I want charming, old home where I live in Princeton. Nothing too big, but with three bedrooms, a basement, and an attic. I want a big wraparound porch in front and a screened in/glassed in (depending on the season) proch in the back, with a big back yard full of trees and rosebushes and flowers. It is also very important that there be a hammock in the back yard. I can't tell you the fantasies I've had about having an attic (I don't mean anything dirty, just reading and falling asleep in one sounds great). Most importantly, I want a washer and dryer in the house. One that I don't have to put quarters in. And a fireplace would be lovely.

Nightmare houses: Condos. Anything built after 1950.

I've had about having an attic

Um, I mean a hammock. That's what I get for not proofreading before posting.

I want something really solid. Like an old Tudor (not one of those fakey development Tudors) with leaded window or a big stone Victorian with a turret and stained glass. It needs to sit off the road enough to suit my anti-social tendencies and have big, old trees. Fine woodwork. Odd little nooks and crannies. You know, character.

Lots of fireplaces. I looooove fireplaces. At least one big soaking tub. Actually, my dream is to have a bathroom with a fireplace and a flat screen TV. I would go throug life sooooo pruney.

I'm really fond of my flat.

My current house is very nice, just right for me, so my dream house would be my house, only it's always CLEAN. I have a terrible time keeping my house clean.

So I guess my dream house needs a maid or three.

Oh yes, I would have a maid. And a part-time cook. And, like amro, in-house washer and dryer.

Oh man, I think about this all the time.

I would get to design my own dream house. Think solid bones with craftsman bungalow sensibilities and quirky detailing. It's on a lot with good trees and a vegetable garden and the perfect swing in the back yard.

It has wood floors and big, double-hung windows and kid-sized spaces to play in. The bedrooms have bed nooks, and there's a small loft space for reading/napping. The kitchen is large and comfortable with tons of countertop space. There's a secret room hidden behind a staircase and a special room just for the gliders (indoor/outdoor with a lattice of tree branches suspended from the ceiling for scampering).

There's a big porch with morning glory vines and a hammock. There's an attached greenhouse off the kitchen that also functions as a breakfast nook. There's radiant heat and passive solar heating and reclaimed doors and windows and a good wood stove and many, many built-in bookshelves. And oh yes, a Japanese soaking tub and a playroom for dancing and music. And everything is colorful and uncluttered with houseplants everywhere and prisms in the windows.

I really should start drawing up the plans.

On preview: a basement with washer and dryer and workbench kind of goes without saying...

As long as it has a waterslide leading from an upper story window to the olympic-size swimming pool, my 8-year-old self will be satisfied.

Ooh, and a miniature train that goes all throughout the house and grounds.

And full-sized arcade games.

(Yes, I was watched "Silver Spoons" as a child. Why do you ask?)

My house in about five years. We just bought an 1870 brick townhouse that is currently pretty darn decrepit but hopefully will be amazing after we're done spending all our money on it. Other than the plumbing, wiring, heating, paint, floors, windows, bathrooms and kitchen, the place is my dream house. We're in a registered historic district so we have to be careful not change the outside and by personal preference we'd like to preserve as much as we can of the inside. Fortunately, the Victorians built houses like bomb shelters so that the last hundred years of neglect haven't hurt the structure.

Specklet pretty much described my dream house - I love Craftsman style homes. The decor would be mostly Mission/Arts & Crafts stuff. Make two or three of the trees fruit trees and add a "natural" looking swimming pool. There would be a special room for the cats. It would be within a couple minutes walk from the ocean. I'd have a cleaning person in twice a week and someone to cook at least one yummy healthy meal every day.

My dream house would have:

Lots of windows. Walls of windows.

A big, beautiful kitchen.

I would like a large outdoor room. A covered porch that extends the length of the rear of the house. Sets of French doors would lead to the outdoor room. It would be dotted with round teak tables with ceiling fans overhead, and contain a built-in grill and sink. The covered porch would overlook a swimming pool. The pool is a simple, but large, rectangle shape with elegant tiles. No screens around the pool, thank you. I would need several lounge chairs with comfortable cushions flanking the sides of the pool. Shrubbery and trees would serve as privacy fences. Palms and tropical plants and a herb and rose garden is a necessity.

I also would like a large tub and a steam shower and an outdoor shower.

Huge library/workroom space with big window seats that look out over water and a ginormous skylight. Lots of counter space and glass-fronted cabinets and a huge oven in the kitchen. High ceilings everywhere and at least one staircase. A garden full of citrus trees and interesting rocks and quiet water features and maybe a couple koi. If I'm going full out with there would be an infinity edge lap pool and a wide flagstone deck with a firepit, and a spiral staircase in the library leading to a mini-observatory on the roof.

Oh, we play a running game of Dream House Features. So far:

- high ceilings
- ceiling fans
- dimmer switches on all the overhead lights
- fireplaces
- a two-oven stove, with a warming drawer fro bread dough/serving dishes
- a coldroom or uninsulated foyer, to store winter vegetables
- a game room, with a bar (and just for me, a built-in carbonation unit, though I'd settle for a soda siphon)
- a small craft room with a big tables for my paper goods, sewing, and beading
- a greatroom instead of separate living/dining rooms, but with a fireplace and plenty of room for a dining table
- a study
- a kitchen big enough for two to work comfortably
- a passthrough from kitchen to greatroom, with a comfortably big counter to serve as a buffet for parties
- a dishwasher!
- in the kitchen, one stainless steel counter
- in the kitchen, pull-out cabinets for pots & pans and for staples
- lots of windows, maybe some skylights, or clerestory windows
- hardwood floors scattered with old, patterned carpets underfoot, and plenty of big floor cushions alongside overstuffed furniture
- trunks instead of coffeetables and ottomans
- a whole-house fan for rapid cooling on stuffy summer days
- solar panels
- raised beds for small-scale gardening
- a backyard big enough for a decent clothesline
- a bathtub big enough for two, with whirlpool/jets
- a small greenhouse for growing tomatoes
- guest rooms --- wanna visit?

