Not-so-young folks can still have home wishes! We have 14 3’x7’ windows in our 1,600 sq ft condo, plus 2 pairs of sliding doors. Not enough wall space for curtains, but I would love beautiful, custom made Roman shades in yummy fabrics.

Oh, let's add tilt-in windows so we can clean them easily.

Wish list #1, my children (and grandchildren) to own a home on our street.

each bedroom to have it's own bathroom.

A family/friends compound. Cul de sac with modest and smaller houses. All my family would have their own home and a few of my friends. We would have a community unit with a nice kitchen and huge entertaining space for gatherings with a pool outside.

I'd like to buy the house next door, bulldoze it, add beautiful landscaping to tie into our house and make those neighbors a distant memory.

Enough solar power and batteries power all of my electricity needs/wants

I have to smile at a few of these: )

Many are certainly VERY appealing at first blush, and then I am reminded when people ask ME.

"Do you ever just get to the point you're drooling over a house you just finished or that client's whatever it may be?"

Answer?

"No! In fact, some days I get in the car, sigh deeply....and say thank God , just thank you Lord above "

Third wise advice courtesy my Grammy and probably yours too. :

Be very careful what you wish for, you may indeed.... get it" : )

My laundry list of needs is so long in this house...by the time all is said and done I really would be better off just buying a new house. So that's what it is -- a new house that is designed for aging in place, with nice landscaping and patio, on a few acres, preferably on a lake but I'm willing to compromise on that.

I'm telling you -- much as I like it here, if someone knocks on my door or puts a note in my mailbox saying they'll buy my house for X-amount I'm putting my foot down with DH and we're moving....and yes I know EXACTLY what that price is LOL!

ETA: But if I have to limit the splurge to the house I'm in, then it would be a re-modeled floor plan. I have stairs down to the basement smack-dab in the middle of kitchen/eating area with two 90-degree turns on the backside to get down the hallway to the bedrooms and bathrooms. If DH or I ever end up in a wheelchair, we're screwed - it would be almost impossible to access either of our two bathrooms with those back-to-back 90's. Plus, moving the staircase would really open up the space for better light and air flow.

The world's best carpenter to put the simple finishing touches on our remodel from 20 years ago.

And a window washer

Not a youngster, here, but plenty long wish list, none the less. The top of list is a patio in my side yard (my cul-de-sac property has a large, wedge-shaped side yard whose only function currently is for me to practice my lawnmowing skills) and a window-to-door conversion in my dining room to access it.

Thank you all for your responses--I love reading them!

One question I always have, though, is about the "aging in place" idea. As long as I'm healthy and can get around, my house is just fine. Even the stairs aren't a problem, as they provide exercise. My mom lived in her house for 62 years, until she was 97, with a laundry in the basement and bedrooms on the second floor. Once she couldn't get around, needing a wheelchair, she moved to an assisted living facility. I couldn't imagine living alone in any single-family home if I were in a wheelchair. Although it cost a fortune, the assisted living facility was amazing--beautiful, clean, and well staffed. The food was good and there was always something to do. She loved it and I joke with my friends that we should all move there together at some point!

But here are my answers, even though I love my old house and don't plan to leave:

• A nice laundry room--currently mine is in the unfinished part of my basement, and I feel like I'm in a dungeon.
• More bedrooms/bathrooms for when my kids and grandkids come to visit, OR, like someone said, kids living closer!
• Hardie-plank or wood siding to replace the vinyl installed many years ago.
• Authentic true-divided light windows.

Rare is the soul lucky enough to "age in place" , even with an ADA compliant.

If age in place simply means "until I can't" that may be a good argument for normal conveniences found in empty nest (quality) build communities. But even the the greatest have flaws that rear a head in surprising health events.

The situation such as Diana's mom above can be titled " by the benevolent graces of God." That means mobility, balance, decent health, friends, even family nearby. A sound MIND.

For most? Life interferes, health will interfere. We're living longer, but not always better. Physiology balances on the head of a pin after age 80. The argument of "I'll get help in my home" ........."hahahahahahaahahahaa Good luck to YOU! Just managing schedules and 24 hour days is a full time job.

So many have found delightful living in many of the wonderful, albeit expensive facilities available today. My advice? Buy less junk and save your money: ) !! from the "whatever you deem" date as early as possible. Nobody thinks they will get there but almost everyone does. Hence the waiting list .....sometimes as much as three YEARS, in many of these facilities.

