How I would Re-Design Our House
I am interested in tiny houses, modular home-building techniques, and flexible living spaces--rooms that can serve multiple functions just by altering the furniture. I don't think a tiny house is quite my thing, as I live with two other people; I would be interested for just myself. I am very interested in exploring the concept of modular home construction and making rooms versatile, so that they can serve many functions. I am also interested in laneway houses, which are smaller dwelling places that can be built onto the back of a lot that backs onto a lane, and mini-mansions, which are -2-bedroom homes.
First priority: De-cluttering. We have a LOT of stuff that we need to get rid of.
Our home on Omeara Drive is too big for us. We don't need four bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room. We only need the following:
* Master bedroom that could double as an office.
* Guest-access bathroom that Mark and I use.
* Bedroom for Donna (with living space/kitchenette, and en-suite bathroom with bath bench and bars)
* Kitchen with breakfast nook
* Den with ability to seat family for holidays.
* Possibly a closet-sized study for me, well soundproofed. I could possibly use the breakfast nook instead if I could close the door to the den.
* Washer and dryer in our closet. (Unless, once we get a new washer and dryer, Donna decides to start using those.)
That reduces the number of rooms from 11 to seven.
Make the dining room table the usual kitchen table. Keep it in the breakfast nook to be used for daily meals. Hang the extra leaf on the other side of the stove. Store extra chairs in the den for visitor seating. Better yet, make the extra table leaf a sliding door for additional access to the under-stove cabinets.
Kitchen
Our kitchen needs a complete re-design.
* Clear out all of the crap that is under and on top of the picnic table in the kitchen. Clear out all the other crap, too.
* Replace the back door.
* Get rid of the picnic table or put it outside.
* All lower kitchen cabinets should become drawers that can be fully extended for easy cleaning.
* All upper kitchen cabinets should open from the bottom and have only one or two shelves.
* We need a place to store spices neatly.
* Need a light and blower over the stove. Need a light over the sink.
* Replace the current gas stovetop or replace it with an induction stovetop.
* Replace the current porcelain kitchen sink with an aluminum or stainless steel one of the same size.
* Replace the tile kitchen countertop with one that doesn't require grout (preferably made of Silestone).
* Move the hot-water heater into the utility room to increase pantry storage space.
* Buy an upright freezer with drawers, including an Ice Cream Drawer of Happiness. :)
* It would be nice to have a refrigerator with an ice-maker, but it isn't vital.
* Either get rid of the dishwasher entirely, or replace it with a top-loading drawer model.
* We will need storage space for large kitchen tools, like the pizza maker, the crock pot, the blender, double-boiler, and an instant pot, if we get one. Might even go for another pasta maker or a waffle iron.
* Get rid of the overhead cabinets in the utility room. Put open shelving in for laundry detergent.
* Widen the doorways to ADA compliance so Donna can move about the house freely.
* Improve the lighting in the dining room.
To be continued for the rest of the house.