I was wondering, what would your ideal dream home be?
Here is my ideal home:
- Built by Fulton Homes (Arizona homebuilder)
- Minimum 1600 square feet
- Minimum 16 SEER Air Conditioner
- Separate Gas Cooktop
- Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator
- Stainless Steel Appliances
- Built to Energy Star Standards
- U By Moen Smart Kitchen Faucet
- U by Moen Smart Shower Controller
- Moen MotionSense Wave Bathroom Faucets (not released yet, but coming soon)
- Smart Thermostats
- Moen Handheld Showerheads with Magnetix
- Fairy Tale Pink (or similar shade) master bedroom
- Tankless Gas Condensing Water Heater with built-in recirculator
- Tile in kitchen and hardwood in master bedroom.
- Preferably a gas furnace instead of a heat pump
- Preferably a separate wall oven and cooktop
- Pool
- Water Softener
- Reverse Osmosis System
Heh. That's quite the set of specs.
Fun fact is that I sold a house last year and have rented since. Given the much lower level of stress due to not having to worry about maintenance or plowing or raking or landscaping, home ownership is a much lower priority for me now.
Honestly, my house right now has almost everything I would need. Wouldn't mind a larger master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, but it's not a huge deal.
We just redid the kitchen this past summer after refi-ing for the second time in two years, so now it's darn near optimal.
Chris
I would trade off some house and yard size for a location in a walkable neighborhood and easily accessible by transit, with most things I need (especially a grocery store) nearby. It's nice only having to own one car for a household (for roadtripping) with good alternative ways to get around locally, instead of the 2 or more I see in a lot of households nowadays. One of those concept "missing middle" homes seem intriguing to me. Also, a smaller yard size means less grass to mow, which is another plus to me.
Not sure about the interior of this house, as I have no clue what is the best brand for kitchen appliances, toilets, etc.
I have a rough floor plan drawn up. The house it 2 stories with the front entrance on the upper level and a lower level rear walkout.
Upper level has 2.5 car attached garage, with kitchen and laundry/pantry right off the garage, an open family/living/dining space and an office in the middle, and an en suite master, 2 bedrooms, full bath and flex room on the side opposite the garage.
Lower level is half finished with a 4th bedroom, full bath, rec/card room, and storage space.
House is oriented so the front of the house faces south and the garage is on the east side.
- Away from a major city.
- No more than 1,800 square feet.
- Has a garage.
- Less than half an acre of land.
To expound, really I don't want a large home and I'm more associated with the cost of paying one off. I live kinda sorta in the model I described above in far eastern Fresno. About the only thing I would change is having where I live in a more rural setting. I'm not really one to be super concerned about gadgets and having the latest tech items.
Depends on if I have a family or not.
Location, location, location. If I could really pick where ever I wanted, it would probably be Montana's Flathead Valley.
But in terms of an actual house and property: I'd favor having too many rooms rather than too few. Not a brand new home, but not old enough to require ongoing repairs/upgrades. A few big trees, but not too many. Some outdoor living space in the form of a deck or patio. Preferably a somewhat similar layout to my current house, facing west (front rooms get evening sunlight, back rooms and most bedrooms get morning sunlight).
(https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/unabomber-cabin.jpeg)
:-D
The main thing our current house doesn't have that I'd like is a two- or three-car garage. When I moved here in 2001, I was single and I had just the one car. The one-car garage was fine for my needs. I didn't necessarily anticipate I'd still be living here after 20 years when I was married with four cars, but there you go. As it happens, it's a good thing I bought a middle unit with a one-car garage instead of an end unit with a two-car garage because the end units were going for a decent bit more, meaning my mortgage payment would have been higher, and there was a period when I was out of work for a couple of years and relied on my savings to pay the monthly bills. During that period, the end unit would have been a problem.
Otherwise, things I might like to have that we don't now are a lot more electrical outlets, including in the bathrooms, and a dual-zone HVAC system that provides a separate system for the top floor as opposed to the lower two floors. During the summer, in particular, it gets a lot warmer upstairs even if I adjust the dampers and close the basement registers almost all the way.
