Flooring is key, IMO. Floors are the decorating anchor & set the tone of the house. ( I've always felt this way, not just because I'm looking at flooring right now )

We added built-in corner cabinets to the dining room in our house (and lots and lots of trimwork and built-ins in almost every room) to try to give our house character even though it was a new build. I'm like you and I like old houses but my DH wanted a new one.

One of the things I think made a difference in our house was we did very substantial stair spindles and railings and we have ceiling medallions and chandeliers in almost every room (almost all antique). We also did big baseboards and stacked crown molding everywhere, antique glass knobs on all doors and NO plastic light switch covers, plug outlet covers or floor vents.

Here's our corner cabinets:

A close up:

Our staircase details:

More pics of the house here

This post was edited by beaglesdoitbetter on Thu, Oct 3, 13 at 14:06

I think the "custom" is in the details.

There are lots of elements that a spec builder won't do, and you've hit on some of them...beefed up trim for one. For us, a lot of the "custom" went into going green with our hvac, insulation, solar panels...

But another was putting an "aha" in each room...by which I don't mean the standard 2-story foyer and cathedral ceilings. Rather it was in things like the "segmental arch" theme that was repeated throughout our home...the barrel-vaulted ceiling in our dining room...the custom cherry cabinetry and mantel in our library...the arched niche in the bedroom...the use of light and sight lines to draw you from one space into another.

Outside too we added special touches like the irregular edge on our slate walk way...the curve in our driveway...the continuation of the segmental arch theme on the walkway under the deck. Spec builders don't do that.

Further, older homes feel wonderful because they tend to be more "human" scale. The grander the spaces the less cozy a room will feel. I have seen so many neighbors living in these mc mansions who keep adding on rooms ... what it is is they are looking for...and don't know it...is some place cozy and, not finding it, they add more rooms and wonder why they still aren't happy.

Proportion is key. I was in one family room that was relatively small but had a soaring ceiling with a stone fireplace that went all the way up....you stood in there and felt like you were in an elevator shaft. Another home I was in had soaring ceilings for the foyer and family room and the kitchen was tucked off to the side with a 9' ceiling on it...it felt like a cave... and the family room felt like a hotel foyer. None of it felt good.

Paying attention to the details, proportion, the use of light, and making each room special will result in your best home yet.

I think you should pick a period you like and stick to it. Don't mix styles. If you want to mix it up with your furnishings, I think that is a good look, but NOT in the actual architecture/design of the house itself.

I think this is where many designs go wrong-- mixing and mixing improperly.

I think you already have some great starts, and some good advice here.

My house isn't new build, more of the 80's cookie cutter house, but it is in a great neighborhood. I wish we had the chance to make some changes at the building stage like you!!

One of the biggest things we have done to improve the "custom" feel were bigger baseboards and trim. Here in SoCal 1" "baseboards" door trim are pretty common and a lot of windows have no trim at all. Amazing what some nice, white trim can do for the feel. Also on my list for the future is to upgrade the interior doors to paneled rather than slab.

Replacing the generic builder grade cabinets in the kitchen and powder room with upgraded cabinets, and redoing the floors also made a huge impact.

Also don't underestimate the power of color - get away from "builder beige" and add some color that you love. Beagles' home is a perfect example.

Please keep us updated with your progress!

My friend just built hers last year and the only upgrades she made was real wood doors and trim and custum lights instead of boob lights. It is amazing what those small changes made to the feel of the home versus the plain jane verson of the same home. Oh yah the upgraded door nobs came with the upgraded lighting.

I live in an 80's house on a couple of acres full of Oak trees. Because of the trees we decided to add-on and remodel instead of building a new house. Like you, I didn't like the cookie cutter house so we had a lot of detail added.

The main thing we did and It's kind of hard to explain, was to jut out part of the living room wall off the front porch to make a book nook with an oval window inside. The porch was large enough to do this. If you want to see a picture, let me know.

