My next home will DEFINITELY NOT.......(fill in the blank)

[Kathryn]

Have a huge west-facing window in the kitchen.

[Minerva]

Be owned by someone else.

[Lady Florida.]

At my age, no two story homes would be considered.

 

The above*, plus it

 

-will not have a large lawn (front or back) that needs regular maintenance.

 

-will not have carpeted floors.

 

-will not have the washer and dryer in the garage (I'm tired of breaking out in a sweat and feeling like I need a shower just for doing one load of laundry).

 

-will not be a fixer upper. We're too old to be fixing up. ;)

 

It WILL be a split plan with the master bedroom away from the other bedroom(s). 

 

*We don't have a two-story now, but we did before this one. When we sold it I said then that we'll never have a two-story house again. 

[*Lulu*]

...have the garage entry be through the laundry room.

...have poor kitchen layout

...have wallpaper ANYWHERE

...have as much proximity to my family :P

[Junie]

...have the garage entry be through the laundry room.

...have poor kitchen layout

...have wallpaper ANYWHERE

...have as much proximity to my family :p

 

:iagree:  I agree with ALL of this!

[LifeLovePassion]

Have paneling

Have a tiled kitchen counter

be without a dishwasher

need a lot of landscaping work

have popcorn ceiling

[Junie]

A friend of mine did use hers as a time out space -- for toys that the kids fought over. They could see them but not play with them until they were willing to play without fighting. Torture, I tell ya.

 

Gotta say, I can imagine an ornery 4yo there.

 

Torture, indeed.  :lol:

 

When we were first looking at this house, I commented to dh that it was inevitable that *some* toy would end up there (from the kids throwing it).

 

I was right.  It was the most beloved stuffie in the house, and it was thrown by a sibling.  I can't carry the ladder that is tall enough to reach the stupid shelf (yes, I just used the word stupid -- my dc would be horrified) -- so the kids devised a "fishing pole" out of Tinker Toys to get it down.  Little engineers to the rescue!

 

edited to fix grammar mistakes

[PrincessMommy]

What a great idea!!   I've definitely thought about this myself

 

It will NOT have

 

a hill for a yard

an HOA

upstairs master bedroom (I'd prefer a rancher, but if not... then MB on main floor).

ceramic tile - such a pain to clean - rather have vinyl flooring in kitchen/baths

forced air and/or heat pump - so useless if your temps go below 40*

 

[bodiesmom]

Will not be any different than what I just moved into. I love the PNW!!!

[Guest]

Yep. We ran into some of that when we built as well. Most of it came from our sub-contractors though. The air guys were told exactly where we wanted the air units located (not under our bedroom window). We came back to find them installed directly under our bedroom window. We told the plumber that we did NOT want a shower head installed over our separate tub. Came back to find that he had plumbed for a shower head above our tub, because he "thought I would really wish I had one later". Thankfully caught that one before the dry wall went up. Don't tell me what I want...my own husband can't even win at that game!

Sorry I can't multi-quote.

 

These make more sense to me now.

 

Even as the builder's wife, there were two things I wanted that I didn't get because the sub thought I wouldn't like it the way I asked. (?) one was a built-in ironing board cabinet in the laundry room. The framer told DH, "oh, they aren't that great. My wife wants to iron in front of the television and so she keeps using the fold-up board." WTH? I'm not the guy's wife and I don't need to watch TV while I iron! i thought that was so dumb.

 

The other thing was that I wanted an appliance garage in the corner kitchen counter. The cabinet guy talked DH out of that, too, although I can't remember what his reasoning was. So annoying. My Kitchenaide stand mixer is always pushed into that corner as it is; I would prefer that it not be visible. But, oh well.

 

When our electrician was about to wire in outlets, I marked off locations in every room of the house. For real. I can't stand when outlets go in according to 8' intervals, causing them to land in some ridiculous spot. I wanted all light cords, etc. to fall behind furniture.* I wanted quad plugs next to each bathroom sink because a person might need to plug in a bulky hairdryer plug and a flat iron plug, say. I do think it was rather magnificent that I was able to dictate all the outlet types and locations.

