Must haves in new home (new construction)?

[jani7]

What would your must haves in a new construction home be?  Heated bathroom floors, wood throughout, good storage space?  We are building and I would love to hear what others would want in their "dream home"! 

[thatgirl2478]

2 stories - OR a ranch style where they bedrooms are very separate from the more public areas of the house.

Storage space. Radiant heating throughout. Hardwood throughout. Kitchen with enough counter space, eat in kitchen. Lots of light. Easy, thought out access to the back yard & garage. Bathroom on the first floor (near the more public spaces).

For me specifically? A large basement work room, heated, lots of light, polished concrete floors (preferably heated), in floor drain, a TON of outlets, bathroom, large utility sink.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Wait, so are these must-haves or wants? Those are very different things for me.

Must-have: Good, useable floor plan. Master suite. Office space. Garage with room for workshop (and cars).
Want: Hardwoods throughout (finished in place, not pre-finished), fireplace(s), whole-house a/v wiring, home automation system (hey, you said this was a dream house, right?)

[stephm0188]

A mud room.

[electricmayhem]

Our current home (our first) was new construction and we bought it based more on finishes than any specific size, layout or feature requirements.  Now that we've lived here awhile, if we were to do it again, here are my wants vs needs.  I've starred the things we already have.

Need:
Central air*
Gas stove (have electric now, HATE)
Single sink basin or very large with small if divided (have same-size dual now, HATE)
Dual vanities in master bath* (before I lived with these I didn't really see the point--but I LOVE having my own space)
Mud room* (especially in our current location--tons of snow)

Want:
Fourth bedroom
Radiant heat in flooring
Hardwood flooring in main living area*
Separate space for play area*
Eat in kitchen with separate dining area 

[simpsongal]

These are all probably wants, but here's a few things:

I would spring for nice doors - not the plastic or hollow core ones. It will be pricier but I like the feel & sound dampening effect of solid core wood doors.

2nd floor laundry, mudroom, great room w/fireplace, workout space in the basement
If you get bugs in summer, a screened in porch.

[boiler717]

Here was our list off the top of my head:

3 car+ side load garage
Large front porch
Deck with area for paver patio
Mudroom
Sunroom / hearth room / morning room off kitchen
First floor flex / playroom with doors
First floor office with doors
Eat in kitchen with walk in pantry, large island, separate wine bar / butler pantry
Formal dining room
Two staircases
DH wanted a loft / bonus room but that wasn't a must for me
Guest bedroom with en suite bath
Two additional bedrooms with JnJ bath
Master bed with his and her closets, master bath with 2 sinks or 2 sink areas, separate tub and shower, and water closet

I went back and forth on the location of the laundry room. Originally I wanted second floor for convenience but I didn't want to give up one if my extra baths or master closets. I don't regret it yet but it was one of the tougher decisions we made. Hopefully once we have kids our housekeeper will do laundry so it will be a moot point

[decoraholic]

My must haves would all be in the floor plan- big kitchen, big living room, and nice office on the main level, 4 bedrooms, and a nice basement with a workshop, a big 2-3 car garage. House should be facing so it gets a lot of natural light, private(ish) outdoor area where we could install a deck our patio.

A lot of the other things like nice flooring and finishes I might consider doing after. I wouldn't want to be paying interest on all those upgrades for the next 30 years.

[boiler717]

Finish wise here was where we ended up:

Big upgrades ($1k+)
Hardwoods on main floor (exceptions were tile in Mudroom and laundry)
Upgraded cabinetry
Carrara marble counters
Front wooden staircase
Glass French doors into office

Smaller upgrades (<$500)
Awesome interior doors (5 panel horizontal)
Brushed nickel lever door handles
Front door style
Prairie grid windows
Upgraded carpet and pad
Frameless shower door in master
Belt garage door opener and keypad

Skipped
Took builder lighting but had them install ours
Took builder cabinet hardware but had them install ours
Basic ceramic tile
Standard bath finishes for showers, tubs, faucets
Standard Rubbermaid closet hanging systems

There are more if I pull out my paperwork but that's off the top of my head!

[lemondrop]

Adding wants/needs together:

4 bedrooms
2-3 bathrooms (need a master, plus one with the other 3 rooms)
at least 1/2 bathroom on each floor
large master WIC
office area-separate room or corner of another room
play/craft area
mudroom
2 car garage
room on property for large work shed for DH
hardwood throughout
radiant heating in tiles
fireplace in main living space

[crispnclean]

For me, "must haves" and my dream home are different. Must haves are the bare minimum I require. This isn't really a list of either....more just things I want in my next house:
Mud room
Laundry room on same floor as bedrooms
Hardwood floors
Ceiling fans
molding around top of kitchen cabinets
large pantry
front porch
oversized garage with extra storage space

[boiler717]

Jan 25, 2013 14:22:11 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

It really depends on the builder. Hardwoods are by far the biggest expense. For example, for the $300-600k price point 3" hardwoods come standard in the foyer and main hallways with every builder we considered. We upgraded to 5" for essentially the whole main floor and it was $18,000.

