My Dream House
All of the moving of the past month has made me think a lot about houses. Some day, we're all going to be in a house (although hopefully not all together). If you had the ability to design your house from scratch, what would you do? What sort of things are in your dream house? Assuming money is no object and not worrying about location, what would you want your home to be like.
For me, I've always wanted at least 3 levels of house. A fully finished basement, a main floor and an upstairs. Upstairs would be bedrooms and bathrooms, of course. I know that Jess wants one of those UBER bathrooms with a giant soaking/jacuzzi tub and a shower with like 8 nozzles. She also wants heated tile flooring, and a big sign that says "No boys allowed". I've pretty much reconciled myself to abandoning the top floor.
For the main floor, I'd like a nice kitchen with an island in the middle of it, and is maybe a 6-10 inches raised from the level of the adjoining rooms. Now that I have a small little dining room area that is separate from the main apartment, I find that I love it. It gives meal-time a whole new appeal to me, cause it forces you to focus on what's in the room, rather than just throwing on the TV. So a separate dining room is a must.
I'd like a family room with a fireplace, and a really NICE TV. Probably one of those wall-mounted plasma thingies. I don't like the idea of having a bookshelf full of DVD's right next to the TV, but nor do I want one of those 400-disc changers like Dan has. I think a DVD storage unit that has doors that close, or something like that, would be nice. I'd also want plenty of seating like a couch and a love seat. The cushions would have to be removable, though so that... um... my "kids" could make a fort.
I always thought I'd want a really nice Study/Library type of room, but the more I think about it the more unnecessary I feel it is. In my ideal house there are plenty of comfortable places to sit and read, so a whole room doesn't have to be built around that concept. However, I'll be the first to admit that given the amount of books I have, and will continue to acquire, a study may be unavoidable. Plus I know Jess wants one, so there.
I'd love one of those basements that can actually open up into the outside, which doesn't make it a basement per say. I'm thinking maybe there are big double glass doors or something that open up into the backyard, right where the deck ends. In my basement, one will never lack for entertainment. Definetely the following things will be present in my dream home: Ping Pong, Pool, Air Hockey. The big three table games. And not in one of those pusy multi-type tables, either. Now I know this presents a wee bit of a challenge, as all of those things require an assload of space. A ping pong table, at least, can be folded up pretty easily and slid against a wall... but to do the same with a pool or air hockey table is simply not possible. If I had to deal with space limitations, I suppose I could get a combo ping-pong and pool table like Colin has. I would also love to have a bumper pool table down there. In addition to all this, of course, there needs to be at least one pinball machine. I haven't quite decided what game it will be, but Adams Family and Medieval Madness are both very much in the running. The No Fear machine is fun, as are Twilight Zone and World Cup Soccer. Ah well. I'd also want one of those absurdly large screen TVs in the basement with a bunch of uber comfy couches for any sort of sport or movie watching. Also, when Jordana kicks Dan out, or Colin becomes homeless, this is where they can sleep.
For the outside, I really want a nice big deck with a grill. I want to the deck to be at least 8 feet off the ground, so you get a really commanding view of the backyard. For the backyard I'm torn. One the one hand, a nice flat stretch of green grass bordered by trees at the perimeter would be good for backyard games of croquet, horseshoes, volleyball etc... as well as give the kids some place to practice throwing a baseball or frisbee or whatnot. However, I'd also love a pool (with attached jacuzzi). I have almost never seen a pool in a backyard that still has enough open green space for all the other stuff I want to do. Plus, pools are expensive to maintain and require a lot of work. Hopefully they won't have passed a comprehensive immigration bill by then, and I can have someone else take care of my outside stuff.
So that's my dream home. I'd suggest that instead of responding with your answer, you simply post it on your own LJ. More people will get into it that way, I think.
Oh, also my dream home has a money-tree in the back, and is built on a combo ancient indian burial ground and pirate treasure horde.
For me, I've always wanted at least 3 levels of house. A fully finished basement, a main floor and an upstairs. Upstairs would be bedrooms and bathrooms, of course. I know that Jess wants one of those UBER bathrooms with a giant soaking/jacuzzi tub and a shower with like 8 nozzles. She also wants heated tile flooring, and a big sign that says "No boys allowed". I've pretty much reconciled myself to abandoning the top floor.
For the main floor, I'd like a nice kitchen with an island in the middle of it, and is maybe a 6-10 inches raised from the level of the adjoining rooms. Now that I have a small little dining room area that is separate from the main apartment, I find that I love it. It gives meal-time a whole new appeal to me, cause it forces you to focus on what's in the room, rather than just throwing on the TV. So a separate dining room is a must.
I'd like a family room with a fireplace, and a really NICE TV. Probably one of those wall-mounted plasma thingies. I don't like the idea of having a bookshelf full of DVD's right next to the TV, but nor do I want one of those 400-disc changers like Dan has. I think a DVD storage unit that has doors that close, or something like that, would be nice. I'd also want plenty of seating like a couch and a love seat. The cushions would have to be removable, though so that... um... my "kids" could make a fort.
I always thought I'd want a really nice Study/Library type of room, but the more I think about it the more unnecessary I feel it is. In my ideal house there are plenty of comfortable places to sit and read, so a whole room doesn't have to be built around that concept. However, I'll be the first to admit that given the amount of books I have, and will continue to acquire, a study may be unavoidable. Plus I know Jess wants one, so there.
I'd love one of those basements that can actually open up into the outside, which doesn't make it a basement per say. I'm thinking maybe there are big double glass doors or something that open up into the backyard, right where the deck ends. In my basement, one will never lack for entertainment. Definetely the following things will be present in my dream home: Ping Pong, Pool, Air Hockey. The big three table games. And not in one of those pusy multi-type tables, either. Now I know this presents a wee bit of a challenge, as all of those things require an assload of space. A ping pong table, at least, can be folded up pretty easily and slid against a wall... but to do the same with a pool or air hockey table is simply not possible. If I had to deal with space limitations, I suppose I could get a combo ping-pong and pool table like Colin has. I would also love to have a bumper pool table down there. In addition to all this, of course, there needs to be at least one pinball machine. I haven't quite decided what game it will be, but Adams Family and Medieval Madness are both very much in the running. The No Fear machine is fun, as are Twilight Zone and World Cup Soccer. Ah well. I'd also want one of those absurdly large screen TVs in the basement with a bunch of uber comfy couches for any sort of sport or movie watching. Also, when Jordana kicks Dan out, or Colin becomes homeless, this is where they can sleep.
For the outside, I really want a nice big deck with a grill. I want to the deck to be at least 8 feet off the ground, so you get a really commanding view of the backyard. For the backyard I'm torn. One the one hand, a nice flat stretch of green grass bordered by trees at the perimeter would be good for backyard games of croquet, horseshoes, volleyball etc... as well as give the kids some place to practice throwing a baseball or frisbee or whatnot. However, I'd also love a pool (with attached jacuzzi). I have almost never seen a pool in a backyard that still has enough open green space for all the other stuff I want to do. Plus, pools are expensive to maintain and require a lot of work. Hopefully they won't have passed a comprehensive immigration bill by then, and I can have someone else take care of my outside stuff.
So that's my dream home. I'd suggest that instead of responding with your answer, you simply post it on your own LJ. More people will get into it that way, I think.
Oh, also my dream home has a money-tree in the back, and is built on a combo ancient indian burial ground and pirate treasure horde.