Which appliance brands are a must have in your new home?
drewem
12 years ago
Featured Answer
Comments (15)
tyguy
12 years agoRelated Discussions
New Home Must Haves
Comments (16)I agree with the majority here in saying that the most important items are: - a good design that fits your family both today and tomorrow. Never confuse "good design" with "huge rooms" or "more rooms". Good design is a layout that makes sense; for example, a dining room located adjacent to the kitchen, nice sight-lines for every doorway /walkway, inviting nooks in which to sit. - quality construction so that you won't be plagued with maintenance issues after (or even before) the new wears off the house. You can always go back and upgrade your countertop or your light fixtures later, but it's much more difficult to go back and upgrade your plumbing or your foundation. Don't skimp on the things that matter. - a house that incorporates all your needs and some of your wants. Keep your needs foremost in your mind, but if you can't get a few bells and whistles along the way, why are you bothering to build? And I'll add a tremendously important detail that's rarely mentioned on this website: - an affordable price tag. It's easy to end up house-poor. It's easy to get caught up in "Wow, refrigerator drawers are cool!" and "Two dishwashers - that sure would be handy!" . . . but those are expensive choices. Even some of the small upgrades that're discussed here add up to big bucks by the time you've said "yes" to just a few seemingly small things. Unless your budget really is unlimited, you're going to have to say "no" to a number of things that would really be great to have. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT gloss over those all-important, long-lasting items in favor of small-but-fun details. Having said that, here are some upgrades and non-obvious details that are on my and my husband's list for our retirement house, which we have collected over the last year: - All brick, low-maintenance exterior - Partial wrap-around porch, also built in a low-maintenance material - Wide, easy-to-climb stairs . . . both to accommodate foot-traffic comfortably and to allow furniture to be placed upstairs - 7' tall windows throughout the house - Windows on two walls in all the major rooms - House designed and oriented to suit our site; for example, garage placed on the less-desirable North side, preserving the better light for the living areas - Natural rock to-the-ceiling masonry for fire place; direct-vent gas firebox - Built-ins in the living room for books, games, DVD and video game storage - Energy efficient windows and appliances - Ample insulation - 32" doorways and wide hallways to accommodate a walker or wheelchair - Leaf guard gutters - Electrical outlets well thought out: Over the mantel, on both sides of the island, in closets and pantry, by desk in garage entryway, at comfortable height over nightstands (4 outlets on each side of the bed) - Electrical outlet switches for the Christmas tree spot (by a front window -- very important to me) and for the holiday porch lights; these lights will be controlled by a switch located in an odd spot behind the front door -- to avoid confusing them with the everyday lights - All light fixtures are to use standard light bulbs rather than odd sizes (and, yes, we already have our dining room chandelier . . . and it uses standard bulbs!) - Keyless entry on garage (main) entrance - Dimmer switches on appropriate lights - Many ceiling fans (we're in the South) - Hardwood floors throughout the house - Plantation shutters in living /dining room - Dining room small enough to be cozy for 4 people . . . but adjacent to a wide pathway so the table can be expaaaaanded to seat twice that many - Small kitchen with nice finishes -- most storage in the adjacent pantry, which is much less expensive to build and will hide messes - Huge pantry: 21' floor-to-ceiling shelving, self-rotating can storage, 5' work space, storage for cookbooks, storage for large /rarely-used cookware, area for broom closet and storage of cleaners, recycling bins - Motion-sensor lights in the pantry and all closets - Mostly drawers in the kitchen . . . traditional cabinets under the sink /one thin cabinet for stand-up cookie sheets and cooling racks - Lift for Kitchen Aide mixer - Built-in bread storage drawer - Built-in knife drawer - Heated granite on the island - Hidden spot for fire extinguisher in the kitchen - Counter-height window over kitchen sink - Undermount Silgranite one-bowl sink with 1 hp garbage disposal - Upper cabinets are to be tall: Will be 15" off the countertop (I'm short) and will reach the ceilings; include extra shelves for all that height - Glass-fronts in some upper cabinets - Central vac dustpan in kitchen . . . and a few more spots throughout the house - Swing lamps attached to the wall by the bed rather than lamps on night stands - Built-ins in bedroom for storage - Safe built into closet