GREAT topic:

Love it:

• open floorplan
• main level living
• large kitchen with 2 islands
• good appliances
• my granite
• neighborhood / location
• slate counters in my master bath
• towel warming drawer in the master
• hidden stairs and railing system
• geothermal heat pumps

Not so much:

• walkout basement, main floor, upstairs makes for a lot of stairs and not using a lot of sq footage
• vaulted ceiling in master / open shower is cold
• the ANGLES in the KITCHEN (sink and pantry)
• kitchen layout that is not optimal - not using the prep sink
• laundry / dog room not large enough
• sloped lot great for walk out basement - not so much for accessing yard
• front of house faces west - evening glare is bad

Can you post a picture/floorplan/sketch/something that shows the angles in the kitchen?

I'll see if I can grab my plans (old blueprints! 1997!) and snag a pic - later today

Loves:

• Pantry (never had an actual pantry space before)
• Laundry room that is NOT in a walk-thru area and can be closed
• Shower with a bench
• Big back porch
• Dedicated storage closet for seasonal items

Hates:

• Vaulted ceiling in the LR, hard to heat it even in our mild winters
• Slippery stairs that have attacked me twice
• All electric, wish we had natural gas water heater and stove
• Sad, sad landscaping

I think my views of ,y current house are skewed a bit because it doesn't meet our current needs. When we first moved in here with a family of 3 (1 being a newborn), the house was spacious and there weren't too many negatives. Now, being a family of 5 (3 are boys ranging in age from 4 to 10), our needs are a lot different and we need more space.

Pros:

-separate rooms - I'm not a fan of the all open concept. like hamamelis mentioned, I like doorways (even large ones) separating spaces.

-light filled morning room - I have a love/hate relationship with this room. It is a beautiful, light filled little room. I love having it. But, I can't help but feel like it is wasted space.

-butcher block on island

-bedroom layout is good for having 3 young kids

-large master closet

-neighborhood and location within the neighborhood

-finished basement

-good sized bathrooms

Cons

-lack of space

-no devoted office space so had to convert our formal dining

-countertop space in kitchen is lacking and very chopped up

-pantry is located around the corner form the kitchen

-small bedrooms

-traffic flow through the kitchen to get to garage/laundry/half bath

-2 story small foyer

-tight dining space

-tiny laundry room

-bathroom walls are up against bedroom walls (our shower is up against our oldest son's bedroom wall - very annoying when he was younger and my husband would wake him up when he was getting ready for work)

-builder grade finishes

-Open floor plan

-All the glass

-Unique architectural details such as block work and red rock walls

I didn't love my house when we bought it 32 yrs ago - we had one weekend in which to find a house and this one was the best of what was available. It would "do".

We immediately made plans on how to remodel/redecorate the house. We moved the kitchen sink in front of a window, we made that double window a bay window, we repainted existing cabinets, but got new countertops, and we put in new pulls and wallpapered. More changes were made over the years until I FINALLY got my new kitchen this summer! And I LOVE it! Most of the rooms in the house are good sized and well-proportioned. All have good light.

We also added a full dormer on the back of this 1 1/2 story house, and finished the unfinished side of the 2nd floor and added a 2nd bath.

Many years later, we took out a bathtub in a first floor bath (we had another full bath) and turned that into a small hallway between the entrance hall and what had once been a first floor MBR - now a library/family room.

Windows have been replaced, redecorating has been done, a beadboard ceiling was put on the sunporch ceiling this fall - many, many changes.

HUGE MBR with fireplace (gas coals) - it's 22 x 22! Love my re-done MBath, too.

I love the garden, both front and back. My late husband and I made it together. It brings me much joy.

All in all, I now LOVE my house! It has the right rooms for me and it "works". I finally have it the way I want it.

What I don't love?

1st floor guest room is small and the full bath is not ensuite. Nothing can be done about either of these things - just no room.

DR is small. It needs to be at least 3 ft wider and 4 ft longer. I could make it longer, but not wider - property line too close. I won't be making it longer as the cost would be enormous and I really don't need it at this stage in my life.

Halls are all WAY too narrow! Another 18" would make a difference. Stairs are too narrow - again, 18" would make a difference. Entrance hall is too narrow and too small. Nothing can be done about any of these things other than a total tear-down.

