If you built your house: What's the biggest mistake you made

amother

Hyacinth

Tue, May 02 2023, 7:43 am

Architectural designer here. Firstly, remember that this is your home. Take time to think about your lifestyle and how that would effect your layout needs. Also, remember, there is not always "right" and "wrong". Open layout vs. Traditional rooms for example. Also, some ideas may be contradictory, so you'll need to choose. Also, a "space planner" is not an architect. I good architect, (who doesn't outsource to space planners and act like an engineer), is irreplaceable.

Here are some things people don't think of when building: Lighting. This can make a big difference. Lighting plans can be done either by your architect or interior designer. It is one of the places where their expertise overlaps. Something else minor. Put an additional light switch near beds.
Another thing I like to do is to create future suites. When designing the children's bedrooms/bathrooms I try to make groups two bedrooms and one bathroom and create a little vestibule that can potentially be closed off with a door in the future, or have a pocket door.
I also find that people love side doors with mudrooms. Worth the space it takes up.

Chayalle

Tue, May 02 2023, 8:23 am

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Central vacuum system is another good one. Instead of lugging a vacuum around, there's a closet on each floor with a long hose that you plug into any central vacuum outlet on that floor. It all gets sucked into the central vacuum tank hidden in a closet under the basement staircase (it looks like a mini boiler so it only has to be emptied once a year).

I have this and never use it. I find it easier to run my roomba, or just use my shark vacuum, then lug out a long hose from the closet.

Chayalle

Tue, May 02 2023, 8:28 am

amother Antiquewhite wrote:

I abhorr my white cabinets. I am a slave to them.
I chose to put shelves into my laundry room instead of a slop sink and I regret that. I would have loved to have a place to wash my wigs instead of bending ovwr my bathtub.

I always wondered what that sink in the laundry room is supposed to be for. I hardly ever use it. I guess I should learn to wash my own wigs! But I have heard that people really like it, for stains (I end up doing those in the bathroom, like right after I take something off if it needs treatment, before it makes it way down to the laundry room).

I don't have a Pesach kitchen, but my laundry room is right alongside the kitchen and has cabinets over the washer/dryer to the ceiling. I keep all my Pesach dishes there, and just use it from there over Pesach. I'm thinking of putting a dishwasher into the laundry room (should be very easy and not super-expensive job, as the kitchen sink plumbing is on the same wall, other side) for Pesach.

amother

Magenta

Tue, May 02 2023, 8:29 am

amother Antiquewhite wrote:

Why dont you wash your wigs in the bathroom sink?

Chayalle

Tue, May 02 2023, 8:30 am

amother Molasses wrote:

We are building now. One of the things I’m ensuring I’ll have is lots of natural light. This is probably a personal preference but very important to me.

My niece did tons of windows in her house, but consider how this will affect the temperature and your heating/cooling bills.

amother

Vanilla

Tue, May 02 2023, 8:46 am

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

What is a Costco closet?

A closet to stock up on non perishables in bulk. People call it Costco cause that's the name of a store that sells items in bulk or oversized sizes. Multi packs toiletries, cleaning supplies, disposable plates, cutlery, pasta, canned goods...

amother

Nasturtium

Tue, May 02 2023, 8:47 am

Didn't build myself but a builder built my house for himself.
We have wood floors the whole main floor and upstairs. And its great everywhere EXCEPT THE KITCHEN. It gets very easily scratched by all the tables and stools etc.

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 02 2023, 9:50 am

Chayalle wrote:

I would do it in a heartbeat Smile

Sounds your laundry room is a half ready pesach kitchen Smile

You get the electricity, the plumbing and water in place Smile

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 02 2023, 9:50 am

Chayalle wrote:

I would do it in a heartbeat Smile

Sounds your laundry room is a half ready pesach kitchen Smile

You get the electricity, the plumbing and water in place Smile

keym

Tue, May 02 2023, 10:20 am

Chayalle wrote:

I use my sink for washing tzitzis by hand. As a boys mom, I can wash multiple tzitzis loads a week. Also any dresses or sweaters that require hand washing.
I hang them to dry over the sink so when it's dripping, it drips in the sink.

One thing to consider is how cabinet, fridges, closets open.
I was ina gorgeous redecorated kitchen, but it was difficult because the cabinet opened this way, the fridge opened that way. Cooking involved massive twisting and unnecessary moving to maneuver around the fridge and not get hit on the head by the cabinets.

Chayalle

Tue, May 02 2023, 10:24 am

keym wrote:

I just soak DH's tzitzis upstairs in a pail in the bathroom, and then wash it out by hand. And no boys, so no other tzitzis.

Right past the laundry room there's a bathroom with a shower (I have NO IDEA why the builder put a shower into a bathroom on the main floor. We NEVER use it for showering) and that's where I hang any drippy clothes (including wet raincoats just in from the rain.)

(I always wonder if the builder intended to make a guest room out of one side of the garage. Maybe that's why he put a shower in the bathroom, for guests on the main floor?)

amother

Ebony

Tue, May 02 2023, 10:39 am

keym wrote:

THIS!!!
Another pet peeve, is fancy knick knacks placed incorrectly.
Amarante has mentioned this in the past, and I agree from experience.
I have a built in pump soap dispenser next to the sink, but it's placed a few inches off that I can't put a pot or anything underneath, and when you press down it usually lands on the counter. Its so dumb. And half useless.
Same thing with my faucet placement, it's placed in a way that splashes and sprays into the sink instead of landing into the strainer.

essie14

Tue, May 02 2023, 11:04 am

amother Ebony wrote:

Oh I hate those built in soap dispensers. When we designed our kitchen the designer tried to push those on me and I stood firm. They just get in the way. I like being able to move my soap dispenser when I'm doing dishes.

Chayalle

Tue, May 02 2023, 11:07 am

essie14 wrote:

I'm so glad to hear this. When I did my counters, I completely forgot about soap dispensers and somehow it never came up. But the truth is, I love my current system (I have a grove soap dispenser that is nice looking as well as functional, and I keep it on my counter), and there was no reason for me to change it. But because they exist, I wondered if I should have....

amother

Ebony

Tue, May 02 2023, 12:08 pm

essie14 wrote:

I think it's really cool, actually.
It rotates so I could totally move it out of the way, and its dainty bot bulky, there was no designer though, so it was just installed wrong.

There are a couple more issues like that in the kitchen.

(I didn't design it)

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 02 2023, 12:24 pm

amother Marigold wrote:

An interesting thing I once saw - a cutting board built in as a drawer above a pull out garbage can. All the garbage slides right off into the can. (I think there was a hole along the width)

If it's big it's difficult to take out and wash at properly.

Rubber Ducky

Tue, May 02 2023, 12:42 pm

amother Marigold wrote:

An interesting thing I once saw - a cutting board built in as a drawer above a pull out garbage can. All the garbage slides right off into the can. (I think there was a hole along the width)

I have an end grain maple counter as part of my island — yes, it's a cutting board counter. And I have a freestanding trash can underneath it.

Last edited by Rubber Ducky on Tue, May 02 2023, 12:48 pm; edited 1 time in total