 

*P.S. If anyone finds themselves in a position to do this with the outlets, don't forget to also have enough outlets that are *not* behind furniture, in order to plug in temporary use items such as vacuums, steamers, nightlights, phone chargers, etc. A few rooms have inadequate exposed outlets because I didn't think about this in my zeal to conceal! ;)

[kristi26]

Things about our old house that drove us crazy and made us ready to move a few months ago:

 

1. white carpet in the dining room (I mean, really, who thinks that's a good plan?)

2. a CARPETED bathroom :confused1:

3. walk through master bedroom (no, just no, lol)

4. one bathroom

5. attached to our neighbors who took advantage of that fact with their loud music anytime they decided they were mad at us (and they never actually told us, haha)

6. in town

7. old and, therefore, drafty

 

There is only one thing that I wish were different about our current house:

 

1. there is no central air. We have window units that we haven't installed yet as it just hasn't been hot enough to warrant it yet.

[Jennifer132]

Have carpet.

Have a laundry room the size of a postage stamp.

Have so much unusable space.

Have matte finish paint--impossible to clean.

[raptor_dad]

The main thing I learned from our previous house is that I will never live in house without sidewalks and walkability.

[GrammarGirl]

I never want wood floors throughout again. We are moving out of a rental we've been in for 6 mo., and the amount of dust I'm finding under beds and such is disgusting. (I've had a rough pregnancy and haven't been up to swiffering under furniture.) The house we're buying has carpet in the bedrooms.

 

I also never want another open-concept living/dining/kitchen. I can't get my toddlers to stay in any one area, so food gets on the couch, the dining chairs get pushed into the kitchen. It's been a cramped messy area. I'm so excited to have a family room in the finished basement and keep the kids out of the kitchen unless it's mealtime.

[GrammarGirl]

dp

[The Girls' Mom]

I never want wood floors throughout again. We are moving out of a rental we've been in for 6 mo., and the amount of dust I'm finding under beds and such is disgusting. (I've had a rough pregnancy and haven't been up to swiffering under furniture.) The house we're buying has carpet in the bedrooms.

 

 

I will never have carpet again for the exact same reason.  The thought of all that same dust and dirt being in the carpet squicks me out.  

[laundrycrisis]

Have a ground floor full of cream-colored, rough "natural" textured tile full of nooks and crannies, with rough edges so the grout can't be re-colored, with light grey grout in between.  It's next to impossible to make it clean and stay looking good.  The person who chose this (previous owner) did NOT think this through !

[Guest]

I will never have carpet again for the exact same reason. The thought of all that same dust and dirt being in the carpet squicks me out.

I despise carpet. I did get all hard floors on the first level, but DH believed carpet was necessary in the bedrooms. Hate it. Carpet goes from nice to ugly in 12.2 seconds. It stains. It buckles. It laughs at what you thought was stylish mere years ago. How I hate it.

[solascriptura]

I never want wood floors throughout again. We are moving out of a rental we've been in for 6 mo., and the amount of dust I'm finding under beds and such is disgusting. (I've had a rough pregnancy and haven't been up to swiffering under furniture.) The house we're buying has carpet in the bedrooms.

 

I also never want another open-concept living/dining/kitchen. I can't get my toddlers to stay in any one area, so food gets on the couch, the dining chairs get pushed into the kitchen. It's been a cramped messy area. I'm so excited to have a family room in the finished basement and keep the kids out of the kitchen unless it's mealtime.

I get what your saying about the hardwood floors and dust. however, the dust is still there in the carpet. You just don't see it embedded in the carpet fibers.

[LivingHope]

My next house will not be on a dirt road that is also the main road into the community. We had to take ds15 to the urgent care again this morning for asthma treatment. He cannot go outside anymore with all the road dust hitting the house like a tidal wave. Yes, we are listing our house for sale very soon.

