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The Kitchen Table

Anyone signing up for the dream house?

14 years ago

This is my 5th year trying to win a dream house. This one is not my favorite but will take it if I win. Lake Lure, NC was the best. 2010 house is in New Mexico, anyone live in this area?

http://www.hgtv.com/dream-home/index.html

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Comments (18)

magic_arizona
14 years ago
I enter every year.

I actually really like this one. Didn't like last years at all.
linda_in_iowa
14 years ago
Last year's house was in Sonoma, CA, wasn't it? Who could have afforded the taxes?
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I'm with the others: Lots of wasted space here, and this house would come out with an over-sized, too large for comfort. As an example, let's talk about the kitchen. You say that you tend to congregate in the kitchen, so you want it to be BIG. That's a typical first-thought, but it probably won't get you the kitchen you want. Imagine you're cooking, and your guests are seated at the island. You're going to put out some snackies and drinks -- almost certainly on the island. So you end up doing your prep on the cabinets next to the kitchen . . . your guests are not only seated too far from you across a giant island (too far for comfortable conversation, that is), but you have your back to them. Give up the idea of BIG and focus on how you want the kitchen to function. Once you know what you want to accomplish, then you can lay out a much better plan. But never confuse BIG with better. To illustrate the problem: My current kitchen is HUGE, but it's not functional, and I hate it. FYI: I didn't choose it; I kind of ended up here - not a story worth repeating. Although I have miles of countertop, my storage is all in the wrong places. I have workspace a-plenty . . . but I always use the same little 3' section because only one portion has really good lighting and is oriented towards the family room, where everyone else is. Unfortunately, that 3' spot is also the most convenient spot for dropping mail, keys, etc. so it's always cluttered. For no particular reason, I have a desk inserted in the middle of my cabinets. My refrigerator is against a wall, so the door won't open all the way, and I can't open the doors all the way to remove the shelves for cleaning -- yours will be the same, if you do that corner thing that's in your plan. My kitchen is a modified galley design, and my cabinets are about 5 1/2 foot apart, and it's too far for comfort --- yet I don't have enough space to set up a different configuration of cabinets. Another negative of an over-sized kitchen or bath is that you may find yourself "priced out of" the nicer finishes. When I re-did my countertops about eight years ago, laminate was my only real option. Anything else was simply too expensive. Likewise, with approximately 80 square feet of backsplash, I was stuck with choosing something simple and cheap. As we build this new house, I'm looking at smaller baths and a smaller kitchen . . . but that means I can afford the nice glass tiles and granite that I want instead of the cheapest thing offered at Home Depot. It's true of other rooms too: Replacing the carpet in my 27' family room was over 3K; hardwood was prohibitively expensive. I see the same mistake throughout your house plan: BIG spaces, but lack of function: - Your shower is extra-long, which means it'll never feel warm in there. - Your master bath is huge (and expensive), yet most of that space is going to walkway. - Your laundry room is wide, yet it doesn't really give you good function. Imagine yourself pulling clothes from the dryer: You pull out a couple items, walk over to the countertop to fold them . . . get a few more items, walk to the countertop to fold them. Instead, plan an aisle of 3-4 feet and place the countertop across from the washer/dryer. This requires less space, and you stand in one spot: Pull out clothes, pivot and place them on the countertop. Fewer steps. - Consider the location of your laundry room: From the master, you'll carry your baskets through the entryway, around the giant island, through the dining room and mudroom . . . and then you'll carry them back again. AND by placing your laundry room so far out of the center of things, you're running expensive plumbing lines an extra distance. You'd do well to cut down the size of the master bath and place the laundry room in some of that space . . . AND stack your upstairs bath near the staircase, somewhere close above your master bath. I also agree that the garage will dominate the look of the house. 2400 square feet for the first level. I have 2400 square feet total, and we have two rooms that're NEVER used. We do have one less daughter, but the concept is still valid.
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cate52
14 years ago
Me!!!! There've been years that I'd like to win just the 'dog's house' -- That's about what I could afford to keep up and pay taxes on! Oh well, I'll keep on trying...
Jodi_SoCal
14 years ago
I enter every year. Last week I checkmarked an option to have them send me reminders. Ron, I didn't know they were using you to do it. So far haven't received any reminders from them. :-)

Jodi-
bee0hio
14 years ago
Ya know, I went to the website with all intentions of entering the HGTV Dream House contest.

