New House Build (What I would do different after a year of living in it)

[WVH1977]

So, I love my new house. I finally have a master bath. Woo Hoo!. I know that no house is perfect and you can't catch every scenario. Having said that, here is a list of things I would do differently if doing it again.

1. Next house will be 2 1/2 bath. I kind of let my builder talk me out of this. Had some family get togethers and definitely wish I had the 1/2 bath. I know I saved a little on the cost but if I ever do it again this is going to be a must have.
2. I kept my house at a certain square footage based on dollar per square foot. I was worried to death about my appraisal. This caused me to have the architect draw a 2 foot bump out for the bathroom on one side of the house where the kids rooms are. I should of sucked up the 5 to 8 grand it would have cost to push the whole house out 2 feet and been done. (This is probably the biggest thing that bothers me about the house and my decision on the size).
3. I did not put a garage in. Again, I was worried to death about the price of everything. Next time, if we do it again, I will HAVE a garage done with the house. This is the one extra I wanted and needed and still did do not have. Who knows when I will ever build one. Almost everyone I know that did not do the garage initially, still have no garage. I am currently building a shed, have a shipping container and will build a pole barn but I wish I would have done a garage.
4. My kitchen could be bigger and I would have liked to have had more counter space. I do have a plan moving forward to add some more space to this.
5. I wish we would have put an extra room, for an office/spare room, etc.

Here is a list of items I did right and happy with:

1. Had the entire house bricked. Back deck, front porch all concrete and brick. Every time I come home I smile about the brick. Probably THE best thing I did on the build.
2. 9 foot ceilings - I know this is an extra and not needed but I really like the tall ceiling height.
3. House was designed around the wood stove. My house is like a square and I put the wood stove right smack dab in the middle. House holds heat great in winter and makes you walk around in your underwear.
4. Bathrooms are huge. You can lay down in them. Love it!!!
5. Me and the wife never needed 2 sinks, so we added more closet space in the bathroom. We have a closet and shelving in the master bath and Love it!!!
6. 3 ft wide doors through out.
7. We sacrificed a dinning room for a mud room/laundry room. This was a great decision. We are out door people and have lots of nasty shoes/clothes/jackets and other junk filling up these spaces. Really glad we did this.
8. Utility sink in the laundry room. A must have!!!

Overall, I am very happy with the house. It is comfortable and cozy. It is easy on the light bill and is home. Just thought I would share for those going down this adventure with your own house build. I also highly recommend working with the architect and design that suits you. We really did not think about resale and built with what we wanted.

 

[kf4uda]

Congratuons on your beautiful home. We have just moved into a new one as well still lacking a little outside work finishing. I hope your new home serves you well for many years. I designed ours so the undertaker has easy access to roll me out the back door

 

[ultrarunner]

With your style would the garage be matching in a carriage house design?

I like brick but extremely rare in earthquake country.

A small extra room is always a bonus... call it office, sewing, etc...

Sounds like you did well.

 

[dodge man]

Looks like a nice house. Glad you are enjoying it.

A couple of observations from houses we have had.

I agree on the double sinks. I always see that on house hunters. Couples comment “no double sink”. We don’t miss it.

We have conclude that a family room and a formal living room is not needed. We converted our formal living room to a dining room.

Out house has sort of a great room. The kitchen is just open to the living room. This is where I think most home owners spend there time and having the kitchen as part of it is nice.

 

[old and tired]

One thing we did and would do again, was 2 sinks in the kitchen. One on the island and one in front of the window. Both just a small 25" tub and about the same distance away from the dishwasher. We host a fair amount of dinners / guests and always have plenty of pots and dishes to deal with... this makes it quick and easy.

We also, did a single sink in the master bath.

 

[EddieWalker]

I read somewhere that it takes 7 tries to build the perfect house for yourself.

I started out with 2 bathrooms in my house and a few years ago, added a third. While doing that, I created a larger walk in closet with the washer and dryer inside the closet. That's been a game changer!!!

My biggest mistake was putting the front door of the house facing the front of the property. That wasn't wrong, but over time, that's where we've created our back yard. The house blocks the afternoon sun, and it's the most comfortable area to be outdoors in the evenings.

For the last couple of years I've been working on flipping everything around and making the back door and my garage our front door and living room. I'm building a new attached 3 car garage right now so I can empty my current garage, and open up that area.

My biggest fear is that when I'm all done with it, I'll realize that I got it wrong again and I'll want to change everything one more time.

 

[JasperFrank]

Did you start with a clean sheet or did you adapt off an existing floor plan?
The brick looks great! and no more worries about painting.
I know some folks are very hesitant to post interior pics of their houses, yet it would be fun to see how you used the spaces. How are you using the space above the front porch? Is this a loft or an unfinished attic?

On the many sites I have been on, the one universal lament was always "We should have built the garage first and with a toilet, shower and utility sink!"

 

[Jstpssng]

My next house will have two baths, even though I live alone. One for regular use, the other just inside the entry door. If I come in wet, muddy, or greasy I don't want to take my boots off just to go take a dump. (Although the bootleg outhouse in the field is handy for that sometimes. ) If I come in covered with snow I want to be able to strip, drop my clothes in the washer and step into a hot shower, without worrying about mopping the entire house first.

 

[oosik]

We had our first house built in Anchorage, AK. Like the OP we gained much knowledge from that house.

When we built here in Ea WA state - that initial knowledge was helpful.

- single story, ranch style was what we built here
- no fireplaces - waste of $$$ and never that energy efficient
- electric baseboard heat as a backup to a nice wood burning stove
- three bedroom - two bathrooms
- LARGE kitchen with island stove/counter top and LOTS of extra counter top workspace

There was more but that was how the design started

After 40+ years here - I can't, right off the top, think of any changes.

Oh and - no in-sink garbage disposal and no dishwasher. Both proved to be a PITA and big $$$$ cost in our first home in Anchorage.

 

[m1garand762]

We are getting ready to build and high on the priority list was a first floor master bedroom, especially since my parents spent a fortune to modify there home when mom became wheelchair bound. The second is a bathroom right off the garage so the kids aren’t walking half way through the house when they come in from outside