Wow, you're on a roll with the fun questions, TPS.

I'd like a 1.5 storey seaside cottage-style house, lots of windows and skylights, and a big farmhouse-style kitchen with endless wooden counters, lots of good storage space in sensible places, a big old table and a potbellied woodstove ingeniously engineered to heat the whole house. The living room would have lots of inset bookshelves and a fireplace, and the garden would have a greenhouse, fruit and nut trees, a herb garden and a big vegetable garden with raised beds. I also like deborah's idea of a natural-looking swimming pool, though I'd want that to be in an indoor/outdoor space that could be enclosed for the winter. The front would have masses of flower beds and almost no lawn; there would be lovely flagstone patios front & back with creeping thyme and such between the stones. A pond with a trickly waterfall and some koi and some red-eared sliders. Old perfumed roses, irises and poppies everywhere. Big windows everywhere, lots of natural wood trim, high ceilings, skylights in the bedrooms and the kitchen, light and space abounding. Seconding Elsa's need for a clothesline, as well as a front-loading washer & dryer.

Right--nthing the big soaking tub, sunken with a big window overlooking the garden, in a reasonable-sized bathroom with old porcelain fixtures and tile.

The older I get the more realistic my dream house gets. This has nothing to do with me being more realistic and everything to do with the fact that I realize I just really don't need that much space.

I want a craftsman, too. I live in an area where you can still get them at reasonable prices. I would also like a detached garage. The garage is not for my car because I doubt I ever have a nice shiny car. I just don't like cars that much. I will always have a fairly crappy car that gets me from place to place. The garage will be used for various projects. Possibly woodworking.

A fenced yard would be great but I'm also fine with doing an invisible fence for the dogs. Invisible fences work fine on Binky. I haven't tested one on Lulu but she shouldn't be left outside unattended anyhow (both because she's small/cute and has a hatred of small children).

I'm fine with a smaller bathrooms.

Even if I had piles of money sitting around for my use - I'd still get a fixer upper because I love doing that stuff.

High ceilings, french doors, lots and lots of windows with small panes. Lots and lots of light. A flat roof strong enough to put a hot tub and big potted plants on. Small floor plan. Two bedrooms is plenty.

Most important: a big, sunny backyard- at least 5 acres.

Workshop space would be nice, too- one that's relatively soundproof and away from the house.

Big kitchen with a big old vintage gas stove, and enough space to hang out & cook & eat. Combination library/dining room, with French doors to the outdoors. Fireplace in the living room, with more bookcases, and comfy chairs & couches for reading. Bedrooms with enough space for a desk & chair. Lots of windows, hardwood floors, big old patterned rugs. Shared land for gardening, fruit trees, and space for the dog(s) to run.

Except for the land, the house across the street from me is that perfect house. Craftsman with beautiful details. Sadly, I couldn't afford it when it was on the market after my little old lady neighbor died. It was bought and is being rehabbed by a mean person, who doesn't take the meds for his mental illness. Seriously, scary crazy guy with a gun collection.

So I've just put an offer on a small house on a small lot, across the street from a small lake. 20 minutes from work, and it faces southwest for fantastic sunsets. It doesn't have the clawfoot tub or woodstove yet, but just as soon as I close, I'll get on it. It needs some work, and we have to negotiate the repairs recommended by the inspection, but I'm pretty sure it's going to happen.

*crosses fingers for theora55*

Working on it as we speak!

As much as I love open, airy Craftsman-style homes — and big sea views through picture windows — this very different place seems just fantastic. (PDF)

I love Craftsman bungalows too but if we're really going dream house I have always wanted one of those giant, turreted Victorian places with lots of leaded glass and staircases and odd nooks and crannies. Any house of mine has to have a big front porch or a wraparound porch, no neighbors too close and a big, securely fenced yard. Yes to hardwood floors, high ceilings, old woodwork, a big kitchen and a fireplace or six. Bonus points for clawfoot tubs, tire swings in old oak trees, built in bookshelves and a pantry.

Full basement, with room enough for climate-controlled storage.

Not-tiny kitchen, gas.

Bathroom with a large, private window and really good water pressure.

Big porches, front and rear at least, ideally wrapping around the house. Maybe a balcony too.

Wood floors, old windows, passive solar heating, tankless water heater, lots of insulation (both for heat and for sound), grounded outlets everywhere, cable in the walls. Wooded yard, garden, river view. Greenhouse and heated garage (for working on things, not putting cars in).

I'm sure there's a lot more, but that's a start.

A smallish three bedroom home, with the second bedroom set up to house our sons when they visit, and the third set up as a den. Outside there is a shop big enough to give me room to work when my (as yet unpurchased) project car is in there.

Okay, I want two houses. My Craftsman on the West Coast and a Victorian on the East Coast. Y'all ever see Practical Magic? Yeah, that house.

A common room that is cozy. None of mine are. If I'm ever able to enjoy my place there will be bookcases everywhere--I am my grandfather's granddaughter.

My dream house is Longfellow's in Cambridge MA--though not painted yellow, which I loathe.

I pretty much live in my dream house, which means either I'm very lucky or have no imagination...

Victorian, built like a brick shithouse, loads of sound insulation (it's in a terrace, and the piano cannot be heard by neighbours), three bedrooms, high ceilings, gas cooking, good water pressure, low heating costs, basement done up as a room, little garden.

The only thing that'd make it better would be an attic (probably feasible) and an Olympic-sized pool in the garden (totally not feasible).