I wish my basement had a high enough ceiling so I could put in a ceiling - things get dirty as dirt falls through the sub flooring (planks) above. I could dig up the floor and lower the basement but that's not going to happen either.

The location is great, and over 32 years, the landscaping is lovely.

All in all, it's a keeper and I intend to do so as long as my health and my help hold out!

What I love

• Open floor plan, with kitchen, dining, great room all open
• Master bedroom bay sliding door into the backyard
• Master bedroom angled tray ceiling
• Master bath double shower
• Master bath toilet room with high window
• Large bedrooms
• Having enough storage--walk-in closets for each of the 5 bedrooms, linen closet/space in all bathrooms including the powder room, corner pantry in kitchen, laundry room closet, 2 broom closets, games closet, laundry room closet
• 3 1/2 car garage (DH loves this more than I do, but that counts)
• Kitchen cabinets--including the base cabinets being drawers and all the counter space
• Raised counter space to serve on for casual parties
• WBFP
• 2 offices
• Daylight windows and 9' ceilings in our "basement"
• Electrical: lighting in almost all rooms, outlet quantity and placement, ceiling fans, under and over cabinet kitchen lights
• Deck off of the dining nook for outside dining

What I'd improve

• Wider and larger master closet (I'm fine with it, but DH, who is much taller, isn't)--including the ability to have drawer space in the closet. It also needs more light
• Wider laundry room
• Room for a 2nd refrigerator in the house
• Turn the dining nook closet into a beverage bar
• 2 coat closets--one for guests and one for us (I have a lot of coats)
• I want a kitchen island next time instead of a peninsula, but it was a conscious decision for this house
• I'd like at least one bedroom to be en suite, but the budget didn't permit (another conscious decision)
• I wish we'd landscaped heavily when we first moved in
• My GE Profile appliances haven't been reliable
• Powder room toilet isn't quite centered in the open space which makes it cramped on one side and roomy on the other

My small old house lacks many things that would be great amenities available in a new build, such as more electrical outlets. Some problems are simply a function of being a smaller (1200sf) and old (1942) house

That said, what I love:

big picture window in the living and family rooms, and large traditional windows in all other rooms (I detest small &/or short windows)

hardwood floors and plastered walls lend a more substantial feel to the building

simple architecture that is easy to maintain and clean, and I love the coved ceilings upstairs

built in bookshelves and storage in the family room

fireplace

not open, easy for people to have private space without being completely isolated

covered front porch

Yard large enough for big garden but not too large for one person to maintain

What I don't love:

The family room is on the north side of the house and needs more natural light even with the large window on the directly-north facing wall

lacks a large enough vestibule by the back door for a "mud room' space, and front door opens directly into living room

Kitchen could be a rather bigger (it is larger than an apartment kitchen but small for a modern house, absolutely no room for a frig >30" etc)

Stairs to 2nd floor intrude into the 3rd bedroom, wasting space

only one bath, awkwardly laid out so that can have only an 18" wide vanity/sink! I would get rid of the tub and just have a shower with a tall rim for bathing kids.

1 car attached garage without enough space for garden supplies, etc. (that said I also detest big garages that dominate the house)

coat closet too small

Like

Large kitchen with desk and a lot of cabinets.

Built-ins, after 14 years still look better than most(99% i have seen), not overdone, not nasty overwhelming brown color, all classic.

Wood staircases with no carpet.

Three car garage.

larger kids rooms

Laundry cabinets and sink

Backup Pantry 14' x 3'

Second refrigerator.

Landscaping and sprinkler systems

Builtin speakers and wires

Security system

Don't like

- Moran neighbor who decided to remove / deforest 10 ft subdivision tree easement, that was subject to his subdivision approval to gain "more yard" [he has one acre yard and still felt not enough]

- circular plan. Waste of space. Kids run in circles.

- large dining room 15x17 storage for over sized table that almost never get's used, wasted money on trim.

- Vaulted ceiling: master, master bath, dust ledge, wasted space, cold master bath.

- two story large foyer.

- builder grade HVAC.

- Carpet upstairs.

-24x24 family room, even when we have a party people have to shout from one side to another. Thin TV are uncapable of producing decent sound for that large room.

