When you go through a house, or look over blueprints, try mentally living in the place.
Make a hypothetical trip home with bags of groceries. Where will you park? Must you carry the load up stairs? Do you have to go through the living-room? Is there a counter right next to the refrigerator for unloading?
Even if you like the efficiency of a compact kitchen, you may want to check whether it will have space for a highchair some day.
Take a mental trip to the porch or patio for summer dining. Will it be easy to serve from the kitchen, or will
you risk spills on a carpet en route?
Picture muddy children, dashing in for a cool drink from the frige or an emergency trip to the toilet; how much opportunity for damage will they have along the way?
If you have an infant, you probably sleep with bedroom doors open so you're within earshot. Give some thought to the future, though. In a year or two you'll want more privacy and quiet. Look for buffers between bedrooms. It's particularly important that the master bedroom is separated from others by a zone of closets, stairwell, hall or at least by bathrooms.
Mentally greet visitors at the front door. Will they actually use the front entrance, or is it impractically
located? Is there a vestibule, hall or divider to baffle against blasts of cold outside air -- or hot outside air? A
handy coat closet? A well-located powder room?
Depending on your lifestyle, you may value a deadened livingroom, out of the traffic pattern. Such a room has a chance of staying neat, and offers relaxation and quiet.
Other families, though, may prefer a central great room, with lots of activity and constant traffic through to kitchen, office, bedrooms. Before you buy, analyze which suits your temperament best.
When children are little, parents like a family room adjoining the kitchen, so toddlers can be watched while the cooking is going on. Your needs will change, though. By the time your 12-year-old takes up the drums, you'll wish he and his band could practice down the hall, down the stairs, and out behind the garage.
That garage gets extra points, by the way, if it has a small outside door. Same with the basement; in many older homes there's a useful exterior entrance.
It's great to fall in love -- with the big trees in the backyard and the picket fence and shutters in the front. Someday, though, you'll be glad you stepped back and took the time to try on the house, mentally.
See how living in the floor plan will work out.
MoreAdvice for Buyers
Published: March 18, 1999
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