Our last house we acted as the general contractor, so we could build it the way we wanted. Some of my favorites are: Extra course of block in the basement, large laundry room with table for kids sloppy crafts, a fruit cellar under the front porch (great storage), two hot water heaters piggy backed, hookup for a natural gas grill outside instead of having to use propane, plenty of electrical outlets (inside and outside), ceiling fan light and fan on separate switches, heated garage that you enter into the kitchen instead of the basement with room for a work bench, slop sink, and extra fridge, COVERED deck, one piece showers and shower/tub combo (so easy to clean, no grout, no caulking, no leaks), hidden wall safe, insulation between bedroom walls (reduced sound), TV cable in most every room including covered deck, gutter guards, 100% brick (very low maintenance). water spigots on front and back of house (should of done all four sides). I'm sure there is more.

My house has LOTS of windows & light. Some people are content living in a cave, not me, it would drive me crazy!

Don't have a new house, but I bought my home for the location and lot mostly.

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My first thought was lots of natural light, which has already been mentioned. Another things that contributes to easy, uncluttered living is an adequate number and size of closets. One last thing is a niche/closet we designed to fit a laundry sorter on wheels in our master bath, with shelves for towels and other items above. When ready to do laundry, just remove one of the bags and unload in washer. It is a simple thing, but as often as I do laundry, I appreciate how easy it is to stay on top of things. Finally, for us the HAH central vac is a must-have.

We gave as much attention to how we live and unseen "support systems" to make upkeep and daily activities go smoothly as we did to the aesthetics.

Won't repeat anything others said, so....

Last house: Walk-in pantry. Storage room with HVAC. 3-0 interior door ways.

Current house: large pantry wall in kitchen (large wall of doors for integrated fridge/freezer/pantry/coffee/microwave) plus smaller walk-thru pantry. Raised W/D (front loads) on top of drawers (can store TP, paper towels, etc below).

A designated closet or cabinet to hold all you IT equipment. We have a double cabinet just loaded with server for the cameras, battery backup, Verizon box, electric panel, router,wireless stuff and god knows what else that flashes and sometimes beeps. My son takes care of that stuff for us.

Natural light! Can’t be repeated enough. If you don’t have it, nothing else matters.

Location, location, location!! We are in a smallish subdivision (62 lots) of all custom or architect designed spec homes (about 50/50). From my greatroom and bedroom, it feels very secluded with a view ooverlooking green space with trees and a beautiful mountain creek. We have a great trail system and a small four acre park with a historic barn at the entrance. The only reason this prime land was not developed earlier is because it belonged to a hold out rancher, who finally got an offer he could not refuse. Lots of wildlife are attracted to the creek. Yet, despite the secluded feel, we are right in the middle of everything. A 5 to 10 minute walk and even shorter drive to two grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, doctors and hospital and a 20 minute walk, or 5 minute drive to a world class ski area. I can see the gondola and slopes from my office window. The free city bus stops at the entrance to the subdivision. Also a five minute drive to my Mom's senior living center. Oh, and none of that is the best part of the location, because our home is actually a duplex, we have our DD, DSIL and 17 month old DGS right next door!

On par with location, is that our home was designed for us and the way we live. Our side has a circular flow on the main level with everything we need for everyday living. It is spacious, yet compact. Garage is handy to the kitchen, laundry is ideally located close to our closet but also handy from the kitchen and greatroom. The connections between our side and the kids' side are brilliant allowing privacy for both generations, but very handy access. Although it is a duplex, it is anything but mirror image in layouts and while there is some consistency in finishes, the designs allow for individuality. Our side has more of a contemporary lodge feel, while the kids side is more of a contemporary mountain cottage.