I have never had a garage. In my 67 years. I bet I would love having a garage.

When we moved to this house, I missed my screened porch. After living here 11 years, this coming summer, we will have a dedicated screen room. It is a former porch with lots of windows that served the bed & breakfast side of the house as a breakfast room. We retired from B&B and made the breakfast room into a sitting room. Loking forward to using it often this coming summer.

Covered pool outside and an elevator inside.

Be very careful what you wish for, you may indeed.... get it" : )

My Mamaw used to say that -- and wasn't she right!

Enough solar power and batteries power all of my electricity needs/wants

I think I said above, I just paid an almost $500 power bill. I've been reading up on solar panels. While we're on the topic, let's add an electric hook-up for an electric vehicle.

Even the stairs aren't a problem, as they provide exercise.

Love the concept, but we aren't always in control of what happens to us. My husband is a stroke survivor, and most days he's good -- but on his bad days, he couldn't get up half a flight of stairs. I think a no /low stair entryway and a downstairs bedroom are musts for aging-in-place.

A nice laundry room--currently mine is in the unfinished part of my basement, and I feel like I'm in a dungeon.

I would've loved a really nice laundry room when the kids were still at home. Now that we're retired, and I only "wash for two", my wash-work is drastically reduced -- I wash about 2-3 loads each week. My #1 laundry wish would be "Close to the Bedroom". And that isn't a solid make-or-break.

I missed my screened porch.

I have a covered porch, which is the best part of my house. I love that its floor is "even" with the house, so it feels like walking out into another room -- no step down. This is not a small thing. I love that it's big, so we (or the dog) can go out and be protected. It's so pleasant to sit out and watch a storm or step out in our sock feet to look at snow in the back yard. And my husband can grill in any weather. But I've never once wished for it to be screened. I live in the South, and we have bugs -- but we also have ceiling fans out there, and we burn citronella candles.

As I said above, for me it has to do with living this crazy business for decades. In the end, and through so many relationships that extend over years or decades? I've realized it is great to dream, to fantasize, to yearn for even the simplest improvements on any living condition, and ALL of them are relative to where you are, what you can / can't afford or what may just be impossible for a host of reasons and resources irrelevant.

In the end? I've got a really short list, more a life list.

Vigor, vitality, health.

To wake and retire on most days free of major worries.

A few really good friends, and the family available in good shape as above.

Enough resources to enjoy all above,

The e.n.d : )

@ VAval

That's a nail hit directly on the HEAD, : )No apologies necessary at all. It is just brutal truth.

I'd like a heated garage and a cleaning service.

1. gas fireplace 2) garage

To Theresa, you forgot to quote what I said prior to "Even the stairs aren't a problem, as they provide exercise," which was "As long as I'm healthy and can get around." I totally understand that health problems can happen to anyone, and then stairs are a problem. But that's the point at which you need to consider alternate living conditions, because the stairs aren't your only problem.

And to Vaval, not off topic. We were in crisis mode with my mom. She didn't want to leave her home either, until she wound up in the hospital multiple times due to falls. Luckily we found a great place VERY quickly, but my sisters and I had to clear out her house and sell it so we could afford the living expenses. It was very stressful but we were lucky since we all lived within 20 miles of each other. I wish you luck with your mom.

Since we bought our house 3 years ago, we replaced the shingles, added solar panels, built a deck, put in hardwood floors, and got new kitchen cabinets. Oh, and I replaced wire shelving in most of the closets with nice closet systems. I am extremely grateful to have the resources to do everything I wanted in a short period of time.

An Olympic size swimming pool of 164 feet in length (or an even longer one) because I love swimming laps. A relatively small home, perhaps 2000 square feet including the front and back porches but that large, lovely pool.

Diana, you mentioned that someone else's post is not off-topic so I hope you won't consider mine to be either. It is a situation I am currently helping with and I think it is worth sharing. Let me know if you want me to delete it.

One of my best friends, also mid-seventies, is a cat sitter and a passionate cat advocate as am I. Through her cat sitting she met another one, a woman named Inna. The woman is originally from the USSR, probably pre-Gorbachev. Stories that my friend shared that this woman shared with her sounded very suspicious to me but my friend, alas, believed her to be the innocent victim. Instead, while she loves cats she is a hoarder. Her home could be on the television show. She has taken in nine cats.