I don't mind helping people out with price questions because I had NO clue about stuff like that but I know it can be hush hush too.

[boiler717]

One I forgot that I would definitely recommend is upgraded trim work, especially on the main floor.

[cajungal]

We have two children and hope to have one more. Our must-haves for the house we just built:

Open kitchen. Must be able to see family room and breakfast room from kitchen. We had a closed off kitchen before, and once I had kids, I hated it.
Gas appliances
Bigger laundry room (had a laundry closet before)
At least 4 bedrooms, at least one bedroom and full bathroom downstairs (for if someone is disabled and can't get up the stairs)
Gameroom
Study with french doors
Loved the idea of Jack-n-Jill bathrooms or ensuites - all of our bedrooms have a bathroom attached or a Jack-n-Jill.
3+ car garage
Big, fenced backyard
Covered patio with ceiling fan

Perks:
Dark wood floors
2 story foyer and living room (I know most think it's a waste of space, but we love the look of them)
A 5th bedroom with ensuite bathroom for guests
His and her master vanities
Larger master shower

Things I wish we had but weren't must-haves:
Mudroom
Front covered patio
Heated tile flooring

[tarheels]

A butler's pantry.  And I'd upholster the walls in silver cloth.



Other fun things I'd do if building:













All pics are from my Smart Home pin board.

[mrslch]

Must Haves:

9-foot foundation walls
9-foot main floor ceilings
3-car garage
Formal Dining Room
Eat-in kitchen
Gas range
Level yard
Master Suite w/ walk-in closet
4 bedrooms
Main floor laundry w/ utility sink
Fireplace

Prefer:

Hardwood Floors (main living spaces, carpet in bedrooms)
Solid wood doors
5-inch trim
Mud room
Walk-out basement
Playroom/Den
Insulated interior walls

You should concentrate on things that can't be changed later on.  Structural things like layout and location/lot are things I would focus on.

[kitty]

My list would have many things pp have already said but one big thing I would do to use universal design - wider doorways, lever handles, etc and I would want the master (or a guest room that could later serve as the master) on the first floor so that we could live on one level when we are old and arthritic.

[emjacobs]

We built a little over a year ago and here's the detailed description of our house, it fits us well but I would change some things now.

2500 finished sqft rambler on a basement
3 bedrooms, all decent sized with large closets.
Master bedroom with large bathroom and dual walk-in closets. Vaulted Ceiling.
Ceiling fans in all bedrooms.
WtoW Carpet with upgraded padding in bedrooms, closets, hallway.
Linen closet in the hallway.
Laundry room with utility sink. Thought the utility sink was great, never use it.
Full hall bathroom.
Open living area, living room, dining room, kitchen.
Living room with gas fireplace and carpet. Vaulted Ceiling.
Dining room and kitchen have tile.
Kitchen has peninsula style countertop layout.
Walk in pantry.
Wood flooring in the foyer
Deck and porch (front and rear) with stairs.
Basement:
Family / game room (long room)
Utility room with storage.
Full bath.
WtoW carpet in long room
Tile in "foyer" area
Walk in coat closet.
2 1/2 car garage.

[sratsey]

Jan 25, 2013 14:22:11 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

Jan 25, 2013 14:03:56 GMT -5 boiler717 said:

Finish wise here was where we ended up:

Big upgrades ($1k+)
Hardwoods on main floor (exceptions were tile in Mudroom and laundry)
Upgraded cabinetry
Carrara marble counters
Front wooden staircase
Glass French doors into office

Smaller upgrades (<$500)
Awesome interior doors (5 panel horizontal)
Brushed nickel lever door handles
Front door style
Prairie grid windows
Upgraded carpet and pad
Frameless shower door in master
Belt garage door opener and keypad

Skipped
Took builder lighting but had them install ours
Took builder cabinet hardware but had them install ours
Basic ceramic tile
Standard bath finishes for showers, tubs, faucets
Standard Rubbermaid closet hanging systems

There are more if I pull out my paperwork but that's off the top of my head!

This is really interesting to read.  I haven't ever gone through this process and I wouldn't even know which things would be "upgrades" and what would be standard. 

