I really love two-story houses because I like having the privacy and safety of being able to have the windows in my bedroom and bathroom open without worrying about people being able to see in. Or climb in. I feel really happy looking out at the world from above.

I love many of the ideas people have already mentioned. I would want in-floor outlets in living and family room (if there is one) to make furniture arranging flexible. If no elevator, then a dumb waiter to carry laundry and other things up and down. I had a client once who had one and she was small enough to get into it when she had a broken leg. Kind of cracked me up!

I love having a closed, eat in kitchen. Last house had a closed, no eat in kitchen, which I disliked more than I thought I would. Open plan kitchn living room arrangements are not for me.

Since this is a dream I’d have a Passivhaus which is self cleaning, including the outsides of the windows, and nothing would ever break down or need maintenance. A friend had underfloor heating installed in her kitchen. It failed in a matter of weeks and she couldn’t face having the floor dug up to fix it.

Maybe it's State by State but those 'drains' in a garage have been against the law in the Midwest for decades! Seems a DREAM home is very much an individual choice. I would want mine to take be back to a time where sitting on your big wrap around front porch would give you access to greeting neighbors as they strolled by!!

We love our central vac. The biggest thing for me is all the other vacs we've had would smell. The odor of the dirt and dust coming out of the machine despite all the filters. With the central vac, anything that gets past the filters is blown outside, not back into the house. I find hose wrangling a lot easier than wrestling with a whole machine. We do have a toe kick floor thing in the kitchen (we call it the Larry as our friend Larry suggested it to us) so you can sweep up quick messes and just flip the vac on with your toe, sweep in the mess and turn it off. We do have a small stick vac in the back for quick clean ups there but it is seldom used.

At least one window seat. There isn't a person alive who doesn't love a window seat. And it should be deep enough (and long enough) to stretch out on without being afraid of falling on the floor.

I also love my bay window....and...a window seat would have been nice. I also like pocket doors, which I have. What I really miss having is a fenced in yard, to keep the deer out.

It failed in a matter of weeks and she couldn’t face having the floor dug up to fix it.

My trusted HVAC installer says new detection methods can pinpoint leaks. (I'm not endorsing the sponsor of the informative link; not my contractor,)

Walk in pantry/larder in the kitchen, under-floor heating in the bathrooms, large walk in shower in the master bathroom and a tub in the second bathroom, a vented workshop off the garage.

Lots of great ideas. Is anyone sending them to the columnist? Maybe he should be steered here!

LEGAL JUJUMAGUMBO: I, Mark Bischak, in my professional and private capacities, DO NOT agree to allow Tim Carter to include my idea(s), comment, name, image in any of his books, articles, columns, leaflets, or any other correspondences.

What I don't have that would be nice:

Screened porch instead of a patio

Lift in the garage for our cars (we tinker on them ourselves)

Heated/cooled garage

Underfloor heating throughout the house

One level living

Floor drains in the bathrooms

Whole house humidifier for the winter months

What I don't want (based on posts from here):

Central vacuum

Elevator

Window seat - I'm pretty sure I'm a person and I'm alive (that's what furniture is for)

Olychick, your comment about having a second floor reminded me of a summer long ago when my boyfriend and I rented a second floor apartment on a street where all of the other houses were one story. We were young and in lust and, having no one directly outside of our our windows, rarely bothered with curtains. One evening we went out and left the lights on. Coming home, we looked up and realized that our windows were like a drive-in movie screen for the rest of the block.

I went to the website and it looks like the columnist is very interested in personal information. Name, address, city email, zip code etc. HTTPS secure site not available, Not for me.

Hide A Hose is the way to go to eliminate having to deal with coiling and storing hoses. Our CV with HAH is going on 17 years old now, completely problem and maintenance free! The hoses still almost suck me into the wall when they retract!

" The odor of the dirt and dust coming out of the machine despite all the filters "

The central vac system we had truly reminded me of a solution in search of a problem. The long hose (it must have been 20 feet long) was hard to handle and was awkward to use, constantly getting stuck when maneuvering around furniture. The homeowner or the architect must have worked off a list of then-unique features to experiment with. Most, like the central vacuum, were unfortunate choices and not useful. Some others included an instant hot water dispenser at the sink that we replaced twice in two years because of leaks and finally replaced with a soap dispenser, a Jenn-air downdraft range that provided no exhaust capability at all and made a mess in the crawl space, two water heaters connected in series (there was no need for that), and other dumb things.