One thing I sometimes ponder is that if, some years down the road, hopefully not any time soon, my mother still owns her house when she dies, I would have to consider whether I would buy out my brother's half of the house and move over there. He moved to Louisiana a few years ago and so wouldn't likely object, though he might try to extort me on what a 50% share is. I don't know whether I'd do it, though. It would be weird for me to live in my parents' house with both of them gone, but it would also be really difficult to sell the house because of all the memories that are tied up there (which, no doubt, is a major reason why Mom has shown no inclination to move in the 2+ years since my father died).
I have a good if modest home where I am living now. Some of the criteria was that it was a single-story home, small (thus easy to maintain), within walking distance from work, and damn good high-speed Internet access. I got a nice 1984 home which meets that criteria. In the past year, I did replace all of the windows, the air conditioner with a variable-speed, and put in home insulation. While there were nicer and cheaper homes north of where I'm currently living, I did not want to deal with a long commute. A bigger home means a higher assessment value, thus higher property taxes (but hey, no state income tax and the money stays local). As a bonus, I'm near a light rail station to downtown Dallas, and the airports are about 30 minutes away.
One concept that I drew up that I like is a house that is built of a collection of "pods" or wings which consist of a bedroom, an "interest room" (for a library, office, art room, etc.), and a bathroom. Each wing would be separated from the main body of the house with a door with a lock. Thus each occupant of the house would have their own personal space to conduct their personal recreational activities in privacy without having to venture through a hallway or across the kitchen or living room and perhaps be interrupted by other residents.
It really depends on what I'm doing and where I'm working.
I'm in the process of moving to Vancouver permanently, and I've been looking at various homes, apartments (condos), and other places to see what fits my needs. My absolute must-have is either (a) walking distance to a SkyTrain station, or (b) walking distance to frequent bus service that connects me to the SkyTrain. Besides this, I'm not too picky.
That said, if I had to pick a dream home/location: probably the Burnaby, BC area. I love the central location relative to the rest of Metro Vancouver, and all of the amenities. Probably a single-family house with alley parking (not keen on front garages). I'd love a home that's older and has some character. I'd love a cellar to store various things. Three bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms would be great. Definitely an office, for those work-from-home days. White appliances would be nice too (I do not like stainless appliances, they darken the room and show fingerprints). Of course, an area that is walkable too, as I don't want to drive to transit, and I want my kids to be comfortable going places on their own without a car.
Basically, the house I have now, only with a garage and a lower maintenance yard.
Something with adequate soundproofing, or an HOA that gives a damn about enforcing noise rules. Living next to neighbors from hell has made me want that beyond all other considerations.
And considering what can be found on the market, it'd be impossible to find something that also fits my other general criteria:
- Walking distance to transit and amenities
- Located halfway between downtown and the edge of the metro area with decent freeway access
- Trees for shade
- Air conditioning (still not guaranteed here)
- Minimal reliance on natural gas or oil for heating/cooking
Quote from: Bruce on October 23, 2021, 02:54:36 PM
Something with adequate soundproofing, or an HOA that gives a damn about enforcing noise rules. Living next to neighbors from hell has made me want that beyond all other considerations.
And considering what can be found on the market, it'd be impossible to find something that also fits my other general criteria:
- Walking distance to transit and amenities
- Located halfway between downtown and the edge of the metro area with decent freeway access
- Trees for shade
- Air conditioning (still not guaranteed here)
- Minimal reliance on natural gas or oil for heating/cooking
What noise do they make?
I'd rent before living under an HOA.
A hole in the ground with a bunch of wood covering the top and tarp along the sides of the hole to keep water from seeping in. Extends outward once below ground to make space for a bed of leaves, a nightstand made out of a tree stump, a rut dug into the wall to hold a candle.
For the finishing touch, add a Thinkpad next to the bed with a gigabit internet connection. Charged using a wall outlet, embedded into the wall, with electricity illegally tapped into somebody else's home. If there's company then they'll have to dig extra space themselves. Showering and relieving oneself may be done in a nearby stream.
