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One of the things I like the most there is how they decorate small spaces:
They manage to squeeze a lot into a tiny space and make it still look stylish. I've been amazed by small houses and apartments lately. I think we are too messy and have too much junk to live in a 500 sq. ft. living quarters but it amazes me how wisely some people use the space they have. Our suburb house is not small by any means. We have 1800 sq.ft, in case you are wondering, but it was used very wisely when they built it. It's a 3-level twin home with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a decent size kitchen. It's not my dream house - I still want to have a real dining room one day, and I definitely wouldn't mind to live somewhere close to the beach - but I love it, and it works great for our family so far.
But I know some people who think you can't possibly have a family with kids in such a "small" space. They want bigger, even bigger, and then they might think it is better. I can imagine that for many this would be an absolute dream house:
That's actually the most expensive house that ever hit the market. Just $190,000,000... It took me a few attempts to write all of those zeros right. Actually, the price of it was barely lowered, you know, a merely 50 million dollars... Not that big of a deal... But it has 13,519 square feet with 12 bedrooms and 9 baths and overall its pretty impressive (especially the views. Look at these views! You can read more about this house here if you are curious).
So my question to you - in fact a bunch - what is your dream home? I don't want you to be realistic, I want you to dream :) What do you have/need in your place to fit all of your needs? Could you live in a tiny apartment with a loft bed and a kitchen the size of a pantry or would you rather have a nice master bedroom with a walk-in closet and a master bath? How far can you push your level of comfort?
Are you happy with where you live right now??
We're on a fairly large home I think, and with 4 kids, it's needed for now. But eventually my dream home will be a small 2 bdrm. Victorian home... one of the bedrooms will be my sewing room! ;) lol!
ReplyDeleteExcellent questions. I love my home so much that I cannot imagine anything else, it seems so perfect for us. Maybe because we waited so long to buy and got everything we wanted (access to trails, RV space, 2 car garage, inside laundry room, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, nice neighborhood) and some things we did not (in ground swimming pool). We have had to do a bunch of maintenance (roof, ceiling insulation, pool resurfacing, remove popcorn ceiling, update bathrooms, paint) and are still not done (exterior siding/painting, deck tops, landscaping, pool deck, concrete repair), I love this house. We have a list of things we want to add/update/change and are just prioritizing and working our way through it as time and money allow.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Ikea yet, maybe one day. My dream home would have 5 bedrooms each with an en-suit and walk-in wardrobes. and downstairs would be all open plan kitchen, dinning and living area with a craft corner. I suppose it will have to have a downstairs cloakroom too. If I had all those loos I would also have to have a cleaner to clean them.
ReplyDeleteIn reality we have a 3 bedroomed terraced house with 1 bathroom, a galley kitchen (once had a kitchen that was in a large cupboard under the stairs) Dining room and a living room and a small back garden and a smaller front garden.
Carolx
I have always wanted a craftsman Bungalo(sp). I love older homes with big woodwork. I guess thats why I like my grandparents house, so I would be content to stay here forever since I do love my house. But it was really small when the kids were little - 6 ppl one bathroom. But now it seems just right. Anyway I would love a bungelo/cottage on a acre or two of land.....that would be my perfect home :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting question because it's hard for me to dream without limits. I do know that my dreams won't go to far if I don't have someone to help me take care of things like a gardener. With that being said, I do know that I would like walk-in closets and nice gardens surrounding me.
ReplyDeleteImagine the bills of such a house! Ouch! You'd probably spend the $50M "price reduction" just to keep the house running.
ReplyDeleteI have asked that question myself many times. It's hard to tell. So far I have only been in my parents' house and 2-3 places I've rented. I guess I haven't really developed a good idea, but I don't want something too big. At the beginning, it would just be me, so an apartment like space would be best. Though later, I'd probably set for a 3br 2br single family house. My friends lived up in a condo, and I thought that was lovely, especially in the really high floors.