Little things I love. Lots of stone on the exterior and large stone fireplaces. Covered decks. Dog friendly with a fenced yard and hidden in cabinetry dog doors. Large windows especially in greatroom and master. Very efficient in floor radiant heat throughout, including garages and basements. Differing ceiling heights especially in the public areas with a 16' foyer lowering to a 10' entry hall opening to a vaulted greatroom provides a great sense of entry and wonderful sight lines from the front door to the view from the greatroom. Large pantry. Well designed easy to work in kitchen with lots of storage. Layers of lighting -- cans, up lights on the beams, chandeliers, lamps, pendants, sconces, and under cabinet lights. Alcoves and nooks -- alcove entry from garage with a drop zone, coat and hat hooks, opening to the entrance hall and across from a nook with a bench and more coat hooks. The sound of the creek from the deck and with the windows open in the MBR.

Of course, everything has trade offs. For the location we wanted, the lots are relatively small (upside to that is that DH can mow the yard quickly with a small, electric mower, but he does have to poop scoop the backyard more frequently). Our orientation is not ideal, because the prime lots with the creek view we wanted is to the north. But for us, the creek and views trump orientation. For the multigenerational duplex we wanted, we had to sacrifice some windows. No window in our powder room and only a slider to the deck in the kitchen. Because the duplex is L shaped, we do have windows on two sides of the greatroom and master. Our covered deck is on the west side of the house, but that hasn't been much of a problem because the sun sets behind a mountain to the west. It was expensive to build so we had to leave the basements unfinished, although we are currently finishing one bedroom and bath (already stubbed) in the walkout basement as an additional guest room. No air conditioning, although it is rarely needed in this climate especially with ceiling fans. The upstairs guest room can get a bit warm in the heat of the summer (we do have a small portable unit that we can use if necessary and the basement is always cool).

I upgraded my sliding doors in my family room to 8x16. It was the favorite part of my last house. I could slide the doors open to a screened in porch and have one big room for entertaining. Loved it!

While I didn't build my house - it's a ranch from 1952 - there are a couple of things I think are just brilliant (as simple as they may be) that you might want to think about for your new build when the time comes.

1) Public spaces that thoughtfully relate to one another - living, dining and kitchen - with a well placed guest bath.

2) A proper coat closet near the entry.

3) A sizeable covered back porch. Offers the best of both worlds - indoor/outdoor living space.

I've participated in these threads before so Im not going to peck out the whole thing. I will say I like my garage that is finished to higher level than I might have thought wise. Insulated, different lighting options, level 4 drywall finish, natural light, etc.

what are the things you love the most... different then something you see in the majority of houses?

Our choice of materials not commonly found in other homes in our market. Particularly, polished slate flooring, a honed quartzite lobby, cast stone interior entry walls and room entry arches, "character wood" flooring, accent boulders hauled from 400 miles away to match exterior elements.

Warning! Deviate from the average and you cut your resale chances.

But the eventual buyers so liked it, they wanted the furniture included. (When I visited them a few times, it was like I was "home" again.)

I haven't built my house - but if I ever do it will have a whole house water filtration system, demand-type hot water system, and a metal roof. I don't know if you have a cat, but my current home has a cat closet — and it's been a life changer. It's a closet wired with outlets, where we keep the self-cleaning litter box. We call it the kitty commode. :-) Not to totally waste space, the upper shelves house the IT/wireless/media stuff.

jn3344, we went further with our garage and did deeper (so F150 fit), wider garage doors (no worrying about side mirrors), more space between cars, no poles, and used Hardi stucco look panels with the same stained wood trim we used inside the house. Base is off the floor enough so concrete can be hosed down, if needed.

Simplicity, view, screened in porch and detached garage.

LIGHT! (I currently live in a cave!). One level - after years of having two levels this is the single best thing about this house. Large laundry room is a must (I only have a closet now). Large screened in back porch. And a wider front porch if you have one; our current one is so narrow it's a waste of space. Other than the one level, those are the things I miss from my old house(s).

This is such an interesting thread. And the responses are even more so.

Some folks favorite aspects are the tangible, physical things: big porch, bigger garage, expensive finishes, location, etc.

Other folks favorite aspect are the intangible things: natural light, place for respite, etc.

Very interesting how we see and value houses differently.

#1 is location - we have bikeways beside all of our county roads so we can ride our bicycles to grocery, pharmacy, morning coffee, afternoon wine, dinner, and UPS store for weekly returns to Zappos. Everything else is very secondary to this.