- crap shingles we purchased.

- Corian countertop

- laundry undersized.

-regret 8' ceiling upstairs. Not worth $1500 savings

-second story loft.

The real reasons we are in this house, the reasons that trump everything else:

- Location is ideal -- quiet neighborhood with mature trees, our kids attended the best public schools, we're close to work and close to the interstate

- We got the house for a song and have never carried a mortgage on it -- we could not live anywhere as cheaply as we live here -- this allowed us to travel a great deal while our kids were both still in high school, and it has allowed us to easily write checks for the kids' college tuition and the oldest's wedding

Pros:

- All brick with vinyl accents at the roofline, storm windows -- it's a solid house

- Large comfortable rooms

- Large brick fireplace

- Large comfortable bathrooms with lots of storage

- Huge covered porch across the back of the house

- At just over an acre, a moderately large yard with a fence

Cons:

- Bigger than we need; we knew this when we moved in, but the house kind of fell into our laps for such an excellent price that we couldn't refuse it

- Corner lot lacks privacy, bus stop in our front yard means kids are in our front yard waiting; weird driveway means people come to the side of the house instead of the front door

- Small closets

- Small windows on the back and sides

- Laundry very inconvenient on the far end away from the bedrooms

- Kitchen is large, but laid out very poorly -- this is not evident at first glance

- Lacking in electrical outlets

We sold our condo in a high rise building this past April/May and are renting in the same building. I won't talk about our rental since there is really NOTHING I like about it except the killer views with fabulous sunsets every night to the bay.

What I loved about my condo before selling it:

Washer/Dryer closet with full size FL machines and space for baskets to sort clothes

My Microwave drawer and Bosch oven

My lit glass cabinets, my shaker style cherry wood cabinets, my farmhouse sink and my typhoon bordeaux granite

The glass backsplash I designed and made for behind the cooktop

The kitchen being a separate room but still open to the living room/dining room

The four balconies with ceiling height sliders to the balconies

My studio with the built in shelves in the closet and the view

Lots of closets so everything had a place

My master bedroom

My master bath that felt like being in a spa and the two shower heads on diverters

Having a walk in closet system

What I disliked about my condo before selling it:

My KA dishwasher and the electric cooktop

The kitchen sink spray and soap dispenser that never worked

Not enough lights in the kitchen.

How the best prep space wasn't by the kitchen sink but next to the cooktop/oven

The fact the kitchen got really no natural light because there weren't any windows in the kitchen

No place in the kitchen to store the dog's bowl, vitamins, etc so it wound up always on top of the dishwasher counter looking sloppy

Wished I had made the breakfast bar counter height instead of bar height

Would have liked 1' more of space in dining room width

A separate office for DH so he didn't have to share the third bedroom when guests stayed over

An extra half bath. 2 baths were fine when it was just DH and myself, but when we had guests, there were times we could have used the extra half bath

Windows that were more energy efficient. We were in a condo with windows from 1982 but the board voted down replacing the windows

More lights in the living room and in the bedrooms

Not having separate his and hers closets (One of us likes to color code our clothing when hanging them, and the other prefers to just throw his stuff in and hang his stuff anywhere)

Our dark Ipe wood floors. They looked stunning but were a nightmare to keep clean

Not having a backyard or being able to barbecue

Not having enough room to entertain comfortably

For anyone interested here's a link to our condo before we sold it. What's missing in the picture are the handcrafted Arroyo Craftsman and Mission Studio lights. We removed those before listing the condo and those will go in our new build.

Living in a rental right now, I am definitely missing the condo

We sold our home in NJ and moved to WA where we will be building a home. In the meantime we are staying in two brand new side-by-side/attached 3 storey town homes; together they are a single family home even though they are actually two homes.

What I love about these rentals:

Brand new units with black tiles entry way

8 bedrooms/6 bathrooms including two large masters with ensuite.

Connecting decks on 2nd and 3rd floors and just wide enough for our very large bbq

Amazing sea views and gorgeous sunsets

1st floor bedroom/office (I converted on bedroom, next to master on 3rd as office)

Nice Hardwood on main/living/kitchen/laundry/bathroom on 2nd floor

Two huge double garages with high ceilings and high garage doors.

