Dream home wish lists are unique for every individual
If only Ty Pennington would build a dream house for all of us. He would arrive with builders and decorators and landscape crews and turn our everyday habitat into a space that goes beyond our wildest expectations in a television nanosecond. Hit the snooze button. Because that kind of miracle only happens in our sleep cycle.
But that doesn’t stop us from buying magazines for step-by-step inspiration, scaling down ideas from HGTV shows and even sketching remodeling plans on scratch paper.
That’s the thing about dreams: They are all different. One person’s dream house is not another’s, and the dream changes as you change.
A survey done by GFK Roper, a global research organization, found that different generations have different aspirations for their living space.
The survey outlined dream living arrangements by age group — Generation Y (born from 1978 to the present); Generation X (born from 1965 to 1977) and the Baby Boomers (born from 1946 to 1964).
Guess what?
Each group had a different priority. First on Generation Y’s wish list is a whirlpool bath. They also wanted a home that was a high-tech entertainment venue, according to one report.
Generation X, on the other hand, longs for a state-of-the-art kitchen. Many in this group are having children, so they are thinking family, walk-in closets and fireplaces.
Baby Boomers have waited a lifetime for their dream homes and they want people to notice. A state-of-the-art kitchen tops their list, too, and they want a whirlpool bath and walk-in closets. But they also want a workshop or hobby room and patios, porches and decks.
The dream home has changed over the years, partly because we live differently. The basement rec room with ping pong table has made way for a home theater with entertaining kitchen.
In addition to the big spaces, a dream home is often full of small, personalized touches — some with large price tags, some without.
Radiant-heat floors, heated towel racks and storage for specialized gear are on that list.
Most new homes are wired for now and the future, but if you have an older home, it’s on the wish list.
But other dream items are more specific: a cubby for the dog’s dish, well-placed electrical outlets, a garden hose closet and uplighting on the staircase.
When asked, Journal Star readers shared their ideas for a dream house — from ceiling to floor, basement to attic, minute details to broad generalities.
Here are some of them:
Sarah Payne has three children and she dreams about “space.”
“A Mission-style two-story home with a three-car garage,” she writes. Inside are five bedrooms and the master suite would include a soaking tub, walk-in shower with a large bench and a wall of shower heads.
And since she is dreaming, “a master suite closet with 300 square feet and a sitting area with a separate dressing area.” The rest of the suite, another 600 square feet, would be large enough for an office area and have walk-out deck access.
Another dream spot is the laundry room, which is large enough for two washers and two dryers, a large locker area for the kids’ school stuff and a walk-in closet for winter coats and boots.
On the practical side, she wants a small, soundproof bedroom in the basement for her husband to catch some sleep when he works odd hours. And a front porch that is at least 15 feet deep so her kids can play outside, even when it’s raining.
“I could go on for hours,” she writes. “It is something I think about often.”
Jim Novotny is a real estate agent who spends his time finding dream homes for other people.
He and his wife, Ronda, want their own dream home to be nothing like the neutral walls that he usually sells.
“We want color,” he said. “Bright, fun colors. A house that makes one smile.”
The overhead cabinets in most kitchens aren’t for them. “Get rid of ’em,” he writes. “Put all the storage in an island.”
Use concrete on the counter and throw in some metal. Mix antique hooks with modern shelves.
Although homes are traditionally full of rectangles, he wants curves and angles.
“We want our home to tell a story about us and our lives,” he writes. “We don’t need the biggest house in the area. We would like to add something unique to each room.”
They want a space where they can curl up and read a book with a cup of coffee. And a great bar area to entertain friends and family — either a Big Red party or a Thanksgiving dinner. “The home would reflect our need for sharing our lives with others and the need for time for just us.”
Gloria Headrick has another perspective. As an early retiree, her dream house would be a “wonderful hideaway.” She’d like a two-bedroom log cabin on remote wooded property next to a lake or river.
It would include a wall of windows, and “the ceiling of my bedroom would have windows, so I could watch the stars as I lay to sleep at night.” If necessary, a sliding ceiling would cover the windows.
Amenities on her list include the usual appliances, computer hookups and a “huge covered and screened in patio facing the water.”
Her time at this dream house would be spent fishing, reading and playing the piano while living with her two dogs and two cats.