I wonder if central vac popularity is regional, they're rarely seen in my area.

Our Miele canister vac has a HEPA filter on the air outflow and there is no sensation of odor when in use.

I sometimes get the feeling some of you think of the sharing of opinions is some sort of a plebiscite. I expect and am happy to often have a differing view, it makes it seem worthwhile to mention such things when the situations arise. Simply concurring with what others have said adds nothing to a conversation.

I didn't realize the columnist was collecting personal information. My bad. I do enjoy his columns -- very down to earth. I remember one where he discussed the gutter systems so widely advertised where you supposedly don't have to clean the debris. He thought they were ridiculously expensive unless you were DIY.

Zalco, I very much dislike the open concept living. I've been in too many homes where it echoes, there's nowhere to put anything untidy, etc. I find smaller rooms cozy.

4-5 car garage, an in-law apartment with a separate entry, each bedroom has its own bath, 2 offices, a 1st floor gym, a good size mudroom, big enough for 20-30 winter coats, 20-30 pairs of boots and enough hooks for 20-30 hats plus rain gears, a 4 season sunroom, 2 sets of stairs, an outdoor kitchen, an indoor pool, a walkout basement that has a ramp, can park motorcycles and scooters inside. 2 whole house generators, one for the house and one for the barn, a heated/cooled big barn with bathrooms for parties, an attached barn porch with an outdoor kitchen. If there is no barn, 2-3 matching garden/tool sheds would be good, a greenhouse, a gas well, a water well for gardening......

Door jamb switches on all of our closets - I grew up with them and can’t understand why they’re not the norm. The ones I grew up with were pushbuttons, but now they’re magnetic. I thougt about why we were doing them in our new house (because they weren’t free), and had a really hard time coming up with a use case for a closet where you didn’t want the lights on when you looked in. Y(closet)MMV.

Based upon my one experience, the 'in-law' suite should be at least five miles from the master bedroom.

But mark, where should the bed be?

^^haha^^

Mr Bischak, fixed distances can be variable in one sense while a time measurement offers more certainty.

I prefer a 60-90 minute rule. That's a shorter distance if the travel is on surface streets with traffic lights and a greater distance if the travel is mostly by freeway. It's close enough to make visits feasible while being far enough to discourage unannounced dropping in. And it applies to any family member, not just in-laws, though sometimes a 25% addition for in-laws can be appropriate. This travel time spacing is especially useful with older family members who will leave early enough to allow time for a return trip home before it gets dark.

I love my house and after living here for nearly 10 years, I have not found one thing I would change about it. I drew the plans and hired a fantastic Amish crew to build it. My deceased husband was an Artcitect and had a construction business so I had a lot of practice watching him draw. This is the third house I have had built as a single lady. I love picking out materials and fixtures!

Tim Carter writes a syndicated column and is writing a book about special things you'd want in your dream home

I look forward to reading that link!

A full bathroom on the ground floor seems like a good idea.

The price difference between a half bath and a full bath is pretty substantial. I wouldn't "go full" unless it's going to be used on a regular basis.

And ensuring you windows have proper UV protection so you don't bleach fabric and wood is a must for me.

Windows should be a splurge item. Good-quality windows really elevate the look and function of a house.

I think we've discussed at some point that I don't think central vacs are universally loved.

Admittedly, I've never had central vac, but I'll pose this question: Since carpet is pretty strongly "out" and likely to remain so, is central vac as important /as desirable as it was two decades ago?

Me, I'm all about my Roomba for every day use.

I do recall she was fascinated by Dorothy’s idea for a floor sloped toward a drain for easy washing! (Now I have to go look for that book…)

That's nothing new! My family's been living on the same piece of land since before America was America, and we have two OLD farmhouses. I know the newer one was built when my grandmother was a baby -- she was born in 1913. All the floors (made of heart pine) are slanted towards a literal hole in the floor, which is plugged with a wooden plug. I have personally washed those floors with a rough-brissled scrub mop /brushed the water towards the hole.