#2 - lots of natural light, all natural materials inside and out, no fake front (all sides look the same), whole house exhaust fan, wood floors throughout, kitchen designed for cooking function first and aesthetics second, large covered porch with roll down screens, decorating (thanks Marita & Krysta) designed for comfort more than show. Oh, the sauna.

Didn't build our current place, it's a condo, which we renovated. But have built two homes in the past.

1. A gorgeous VIEW. The reason we bought our place, even though it needed a gut reno. And yes that includes lots of windows and natural light. Well situated.

2. A layout that doesn't have a lot of under-used rooms and spaces. We're at 2400 sf but only 2 bedrooms, for example. And no formal living room. Dining room only fits 6, 8 in a pinch. No media room or bonus rooms etc. Every inch is used daily, except maybe the guest bedroom, but it's used often enough to merit having it.

3. It might be nice to have a large master bath I sometimes think... then I appreciate our master stays warm, since it's not cavernous. And it's fast to clean. Not like the ginormous master we had in the 90s. Better.

4. Easy to clean and maintain surfaces throughout. Our home looks clean even when I haven't actually cleaned it for 4 weeks.

5. A "right-sized" kitchen that doesn't require lots of steps to make a meal and clean up from it. Not too small, and thoughtfully designed. With a walk in pantry.

6. His and hers closets because hubby and I don't share closet space well. Mine is a walk in. His is a reach in.

7. Laundry on the same level as the bedrooms.

8. Thoughtfully designed linen closet, not too deep but wide.

9. Home office (as I work from home). But this is largely personal. I did not want an office separated from the main areas. I wanted one with a view, central to everything, rather than tucked away in a separate room. My office actually has the best views in the place, because I spend a lot of time in there.

10. As for nooks, it's our last place to reno but we have a tiny loft space. We're going to make it into lounge area/ t.v. watching space (we don't have a t.v. anywhere else) as well as guest bedroom space for visiting grandchildren we may have someday in the future.

I did not build my house - it was built in 1948 and we bought it in 1984. But I've remodeled it multiple times over the years.

What do I like about it?

It's in a great location. It's in a subdivision that is close enough to downtown to be convenient, but far enough to be safe and quiet.

I wish I could say that it gets great light all day, and it does, just not in the same rooms! It faces east, with the back facing west. Not ideal but one does not get to pick that when buying a house. It's not a dark house - rooms only 2-deep, The back hall which runs north/south is dark - lights are always on, but it's really not a problem.

I like that it has different actual "rooms". I'm not an open concept lover. I love having a LR, a separate DR, a library, a breakfast room, a guest room, a powder room, a bath for the guest room, a kitchen with 4 walls. I like that my MBR is on the 2nd floor with another bedroom. Each has an en suite bath. I love the small gas coal fireplace in my bedroom.

I love my sunporch! It faces east, the long side faces south, and the short back wall faces west. It gets sun all day long and is a lovely place to sit on a winter's day, surrounded by all the big plants that go out on my terrace in the spring for 6 months or so. I grow amaryllis on this porch - so welcome in the winter.

I love having a basement. I wish it could have a finished side, but can't due to low ceilings, so it's semi-finished. My desktop computer lives down there. I love having my washer/dryer, ironing board, rotary iron all there and all ready to use.

I love having a basement garage. The temperature stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, than the outside. I love that it opens onto the back, not front-facing.

I love the windows I installed in the LR and Library. I replaced 8 over 8 with 8 over 12 double-hung windows. They let in a lot of light on this east facing side of the house, and they give the house more "presence", both inside and out.

I adore the kitchen I put in 2 years ago. It's a joy to cook in and has such great storage and counter space.

I could go on and on...

Flex storage in mudroom off the kitchen... right now it houses big mixers, things from costco

TV next to fireplaces that is recessed in espresso cabinets. Someone yesterday asked where our TV was and they where looking right at it! I want it to blend in not be a focal point..that is for the fireplace.

