House Wish List (updated 20 November 2006)

Room/area

/ Description of construction work / Décor/Notes /
Open questions / If cook top is on island, how to vent?
How will kitchen be heated? All walls will have cabinets. / Toe-kick heaters and/or electric radiant mats
What about porch in front? / See photo from Flock Lane.
/ Greenhouse-type kitchen window or regular? / Probably regular with granite countertop extending as sill (see photo)
/ Can front of upstairs bathroom be pushed out a foot or 2 to allow for a wider bathtub? / Probably not feasible, but see photo.

New entry way

/ Create new front entry using front part of garage & cut entry into kitchen/living room per plan
New front door (sidelights?); Solar-powered lighting outside / Mirror, places for shoes, briefcase, jewelry
Coat closet (with rod & overhead shelf) for guests, storage closet (with some shelves) for me. Closets will have sliding doors. / Place for mail-sorting, shredder, and storage for newspaper & magazine recycling (see photo of pull-put shredder & recycling bin)
Heating – electric radiant floor or traditional baseboard?
Finish floor, drywall & paint walls
Some kind of hanging light fixture near door, task lighting on back wall, light in closets
Kitchen: / Close off old front door
(see details below) / New layout – new cabinets (all or most to ceiling), countertops and backsplash / One or 2 upper cabinets with glass doors. All lower cabinets (except sink) will be drawers and pull-outs. Cabinet on top of fridge should be 24” deep.
Under-cabinet lighting & electrical strips / Well-hidden, as in photo
Where to put microwave and oven? Warming drawer that can be used as an oven? / Pull-out cutting board under microwave to provide landing area for stuff coming out?
Large under mounted single bowl sink with garbage disposal pull-out faucet & integrated detergent dispenser (under new window) / Possibles: instant hot water, tapmaster
Also consider extending granite to bottom of window instead of a sill.
Pull-out garbage & recycling (possible foot-pedal door opener) / Next to sink
New island – possibly with (induction?) cook top. Bookshelves for cookbooks, storage drawers for pots & pans, maybe wine rack? / Will serve as prep area, cooking area (?), & seating for 3-5.
Pendant lights above island, controlled by dimmer / Light should be somewhat diffused
New floor that is durable and comfortable underfoot / Also that is easy to clean & doesn’t show dirt
New appliances / Dishwasher next to sink. If cook top is not on island, then Maytag Gemini range with warming oven.
New flat ceiling with pot lights controlled by dimmers & remote-controlled ceiling fan / Bulletin board for photos, notes (get the junk off the refrigerator!)
Paint walls & ceiling
Phone jack, cable jack
New ceiling fan with light fixture
Living room / Floor – replace with wood or laminate.
Built-in shelving for books & stereo? / Create reading area (low window seat?) at back window
Replace baseboard heaters, preferably with thinner ones
Remove wall at bottom of stairway
Replace ceiling fan (remote control)
Paint walls
Downstairs hall / Replace ceiling and light fixture
New shelving in closet under stairs -- pantry configuration / ? Replace current shelves with pullouts?
Seal existing pantries
Paint walls & ceiling
New floor (continuation of kitchen floor?) including under stairs
Downstairs bath
Low priority / Possible replace window / Low priority, but might do so that all windows on front of house are new.
Possible replace floor / Low priority but might do if not too costly
Possible replace countertop / Low priority but might do if not too costly
Guest room / Repair leaks and paint walls / Turn into office with secondary use as guest room
Add bookshelves / Move some living room furniture in (file cabinet, table, sorter, computer & computer desk) – possibly also cable modem & connections
Seal & fix up the closet or convert to another kind of storage
New ceiling fan w/light fixture / Better lighting
Consider new flooring (low priority)
Storage/Laundry room / New window in front (low priority)
Remove closet – replace with shelf unit on left side / Rationalize storage of Mystery News back issues
Consider new flooring (low priority)
Make sure this room is sealed
Stairway area / Replace paneling with drywall and paint in a light airy color
Open staircase to living room at bottom
Close off door to outside
Remove wall between bottom of stairway and living room – as per plan, add support column and half-wall
Repair ceiling and wall – replace lighting fixtures at bottom and top of stairway
Remove carpeting – replace with wood/laminate
Upstairs hallway / New floor covering / Check into access to attic/crawl space for storage
Replace whole house fan
Paint walls & ceiling
Possible add hall light
Master bedroom / Knock down wall between book room and master bedroom
Upgrade air conditioner (remote control) / Move existing A/C unit to another room?
Build bookshelves in indentation? (low priority)
Add a ceiling fan/light fixture with a remote control
New floor – wood or laminate
Cathedral ceiling with skylights in back per plan
New front window with window seat with built-in bookcases surrounding it. Possible inglenook-type design, like photo / Create an area for a small refrigerator and coffee machine near the reading area
Build new closet per plan / No doors – some kind of drapery instead
Upstairs bathroom / Expand width of bathroom to allow a longer deeper tub more storage / Consider storage niche under tub seating (see photo)
Replace window
Gut current bathroom and replace tile, toilet, sink, floor (tile), / Consider electric floor heating (with programmable thermostat)
Pocket door for more wall space
New light fixtures (sconces on sides of sink, reading light above tub) / Book/magazine rack or shelf
Tiled niche/s in shower
Toilet and vanity to be at “comfort” height
New quiet fan, preferably 1 sone or less and with humidity sensor. Otherwise, need a timer for the fan so that it will shut off minutes later / (i.e. doesn’t turn on or off with light, but when and only when humidity is too high, shutting off when it’s back to acceptable levels)
Grab bar for tub / Curved shower rod
Play room (upstairs) / Ceiling fan
Low priority / Paint walls
New floor?
Closet room / Paint walls
Low priority / New floor?
Replace window
Seal closet
Infrastructure / Rebalance electrical system
Fix leaks, repair leak damage
Baseboard heaters - any alternatives?
Smoke and CO2 detectors as required
Insulation as needed to control heating costs
Exterior / New shingles
New roof
New gutters – self-cleaning
Repair & redo side and backyard lighting & ceiling over deck
Bring in exterminators to check for unwelcome visitors in the garage & overhang rafters
Garage (back) / Increase usability of loft storage (built-in ladder?) / Install racks for storage (must fit plastic bins)
Hose faucets at back & front
Improved lighting (low priority)

Kitchen Details

Category / Manufacturer / Model/details / Budget
Cabinets
Counters
Backsplash
Sink
Faucet
Floor
Paint
Under-counter lighting
Other lighting
Ceiling fan
Appliances:
- Oven
- Cooktop
- Ventilation
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Garbage Disposal
- Instant Hot

Master Bathroom Details

Category / Manufacturer / Model/details / Budget
Cabinets
Counter
Backsplash
Sink
Faucets
Bathtub
Floor
Paint
Lighting/Fan