I wanna see that book too.

First floor laundry. Now I know second floor has gained popularity but......You still end up running up and down stairs all day to do other chores while the laundry runs.

Totally disagree. If you have two stories, you're going to have to walk up and down the stairs -- that's just a fact. The choice is:

- Walk upstairs hands-free to change the loads.

- Walk up and down carrying baskets to the machine.
Large bathrooms. I mean big. They can be efficient and all but some room is needed for comfort and relaxation. Not stark, modern and gray either.

I say you need Goldilocks-sized bathrooms. Too small, and you lack storage -- so your counter top is always cluttered, and cleaning is hard. Too large, and the nice tile you really want is excessively expensive, and you have too much to clean. Too large can also be cold. Right-sized is comfortable /relaxing ... without being "too much".
I also would like solar panels with enough battery storage to power the critical house appliances in the event of a power outage.

I'm very interested in this concept. Not really for power outages -- I mean, we have one for an hour or so every year -- but for financial savings.

On the other hand, y'all have surely heard that here in NC we had some idiots "shoot out" a power substation. That scares me -- now that one idiot has done it, copycats may be waiting in the wings.

A walk-in shower. I think I've had a bath 4 times in my life. I find them nothing but boring.

I love to read in the tub, especially in the winter when I'm cold.

Dusk to dawn outdoor lighting.

I'd like that outdoor lighting to be motion-sensored. I live in a very safe neighborhood, but someone -- probably rowdy teens -- came into my driveway and put a cinder block -- MY cinder block! -- through my daughter's back windshield during the night. If we'd had motion-triggered lights, I bet they'd a-gone running.

Hydronic heated towel bars in all bathrooms.

Cheap alternative: My towel rods hang above the heat vent. Love it.

Walk-in pantry with a coffee station.

I much prefer a large pantry attached to a small kitchen ... and a small work space, which could include a coffee station, in the pantry. Planning to keep clutter-y things like coffee pots in the pantry keeps the kitchen clean.

Security-video system.

I'd rather put money into things that actually keep burglars out of the house -- not things that let you know it's happened. Stronger doors /door jams /dead bolts, no pier glasses at the front door, sticky bushes under the windows, and a dog with a big bark.

including a knife rack.

My knife rack hangs UNDER my upper counter tops. Love it.

motion detector light switch in the pantry as we are never going in or out of there that are hands aren't occupied.

Have it. Love it. Should be a thing in all work spaces.
pull-out hampers

I have a linen closet IN my bathroom ... hamper on the floor, shelves above. Love it.

A related topic: Laundry is a never-ending chore, so place your machines close to the bedrooms /make it easier to transport the clothing.
Wall-mounted toilets make it so easy to wash the floor! But more expensive to replace than standard, I’m sure.

If wall-mounted are too expensive, or if they don't fit in your space, go with a one-piece toilet with a "skirt". Skip those traditional models with the indentations that must be cleaned. The only negative is that one-piece toilets are heavy /harder to install.

wide set faucet

Best for cleaning: wall-mounted faucet. Second-best: one-hole faucet. Third best: wide-set faucet. Worst: Faucets that have to be flossed during cleaning.
sitting on your big wrap around front porch would give you access to greeting neighbors as they strolled by!!

That idea's better in daydreams than reality. All those big porches were popular before the air conditioning /when women sat on those porches to shell beans, etc. Nice farmhouses had a porch on two sides so the lady of the house could always choose to sit in sun or shade. The two farmhouses I mentioned above on my family land both were "upscale" because they have water faucets on the porch for washing veggies, etc. Anyway ... today those porches just keep natural light from flowing into your living spaces.

At least one window seat. There isn't a person alive who doesn't love a window seat.

Isn't that the truth! A perfect window seat would be twin-bed sized /double as a sleeping area. Add lots of pillows.

I also love my bay window

My daughter has a bay window in her dining room -- the kind that goes all the way to the floor. That little bump-out makes traffic in a small room so much more comfortable.

