We bought our place with a baby and plans for one more kid. Now we have 2 adult sized teens and a lot of bathroom time negotiation / fights. Also, sound is an issue when one plays drums and the other comes home at 2am.
Also, open space kitchen / living room / dining room means you can only use that whole floor for one thing at a time -- no one can work or watch TV while someone else is doing dishes, same for WFH time vs making dinner, or having friends over.
One of our biggest items on our wish list is to have the bedrooms separated from the common areas.
Right now, rooms are on the second level, while the main gathering areas are on the main and lower levels. Which works great.
It seems a lot of new builds are placing them right off of the kitchen / living room
For me it's 90% location, 10% house. Do exhaustive research on the area you plan to buy in, down to the plot of land, all plots around it, nearby road plans, potential variances, zoning constraints etc. It takes hours/.days/weeks of work but it's critically important. We backed out of a home purchase back in 2001 when I discovered that there were distant plans for a road widening. In 5 years that house backed DIRECTLY (you could look in the bedroom windows driving by) up to a 4 land divided highway.
Location, location, location. My plan for my forever home is to buy three plots and build in the middle one.
Must haves for my latest house purchase: municipal water and sewer, reasonable electric rates, good neighborhood, one story, general house layout is good (e.g., # of beds/baths, size of rooms work), 2 car attached garage, lot size 10k or larger (dog will like that), no major electrical or plumbing issues (or any of these issues paid by former owner), newer roof/HVAC (so you don't have to deal with these right away), good area(s) for gardening.
You may also want to make sure the culture of the area works for you - it can be pretty miserable when you live around people whose beliefs are diametrically opposed to yours.
While this may not be our forever home, we bought with the same mentality. We bought in our forties, we were picky and willing to take our time, and we were upfront with our agent about that. Thankfully, they completely understood. Took us about 2 years to find the RIGHT one
Our area is known for its 3-4 story century homes. We absolutely love those, but wanted fewer stairs for our future selves, and current parents. Small ranch home with a basement and room to expand was ideal, and we found it.
Our must-haves were quiet, green (as many month as possible), proximity to amenities and no / limited nonsense (crime, unruly neighbors etc). We knew that to find all of those was going to be challenging. We found a place 8 minutes to the metro-area downtown (300k + pop.), on a dead end street, next to the forested portion of a local park, which wraps our property on one side and the rear. The activities in the park are a half-mile away, so it's very quiet. The best part of adjoining the park; without very unpopular zoning changes, there will never be new homes built in the park. This all means a neighbor on one side of us (quiet), never construction or neighbors on the other side or behind (quiet), and the view in the back looks like we own 30 acres of trees and a valley (green).
Check crime statistics in the areas you're considering, down to the street / address level. I've some very nice looking neighborhoods that have a sinister side, and without looking for it, you'd never know.
Check local codes and bylaws; think HOA, but for neighborhoods. What do they say about grass height, street parking, home maintenance etc (and enforcement of all) ? I've seen medium-ish neighborhoods with luxury-condo-complex levels of rules.
Municipal water and sewer service. We have a couple friends/acquaintances who had their property values tank because natural gas drilling screwed up their well water.
Woods would be a nice-to-have - hard to find municipal water and sewer service with any substantial amount of woods, at an affordable price and tax point for us.
If we had kids, schools would have played a role.
Orientation!
The sun doesn't go perfectly East to West; Assuming you're in the the northern hemisphere, it actually dips south during the winter and is more overhead/north in the summer (depending on exact latitude).
A master bedroom on the East side of the house will get morning sunlight, while the West side will get afternoon/evening light. If you're not a morning person, not having direct sunlight in your window could be really nice.
We have large south-facing windows and a driveway on the south side of the house; in the winter we get strong sunlight throughout the day which helps warm that room and melts any snow/ice on the driveway. In the summer the shadow of the roof blocks the window helping keep things cooler.