I have built twice and I think you'll find that most builder's grade is kind of crappy and anything decent is an upgrade.
Our
cosmetic upgrades: sink and tub fixtures (and we didn't even go really
high end, just one level up), cabinets (builder's grade was melamine),
carpet padding and carpet (we were actually told that the base grade
carpet was the kind that everyone rips up after a year), toilets (we
upgraded to comfort height).
We kept the light fixtures and they were
horrifically ugly.  I replaced most of them within 3 months of moving
in but I still have this super cheap lantern hanging in my foyer and
some real winners in the laundry room and closets LOL
We also kept the door, which is crap, but the kind of door I want wasn't in the budet.
We kept the standard tile which wasn't terrible the second time, but in my first home the standard tile was 6x6 ceramic...for anywhere you wanted tile.

Electrical: 
overhead lighting in bedrooms is usually an upgrade.  You are normally
given a certain number of recessed lighting and anything over is extra. 
I found with both builds that the standard amount is NEVER enough.

Our must haves coming into this home were a designated office on the main floor, a separate play area for the kids, a larger kitchen and a floor plan that had a nice flow.  It was important that the garage led to the mudroom and the mudroom/laundry area was off the kitchen. In our last home you had to walk through the family room if you came in through the garage and we hated that.  Master Suite. 
We wanted radiant heating but it was more than what I was willing to pay.

[mollybrown]

So hard to say without knowing what the standards are! Our new build had lots of the things listed here as standard (mudroom, 2nd floor laundry, upgraded crown molding, hardwoods throughout the first floor, nice hardware, basement, nice finishes, etc.)

Most of our upgrade dollars were used adding square footage. We added a flex space, added a kitchen addition, and added a bathroom. We also upgraded our hardwood floors, our cabinet, our kitchen sink and faucet, the tile in the master bath, and the stove and hood. In hindsight, I would probably have hired a pro to go over my plans before finalizing everything. The things I wish I had done are things I would have never paid attention to, like placement of electrical outlets, placement of light switches, placement of the water spigot outside...you know, all of the boring things that I didn't notice until I went to use them after I moved in and realized they weren't ideal. I'd also pay more attention to location of overhead light fixtures. They are all centered in the room, but that doesn't make sense for at least one of our spaces.

[adhdfashion]

4th bedroom
Pantry
mudroom
large laundry room

[kaylie]

I'd want:
- wood floors throughout
- upgraded trims and moldings
- a large kitchen with lots of storage and high end finishes
- a nice mud room with plenty of space for built in storage
- large master closet
- 9ft+ ceilings
- high end bathrooms
- energy efficient windows
- two zones for heat/ac
- fenced yard

[vic1011]

We're building now. We already had the lot (3.5 acres) and a small house that we'll turn into a garage. I'm going to skip the need/want and say what we put in.

Wood windows that are vinyl clad (specified divided light - so just a line down the middle)
Oak french doors and front door, again vinyl clad
Wood flooring throughout (exception - tile in mudroom and bathrooms)
Radiant Heat throughout
Wood fired boiler with propane backup
Big Closets
2.5 bathrooms
Granite countertops
Walnut counters
Separate tub/shower in master bath - I wanted a tub where I could get my knees and boobs wet at the same time!
2 story
Sound barrier between walls

[Deleted]

• A huge scrub sink in the garage and a floor drain. 
  
• A garage that leads into a mudroom/pantry which leads into the kitchen
  
• Huge drawers in the kitchen instead of cabinets under the counter
• A spigot close to the driveway so I don't need a 100ft + hose to wash my car
• Double hung fold out windows with Lo-E and argon gas (or whatever they may have upgraded those two options to)
• Screens that easily pop in and out
• Storm doors that have the glass that slides down and is replaced by a screen
• A front door that isn't all freaking glass like mine
• Long expanses of counter instead of having it all broken up by the sink, stove, etc.
• Laundry chutes
  

[starlily]

We are lucky in that our soon-to-be home comes with a lot of standard items that would be upgrades with other builders, so we focused on options that would increase functionality for us:

- got rid of 3rd tandem garage space in favor of extended family room
- finished, covered patio that runs the length of the family room
- 12foot sliding glass doors to patio
- extended T-shaped kitchen island to seat 4-5
- surround sound in family room
- recessed lighting for family room
- J box for a chandelier over kitchen island
- extra flat panel connect and data cable outlet in loft
- single stainless steel sink in kitchen
- security system
- extended tile entryway to cover in front of the coat closet and the entry from garage
- kitchen backsplash

DD is still young & we're planning a second, so we're sticking with standard flooring the next 5 years our so.

[pickle123]

Our priority was to get the floorplan and square footage where we wanted. Also 10ft ceilings, 9 ft foundation, things like that....you can't change that stuff. We wanted hardwood but with a 110 lb dog I didn't want to splurge on that only to have it scratched to hell, so we went with a nice laminate. That can always be changed in the future. We also planned for a custom mudroom and for the garage to fit 5 cars (3 across, 2 are deep for 2 cars) with room for a car lift for my hubby. In short, we splurged on stuff that would be hard to change in the future.

Another splurge we did was whole house surround sound.