what should your dream house have ??

Sanguine

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 10:24 am

American windows!! - We built our house with plans that we made with an architect. It's far from perfect but the one thing that drives me crazy is the windows! - We live in Israel - If you live in America American windows sound funny but we let the builder convince us that American windows would cost us 4x as much (we had no idea what windows cost, we paid for a house by size - includes everything - so American windows would be extra but we had no idea how much)

Every winter I curse the builder and my freezing house and the high cost of heat - summer too with the A/C but that's not as bad, as least it is possible to get cool

If I was to build a house again - American Windows would be priority

If you live in America where all windows are American - Any house will be a dream house

chocolate chips

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 10:38 am

Doors! To every room, and with locks at the top to prevent naughty children getting in!

(My apartment now only has a door to the bedrooms and bathroom. The rest is all open!)

I would do doors with windows to keep the house still bright and light.

Meters outside, so they can read them without ringing my bell and they actually get read (my landlord has to call them in and always forgets resulting in crazy bills).

Carpets (except in the bathroom and kitchen). I hate the cold floors when I get out of bed. And its so easy to vacuum.

Split units, nice quiet ac as opposed to the huge monstrous sounding window ones.

I could go on....and on and on LOL

Frumdoc

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 11:30 am

My dream house....

An open front door.

A porch with a basket of outdoor shoes and wellington boots, all sizes.

A dog racing round.

A huge garden with swings, sandpit, climbing frame, and a quiet area with a hammock.

A small pond with fish.

A vegetable patch and some fruit trees.

A huge kitchen with room to sit, prep, play with children and shabby enough not to mind when something gets broken.

A massive playroom with wipedown walls, acres of bookshelves and cupboards full of games, toys and arts and crafts.

A big family room with comfy squishy chairs, a rocking chair and lots of floor cushions.

And a host of children racing round with their friends, laughing, playing, creating, getting messy and having fun without a worry in the world.

That's my real fantasy.

rachel91

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 11:39 am

Barbara wrote:

Ahhhh.

Formal entry in the front. Side entrance, from driveway, through a mudroom with benches for pulling off/putting on shoes, storage for coats, shoes and sports equipment, and a powder room.

Large kitchen with full size refrigerator and separate full size freezer. Double oven with separate cooktop and microwave, and dedicated warming drawer for meat; single oven and cooktop and microwave for milk. Each on separate wall. Two dishwashers, of course. Marble counters, wood floors, wood cabinets with deep pull out drawers, walk in pantry. Two sinks, each with windows. Separate pantry with sufficient storage space for Pesach things, including a Pesach dishwasher. Breakfast nook.

Formal dining room.

Deck off of kitchen and dining area.

Formal living room. Separate den/game room for large screen TV, games, etc.

Small gym, including an indoor lap pool. This should be in a sunroom or greenhouse, so there's lots of light.

Separate computer room / office / craft room, with floor to ceiling bookshelves.

Master bedroom with walk in closet for me, plenty of wall closets for DH. Master bath with deep tub / jacuzzi, and separate spa shower. Linen closet in that bathroom. Outside of bathroom, a separate vanity/dressing table. Balcony off of bedroom.

Two other large bathrooms.

Three additional bedrooms, all fairly large.

Laundry room on same floor as bedrooms, with room to hang wet clothing, table to fold, sink for hand washing, and room to iron.

Storage attic.

Basketball court and tennis court outside.

Hot and cold running cleaning people to keep this place clean.

I actually like that house!! Very Happy

Liba

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 4:40 pm

michalk wrote:

When did you live in America last?! American windows come in all different styles. My apartment windows were horrible. The windows in my house in the US weren't much better.

What makes the houses here hard to heat is the cement walls much more than the American windows! My cousin has American windows in her place in Yerushalayim. It doesn't help her heating in the winter or her AC in the summer. I would have my very nice Israeli windows than her wood frame windows which expand in the wet winter and shrink in the dry hot summers, making gaps since the cement walls don't do any such thing.

Israeli windows are made for Israeli homes. American windows are made for American homes.

Living here and wishing for there makes for gaps in between walls and widows and cracks and discontent in the psyche.

Raisin

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 5:57 pm

I wouldn't want my dream house too big that I don't see my kids or husband - its nice running into them.

But it needs to big enough to be comfortable and fit our stuff.

Also - I saw once - someone who lives in a very cold climate made an indoor playroom with ropes, swings etc attached to the ceiling. I'd love a huge room where my kids can ride bikes, play ball, even when cold and wet outside.

Soul on fire

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 8:22 pm

I agree with most that is already posted but here are my additions...
A huge garden where I can grow all my own fruits and veggies and some farm life, horses, cows, chickens..etc.
A nice outdoor play area for my kids...open field and playground stuff
a nice big wrap around porch.
fireplaces...a bunch of them...I have always wanted them and have never lived in a house that had one.
and a huge formal dining room with a full eat in kitchen on either side of it. One milchik and one fleishik of course.
a large master bedroom with a seating area, french doors and a spa like bathroom.
and house elves Tongue Out

Jewishmofm

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 8:23 pm

Family Closet

Our "house" (upper floor of a duplex) seems cramped at all times except when I have to shlep the clean laundry to the rooms and the dirty laundry back to the machines.

A walk-in closet office space for DH - we are drowning in paper mess wherever we go!

A playroom. I have some elements of an indoor playground already, but can't use them to fullest due to lack of space. I might add more if we had a playroom! right now, most of it is in the hallway leading to the bedrooms. and the toy mess is all over the house 'cuz there is no one place to play. The toys are stored in the kitchen for lack of space anywhere elsel.
A library/reading space. We have books out the wazoo, lining all available walls and then some. and they end up all over the floor when the kids look at them.

I think that's all. Smile

amother

Thu, Aug 08 2013, 8:42 pm

I would add 2 master baths, 2 sets of front doors so the heat doesn't get in, radiant heat, solar, energy efficient lighting, foam insulation, sukkot room with supplemental AC and heat, sun tunnels, large work area in the 3 car garage as well as a toilet in the garage and a giant playroom on top, sitting areas in the bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, library and reading nook, motorized chandeliers, hot tub off the bedroom and sauna off the exercise room, 3 guest rooms and bathrooms for all bedrooms.

I am anonymous because I am building this house. I had a dream home thread when designing this home and incorporated many of the ideas in that thread. So thank you.

eschaya

Fri, Aug 09 2013, 2:52 am

Large green grassy backyard with lots of place to play and put a swingset, opening to private woods with a shallow stream. It would be in a relatively rural area so that we have plenty of animal life showing up. and it should be in a location that has decent weather year-round so we can have open windows (with screens, of course) most of the year. This is top priority.
The house is secondary. It would be big with lots of windows and mirrors and tall ceilings. I'd like a big kitchen with 2 (or even 3??!!) sinks and stove tops, and big ovens so I don't have to bake in shifts. Tons of cabinets and storage space throughout the house. Good lighting. Enough bedrooms for family and guests. Bookshelves in every bathroom, plus a good library. Big but simple playroom. Whole house would be subtley colorful. Carpets would be stain resistant and walls should be wipe-off!
Ah, to dream.