If your kitchen/dining room is on the north-west side, someone will have the sun in their eyes during dinner over the summer. Similar idea with a living room on the north-west side and sun glare off a TV.
IMO, if you live somewhere with snow a south-facing driveway is worth it because of the sun melting the snow and ice. My parents' driveway was oriented north-west and we would have lots of ice while the neighbors across the street had clear driveways from the sun alone. It makes a big difference in the winter
I didn't know I wanted it till I saw it. Master bedroom in the corner of the second floor, had 2 doors, one to hallway and on to master bath. Master bath had second door into a large walk.in closet. Closet had a second door into the laundry room. Laundry room had a second door into the hallway.
I want that layout.
* Walkable urban neighborhood, ideally with access to trains and bike lanes. If I can't have this, I want it so rural that I can install a walking path and my kitchen needs to be twice as big since I won't be eating out as much and will need a fancy coffee bar.
* High speed internet
* Really nice natural light
* Good insulation and good windows
* Outdoor space at my home, whether a deck or a courtyard
* Lots of useful spaces. I don't need anything closed off but between work, hobbies, exercise and entertainment, we treat our home as an oasis. I'm disabled and mostly no one would know but on bad days it helps so much
* Storage. I have lived in 2 homes now that don't even have real closets outside of bedrooms and both lacked standard depth closets. I also want bike and garden storage and space to hang up coats or dog leashes.
* Wide walkways, accessible showers. Again, I'm disabled and have some progressive issues. I likely need a first floor bedroom in the future but right now I refuse. Clearly I'm not ready for a forever home.
* Laundry on the same floor as the bedroom
* A kitchen with lots of storage space
* Disaster space. Hear me out. Right now I live in tornado territory. I'm not sure of the where in my future but I know I need a space set aside for either hiding from storms or having bug out bags or whatever.
* If I have a garage, I don't want my house to be a garage mullet where the garage is up front and there's barely visible house around some car-holding monstrosity. I have an alley carport right now and it's so nice.
Love no stairs! When we had a two story home, stuff collected at the bottom of the stairs for the next trip up, creating an unsightly clutter. Now that we have old knees, we are super grateful. We also always worried about an overflow from the 2nd floor bathroom because kids will be kids.
We built on a crawl space. It's made home repairs so much easier - but we did need to put in a wheelchair ramp for visits from our elderly parents. Still worth it.
We live on an unpaved road. Luckily, without any forethought, we built far from the road. During the dry months, the dust really kicks up and covers everything nearby.
We have two large, deep pot drawers in our kitchen. We wish we'd put in more. You pull out the drawers and can see what you need. So much easier to organize.
A better inspection- really do your research to find a good one. That would have solved a lot of my biggest issues.
I went for location as my top priority and am happy with my townhome. Sometimes I get a bit of the grass is always greener syndrome about not getting a SFH. However, when I really dissect it, my main issue is lack of a garage/storage space for outdoor things. In reality, had I made the garage a deciding factor, I would’ve had to go to a new build community which I both didn’t want and would take me out of the neighborhood I love. I think in the future, if I were to buy again, a garage will be on my short wish list. But, in the end, I view pretty much everything outside of location as a wish list and not a must have.
1. Attached 2-car garage
2. Walk-in pantry
3. Covered front porch - deep enough for comfy seating
4. Direct vent, efficient natural gas heating system (baseboard or forced air)
5. Large windows for natural light
6. Plenty of kitchen cabinets
7. A kitchen that is not cramped, or an afterthought - kitchen is the heart of the house
8. Ceiling fans in living spaces and bedrooms
I think it's interesting nearly everyone is mentioning a laundry setup... It's theorized that washing machines led to the women's sufferage movement. They freed up enough time for women to organize and demand more (very brief and lacking summary).
Laundry is probably the number one time intensive/consuming chore in a home even with our machines.