[Happy]

I despise carpet. I did get all hard floors on the first level, but DH believed carpet was necessary in the bedrooms. Hate it. Carpet goes from nice to ugly in 12.2 seconds. It stains. It buckles. It laughs at what you thought was stylish mere years ago. How I hate it.

Love this!

 

Do you see styles or cycles with hardwood or tile?

 

I do, but I wonder what you see...

[speedmom4]

My next house will have a master bedroom suite on the main floor. I also like that I currently have a laundry room but it's in the basement. I would also like more coat closets, linen closets, and storage within the house. I also would like one extra bedroom and bath. A mudroom would be nice. I would love a rocking chair front porch!

 

Elise in NC

[tm919]

Definitely not "historic" or in a "historic area." For our house at least, it's a codeword for "old."

[SparklyUnicorn]

My next home will definitely not be anything other than a pine box buried six feet under.  I am tired of moving and don't want to do it again. 

[Guest]

Love this!

 

Do you see styles or cycles with hardwood or tile?

 

I do, but I wonder what you see...

Yes, but it bothers me less in most cases. My house is twelve years old. The hardwood is medium oak, fairly golden, with a satin finish. The dining room also has a darker border trim. Both of those features are "out" in one sense, but it still looks like a classic hardwood floor, I think. Or maybe I just don't care because it is still a nice floor, even if it isn't the most modern look.

 

Dark hardwood is "in", so are wide planked and hand-scraped. I imagine people will start hating the dark because it looks dusty faster. Wide planks might not turn out to be terribly dated. Hand-scraping probably will be, though. I think the grey hardwood will look "out" very soon, probably within five years.

 

For tile floors, hmmm. I can't say I know so much. I do think two-feet x two-feet is popular now, whereas twelve years ago, it was mostly twelve-inch square. Rectangular "plank" tile will look dated soon, I think. Kitchen backsplashes are all subway tile and subtle is popular, whereas "feature" tiles used to be in. Like, a diamond pattern with a specialty tile inlaid. Beyond that, I am not sure.

[Guest]

Definitely not "historic" or in a "historic area." For our house at least, it's a codeword for "old."

I think of it as codeword for "you can't do anything to the house without approval of the historical society and the paint can only be Benjamin Moore." :D

[Vida Winter]

...will not have the laundry room in the basement.

[ErinE]

I despise carpet. I did get all hard floors on the first level, but DH believed carpet was necessary in the bedrooms. Hate it. Carpet goes from nice to ugly in 12.2 seconds. It stains. It buckles. It laughs at what you thought was stylish mere years ago. How I hate it.

I don't know. You seem a little uncertain in your opinion.

 

 

 

I hate carpet, too. Hardwood may show the dust more, but at least you can see it to clean it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I love old historic houses.  We have an old house.  Don't know that I'd call it historic in the sense anyone would get too excited about saving it, but it's got charm that I appreciate it.  But older homes are a lot of work.  There will definitely come a time where I may not be interested in the amount of work it needs.  At this point I'm having fun doing the work though. 

 

 

[kroe1]

....have alligators or sharks in the backyard.

[KungFuPanda]

Also, the plant shelf above the front door. This is the most useless use of space I have ever seen. I have been tempted to use it as a time-out space, though. ;)

 

 

ETA: Ours looks similar to this: http://www.houzz.com/discussions/323537/silly-ledge-over-front-entry-door

A friend bought a house like that. It had a Christmas village on it that conveyed. She's about to sell and the village is still there. She's Jewish.

[trulycrabby]

...be anywhere near the crazy people who live down the street...

[The Girls' Mom]

I think the more traditional hardwoods are timeless.  Some of the exotic woods and "unnatural" stains will pass out of style, but natural colored woods seem to withstand the test of time.  

We have natural oak floors.  Oak isn't my favorite, but I knew that it would probably always be a common floor choice, and it hides dust and dirt SO well.  I had dark wood floors in Texas, and while they were gorgeous and I loved them, they really did show dust and dirt like crazy.  Didn't help that our dog is white.  