Adjacent walk in closet to master bath. Boggles my mind whey I see walk in closets within the master bath.

Ceiling fan in great room. Almost went light fixture but the ceiling fan is so much more functional as it comes in handy summer and winter.

Multiple spigots around the house perimeter

A den....use this more than the main great room

Outlets in mudroom lockers

folding table above washer and dryer

Sure there is plenty more, thanks to the users on this forum

Few regrets...

Not doing 9' basement ceiling

Not doing transom above entry door

Only adding 1 egress window in the basement

Number one on the list of what we love about our home is that there is light, light, and more light! And not just any kind of light. I want sunshine coming in the windows of the main living areas (kitchen, family room & breakfast room)…all day long. And to appreciate all that light….floor to ceiling windows, and lots of them….. otherwise what’s the point.

I was super careful how our house was oriented to maximize light and we carefully placed it far enough away from trees so they would not block out the sunshine (except on the west side of the house where the tree line is closer which allows dappled shade to come through all the windows on that side of the house…which makes for beautiful light). The very first thing people comment about when entering our home is the number of windows and how bright and cheery it is. It’s interesting that whether people realize it or not, most everyone truly appreciates lots of windows and lots of light, but so few (who are building custom on their own land) actually build their homes with that in mind. I’m convinced, most people don’t have enough windows!

Secondly is our land. Privacy is another biggie for us. We have enough land (6.7 acres) and the house is situated in such a way that from every window and every place we stand on the property, all we see are trees with no other visible structures etc. yet we are close to everything convenient (grocery, shops, restaurants, mall etc.)

Our scullery/pantry is another favorite thing. It’s a large room for pantry items, as well as all my small appliances that are set up and ready to use. There’s also an extra fridge, dishwasher drawer, and sink with lots of storage space as well. It’s a great prep place and everybody loves that room! I also really appreciate the maple counters in there. They’re a great surface to work on (can even use them like a cutting board) and you can beat them up without a care in the world.

Thanks for all the feedback. One more opinion. We are trying to have a nice sized main floor, would people prefer having an office and an extra bedroom along with the main floor master, or if needed, build the office more flex size with a closet and not add the extra bedroom? Reasons for extra main floor bedroom would he possibility of one more baby as our others are all big enough to be on a seperate floor but wife still wants one more, having the ability to take care of an aging parent someday and be mamain floor, and in the past have had grandparents and such come stay with us and had trouble with stairs to guest rooroom. That being said, is it worth the cost to add an extra bedroom for the what ifs, vs maybe having a good size flex room and maybe incorporate a smaller hallway nook or something to use for a temp office when if those things ever come to fruition? Aiming to be in the 2400-2500 ish main floor range.

I built a two story house, where there is a straight hallway upstairs going thru the center of the house, and the bedrooms are off of it. Its completely an interior hallway. I added a skylight at the end of the hallway, such that the short wall at the end of the hallway goes straight up into the skylight shaft. It adds so much light into the upstairs, and makes the confined hallway feel alot more open. As a side benefit, if you want to hear the rain at night, you can leave the bedroom door open and hear the rain on the skylight.

The architect put the traditional foyer entry closet by my front door. I later changed it to an open closet, with a built in bench, and hooks in the walls to hang things from. I think that guests will use the space more often if it is open, and they don't have to open a door to get to it. You just tend not to go in other people's closets.

If ever I build again my home will be constructed using ICF (insulated concrete forms). Yes, it costs more but, energy costs will continue to rise. Anything you can do to reduce your energy costs (geothermal heating / spray foam insulation / deeper eaves to reduce sun strike on glass ...to name some) will yield a payoff both now and when you sell. Before buying I always check with the energy suppliers to find out what the current owner pays out yearly in energy costs. High bills are a red flag (poor insulation / leaking windows / old HVAC units).

The best things I love about my house are:

1) my covered back and front porch. I sit out there frequently and enjoy the peace and quiet. My dogs love lounging on our patio furniture

2) a mudroom that has a door to the backyard and a dog door to the backyard. Seriously life changing giving my dogs the freedom to come in and out as they please.