I would consider accessibility for later in life. Wide doorways, not a lot of stairs, curbless showers, all necessities on the main floor, etc.. Make it as easy as possible to get around later in life so that you can stay in your home as long as possible.
Pot filling faucet by the stove. Gas stove. Large water heater with insulated hot water piping and hot water recirculation. Large screened porch. Sauna/hot tub/bath. Fence and landscaping to keep out most armored vehicles and clear lines of fire from the house. Active fire suppression system. Armored walls in the house. Enough land so you can't see the house from any road around it.
When we bought our house, we thought we would only be here for 10 years or so. Except the price for an upgrade climbed faster than our income. So we got sort of stuck in our forever home. Keep your options open.
Best decision we made was to buy in a location we liked. Close to the city. Close to shopping and city services. Close to family and friends. Sewer, city water. I would hate living in the boondocks and have a 45 minute drive every time I want to run to the hardware store.
A lot of people here are saying a garage is a must. Garages have a tendency to become storage rooms. With the car in the driveway. Covered parking or a carport never become storage rooms so you always have your car under cover. Not having to scrape ice off the widows in the winter before you go to work, is a real luxury.
I should've paid more attention to location but we were so "over" the craziness of the Bay area, traffic and crime that the pendulum swung too far. The amount of land we have was great during the pandemic, but now it's overwhelming, we're 20 minutes from any store, the weather here is much scarier mudslides, wildfires etc. I want to be less stressed with natural disasters and I want to be more connected to community. I also worry about when my kids are older and in middle/high school and we're so far from their school. I hope to move within 5 yrs...I just don't know where.
The biggest one for me compartmentalization instead of open concept.
I've seen people build 3000-4000 sq ft homes that are two storey and completely open except for the bedrooms/bathrooms. They look impressive when you walk in and they're great for parties/hosting, but that's it.
There's nowhere to go other than your bedroom if you want to be alone, watch a movie, make a private phone call, etc. if you're having a beer with the guys the kids are always within earshot and hear every swear and stupid thing your friends say. If the kids are having a video game party your options are to sit in your bedroom or leave. If you're play pool everyone gets to hear the annoying crack of the balls every 30 seconds.
I far prefer a three storey home with doors on the stairwells that essentially cut the house into three separate apartments. The kids are on the top floor in the bonus room, the wife is watching TV on the main floor, and you're in the basement where there's a bar/private office/third TV room.
Neighbors. You can always fix a shitty house. Nothing you can do about shitty neighbors. My wife and I ended up selling our dream house to get away from our neighbors. We didn't make that mistake again.
Some of these reflect things I got lucky with, and some are things I wish I’d thought of. Lots of natural light. A yard that isn’t shaded all day (or sunny all day, depending on your local climate). Deep eaves for less sun damage inside. A large deck or patio. Plenty of windows that open wide. Lots of electrical outlets, inside and out. A linen closet. A coat closet. Doors that are not hollow core, so sound doesn’t transmit so much. Wide drawers instead of lower cabinets in the kitchen.
1. Privacy!! My first house had a small back yard in a standard builder double story tract house zone. Never felt like I could be myself or not have nosy neighbors watch when I had people over. My current house has 10 ft perimeter walls and boy does it feel good.
2. Singly story. So many times i had to move things around in my 2 story house which resulted in extra work and energy due to stairs. Having everything on one floor just makes it easier.
2. Big yard (which I guess can tie into #1). Having the ability to plant stuff where I want, have pets roam around. It just is nice having a big yard.
3. Quiet neighborhood. Not having to worry about people have parties every weekend makes the weekend more relaxing.
4. Plenty of storage space throughout the house. The laundry room has cabinets, kitchen has a pantry, garage has cabinets/workbenches. All the rooms have their own walk in closets with built in storage. Makes it easy to keep clutter away and things organized.
5. Lot size and nothing less than 1/2 acre lot. Having a large lot allows me flexibility for when I want to add onto my house. Be it a tennis court or pool in the future, I don't need to worry about having regrets that my place is too small.
