What to Look for in a Home If You Want to Start a Family
Every decision to buy a home is full of non-negotiable and pleasant moments; Apart from location, price and size, we all have a list of the most desired features. And having a home be an optimally functioning home for your family is very different from what you need on your own. If you have a small child or plan to start a family in the near future, in addition to a good school district, here are some items you might want to add to your home search list.
Dirt with pantry at the entrance
You heard? Children are dirty and they have a lot of things! Things that they like to casually throw away and leave behind a messy trail. If you’re planning on having kids, look for a house with a yard or garage side entryway where they can kick off their coats and wet, dirty shoes without creating chaos in the rest of the house. Bonus if the entryway has enough coat hooks, lockers, closet and sink where they can wash their hands and rinse their dirty boots before entering.
Stairs that can be closed with gates
When babies start to waddle, the main task is to keep them from running up or down the stairs. Check the bottom and top of the stairs to see if the security gate can be easily installed. (Stairs flanked by handrails and railings on the sides won’t provide a wall to attach a gate to.) Likewise, winding, steep, or narrow stairs create problems, especially when you’re carrying 30 pounds of clean rubble up and down them.
Yard (seen from the kitchen)
Having an open space for children to play goes without saying, but is that space visible from a place where you can easily see them? There are some years when children are old enough to be outside with other children their age, but not old enough to be left unsupervised for long periods of time. This is when it’s useful to have a kitchen or office with a bird’s eye view of the swings, trampoline, or driveway so you can get things done without having to go outside to check on them every five minutes.
Bathroom with bathtub and double sink
How many hours will you sit by the tub watching your kids splash and scream? Easy a few hundred per child . Although babies can be bathed in portable plastic tubs, you will eventually need a large bathing area. Preferably one that can accommodate more than one child comfortably (if your family plan allows) and where you can kneel or sit on a stool by the water’s edge. If you’re planning on having more than one child, a double sink can minimize the daily fights over brushing your teeth.
Shelves and cabinets; cabinets and shelves
When it comes to parenting, there is never too much storage space. Give a thumbs up to a home with more shelves, cabinets, bookcases and cabinets than you can imagine. (Or an empty space on the wall where additional shelves and cabinets would make sense.) While open shelves can look beautiful for displaying books, art, candles and vases, when the kids are young, you need closed storage most of all – doors , behind which you can hastily hide three pickup trucks and 57 matchbox cars before the company arrives.
Pedestrian infrastructure for children
Obviously, you’ll want to find a house on a relatively quiet street with a low speed limit (extra points if it’s a cul-de-sac or a one-entry-exit area to restrict traffic). Pay attention to sidewalks; are they bumpy and narrow, or relatively flat and in good condition? (This will be important for all those long walks with a stroller to get them to take a nap.) Look for other activities within easy walking or biking, such as playgrounds, swimming pools, soccer fields, and hiking trails.
Playroom or basement
I mean that your kids can play in common areas like common room and kitchen of course. But having a bonus room dedicated to them – and their endless array of stuffed animals, LEGOs, Magna-Tiles and board games – is a huge plus. You can’t go wrong choosing a room that feels special and made especially for them, with a huge range of their favorite items, especially with a door you can close on days when you just don’t bother to clean up the mess but don’t want to look at it either. .
Children’s bedrooms next to the master bedroom
During the first few years of a child’s life, you will get up at odd hours, making him fall asleep, sleeping well, nursing him for fear of the dark or the gastrointestinal tract. Having the children’s bedrooms flush with their parents’ bedrooms during all that nightly care is a lot easier than moving up the stairs at 2am.
Convenient, spacious laundry room
You might not see the problem of laundry in the basement when you’re single, but once you start loading five-plus loads a week, going down into that damp, dark space becomes less bearable. Look for a laundry room near the kitchen where you can start loading things while you cook dinner, or near bedrooms to minimize the movement of overflowing baskets up and down the stairs. One that has space for laundry baskets and laundry baskets is more convenient to use than a small closet that has enough space for a washer and dryer.
Scratch-resistant floors (and semi-gloss paint)
While hardwood floors are no doubt beautiful, they also creak, warp and scratch easily. (Though, if covered with a protective polyurethane, many argue that this is a better option than carpet with small children.) Vinyl floors are virtually impervious to the myriad stains and stains that will inevitably appear on your floors while small children live on them.
Likewise, the semi-gloss paint washes off easily as your little ones transform into Picassos with Crayolas. Of course, the walls can be repainted at any time, so it’s not necessary when you move in. But everything that is turnkey and suitable for children is a victory.