SInce we are in the building stage right now I can say, first think about your property and how you want to use it. Are there views? Which rooms do you want to see which views? Where will traffic and the driveway be? Garage, attached separate? Where does the sun travel across the site? Are there trees to consider on the land or will you plant them? For the houseplans,consider how long you will live in the house, will you be living here in your later years? You might want to think ahead and make things easier now, like a room downstsairs for a bedroom you someone can't climb the stairs anymore, lever handles for doors are easieer to turn with arthritis, comfort height toilets are great, walkin shower. And don't think about a large house. Think about using your spaces well and adding details that make it feel homey. I've never been in one of those huge mansion like houses and felt anything but bank like or mausoleum. It never feels like family and warmth. Don't make the kids rooms far away from the rest of the house. Don't make rooms for each activity. Have multiple use rooms where the family can stay and do things together.

Before you get to creative, remember that the surging costs of building materials is what is real interesting. Keep your house plan simple and efficient and try to save on these costs. If you and your spouse like to cook, make sure that there is plenty of room to work in your kitchen and good counter space with suitable cupboards. I think that building in solar panels would be real interesting. They are expensive up front (though some governments make tax credits available for them) and your costs will be covered through lower electric bills over several years. Taking advantage of natural light is a very good idea as you lay out the design of your new home. I like a house that is well ventilated and airy, with windows that are well placed. By opening windows and running ceiling fans, there would be no need to be running air conditioners continuously. As Galenda says, site location is critical. Use your lot in the best way possible. If your lot is wooded, have the builder only cut down what trees are absolutely necessary. A timber company might pay you to do this. When landscaping your lot and designing your garden. Plant evergreen trees safely back from your house but on the north side so as to block the winds. Plant a cluster of deciduous trees (again at a safe distance from the house) on the south and western side so as to shade your home. In the autumn, the leaves will fall and the light will warm your house through the colder months.

A slide from the roof to the garden, a firemens bar instead of stairs, a tree in the middle of the house where you build the walls and roof around as if it is grown, not only solar panels on the roof but also rieken ( i dont know how that is called in english) of a windmill attached to the side of the house for energy, oh and te bathroom should be half swimming pool half bathroom, and half in and half out the house. to finish my wacky ideas, i would not make the house square, i would make it starshaped. and i would paint it bright purple.

Having built my own house years ago, I would advise buying an already built home! However, if you are determined to build, the very best advice I can offer is #1: hire a contractor you would trust with your life (and your bank account) and #2: put in twice as many electrical outlets as you think you will actually need. If at all possible, plan for either you or your significant other to be able to take off work for the weeks or months that building will be going no. And under no circumstances should you ever expect delivery of materials on the day they are promised. Good luck!

Well, as a Plasterer and Dryliner, the house that we have just built will be a blank canvas for me. I'm going to build the walls to contain TV's, lighting, speakers built into the ceiling all cables hard wired into the walls so no wires showing... as well as motorised projector screen that will come from the ceiling, the lot! It will be uber-modern!

If you could have a hot tub with a view it would be really relaxing (unless it was the view of someone else's house). A sunken living room is also nice.

A big bathroom, a walkin pantry & a walkin closet for the old lady. Maybe a bench of some sort to hold magazines in the other bathroom for the old man !

I would build all entrances with arches instead of the boring square doorways.

Where your bedroom will face. Do you really want it up front by the street?

There are some great answers here, but since I am a home builder, I have to chime in with a few ideas. If you are building a two-story, then a laundry shoot is wonderful. Behind the cooktop, and this is all the rage right now, install another cooktop water faucet in the backsplash. Pull out spice racks on each side of the cook top are wonderful. I love mine. A large kitchen pantry is great especially if you have a large family, or love to cook. Personally, I think attic fans are another great addition to any home. Many homes come with two outdoor faucets, consider installing a third so you don't have to drag that hose all over the place. Extra exterior outlets near the roof line are great for Christmas lights. Exterior outlets near decks are great for twinkle lights also. If you have sidelights/windows on both sides of your front door, install an outlet on both sides. Again for twinkle lights or decorations. Consider an in house vacuum, in house intercom (for large homes..don't forget the front door), and alarm system. Consider having the cabinet over your refrigerator designed deep with removable partitions for baking pans and cookie sheets. Now this suggestion is strictly a matter of personal preference on my part, but I LOVE extra deep drawers for pots and pans instead of it being only lower cabinets. They have saved me so much back breaking digging for stuff. Again, for a large home, consider a second door chime located in an area where you make otherwise not hear the door chime. Have the false panels at sinks in the kitchen and bathroom be little flip outs. False panels are useless. If you have room for a garbage compactor, you won't regret it. Same goes for an undercounter icemaker. Consider wood flooring or tile for hallways and track areas. This always breaks up the carpet and allows you to switch the colors of carpet from room to room if you would like. In floor plugs can be a plus. Running cords across the floor to plug in table lamps isn't safe. However, placement of these plugs should be well planned. A plug in the fireplace mantel is also a nice idea. A plug at a stair landing is also a great addition. Install an in floor safe somewhere in the home during the slab construction. All of these things are basically standard features in the homes I build. I'm sure there's more ideas I'm overlooking, but this will get you started.