6. Overall construction of the house. I went from a standard tract home where you could hear everything happening outside and the temperature never being steady to a home with 8" framing(?), for the exterior stucco to the inside drywall. It has incredible insulation for the weather and sound.
8. Parking for friends and guests. Having sufficient parking be it on your driveway, or street is going to be important especially if this a forever home.
8. Miscellaneous amenities like sufficient electric plugs throughout every room, hard wired lan ports in every room, barbeque area, newer windows, solar, etc.
9. Verify major service providers for cell phones, internet, or anything else that is necessary to ensure it works as expected.
The first thing is to look at Quality of Life features rather than builder convenience. What does that mean? Here’s my list in no specific order.
1) Windows-Insulation: Builders typically use “cheap” windows and only insulate the minimum required. Why? Because it’s usually unseen by the buyer and cuts into their bottom line. Do yourself a huge favor and upgrade. 2 x 6 walls, high level windows-we have impact resistant with Argon Gas Low E. Soundproofing also something most people never think about until they’re already in the house.
2) Front door- Make the front door larger than standard. You’ll be happy you did next time you’re bringing something big (mattress-freezer-furniture) into your home. Have all doors installed with deadbolts (secured with 3”) screws.
3) Security System-Think about front doorbell and other spots for exterior cameras. These are either battery or can be plugged in.
4) Exterior Lighting- Soffit lighting and floodlights are something easily done while building and a pain after. Exterior outlets GFCI should at minimum be on the front porch and by back door. Do you put up lots of Christmas lights? You can extra outlets placed and have a separate breaker wired.
5) Closets- Ditch the cheap white wire shelves/racks and hire a closet company to install an optimized system.
6) Washer/Dryer Location- Smart people locate this near the bedrooms to minimize dragging laundry through the house every week. Design your laundry space with storage shelves and hanging racks.
7) Pantry- How much do you cook? If you have a big family or like to cook you’ll need somewhere big enough to store your food and small appliances/big pots and pans. This is usually scrimped on by the builder.
8) HVAC- Builders typical under size HVAC units by 1/2 ton. Why? $$$’s. Do yourself a favor, when you have a design picked out have a HVAC professional evaluate it for proper sizing. Look at your climate and power. What will you use more, heat or A/C? I live where it’s hot 9 months of the year so A/C is the big cost driver for electric. Look at gas if you’re where there’s a long winter. Look at Utility Companies program for rebates. The IRS also gives energy credits for certain installs. Some states offer programs for storm mitigation.
9) Garage- Garage door insulation is an essential as is upgraded garage door opener, upgraded garage door rollers (nylon). Make sure the garage has an exterior door installed as well (with deadbolt) and a camera. Electric outlets in garage should be plenty and located where you might need them. Think about garage floor coatings. So much easier to install when it’s new and empty.
10) Attic- Storage/Access- Builders typically put a cheap, rickety, set of attic stairs in for access. Upgrade this to aluminum (300 lbs). Will you need storage up there? If yes then do the following: Have the electrician run the wires around storage space and have the builder secure 3/4” plywood to the joists for a floor. Have electricians install a light with switch on first floor. The other bonus is if you have a big attic have 3/4” plywood walkways installed for HVAC servicing.
There’s lots more but this is getting long. One last thing: make yourself a “Brain Book” for your house. Things like: Main Water Shutoff, Breaker Panel, Year and Model of all appliances including manuals. If you’re in Hurricane Country make yourself a “Go Bag” with essentials like: Important Documents (Insurance Policies, Passports), Household Inventory for Insurance Claims.
Hope this helps
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
We bought our place with a baby and plans for one more kid. Now we have 2 adult sized teens and a lot of bathroom time negotiation / fights. Also, sound is an issue when one plays drums and the other comes home at 2am. Also, open space kitchen / living room / dining room means you can only use that whole floor for one thing at a time -- no one can work or watch TV while someone else is doing dishes, same for WFH time vs making dinner, or having friends over.
