• Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • ABOUT
  • OUR HOME
    • New Home | HOH Southern Capecod
    • Farmhouse Rental
    • Second Home
    • First Home
  • DECOR
    • NEW HOME: HOH Southern Cape Cod
    • Farmhouse Decor
    • Kitchens
    • Living Rooms
    • Dining Rooms
    • Bedrooms
    • Bathrooms
    • Office
    • Laundry|Mudrooms
    • Home Tours
    • Holidays
      • Christmas
      • Fall
      • Halloween
      • Other
    • DIY
    • FRIDAY FINDS
    • Furniture Finds
    • Shopping Finds
  • LIFESTYLE
    • Beauty
      • Beauty Diaries
    • Weight Loss | Plastic Surgery
    • Fashion
    • Family
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Parties
    • Printables
    • Personal
  • SHOP
    • SHOP MY INSTAGRAM
    • FRIDAY FINDS
    • TOP SELLERS
    • AMAZON FAVORITES
    • WALMART FINDS
    • MY HOME
      • MY HOME: FARMHOUSE RENTAL
      • MY HOME: MCKINNEY
    • BEAUTY
    • MY SKINCARE
    • FURNITURE
  • CONTACT
    • COLLABORATE
  • HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES

Must Haves in a Custom Home

May 1, 2019 By houseofhargrove@gmail.com

As most of you know we are in the process of building our dream home.  We have not started the actual building process yet, but so much work goes in before the dirt is ever touched!  We have been busy behind the scenes designing and planning everything.  It is so much fun, but SO MUCH WORK.  We have been trying to think of every single detail to get it exactly how we want.  A couple months ago I reached out to yall for feedback on your own homes.  What you love, what you would change, things you have seen, etc to get more ideas and make sure we hadn’t missed something.  I thought this info would be helpful for anyone looking to build or remodel their own homes so I am sharing all of YOUR advice on must haves in a custom home!

Design & Architecture via Joseph Paul Homes

MUST HAVES IN A CUSTOM HOME

Here are the things you sent to me.  Yall love plugs as much as I do 🙂

  • 2 Dishwashers
  • Lower microwave in island or butlers pantry.  Easy for kids to use and keeps it hidden so you don’t have to see it when you look into a beautiful kitchen
  • Pull out spice rack in vent hood corbels
  • “Costco Door” a small door that leads from your garage directly into your pantry so it is easy to unload the large stuff
  • Pot & Pan drawers below stovetop
  • 1 large farmhouse sink with no divider
  • Small dorm fridge in Pantry for extra drinks.  Great for the kids
  • Motion Sensor light in pantry so your light goes on and off
  • Appliance Garage so you can leave toasters, blenders, etc plugged in and then cover them up
  • If using deep doors in the kitchen add smaller drawers above for more storage
  • Instant hot water in kitchen
  • Have a separate ice maker.  Sonic type ice preferred
  • Huge pantry
  • Outlet in office closet so I can put the printer in there, out of the way
  • Outlets in floor by sofa for sofa table lamps
  • Built in vanity in master closet
  • Plug in master closet for steamer
  • Plugs in pantry for appliances and Dyson Stick Vacuum.
  • Plug in mantle for Christmas lights
  • Smart switches.  Controlled by Alexa.  You can sit in bed and say “Alexa turn off lights, turn on fan, etc”
  • Plugs in bathroom drawers for hair dryers, curling irons, etc
  • Strip of outlets under kitchen cabinets so the backsplash stays clean looking and has no outlets on them
  • Outlets with built in night lights and USB ports
  • Outlets in gutters on roof for Christmas lights with a switch by the front door.  We have ours on a timer so they go on and off automatically.
  • Outlet for charging your car because I think it is the wave of the future
  • Alarm keypad in master bedroom as well as by the doors.  This way if alarm goes off in the middle of the night and needs to be turned off you don’t have to run through the entire house.  It will also show you which zone caused the alarm to go off so you know where to look.
  • Built in luggage storage in master closet
  • Storage everywhere.  Use all dead space
  • Light and fan switch behind nightstand in Master Bedroom so you can turn on/off lights and fan while in bed.  No one likes to get out of bed when they are comfortable
  • Linen closets in bathrooms with pull out hampers
  • towel warmers in bathroom
  • Walk in shower with no door.  The glass never stays clean
  • heated bathroom floors
  • central vac system
  • Laundry Room next to master closet
  • Stackable washer and dryer in Master Closet if Laundry Room isn’t close by
  • 2 laundry rooms.  1 specifically for the kids upstairs so they can do their own laundry
  • Laundry chute from upstairs directly to laundry room
  • Wrapping station in laundry room
  • Dog washing station in laundry room
  • PET OWNERS: Built in dog crate in laundry room/mudroom that goes directly into fenced in back yard so that dog can go in/out all day long
  • Electronic drop zone with lots of plugs so everyone can put their devices in one spot to charge.  Kids know to leave them there overnight because they are not allowed in their rooms
  • 2nd fridge in garage
  • Add extra attic space
  • Add a water fountain in your mudroom or garage.  If kids are outside playing they can run in really quickly and use it.   Plus it looks cute
  • Electric lift in garage to attic.  Makes storing things so much easier!
  • Water softener, pot filler, lighting up staircase, retractable screen on our porch, charging drawer, sink at outside grill
  • Pool storage closet
  • Soft close drawers throughout home
  • outdoor fireplace
  • If your family is taller. . . do taller countertops
  • Storm Shelter/safe room
  • If you add a workout room make it accessible to the entire family.  Many people put it off the master bathroom, but then if you have older kids and they want to use it with friends you may not want everyone in your master bath.