[Hkpiano]

Carpet in the master (or any other) bathroom. I love the house we are renting except for this one thing! So gross!

[PeachyDoodle]

Have the family's main entrance directly into the living area.

 

The door from our garage leads directly into our living room. The front door also leads directly into this room, and it's the only space we have for entertaining visitors. Every. single. thing. that comes into this house when we get home gets dropped in the living room. We're constantly tracking in dirt and leaves. I cannot keep it clean. It's a magnet for mess. And, of course, it's the first thing anyone sees when they drop by.

 

Never again. My next house will have a mudroom, a back entrance through the kitchen... anything but this.

[ErinE]

Carpet in the master (or any other) bathroom. I love the house we are renting except for this one thing! So gross!

How gross is carpet? Although one house looked spotless (especially the hardwood and tile), I had a suspicion about the master bedroom carpet. That one room filled up the vacuum with more debris than the entire rest of the house. I was able to accurately determine that the former owner was a platinum blonde (I'd never met her before).

 

With a dust allergy, one of the first things recommended is to remove the carpet in the bedroom.

[OhanaBee]

I come from a family of contractors.  It is NOT standard at all to have insulation inside interior walls, so if you do plan on moving this may be difficult to find.  

 

That's actually good to know!

 

I was raised in an adobe house in the southwest, so I guess I took well insulated walls for granted.  And, I will say, as much as I hated that 1876 house, it was pretty soundproof.

 

Insulated bathroom walls has just moved up to the top of my list of things to look for in our next house.

[Guest]

It will not be not on a beach.

Ha!! Read your post correctly the second time through.

[GrammarGirl]

I get what your saying about the hardwood floors and dust. however, the dust is still there in the carpet. You just don't see it embedded in the carpet fibers.

I know it's there, but since it's out of sight, it's out of mind. Carpet is better for my mental health since finding dust bunnies has been making me feel guilty and inadequate--oh, those pregnancy hormones!

[Bear23]

be a 3 bedroom house in the city.   so many restrictions but still better than a HOA neighborhood.

[solascriptura]

Have a giant sycamore tree. Beautiful tree, but SO MESSY. It's now on the regular chore rotation to pick up the sticks that fall out of it every week before we mow.

Hmm... i hate my sycamore. It sheds the bark like it has a skin disease. I'm pretty sure sycamore saplings were on sale the week the builders planted trees in our development.

[HeWillSoar]

I don't want an HOA and I'd like more yard--maybe a couple acres.   I'd love a pool!  Also, I'd like a house with character.  Maybe something older.  Tired of the cookie cutter, slap it up cheaply kind of house.

[solascriptura]

I love old historic houses. We have an old house. Don't know that I'd call it historic in the sense anyone would get too excited about saving it, but it's got charm that I appreciate it. But older homes are a lot of work. There will definitely come a time where I may not be interested in the amount of work it needs. At this point I'm having fun doing the work though.

My dh and I do a lot of DIY, but I can never do an old historic home. Every weekend, without fail, it seems like every homeowner in our beautiful historic town, are working on their gorgeous Victorian homes.

[Seasider]

Yes, but it bothers me less in most cases. My house is twelve years old. The hardwood is medium oak, fairly golden, with a satin finish. The dining room also has a darker border trim. Both of those features are "out" in one sense, but it still looks like a classic hardwood floor, I think. Or maybe I just don't care because it is still a nice floor, even if it isn't the most modern look.

 

Dark hardwood is "in", so are wide planked and hand-scraped. I imagine people will start hating the dark because it looks dusty faster. Wide planks might not turn out to be terribly dated. Hand-scraping probably will be, though. I think the grey hardwood will look "out" very soon, probably within five years.

