I’m letting you in on a little secret. I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes list of my own custom home build regrets 11 years after building my house.
The good news is that I still LOVE my home eleven years later, but there are a few things I would do differently if I built this house again and that’s what we’ll talk about today.
Possibly one (or more) of these things will resonate with you as you build your own dream home.
Ready to confidently build a house that you absolutely LOVE and is perfect for YOUR family (now + into the future) … without blowing your budget? Learn how in my *FREE* masterclass, ‘How to Build Your Dream Home on Budget without Sacrificing Your Must-Haves’. Grab your (virtual) seat here!
MY CUSTOM HOME BUILD REGRETS (+ LOVES)
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
- BEFORE YOU BUILD℠
- *FREE* MASTERCLASS (‘How to Build Your Dream Home on Budget without Sacrificing Your Must-Haves’)
Below is a partial transcript of this podcast episode.
Honestly, there is very little I would change about my custom home.
Our floor plan is cozy, functional, and perfect for the way my family lives, and I’m still happy with my timeless design decisions over NINE years later.
However, this podcast episode is all about what I WOULD change if I were to build again … so let’s talk about it.
Do keep in mind that these are ALL things I can certainly live without BUT I plan to incorporate some (or all) of these in my next home.
MY CUSTOM HOME BUILD REGRETS (& LOVES) 11 YEARS LATER
I can’t just talk about what I regret in my home because I still absolutely LOVE the house that I built eleven years ago.
There are so many things that I LOVE about my home … from the large windows and abundant natural light to the extensive trim work throughout my home … I love my white kitchen, the subtle paint colors we chose, the textured grasscloth wall coverings, my small cozy office with a large window (that I’m sitting in right now), and my exterior selections … just to name a few things.
While I love my choices, there are definitely a few things I would do differently if I were to build this exact same house again.
As I mentioned before, these are all things I can certainly live without (and I *have* lived without for 11 years), BUT if I were building this house again, here’s what I would change:
- I would add high, sloped ceilings in our second-floor bedrooms and possibly even in my first floor primary bedroom
- I would definitely have a larger kitchen island (which = a larger kitchen)
- I would separate my laundry room and mudroom (to divide the mess that is ALWAYS in this room!) and I would add a window in BOTH of these rooms!
- I would (probably) choose light oak floors and a less busy kitchen countertop (however, light oak floors won’t be the ‘it thing’ forever … the trend will go back to dark floors because we all know that trends come and go)
- I would definitely have two primary closets … no more dealing with my husband’s laundry piled up right NEXT to the hamper (not IN the hamper; next to the hamper)
- I would add a bonus room above our garage for my girls to have an amazing teen hangout area (this wasn’t in our budget when we built), and the last thing I would change …
- I would increase the size my screened-in porch so we would have plenty of space for casual seating area plus a casual dining area
Ok, there’s my list of what I would change if building the same home again.
But let’s be real … none of these things are true ‘regrets’ … these are just things I would do differently if I were building this house and this floor plan again with the experience that I have after living in the house for nine years.
Alright, this was a short and sweet episode, but I really hope it was helpful for you to learn from my experience building a custom home and living in it for nine years. I love learning from others who have been there and done that, and I hope you find it valuable too.
Ready to confidently build a house that you absolutely LOVE and is perfect for YOUR family (now + into the future) … without blowing your budget? Learn how in my *FREE* masterclass, ‘How to Build Your Dream Home on Budget without Sacrificing Your Must-Haves’. Grab your (virtual) seat here!
Thank you it Is my first ‘listen in’ podcast and value your honesty….makes me feel more confident about the decisions I have made and now listening to you will re think one or 2 of them.
Awesome! Thanks for tuning in, Amanda :).
Your home is absolutely gorgeous, Carrie! Thank you so much for sharing your home designs, as it is extremely helpful to those of us currently building.
We found your website through Emily Fritsch’s website. https://emilyfritschinteriors.com/my-white-quartz-countertop-search/
I found Emily’s website while searching online for photos of Viatera Everest. (My husband & I saw Viatera Everest at Home Depot. We immediately liked it but were concerned that it might not work well for us.
However, after seeing Emily’s kitchen, your kitchen, and a few others, we just decided today that we would go with Viatera Everest. (However, we havent’ ordered it yet & have a few days to make changes.
So, i just woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to read this article from your website. (I’m so glad I did.)
You mentioned you wish you had a chosen a less busy countertop, so I’m wondering if you would recommend we steer clear of Everest and go with something a little more neutral?
We had also looked at Caesarstone Atlantic Salt, but some samples & online pics looked more white & gray, while other samples & pics looked more brown.
So, even though Everest had a “bigger pattern” we felt the blended colors of gray, white, cream, taupe, & black shiny speckles gave off a lovely light clean look and seemed more consistent in the samples and the online pics. So… this is where we are, and we would greatly appreciate your inupt/advice/recommendation
Thank you for your help!
Sincerely,
Tina
Hi Tina! I’m not sure if you’ve made your counter decision yet, but … if you don’t want ‘busy’, I would steer clear of Everest. I love it and it’s worked fine for us for nearly 11 years, but I will go much less ‘busy’ in my next house. We have white counters with minimal veining in our primary bathroom and in our basement bar. Both are quartz. I love how subtle they both are. That’s what I’ll do in my kitchen in my next house. Just sayin’ :). – Carrie
Absolutely love your home and decorating style, and would really love to know what kitchen countertops you would choose or recommend if you were building today?
Thank you!
Thank you, Ann! I have quartz countertops and I love them. I will most likely do quartz again in my next home. I will change how ‘loud’ my quartz pattern is though :). My counters have a ton of variation and I will probably do white with very minimal veining in my next home.