alysee Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 We very quickly moved at the end of December 2019. We moved into a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house that was bigger than our place out west but has never felt like home. We have always had plans to buy a plot of land and now we did! We bought 2.5 acres just on the other side of the city that we live in currently. Funny enough it was a friend of my MILs who had the property. I'm sure with the price of building supplies it will still be a few years away for completion but we are making a list of our must-haves. We are thinking of a bungalow because we ideally want this house to last us until our old age. - kids bedrooms and play area downstairs. - primary bedroom, office & laundry room upstairs. - open concept Large living room & kitchen 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Congratulations! We’re still ages away from completion, so all I do is sit around and think about things I might like to change but can’t because it would delay things even more. - a zero-clearance entry if possible. The man door on our garage will be at ground height, but there will still be about 2 steps into the house. 2 is better than many, and inside the garage is better than snow (for us) on outside steps, but still. No stairs would be better later on. - more storage. Whatever your storage plan, more is better. - more lighting. Whatever your lighting plan, more is bettter. - a wide main floor bathroom. Ours can be adapted later, but that’s a lot more money later and probably could have been included in our base price at signing. - I tried to get heat lamps added to my bathroom and it was too late. I hate being chilly out of the shower or tub. When it takes me longer to dress, I’m going to hate it even more. (We’ll probably add them ourselves at some point.) - real stairs for attic or basement access if applicable. Odds are, regular stairs will be more manageable for longer than, say, a pull-down ladder. - make sure you have a good “landing zone”. Ours isn’t going to be the *greatest, but a huge improvement over what we’ve got. - many upgrades are cheaper to do after the fact. We got the builder’s grade light package because we know how to change light fixtures. Cabinet pulls because they’re easy peasy. We told them not to put up bathroom mirrors so we could pick our own and not worry about the holes from the big, plain rectangles they usually put up, and we can source neat ones cheaper than they offer. We’re building our own kitchen island for about $4k vs. their offered $10k (knowing we don’t plan to match the rest of the kitchen.) - make it known if you want to add ceiling fans. Our builder added extra support at no cost to handle the future weight. - if your acreage is home to lots of wild animals, don’t get motion sensored lighting all over the place. I’m so glad our builder specifically asked, or I wouldn’t have thought to. I currently have 1 motion sensor light, and I assume my home has a prowler 2-3 times a night. @@ - If you have good reason to position the house a certain way, and the engineering works for that, stick to your guns. - if you can avoid financing with the builder, do it. Getting our financing on our own has put in an extra layer of accountability. - Ask for copies of EVERYTHING during the planning process, including hand written notes. That’s the only way I managed to prove a $5,000 error. -Get good boots for trudging around a muddy construction site. 😉 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysee Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 1 minute ago, Carrie12345 said: Congratulations! We’re still ages away from completion, so all I do is sit around and think about things I might like to change but can’t because it would delay things even more. - a zero-clearance entry if possible. The man door on our garage will be at ground height, but there will still be about 2 steps into the house. 2 is better than many, and inside the garage is better than snow (for us) on outside steps, but still. No stairs would be better later on. - more storage. Whatever your storage plan, more is better. - more lighting. Whatever your lighting plan, more is bettter. - a wide main floor bathroom. Ours can be adapted later, but that’s a lot more money later and probably could have been included in our base price at signing. - I tried to get heat lamps added to my bathroom and it was too late. I hate being chilly out of the shower or tub. When it takes me longer to dress, I’m going to hate it even more. (We’ll probably add them ourselves at some point.) - real stairs for attic or basement access if applicable. Odds are, regular stairs will be more manageable for longer than, say, a pull-down ladder. - make sure you have a good “landing zone”. Ours isn’t going to be the *greatest, but a huge improvement over what we’ve got. - many upgrades are cheaper to do after the fact. We got the builder’s grade light package because we know how to change light fixtures. Cabinet pulls because they’re easy peasy. We told them not to put up bathroom mirrors so we could pick our own and not worry about the holes from the big, plain rectangles they usually put up, and we can source neat ones cheaper than they offer. We’re building our own kitchen island for about $4k vs. their offered $10k (knowing we don’t plan to match the rest of the kitchen.) - make it known if you want to add ceiling fans. Our builder added extra support at no cost to handle the future weight. - if your acreage is home to lots of wild animals, don’t get motion sensored lighting all over the place. I’m so glad our builder specifically asked, or I wouldn’t have thought to. I currently have 1 motion sensor light, and I assume my home has a prowler 2-3 times a night. @@ - If you have good reason to position the house a certain way, and the engineering works for that, stick to your guns. - if you can avoid financing with the builder, do it. Getting our financing on our own has put in an extra layer of accountability. - Ask for copies of EVERYTHING during the planning process, including hand written notes. That’s the only way I managed to prove a $5,000 error. -Get good boots for trudging around a muddy construction site. 😉 I love the large landing area idea! We currently have a medium sized entrance and it would work probably if you have a small family but with 5 kids barreling through the door it is quite small. I will add that to the list! My mom recommended lots of lighting and to get under tile heating for bathrooms because of our cold climate so that's on the list too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 A mud room. Sigh. I would love a mud room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 14 minutes ago, Garga said: A mud room. Sigh. I would love a mud room. It’s the dream, isn’t it? Our front door opens into our dining space, which is part of the open dining/living/kitchen floor plan. Directly across is the other exterior (sliding) door. There is NO way to enter our house without bringing winter right in. And no closet for stuff. 5 kids, and now 17 winters. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Congratulations! Get a mudroom!!! 😀 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrips Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 If lasting for old age, then master bedroom and bath (large enough for a possible future wheelchair/walker) and laundry should be on the first floor. You essentially want a ranch style home in old age where everything that you really need is on one floor. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Wow! That’s so very exciting! Have fun with all the planning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysee Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 Keep the ideas coming please! Adding to our list - main floor food pantry( I can't believe I forgot about this) - 2 larger bathrooms suitable for wheelchairs/old age - stairs but low & wide(if we have to go downstairs) - ideally, 2 bedrooms upstairs & 2 downstairs. Large living area on bottom floor and top floor. - large mudroom - lots of lights - main floor laundry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Walk in closets, I assume? I don’t have a walk in and wish I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Congratulations! 🎉🎈 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 (edited) @Carrie12345, are you already at bathroom tile? You could always add tile heaters (radiant underfloor heating) to your plans. If the flooring isn’t in, there is time! ETA: for the electric grid style, budget $8-10/sq foot. Edited December 2, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysee Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Garga said: Walk in closets, I assume? I don’t have a walk in and wish I did. Those are a must! I am thinking with 3 girls though, we may do walk in closet for them and for the primary bedroom upstairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Think 36" doorways for bath and master bedroom. Wheelchairs can do smaller but often Nick up stuff terribly. Wider hallways and imagine pushing a walker or wheelchair through the floorplan....in to house, to bath, bedroom, laundry, etc you want a wider turn radius. A zero step entry would be ideal....even just from garage. A mud room or the old fashioned breezeway would be wonderful. My house fits most of my needs but the area for the table was designed for a round table for 4, not an oval table set for 6 all the time and often 8+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said: @Carrie12345, are you already at bathroom tile? You could always add tile heaters (radiant underfloor heating) to your plans. If the flooring isn’t in, there is time! ETA: for the electric grid style, budget $8-10/sq foot. Oh, no, not at all, lol. Tomorrow I find out if framing has made it to the schedule for this month. But they won’t change any electrical at this point. I did ask. I mean, I could force it, but I’m not volunteering any more delays. Really, I just want that extra toasty spot light to bask under. Someday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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