Quote from: index on October 23, 2021, 03:06:33 PM
A hole in the ground with a bunch of wood covering the top and tarp along the sides of the hole to keep water from seeping in. Extends outward once below ground to make space for a bed of leaves, a nightstand made out of a tree stump, a rut dug into the wall to hold a candle.
For the finishing touch, add a Thinkpad next to the bed with a gigabit internet connection. Charged using a wall outlet, embedded into the wall, with electricity illegally tapped into somebody else's home. If there's company then they'll have to dig extra space themselves. Showering and relieving oneself may be done in a nearby stream.
Well, there goes your water supply.
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2021, 03:11:41 PM
Quote from: index on October 23, 2021, 03:06:33 PM
A hole in the ground with a bunch of wood covering the top and tarp along the sides of the hole to keep water from seeping in. Extends outward once below ground to make space for a bed of leaves, a nightstand made out of a tree stump, a rut dug into the wall to hold a candle.
For the finishing touch, add a Thinkpad next to the bed with a gigabit internet connection. Charged using a wall outlet, embedded into the wall, with electricity illegally tapped into somebody else's home. If there's company then they'll have to dig extra space themselves. Showering and relieving oneself may be done in a nearby stream.
Well, there goes your water supply.
Only if I get it downstream of the bathroom site.
Someday, would like to move from my tiny one-bedroom condo, to a three-bedroom single-level unit in a high-rise condo. More room, including a bedroom for me, a home office, and a guest bedroom. Single-level, with elevator access, because I was for a time wheelchair-bound, and even the four steps to my building entrance were a big issue, so I don't want to get into that situation again. High-rise, with no views into my place from other high-rises, so I can leave the blinds up if I (or my cats, if I get back into cat ownership) so desire.
While I strongly prefer suburbs, and would continue to drive as long as able, I would want some semi-decent transit access like I have now (buses would work, and I don't like the price premium for living close to a subway station) for when I can't drive.
Quote from: Bruce on October 23, 2021, 02:54:36 PM
Something with adequate soundproofing, or an HOA that gives a damn about enforcing noise rules. Living next to neighbors from hell has made me want that beyond all other considerations.
My current place has thick concrete walls. My next-door neighbor would often play the piano in early morning hours, and I wouldn't hear the music until I stepped out of my apartment such as to get the newspaper. Soundproofing would be more of an issue in a new place.
A transparent dome with climate control and life support systems on the moon. It would have at least one airlock and and a space suit, for longer hikes. I would bring some soil and plant some trees, evergreens like live oaks, cedars, and pine. One side would have good soil and soft grass, and one side would have rocky soil, bushes, and cedars. This would help with the oxygen supply in addition to making the environment interesting. I'd probably spend most of my time camping, but I'd want some kind of shack to go into when I didn't want to see the sky. That's where I'd have my computer, television, video games, and such. I'd live there alone. I have no interest in farming, so I'd need supply runs for food, either from Earth or from farming colonies. I wouldn't need to be alone on the moon, just a dome maybe four miles wide, enough space to have some different environments, and hopefully no other domes close enough to be visible.
I would also need a gym, with low-gravity workout equipment, so I wouldn't degenerate too much. I'd probably want that indoors, too.
I'm fine with what I have currently, but if I were to upgrade, I would want more room and a computer setup that's not 10 years old and on the verge of breaking.
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2021, 03:06:22 PM
What noise do they make?
I'd rent before living under an HOA.
My neighbors from hell finally moved out (got evicted at the end of the moratorium, thank goodness) but they would spend just about every night blasting music from their house or car. The bass-boosted kind that seeps through walls.
I've had to call the police to enforce the noise ordinance dozens of times and heard nothing back from them, so I suspect they were being let go because of their friends in the pigpen.
But I have new neighbors with obnoxiously loud (and probably modified) engines/exhaust that I can hear early in the morning. I haven't had a full week of uninterrupted sleep since 2019, and my health has taken a turn for the worse because of it.