So seems like plugs and storage are on the top of everyone’s lists!  I hope this list helps you like it helped me.  Love this little community and THANK YOU so much for taking the time to send in your tips!

PIN THE GRAPHIC BELOW TO SAVE THESE IDEAS

Comments

  1. Sarah Weaver says

    May 1, 2019 at 9:49 am

    Would love to see floor plan of your home! My remark is sarahweaver0816@gmail.com

    Thank you

    • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

      May 1, 2019 at 2:35 pm

      Thanks Sarah. Unfortunately I am not able to share the exact floor plan of our new home. I will be sharing tons of things on here through out the process, etc, but not the actual floor plan. It is 100% custom so we are not able to do that. As you follow along though you can see most of it!

  2. Katie says

    May 1, 2019 at 11:59 am

    This is such a great post!!!

    • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

      May 1, 2019 at 2:34 pm

      Awe, thanks so much!

  3. Piper says

    May 1, 2019 at 3:10 pm

    Trash can drawer in kitchen! And built in pedestal storage for under washer and dryer if you’re taller!

    • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

      May 2, 2019 at 10:51 am

      Awesome. Thanks so much!

  4. Karen Reilly says

    May 1, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    Love this list, ELaine ~ it’s so complete! My favorite ‘must-have’ in our home is the water re-circulating pump so that there’s instant hot water throughout the entire house:) Never any wait time for the bathroom sink(s) and shower(s) water to ‘warm-up’ before use! Congrats on your new home ~ so fun to be able to follow along with your progress/dream!

    • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

      May 2, 2019 at 10:50 am

      Thanks so much Karen! I love the idea of instant hot water!! Thanks, excited to share!

    • Edith Pickens says

      May 14, 2019 at 9:08 pm

      We have the water re-circulation and love it!!! Special tip – ours is on a timer and only re-circulates in the morning and evening as we don’t need it running during the day while we are at work.

      In addition, the closet under our stairs has a very high ceiling at the back end of the closet. This fits my tall Christmas tree perfectly!

      • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

        May 19, 2019 at 10:20 am

        That is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Danalynn Streeter says

    May 1, 2019 at 11:21 pm

    Elaine,

    go check out sbkliving blog. Look at the design of her kitchen. She should have it on her videos saved. I have redone 2 kitchens and never have I seen a design like this one. It is really interesting and quite ingenious if you do a lot of entertaining.

    • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

      May 2, 2019 at 10:49 am

      YES!! I love her kitchen. That “back kitchen” space is so cool. Great design. Thanks so much!

  6. Kari says

    May 2, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Things that people don’t think about- geothermal heating and cooling- its safer, saves money and is environmentally friendly due to no onsite combustion. Passive solar building- thinking about the orientation of your home and how the sun hits it, and of course solar. Building smaller more efficient homes with no wasted space is the future!

  7. Brooke says

    May 22, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    I love the list; it has great tips! We will be building in the next year or two and your dream home doesn’t sound far off from what I am planning. I absolutely love old charming homes-I want to build something new that looks old! And I have always loved white brick homes. Can’t wait to see yours in progress 🙂

    • houseofhargrove@gmail.com says

      June 11, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      Yes, that is exactly what we are going for! Thanks so much. Good luck to yall as well!

Meet Elaine

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

SM13-50-Burlap-Facebook SM13-50-Burlap-Instagram SM13-50-Burlap-Mail SM13-50-Burlap-Pinterest SM13-50-Burlap-TwitterBird BLOGLOVING

Home
Fashion
Beauty
Travel
Family
Food
Holidays

instagram
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18097352779562266
Busy soaking in summer over here.
Day on the lake, Memorial Day with friends, soccer tournament, game nights, staying up late, sleeping in, movie nights, grilling, slumber parties, bike rides….only a few days in and loving every minute
#90sSummer

Builder & Architect @josephpaulhomes
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17925200364071042
Countdown for summer has begun!
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18064519193094469
When designing our home the kitchen was such an important space. We spend a lot of time in there. I wanted it to be beautiful and functional. Here are some of my favorite features in our kitchen.
*save for later if your building or remodeling
*paint colors, floor stain, lighting, hardware, etc…all details shared on my blog
*link to hardware, lighting and plumbing https://liketk.it/41c5y

#hohsoutherncapecod #kitchendesign
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18028538906443141
I’ve been on the hunt for faux flowers for my outdoor pots and I finally found a winner!!

🌸 comment SHOP and I’ll send you the links

I kept spending lots of money each season on real flowers and it was so much work keeping them alive!

I was looking for a better option and finally found one!

These faux flowers are
•BEAUTIFUL ....always in bloom
•ZERO MAINTENANCE ...no watering, fertilizing, etc
•BUDGET FRIENDLY ...these are priced great and you don’t have to replace them each season
•AND LOOK REAL. Some faux flowers are bad!! These really look good and unless you dig in there you’d never know they are faux

Each pack comes in a bundle of 2 bunches. Each bunch has 7 stems. You can plant 2 ways and I tried both. You can plant the bundle attached together and bend the stems (they are wired) to spread everything out....or....you can cut the bundles apart and plant the stems individually. I ended up doing that and thought they looked more realistic that way.  I ended up using 5 packages (10 bunches) for 2 large pots and 1 smaller pot.

I share both ways on IG stories so you can see the difference.

I also removed some soil and added floral foam blocks beneath, recovered with dirt and stuck the flowers in them.  I don’t think this step was necessary, but I wanted to make sure they were in there firm.

I’m so excited I now get to enjoy beautiful flowers with zero work 🙌🏻🙌🏻

🤍be sure to save this post for future reference
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18047998556121278
My greatest blessings!
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18012127817665391
Last year, Geoff and I added wires up this wall in a diamond trellis pattern. We planted creeping fig, but unfortunately, it all died this winter. I just planted Star Jasmine in its place so really hoping it survives. Texas weather is hard!. Thanks to a little AI magic I was able to create what my ultimate vision is. Fingers crossed it will look like this in a couple of years. 
➡️ to see our current state
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18065058793989908
I just learned that May 3 is World Naked Gardening Day 🤣 I seriously can’t believe there is a day dedicated to this, but maybe lots of people need fences 🤷🏼‍♀️😉🌱🌿
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17956063397946554
🖤🤍➡️
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18068034388758253
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Builder & architect @josephpaulhomes
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17973853721715907
I love this potting bench addition we did to our garage last year. Inexpensive upgrade that is pretty and functional!
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18061019053878285
➡️ can’t stop, won’t stop this ChatGPT craze! Just too cute!
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18075057805888674
The cute illustration makes me want to add wood knobs to the drawers & cabinets! So cute!