We laid wood floors in the public rooms and hallway, but I left the bedrooms carpeted, which I prefer. Arched entryways between LR, sitting room, and between sitting room and DR.

Two arched windows in the LR.

Built-in hutch. Shelving on each side of the kitchen window and at the end of the kitchen cabinets.

White beadboard, white trim through out.

I've said this before, but the best compliment we got was when the floor guys were here and one of them asked us if this was our parent's house. lol

We gut renovated most of a 5500sq ft 1904 house and then added on another 2000 sq feet. We very much wanted it all to look old.

The problem is, and I only skimmed the responses above, it is very costly to add those details. Part of it is our location, and our rip-off GC, but no matter what it adds up. However, some of them you can add over time and DIY.

Things we did to make our addition and reno look older:

1. Random width wide plank flooring throughout most of the house
2. Several new walls were painted with American Clay (there are many effect with this, ours is very very subtle, mimicing plaster)
3. All of the doors have old doorknobs and plates (you cannot buy predrilled doors if you do this)
4. The trim is slightly darker shade of off white then the walls
5 All moldings are more generous (ie larger) then the standard, and certainly no clamshell. This does not mean over the top crown molding necessarily, but it does mean beefy. This adds a lot to the cost, since it is on every wall of every room
6 Selective use of built-ins. I think too many built ins looks very au courant, but older houses usually have some. We have built in drawers in all the kids room and the craft room, for example.
7 We used several antique light fixtures
8 Repurposed old sinks
9 True flat subway tile

The good news is, only a few of these need to be done now. The rest you can do as you please.

Good luck!

We live in a tract home that we built 4 years ago. Our model ended up being the most popular in the neighborhood so I have been through "my house" done many ways as I visit others homes. Things that we did that made an impact and make ours stand out. 8 ft solid doors throughout. Upgraded trim. We did beams on the ceiling in 2 rooms. Upgraded the entry hallway lights to be sized larger, we have a long hallway with 12 ft ceilings and this really makes an impact. They are still a basic builder light, but the open lantern style one size up from the standard. We also chose tile, but laid it with a mix of 13&20" in a pinwheel pattern. Not much of a cost upgrade, but makes a large statement. In one bathroom we did an inexpensive upgrade using the two std color options, white & almond 4" tiles, we payed $13 to have them tiled on a diagonal and asked them to alternate the tile so it gives it a harlequin checkerboard look. Also in the showers, we had them tile to the ceiling. Hope that helps! Good luck.

Oh, I forgot one of the most important (and costly) ones. Real wood muntins on the windows. Those are killers. IMHO it is one of the biggest indicators of age (not to mention depth) but I appreciate in can be prohibitive.

Not sure if you are familiar with Magnaverde, but he is, in my humble opinion, a genius. If you have not already, read through his clippings. It might help a little with your decision-making process in thinking about your house overall, including how to add the touches you are looking for.

One of his quotes is (paraphrased) that history has the answers . . .so, look to the past for what you need in your new build.

Here is a link that might be useful: Magnaverde

I think paint color is essential. So many new construction homes are standard white paint.

One think that I would personally hate about a tract home is the predictable layout. As I drive by new builds I often can immediately tell their layout without going inside. The house may be a rectangle but shake it up a little. Of course you want good flow but there has to be more than one way to layout a house then dining on the right, living on the left, kitchen in the back, family room behind the garage, etc.

wow! Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful ideas! I am glad to see there are other folks trying to accomplish similar things with success. Thank you for sharing pictures and your insights.

oakleyok - I'd love to see a picture of your livingroom nook.

Anele- Mixing style inappropriately is exactly what i am afraid of doing! Perhaps you all can help me with this conundrum. I found this fireplace mantel on craigslist. It is very similar to the one my grandparents had in their home- fond memories. It is a pretty good price and the firebox measurements and over all measurements are exactly what I need to fit the space. I just wonder if it will look totally out of place in my home? I also wonder who the heck can use these beautiful mantels if not someone doing a new build/remodel that has flexibility in the firebox size etc?