Parking in front for four cars in front and two full size suvs at the back of the garages (garages are full with home contents from our home in NJ)

Best of all we have very nice neighbors on both sides and behind; that takes some amazing luck

Close to the Canadian border and less than 4 miles from our lot also on the same harbor as these homes

What I don't like:

There's nothing to not like about it, nice rentals making a nice comfortable home till we build and move.

Oh yes, I completely forgot: Double bills, Water/sewage/Electric.

We've been in our new house for over a year, but I'll look back at our previous house. It's not really fair, though, because everything about our new house is better!

I'm really struggling to think of anything good about the last house.

Everything on one floor.

Decent laundry room.

Garden pond in the back yard.

Decent neighborhood.

What I didn't like (nearly everything!)

Location, location, location. Very crowded area, HOT for 6 months of the year. Tiny lot. Escalating taxes and insurance.

8' ceilings.

Tiny kitchen with no windows, and a dropped ceiling.

Little to no insulation.

Single pane windows.

Ugly stucco over concrete block construction, in a neighborhood of identical houses.

Built on a slab.

Snout garage.

Small closets.

Heavy HOA rules and restrictions.

Poor quality construction, plumbing, electrical.

Tiny dining room connected to five (!) other rooms.

We fixed all of the above problems with our new house!

We live in an 1895 Victorian. We have remodeled it room by room. This is a very good exercise for those of us planning new houses.

Likes:

charming house. Dramatic. Large moldings.

Window seat in the kitchen. DW and our dog absolutely love this!!

Back staircase into the kitchen. We use this much more often than the one that leads to the foyer.

Towel warmer in master bath.

In floor heating for the tile floor in the master bath.

Large front porch.

Backyard is secluded. Lot is 1 acre but in the "city". Out back you feel like you are in the country.

Patio area out back. We live out there once temps are warm enough.

Dislikes:

dark kitchen with only one window blocked by trees.

Cannot see any other room from the kitchen. Cant see kids playing etc.

cramped kitchen. 4 doorways into the kitchen make it tight. Not great storage.

Dining room needs to be bigger.

Old windows. Original to the house. Wavy glass and all. Beautiful. Painful to clean. Terribly inefficient. We can't wait to have modern windows!!!!

useless basement. Dirty. Can't really do anything with it.

Only one kids bathroom.

Lot is on hill. Kids cannot play kickball. Soccer. Baseball... etc. Everything just runs down to the street. Would love some flat space to play and ride bikes etc.

lack of storage in general!!

love my house, basically open plan

things i love in particular

location and trees on lot and size of lot (4 acres)

orientation (faces north and living areas on the south (close to the gulf coast for prevaling breeze)

porches, lots of them with brick flooring-- they would just be an extra expense for some people, not for us, lots and lots of windows and a wide, long driveway for parking, so everything is off the street/hopefully covered

comfortably sized rooms for entertaining or for two people

lots of counter space in kitchen, baths and laundry/mud room

slate flooring in kitchen, mudroom and one bath (unsealed - lots of negatives on this when we installed these but now they're finally free of installation crud and i love them

vinyl planking for a lot of the house was concerned about this at first but they're great

absolute black leathered granite counter tops

butcher block island and mudroom countertops

we chose finishes we really wanted crystal and porcelain doorknobs, glass and porcelain pulls, light fixtures we paid particular attention to and wood doors

slipper tub

mixed metals in every room (yes we do like that) and painted and stained cabinetry

we built a house we could afford and paid the builder for it when it was compete

things that could be better

more insulation on the interior walls, its not bad, but could be better

somewhat larger closets (or someone to cull the stuff i don't wear/use we have empty closets in two bedrooms but master closet could be bigger-would 20x40 be big enough, i don't know

that's about it pretty happy with everything we choose

Current house (for almost 33 years) is a one story 1937 cape, with an unfinished attic, and an original "L" off the back left side and an offset 1990 "L" addition on the rear right containing garage, large family/great room (just called 'the big room") and smallish bedroom with ensuite for DD (now guestroom) with a large WIC). The two wings create a ""U" approx 30x28 courtyard patio. Total living sq foot is just shy of 3700. As you can see below many of my loves also have a flip side.

