There are a lot of design features that we are excited to see in our dream house. However, there are a lot of everyday functional things we are (im)patiently for!
A dishwasher
I was lucky enough to have a dishwasher most of my life. When I moved in with Brandon, I went from doing dishes for just myself (with a dishwasher), to handwashing dishes for a family of four. It isn’t so bad because Brandon and I usually do them together and anything we do together can feel enjoyable. However, we can’t wait to be able to load up the machine and spend our time doing other things!
A primary bathroom that has a sink and shower
Our bedroom contains the sink/vanity you’d typically find in the bathroom. I like some aspects of this, but sharing a bedroom with someone else makes it kind of dysfunctional. I worry about how loud I’m being or the brightness of the lights if Brandon is still sleeping. Having the vanity in the bathroom (where it belongs?!), would give me more personal time while getting ready. We also only have a tub and a toilet in our primary bath, so all showers are taken in the shared bathroom. Again, not a huge deal, but more space and less sharing would be great!
A larger office
Since Brandon and I both work from home, we need an office. Our current office tells us what not to do. It has no windows, is the only used room in the basement, and is basically a 10×10 box. We need more room for sure! And while we’re at it, we need to feel connected to the rest of the world by being on the main level and closer to our main amenities.
I haven’t found a lot of inspiration for shared home offices. It seems like this is where I’ll need to experiment with my SketchUp renderings and potentially go with some custom cabinetry or desks (Brandon don’t read this!) to give us the most function.
A garage
I didn’t grow up with a garage, my parents built one after all of us kids grew up. The only time I had a garage was when I lived in my own Des Moines apartment. I paid for it monthly, but I felt like it was totally worth keeping my new (at the time) car safe from weather and break-ins. Having a garage to park in will make coming home late a little less scary, too. I always tell Brandon that when I lived in Des Moines, I was afraid of getting attacked by a person. Now my main fear is being attacked by a bear or coyote!
Like the office, I haven’t found a lot of inspiration for garage doors. I think I’ll focus on the main exterior choices first, and then really I could be happy with a variety of options. They’re not something I get excited about, so I’m not going to invest a lot of mental energy into deciding what to go with.
More bedrooms
Our current house size (3 bedrooms, 2 baths) is actually great for a family of four. Soon, we want to have a few more kids and also be able to have a place for my family to stay when they visit.
Wood floors
Our current house has carpet for 99.9% of the flooring. We have small patches of vinyl near the front door, in the kitchen, and in each bathroom. The rest is wall to wall thick carpet! I honestly don’t mind it too much, but it does make vacuuming more labor intensive. Since the carpet is thick, it’s hard to see when it’s clean and it takes a couple passes to feel confident everything was swept up. With two adults, two cats, and two boys (only one being the main source of mess 😆), we need to vacuum often. But how often we do it.. that’s a different story. In the new house, I expect we’ll have a cordless vacuum that is charging for most of the day and can be used as soon as it’s needed.
fluted wood & marble 
Leave a comment