I agree with the majority here in saying that the most important items are: - a good design that fits your family both today and tomorrow. Never confuse "good design" with "huge rooms" or "more rooms". Good design is a layout that makes sense; for example, a dining room located adjacent to the kitchen, nice sight-lines for every doorway /walkway, inviting nooks in which to sit. - quality construction so that you won't be plagued with maintenance issues after (or even before) the new wears off the house. You can always go back and upgrade your countertop or your light fixtures later, but it's much more difficult to go back and upgrade your plumbing or your foundation. Don't skimp on the things that matter. - a house that incorporates all your needs and some of your wants. Keep your needs foremost in your mind, but if you can't get a few bells and whistles along the way, why are you bothering to build? And I'll add a tremendously important detail that's rarely mentioned on this website: - an affordable price tag. It's easy to end up house-poor. It's easy to get caught up in "Wow, refrigerator drawers are cool!" and "Two dishwashers - that sure would be handy!" . . . but those are expensive choices. Even some of the small upgrades that're discussed here add up to big bucks by the time you've said "yes" to just a few seemingly small things. Unless your budget really is unlimited, you're going to have to say "no" to a number of things that would really be great to have. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT gloss over those all-important, long-lasting items in favor of small-but-fun details. Having said that, here are some upgrades and non-obvious details that are on my and my husband's list for our retirement house, which we have collected over the last year: - All brick, low-maintenance exterior - Partial wrap-around porch, also built in a low-maintenance material - Wide, easy-to-climb stairs . . . both to accommodate foot-traffic comfortably and to allow furniture to be placed upstairs - 7' tall windows throughout the house - Windows on two walls in all the major rooms - House designed and oriented to suit our site; for example, garage placed on the less-desirable North side, preserving the better light for the living areas - Natural rock to-the-ceiling masonry for fire place; direct-vent gas firebox - Built-ins in the living room for books, games, DVD and video game storage - Energy efficient windows and appliances - Ample insulation - 32" doorways and wide hallways to accommodate a walker or wheelchair - Leaf guard gutters - Electrical outlets well thought out: Over the mantel, on both sides of the island, in closets and pantry, by desk in garage entryway, at comfortable height over nightstands (4 outlets on each side of the bed) - Electrical outlet switches for the Christmas tree spot (by a front window -- very important to me) and for the holiday porch lights; these lights will be controlled by a switch located in an odd spot behind the front door -- to avoid confusing them with the everyday lights - All light fixtures are to use standard light bulbs rather than odd sizes (and, yes, we already have our dining room chandelier . . . and it uses standard bulbs!) - Keyless entry on garage (main) entrance - Dimmer switches on appropriate lights - Many ceiling fans (we're in the South) - Hardwood floors throughout the house - Plantation shutters in living /dining room - Dining room small enough to be cozy for 4 people . . . but adjacent to a wide pathway so the table can be expaaaaanded to seat twice that many - Small kitchen with nice finishes -- most storage in the adjacent pantry, which is much less expensive to build and will hide messes - Huge pantry: 21' floor-to-ceiling shelving, self-rotating can storage, 5' work space, storage for cookbooks, storage for large /rarely-used cookware, area for broom closet and storage of cleaners, recycling bins - Motion-sensor lights in the pantry and all closets - Mostly drawers in the kitchen . . . traditional cabinets under the sink /one thin cabinet for stand-up cookie sheets and cooling racks - Lift for Kitchen Aide mixer - Built-in bread storage drawer - Built-in knife drawer - Heated granite on the island - Hidden spot for fire extinguisher in the kitchen - Counter-height window over kitchen sink - Undermount Silgranite one-bowl sink with 1 hp garbage disposal - Upper cabinets are to be tall: Will be 15" off the countertop (I'm short) and will reach the ceilings; include extra shelves for all that height - Glass-fronts in some upper cabinets - Central vac dustpan in kitchen . . . and a few more spots throughout the house - Swing lamps attached to the wall by the bed rather than lamps on night stands - Built-ins in bedroom for storage - Safe built into closet wall - Gun safe built into closet by garage entrance - Walk-in closet big enough to incorporate dresser-items - Open, no-barrier shower /good for accessibility in our elderly years . . . moveable bench rather than built-in - Tornado body-dryer in the shower - Raised toilets / electrical outlet near toilet for Toto seat . . . no silly little toilet closet - Plumbing is all kept to the center of the house /upstairs bath stacked over downstairs bath (huge cost savings) - iGlass in the bathroom (since ours will overlook the backyard) - Plywood behind all bathroom walls to add strength to towel bars /handicapped access grab bars - Heated flooring in master bath - Master bath wired for cable TV - Built-in hamper in master bath with other-side door that opens in to the master bedroom; this will allow us to toss in clothes from either direction - Laundry room located near master bedroom - Large patio with stained concrete - Run a PVC pipe w/ hose through patio concrete . . . so that we'll have a hose on the far side of the patio without having a visible hose - Hose bibs on each side of the house and one in the garage - Small fiberglass pool with tanning ledge and bubbler - Small outdoor kitchen - Ample parking for guests / clear pathway to the front door - All flower beds, etc. edged with brick (or similar) to eliminate need for edging -- mowing alone will take care of the yard's main needs - Outlet in the garage for electric car - Rain barrels to collect water for flower beds - Walk-in attic storage space