I saw some really great lighting design ideas that you might want to investigate. http://www.nonydesigns.com/

A library! =)

I'm going to be more pragmatic. Is the water table such that you need a sump-pump in the basement? Is the house built to minimize insects around it? If it rains, is the yard going to be a morass of mud? Is there a place nearby that is/will be a breeding ground for mosquitoes? Are there enough closets? How easy is it to clean the windows? Can you reach them to do so? Cathedral ceilings are great looking, but changing light bulbs are a bit difficult. Is the flooring in the rooms liable to get wet? If so, will it hold up to the dampness? How safe are the windows going to be during a major storm? Do you have a place to go if you need to take shelter during a major storm? Are you building according to where you are? (If you are in an earthquake prone area, you want to make your home as flexible as possible for it, and minimize glass for damage.

You definitely need to create some secret passage ways in your house. Like what Batman/Bruce Wayne has in Wayne Manor. Two way mirrors (nothing perverted like in a bathroom or bedroom though) Have some sort of secret room where you can tent your fingers maniacally while on AB and hiding in the depths of your home.

The things I consider most important in a house are: 1) Using window placement to control the amount of natural light in a room. It makes a huge difference in the feel of each room. 2) Leave yourself enough room in the kitchen so that you have enough room to feel like creating. It also invites people to come into the kitchen while you work. 3) Set up the living room so that it feels like a den, like a sanctuary that will draw the family in. My answers are probably over sentimental, but I just imagine my home as the place where everyone is drawn to. I hope this helps.

What size furnishing will I want where, and do the door frames stairwells, and hallways permit such large furnishings?

One thing to NOT add would be rectangular skylights - they almost always leak and lead to spendy repairs.

Including attached tool storage and workshops separated by class of work: woodwork, welding and mechanical, fine tool use, painting, with a protected sound system and beverage storage, well soundproofed, with access possibly through an enclosed passageway to minimize machinery noise infiltrating the living area. . Similar to the above, a media room with storage for not-in-use/spare equipment and media, and viewing areas, and computer for cataloging and lookup, and beverage storage and serving area, large enough to allow a small party to be comfortably accommodated. . Distributed inset cubbyholes for computer use, with wireless network and strategically placed printers, incorporating RAID servers and scanning stations. . Solar energy and battery storage. . Local/on-site water storage. . If in/near tornado alley or the southern/eastern coast, an external protective shell with heavy duty shutters and underground storm shelter having numerous means of entry/exit, well stocked. Extensive strengthening of house frame members by use of steel plates and gussets. . Drinking water, hot and cold, in strategic locations. . On demand water heaters of the European style, not the 50 gallon water heater common in the US. . In addition to central air+heat, provisions for window units in all rooms to be used when large areas of the house are not in use for long periods of time, but specific rooms require cooling/heating. . Secure firearms storage and reloading areas, including a 15 meter pistol range with large caliber AP backwall stops. . Soundproofed kennel with automatic food dispenser. . Library with humidity control and catalog computer with scanning station.

Built on a rotating platform to follow the sun and when sped up fast enough, fling door to door salemen into the street.

Glass room. Maybe a balcony and pool. Indoor pool. My Dad is a disigner I'd just ask him.

Power points there are never enough power points

If you're going brick, make sure all the electrical wires are put in conduit!!!!!! Some cheap bastards directly embed the cables in the brick and cement it up so if you put a nail through a wire you have to rip the brickwork apart to put in a new one or if you need to add more wires later (another light switch, perhaps) it will be alot quicker and easier if a conduit is already there. Brick dust is really horrible stuff so you don't want to have to bust into it after you have moved in. Two shower heads in the bathroom so when you have a shower with your spouse you can both have water running on your backs. Whatever your design, do what it takes to ensure you don't have to wait half an hour for hot water to get from the hot water system to your shower or your sink. (Even if it means two hot water systems I reckon - if I had the money.) A platform on top of your roof for a nice view of your surrounds always seemed like a good idea to me. No good if you've got little kids I suppose, unless you put up some kind of fence or something. Plenty of roof space and easy access to it. Plenty of insulation but pick a good one that isn't itchy and doesn't have dust that chokes you. Try talking to a few tradies who actually work in roofs to find a good one. According to one home builder - owner, it took him three goes to build the house he liked.