Be careful what you wish for. At a previous house, the neighbor I considered to be from hell (drug dealer, loud parties once a month or so) moved out. In moved a couple of kids who were passing themselves off as college students so their mom and dad would pay for their living expenses. Loud parties were a couple of times a week, and they didn't even wait for the weekend. Police were useless. Call them for excessive noise at 10:00 when it's supposed to be quiet, and they might make it around for 3 or 4, or they might never come at all. (It took a year or so, but we did get them dealt with. Tracked down the owner and from them the parents of the "students" who were too busy partying to study.)
Quote from: index on October 23, 2021, 03:06:33 PM
Charged using a wall outlet, embedded into the wall, with electricity illegally tapped into somebody else's home.
Eh, you just need to have currant bush growing nearby.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carissa_spinarum
:-D
A lakefront home in Duluth or in Grand Marais, MN. That's my only requirement.
Quote from: Bruce on October 23, 2021, 04:20:45 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2021, 03:06:22 PM
What noise do they make?
I'd rent before living under an HOA.
My neighbors from hell finally moved out (got evicted at the end of the moratorium, thank goodness) but they would spend just about every night blasting music from their house or car. The bass-boosted kind that seeps through walls.
I've had to call the police to enforce the noise ordinance dozens of times and heard nothing back from them, so I suspect they were being let go because of their friends in the pigpen.
Pigpen? Can you be any more freaking offensive?
WTF is with this forum and dumb politics of late?
Quote from: SectorZ on October 25, 2021, 06:14:48 PM
Quote from: Bruce on October 23, 2021, 04:20:45 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2021, 03:06:22 PM
What noise do they make?
I'd rent before living under an HOA.
My neighbors from hell finally moved out (got evicted at the end of the moratorium, thank goodness) but they would spend just about every night blasting music from their house or car. The bass-boosted kind that seeps through walls.
I've had to call the police to enforce the noise ordinance dozens of times and heard nothing back from them, so I suspect they were being let go because of their friends in the pigpen.
Pigpen? Can you be any more freaking offensive?
WTF is with this forum and dumb politics of late?
I think there are a lot more offensive terms than that for a police force, so I am sure he could.
I want a huge ass garage. Everything else I don't care that much about except location - can't be too far away from civilization.
right now it would be great to just have an off-street parking space for my motor vehicle, as parking can be tough on Friday and Saturday nights in my neighborhood.
long term, I could see myself occupying a full rowhouse in DC to myself as opposed to just one of the units in one that has been subdivided into three apartments.
being in this dense neighborhood is nice. I like walking 2 minutes to the grocery store, 5 minutes to the metro station, restaurants right there, etc. etc. etc. But obviously I also like my car so private parking would be nice.
I think I have three possibilities for my dream house:
(If I ever were to become wealthy enough, I would have either two or three of these)
Home 1. (practical and hopefully in the future actually obtained)
-- A decent sized older bungalow
-- In the East End/Second Ward or Spring Branch area of Houston
-- 2 or 3 bedroom, 2 or 2.5 bath
-- decent sized, fenced yard for the dog to play in
-- all gas appliances
-- honestly, window units in the bedrooms and living room, and fans.
-- gas tankless water heater
-- either a small 1 or 2 car garage or drive way with a little gate
-- if a 2 bedroom, then also would want a den or small extra room to use as my "library/the dogs room". if a 3 bedroom, bedroom 3 would be the study/dog's room
-- large kitchen with decent counter space, a large pantry, large fridge/freezer
-- two sided sink with a hose and a disposal
-- a spot for my husband to have a little garden
Now for the dream/fantasy homes:
Fantasy Number 1:
-- New build, either just outside the city or in an area where there is a lot of empty space. Or, out in the middle of nowhere in like Colorado or Utah--somewhere it gets cold...close to an interstate but otherwise away from everything
-- Large three car garage
-- Guest house that is split into three apartments for friends/family
-- Two story with a basement
-- Large kitchen with a restaurant sized gas burning stove/grill and a dual oven.
-- Large counters made out of carving board material
-- Large commercial walk in cooler and freezer
-- Several acres of land for a yard...fenced in. High fence and deeply dug in as well so my dog can run around and not escape.
-- A separate little barn house and fenced in area for rescue dogs to live happily in their own little refuge
-- A large living room on the first and second floors.
