Dream House

I have always drawn houses.   Not pictures of houses, but pictures of blueprints.  The first one I remember drawing was in about 5^th or 6^th grade.  It had 10 bathrooms!!  At the time, there were 6 of us in  a small one bedroom house!  In fact, it was really a 2 bedroom house with a den … my sister and I shared the den.  Our room had a picture window to the back yard!!  (our brothers shared a room about the size of a walk in closet!).

Those first drawings were done on regular notebook paper.  As I got older, I scoured the library for books about houses, and I “graduated” to using graph paper.  Some of my later drawings were done on multiple sheets of graph paper taped together.  And at one time I had a “desk mat” sized pad of graph paper.

As I grew, and read, I learned.   More about blueprints.  My houses became more ractical.  They had depth of walls, locations for doors and windows, even electric outlets and plumbing fixtures.  I still have (somewhere) some of the “better” plans I came up with.I

I have not drawn any houses in many years now.  That was something that has taken a back seat to life.  And, the last one I did I was so satisfied with, I never tried to change it.  I always thought it would be neat to someday have an actual blueprint made of one of my plans.  There’s no longer any point, since I wouldn’t be able to see it.

So I thought, before the house (that I can see so very clearly in my mind) is gone, I would try to describe it.

The exterior is brick.  There is a central part that is two stories, with single story “wings” on each side (everything is semetrical).  There is a deep porch with columns across the front, and wrapping around to where it meets the wings.  The front door is a double door with side lights.  One end of the porch has a swing There are old fashioned rockers placed around on the rest of the porch .. not enough to be “cluttered”, but inviting.

Entering from the front door, one is in a wide hallway.   On the immediate left is a double doored coat closet.  On the right is a door into a library or study.  Just past that dooway, on the right side of the hall, is a stairway with a beautiful handrail to the second floor.  On the left, the front hall goes on past the stairway.  On the left, just past the closet, is the entrance to the living room.  The entrance appears “grand” because of the depth of the coat closet.  Just past the entrance is a 2^nd mirror image closet, for storing bulky items like card tables.  The front hall continues  past the stairy and then turns right.  On the left at the end of the hall is a door to the dining room.  Straight ahead is a door to the kitchen.  Turning right and continueing in the hall, on the immedicate right is a door under the stairway, to stairs leading to a basement (or if no basement, a storage space).  On the left is a door to a half bathroom.  A little farther down the hall, there is a door on the right to the library/study.  On the left is a door to a laundry room.  The hall ends at a doorway to the master bedroom.

The living room and dining room are only “divided” by a center wall.  It might have a two-way fireplace.   The living room has 2 tall windows (matched by windows in the library).  In the dining room, theree’s a door on the left, just past the living room, to a “work room” or “playroom” (or whatever other purpose might be needed).  It is directly opposite the door from the hall into the dining room.  On the dining room wall directly across from the living room, there is a door into a butler’s pantry with cabinetry for storing china and serving items.

From the hall, entering the kitche, there is a long section of cabinets(the length of the dining room wall) for extra storage and counter space.  This forms a sort of hall way.  On the right, in an area that will be behind the half bath, is a large walk in pantry.  The hall way that runs along the cabinetry opens into a large area that is kitchen on the left (which also opens into the butler’s pantry) and family room on the right.  There are windows along the entire back wall of this space, and at the far right end is a fireplace.

Off the left side of the kitchen is a back hall/mud room area with a coat closet.

To the right, after entering the family room, past where the pantry is, there is a door into the laundry room.  This is a long narrow room between the family room and the front hall, which has washer and dryer, storage, and possibly a space for a water heater.

Just past the laundry room is another door that goes into the master bedroom area.  On the back wall to the right of the fireplace is a door to a small porch.’

The master bedroom is the wing that mirrors the work room.  The back section (far right of the room looking from front) is a bathroom, built in dressing area, and closet.  There is also another closet on the left side of the room.  A door in the back of the closet opens into the den (meaning one can go from the bhedroom to the kitchen via a shorter route than going all the way down the hall).

The upstairs has a hall way to match the one on the first floor except without the extention.  There are 4 bedrooms, 2 on each side, and each pair share a bathroom.  At the back side of the house, between the two back bedrooms, is a “box” room, like a huge walk in closet with cabinets and a window. 

The upstairs hall is sort of “C” shapred.  The doors to the bedrooms on the right are at each end of the staircase.  On the end at the front of the house are the stairs up to the attic.  It might have dormer windows.  It is just a completely open space with floor and walls.  (someday someone else could “finish” it if they wanted).  It should have been a place for grandchildren to play.  Or maybe great-grandchildren.

The house sits a bit far back from the road.  Ideally, it will be in the mountains, so that the view from the front of the house looks out over a majestic view.  It is either on a corner lot, or the driveway runs along the left side and turns.  There is a parking space on the left side of the house, and a walkway to the front door.   Off the back left corner is a 3 car garage, with an apartment over it .. rental, or family member.

There should be enough back yard for room for kids to play and dogs to run; and maybe, off the right back corner, a swimming pool. (but maybe not if it’s in the mountains).  Behind the yard it should be wooded and private.

I can see it all so very clearly in my head.  I don’t know if I’ve described it well enough for anyone else to “see” it.  But at least it’s now written down and not disappeared in the dusty depths of my mind!