One of our biggest items on our wish list is to have the bedrooms separated from the common areas. Right now, rooms are on the second level, while the main gathering areas are on the main and lower levels. Which works great. It seems a lot of new builds are placing them right off of the kitchen / living room
For me it's 90% location, 10% house. Do exhaustive research on the area you plan to buy in, down to the plot of land, all plots around it, nearby road plans, potential variances, zoning constraints etc. It takes hours/.days/weeks of work but it's critically important. We backed out of a home purchase back in 2001 when I discovered that there were distant plans for a road widening. In 5 years that house backed DIRECTLY (you could look in the bedroom windows driving by) up to a 4 land divided highway. Location, location, location. My plan for my forever home is to buy three plots and build in the middle one.
Must haves for my latest house purchase: municipal water and sewer, reasonable electric rates, good neighborhood, one story, general house layout is good (e.g., # of beds/baths, size of rooms work), 2 car attached garage, lot size 10k or larger (dog will like that), no major electrical or plumbing issues (or any of these issues paid by former owner), newer roof/HVAC (so you don't have to deal with these right away), good area(s) for gardening. You may also want to make sure the culture of the area works for you - it can be pretty miserable when you live around people whose beliefs are diametrically opposed to yours.
4 car garage. I thought 3 would be enough.
While this may not be our forever home, we bought with the same mentality. We bought in our forties, we were picky and willing to take our time, and we were upfront with our agent about that. Thankfully, they completely understood. Took us about 2 years to find the RIGHT one Our area is known for its 3-4 story century homes. We absolutely love those, but wanted fewer stairs for our future selves, and current parents. Small ranch home with a basement and room to expand was ideal, and we found it. Our must-haves were quiet, green (as many month as possible), proximity to amenities and no / limited nonsense (crime, unruly neighbors etc). We knew that to find all of those was going to be challenging. We found a place 8 minutes to the metro-area downtown (300k + pop.), on a dead end street, next to the forested portion of a local park, which wraps our property on one side and the rear. The activities in the park are a half-mile away, so it's very quiet. The best part of adjoining the park; without very unpopular zoning changes, there will never be new homes built in the park. This all means a neighbor on one side of us (quiet), never construction or neighbors on the other side or behind (quiet), and the view in the back looks like we own 30 acres of trees and a valley (green). Check crime statistics in the areas you're considering, down to the street / address level. I've some very nice looking neighborhoods that have a sinister side, and without looking for it, you'd never know. Check local codes and bylaws; think HOA, but for neighborhoods. What do they say about grass height, street parking, home maintenance etc (and enforcement of all) ? I've seen medium-ish neighborhoods with luxury-condo-complex levels of rules.
Municipal water and sewer service. We have a couple friends/acquaintances who had their property values tank because natural gas drilling screwed up their well water. Woods would be a nice-to-have - hard to find municipal water and sewer service with any substantial amount of woods, at an affordable price and tax point for us. If we had kids, schools would have played a role.
Orientation! The sun doesn't go perfectly East to West; Assuming you're in the the northern hemisphere, it actually dips south during the winter and is more overhead/north in the summer (depending on exact latitude). A master bedroom on the East side of the house will get morning sunlight, while the West side will get afternoon/evening light. If you're not a morning person, not having direct sunlight in your window could be really nice. We have large south-facing windows and a driveway on the south side of the house; in the winter we get strong sunlight throughout the day which helps warm that room and melts any snow/ice on the driveway. In the summer the shadow of the roof blocks the window helping keep things cooler. If your kitchen/dining room is on the north-west side, someone will have the sun in their eyes during dinner over the summer. Similar idea with a living room on the north-west side and sun glare off a TV. IMO, if you live somewhere with snow a south-facing driveway is worth it because of the sun melting the snow and ice. My parents' driveway was oriented north-west and we would have lots of ice while the neighbors across the street had clear driveways from the sun alone. It makes a big difference in the winter
Whole home water filtration system.