-- a jacuzzi room
-- poolhouse with pool and hot tubs and sauna
-- large master bedroom as a loft/third floor with a wraparound balcony that overlooks everything
-- four bedrooms on the second floor, each with its own bathroom ]
-- walk-in closets
-- a formal dining room
-- a library/study filled with my books, vinyl record collection, vinyl player of the best quality, and old timey roll top desk
-- a game room for my PS4, PS5, MacBook, big screen TV, and that kind of thing.
-- a room for my dog, with a tv and stuff so I can hang out in there with him
-- every room would have a cabinet for dog toys and stuff so that Rocko could go anywhere and be happy because he can be near his humans
Fantasy 2: Penthouse
-- a penthouse on the top floor of a building in Downtown Houston. I would LOVE to live on a floor higher than 50..if it needed to be somewhere other than Houston, I may be ok with that. Or in this fantasy, I could buy out the higher floors in a tower here for use as a residence. This would likely not be my primary residence since my husband is terrified of heights, but it''d be like a secondary home for when I need to work (as a writer) or after he dies, it could be my new "widower's pad"
Living overseas such as living in New Zealand and in the Wellington area home overseeing downtown
Location 2 live in the Netherlands in an apartment in the Hague.
Since this is probably the closest thing on the forum to a home improvement thread, I'll ask here: Anyone have a tankless water heater? If so, any comments? It's coming time to replace our water heater; right now we have a conventional 50-gallon gas heater and I assume we will most likely do the same again (opting for one that gets us the tax credit, if possible), but I'm mildly interested in tankless to free up space in the HVAC closet and because the idea of not having a 50-gallon tank of water that could decide to spring a leak seems rather sensible. But I know tankless heaters cost a good bit more and might require some work on the wall to reinforce the mounting point. If it matters, it's just the two of us in the house and we don't normally run multiple appliances using hot water at the same time (sometimes one of us might shower while the laundry is running, but not often, and the laundry may not be using warm water at the time either way).
Thanks in advance for any useful advice.
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 05, 2021, 08:23:52 AM
Since this is probably the closest thing on the forum to a home improvement thread, I'll ask here: Anyone have a tankless water heater? If so, any comments? It's coming time to replace our water heater; right now we have a conventional 50-gallon gas heater and I assume we will most likely do the same again (opting for one that gets us the tax credit, if possible), but I'm mildly interested in tankless to free up space in the HVAC closet and because the idea of not having a 50-gallon tank of water that could decide to spring a leak seems rather sensible. But I know tankless heaters cost a good bit more and might require some work on the wall to reinforce the mounting point. If it matters, it's just the two of us in the house and we don't normally run multiple appliances using hot water at the same time (sometimes one of us might shower while the laundry is running, but not often, and the laundry may not be using warm water at the time either way).
Thanks in advance for any useful advice.
In the house we remodeled into an AirBnB, we went with a Navien tankless hot water heater when replacing the 20+ year old gas hot water heater that was there before. It still worked, but since the house was going to be empty at least half the time with no one to report any leakages, we figured it was time to go with something more efficient, especially since it was a tax deduction anyway. It was reasonably priced, with a large chunk of the cost going into putting an electrical outlet in the hot water heater closet to run the electronics and igniter and removal of the old asbestos-infused vent pipe. It takes a few more seconds to get hot water to the shower than the tank did, but after that, it's just available for as long a shower as you want to take. Since we have a house that will commonly host groups of mountain bikers, we wanted to have hotel-like hot water availability, which isn't possible with a tank, and we like having furniture that sweaty, dirty, and sometimes bloody mountain bikers don't have to wait on for a tank to recharge.
When they installed the tankless hot water heater, they put what looks like a small sink below it since there's plenty of space in the closet without a huge tank. It serves as a leak drain in case of freezing or other plumbing issues, preventing it from ruining the hardwood flooring. We also sprung for the leak detector, which looks like a strip of paper with electrodes on it that is hooked up to an electrically actuated shutoff valve on the water inlet of the heater. In the event water gets into the catchment basin, that strip will get wet and then trigger a shutoff of the water supply, preventing a flood from occurring. Really handy for locations that aren't constantly occupied.
