Anonymous wrote:Favorite features we were able to put into our house:

Fruit trees (they are great for climbing too!)
Steam shower
Built-in speaker system
Nooks and clever storage under stairs

Things I dream about putting into the next house:
- a full and epic play room with built in climbing
- more posh looking built in bookcases
- hanging chair
- movie watching place that is on a separate floor so I can banish the kids … I mean, enjoy some quiet while they watch a movie
- fruit forest

This is so bah humbug of me but I don't love our fruit trees. We have two pear, an apple, and a plum and even with picking as much as we can, the amount of bugs and animals they attract to our yard (including bears!) is a deterrent. They are really lovely to look at out the window, though.

Stained-glass window

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our house has a laundry chute and it is awesome.

I've always wanted a room that you can open via a bookcase where you pull down a book.

+1 I grew up in a house with a laundry chute and miss that. There's no practical way to do one in my house.

The other feature I'd love is a great climbing tree for my kids. Not something I can easily add!

Very practical for shooting toy soldiers with BBs and also a good place to rig an iron based home defense trap.

Okay Kevin, time to stop reminiscing about your childhood and take the kids to school.

Favorite features we were able to put into our house:

Fruit trees (they are great for climbing too!)
Steam shower
Built-in speaker system
Nooks and clever storage under stairs

Things I dream about putting into the next house:
- a full and epic play room with built in climbing
- more posh looking built in bookcases
- hanging chair
- movie watching place that is on a separate floor so I can banish the kids … I mean, enjoy some quiet while they watch a movie
- fruit forest

I’m taking this as concept only. I’d have it smaller - and it sliding maybe. Open, hand plates out, and then close it again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our friends have a bifold window from their kitchen to their patio and it's awesome. The wife will be in there cooking or refilling drinks while they entertain and stand at the window to chit chat. They put appetizers out on the counter.

I would love this. We grill a lot and this would allow us to pass things in and out without having to take the long way through our back door and then into the kitchen.

The bugs!

Anonymous wrote:Our friends have a bifold window from their kitchen to their patio and it's awesome. The wife will be in there cooking or refilling drinks while they entertain and stand at the window to chit chat. They put appetizers out on the counter.

I would love this. We grill a lot and this would allow us to pass things in and out without having to take the long way through our back door and then into the kitchen.

Anonymous wrote:I was a little obsessed with this mid century modern house that had a tile foyer with a fountain that sort of ran down one wall and a lot of plants. I am too anxious and would worry about leaks and mold but I bet the sound was really soothing.

My parents had had friends with a mcm house that had this pond/water feature thing in the foyer. I thought it was really cool but wonder about the humidity levels in the house.

Bedroom fireplace.

Bowling alley

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our house has a laundry chute and it is awesome.

I've always wanted a room that you can open via a bookcase where you pull down a book.

+1 I grew up in a house with a laundry chute and miss that. There's no practical way to do one in my house.

The other feature I'd love is a great climbing tree for my kids. Not something I can easily add!

Very practical for shooting toy soldiers with BBs and also a good place to rig an iron based home defense trap.

Our friends have a bifold window from their kitchen to their patio and it's awesome. The wife will be in there cooking or refilling drinks while they entertain and stand at the window to chit chat. They put appetizers out on the counter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty basic- I absolutely love my instant hot water tap that I added to my kitchen sink.

My daughter burned her skin badly on one of those - the owner of the house did not warn us it was there and my 7 year old tried to use it to wash her hands. I will never buy one of those. So dangerous.

Never heard of this happening and we have tons of people visiting. Kids love to make hot cocoa with it.

A lot of older houses have these small squarish porches that are more decorative than anything else. I saw a picture of one of these porches that had been walled in and turned into a sunny room. Very pretty, with windows on 3 sides, nice view of lawn and mature trees. The owners had placed a pretty love seat in the space. Perfect reading nook, especially during cold winter sunny days!

Anonymous wrote:I thought laundry chutes are I’ll legal now? That it’s a fire hazard or something? Same reason dumbwaiters went away.
My current house had a laundry chute and the previous owners blocked it up. So many people here are talking about laundry chute, so now I’m wondering if maybe I’m wrong about them being illegal??

They're not illegal but they are a fire hazard so newer houses don't have them anymore.