Love: Charm and really, really, well built and solid. High ceilings. The original owner owned the big lumber mill in town and it shows. Beautiful hardwoods and trim.

Love convenient location in the middle of town, but large lot and big fenced back yard.

Love: Great entertaining space with good flow through the center and right sides. With the dining room table and another dining table in the greatroom, I can seat 36 comfortably year round at tables by using a few card tables and use the breakfast room and it's table table for apps, bar etc, and still have mingling space. Co ktail parties or summer barbecues can handle 50-60 easily. With 2 French doors from the greatroom and another from the den all opening to the patio from two sides, this house can really handle a crowd for entertains in good weather. Not surprisingly, when I've hosted lots of wedding parties, showers at this house, and other events at this house and it has lots of fun memories!

Dislike: There is a lot of space that goes unused much of the year, and we have a tendency to use the greatroom table as a staging area. Most recently for Christmas presents and packing to head out to Colorado tomorrow, but all clean now.

Love: Cozy living space and a circular plan in the areas we live inday to day. Now, I know some people don't like the master opening from a public space, but especially as an empty nester, I love the fact that I have a large master, but my bed is about 14 steps from my spot on the couch in the den and about the same distance along a different path from the bed to the coffee pot or refrigerator.

Love: Semi open floor plan. All of the original house except the den is two steps above the den and addition level. The kitchen has a 10' cased opening over the sink and counter that overlooks the den. It's nice because I can watch the den TV from the sink or carry on a conversation with DH while he is in the den. But from the den the kitchen mess doesn't show.

Dislike: Quirky floor plan on the original bedroom wing. I like my large master, but it has too many doors (including a 14' reach-in closet along one wall with another door to the den on the same wall) and doors at each end, which makes arranging furniture a problem. The back bedroom/office can only be accessed through the master or the patio. We use it as an office and DH uses the bath (shower only) as his bathroom The dog door is in the door to the patio. The closet in that room has been turned into the laundry room. It works well for us, with the master and two other real bedrooms, but could be a problem at resale.

Love: Huge master bath with built in wall of drawers (18) with cabinets above, besides a linen closet. I keep all my clothes, etc. in the drawers (except hanging items). The large size is odd for a house this age, but family members of the original owners that know have told us it is original. I even have a 42" table with a Waterford lamp in one corner. DD used to turn cartwheels in there when she was a kid!

Dislike: The master bath isn't ensuite, but a few steps down the hall and shares with the front bedroom. That doesn't bother me, DD and I shared that bathroom until we built the addition but I know it's an issue for resale. It is also used as the guest bath, but since I am the on,y one that uses it regularly, it always stays neat and I love the 'OMG that's such a great bath" reactions when a first time guest sees it. The decor is fine, but a bit dated.

Love: My kitchen. Nice appliances 48" Thermidor professional, subzero etc. that the breakfast room at the end is separated from the kitchen by a wide peninsula (counter height and not for eating, but has storage both on the kitchen side and breakfast room side). Love the breakfast room window seat.

Dislike: The kitchen bit too wide for basically a galley and, although large, it's a bit short on storage. We've replaced the original cabinet doors and drawers with nicer ones , but the last painters did a bad job, that I'm still gradually kilzing, sanding and reprinting. Just noticed a new spot today that needs some work.

"simple architecture that is easy to maintain and clean, and I love the coved ceilings upstairs"

The first time I read this I read "covered" and couldn't figure out WHAT you could possibly mean!

I've got it now. Thanks, google!

Well, we designed & built it, so predictably fewer dislikes than likes, thank goodness!

Likes: all brick, 10' ceilings down, 9' up, master down in a wing off the back (nothing above it & very secluded,) combination of open and not so open spaces, each child has own bath, very substantial trim and plentiful built-ins, 2 attics (one a walk-in, absolutely LOVE,) rear entry 3 car garage makes for an architecturally pleasing facade & a HUGE basketball court for ds, and really nice outdoor entertaining areas with a woodburning FP and a gas firepit.

