How would you describe your ideal family home

[Burleydog]

A lot of housebuilders nowadays are going for the three storey approach in house building. Do you think they are practical? If so what do you like , if not why not? What layout for a family home do you prefer (realistically). I would be very interested to hear. i.e. kitchen /dining room, or separate dining room, downstairs toilet, or untility room - which is most important!. I would like to know your answers. Thanks

[janetsflower]

i think 3 storey houses are very impractical and would not want one. I am very lucky to think my house is perfect (or it will be when we finish renovating it). We have a huge kitchen/dining/family room with separate utility and a downstairs toilet/shower room and a spacious lounge and a wee little office off that. Upstairs we have three large bedrooms, one with en-suite and a family bathroom. I think the utility and downstairs loo are essential, but also essentail is plenty of storage. Lots of these show houses look very glamourous on first viewing but when you get down to imagining where you are going to put your hoover and your shoes and your mop and bucket and hang your coat etc etc they are sadly lacking in space. i think storage is very important and something that most builders seem to be overlooking

[Burleydog]

Thank you for a very good answer Janet flowers.

[mimififi]

I would not like a town house style either. I like the layout of my house particularly becuase the kitchen over looks the garden. When I was looking at houses, I noticed many modern homes have the kitchen at the front and the sitting room at the back. That's all very well, but I don't sit around in the sitting room much and so prefer to have the kitchen over look the garden as I spend more time in there and the kids can play out while I cook the dinner. I do also have a reception room at the back adjacent to the kitchen which we now use as a sitting room for the best of both worlds. This was originally a dining room so it is a bit small, but we plan to extend this room along two sides.
The front sitting room, I now use as a library/music room and I have an integral garage off the hall too. I also have a laundry/utility room which I wouldn't trade for anything. I would like to build a detached garage and knock the wall down between the hall and the garage so that I could have a huge hall way. I would probably also use this as a dining hall as well as hallway that way I wouldn't have to have a kitchen diner....

That would then be my perfect house.

I'm a bit of a traditionalist.

[shaneystar2]

Friends of mine live in one of these three storey town houses and have done for the last 25 years.Great when they were younger but as they are both now approaching 70 they are finding it harder and harder to cope with three flights of stairs and the fact that you have to go downstairs to make a cup of tea etc of an evening. Large kitchen mind you with room for a table and loads of storage space. But the main dining room is also on the second floor also the lounge.Bedrooms and bathroom on the top floor. Totally impractical.
We live in an extended 30's semi and it's ideal for us old crumblies.Downstairs loo ..most important .Lots of storage .. cupboards in the hall for coats shoes etc .Can't bear cluttered hallways! Big kitchen diner and a utility room ..again for me most important. The best thing ever is the huge original walk in pantry with the old marble shelves.I love it and so does the butler.The rest is the usual lounge,.three beds ,bathroom and we have a sun room where Shaney the hound sleeps and we also use that as a spare bedroom for guests.

[WendyS]

I'm not in favour of 3 storey houses, even if developers do because they can cram more properties onto a smaller space. . They are very impractical to run and clean. How would you like to lug a heavy vacuum cleaner up 3 flights of stairs every time you have to vacuum? Also, if people want to stay a long time in the same house, they will grow older and climbing stairs are difficult. It's expensive enough having to install a chair lift onto one flight of stairs. Imagine if you had to install two of them ! A downstairs toilet is essential, and a kitchen large enough for a family to eat breakfast in, even if they would prefer a separate dining room for other meals. Most houses have totally inadequate storage for the average family, both in kitchens and byuilt-in wardrobes in bedrooms. A utility room for drying clothes and ironing would also be ideal. New houses near us are being built with telephone/internet connection points in every upstairs room.

[BBWCHATT]

I have lived in 2 story AND 3 story houses over the years and I only want a one story now. Not only do you get super tired of going up and down the stairs - and the older you get the more tired - but no matter how many of something you buy - they all end up being on the story where you aren't when you need them - very frustrating on a day to day basis!!!