"New Homes" design pet peeves. I am getting tired of repeating house designs which show little thought, and, unless we talk about them, they might continue to be repeated by builders who do not bring their Realtors into the design discussions. Here are a few of mine, and feel free to add. Some of you may disagree. To each his own. However, I think, it is time we talked about some of them. Would love to hear your thoughts.
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interior garage entrances which require you to walk through a narrow laundry room with laundry machines which obstruct passage. I think we should pass by the laundry room door, not have to pass through a laundry room every time we come home through the garage;
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a) The main hall closet for the entire family in a 4-6 bedroom house is a 30" door under the stairs, more usually reserved for vacuum attachments with depth only. Why not use the frontage of the wall for a wide closet. b) No hope to move the door to the side as the closet has the electrical panel and other wiring along its walls;
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Electrical panels for the entire house placed in the tenant's "suite". What if you have a disagreement? He controls your hydro!
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Laundry condemned to the basement? With a concrete floor and a proper drain, why not move it to the top floor where people live and where they will be convenient?
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Builders who put in those 24 Cu. ft refrigerators which stick out 6-8 inches in a new home instead of ponying up for counter-depth appliances.
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Brand new "beautiful" home.... with the cheapest 20 year roof. ???
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The front door opens directly into the living room with no place for shoes, coats etc.... It's a westcoast thing, but where did the intermediate mud-room vestibule disappear to. Does a grandiose entrance trump practicality?
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Electrical switches, thermostats etc. placed in the middle of a focal point wall where a beautiful painting might go, but for the switch.
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Oversize exterior design columns which in some cases these days seem to be floating off of their stone base making them look ridiculous.
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Finally, and this becomes obvious to buyers one minute after they move in: Where are they supposed to put all of the family's shoes and boots when they walk in from the front door? Under-stair storage solutions anyone?