Dislikes: Our driveway empties onto a private drive/alley shared by 4 homes. This is partly a pro (see above) and partly a con. It is confusing for new guests (usually parents of our kid's friends) who drive past our house looking for the driveway, lol! Mud room WAS perfect-had a window, a sink, space for washer & dryer AND a closet plus a wall of built in cubbies, bench, and hooks. However, we didn't have a dog when we built so now I wish it were a couple feet wider & longer, lol!! We carpeted the bedrooms & hall upstairs to save $...wish it were wood like all downstairs but the thought of doing it now is just tiring.:)

Love-

--- Superior energy efficiency- very low bills

--- A built in car charging station- electric car, and I bypass the gas station, at a total cost of (upper limit/high usage) $3.50 a month.

--- Second floor laundry room that has its own "wing", and is insulated. Can't hear the equipment, and it never gets hot- vents out.

--- Windows/natural light everywhere, but a "twist" on one wing to take advantage of natural wind flow through our lot and to minimize "hot" daylight.

--- Master suite on its own wing with hallway and a soundproofed wall, so that I can't hear my husband's West Coast 5AM our time business calls.

--- The view. The View. THE VIEW. End to end cityscape, on the second story. Fairly surprising for all who enter, as it appears we are "down" from a downtown view

--- My kitchen- custom designed by a real, live architect who designs kitchens for a living, and provides the best cooking space I've ever lived with. A shout out to my Bosch 800 series dishwasher. Whisper quiet, and does in 40 minutes what it takes most DWers an hour to two to do, when all three levels are full.

--- Low maintenance, yet beautiful landscaping

--- A teeny, tiny mortgage, against a ton of equity. I was a whirling dervish on budget as we built, and I thank god. The market that everybody seemed to think would go up indefinitely has definitely plateaued. And I'm still miles ahead.

Not loving:

--- My pantry, which is fairly standard, walk in, but nevertheless could be working more efficiently. Eh? Look up. Budget concerns...

--- At least one bedroom and one bath that is never utilized. Playing a square footage game, but still? We have to really stretch to keep the spaces "fresh".

I have lived here since autumn, 1991:

Loving:

I just bought this kitchen a new scratch and dent range late last spring - the installers fixed an electrical issue I didn't even know came with the original range but that one had been installed in 1969 in ways that got taken off of code by somewhere in the 1980's. The range is "basic", but it has a timer, and two broil settings, and an oven window. I'm so up in the world!

When I moved here, one of the best selling features was that the side yard was very private. It still is, and I still like that feature. (I'd moved here from the Anxiety Condo from Hell, with the putative coke dealer living in the unit above me. I didn't dare grow anything in the garden plot outside that window - he'd have trashed it.) Anyhow, here I love this side yard, and the porch with the overhang. And the ability to have happy small gatherings back here.

I love the front stone walkway and the back flagstone area my one-time housemate put in. The stones were free from a New England wall whose owner wanted them gone, and nearly all the flagstones were found in weird spots on this property left by previous owners. (For some reason, the walkway when I moved in was made of these flagstones, without steps, on a slope. Any time it rained, you'd risk your life walking on them. Out back we could lay them flat.) I only had to buy a few more to complete the look.

My basement doesn't leak. We had some leaks when we first moved in, and my housemate and his boyfriend of that time helped dig a trench and put in the proper tubing to divert the water. I never had another leak from that direction. (We also planted wild pachysandra we'd found ditched in a wooded area nearby. It probably helped erosion issues.) In another direction, a slow ooze early on was something I was able to resolve by using a certain sealant paint - it never leaked again. No, I don't remember what it was.

Oak floors on the main level.

Not Loving:

The Kitchen from a TV Dinner Nightmare. (No prep space, insufficient outlets, only one useful upper for the entire room -- 12 inch wide uppers are just plain useless). And the three doors that bang into one another during the times I didn't live alone here - the "half" bath, basement door, and back door. A good EnergyStar fridge won't fit in here.

The "half bath" being right off the kitchen, and it being about 2.5 feet by 4 feet.

Long steep driveway, with the steepest part inserted at the 90 degree turn that someone thought would give me a useful side-entry garage. However, when you come down the road from the north, you only ever see the garage, so I still don't get the issues about "snout" garages... (When you come from the south, you, and fortunately the Google Maps Road View camera, don't see the house at all...) Meanwhile that driveway angle is real challenging in winter.

Laundry in the basement. It was really a pita both times I broke various leg/ankle bones.

