Features every family home should have

Everyone has their own ideas about what makes an ideal family home. Design and layout are important, but so is the amount of outside space, the number of bedrooms and is there enough space for that all-important quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle?

There are some things that all homes should have (if possible), and these are just a few of my suggestions.

More than one bathroom

Most of the older generation will remember what it’s like for a family of several people to all have to share one bathroom. It could be a major source of conflict between family members and thankfully modern homes, such as those built by Redrow, always have more than one bathroom – or at least toilets!

A dishwasher

Some people say that washing up is therapeutic, but definitely not if your name’s Jess…. I definitely don’t feel this way! I don’t mind the odd thing but generally I shove everything in the dishwasher – especially now that I am doing more cooking from scratch. Interestingly, recent studies have also shown that a dishwasher uses less water than doing the same amount of washing up by hand and that should help to reduce your water bills. So if that’a not convinced you then I’m not sure what will!

Hot water

When there are several people that need to take a shower before starting their day, there’s nothing worse than suddenly running out of hot water. This used to happen when I lived at home – something to do with an emersion heater/tank emptying? I do not miss those days!
Installing solar panels can be a great idea, they will heat the water very quickly and produce enough heat to do that all day through. Another way is to install showers that do not rely on hot water from the tank but produce it themselves as the water runs through their pipes. 

A Private Space

It does not matter how well a family gets on, there are times when everyone needs to be on their own for a while. Rather than having to retreat to a bedroom, it’s nice that if there’s space you can create a room where people can be private for a while if that is what they want. It could be to just sit and read quietly or to catch up on social media; it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, sometimes a bit of peace and quiet is needed.