wall - Gun safe built into closet by garage entrance - Walk-in closet big enough to incorporate dresser-items - Open, no-barrier shower /good for accessibility in our elderly years . . . moveable bench rather than built-in - Tornado body-dryer in the shower - Raised toilets / electrical outlet near toilet for Toto seat . . . no silly little toilet closet - Plumbing is all kept to the center of the house /upstairs bath stacked over downstairs bath (huge cost savings) - iGlass in the bathroom (since ours will overlook the backyard) - Plywood behind all bathroom walls to add strength to towel bars /handicapped access grab bars - Heated flooring in master bath - Master bath wired for cable TV - Built-in hamper in master bath with other-side door that opens in to the master bedroom; this will allow us to toss in clothes from either direction - Laundry room located near master bedroom - Large patio with stained concrete - Run a PVC pipe w/ hose through patio concrete . . . so that we'll have a hose on the far side of the patio without having a visible hose - Hose bibs on each side of the house and one in the garage - Small fiberglass pool with tanning ledge and bubbler - Small outdoor kitchen - Ample parking for guests / clear pathway to the front door - All flower beds, etc. edged with brick (or similar) to eliminate need for edging -- mowing alone will take care of the yard's main needs - Outlet in the garage for electric car - Rain barrels to collect water for flower beds - Walk-in attic storage space...See MoreAppliance brand suggestions, new home
Comments (7)To continue what Buehl said, this has come up on the Forum before - new construction without venting. I am always surprised at this! In many parts of the country, the building Code requires kitchen venting on new construction, but it looks like the OP's region does not (although it may be worthwhile to check on that, and make sure your builder is complying). Since the OP's home is in the process of being built, there is ample opportunity to install the ductwork for kitchen exhaust, and most builders do it. It's not a big deal, or a big change to the construction, to do it. Don't let your builder bully you into thinking it is a big deal. There are so many postings that come up on this forum about people who are stuck with existing construction, or an old building, and do not have the exhaust to the outside. But here is someone who has the CHANCE to install it, so you should. While many people would say that venting to the outside isn't ABSOLUTELY necessary, if you have the ability to do it, it makes the kitchen so much better because you will be able to vent grease, steam, heat and cooking odors. I am linking below to another thread on this topic. ***As to your question on brands, I would suggest you read some threads on this forum, to get a little more knowledge in order to get more specific with your question. We would like to advise you, but would need to know things like how big is your family, what is your style of cooking, do you cook a lot, what would you like to spend on your dishwasher, your fridge, etc. *** Here is a link that might be useful: Thread on Ductless Kitchen in New Construction...See MoreWhich appliances would you get in a new home?
Comments (8)It's immediate w/ responsive cookware, anyway. Cast iron doesn't cool down quickly w/ any heat source! I had induction in my kitchen and will always pick it over the other options unless I can install a gas hob for the rare times it would be convenient. The lows and highs are comparable, lows often superior, to gas adjustments. FAR less ambient heat around the cooking area. Easier cleaning. Cleaner air w/o combustion by-products from the appliance. Canning and woking have limits, which is why I want to try woking over the grill...after trying a pizza oven on the grill ;) See if you can play w/ one to help make your decision. I like Bosch for d/ws and will be putting at least one in my remodeled kitchen. I don't mind waiting for plastics to dry. Refrigerators seem to have disappointments across the board. I think it's luck of the draw....See More8 Must have plants of 2019. Which of your plants made it in the list
Comments (47)I can see trends relevant to growers and sellers, and maybe a few buyers too, but the rest of us are just growing what we like. I notice that garden centres get new perennials in that are expensive when they are 1st introduced, and they either prove their worth or fade away again, like so many “black” tulip varieties. For me, some plant types click and others don’t work, like english ivy?, boston ferns, most palms, ficus trees and african violets. I’ve got some stalwarts I’ve had for years and years, and some came from cuttings from people I’ve known, so they are like living history. I really love my plants and they would have to die or really p— me off for me to get rid of them....See Moreattofarad
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