What annoys you about your own home?

[mrodgers]

Since you've mentioned it a few times lately, have you considered a portable? You roll it over to the sink and hook the hoses up to the faucet to use it, which requires no plumbing modifications. They work just as well as a built-in and have a butcher block (or similar) top that is versatile for other purposes when not in use. I grew up in a house built in 1900 and my Dad bought my Mom one of these in the 70's. It was a Maytag and still worked great when we moved her to a seniors' home in 2011.
View attachment 543031

I have thought of that, I remember my grandmother having one. Just no room, it's a 1976. I would have to bring it in up the steps in the front door because I wouldn't get it through the space between the fridge in the corner and the corner of the cabinets. I would have to have it in the living room while I loaded it all week, then push it into the kitchen and while running, would have to go out the front door and in the back door to go to the bathroom.

I had the idea of a counter top dishwasher for single people. There's my ticket! Whoops, already out there, and well above my pay grade as well. Plus, I don't think it would fit on the counter and I then wouldn't be able to cook.

I just really really miss having an empty dishwasher and dishes all piled up in the sink... er, I guess that wouldn't happen any more since the ex isn't here... LOL

 

[Disneybuckeye]

When we lived in a house with a basement, the main level was always colder than upstairs, and the basement was an absolute freezer. I don't think having a basement makes the main level of a house warmer. Hot air always rises, so the upstairs is always warmer than the downstairs.

Yes, the second floor will always be warmer than the first floor in any house, but a slab foundation makes the first floor floor cooler than if you have a basement.

We have a slab foundation in our lake house and in the winter the floor is very cold which makes the first floor overall much cooler. Fortunately in the summer the floor is nice and cool too. Since we use it mainly during warm months it works out great.

Our main home has a finished basement and the first floor floor is very comfortable in the winter.

Our biggest issue is that we did not build our lake house bigger. We have 4 bedroom and 2.5 baths which is great, but our great room is only 12x14. Luckily we do not spend much time inside as we have an 600 square foot covered porch out front that drops down to a 900 square foot deck, that leads down to an 1800 square foot open dock that is half under cover. Someday we will put on an addition to make the great room bigger and add a fireplace.

 

[nkereina]

No linen closets in any of our bathrooms. Our two full bathrooms are both on the second floor, and we also have second floor laundry, so we added cabinets in our laundry room to serve as a linen closet where towels and things like extra TP are stored so that we aren't taking up vanity space in the bathrooms.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I am truly blessed to have a lovely home that I watched being built from the ground up. Nothing about it annoys me.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

A few things

small closet space in the bedrooms

where our garage to kitchen door is placed ( our decision) the door opens into the kitchen right next to the oven/stovetop with only a 12 inch or so counter between. We didn't want a door open directly to the basement steps when we built because our son was 3 at the time and all we saw was him taking a long dive down those stairs. We should have dealt with it for a few years because kids grow up fast!

the ceiling fixture in the dining area is centered to the area- looks great in an empty room. But as soon as our table was placed with the chairs it was very obvious it wasn't (and never has been) centered under the light and ceiling fan. If it was, no one could walk thru from kitchen elsewhere without bumping into the chair. If someone was sitting there-forget it. Since we did make some design changes from original blueprint, I think this is why.

the extra 3rd toilet sits in the open in our basement. There's enough STUFF so if you're on one side you cant see, BUT....... its only been 20+ years now. I have never used it and tell everyone the only way I would is if I am down there for a Tornado warning and I have to go!

 

[ronandannette]

I have thought of that, I remember my grandmother having one. Just no room, it's a 1976. I would have to bring it in up the steps in the front door because I wouldn't get it through the space between the fridge in the corner and the corner of the cabinets. I would have to have it in the living room while I loaded it all week, then push it into the kitchen and while running, would have to go out the front door and in the back door to go to the bathroom.

I had the idea of a counter top dishwasher for single people. There's my ticket! Whoops, already out there, and well above my pay grade as well. Plus, I don't think it would fit on the counter and I then wouldn't be able to cook.