She was recently arrested for financial elder abuse, considered a very serious crime here in California. She had taken another woman and put her in her second condo, telling her never to go outside. This woman too is incredibly messy and had three cats. The sister of the woman made repeated attempts to find her and finally did, and the woman was taken to the hospital to be taken care of. She was very nutritionally deficient and sliding into what Inna had claimed was dementia. But she is now lucid and apparently with her sister and her cats away from Inna.

Inna, meantime, sits in jail with a $300K bond she can'tmeet. (She even asked my friend to front half of the 10 percent and sign for the rest. I stopped that immediately. My friend has finally lost her naïveté about this.) Inna's lawyer apparently feels she'll get at least five years.

Ths morning, four of us rescured six of the cats. There are two, maybe three more, and we'll try again tomorrow, leaving traps out tonight.

I probably veered off but the intended point of my story is that everyone should watch out for this kind of abuse. Inna had bought herself an expensive care on the woman's money and was working on more.(How much she had previously gotten from this woman or gotten from previous victims is unknown.) Please ... watch for this stuff. It is so easy for a cunning thief and con artist to do. Always be suspicious enough to be extremely careful. It's not just scammers from Nigeria you need to watch out for. Some of them are "friends."

Aphaea, what a terrible story. I hope this woman will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and be prevented from doing this again. It's amazing how many evil conniving people exist in this world. Thank you for the warning, so many prey on the elderly.

OMG that is such a sad story. Our seniors should be honored and cared for. This sort of thing makes me so sad and incredibly angry. Hopefully karma will hit that woman 3 fold for what she has done. Good thing you were there for your friend.

gosh such a sad story ❤️ - another reason for a continuing care retirement home - a older family friend was almost conned out of $250k but one of the aids in the community where he lived got suspicious and mentioned it to his daughter and she was able to prevent the fraud

A rooftop deck. We priced one when we moved her 12 years ago. estimate was $50,000. There was other essential work to do, so we passed. A rooftop deck would enhance our view. But we never got it to the top of the list.

What a fun thread, Diana! Thanks for the opportunity to explore our wish lists!

You're welcome, melindas1977! I always love hearing from Houzzers and their thoughts on homes, decorating and just life in general. You all are such an interesting bunch!

For the wishing well ..... and WELL?

How god laughs

In the space of 15 months:

Parents of a client sell their very large home in Fl. Companion to a lake side large, in the north.

Mid and early eighties, she with advancing dementia, he with a long time bad back. Many many resources, many accumulations of art, artifact, etc and all else one could want. Travel, friends, and more.

Move to luxury independent senior condo living with tiered care near the Florida home - which falls to task of one daughter to deal with, and no sibling help.

What happens? Still more in home care needed for the mind compromised, multiples coming in/out. Finally? At 15 months to the day of enjoying the new luxurious/water views et al? Cancer diagnosis for him, and onto the next world a couple days ago, a mere 10 weeks after the initial diagnosis. The memory care on site where she was moved 8 weeks ago? Closing for insufficient profit, and will be luxury apartments. Will she know the difference? No. That is the aggressive pace of her descent into her own very, very lost mind.

An enviable life , all one could EVER want, in love for 60 plus years, and the irony of endings.

Whatever you may wish for? Whatever you may treasure? You're going out empty handed, and likely alone. Hopefully.....not in a way that so totally mars all the very wonderful that preceded your exit. The only things you take with you are the life you loved and lived, the memories. The most important you leave behind for others? The very same.

I will miss him deeply; he was simply a gem. She launched my career......and has no recall of that, nor me. Hope God isn't laughing,....

Just tripped on this, and LMAO .......

A sauna! And if I could somehow get a garage that would be very nice!

I am all set, thank you, Diana. Living the dream on Cape Cod, in our downsize, with a pool (don't laugh...with the seals and great whites, a pool is a must if you want to swim). In our early 80's and life is pretty darn good. Our daughter just bought the house next to us and we are remodeling (1967). Yikes...remember wallpaper borders and shag carpet?

To anyone reading this, who is in 50's or 60's (or even 70's) please look into a long term care policy from a highly rated insurance company. The premiums are expensive, but, in the long run, less expensive than the cost of assisted living or nursing home.

