Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?

[Anonymous]

Location, lot, and overall build quality and selections will determine your resale potential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My primary home has a dining room, while my second home does not. I would not change either if I had to start from scratch, but that's based on how we live and entertain in both.

When you go to sell, it might be an issue, so maybe figure out a way to make the library a flexible space so that it makes sense to be converted to a dining room if one so chooses.

Correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn’t buy a $3.5M house without a dining room.

+1

We built new. Formal dining room with large lovely table and custom chairs. We use it sparingly, but we are the family holiday "hosts" and it's wonderful to have special meals in there with the good furniture, etc. out of view of the kitchen and family room space. It's been 10+ years now and do not regret it. It's open to the large living room and visible from entry to the house. We nixed having an office or study in the layout and instead use one of the empty upstairs rooms. That said, if you are going to live in the house over 10 years, build it as you like, OP. It's your live-in asset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

In some design magazine?

In real life, people have never been trending further away from serving and hosting formal meals and formal spaces in their day to day life. For better or worse.

Sure, day to day life has never been about the dining room since the 50's or visiting grandma. As for the holidays, our neighborhood fills with cars and dining rooms light up. It's wonderful!

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by features in a bathroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

In some design magazine?

In real life, people have never been trending further away from serving and hosting formal meals and formal spaces in their day to day life. For better or worse.

Why does a dining room have to be for formal occasions only? We have an eat in kitchen, but we still eat meals in our dining room every single day. We are a family of four. We keep the table small but it can expand to fit 10.

[Anonymous]

We built new recently and did an office with pocket doors that could easily be a dining room if we wanted in the future.

We have a large table off our kitchen that we use.

[Anonymous]

That layout is strange to me. So many bedrooms but only the great room and kitchen to hang out in. Unless you want to be in the basement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by features in a bathroom?

5 features bathroom: double vanities, shower, separate tub, enclosed toilet

3 features bathroom: single vanity, shower/tub, toilet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

In some design magazine?

In real life, people have never been trending further away from serving and hosting formal meals and formal spaces in their day to day life. For better or worse.

It doesn't have to be formal, or for serving formal meals. But a distinct room for gathering and eating is absolutely making a comeback.

Agree this is a mistake, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That layout is strange to me. So many bedrooms but only the great room and kitchen to hang out in. Unless you want to be in the basement.

Our second home is laid out like this, and it's great for the way we use it . . . to relax, hang out together, entertain houseguests and neighbors. The bedrooms are spacious, so people have somewhere comfortable to retreat if they need some quiet time. That being said, I would not like this arrangement in my primary home. For day-to-day life, it's nice to have a separate kitchen and cozier rooms to gather in or escape to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate open concept and prefer formal, even for every day and we don't host a lot.

I also hate open concept in general but would prioritize having a main floor bedroom with bath, a mudroom, laundry room, TV den/library, walk in pantry, office, coat closet, foyer or entryway over a formal dining room.

I wouldn’t want to host a dinner party in the middle of my kitchen, but a nice dining area semi-open to the kitchen would work.

[Anonymous]

We recently custom built - no formal
Dining room. Imstewd, we have a large “dining area” located between the kitchen and family room - holding a large 8-seat casual dining table and comfy chairs. That’s all we need. No regrets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We recently custom built - no formal
Dining room. Imstewd, we have a large “dining area” located between the kitchen and family room - holding a large 8-seat casual dining table and comfy chairs. That’s all we need. No regrets.

Do you also have a dedicated breakfast area?

[Anonymous]

I don’t know if it’s just my algorithms but I keep seeing more formal entertaining coming back. I recently went to a lovely dinner party in a real dining room. It was wonderful to be in a nice space without view of the kitchen. I would expect to have a nice space in a $3m+ home. I have a $1.5m home and kept my dining room when renovating.