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The House of your dreams

(117 Posts)
nanna8 Mon 17-May-21 07:26:58

What would it be like? One of my daughter's friends has just built the house of her dreams. It is massive, built in sandstone on a couple of acres and each of her 3 children has their own private sitting room, bathroom and bedroom. I don't think I'd actually like that ( not that I could afford it anyway). I like rustic type houses with privacy and a good view . No roads in sight, preferably.

Urmstongran Mon 17-May-21 08:00:37

I’d like something small that is situated right next to a beach. A morning stroll by the sea right at my back gate would be my idea of heaven. Sitting watching the waves, listening to the seagulls is holistic. Somewhere warm (natch) so I could enjoy a swim in the late sun. I’d live in a swimsuit, flip flops and a sundress with a book to hand. Location, location, location!

Ellianne Mon 17-May-21 08:05:03

I took photos of Gordon Ramsay's house on Saturday. That will do me fine. On the beach, modern clean lines, views, lots of light and a pool.

MerylStreep Mon 17-May-21 08:16:06

It would be a Huf Haus house.
But that can’t happen because I absolutely love the close I live in and my plot isn’t big enough.

M0nica Mon 17-May-21 08:18:07

I am so lucky, the dream has come true

Ever since I went to Stratford on Avon as a 16 year old on a school trip and went into all those timber framed house I always wanted to live in one - and I live do.

It is 550 years old. Listed, in a village, with beams everywhere and a wood burning stove, and looking out onto leaves and greenery.

When dreams come true, there is usually one tiny imperfection. The main London-Bristol rail line runs through the village, about a 100 yards away, but the trees absorb most of the noise.

DanniRae Mon 17-May-21 08:57:28

Well Gordon Ramsey's house looks as if it's in a great location but it also looks like quite an ugly building sad

dogsmother Mon 17-May-21 09:03:42

Roses around the door, small cottage garden at the back.
En suite x3 bedrooms. Open plan kitchen with aga or similar range. Also plenty of parking and 5 minute walk to warm safe Sandy beach with few people.

fatgran57 Mon 17-May-21 09:05:25

I would love to see some photos of your house MOnica

shysal Mon 17-May-21 09:06:13

I would like to live next door to Urmstongran's house as described above. Not too close of course, and nowhere very hot, just pleasantly warm.

tanith Mon 17-May-21 09:16:43

Shysal can I join you and Urmstongran’s on the beach? I’d give you both your space of course.

timetogo2016 Mon 17-May-21 09:17:47

A converted church with or without the grave yard.
With a sea view of course.

Urmstongran Mon 17-May-21 09:23:38

Right-o shysal and tanith! Excellent. Be even nicer to have friends as neighbours!

Small houses are best. We can only ever sit on one chair at a time so who needs several and we don’t want to be doing chores when the sea and sand are just beside us do we ladies?
#lazygran

We can take turns mixing our sundowners once we’ve passed the yardarm ....

tanith Mon 17-May-21 09:27:33

Living in a swimsuit sounds like heaven I could slip into the sea several times a day. Could I have non alcoholic sundowner ?

fiorentina51 Mon 17-May-21 09:43:30

My future father in law was a small scale builder, just him and a labourer. When my DH and I got engaged he offered to build us a house if we could find a suitable plot.
We found a lovely spot at the right price and got together with architects. From that point the in laws took over and we had little say in the matter.
It is the house my MIL wanted really. We all worked on it as a family. I laid the first roof tiles and some of the windows are positioned just right for me, especially the one in the utility by the washing machine! ?
We have lived here almost 48 years and I do love it now. Probably because over time we have put our own stamp on it but mainly, I think, because of all the memories it holds in every brick I handled, all 32000 of them.
By the way, FIL always said you never build your dream home first time it takes you 3 goes. Don't think I could face that. ?

henetha Mon 17-May-21 09:47:20

A bungalow with a sea view in Babbacombe, Torquay.
Just a small courtyard garden with complete privacy.
And a small holiday home in France please..

Urmstongran Mon 17-May-21 09:54:48

‘Course you can tanith! Plus, In fact (mostly) living in our swimsuits means less laundry. Win-win. We 3 will have plenty of leisure time.

hulahoop Mon 17-May-21 09:55:39

A nice stand alone house not too big but would love an indoor swimming pool. Would like to be able to walk to the sea it will never come true but it's good to dream ?

fiorentina51 Mon 17-May-21 09:56:10

I realised I went a bit off track, still half asleep.
My dream home would be the one my OH nearly bought before FIL made his offer.
It was a 2 up 2 down 18th century cottage set in 4 acres with a large pond and an orchard at the front. Built in a small clearing in the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire. House needed work but the location was stunning. Between us, we had saved just enough to buy it outright, selling for £3500.
Saw it recently and it was almost unrecognisable as it had a serious makeover and the land had been tamed. The orchard had been removed and a swimming pool installed.

NotSpaghetti Mon 17-May-21 09:58:16

It depends where it it.

A beautiful masseria with a fabulous pool and lots of (maintained) garden so I can enjoy the warmth of the evening sun without thinking I need to be gardening. This would need to be in the Apulian countryside, south of Lecce.

A contemporary, architect designed ecologically built home on the Galway coast. This needs big picture windows looking out West.

The beautifully converted watermill deep in a wooded valley with a large workshop. The sort of mill you might find in Wales.

Then there's the city pied a terre. Nicely appointed with a little private garden. I expect I'd need several of these!!

...And then I'd need the means to get to them all in a sort-of "beam me up Scotty" kind of way. I can't quite believe I'm saying all this as I'm actually very pro green homes and anti flying.

Aah well. Dreams are just dreams.

NotSpaghetti Mon 17-May-21 10:02:52

We were "talked out" of a house if exactly that value by my father in law too fiorentina51.

It would have been perfect.

My parents built their own house as it was (in those days) much cheaper than renting or buying a built house. It was their home for nearly their lifetime.

NotSpaghetti Mon 17-May-21 10:05:17

I've also, since about 1976, been hankering after a straw bale house. I've got lots of info but not enough space to even build a straw-bale garage here...

Kittye Mon 17-May-21 10:09:04

The bungalow I have now but with a bit of land for chickens. Oh and I’d love a utility room ?

hazel93 Mon 17-May-21 10:14:50

We are building it in Cornwall !

Oopsadaisy1 Mon 17-May-21 10:15:19

We’ve had so many varied homes, semis, huge detatched where we didn’t know where any one was at any time, 400 yr old thatched with the roses around the door and now a downsized bungalow, if I could see the sea even from a distance I probably wouldn’t have moved so many times. Took me a long time to realise it was the County that was the problem not the homes.
So if we can’t move closer to the coast we still stay here, as DH loves it and DD has moved back from Devon ‘to be near us’......

Sara1954 Mon 17-May-21 10:17:25

Urmstongran and others
Absolute paradise, may I come and live there as well, I can’t swim, but I enjoy a paddle.