In Mass, assisted living starts around $7,000.00 a month. Nursing home care is doubled to $14,000.00 a month for good, good, care.

P.S. for you, Diana, of course I would have to pay a driver to get me on the porch of Chatham Bars Inn for a glass of wine.

Based on the weather we just had, I am now thinking a heated driveway/walkways!

UBER!!!!: )

"Our daughter just bought the house next to us...." THAT'S a dream!

That's great Diana!

Be honest : ) Were there days when she was 16, that you only WISHED she lived next door?! lol

Ha, yes!!

@elcieg how lovely to have your daughter next door!

we lost both our parents - one cared for in home and arranging consistent good care was a total nightmare (people dont’ show very regularly no matter how much you pay them) and one in a CCRC - it was night and day. The continuing care facility enabled us just to be the kids (we could focus on bringing friends in, baking treats, having music etc) and not be 24/7 HR managers dealing with arranging care -

we have long term care insurance and will head to a CCRC when the timing is right - I have seen it first hand and won’t put my sons thru it

How wonderful of you! Lala Girl

Don't forget...lol.....and if they DO want it? Make them take as early as possible.....:)

I just added undercabinet lighting to my kitchen. DH had objected, but now that he died, I'm treating myself. The only downside is that now my dirty backsplase needs a good scrub--be careful what you wish for!

I wish my deck and patio were replaced with a more usable, enjoyable space. Currently we have South-facing deck with zero shade (beyond umbrellas) in Central Virginia, mean mosquitoes in the summer and a completely dysfunctional patio with firepit placed at the very edge so you can't even sit around it. Ugh!!

I've been hunting for a solution and contractor for a year. The price of getting a decent deck built is equivalent to buying a small house!

I hear ya, Yvonne. We have a west-facing deck and it rendered not only the deck but the living room unusable in the afternoons. After a year or two we had a shed roof built over it and it blocked almost all the bleaching sun both inside and outside. We use it all the time to sit and entertain/lounge in. The only problem is we still cannot eat outside in the latter part of the summer due to the yellowjackets. I've been wanting to install screens, but again, like you, I've found that the price is very high.

I looked into having a roof built over the existing deck like what you describe. Not so easy to do as there is a bay window and a gas fireplace vent on that side of the house. Dealing with the bay window roof is problematic as it isn't flat but more conical. Also, the deck is somewhat narrow and won't accommodate the amount of roof pitch required. The best solution is to rebuild, put a roof over the side with the fireplace vent and install ceiling fans. Finding a contractor to do it is challenging. I've lost count of how many have ghosted me.

For the screens, I recently came across a video showing how to install screening and it looks really easy and cost a fraction if you DIY. The system is sold at Lowes. I've also seen an open porch built with screens that roll down with a remote control, Premier Outdoor Living Youtube channel shows them.

Another option, Yvonne, is a motorized awning. We have them on west-facing windows and they are not as expensive as building a roof. They also have the added bonus of being able to be retracted if you want the sun.

Yes, I know about those awnings. Can't mount a ceiling fan under an awning. I'd prefer to knockdown and rebuild. The crazy thing is we have the money to do the rebuild. Finding someone to do the work is the biggest challenge I am facing. One guy really wants the job but isn't licensed or insured - can't hire him. Another company quoted me with no options for color or product choices, zero flexibility and a questionable reputation - I wasn't comfortable with him at all. Then there are the ones who come look, measure, promise a quote and never hear from them again. (Were they casing my house?) Or they came to look and texted me three weeks later to tell me it would cost between $75-$95K - Well no kidding, but what is your proposal? So frustrating.

"The only problem is we still cannot eat outside in the latter part of the summer due to the yellow jackets.".........

No kidding! I have a habit...every May I jot in my calendar, the first day I was able to sit outside for lunch at my local fave. That marks the beginning of what will be every possible day , in warmth , breeze, shade /sun depending and the absolute bliss in our climate, of no bees, no mosquito, no flies and perfection. UNTIL..................it is 100% over and finito on August 5th.

Call that the saddest and sadder yet on a beautiful September day. But unless you love a plate swarming with bees, or even a continual jump from the table ( hate bees ) it just isn't worth it : (!

I have literally taken to explaining bees to clients.." don't you want to sit OUTSIDE?!"

No. I don't lol

Nothing for my home., always wanted a full time driver since i dislike driving.