I just really really miss having an empty dishwasher and dishes all piled up in the sink... er, I guess that wouldn't happen any more since the ex isn't here... LOL

I just can’t fathom the layout you’re describing and I’m quite familiar with single-wides of all ages. They’re pretty common in the rural area I came from. My (now departed) in-laws retired in one and two of my family members up north live in trailers currently. A single-wide is typically 12’ or about 10’ nominal on the inside. I guess you’re going to have to post some pictures.

 

[barkley]

No linen closets in any of our bathrooms. Our two full bathrooms are both on the second floor, and we also have second floor laundry, so we added cabinets in our laundry room to serve as a linen closet where towels and things like extra TP are stored so that we aren't taking up vanity space in the bathrooms.

we lived in a rental with a similar lack of linen storage but it got even stranger. there was what appeared to be a potential storage area on the second floor-a wall of beautiful oak cabinetry. the thing was, after we moved in and i went to use it to store linens we discovered that the cabinets were oddly shallow such that only washcloths could be traditionally folded and stored-to store bath towels you had to roll them. to look at the cabinets from the outside they looked totally normal depth but we soon realized that it was just the big ornate doors that created that illusion. what was meant to be stored in them we could never figure out (they were literally only about the usable depth of a paperback book). that house had NO bathroom storage to speak of-there were 3 and 2 had pedestal sinks so nothing in those for so much as an extra roll of t.p., and the master just had a small cabinet below the sink that was pretty much eaten up by the pipes.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Another thing that annoys me about the house is that the previous owner added central air, and the way it was done by the company was to just put the ducts through closets. So every closet has a duct just taking up space.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Somehow I failed to notice, in alllll the walkthroughs of the model, alllll the pre-build inspections, final close, everything.... that I have no coat closet.

I don't wear coats, but I have always stored (among other things) my vacuum cleaner in the coat closet.

One of the things we realized when we were looking at the house plans for our house in 2014 and all the model homes we saw (which were countless ones) between 2013 and 2014 is coat closets have now been put by the garage door rather than in the front of the house. I have actually seen some house plans with no coat closet but a mud bench (that has hooks) is common in my area. A lot of house plans have both a coat closet and a mud bench with hooks and they are right by each other. We use our coat closet for random coats/jackets along with hats and gloves (and TBH we frequently forget what's in there) but mostly to store our steam/deep cleaner and our main vacuum just like you. The coat hooks on the mud bench is where we put our stuff.

So important question then where do you store your vacuum cleaner now? lol

 

[tvguy]

Family room, Living room and all bedrooms should have a light in the center of the celing. My house was built in 1979 and they stopped doing that so we had to pay to have the lights wired in. Actually, they are all now ceiling fans with lights. I think contractors were just looking to cut building costs.

Only a two car garage. Again my house was built in 1979. They extended the street to the west in 1985 and those houses all have three car garages. The extended the street to the east in 2010, those houses all have four car garages. Although an elderly couple in one of those houses has just one car, it is one of those SMART cars and it looks LOST in the four car garage.

 

[mrodgers]

the extra 3rd toilet sits in the open in our basement. There's enough STUFF so if you're on one side you cant see, BUT....... its only been 20+ years now. I have never used it and tell everyone the only way I would is if I am down there for a Tornado warning and I have to go!

Sounds like you're in Pittsburgh. That is referred to as the Pittsburgh Toilet. Most homes in da Burgh have them (or had them) because the steel workers would come home filthy, come through the basement to change and clean up and do some business before coming upstairs.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Sounds like you're in Pittsburgh. That is referred to as the Pittsburgh Toilet. Most homes in da Burgh have them (or had them) because the steel workers would come home filthy, come through the basement to change and clean up and do some business before coming upstairs.

I'm on the eastern end of Pennsylvania, and there is at least one local community that appears to have the same thing (bathroom in the basement). Probably for coal workers.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Only a two car garage.

1970 house here. I think my garage is like 1 1/2 cars? I can't imagine fitting two cars in this garage. Maybe if it was otherwise completely empty...

 

[tvguy]

1970 house here. I think my garage is like 1 1/2 cars? I can't imagine fitting two cars in this garage. Maybe if it was otherwise completely empty...