Lynne Blacketer isn’t concerned about expensive extras in her dream house. She wants a one-level house that is totally wheelchair accessible for her daughter. “No stairs at all,” she wrote.
Two or three bedrooms, a kitchen with good cabinet and counter space and a patio in a quiet part of town.
“Wheelchair accessible and affordable, that’s my dream home,” she wrote.
JoAnn Brethouwer has a very specific dream. “I’d have a 1,500 square-foot sewing/quilting room. Right now, she moves from room to room to sew, quilt or press projects. With her desired floor space, she could set up her quilting frame and have work surfaces as well as one wall of floor-to-ceiling shelves for fabric storage and books and patterns.
This dream room would have three center islands with different uses. And one wall would hold a four-by-six felt board for project planning.
Lastly, a window for looking outside. But it wouldn’t open, since the breeze would blow away her projects.
Donna Harler-Smith shared the song from Leonard Bernstein’s “Peter Pan.”
Sung by Wendy, the song spells it out:
“But build my house of love and paint my house with trusting and warm it with the warmth of your heart. Make the floor of faith, make the walls of truth, put a roof of peace above — only build my house of love.”
Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 473-7214 or kmoore@journalstar.com.
A dream house — one generation at a time
The priorities for a dream home vary by generation:
Generation Y
(born 1978-present)
1. Whirlpool bath
2. Swimming pool
3. Game/billiard room (tie)
3. Large walk-in closet (tie)
5. Fireplace
6. State-of-the-art kitchen
7. Sauna/steam room (tie)
7. Gym/fitness room (tie)
9. High-tech entertainment center
10. Patios, porches and decks
Generation X
(born 1965-1977)
1. State-of-the-art kitchen
2. Large walk-in closets
2. Fireplace (tie)
4. Whirlpool bath (tie)
5. Swimming pool
6. Patios, porches and decks
7. Game/billiard room
8. Garden
9. Gym/fitness room
10. Workshop/hobby studio
Baby Boomers
(born 1946-1964)
1. State-of-the-art kitchen
2. Large walk-in closets
3. Whirlpool bath
4. Fireplace
5. Swimming pool
6. Workshop/hobby studio
7. Patios, porches and decks (tie)
7. Garden (tie)
9. Game/billiard room (tie)
9. High-tech entertainment center (tie)
Source: GFK ROPER
But that doesn’t stop us from buying magazines for step-by-step inspiration, scaling down ideas from HGTV shows and even sketching remodeling plans on scratch paper.
That’s the thing about dreams: They are all different. One person’s dream house is not another’s, and the dream changes as you change.
A survey done by GFK Roper, a global research organization, found that different generations have different aspirations for their living space.
The survey outlined dream living arrangements by age group — Generation Y (born from 1978 to the present); Generation X (born from 1965 to 1977) and the Baby Boomers (born from 1946 to 1964).
Guess what?
Each group had a different priority. First on Generation Y’s wish list is a whirlpool bath. They also wanted a home that was a high-tech entertainment venue, according to one report.
Generation X, on the other hand, longs for a state-of-the-art kitchen. Many in this group are having children, so they are thinking family, walk-in closets and fireplaces.
Baby Boomers have waited a lifetime for their dream homes and they want people to notice. A state-of-the-art kitchen tops their list, too, and they want a whirlpool bath and walk-in closets. But they also want a workshop or hobby room and patios, porches and decks.
The dream home has changed over the years, partly because we live differently. The basement rec room with ping pong table has made way for a home theater with entertaining kitchen.
In addition to the big spaces, a dream home is often full of small, personalized touches — some with large price tags, some without.
Radiant-heat floors, heated towel racks and storage for specialized gear are on that list.
Most new homes are wired for now and the future, but if you have an older home, it’s on the wish list.
But other dream items are more specific: a cubby for the dog’s dish, well-placed electrical outlets, a garden hose closet and uplighting on the staircase.
When asked, Journal Star readers shared their ideas for a dream house — from ceiling to floor, basement to attic, minute details to broad generalities.
Here are some of them:
Sarah Payne has three children and she dreams about “space.”
“A Mission-style two-story home with a three-car garage,” she writes. Inside are five bedrooms and the master suite would include a soaking tub, walk-in shower with a large bench and a wall of shower heads.
