Must Haves

Years down the road I want to look back at this post and think "was that really needed?"  We have many "must haves" in our new home that we want, but we have definitely had to make some sacrifices along the way.  We won't be getting everything we want in our new home-I think it's pretty impossible to do that regardless what your budget, taste and desires are.  There has to be some give and take or things can quickly get out of hand.

I don't plan to blog much about the new build, for numerous reasons, but I thought this would be an interesting post to look back on...

In no particular order, these are important components in our new home:

1.  A great living space-We spend most of our time in the living room and kitchen. It was important that this space be open and big.

2.  Four Bedrooms -Although Alena desperately wants to share a room with her sister, we thought it was important that each child have his or her own room.  I anticipate some room shifting as they age, but we plan to start everyone in their own room.  It's not important to me that the bedrooms are huge, just functional.

3.  A Porch - It doesn't have to be large, but we want a place where we can sit and watch the kids play in the front yard, read the morning paper, or watch the storms roll in.

4. A Cul De Sac - After previously living on a cul de sac street, we discovered how wonderful it is to not have to worry about traffic. It wasn't a "must" on our list but it was highly desired.

5.  A Nice Backyard - My kids don't need acres and acres of land to roam, but having a decent sized yard was a must.  (A nice bonus is Jester park is a short walk away).  We are outdoor people so we wanted a space for our little ones to run.

6.  A Covered Deck - This was a must for us. We had a huge deck at our old home but didn't use it much because of the direction it faced and the blinding sunshine.  We're looking forward to spending more time on this deck.  All our little ones are at an increased risk of getting melanoma so we're a little anal regarding sun exposure!

7. Storage - At our last home, we stored quite a bit of items in our garage. We wanted to eliminate that.

8.  A Comfy Basement - We picture movie nights, sleepovers, and get togethers with friends in this space.

9. Upstairs Laundry Room- This just makes sense to me.  You undress and dress upstairs, why not clean your clothes upstairs too?

10. A Kitchen Island - I think islands are so functional and a perfect place to bake, and do homework or arts and crafts.  

That is our simple list. As the process has progressed, we've discovered other "musts" which have also become important to us.  I'm curious to see 10 years down the road, if these components will still  be as important to us then as they are now.  So far, we're enjoying the process and couldn't be happier with our builders!