IMHO, I would buy it. Some things, we have emotional reactions to, and we know why we love it and that it will give us pleasure.

It is beautiful! I do think it will guide your choices but that is not a bad thing.

I have a friend who had a tract home but loved Arts & Crafts. They put in appropriate trim, windows, and other details, and her DH made all the furniture. I loved it and it did not feel out of place-- just warm. I'm not suggesting you have Victorian decor (mantel looks Victorian to my untrained eye), however.

How much flexibility is there in the architecture of your new home? For example, what do the windows look like (proportions)?

If you're not having an upstairs laundry room, DO add a laundry chute . When we were house hunting I found it strange to see five K, and over, sq. ft. Homes without either. I pictured the lady of the home, or the help, floating down the grand staircase with a load of laundry in her arms. Seemed silly. We love ours, and they are rare here, so kids are fascinated, loving to drop stuffed animals down the chute. If your home is large enough, a back staircase is both practical and cool.
Add some whimsy or mystery, especially if you have children . My grandmother's house had two or three closets that secretly ( or so it felt) connected. Butlers pantries are both practical and sentimentally old fashioned...especially with a swinging door.
Wherever you have interior glass( French doors, cabinets) make the glass beveled. If it's not too late to suggest, stay away from soaring ceilings everywhere, and open design. Keep ceilings at 10 or so feet, and modify the separation of the rooms to please yourselves, without going all -out open.
Just my NSHOs :>). It's fun to dream along with you. Keep us posted on your exciting new home as it progresses.
Marti

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but having lived in a lot of track houses over the years, we finally have a home that has 9 ft ceilings instead of the standard 8 ft. and it makes such a difference in the "feel" of a room. Also, solid wood interior doors and closet doors give rooms some "heft" and they can be changed out over the years if you can't do right away.

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but having lived in a lot of track houses over the years, we finally have a home that has 9 ft ceilings instead of the standard 8 ft. and it makes such a difference in the "feel" of a room. Also, solid wood interior doors and closet doors give rooms some "heft" and they can be changed out over the years if you can't do right away.

Our house has an little quirk that reminded me of my grandma's 1947 house: the front hall closet floor is a wood floor, about 2 inches higher than the slate hall floor. It's kind of nice. Keeps a lot of dust bunnies out of the closet.

Martinca, here laundry chutes are considered a fire hazard. Our house has one, however, but I am not sure it is allowed in new construction here.

This comes from the Chicago Tribne". Sorry I'm not yet up on linking.

"...And fire code expert Bill Rehr has a laundry chute in his Wheaton, home. "We use it all the time," he said. "My son stuffs his Levi's down there."

And, experts point out, most laundry chutes have doors, which further reduces the spread of a fire. Still, they recommend checking with a home inspector or contractor to make sure your laundry chute doesn't empty near a hot-water heater or furnace.

But neither Marshall, director of the Residential Fire Safety Institute, nor Rehr, a senior staff member at the International Code Council, knows of any laws prohibiting laundry chutes in single-family homes. So relax, laundry masters and mistresses, your chute is probably quite safe."
. Do it if you can...they are wonderful.

One of the things we did in our addition is Blue Board and plaster. The trim was put up first and then the tinted plaster.

If we had a laundry chute when I was growing up, I'm sure my big brother would've put me down it several times!

Yikes...in reading Martinca's post...we had a laundry chute growing up and all the clothes landed in the basement right next to the gas water heater which was right next to the gas furnace! They are very handy, though, until something gets stuck in there. We even had a milk chute (for the milkman to put the milk in for all of you youngsters). They, however, are a thing of the past for sure and it's a good thing because skinny burglars liked milk chutes.

Anele, thank you so much for the link to MagnaVerde! I agree - a genius and a treasure! Does he still post?

Mtrnrdredux's suggestions are wonderful, though very expensive. We focused on light, views, and floors (wide plank oak). We figured we can upgrade almost everything else later, though of course would have preferred the opportunity to build something more custom and expensively hand crafted.