Getting stuff from the car to the kitchen. Actually, I don't use the garage for the car, not enough room, too many projects. And if I did, I'd have to take the bags up a flight of stairs, with the last step being a tall killer step. I walk the stuff around the house and up a hill... I'm used to it, but not in winter. (I have taken things in through the basement level den, but there's still that flight of stairs.)

Love:

First off, it reminds me of my grandmother's beloved house.

Front facing kitchen and service entrance. kitchen is between service entrance and front door. Most convenient.

covered front porch.

black slate foyer floor.

first floor guest suite.

half-bath off laundry. It's odd, but it's perfect for cats and coming in from outside. I wish the laundry were bigger, though, with a bigger sink and counters and drawers.

south facing LR, DR, FR.

Not open floorplan. When I leave the kitchen, I can't see it :)

Enclosed rear porch. Not really big enough to use as living space, and unheated, but it's a nice place for me to go with my lunch and laptop.

the lot. We used to be on a creek, but this house is not. Instead, we are on the short end of a long block, with a swath of wooded space running down the spine of the block. So when we look out the back, all we see is woods. We carved a path through the woods in our yard, and while not big it's a nice little stroll.

my community. It's a great town of giving people.

Don't love:

The hip-swiveling as you pass through e kitchen to the foyer. You have to go around the kitchen table.

While I like the kitchen U, the cabinets are odd. The sink and stove base are a bit recessed, and have stiles, so it's hard to store things. Another base cabinet is obviously some kind of stove or sink base, so not only is the space smaller but where there could and should be a drawer is just wasted.

No pantry.

the guest suite is nice, but I wish the bathroom were accessible without going through that room.

No spigot in the front yard.

not enough outlets where we need them (1961 house)

switches that operate an outlet right below the switch. That makes no sense whatsoever.

The layout of the family room. It is wide open to the service hall (mudroom), has doors to the laundry, dining room, and back porch, plus a big window with a window seat. There is no good way to lay it out for our family. If my kids were little, it would be a great playroom. I want to make it my office, but it's still weird. We use our LR as our living space, and I am fine with that.

There are things I'd like to change, too, but not because I don't like something; just things I'd like to alter to improve it.

Love:

Size - 1750 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2 full, and 1 half bath. We moved from a 3200 square foot house; we DO NOT want a large house. It is harder to design a small house than a big house as spaces have to serve multiple functions and adapt as needs change.

Location - walking distance to dozens of restaurants, parks, library, open space trails but unfortunately not walking distance to a grocery store

Community - master planned urban development meaning single family homes with community front landscaping and private back yards

Windows - EVERY room except one bedroom and two bathrooms have windows on two sides

Ceilings - 9 foot, wouldn't want any lower and not much higher.

Garage - wide and deep enough for storage

Kitchen - we've remodeled extending the island into what was a small informal dining area for seating. Nice appliances. Single basin sink. Mostly drawers but one base cabinet with doors and 4 shelves for things like lasagna pans, cake pans.

Don't love:

1990s tract home exterior

Two story (would prefer one)

Just one small closet on first floor

Garden tub in master (will come out in future remodel)

Pony wall between kitchen and family room (being removed now)

Scratched up maple floors (think basketball court; being replaced with wood plank porcelain)

TV over fireplace (not sure we are going to be able to fix this given that we like our windows)

Laundry in garage

Fireplace (I would omit it entirely but I know I'm in a minority on that view)

We are happy.

I live in an 1880's 2 story shotgun style farm house. Frankly there isn't much I love about it but I'll give it a shot

Loves:
1. LOCATION
2. Lots of light, nearly every room has windows on both north and south side.
3. Summer breezes, we rarely turn on the AC thanks to the North and South facing windows (along with 1 west facing and an east facing front door.)
4. Front porch
5. Kitchen Island
6. Good neighbors
7. Low mortgage/not being house poor
8. 8.5' ceilings (not 9 but they're better than 8)
9. Thick, wide baseboards and window trim

Dislikes:
1. Closed plan
2. No foyer/vestibule or mudroom
3. Kitchen island is too small and not enough clearances (we knew this putting it in though and I'd rather have it than not)
4. No closets (or at least not ones that function well)
5. DETACHED GARAGE, this might be the bane of my existence however it does force/allow more interaction with neighbors as they pass by.
6. Laundry in bathroom (however other option is in the basement and I'll take it in the bath over that!)
7. Dining room (and playroom above) functions as a walkway w/ 3 corners of the room plus the center of one wall having doorways.

