats.
Double ovens in kitchen, pull out Shelves instead of drawers
6 Burner stove top
double wide, double door, refrigerator
two sinks in kitchen, one on island and another for prepping
a butlers pantry with lots of storage
a built in wine cooler
Large deck or patio with outdoor kitchen, pergola and fireplace
extra long kitchen island with sink, dishwasher and room for sitting around
cable tv access in every room and outside
small beverage cooler In kitchen for soda and beer
wet bar with ice maker
a craft room with extra long counters and drawers thst will hold wrapping paper, etc
workout room with tv

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

A roofed patio with an outdoor kitchen/ entertainment area

 

[kymom99]

T

Second floor laundry if bedrooms are up there. large with sink and counters. Or on first floor if ranch.
walk-in shower by back door with dog wash
outlets on every wall and floor in everywhere in house.
walkin pantry with lots of room for cans, bags etc
easy to clean wIndows and push out instead of up and down
master bath with walk in shower. In fact every Bath has a walkin shower
a bathroom for every bedroom
A front closet or foyer that has cubbies for boots and shoes and hangers for coats.
Double ovens in kitchen, pull out Shelves instead of drawers
6 Burner stove top
double wide, double door, refrigerator
two sinks in kitchen, one on island and another for prepping
a butlers pantry with lots of storage
a built in wine cooler
Large deck or patio with outdoor kitchen, pergola and fireplace
extra long kitchen island with sink, dishwasher and room for sitting around
cable tv access in every room and outside
small beverage cooler In kitchen for soda and beer
wet bar with ice maker
a craft room with extra long counters and drawers thst will hold wrapping paper, etc
workout room with tv

These are all must haves? I could never afford all this

 

[soniam]

- Pot filler (if you ever fill large pots with water for pasta, potatoes, or canning)
- Wiremold outlets (https://www.lowes.com/pd/Wiremold-10-Outlet-Off-White-Power-Strip/1000329159, These are great in islands, because it gives you a ton of outlets pretty much anywhere on the island. Plus, you can put them under the cabinets, so that you don't have ugly outlets in your kitchen backsplash. This isn't a particularly pretty model. The builder may not be willing to do this. Also, the electrician usually charges more for labor.)
- Kitchen island
- Plywood cabinets near water (kitchen, bathroom. Prevents damage from leaks.)
- Hot water dispenser/water filter
- big kitchen sink for washing pots/pans by hand
- If the house will only have 1 water heater and is decently large, get a recirculating pump
- Tankless water heater
- Water closet in the master (separate room with a door for the toilet)
- Closet light using a door plunger switch (switch inside the door jam so that the light comes on when the door opens and goes off when the door closes)
- Separate switches for the light and fan for every ceiling fan kit
- Home run TV and phone outlets to a central point
- Electric outlet in toilet water closet if you think you will put in a Japanese/bidet toilet
- EV charger, or least circuit, in the garage (50 amp/240V)
- Soaker hose system connected to timer/rainwater sensor
- Whole house water filter or at least plumbed for it (at the source)
- Large diameter pex for water to ensure good water pressure

 

[tvguy]

Make sure to do your research on any solar power system you are considering. Some power companies do not let you feed power back into their system and many who do only give you a fraction of the credit they charge you for an equivalent amount of power. No matter where you live, the sun only shines for 1/2 of the day and any of the supposed savings have to be factored into that. Running off of batteries the rest of the time or on rainy/cloudy days can drive the price up significantly. May make sense in some parts of the country, but for many other areas you will at best break even on what you spend. If new construction, better windows and/or increased insulation will probably provide a more immediate return.

Yes, do your homework. My my state's utilities are required to buy excess power from residential solar systems.
I could have bought my system for $36,000 before tax credits. Instead I opted for a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) on my Solar system. I have a 9.36kW system (36 panels on my roof). It cost me nothing to install. I buy ALL the power from my solar panels at an agreed to price whether I use it or not. Surplus power I sell to my utility for LESS than i pay for it, and LESS that my electric provider charges. I am committed to using the system for 20 years. They are committed to repairing the system for free for those 20 years. I have a right to buy my system outright anytime after 5 years operation at the value set by an independent appraiser. At the end of the 20 year contract, I can keep the system for free, but I have to pair for repairs, but ALL the power it produces will be free to me, and I can still sell surplus power to my utility. Or, I can have them come out for free, and take the system down. Or I can have them install a new system and enter a new contract.
So, what's the bottom line? I got a solar system for free for 20 years. My combined electric bill is down $25-$30 a month, so about 10% savings.

 

[tvguy]

Second floor laundry if bedrooms are up there. large with sink and counters. Or on first floor if ranch.