I don't like where I am living now. It's a nice, quiet neighborhood, but the house is pretty old and extremely creaky, poorly insulated, and the bathroom is a mess at best. I would be willing to live in a tiny apt (though I'd like an actual kitchen... not a mini fridge and a counter-top electric 2-burner stove). I don't want or need a walk-in closet or master bath, just something decently sized to move around.
I really don't care what style my home is, but it has to be a detached(free standing)one on land. I am not enamored of huge houses(just more to clean and to heat). I don't want to spend all my money and time maintaining a house because I would prefer to use those for travel! But I would want a sanctuary to come back to when the traveling is done.
ReplyDeleteSince my kids are almost all out of the house I don't need room for them any longer, but I would like a home arrangement with either a guest house or a large detached garage with living quarters over it or a place for a large RV home, so when the kids and hopefully grandkids come to visit they have a place to stay, but it's separate from the main body of the house. I also want a painting studio with a Southern exposure so it gets the best light.
I want land to keep my distance from neighbors and to have a gentleman's farm--plant a very large garden and keep small animals. My money will go instead toward help & equipment for the farm.
The house won't have to be large(but it will be a ranch/one level affair), just a great room(multi-purpose for family gatherings-I can use it as a dining OR family room), a moderate sized kitchen, a small parlor or den, a large study for Hubs, 2 bedrooms(to be actual bedrooms)-one of those a master with ensuite bathroom, another full bath and a heated 3 car garage--Hubs would use 1/3 of the area for his work area where he could make beer. There will also be a barn for the farm equipment. If we have more than 1 guest(or 1 couple), they can stay in the guest cottage/RV/space over the garage.
Yeah, I don't want a lot....LOL
That is a great question as we are moving to a more expensive area and half to prioritize our wants. I want (in a perfect world, lol):
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Big eat in kitchen with pantry
Finished recroom in basement so kids can jump around
2 car garage, my car doesn't like this -20 C night temps
Fireplace
Office/sewing room
Ensuite
My own big walk in closet
Pool
And the best thing, paid off affordable in 10 yrs
Yeah, simple wishes HA
Right now we live in a cute little home in Kentucky. It has three bedrooms and two full baths. It is a great start house but definitely not my dream house. Growing up- and still to this day, my parents have a 6,000 sqft home in Indiana. So I am used to big. I'm almost too used to it! My ideal home would be about 3,000 sqft with enough rooms for each my children to have their own. I would love a large master bathroom with a his and hers walk-in closets as well as a garden tub and shower. I like lots of windows and would want to have a very nice view. My backyard landscaping would be impeccable with lights hanging everywhere! It would be the place where I would host all of my get togethers- no matter the occasion! Having my own garden would be the icing on the cake. That's just a little snippet of what I would want in my dream home...for right now I am focused on selling the one I'm in!
ReplyDeleteI am happy with my home right now, but my dream home is a small, solar passive house. I'm ready to build it, but dh isn't quite on board with that. Yet. I love how Ikea makes the most of small spaces too.
ReplyDeleteThis changes with one's stage of life, I guess. When my four boys were small, we always bought 5-6 bedroom and 2-3 bath houses, not necessarily "big", but lots of opportunity for privacy and quiet zones, plus a bit of land so Hubby could grow veggies :) Now that the family is grown, my priorities are comfort, warmth, convenience and economy, so our retirement home will probably be smaller and efficient (but still a vegetable garden... big must-have). Can be small but must have room for my crafts!
ReplyDeleteMy dream house would be an old home out in the country. I'd love to have one redone to period type finishes. Think Nicole Curtis/Rehab Addict, furnished with repurposed older pieces. But the amenity of air conditioning and heat.
ReplyDeleteI live in my dream house! Although it is an old single-wide mobile home (remodeled), it is in a quiet place, it is paid for and very comfortable. Hubby recently asked me if I would want a bigger house and I told him I was very happy with what I have. The only changes I would make would be a walk-in closet and new kitchen cupboards. Bigger would mean I would have to clean more and probably payments. Being debt free equals freedom:)
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