I know this sounds obvious, but since so much has already been said…. ENERGY EFFICIENCY! Our two-year-old home costs $300/month to heat; the ones in the next subdivision cost under $100/month! Make sure you get Energy Star–rated insulation, low-E windows, and a powerful enough furnace and air conditioner to actually heat and cool your home! (Lots of builders skimp on the furnace and A/C, so do some research and demand that they do it right!) Also, make sure they use I-beams in the second floor so it doesn’t squeak so much, once it’s settled. And while you’re at it, see if they install the interior studs at 16″ on center; 24″ is okay by some building codes, but 16″ is SO much sturdier, not to mention easier to use when mounting shelves, etc.. (I wish the previous owners of our home had known all this!) :-(

Use lots of between-the-stud storage!

One stories or two stories. I like two stories houses.

Light switch placement. My parents have no light switches for the kitchen in the kitchen. There's one in the dining room, and one in the hallway to the garage. They figured, oh, we'll always be walking to the kitchen from the garage or dining room... Which is true, but the dining room light switch is on the wall *opposite* the kitchen entrance.

I am tech geek so I say "structured wiring". Special cable that contains 2 coax cables and 2 cat5e cables that all run to a central point. Run it in every room. The cat5e cable can handle computer networks and telephone service. The coax can run TVs, security systems and cameras, whole house audio.

Have a neat basement and a wrap around porch

BIG stuff like a flood prone area, a very steep driveway (scary stuff in the winter), Ground quality (landslides), Possible locations for a garden (garden lovers), Where the sun is (passive solar = free heat)

getting an architect and a building permit.

I would really like a inside court yard in the middle of the house that could open wide during the summer months. This feature is very popular in the middle east.

solar power is a must, split levels and a lot of sculptured features and i like the idea of outdoor trees being built 'in' with the building?

I would love an indoor/outdoor bathroom. A stream running through my house.

Build using ICF construction. Insulated concrete forms have been around for over 50 years and have been growing extremely quickly in the last 10. Icf construction will provide you an extremely quiet, tremendously efficient home with heating and cooling cost lower than any other product. Icfs also provide excellent severe weather protection. Here you see a home survive a direct tornado hit... amazing. http://youtube.com/watch?v=vIT08IeiC9M Also concrete floors with radiant floor heat is very, very comfortable. Good luck.

How long you intend to live there! Are you building for investment purposes or not!

For any floor plan, include build out or add on areas for future consideration. That means one or two major structural exterior walls can be modified for adding later. Too many times walls have to be torn down and it costs much more to shore up the wall and install new support beams. It can be done so easily and less expensive with plans including this idea. Ask your architect to consider it for a small additional fee.

I wish I had invested in an inground sprinkler system for my large yard and a driveway with heating elements in it so I wouldn't have to shovel my driveway in the winter. A solid door to the basement for security. Built in cabinet for those long Christmas paper rolls in the kitchen and my china in the dining room. An outdoor fireplace on our patio with ceiling fans to chase away bugs and cool us down in summer. An under-cabinet vacuum near the pet food. Drawers instead of doors with shelves in my kitchen island. A built in wine rack and plate rack. A wood/coal burning stove when we lose power. Solar panels and wind fans to turn my meter back. An attic that was fully floored and fan to keep the heat & electric bill down. Sunlights in the interior rooms without windows. Several linen closets and a sink in every bedroom that has a teenager. European roller blinds that are fire proof and add protection. Same with metal roof. I wish I had more electrical outlets and water faucets on the exterior of the house. A wrap around covered porch.

Direction the house is pointing as far as sunlight and wind resistance. House should be built with one central room that can be used as a vault/panic room/storm shelter.

Adequate bathroom and closet space, a two person shower, adequate in-shower shelving, a large hotwater tank or an endless hot water tank, an expandable attic, outdoor hot and cold water, preferably an outdoor shower for bathing dogs, muddy clothing and mops, really GOOD insulation, fold-out windows on the upper levels for easy cleaning, a mother-in-law suite, with a seperate entrance, enough space on the lot to grow vegetables in case you get to a point where you need to save money on groceries, a wood burning stove or two in a space large enough to support the family when the electricity goes out, a dining room with enough space to seat people comfortably and back out chairs, skylights on inside rooms, preferably a house made of real brick, a tornado shleter or a basement, build the garage on the right side of the house (for the US) so that you don't always have to go around the car to get inside, a seperate laundry room with adequate space for laundry sorting and folding, no soaring celings unless you can afford the heating bill, no catwalks for the same reason, plenty of kitchen counter space, enough space to put in a deep freezer somewhere, if you can afford it, a solar system.....there is more if you want to know :)

When my husband put the additions on our old house, he turned the dead spaces in the walls into recessed shelves. Every house has dead spaces, look for them. They made great selling points when we put the house on the market. He did things simalar to this:

I am big on stone and millwork. You MUST have at least one stone fireplace, preferably surrounded by built-in bookcases and/or entertainment center. Choices of woods are plentiful, but I would avoid "cliche" oak at all costs. Cherry is even falling from favor, although I like it better than most alternatives. As for flooring, I a a HUGE fan of "hand-scaped" hickory or cherry, for that timeless 19th century look. The rest is just plasterboard and tile work. ;-)