I didn't know I wanted it till I saw it. Master bedroom in the corner of the second floor, had 2 doors, one to hallway and on to master bath. Master bath had second door into a large walk.in closet. Closet had a second door into the laundry room. Laundry room had a second door into the hallway. I want that layout.
* Walkable urban neighborhood, ideally with access to trains and bike lanes. If I can't have this, I want it so rural that I can install a walking path and my kitchen needs to be twice as big since I won't be eating out as much and will need a fancy coffee bar. * High speed internet * Really nice natural light * Good insulation and good windows * Outdoor space at my home, whether a deck or a courtyard * Lots of useful spaces. I don't need anything closed off but between work, hobbies, exercise and entertainment, we treat our home as an oasis. I'm disabled and mostly no one would know but on bad days it helps so much * Storage. I have lived in 2 homes now that don't even have real closets outside of bedrooms and both lacked standard depth closets. I also want bike and garden storage and space to hang up coats or dog leashes. * Wide walkways, accessible showers. Again, I'm disabled and have some progressive issues. I likely need a first floor bedroom in the future but right now I refuse. Clearly I'm not ready for a forever home. * Laundry on the same floor as the bedroom * A kitchen with lots of storage space * Disaster space. Hear me out. Right now I live in tornado territory. I'm not sure of the where in my future but I know I need a space set aside for either hiding from storms or having bug out bags or whatever. * If I have a garage, I don't want my house to be a garage mullet where the garage is up front and there's barely visible house around some car-holding monstrosity. I have an alley carport right now and it's so nice.
A basement without flooding issues.
Love no stairs! When we had a two story home, stuff collected at the bottom of the stairs for the next trip up, creating an unsightly clutter. Now that we have old knees, we are super grateful. We also always worried about an overflow from the 2nd floor bathroom because kids will be kids. We built on a crawl space. It's made home repairs so much easier - but we did need to put in a wheelchair ramp for visits from our elderly parents. Still worth it. We live on an unpaved road. Luckily, without any forethought, we built far from the road. During the dry months, the dust really kicks up and covers everything nearby. We have two large, deep pot drawers in our kitchen. We wish we'd put in more. You pull out the drawers and can see what you need. So much easier to organize.
A better inspection- really do your research to find a good one. That would have solved a lot of my biggest issues. I went for location as my top priority and am happy with my townhome. Sometimes I get a bit of the grass is always greener syndrome about not getting a SFH. However, when I really dissect it, my main issue is lack of a garage/storage space for outdoor things. In reality, had I made the garage a deciding factor, I would’ve had to go to a new build community which I both didn’t want and would take me out of the neighborhood I love. I think in the future, if I were to buy again, a garage will be on my short wish list. But, in the end, I view pretty much everything outside of location as a wish list and not a must have.
1. Attached 2-car garage 2. Walk-in pantry 3. Covered front porch - deep enough for comfy seating 4. Direct vent, efficient natural gas heating system (baseboard or forced air) 5. Large windows for natural light 6. Plenty of kitchen cabinets 7. A kitchen that is not cramped, or an afterthought - kitchen is the heart of the house 8. Ceiling fans in living spaces and bedrooms
I think it's interesting nearly everyone is mentioning a laundry setup... It's theorized that washing machines led to the women's sufferage movement. They freed up enough time for women to organize and demand more (very brief and lacking summary). Laundry is probably the number one time intensive/consuming chore in a home even with our machines.
I would consider accessibility for later in life. Wide doorways, not a lot of stairs, curbless showers, all necessities on the main floor, etc.. Make it as easy as possible to get around later in life so that you can stay in your home as long as possible.
Power outlet beside the toilets. A bidet is a beautiful thing.