3) nooks in my kids bedrooms. One daughter put a trundle daybed in hers. She reads on the daybed and uses the trundle for sleepovers. The other put a small loveseat and table and does her art there. Both make their rooms more spacious and livable.

4) large family room and kitchen windows.

5) plenty of wall space for art. I haven’t even come close to filling it but love hunting for interesting pieces!

My favorite parts of my new build are...

1) The large outside covered porch with retractable screens and overhead infrared heaters is such a treat day after day, and night after night.

2) Privacy. Luckily we have over 20 acres and there is nothing around us at all. Dancing naked and skinny dipping and doing whatever is pure joy.

3) The character grade white oak floors with natural dents, knots, cracks, and all sorts of blemishes. I now don't have to worry about adding to them with new scratches, and my dogs paw marks blend right in!

4) A nice strong metal roof over my head.

Love my master bath with roll in shower - don't need to roll in yet, but love its availability.

Love the location of the master bed, can get up in the morning and gaze out to my view.

Enjoy the kitchen - I prep looking outdoors, and i do dishes facing and conversing with any company seated in the dining area across from the sink, and if I'm alone, there's another good window beyond.

Induction cooking is wonderful.

Privacy.

Flat driveway ... awesome in winter. What a switch!!!

I love the wall colors and the tiles I've chosen hither and yon.

The covered front porch.

There's more, but enough for now.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION of my Fortress of Solitude

4000 sq feet on 5 acres in rolling hills studded with coast live oaks.

Short drive to Stanford

Horses across the street to feed carrots

Horses over the fence to feed apples

Down the hill is a pond with turtles and the deer graze there

1/4 acre orchard

4 Sealyham terriers and a great husband

I'll add... my chickens.

Closets. Plenty of closets. Extra large garage. Living area designed for TV, exterior view and fireplace view.

I like that my house looks smallish from the outside, but when you walk in the front door - Surprise! it's much roomier than it looks. Everyone that first comes into my home makes that comment. I like that I have windows on at least 2 walls of every room which makes the interior light and bright and allows for wonderful breezes. I like that you can't see the kitchen from the front door or the living room. This makes my pretty kitchen another surprise as you walk through house. I like that there are at least two ways to exit or enter each room. I also love my views out the front and the back.

Location: a safe place to be. If you can't afford your dream city, at least find a city you can be safely outside, in..... Take care of your family and put 2 bedrooms at least downstairs. You can make one an office when the empty nest sets in...you get an office, till you have inlaws/grandkids, or live in help to recuperate from 'knee surgery/hip surgery...etc. The 2nd bedroom can have a full bath just off the living area, that works as a powder room or a public convenient bathroom...make the doors 3 ft wide, keep the vanity separate with a pocket door to the toilet/bath/shower area...than you have the equivalent of 2 bathrooms for guests

! Also, put a sink in your utility area. And don't put in so many cabinets that you have to remove some when you go from chest to upright deep freezer. Leave some places as flex. Open shelves are easier to remove than cabinets hung on that wall, btw.....

Make your refrigerator convenient to someone coming in from the backyard through the utility room.. Keeps them out of your kitchen when you're cooking.

Make your dining room/living room one area at least 13 feet wide and 24 to 30 feet long. Sometimes adults just need a place to visit without the television the kids are watching. A dining room or a 'living room' is nice, if you just put in one....No need to build walls for each area, you can buy lots of pretty ways to differentiate the two.

Don't fall for the recessed lighting throughout the house. So much labor to install and so many places to leak energy and bulbs to change. Choose light fixtures that provide adaquate light for the task in the area.

Keep your rooms in balance. You don't need a 300 sq foot bath if the other baths are 1/5th that size. You don't need a 25x25 Master bedroom, if your kitchen is 10x11..Consider how many people will be in one space at one time, to help you.

Best of all, build something you can pay for in less than 15 years. Alot of those decisions are made in the last 30pct of home building.

