Essentials

Mike and I went on the local parade of homes this past Sunday. It was discouraging to see how much local builders want for new construction, some of it fairly shabby. This lead to a conversation about whether or not it is really worth it to build a new home--given the premium you pay for designing the home yourself. We plan to wait a year (afterall, our lot is not going to be accessible by road until then) before we set a final budget for building a home. At that point, we'll run the budget past our builder, along with what we'd like out of the home, and see if it is possible to get our "dream home" for what we are able to spend.

In the event that we aren't able to afford to build, we will be looking for an existing home to move into, perhaps after some renovations. Mike has a hard time believing that I could be happy with an existing home, given that we have looked at many homes together and there aren't many that I like. Of course, part of that is a poor match between Manhattan, KS homes and my tastes. I'm sure that there are other parts of the country that would have an abundance of homes that I would love (for Mike's sake I'll elaborate here: I like Debbie and Stephen's home in Virginia and I liked many homes in Camden, Maine.) I also loved our first home here in KS. In fact, there are probably many homes in Manhattan that I could love, but they are close to campus and, as such, near to trashy rentals. Sigh. The Little Apple does not do a good job of maintaining its historic neighborhoods. I'm not going to lay down $450,000 for a house next to a rental that is sporting a cut-out of a bikini-clad girl in the window and a half-empty keg in the yard. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I don't want Wilson and Henry to get offered a bong hit in lieu of candy on Halloween.

So, let's get down to essentials. What is it that I really need to be minimally satisfied with a house? Those things are:
1) A good Christmas tree spot. A good Christmas tree spot is an important part of a house, for me. This is defined as a place in the front area of the home that is fully exposed by a window to the street (Christmas trees should shine out for all to see.) On the inside of the house, there needs to be plenty of room around the tree for gifts and, on Christmas morning, for people to gather around and open gifts. So, this room should be a living room, study, or parlor. It can't be a dining room, as the table would be in the way.
2) Good natural light. This is defined as lots of southern, eastern and/or northern light and a minimum of western light. Bonus points for wide window sills and window seats, to help enjoy this light.
3) Working chimney and woodstove (or fireplace that could be replaced with a woodstove.)
4) Screened porch or sunroom.
5) At least as much kitchen cabinetry and counter space as we currently have.
6) At least a 2-car garage (detached is acceptable.)
7) Enough rooms to keep our lives organized, including: master bedroom, boys bedroom or two, office for Mike, playroom, dining room, living room, kitchen, laundry room.
8) Not on a busy street.

Okay, so those are the essentials, as I can think of them. What would I like, but don't "need."
1) White baseboards and crown moulding.
2) Lots of built-ins: bookcases, cabinets, window seats.
3) No oak or walnut woodwork. A darker cherry is my preference, but others might be okay.
4) Black and white tile floors. In the bathrooms, I like small, hexagonal tiles. In kitchens, I like 1' black and white squares.
5) Really prefer to have a dedicated guest room. I like having a guest room with a bed all made and ready, a selection of good books, and a few other things to make guests feel at home.
6) A room for me that would meet all my personal needs: computing, art, sewing, knitting, growing seedings.
7) A separate parlor/library to be used for quiet reading and studying.
8) A media room in the basement to keep our gigantic TV hidden away.
9) A more structured floorplan, where rooms can be closed off or opened up, using pocket doors.
10) A beautiful staircase.
11) A mudroom to keep all of the following organized: recycling, coats, boots/shoes, extra pantry items, mail, keys, bags etc...
12) A small foyer where you can sit to take off shoes and hooks to hang up coats.
13) A backyard seating/grilling area that is blocked from harsh evening sunlight.
14) On a cul-de-sac or other non-through street.
15) A fireplace and small sitting area in the master bedroom.

Wow! I look at the second list and it's no wonder that we worry about affording to build a house. That's quite a list of "wants!" We'll just have to wait and see how things play out for us financially between now and the time that our lot becomes available to build on.