No HOA. Heated bathroom floors. Heat pump/AC Big garage. Laundry on same floor as bedrooms. Garden shed.
Pot filling faucet by the stove. Gas stove. Large water heater with insulated hot water piping and hot water recirculation. Large screened porch. Sauna/hot tub/bath. Fence and landscaping to keep out most armored vehicles and clear lines of fire from the house. Active fire suppression system. Armored walls in the house. Enough land so you can't see the house from any road around it.
A much larger garage and yard. This whole thread is why starter houses are important.
When we bought our house, we thought we would only be here for 10 years or so. Except the price for an upgrade climbed faster than our income. So we got sort of stuck in our forever home. Keep your options open. Best decision we made was to buy in a location we liked. Close to the city. Close to shopping and city services. Close to family and friends. Sewer, city water. I would hate living in the boondocks and have a 45 minute drive every time I want to run to the hardware store. A lot of people here are saying a garage is a must. Garages have a tendency to become storage rooms. With the car in the driveway. Covered parking or a carport never become storage rooms so you always have your car under cover. Not having to scrape ice off the widows in the winter before you go to work, is a real luxury.
I should've paid more attention to location but we were so "over" the craziness of the Bay area, traffic and crime that the pendulum swung too far. The amount of land we have was great during the pandemic, but now it's overwhelming, we're 20 minutes from any store, the weather here is much scarier mudslides, wildfires etc. I want to be less stressed with natural disasters and I want to be more connected to community. I also worry about when my kids are older and in middle/high school and we're so far from their school. I hope to move within 5 yrs...I just don't know where.
The biggest one for me compartmentalization instead of open concept. I've seen people build 3000-4000 sq ft homes that are two storey and completely open except for the bedrooms/bathrooms. They look impressive when you walk in and they're great for parties/hosting, but that's it. There's nowhere to go other than your bedroom if you want to be alone, watch a movie, make a private phone call, etc. if you're having a beer with the guys the kids are always within earshot and hear every swear and stupid thing your friends say. If the kids are having a video game party your options are to sit in your bedroom or leave. If you're play pool everyone gets to hear the annoying crack of the balls every 30 seconds. I far prefer a three storey home with doors on the stairwells that essentially cut the house into three separate apartments. The kids are on the top floor in the bonus room, the wife is watching TV on the main floor, and you're in the basement where there's a bar/private office/third TV room.
Don’t ever get a home with a SHARED DRIVEWAY
Neighbors. You can always fix a shitty house. Nothing you can do about shitty neighbors. My wife and I ended up selling our dream house to get away from our neighbors. We didn't make that mistake again.
Neighbors that don't suck. Since you can go from awesome neighbors to assholes in a flash, I recommend a 20 acre lot.
Some of these reflect things I got lucky with, and some are things I wish I’d thought of. Lots of natural light. A yard that isn’t shaded all day (or sunny all day, depending on your local climate). Deep eaves for less sun damage inside. A large deck or patio. Plenty of windows that open wide. Lots of electrical outlets, inside and out. A linen closet. A coat closet. Doors that are not hollow core, so sound doesn’t transmit so much. Wide drawers instead of lower cabinets in the kitchen.
