My husband and I were desperate to get into a home as soon as possible after marriage. We had been living in a small one bedroom apartment and were quickly running out of space. As it was, we were taking up real estate in my in-laws basement with all of our camping supplies and seasonal stuff.
We were desperate for more space and wanted to establish something of our own. We also had quite a bit of pressure from the world to ”buy now”. We were young, and really had no idea what exactly we were getting into. Long story short, we knew the house we bought wouldn’t be our ‘‘forever home”. We didn’t live in the house long before we quickly started a list of things we must have in our next home.
I grew up in a very non-traditional bungalow. It was an old farm cottage that my optimistic father tried to renovate himself but had many oversights against my mothers wishes, like no closets outside of the bedrooms and no outlet in the bathroom. It was charming but incredibly annoying to store towels in my sisters bedroom closet because she had the biggest one. When my husband and I started house hunting my naive must-have list wasn’t much beyond closet space, and a bathroom with an outlet. I didn’t think much about layout of bedrooms, yard maintenance, or general layout.
Our current home is a pretty standard split entry layout. There are a lot of things I really hate about this house, like the lack of entryway. Seriously only one person can comfortably get in the door and coat/shoes off, also we have no entry-way storage. All the things I dislike about the house very quickly turned into a list that my dream home must have. Then kids happened and rocked my world again.
Before we had our daughter, I didn’t understand the need for an ensuite bathroom. Neither my husband or I grew up with an ensuite in our homes and we’ve always managed just fine. Now, with company constantly popping over and a tub full of bath toys, I get it. We only have one full bathroom in the house (half bath downstairs) so having an ensuite is very appealing. I don’t need a fancy jacuzzi bathtub or anything but I do like the idea of my husband and I having our own private bathroom space.
Like many people, I love the kitchen. We have an updated kitchen in our house now, but again there are many things I would do differently if we could re-do it. I thought for sure, come house number two I must have a beautiful updated kitchen. Now I really just want clean and functional, not necessarily the perfect higher end cabinetry I once swooned over.
Before we had a kid, I thought for sure our next home was going to be a custom-built home on land that we would buy. Building a home was, I thought, the only way we would get everything we wanted and needed in a home. Since having a kid, my understanding of needs has changed drastically. A good school zone (assuming she goes to public school), safe neighborhood, good layout. Everything else can be changed if needed. Our family needs functionality, not fancy.
Has having children changed your mind about home requirements?
