Dream House

[Patricia]

Being a newbie, I don't know if anyone has written on this topic before but I thought that I'd give it a go.  Has anyone built their dream home and what is it like? If you haven't, but dream about it, what would it be like?

I built my dream home many years ago and though I no longer live there, I still miss it. However, it's not what I'd build for a dream home now. So here goes.....

My dream home would be one level living. It would be about 2,000 sq ft, excluding the basement and garage, optimal use maximized. I loath wasted space. The master suite would be on one side of the house and would include a bedroom and bath (natch) and a den and office or a den/office, either of which would have ample bookcases to house the ever growing number of books (geekazoid) that we acquire (husband= fellow geekazoid) On the other side of the house would be two other bedrooms divided by a bath. In the middle of the house would be the common areas..... kitchen, dining, living combo. There'd be decks and/or patios outside to expand living space. This plan has been simmering in my mind's eye for some time, so it's still conceptual.
But here's the best part. It would be totally off the grid. Powered by solar and wind with backup sources of energy, which for me means wood and coal, as I live in Northern New England at the corner of no and where and it's a way of life here.

Am I an environmentalist? Uh, no. Conservationist? With reservations. What really motivates me is all the money that I wouldn't have to shell out for utilities. Think about all that ca-ching back in the old pocket. Wicked Good, huh? Around these parts, if you produce your own electricity and don't use it all, the electric company buys the remainder back from
you. I love, love, love that!  Is it like that where you live? Plus, no more power outages. No frozen or burst pipes. No melt down in the food freezer. Fugedaboudit! 
Now if I could only figure out a way to do the same for phones.....

Your turn!

[Maggie/Vancouver]

Ooooo....what a great subject Patricia.....I can't tell you what the exact house of my dreams would look like, but I can tell you a couple of features I would like it to have....

1)  Big closets.  Right now I am in the process of restoring a beautiful old character house.  While the house is lovely, it is completely lacking in closet space.  I am guessing that in 1900, most folks only had one or two outfits so the two foot by five foot space designated as the closet in the master bedroom was sufficient.  It is so bad that I have actually made one of the small bedrooms into a walk in closet.  It is hard to have guests stay over and then ask them to to sleep in my closet.  Last summer, I rented a gorgeous condo in Chicago for the summer.  The closet was the size of my kitchen and living room combined.  I was in heaven.....I essentially want that closet from now until the end of time.

2)  More land.  I live in a fabulous area near the beach but the houses are close together.   On hot nights when everyone has their windows open, I don't want to know what the neighbours are having for dinner or when they are "feeling frisky."  More space would be good. 

3)  Free and clear.  My dream house is free or paid off.  It could be a shack...but if I owned it outright, I would paint it a pretty colour and love it! 

That is all I can think of for now.....

Have a great day....Maggie   

[Bill Saunders]

I think mine would be a new 1920's style bungalow ( i.e. http://thebungalowcompany.com )...with arches inside, big front and back porch, changes to 20's needs would be larger closets, larger baths Of course super energy efficiency everywhere with a breezeway attaching a "detached" matching garage with upstairs apartment. Of course, it would also have to have a rustic dock extending out into Silver Lake on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina...which of course would mean that I would have more money than God...or maybe almost as much money as Susan...lol

By the way, I'd like 2 or three of these with another in New England and maybe one in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so I could chase the good weather...hey it's a dream, right?

[RealCathrin]

Oh this IS a god subject!   At one time my dream house was to be a late 19th C. Queen Anne Victorian with more nooks & cranies than an English muffin...lots of stained glass and intricate wood turnings...whew!  Now...after seeing so many houses and what it takes to care for them...that dream turned into a white elepant.  I've been learning about Susan Sarasanka and "The Not So Big House" from some clients.  This is what my dreams are all about now!

[Perky]

I love many styles of houses.  My favorites are American foursquare farmhouses with gigantic rooms and big multi paned windows,  Federal style, and Craftsman style bungalows.  I tend to go for more simple clean lines and gentle/graceful curves over the more ornate Victorian / gothic styles.

I would love a summer bungalow on the beach for vacations, and a big farm house for year round living on a huge piece of property.....

Here is my dream property:

[Susan Haughton]

Ooh, I was going to say one thing and then I saw Perky's pic and realized I love that one, too!  I love love love the Arts and Crafts style Bungalows, but I am DONE with stairs after this stint and most of the bungalows are a little on the small side if they do not have a 2nd story.  At the same time, I love a one level spanish/mediterranean villa style - 3 sided with a lush courtyard in the center...the BRs would all have sliders to the courtyard...maybe that would be the beach house and Perky's farmhouse would be the winter house...my husband would reverse that, though, as he doesn't like snow and I live for it...we would have to swap out.  He likes mild seasons, I like dramatic seasons.  LOL

I would like it to be as green as possible...Vetrazzo countertops, alternative energy sources, etc...so we could be as independent as possible.  Oh, and it would have to be near the water so my husband can fish. 

We don't need a lot of space, but it needs to be an efficiently designed space...with a luxury bath, of course.  That's my downfall.

[Jennifer Allan]

wow - Susan's house is my dream house - I've even designed it on paper. If not Spanish/mediterranean, it would be Florida Modern (white stucco, flat roof, rounded corners). On the beach.

[Patricia]

Wow!I have thought about and do love the idea of a courtyard, but I didn't know if I could combine solar/ wind energy with a three sided home. I'm guessing that it would be a bit more complicated. I live in an area that looks like Perky's dream house, though I actually live in the mountains, on the outskirts of the farm land.

[RealCathrin]

More thoughts...one level is way up there is requirements...anything handcrafted...unusual...stonework maybe...definately smallish...with one great big room for a killer model train layout...built-in bookshelves...a deck with a view...garage...

Just random thoughts today.

[Bill Saunders]

O, HO, or N gauge?

[RealCathrin]

We have HO gauge now...but both love N.  Trouble is...we get too soon old and our eyes tire out.

[Bill Saunders]

I know what ya mean. My Father built a really nice portable N scale all sectionalized with all kinds of moving stock when my Mom was real sick. He had to have a project to keep sane. Sadly niether of my sons really got into it, so it has moved with us for years, usually occupying some lean-to wall space. I guess it is all antique now, she passed about 25 years ago.

Back to the dream house. I just watched a couple buy my bungalow on house hunters...wasn't on Ocracoke though...

[RealCathrin]

Portable would be nice...we have an HO scale Layout that covers most of the basement...argh...when we...if we...ever move....

It's supposed to come apart...we'll see.