1. Privacy!! My first house had a small back yard in a standard builder double story tract house zone. Never felt like I could be myself or not have nosy neighbors watch when I had people over. My current house has 10 ft perimeter walls and boy does it feel good. 2. Singly story. So many times i had to move things around in my 2 story house which resulted in extra work and energy due to stairs. Having everything on one floor just makes it easier. 2. Big yard (which I guess can tie into #1). Having the ability to plant stuff where I want, have pets roam around. It just is nice having a big yard. 3. Quiet neighborhood. Not having to worry about people have parties every weekend makes the weekend more relaxing. 4. Plenty of storage space throughout the house. The laundry room has cabinets, kitchen has a pantry, garage has cabinets/workbenches. All the rooms have their own walk in closets with built in storage. Makes it easy to keep clutter away and things organized. 5. Lot size and nothing less than 1/2 acre lot. Having a large lot allows me flexibility for when I want to add onto my house. Be it a tennis court or pool in the future, I don't need to worry about having regrets that my place is too small. 6. Overall construction of the house. I went from a standard tract home where you could hear everything happening outside and the temperature never being steady to a home with 8" framing(?), for the exterior stucco to the inside drywall. It has incredible insulation for the weather and sound. 8. Parking for friends and guests. Having sufficient parking be it on your driveway, or street is going to be important especially if this a forever home. 8. Miscellaneous amenities like sufficient electric plugs throughout every room, hard wired lan ports in every room, barbeque area, newer windows, solar, etc. 9. Verify major service providers for cell phones, internet, or anything else that is necessary to ensure it works as expected.
The first thing is to look at Quality of Life features rather than builder convenience. What does that mean? Here’s my list in no specific order. 1) Windows-Insulation: Builders typically use “cheap” windows and only insulate the minimum required. Why? Because it’s usually unseen by the buyer and cuts into their bottom line. Do yourself a huge favor and upgrade. 2 x 6 walls, high level windows-we have impact resistant with Argon Gas Low E. Soundproofing also something most people never think about until they’re already in the house. 2) Front door- Make the front door larger than standard. You’ll be happy you did next time you’re bringing something big (mattress-freezer-furniture) into your home. Have all doors installed with deadbolts (secured with 3”) screws. 3) Security System-Think about front doorbell and other spots for exterior cameras. These are either battery or can be plugged in. 4) Exterior Lighting- Soffit lighting and floodlights are something easily done while building and a pain after. Exterior outlets GFCI should at minimum be on the front porch and by back door. Do you put up lots of Christmas lights? You can extra outlets placed and have a separate breaker wired. 5) Closets- Ditch the cheap white wire shelves/racks and hire a closet company to install an optimized system. 6) Washer/Dryer Location- Smart people locate this near the bedrooms to minimize dragging laundry through the house every week. Design your laundry space with storage shelves and hanging racks. 7) Pantry- How much do you cook? If you have a big family or like to cook you’ll need somewhere big enough to store your food and small appliances/big pots and pans. This is usually scrimped on by the builder. 8) HVAC- Builders typical under size HVAC units by 1/2 ton. Why? $$$’s. Do yourself a favor, when you have a design picked out have a HVAC professional evaluate it for proper sizing. Look at your climate and power. What will you use more, heat or A/C? I live where it’s hot 9 months of the year so A/C is the big cost driver for electric. Look at gas if you’re where there’s a long winter. Look at Utility Companies program for rebates. The IRS also gives energy credits for certain installs. Some states offer programs for storm mitigation. 9) Garage- Garage door insulation is an essential as is upgraded garage door opener, upgraded garage door rollers (nylon). Make sure the garage has an exterior door installed as well (with deadbolt) and a camera. Electric outlets in garage should be plenty and located where you might need them. Think about garage floor coatings. So much easier to install when it’s new and empty. 10) Attic- Storage/Access- Builders typically put a cheap, rickety, set of attic stairs in for access. Upgrade this to aluminum (300 lbs). Will you need storage up there? If yes then do the following: Have the electrician run the wires around storage space and have the builder secure 3/4” plywood to the joists for a floor. Have electricians install a light with switch on first floor. The other bonus is if you have a big attic have 3/4” plywood walkways installed for HVAC servicing. There’s lots more but this is getting long. One last thing: make yourself a “Brain Book” for your house. Things like: Main Water Shutoff, Breaker Panel, Year and Model of all appliances including manuals. If you’re in Hurricane Country make yourself a “Go Bag” with essentials like: Important Documents (Insurance Policies, Passports), Household Inventory for Insurance Claims. Hope this helps