Screened porch instead of a patio

I have a covered /not screened porch, and I think that's the best option. I love-love-love being able to walk out during a storm, and I love that snow doesn't pile up by our door. We keep our garbage cans on the edge of the porch, so we can walk out to the trash can /stay in the dry. The dog can go out on the porch and let herself into the yard -- and if I'm not quick to let her in, she's in the dry.

Our posts are sized so that screens could easily be added, but I've never once wished this space were screened. Bugs? We have two ceiling fans on our porch, and they keep bugs moving.

I remember one where he discussed the gutter systems so widely advertised where you supposedly don't have to clean the debris. He thought they were ridiculously expensive unless you were DIY.

I don't know what those systems cost, but I just had my gutters blown out this week. It cost $60. No matter what the topic, you should pay attention to what it'd cost just to do things the old-fashioned way.

Door jamb switches on all of our closets - I grew up with them and can’t understand why they’re not the norm.

They're not the norm because they cost money. Most houses are spec-built, and these little details aren't the kind of thing buyers notice.

Other thoughts:

- Make natural light in your living spaces a priority. The best rooms have light coming in from two sides.

- Consider your storage needs: Good-sized closets are more important than over-sized bedrooms. Include a broom closet in the middle of the house.

- Give real thought to how you approach /enter the house -- a well-thought out family entrance and drop-spot doesn't have to be large. Include bins for mail, a trash can, and -- if you're thinking of aging-in-place -- a spot where a walker could be left. Add grab bars inside and outside the doors.

- Install a no-key lock at your most-used entrance.

- Think, too, about how your guests will approach /enter the house. Be sure your house numbers are visible. Be sure their parking area is obvious & they have a clear path to the front door /don't have to walk around a garage with no view of the front door.

- When placing your kitchen, consider the pathway you'll use to bring in groceries -- you don't want to weave through the whole kitchen to reach the pantry. Think, too, about the pathway to the garbage can.

- Many people want to build with aging-in-place in mind. The single thing that "threw" my grandmother as she neared 100 was changes in flooring. Walking from the linoleum in the kitchen to carpet in the family room was awful for her. Only by the grace of God did she avoid breaking a bone.

- Read Don Anselett's Make Your House Do The Housework. So many good ideas about how to build for easier maintenance down the road.

- Finally, don't get so caught up in "the dream" that you overshoot your budget. Paid-for is best.

Based upon my one experience, the 'in-law' suite should be at least five miles from the master bedroom.

Fives miles is way too close. Based on my one experience, the "in-law" suite should be at least 50 miles from the master bedroom.....lol.

I have more to add. Garages should be bigger where not only is it wide enough to pull in a vehicle, but that you can open doors and the trunk and walk around it.

My favorite house was the one where the garage was at the side of the house instead of the front. The house was just better looking that way.

" but that you can open doors and the truck and walk around it. "

That's exactly why I'm expanding my single into a double garage, even though I'm a one-car household -- I want to be able to open all the doors to load/clean/unload while it's in the garage and not out in the cold.

The columnist should be careful to not reduce the design of a house to a list of features. Some of the most important issues are ones that cannot be easily named or purchased.

" Some of the most important issues are ones that cannot be easily named or purchased. "

Yes, but this was specifically about things that could be added to the building at the design phase. No one can predict (or even design for) the things that "cannot be named or purchased", so why bother asking a bunch of people about them. Planning for a house that makes you smile when you walk in, or a house that will "feel right" to you, is a fools game. It can't be done.

I know what you mean - I used to live in a home that had all the right features on paper, but just wasn't ever right for me and I was never really comfortable. I left after a year and moved to a house that is missing a lot of those things, but felt comfortable the instant I walked in (even though I need to add many of the things I want). I could never achieve that in the planning stages, regardless of the architecture, geography, or landscaping.

Some of the most important issues are ones that cannot be easily named or purchased.

Or that, at risk of violating the democratic ethos, we prefer not to mention: wealth, prestige, social class, of which one's home and neighbourhood are the most visible signifiers.