And since she is dreaming, “a master suite closet with 300 square feet and a sitting area with a separate dressing area.” The rest of the suite, another 600 square feet, would be large enough for an office area and have walk-out deck access.
Another dream spot is the laundry room, which is large enough for two washers and two dryers, a large locker area for the kids’ school stuff and a walk-in closet for winter coats and boots.
On the practical side, she wants a small, soundproof bedroom in the basement for her husband to catch some sleep when he works odd hours. And a front porch that is at least 15 feet deep so her kids can play outside, even when it’s raining.
“I could go on for hours,” she writes. “It is something I think about often.”
Jim Novotny is a real estate agent who spends his time finding dream homes for other people.
He and his wife, Ronda, want their own dream home to be nothing like the neutral walls that he usually sells.
“We want color,” he said. “Bright, fun colors. A house that makes one smile.”
The overhead cabinets in most kitchens aren’t for them. “Get rid of ’em,” he writes. “Put all the storage in an island.”
Use concrete on the counter and throw in some metal. Mix antique hooks with modern shelves.
Although homes are traditionally full of rectangles, he wants curves and angles.
“We want our home to tell a story about us and our lives,” he writes. “We don’t need the biggest house in the area. We would like to add something unique to each room.”
They want a space where they can curl up and read a book with a cup of coffee. And a great bar area to entertain friends and family — either a Big Red party or a Thanksgiving dinner. “The home would reflect our need for sharing our lives with others and the need for time for just us.”
Gloria Headrick has another perspective. As an early retiree, her dream house would be a “wonderful hideaway.” She’d like a two-bedroom log cabin on remote wooded property next to a lake or river.
It would include a wall of windows, and “the ceiling of my bedroom would have windows, so I could watch the stars as I lay to sleep at night.” If necessary, a sliding ceiling would cover the windows.
Amenities on her list include the usual appliances, computer hookups and a “huge covered and screened in patio facing the water.”
Her time at this dream house would be spent fishing, reading and playing the piano while living with her two dogs and two cats.
Lynne Blacketer isn’t concerned about expensive extras in her dream house. She wants a one-level house that is totally wheelchair accessible for her daughter. “No stairs at all,” she wrote.
Two or three bedrooms, a kitchen with good cabinet and counter space and a patio in a quiet part of town.
“Wheelchair accessible and affordable, that’s my dream home,” she wrote.
JoAnn Brethouwer has a very specific dream. “I’d have a 1,500 square-foot sewing/quilting room. Right now, she moves from room to room to sew, quilt or press projects. With her desired floor space, she could set up her quilting frame and have work surfaces as well as one wall of floor-to-ceiling shelves for fabric storage and books and patterns.
This dream room would have three center islands with different uses. And one wall would hold a four-by-six felt board for project planning.
Lastly, a window for looking outside. But it wouldn’t open, since the breeze would blow away her projects.
Donna Harler-Smith shared the song from Leonard Bernstein’s “Peter Pan.”
Sung by Wendy, the song spells it out:
“But build my house of love and paint my house with trusting and warm it with the warmth of your heart. Make the floor of faith, make the walls of truth, put a roof of peace above — only build my house of love.”
Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 473-7214 or kmoore@journalstar.com.
A dream house — one generation at a time
The priorities for a dream home vary by generation:
Generation Y
(born 1978-present)
1. Whirlpool bath
2. Swimming pool
3. Game/billiard room (tie)
3. Large walk-in closet (tie)
5. Fireplace
6. State-of-the-art kitchen
7. Sauna/steam room (tie)
7. Gym/fitness room (tie)
9. High-tech entertainment center
10. Patios, porches and decks
Generation X
(born 1965-1977)
1. State-of-the-art kitchen
2. Large walk-in closets
2. Fireplace (tie)
4. Whirlpool bath (tie)
5. Swimming pool
6. Patios, porches and decks
7. Game/billiard room
8. Garden
9. Gym/fitness room
10. Workshop/hobby studio
Baby Boomers
(born 1946-1964)
1. State-of-the-art kitchen
2. Large walk-in closets
3. Whirlpool bath
4. Fireplace
5. Swimming pool
6. Workshop/hobby studio
7. Patios, porches and decks (tie)
7. Garden (tie)
9. Game/billiard room (tie)
9. High-tech entertainment center (tie)
Source: GFK ROPER
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