We're just weeks from moving into our new house, but we built in 2001 and I've reproduced the things I loved most about that house in the new one. I'm one who loves deep drawers -- I kept my daily dishes -- heavy stoneware -- in one and my shoulders appreciated not having to lift them into a wall cupboard. I hated the two "door" cabinets I had because I had to sit on the floor to dig things out. The new kitchen is almost all drawers -- and the two door cupboards have pullouts this time. Full extension drawers -- wouldn't be without them. Under cabinet lighting -- ditto. The best quality cabinets you can afford. It's easy to fall in love with a look and sacrifice quality. Resist the temptation. For me, a fridge with a freezer on the bottom. The apartment we're in while building has a top freezer and I curse it every time I have to stand on my head to get something out. My old fridge was a single door, bottom freezer -- I loved it. The new one is a FD bottom freezer. I hope I like the FD as much as my DS and DDIL do. I know I'm WAY in the minority here, but I've had a ceiling fan in every kitchen since 1977, and I can't imagine not having it. I thought long and hard before sacrificing snazzy over-the-island pendants for a pedestrian fan and light -- but I love having cooling breezes while I'm cooking. The snazzy pendants are going over the sink. We loved our island in the last house, but found it a bit too small when entertaining. The one in the new house is more of a continent. I'm almost embarrassed . . . but we'll never find it too small!! Have fun planning! The link below has a lot of great ideas . . . Here is a link that might be useful: Maybe more than you wanted to know!

This is a subject near and dear to my heart as we are closing on a house purchase next week and plan to have some work done before moving in. Here is what I would like to have done: 1. Repainting several rooms and painting lots of built in cabinets (currently stained). 2. Change cab pulls and hinges. 3. Take out carpet in family room, master bedroom and master bath and replace with wood (tile in bath). 4. Add recessed lighting several places 5. Remove flourescent lighting in kitchen. 6. Replace a few ceiling fans 7. Convert 3 windows in master bedroom to french doors going out side. 8. Re-do tub/shower area (they are separate and OK but I would like a larger shower and there is room to extend). 9. Remove flourescent lighting above vanity and put in something else. 10. Extend utility room (adding to back of house) 11. Replace doors with glass with more secure doors. 12. Reface brick fireplace with dry stack stone 13. Open up between kitchen and dining room (i.e. take out top half of wall). Rearrange cooktop and refrigerator area. Add island to kitchen. 14. Replace laminate workspace in hobby room with something else. 15. Replace tile in kitchen/foyer. 16. Replace 4 1/2 ft fencing with 6 ft fencing. What we are actually doing on the list before moving in: 1. Repainting several rooms and painting lots of built in cabinets (currently stained). - Yes. This will be much easier and cheaper to do before moving in and is not all that expensive. We are cutting back and not doing as much in some areas as I would live as we are deferring other work in those area. We decided not to piecemeal the family room for example. 2. Change cab pulls and hinges. - Still doing this since the painting won't look good without it. 3. Take out carpet in family room, master bedroom and master bath and replace with wood (tile in bath). - Deferring this one. This would be easier to do without us there. But it is only 3 rooms and can be done later. And, this is an over $10,000 item so it really makes a difference on the budget to defer this a year or two. Also carpet is not to my taste but is in good condition. Had it been in poor condition I would feel differently. 4. Add recessed lighting several places. - Not very expensive and important to my enjoyment. 5. Remove flourescent lighting in kitchen. - Not expensive so will probably do this. 6. Replace a few ceiling fans. - Mostly moving around. 7. Convert 3 windows in master bedroom to french doors going out side. - Deferring. This can be done later. 8. Re-do tub/shower area (they are separate and OK but I would like a larger shower and there is room to extend). - Deferring. It is in good condition now, just not exactly what I want. 9. Remove flourescent lighting above vanity and put in something else. - Doing this. Not expensive and I really don't like how it looks. 10. Extend utility room (adding to back of house) - Maybe some day... 11. Replace doors with glass with more secure doors. - Important. I would like to defer but I want to get new locks (instead of just rekeying). Sellers have single deadbolts on glass doors and I don't feel secure with that. 12. Reface brick fireplace with dry stack stone - Probably will defer. Would like to do it now but makes sense to do it when we do the flooring. SO deferring flooring means deferring this. 13. Open up between kitchen and dining room (i.e. take out top half of wall). Rearrange cooktop and refrigerator area. Add island to kitchen. - Later. This is a huge project because it also likely means new appliances and new granite. 14. Replace laminate workspace in hobby room with something else. - Not sure. Logically it makes sense to do it now but I'm not sure exactly what I want so I may defer it. 15. Replace tile in kitchen/foyer. - Defer. The current tile is nice and fairly recent just not a color that I personally like. But it isn't objectionable so I will wait on this (probably for years).

Yah Marti I know it is too bad. I went sloothing around for directions too. It seems to me the steps are too high but then I am not a cat. LOL I can so see this down and around and back up our long hall. Cats love stairs/ladders to climb. And I just thought the kitchen in the yellow French Country for LL. I am going to go look for another version of this. We have a jog in the wall on one side which is not fun. Hummmm