 

For tile floors, hmmm. I can't say I know so much. I do think two-feet x two-feet is popular now, whereas twelve years ago, it was mostly twelve-inch square. Rectangular "plank" tile will look dated soon, I think. Kitchen backsplashes are all subway tile and subtle is popular, whereas "feature" tiles used to be in. Like, a diamond pattern with a specialty tile inlaid. Beyond that, I am not sure.

 

And here I have two samples of wide-plank natural birch that I'm considering, with the salesperson telling me the lighter colors are popular now. Despite what's trending, birch is the best tone to fit other stuff we've got going on in the house. I do agree that certain floors look classic - I can't imagine cherry ever going out of style - but I think there are trends that builders & HGTV & Houzz start and folks buying/selling feel compelled to follow the trend.

 

And I don't get the subway tile love. I do think some sorts of tile work are too niched, but that subway tile just seems to me to belong in a stark white painted rental apartment. (Apologies to you subway tilers!)

[Cottonwood]

have 3 floors

have a choppy layout

have such a small kitchen

be on a corner lot

be without AC!

[dtsmamtj]

Be a fixer upper

Have tile counters

Have carpet

Have no ac or heat

Have clay in the dirt outside

Be in the center of a development (our house was the original house on the property before previous owners subdivided the area around the house - sort of like living in a fishbowl)

[Ali in OR]

I love my house. I hope we never have to move. But we did have to move from our previous split-level home because our dd is in a wheelchair. We moved to a neighborhood that was under construction with various house plans you could choose from; two were single-level plans. We were able to make some changes to one of the plans to better suit our needs. Our builder was great--none of the changes for handicap accessibility cost any extra (wider doors, ramp to front door, stepless entries at garage and patio). Here are some of the things we love about this house:

 

-single-level with stepless entries

-all rooms wheelchair accessible--wider doors too. Good flow--nice open plan

-main bath (kids' bath) needed to be large enough to care for disabled dd. (changed a bedroom configuration to do this)

-good kitchen lighting--added under-cabinet lights to the plan

-good natural light--skylights in kitchen, main bath, and by garage entry (old house had a very dark entry on lower level from garage)

-all bathrooms have natural light (skylight or window) so you don't need to turn on a light during the day

-added sound-proofing insulation in wall between master bedroom and living/family room where t.v. is.

-reasonable HOA. We actually use the pool and fitness room that our dues pay for and we get our money's worth.

-disabled dd's room is right by laundry room and garage. Didn't plan this but it works well for diaper disposal and extra laundry issues.

-master suite closet is off the master bath--can enter bathroom and get completely ready for the day without waking spouse

-attic storage above garage

 

It would be nice to live in a more centrally located neighborhood, but there is no new construction in centrally located areas here, and it's probably more important that we were able to adapt the house plan to our needs.

[Guest]

....have alligators or sharks in the backyard.

 

WIMP!

 

 

;)

[lailasmum]

I would go for a house with either extensive storage space or space to add storage as this house has minimal built in storage and no space to add any. There is the space on the plot that house could have been 3 ft wider and it would have made a huge difference to where you can put storage. 

 

Also more rooms downstairs. We  could do with one more room downstairs. 

 

A big kitchen diner, our kitchen is tiny and every short wall has a door or window in it and there's very little in the way of worktops. 

 

I'd prefer a Victorian or Edwardian house or a very modern eco-build type thing. 

[Guest]

And here I have two samples of wide-plank natural birch that I'm considering, with the salesperson telling me the lighter colors are popular now. Despite what's trending, birch is the best tone to fit other stuff we've got going on in the house. I do agree that certain floors look classic - I can't imagine cherry ever going out of style - but I think there are trends that builders & HGTV & Houzz start and folks buying/selling feel compelled to follow the trend.

 

And I don't get the subway tile love. I do think some sorts of tile work are too niched, but that subway tile just seems to me to belong in a stark white painted rental apartment. (Apologies to you subway tilers!)

Are you on the West Coast? I have a notion that light natural is more popular out west. I think the East Coast is a year or two behind whatever is most "in" out west.