Area I grew up in was largely developed 1950 to 1960, everything had a 2 car garage with an alcove on one side for the well, since there was no water district and everyone had their own domestic water well. Minimum lot size there had been 1/2 acre since the CC&Rs were recored in 1938, so now a lot of homes get demolished and mcmansions get built in their place. One has a 16 car garage!

 

[bennifer]

We have a 1950s split entry. I hate the layout. I hate the split as soon as you walk in because there’s only room for one person in the tiny foyer. I hate that if someone is stopping by for a few minutes they won’t come in and sit down because of the stairs. I hate that my grandmother who was in a wheelchair at the end of her life when we bought it never got to come to my house. It’s also 1100 sq ft. I actually really like a small house, but maybe a ranch instead.

 

[barkley]

Area I grew up in was largely developed 1950 to 1960, everything had a 2 car garage with an alcove on one side for the well, since there was no water district and everyone had their own domestic water well.

the development i grew up in (also northern california) was built around the same time. 2 car garages, no well alcove but enough of a space for on one side for the washer and dryer (never saw a house with an indoor laundry room till i was a teen!) and on the other for a good sized workbench. water heaters were installed inside the houses (all had long 'hall closets-3/4 were storage, 1/4 was eaten up by the water heater), AND-

small cement slab in every back yard for what was the norm then, unheard of now-home incinerator (i remember my mom separating garbage into what would be put out for the garbage man vs. what dad would incinerate).

 

[kdonnel]

the extra 3rd toilet sits in the open in our basement. There's enough STUFF so if you're on one side you cant see, BUT....... its only been 20+ years now. I have never used it and tell everyone the only way I would is if I am down there for a Tornado warning and I have to go!

I went in a house in my neighborhood that had a toilet in the basement just out in what should have been a full bath but instead was just the toilet. The owner had installed a circular shower curtain rod and curtain around it.

He was really into model trains and the vast majority of his basement was devoted to his layout. I guess he got tired of going up and down the stairs to use the bathroom but didn't want to invest in finishing out the whole bath. A few years later he sold the house. I wondered what the new owners did with the toilet.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Family room, Living room and all bedrooms should have a light in the center of the celing. My house was built in 1979 and they stopped doing that so we had to pay to have the lights wired in. Actually, they are all now ceiling fans with lights. I think contractors were just looking to cut building costs.

Only a two car garage. Again my house was built in 1979. They extended the street to the west in 1985 and those houses all have three car garages. The extended the street to the east in 2010, those houses all have four car garages. Although an elderly couple in one of those houses has just one car, it is one of those SMART cars and it looks LOST in the four car garage.

We built a new main house last year. Every bedroom, the office, and the laundry have lights in the center of the ceiling and all can be converted to ceiling fans. We had them in our old house, hated that we did not have them in our temporary apartment, so made sure to put them in our new house. We also put them in our lake home.

We have cans in a lot of our living areas so we have minimal table lamps and no floor lamps. I love the minimalist look.

 

[Kittyblue]

One thing I dislike about my home is the tiny laundry room. I wish it had a sink and space to air dry a few items. Another issue I have is the counters, especially in the kitchen. They are made up of 6" tiles and it's impossible to keep the grout looking nice. I'd love a solid surface countertop.

 

[tvguy]

the development i grew up in (also northern california) was built around the same time. 2 car garages, no well alcove but enough of a space for on one side for the washer and dryer (never saw a house with an indoor laundry room till i was a teen!) and on the other for a good sized workbench. water heaters were installed inside the houses (all had long 'hall closets-3/4 were storage, 1/4 was eaten up by the water heater), AND-

small cement slab in every back yard for what was the norm then, unheard of now-home incinerator (i remember my mom separating garbage into what would be put out for the garbage man vs. what dad would incinerate).

My parents house had the water heater and furnace inside, each in their own closets. My house the water heater is in the garage and I have a heat pump so everything. Everybody had an indoor laundry room, I was in high school before I saw a house with the washer and dryer in the garage. My parents house was built in 1960 and it had a door bell on both the front and back doors. Ding dong for the front door, just ding for the back door. The first few years we were in the house we had weekly milk delivery which was set outside the back door, and the milkman would ring the door bell and leave.