The adventures of Mommy woman
Worth the investment
Published on January 22, 2004 By JillUser In Home Improvement
We went through the building process twice in the past 8yrs. We learned a lot from the first experience and applied it to the second. Here are a couple of things I am loving in the new house

1)Central Vac system. I thought it cost way too much but my husband argued well for it. I am so glad he did! It makes my life so much easier! I was skeptical because I thought dragging the hose around to the different ports would be just as much a hassle as dragging the whole vac....it isn't by far. I used to hate vacuuming stairs. No problem now. I highly recommend it. Oh, get the auto dust pan option.

2)Comfy carpet in the living room. We learned from our last house that we spend a lot of time on the floor in our living room. We play with the kids, lay around and watch TV, etc. We got a California burbur (new shag) with extra pad. It is so comfy, you can fall right asleep on it. We get compliments on it all the time.

3)Gas log fire place. Love it! It is so warming and relaxing. You just turn a knob and it is on or off. It is clean and no hassle.

4)Used colors in carpets and cabinets to add to decor. We learned from our last house how difficult it is to wallpaper, paint, etc to bring color and character into a room. We had instant character through carpet and cabinets. We will add to the decor in the future but it feels very "finished" even now.

5)3 car garage. We now have a snow blower and I can easily use it. Eve if we had had one in the last house, I would have had to move the car to get it out of the garage to use it. A big garage is a must if you have kids and aren't that great at keeping things organized

6)Clean top range. I grew up with gas stoves and always thought they were the best because you can control the heat better. I have since learned how to use an electric and absolutely love how easy it is to clean with the clean top feature. They even have a special cleaner that leaves it shiny as new.

7)Walk in pantry. Love it! If you can sacrifice the space, do it. My laundry room is a little smaller but the pantry is well worth it.

Well, that is about it for now. I am just so happy with our home. I hope others can have the same result. Best wishes.
Comments
on Jan 22, 2004
Wow! sounds very nice. Is there an extra room? When do I move in? GCJ
on Jan 22, 2004
Nice! Someday I'll own a house ~smiles~
on Jan 22, 2004
My first house didn't have a separate dining room from the kitchen. I find that I enjoy that feature in our new house. I also enjoy our gas "wood stove" as it adds charm to our living room (which we have oak paneling and tan paint in to make it feel like a cabin or something...which goes with my husband's lighthouse collection and my odd eclectic style). My first house was very bland. i really didn't feel like it was home. this one i decorated in my own style, and it feels a lot more like home. One thing that I learned with this house- seafoam green carpet does not look good after 4 years of being in high traffic LOL That needs to be changed....
on Jan 22, 2004
I'm jealous--I always wanted central vacuuming--but enjoy it, Jill. Ah, carpeting: how well I recall the days of LPs and lying on the carpet to fly me to the moon. Gas fireplace? Well, since in FLorida, I miss the old log fireplace--though I admit it was tough to start it.
on Jan 22, 2004
I think if I were building/designing a house for myself I'd def. put the fireplace in but I'd still go with a wood one. The hassle of cleaning it out really isn't that bad at all, minor maintaince that never really bothered my folks or I. THe whole starting of the fire could be tricky if you stored your wood uncovered outside but we always had a large supply under cover which made starting it cake. Then the atmosphere of a gas fire can never be the same as a wood. Though its probably safer
on Jan 22, 2004
You'll have to sell alot of pizzas for that OP, lol. GCJ
on Jan 22, 2004
The beauty of the gas fireplace is that you can turn it on and off whenever you want. If you leave the house- just turn it off and don't worry about it. With a wood burner, you can't do that. you always will have the thought of your house burning down while you are gone. Wood burners also raise your house insurance (due to the risk).

I grew up with a wood burner. No thank you. I have no desire to deal with all that wood, smell and spiders than come with it.
on Jan 22, 2004
The new gas log kits are awesome. They really fool you into thinking they are "real". Ours has this "magic ember" stuff that burns and glows like wood embers and lava rack that looks like coals. The logs are 8 different pieces that you can arrange however you like and it looks so real noone has been able to tell yet.

I know of too many chimney fires to have another wood burning fire place. I love my "fake" fire
on Jan 23, 2004
That is true, the gas fireplace we have would fool most people into thinking it was wood. I felt the same way as the earlier poster who preferred wood for the same reason until I saw the new gas fireplaces.
on Jan 23, 2004
Sorry...the Tealart.com post was me. Most website comment forms have name then email addy or website...I forgot that you guys do it differently Anyways. I have seen the new gas ones and they are really nice, very convincing but I think part of my desire for a wood fireplace is in no small part my slight inclination of being a pyro. Gas is just no fun

on Jan 24, 2004
Very Nice! We just bought our first house a couple of months ago. It'a about 120 yrs old, used to be a side by side duplex. so naturally we have 2 kitchens, 2 living rooms, 2 bathrooms.......lol

needs some fixing up, but mostly just cosmetic. we re-shingled the roof a week after we moved in. the rest is mostly flooring, painting, stripping etc.

we have oil and going through alot of it! hoping to put a woodstove in main kitchen before next winter.

good luck with your new home
on Feb 02, 2004
Please help! My daughter and son in law bought a house in November. It has a gas fireplace, but there was wood stacked in it. It looked as though it had been burned in places.
Today their their gas heat went off and they can't get it checked till tomorrow. They have no gas at all. My question is, can they burn wood in their fireplace to stay warm? She called and said they tried to light it with the wood and the smoke alarm went off and smoke was all over the house. None of us know anything about these fireplaces and if anyone can tell us we would be grateful.
I know they used it one or two times when there gas was on and it was okay. They bought a small electric heater but they have cathedral ceilings and it's very cold in the house.
on Feb 03, 2004
It sounds like it isn't vented if the house fills with smoke. If it is vented, there will be a lever that you can push to one side or the other to open the flu. If that works, you should be okay to have a fire. I personally wouldn't light a fire in a gas fireplace at all. It only take a little gas in the line to cause big problems.