During the 60's I grew up in a house that was designed from the suggestions of 60 women. The article and plans of the house were in a national magazine. Plans were based on these suggestions for a dream house. My parents bought the blueprints and had an architect and contractor build the house on their land. Years later I inherited the house and found out exactly what the draw-backs were. There was no air conditioning only plate glass windows with a lower casement type ventilation. The entire house was open concept, cathedral height ceilings, no attic space and a roof and walls that had no insulation.

Unfortunately, the location the house was designed for did not meet the needs of the climate of where it was built. The design may have been excellent for breezy and moderate temperatures in California where it was designed but in hot or chilly Central Texas it was very expensive to heat and cool.

The location the house was designed for did not meet the needs of the climate of where it was built. Between energy costs and increasing land taxes we could not afford that much house or land. We had to sell the house, but it was time to downsize anyway.

Today it is abandoned by the owner who only bought the house for the acreage which was adjacent to his land.

Walls of glass, courtyards, a design that allows abundant natural light and landscaping integrated into the home design.

Even Volkswagen failed to make the ideal car for *everyone*.

I have had two houses built in my lifetime. One in the city and one in a very rural area. I had very different wants and needs for both houses. Location plays a big part.

The house I am in now is in the country. It has a lot of big windows and I only have window coverings in the bedrooms. That wouldn’t have worked in the city.

Windows - this is slightly OT - we are going back and forth between black framed windows and white framed windows. All of our windows are quite large and current trend is black framed windows. There is very little difference cost wise but it could be an expensive mistake for resale.

Solar panels - We have to have a metal roof (see ; Wildfire hazard area) and while we are not putting in solar panels we are installing a metal roof that is solar panel ready. We're only going to be in the house for 10-12 years and we will never pay off the solar panels. Hopefully at some point they will become more mainstream and cheaper and then the next owner will be good to go.

Security video system - My niece and her DH who is an IT guy just built a new house and it is basically run by a computer. They have some fancy screen in their family room area and I was over there when the installer was explaining to my niece how to operate it as her DH was leaving the next day for 2 weeks. I was so confused by it all as was she. When our contractor mentioned one I said no. Just one more thing for me to foul up.

Our house is an above grade basement level entry with all the living including bedrooms upstairs on one floor. For us we will still have a laundry room downstairs but a stackable washer dryer upstairs right beside the bedrooms.

In our old house we had a bathroom with a shower downstairs but we also have a guest room downstairs.

And central vac systems - you guys can all keep your tanks but you will have to drag my central vac hose away from me while I'm kicking and screaming.

10-12 years, blfenton?!

If you have a preference for window colour, go with that.

We're 70 so yes that would probably be about the length of time. Having lived through my DH having to go through moving his mom out of her house at least 5 years past her time we won't do that to our kids.

Oh, I understand that, blfenton.

I just think that it is where you are planning on living for 10-12 years so I wouldn’t be too concerned about resale value.

I have a pet peeve with double sinks in bathrooms. I know not having them, especially in a master bathroom is a definite negative for most home buyers. I don’t like them so I never had the builder put them in. If future buyers of my house like the house enough but want double sinks, they can put them in.

eta We built a house too with all the living done mainly on one floor. We have a walkout basement with high ceilings and heated floor which opens to the back and is basically two spare bedrooms, a full bath and the main area is just one big open space that can be used for large get togethers. Most of our living is done on the main floor and our laundry is right next to our bedroom. I’m still happy with it after 20 years.

@Olychick -- we had just moved into a 3-story/5-level house with a dumb waiter that runs from the garage to the kitchen on the top floor. Locked ourselves out of the house but in the garage our very first morning in the house. We tried to use our manual dumb-waiter to lift me up to the kitchen, but it has a clutch that stops it from lifting heavy (yeah, me) weights. :)

@Mrs Pete -- we have a central vac in this house. It's multi-level, so carrying a machine up and down to all five levels would be a pain. And we're 100% tile. White, shiny tile that shows every spec of dust as you walk up the stairs and are eye-level with the dustbunnies. I love it for this house, but skipped it in our single-story hardwood-floored 2nd home.

Needs change. Few houses are 'best' for all stages of life, and few of us understand in advance how needs change from'Family' to 'Elderly' to 'Old'.