Keep your numbers straight, and if you must have high end, get it on sale. The cheapest thing you can do is 'put a house in the dry'. It's how you finish it that will kill your budget, so don't put too many square feet under the roof, --unless you have a couple of places you can finish after the house is home for a few years.

The wilderness...the trees...the animals (both wild and domestic)...the isolation. What we love most would be utterly wrong for most of humanity.

After owning several houses in Portland on successively larger lots, we took the proceeds from the last sale and bought four acres in an area many Portlanders would sneer at. The town is redneck, the politics unfortunate, but we're asocial, so this doesn't affect us. We verge upon the outback, while still being a half hour from downtown Portland. Our wooded hillside is our little slice of heaven.

The Cabbage, our very small cabin/cottage (under 800 sq. ft) turns its back on society and faces the deep woods beyond our gardens and horse corrals. We have a simple, open floor plan with large windows that fill the interior with daylight. We have no need for curtains, and in warm weather we open it all up and live primarily outdoors, often sleeping out on the lawn.

Our evenings are filled with starlight, a chorus of crickets and frogs, and the songs of teenage coyote keggers and barred owls waging their operatic love affairs from tree to tree. Mornings come alive with a glorious sunrise through ancient Douglas Firs and the sweet warbling of the Swainson Thrush.

Others can have their realtor-approved houses and close, nosy neighbors. We love our home at the edge of the Coast Range, far from the madding crowd.

The absolute best thing about my house is how every single room has lots of natural light from at least two walls. Meaning windows on two walls in every single room. Some rooms like my studio has windows on 3 walls.

The next best thing about my house is that it's oriented north/south so I don't get the afternoon sun glaring in from the west but instead get natural light all day long from north and south.

The other great thing is how my house flows from one room to the next.

My house is also designed for easy entertaining both indoors and out.

First, and perhaps only, is location. Light is also critical. Everything else, IMO, is negotiable.

One big design element that's important to me is easy access to the outdoors. I've lived in a lot of houses, and find I use outdoor spaces more frequently when I can step out to a deck, patio or garden from a main living space. If I have to walk up/down a flight of stairs, through the house to a back door or around the house to the garden, I seldom pop out with a cup of coffee and a book.

Speaking of outdoors, in hilly areas I much prefer houses that sits up off the road where the back garden slopes up away from the house, rather than the reverse. Houses that are slightly elevated from the street feel more private, both front and back.

How do you guys get windows on two walls of every room? Do have a division within a u-shape?

Captured garage not visible from the front.

Elliptical 8.5' windows to the floor across the south side. Sun across rooms in the winter and shaded by the overhang all summer. 18 - 9 pairs.

6" step down kitchen area at the end of the great room. The island is table height facetted curve on the room side under a facetted drop ceiling.. Range is forward with 9" wings for 3 sided multi-cook access. 28.5" deep counters.

Open step down shower/tubs of marble and slate tile with low flow shower heads. Part of sunken planting areas.

8/4 paneled hardwood doors on ball bearing hinges. Site made.

I have windows on two walls in all but one room - my small breakfast room. But it's not a problem - it has a big double 8 over 12 double-hung window so I get lots of light, even in the morning (it faces due west). There is an awning that covers it and protects it from the afternoon sun.

One achieves this by having a house that is only 2-rooms deep. These houses with interior rooms are doomed to be dark, regardless of what the photos show - in them, not only are all the lights on full (in broad daylight), but often extra lights are brought in.

If one drives around older neighborhoods, one will see that houses built up to the 1960's usually were square houses with the rooms 2-deep and a center hall, front to back. Roof lines were simpler, too. There is a reason such houses were built for hundreds of years...they worked.

Makes sense...but does that mean two wide then? I have to see a plan lol!

i thought I did good with at least one wall of windows for every room except an interior 3rd bath which has no windows.

These are all wonderful considerations. If you have pets, you want to think about how to accomodate them in your design. Where is the litter box going to go? How can I make it unobtrusive yet easy to access? Where are the cats going to eat so that the dog can't reach their food. How are they going to get there? Where is the dog's food and water bowls going to go, so people aren't tripping over them? Have fun designing!