There are several more items but they don't relate much to any structure that's been built in the last 50 years (or that will be built). Despite it's several flaws, we've made it work for 8+ years and are planning on at least another 2 years in it!

Location: Established town with all services, hospital, RR and highway access; valued neighborhood of larger homes on tree lined 'country' road three minutes to town. Mature landscaping (was a teardown) on an acre beside a creek with a large conservancy to the south; one house in 'close' proximity. Quiet. Private.

Age: New, tight construction 2001.

Exterior: Fits with neighborhood that includes some older estates on larger lots; brick and stucco; 10/12 full height attic for us or, second story for future buyer. Attached garages at 120-degree angle to house. 'Mahogany' archtop entry door in archtop surround. Covered entry. Bluechip driveway. Large unfinished basement. Screened porch East. Single step above ground.

General Interior: Single story 2900 sq ft; all hardwood flooring; all doors 36"; nine-foot ceilings with some higher (library, above kitchen and MBA windows); forced-air heat with air cleaners, flow-through humidifiers, and two sets of returns;; in-floor heat in library, back hall and MBA. Three full and one half- bath. 15 French doors plus *tight* casements -- and archtops over kitchen sink and MBA jet tub . Baldwin "Edinburgh" hardware on three-panel doors. His/hers closets off hall between MBR and MBA. Back hall w/laundry and powder room between garage and kitchen. Breakfast room. Granite counters with angled corners.

I don't like my electric appliances, but house is plumbed for gas. I do like hot water immediately at every tap via circulator pump. I regret my American Sub-Standard faucets, chosen for 'looks'. I'm even happy with good value return on our RE taxes.

I have lots of loves with our house, but the ones that I still marvel on how the simple things make me happy are:

1. Lots of windows with all the sunlight that comes in. Don't need to turn the lights on until after sundown. And just helps with the winter blues.

2. An open loft makes a great play area for the kids. I know what's going on without them or their toys under foot.

3. An outside door directly into the bathroom. Highly recommended for anyone living the country life.

4. Storage in every room. I hate keeping toilet paper stored in the garage because there isn't sufficient bathroom storage.

The other things I hate:

2. Tamper resistant outlets. I am sure whoever invented them never had them in their house.

3. Not enough lights in the garage. More light would have been nice for some of our diy projects.

What we love:

We have a 4 bedroom 2 story; all bedrooms are on the upper floor. We decided to put the laundry in the basement instead of the 1st floor and use the what would have been a 1st floor laundry for a coat, mud room, and vacuum cleaner storage.

There was a laundry chute from the upper bath to the 1st floor laundry room. We had this extended to the basement. This has been a very handy feature.

The only problem we have had is that our daughter's gerbils got loose and found their way to the chute. We found them in the basement.

cpartist, I just sent you a private message regarding glass backsplashes....

Loves:

History--my kids are the 5th generation to live here

So much light--huge windows in nearly every room

Gorgeous and tall wood moulding (sp?) around the windows, doorways, and baseboards in the oldest part of the house. We won't be able to afford anything like it in our next home.

Making lemonade out of lemons: Our eat in kitchen is so small that if anyone needs milk, a spoon, or a paper towel during a meal, I can spin around in my chair to get it without getting up. I think I'll miss that, actually.

Rants:

It's old and anything done to it (additions, etc) has been done cheaply. Also, the age means things aren't plumb and some fixtures (ie the tub downstairs) are odd sizes not easily replaced, even though they desperately need to be replaced.

Old wiring

No central heat/AC upstairs. We use window units which work but my daughter's unit is on it's last legs and we are not hopeful it will last until we move

Odd, random little rooms stuck on all over and a space wasting central dining room from which everything sort of branches out.

Only bathroom upstairs is in the master bedroom, so our kids wake us up at night needing to use it.

The only downstairs bathroom has one entry from enclosed porch and one from kitchen.

We tried and tried to think of ways to remodel instead of build, but it is just not possible to fix these things with how the house has taken shape over the years without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, we're building new.