The benefit of living on one level is compromised if you have to get TO that level daily. Our house is up the minimum (one step) from the ground at all entries, including the attached garage. Our basement exists solely to house mechanicals and as a barrier from damp. There are 4' wide stairs to the basement and to an attic used for dead storage. The spaces, above and below, allow easy access to the house's various 'systems' -- HVAC, plumbing, electrical, etc.

Stairs are at best an inconvenience for the old, and at worst, a safety hazard.

Rarely used spaces (for guests, decorative features, elaborate landscaping) increase maintenance and raise taxes just when many people face a fixed income.

I'd choose classic over trendy for expensive permanent parts of a home -- like windows.

The front of my house is ground level to the main floor and at the back it is ground level to the basement. It is built into a slope (hill). You can park on either side.

I like that there is no problem moving things in or out of the house.

We didn’t plan this as our retirement home but it has turned out to be a perfect one.

Been here 17 years but it has everything I wanted….

one level

basement

3car garage

acre+ of land

fireplace with on/off switch

walk in master closet

separate master tub and shower

double sinks in master bath

living room and family room

3 bedrooms 2 baths

hmmm. Driveways should be small to limit their unattractiveness. Garages should be big enough for cars of occupants.

Big sinks are nice and all (and I have one) but they are more to clean - which is every single day. And I almost never put a stove rack in mine even though they fit. Fridge shelf might be every 6 months - could do that outside.

I do like garage floor to be really close to main floor in elevation. By code (I believe) it has to be lower but it can be an inch - which mine is. Same for patio.

A house should be resilient - whatever that means in a location. Free from flooding risk and built for storms likely to happen. Well insulated.

chisue - And that's my dilemma about the windows - classic over trendy. The kitchen taps will be black as an accent but that's only a $1000 switch if new buyers don't like them. Windows would be a $30,000+ switch and will turn potential buyers off.

But when walking around various neighbourhoods I'm surprised at the number of homes with black trimmed windows and these are in homes built in the last 10 years. So now I'm wondering if it's a trend or a viable choice that's here to stay.

A small fleet of maintenance drones with their own solar docking station. A set of nanodrones for rebuilding/remodeling anything I desire on the property. And a robot maid.

I don't want to even THINK about windows.

Half of our Pella aluminum clad wood windows have failed; only discovered now, a year past the warranty. These are the style our city's building review board insisted we put on all street-facing sides of the house. They were much more expensive because they are *special*: "Simulated true divided light". I can't imagine the cost to replace these, especially as three openings have arch tops over the casements.

We have had no reply from Pella.

The 'ordinary' double pane Pellas with shades between the glass are OK -- as far as I know!

The person installing new weatherstripping at the bottoms of casements all around the house discovered the rot. They've clearly been leaking for a long time.

" But when walking around various neighbourhoods I'm surprised at the number of homes with black trimmed windows and these are in homes built in the last 10 years. "

I just replaced almost all my windows and went for black (external) frames......I was going to go with white, but my landscaper pointed out that since I have a black roof, it would sync those colours, and he's right. They look good with my black roof. I don't know if it's a trend or not, but it was done this past year (though my house is >30 years old). .

When I look at official "dream houses" and show houses, and even personal dream houses, I feel like I see a lot of trends, and gadgets and "high end" finishes and "upgrades" tacked on top of mediocre construction and finish quality and an elaborate and convoluted massing and weird spaces and left-over areas. And I don't generally like very much about them.

My dream house would start out with a simple but elegant plan with a systematic layout and gracefully proportioned rooms with no weird "interesting" angles or left-over spaces. The floors would be site finished, the millwork would be expertly installed and finished, the walls would be level-5 finish if not plaster. The walls and ceilings would be smooth enough to take lacquer (Not that I would necessarily want lacquer, but everything would be smooth and flat enough to take it). The doors would be solid core, the hardware would be solid brass, the bathtubs would be cast iron and there would not be a brushmark or a bleb or roller mark anywhere. It might be 1/2 or less the size of what gets called a dreamhouse, but the execution and craftsmanship would be as close to perfect as possible. That's probably not most people's idea of a dream house but I would rather have a plain solid little jewel box than a big packing crate covered with stickers. Which is what I think a lot of houses are now.