Now I've lived here for just over three months. And I have a few more things I've thought of for this list. (If you are interested in the first list, check it out here.) Now again, none of this means that I am unhappy with my house or do not like living here, but there are a few things I'd do differently. And while everyone has different needs for their home, I'd be happy for someone else to be able to think about these things before they build theirs.
1. - I'd use composite windows. I think they are less expensive and more durable than wood. But mainly they would be water resistant. And controlling moisture in a space this small where I cook so much is an ongoing battle. Some of my window frames are tending to stay damp all the time and beginning to show some signs of mold. So that's a pretty big one that I would change. And may have to change at some point depending on how the wood that I have holds up.
2. - I'd have skipped the post on the corner of the porch. I should have mentioned this in the first post since it actually came off in the first few hours after the house arrived and had remained gone. I just forgot about it earlier. With a smallish door, the corner post prevents you from moving any large objects in and out. You can't angle anything to get around a corner as you come in the door. It's cute and homey, but highly impractical in my experience. Like I said, it's not there and I have no plans to put it back.
3. I would have lowered the bookshelves along the base of the ceiling. The shelves are wide enough for most books, but due to how close they are to the angle of the roof, most books can't sit on them because it pushes anything sitting there out too far. I'd have made them level with the base of the beams supporting the loft rather than the top. Then pretty much every book I own (and lots of other things) would be able to sit comfortably on the shelves. I will probably move them lower sometime I'm free and have a friend to help me.
4. I might have installed a few more lights, one in the reading nook corner, one right over my mirror in the bathroom, and one in the corner by my sink and fridge. It can be just a little dim in each of those areas. I've solved this pretty easily with a few battery powered LED lights. But, I'd take the time to run wiring to more permanent lights there if I was doing it again.
Just a few more things you might want to consider as you plan your own house layout and design.!