I clearly watch too many renovation shows on TV because it seems that second floor laundries seem to cause more problems that they solve. One small leak, and you've wipe out the floor in the laundry room, the ceiling of the floor below it, and maybe the floor on the first floor.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've thought of something else lately. We have a full bathroom upstairs and just a half bath downstairs. I've always liked not having to clean two showers, but as schedules have changed over the years, I'm wishing I could take a shower in the early morning without making noise right next to the master bedroom.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I've thought of something else lately. We have a full bathroom upstairs and just a half bath downstairs. I've always liked not having to clean two showers, but as schedules have changed over the years, I'm wishing I could take a shower in the early morning without making noise right next to the master bedroom.

Having a small shower on the first floor is really important. Anyone who needs to avoid stairs, even temporarily, will be thankful! It doesn't have to be fancy. This was a problem in my mother's house--a split-level with no bathroom on the floor with the kitchen. Also at my sister's house--the bathroom was upstairs, and only had a claw-foot tub with a shower attachment. Really a problem for my BIL when he had knee surgery.

 

[DeeBee3]

Central Air!!! It is a huge pain to but in later on.

Natural gas hookup, if available.

 

[Redart59]

Op here. Sorry I haven’t looked at my thread in a while. We had been in design meetings picking out all our stuff and then southwest cancelled our flight home on Saturday and we didn’t get home until yesterday.
Such an overwhelming and stressful 2 weeks.

We weren’t able to upgrade as many things as we wanted to but am happy with what we chose.


Stretched lanai 4 feet

Stretched garage , master bedroom and 1 bedroom in width 6 feet (required because or our Lot)

Upgraded all hardware. We chose black and apparently this was an upgrade.
Weren’t given exact cost but was told it would be more.

Upgrades baseboards

Upgraded elevation substantially.

Upgraded kitchen cabinets. Added one of the thin can cabinets they have in the BLT 1 bedrooms. (Love that cabinet)

Upgraded floor tile though our entire house

Quartz counters in kitchen, bathrooms and laundry.

Plantation shutters. (We could have done this later but got a credit for the standard blinds and saving money on not having to buy window treatments)

Added Back splash in kitchen (not included)

Extra outlets inside and out.

Relocated and enlarged laundry room and added a closet for vacuums and cleaning products.

Extra recessed lights in living room

I’m sure there was more but that all I can remember.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions. This was an overwhelming process and the suggestions helped.

Now we have to get our house ready to sell for our September move!! That won’t be stressful at all right

 

[RamblingMad]

Bath tub. Nothing better than taking an Epsom salt bath after a long day of hiking.

 

[mefordis]

One more major thing for me. I wouldn't have a single tree anywhere remotely close to my house. I'm surrounded by trees right now, and my house stays filthy, my yard is back breaking work so there's an extra expense to hire someone to keep the leaves and pine needles in control, and I had a squirrel chew $6,500 worth of wires on a car that had 21 miles on it. NEVER AGAIN!

Opposite here. I love trees and plant a tree each year. I have to figure out where to put one this year. I'm in the suburbs but it's starting to feel like i'm in the boonies. Any new tree that pops up is taken care of and left in place.

 

[Planogirl]

Pay attention to the windows and which way they face. Natural light is great but that southern sun can be brutal. I have fan shaped windows above the regular windows in the living room and even darkening film hasn't done enough.

 

[mrodgers]

Opposite here. I love trees and plant a tree each year. I have to figure out where to put one this year. I'm in the suburbs but it's starting to feel like i'm in the boonies. Any new tree that pops up is taken care of and left in place.

It's typically the husband climbing the ladders to clean out the gutters from the "I love trees!" coming from his wife that has the issue with trees.

 

[rwilson1281]

2 story house with a slide from my daughters room to the kitchen for funsies.

 

[stitch'sgirl]

Dedicated dog wash area in laundry room or mud room.

 

[mefordis]

It's typically the husband climbing the ladders to clean out the gutters from the "I love trees!" coming from his wife that has the issue with trees.

Actually we pay someone to do that! He lets me pretty much do what I want. I guess I"m lucky!

A lot of the trees I planted are away from the house and along the border of our property, but inside the property line, and they are evergreens that grow huge. Forever on a quest to block out my neighbors and create a peaceful, woodsy feel. When we get ready to sell the house a realtor told me buyers place a premium on mature trees. However, I plant them for me not a potential buyer.

 

[PaulaSB12]

My next house will be an old one my dream would be to get one that hadn’t been touched in decades. It must have a fireplace in the kitchen where I would put in an old fashioned Victorian cooker range in https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254720539108

like this I want one so badly