💚comment SHOP to have links sent to your DM

https://liketk.it/5bahU
Builder & architect @josephpaulhomes
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18498141709035434
LET’S GO SHOPPING: Walmart edition

🩵 comment SHOP to have links sent to your DM

@walmart has so many great things right now! Anthropologie inspired dishes, beautiful entertaining pieces, detailed like scallops & wicker…so many wonderful items at amazing prices!

These make great gifts too!

https://liketk.it/5bfo2
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18047254850095482
🙋🏼‍♀️ guilty
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17903628531113076
This trend is everywhere, but it’s so cute I want a permanent spot on my feed!

HOW TO: post a photo in ChatGPT and ask it to make an illustration inspired by Beatrix Potter

🩵 comment SHOP to be sent a DM with links 

Builder & architect @josephpaulhomes 

https://liketk.it/5babr
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18046322000599999
Once upon a time….
 Our home in a storybook! 

Thank you @ciarakenaston for this great tip on using ChatGPT to create storybook images of your home!
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17905661115037811
I’m letting you in on a little secret...my potted flowers are not real 🤫

I’ve been on the hunt for faux flowers for my outdoor pots and I finally found a winner!!

🌸 comment SHOP and I’ll send you the links

I kept spending lots of money each season on real flowers and it was so much work keeping them alive!

I was looking for a better option and finally found one!

These faux flowers are
•BEAUTIFUL ....always in bloom
•ZERO MAINTENANCE ...no watering, fertilizing, etc
•BUDGET FRIENDLY ...these are priced great and you don’t have to replace them each season
•AND LOOK REAL. Some faux flowers are bad!! These really look good and unless you dig in there you’d never know they are faux

Each pack comes in a bundle of 2 bunches. Each bunch has 7 stems. You can plant 2 ways and I tried both. You can plant the bundle attached together and bend the stems (they are wired) to spread everything out....or....you can cut the bundles apart and plant the stems individually. I ended up doing that and thought they looked more realistic that way.  I ended up using 5 packages (10 bunches) for 2 large pots and 1 smaller pot.

I share both ways on IG stories so you can see the difference.

I also removed some soil and added floral foam blocks beneath, recovered with dirt and stuck the flowers in them.  I don’t think this step was necessary, but I wanted to make sure they were in there firm.

I’m so excited I now get to enjoy beautiful flowers with zero work 🙌🏻🙌🏻

🤍be sure to save this post for future reference
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17971866719722675
Out of office…..
 Soaking up the weekend

🖤 Comment SHOP below to receive a DM with the link to shop this post on my LTK 

*rug is custom

https://liketk.it/5b5wJ
Builder & architect @josephpaulhomes
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 17862792801379787
Loving these AMAZON dresses!! Beautiful & affordable 

❤️ Comment SHOP below to receive a DM with the link to shop this post on my LTK 

https://liketk.it/5aXJX #ltkfindsunder50
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18005102447579207
Yall I recently discovered you could make fun art on ChatGPT using your own images for free! @ciarakenaston inspired me with her Beatrix Potter images and I did a deep dive and found you can do so many cool things!

🩵 Download ChatGPT if you haven’t already and have fun!

Upload an image. Can be of your home, your family, etc and then type in prompts to have it alter your image. You can play around with it and try all kinds of things but here were my prompts for the video

1. Beatrix Potter inspired illustration
2. Jan Brett inspired illustration
3. Vintage oil painting
4. E.H. Shepard inspired illustration 
5. Retro British cottage core style

If you do some be sure to share and tag me. I’d love to see them. Endless possibilities!!
Open post by houseofhargrove with ID 18064388393496690
🤣 truth #texasspring

House of Hargrove | Site Design via Self Made from Scratch


Disclosure Policy . Privacy Policy Bluehost