I did the virtual tour of the house. While some parts of the house are extraordinary, there were many parts that were not to my tastes. For example, it didn't look like there was a closet in .... was it the kids room? or the guest bedroom? or both?? ... I don't remember. The kitchen didn't seem like a kitchen to me. The house seemed sort of chopped up -roomwise-- & frankly... too big. But I figured, what the hay, I could "learn to live with it", because my home, while pleasant, is certainly not of this calibre.

Then I skimmed over the lengthyyyyyyyyyy Terms & Conditions.... lot of "ifs & ands".... The value of the whole prize is worth over $2 million (house is $1.5 mill). It is far, far away from my home & friends. The income taxes on the prize would be... what? $600,000?? My gosh, I couldn't afford that!

So I thought: "Be careful what you wish for". I think I would not really want to win this.

Soooo long story short: No, I am not entering.
sue_va
14 years ago
I didn't know about this contest. Don't really care to live in NM.

I've been thinking about entering the PCH Sweepstakes though.

Sue
glenda_al
14 years ago
When I was a youngster, there was a Sears Dreamhouse, up the street from our house. Became friends with the girl whose parents won it.

That was oh so long ago.
Lindsey_CA
14 years ago
I would have LOVED to have won last year's house in Sonoma! Would have moved into it in a heartbeat!

We don't particularly care for this year's home, though.
lydia1959
14 years ago
I don't care for this house.. it's too modern for my tastes, but I'll enter anyhow. If I won it, I'd stay there for a week or two, invite some friends (maybe a KT get-together?) and then I'd sell it.

This year they are also giving a $500,000 cash prize to the winner. That would almost pay the taxes.
maybee_gw
14 years ago
We know the ones who won it the year before last. Yes, it was too far away and too expensive for them to keep, but they sold it for a nice little amount. But..first they took friends and family there to vacation. It was fully furnished and they had a blast with it...then sold it.
liljunkr
14 years ago
I entered once this year and saw the house after, I'm not crazy about the joint. If I win I would have to sell it or work entirely to pay taxes on it the rest of my life and then some. LOL

Lil
Adella Bedella
14 years ago
I don't care for the looks of this one. It reminds me more of a tourist information center at one of the national parks, than it does a home. I'd love to have the views with something a little more cozy and intimate. An adobe would be fine.
wanda_va
14 years ago
I enter the contest every day--I've entered every contest they have had. I would actually like to win this one because I would move there in a heartbeat.

It's quite a bit smaller than our current house, but I'm ready to downsize anyway. And I would love to get away from our stairs.
lindyluwho
14 years ago
I don't care for this home. Seems cold to me. I also have no desire to live in NM.

Linda
Lindsey_CA
14 years ago
"This year they are also giving a $500,000 cash prize to the winner. That would almost pay the taxes."

Except that the $500,000 would also be considered to be income and, therefore, taxable.
patti43
14 years ago
Maybe that landscaping job is pretty for the area, but it sure wasn't pretty to me. Give me some trees, for heaven's sake!

Maybee, that's exactly what'd I'd do if I won! Hey--we could have a KT party there :-)
lilliepad
14 years ago
I am! LOL This house is just a few miles from where we are right now.I'm not holding my breath about winning it but if I did I would take it.It would be ideal for son and family and us to live in,although I can't imagine a house that price in the area it is in with only 3 bedrooms.It is in a beautiful area in the Sandias.I love the mountains here,but don't really like living too far up into any of them in the winter time.If I were fortunate enough to win it I would probably sell it later on and build something to my own taste and needs.
joyfulguy
14 years ago
There's a major advantage to Canadian-based lotteries: no taxes ... well, at source, anyway: what your jurisdiction might say is between you and them.

Well ... maybe less "is" than "would be" ... between you and them (your income tax people).

I never buy lottery tickets: don't figure throwing money down ratholes to be a very productive enterprise.

If you win the house, don't give it to your kid, unless the family has a major and fairly secure income, for encouraging people to live a few higher steps of affluence than their income merits pretty well condemns them to a life of poverty, possibly almost desperation, as they feel it necessary to keep up with their affluent Jones-neighbours.

Income $1,000., expenses $900.00 = happiness (potentially so, at least).

Income $1,000., expenses $1,020. = misery (much more probably).

Good wishes for wise money management ... as well as life-management, everyone.

ole joyful

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