*wonders about condensation causing false alarms with the leak detector*
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 05, 2021, 08:23:52 AM
Since this is probably the closest thing on the forum to a home improvement thread, I'll ask here: Anyone have a tankless water heater? If so, any comments? It's coming time to replace our water heater; right now we have a conventional 50-gallon gas heater and I assume we will most likely do the same again (opting for one that gets us the tax credit, if possible), but I'm mildly interested in tankless to free up space in the HVAC closet and because the idea of not having a 50-gallon tank of water that could decide to spring a leak seems rather sensible. But I know tankless heaters cost a good bit more and might require some work on the wall to reinforce the mounting point. If it matters, it's just the two of us in the house and we don't normally run multiple appliances using hot water at the same time (sometimes one of us might shower while the laundry is running, but not often, and the laundry may not be using warm water at the time either way).
Thanks in advance for any useful advice.
We JUST got our Hot water heater replaced in 2020. Our old 2004 Bradford White HWT went :ded: after a windstorm knocked out the power. Anybody heard of Rheem? We also got our HVAC unit replaced in 2014.
And also, when our powers out, we got hot water if anybody needs to take a shower! :rofl:
But why? We got our heat via gas (Piedmont NG, owned by Duke) and our electric via the SAME company our heat is provided! (Sorry for the double spacing, Windows 11 is pretty bad right now. :ded:)
Quote from: Bruce on October 23, 2021, 04:20:45 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 23, 2021, 03:06:22 PM
What noise do they make?
I'd rent before living under an HOA.
My neighbors from hell finally moved out (got evicted at the end of the moratorium, thank goodness) but they would spend just about every night blasting music from their house or car. The bass-boosted kind that seeps through walls.
I've had to call the police to enforce the noise ordinance dozens of times and heard nothing back from them, so I suspect they were being let go because of their friends in the pigpen.
But I have new neighbors with obnoxiously loud (and probably modified) engines/exhaust that I can hear early in the morning. I haven't had a full week of uninterrupted sleep since 2019, and my health has taken a turn for the worse because of it.
Hey neighbor! :wave:
Same here with our next door neighbors.
We got to deal with an arrested family who (in fact) was caught on our security camera slapping :pan: s on his wife! We JUST had to call the cops with our landlord involved (we rent) and the person didnt even know what to do! :angry:
And now, we have to move out to possibly NY (Thanks @Rothman for the PSA earlier) if N Syracuse doesnt drag their feet with my father's references! :banghead:
Thats all because of the kids NOT knowing their boundaries with ours! And even the WHOLE entire neighborhood has their lights on because of them!
Sorry for the rant.
Quote from: Rothman on November 05, 2021, 11:11:33 AM
*wonders about condensation causing false alarms with the leak detector*
Hasn't so far, but we'll see with winter coming. Most of the lines in and out were done with blue and red PEX, so shouldn't be as prone to condensation.
Quote from: LilianaUwU on October 23, 2021, 03:39:43 PM
I'm fine with what I have currently, but if I were to upgrade, I would want more room and a computer setup that's not 10 years old and on the verge of breaking.
i live in a cabin the size of your bathroom in my mother's back yard, and i'm actually ok with that. only thing i would change would be offload some of the computer equipment into a different outbuilding, the stuff i don't have to be right in front of. there's an outhouse that's long been 'capped' that has electricity to it. perhaps that can become the server room.
i'm ok with having to go inside to do #2 (or #3), cook, shower etc. plus, i have random neighborhood cats that come to visit. many times during the summer i will wake up to a cat on the bed that i do not belong to.
My only requirement is that is located in or within one hundred feet of the I-70 Park'N'Ride in Baltimore.
My dream home:
A two-room suite in a 1960s/1970s Holiday Inn "Glasswall"/"U2" building, such as the one pictured here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gograffer/2771354677/in/photolist-6TcM7w-5dTUzk-5dTVcc
Half of it would be a living/workout room and kitchen, and the other half would be a normal bedroom and bathroom.
Preferably, the main entry light switch would be on the thin metal post between the front door and window. I'm not sure if anyone here remembers those, but I always found them to be a delightful touch.