Dream House Must-haves – Exterior

Oh man am I ready for this weekend!  Why?!  Because we don’t have anything planned and that makes me super happy!  Of course I have a list of to-dos in my head but all of them are on my own accord and schedule.  Aside from maybe painting the new master bath closet bifold door (last thing left to do in there!), my main goals are to finally watch my Shoot Fly Shoot Photography 101 video and either my Craftsy learn-to-knit video (Knit Lab) or sewing fundamentals video (Sewing Studio).  I just haven’t had the down time to sit and do them and am really looking forward to learning more about all three of them, heaven knows I need to work on learning my camera as well as sewing!

As a follow up to my first dream home post here, today I am going through a dozen of my exterior must-haves.  This one was even harder to narrow down than the interior options.  Apparently I put a lot of stock into the appearance and property of a suitable home, probably not the best idea down the line :)

*Again, all images are from Houzz

1.  Modern Farmhouse

My dream home used to be more coastal and Hamptons inspired but now I am in LOVE with the idea of a modern farmhouse.  Like seriously in love.  Probably from watching so much Fixer Upper and seeing theirs :/  The white siding, the simple and classic structures/shapes, lots of windows, and a gorgeous wooden door.  I love it’s contrast against natural elements and wildscapes in the yard and looks just so clean and crisp.  My style is a mix of “rustic farmhouse” and “contemporary/modern” with a little coastal and these are that completely to me.

2.  Water

I grew up with a creek next to our house and live next to the bay now so I’m afraid I am completely spoiled for life and will always need to live by water.  Husband grew up on the coast to so it’s a double-whammy.  I dream of living on some land that has a creek, pond, or lake on the property or nearby.  Just close enough for our kids to play and explore in like I did.  Fish, crawdads, turtles, frogs, mud, pruny toes…all of it.  Growing up by that creek is the sole reason I grew up to be a biologist.

3.  Acreage

Again, got totally spoiled on this one growing up.  I would love to have as many acres as we can afford but right now just a half an acre sounds amazing.  We love our little house but they are building all around us and it feels so cramped.  Neither of us has never lived anywhere (house-wise) that had more than one neighbor directly next to us.  I want room for kids to run free, land to actually DO stuff on (gardens!), and room to park our toys without getting stupid POA stickers in our mailbox.

4.  Dutch Door

Ok, this one may seem a bit small and silly for a “Dream Home” list but I have loved them forever so I don’t care.  Not for the front door but near the kitchen or something, where there is alot of traffic and traffic that can be halted by handing things through real quick :)

5.  Wraparound Porch

6.  Three-Car Tricked-Out Garage

We only have two cars but our standard two-car garage doesn’t fit both of them and even with just one in there, there’s not alot of room for all of our crap like the fishing stuff, yard stuff, the lawnmower, the grill, the deepfreeze, and a work area.  It would be awesome to have a roomy space to park both cars and still have storage options, a workbench area, a utility sink, and of course, a beer fridge!  It would be super cool if the work area side could also open on the backside as well into the backyard for easier access and to keep it cooler.

7.  Metal Roof

Farmhouse Exterior by Athens Photographers Corynne Pless

There are so many benefits to having a metal roof (cooling, maintenance, etc.) but I really just want one for when it rains!  Plus they look so good on my white modern farmhouses.  Alot of the houses around here are putting them on and if we were staying here for a much longer time we totally would too.

8.  Solar Panels

We always chat about the “green” things we will do in our dream home.  I would love to make it as sustainable as possible but solar panels and rainwater catchment (#9) are the for-sure plans.  I honestly can’t believe that it’s not done more often, especially in Texas where it’s super sunny so much.  Yes, there is alot of cost up front but the numbers are astounding after a few years.  Any little bit helps I always say so we plan to do as much as we possibly can when we get to the forever-home stage.

9.  Rainwater Collection

Like solar panels, rainwater catchment is also something I can’t believe isn’t done more often.  Especially since it doesn’t take much alteration to install, there are a ton of various systems and sizes for any location.  I honestly feel that these systems should be required in drought-prone areas (like here!), at least for businesses.  My dream plan is to have huge reservoirs to collect as much as we can so that we don’t have to use municipal water for anything but interior uses.

10.  Outdoor Shower

Again, pretty simple must-have but something I’ve always wanted.  Nothing fancy, just a place to wash us, dirty kids, muddy dogs, anything, without having to come into the house.

11.  Potting/Storage Shed

You know, just a little place to park some lawn tools and pot up some flowers.  Instead of the garage or hunched over the patio where your husband gets onto you for making a mess with potting soil ;)

12.  Outdoor Kitchen

Traditional Patio by Saint Louis Architects & Building Designers Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design

Contemporary Deck by Vancouver Photographers Heather Merenda

Probably on everyone’s dream home must-haves is a badass outdoor kitchen and of course it’s on mine.  I dream of hosting big dinner parties and get-togethers with people hanging out on the back patio and kiddos running around the yard.  An accordion window pass-through from the kitchen to the patio is perfect for serving stuff up to them, as well as letting me participate in the action while I’m prepping.  The entire outdoor kitchen is all for husband of course.  And he would flip for a big TV out there to watch games on while he’s cooking, plus all the rooting, yelling, and whoopin’ and hollerin’ will be outside instead of inside :)


I’m sure these lists will change a little (or alot) in six months but this is the jist of what I daydream about all.the.time.  You guys have an awesome weekend, hopefully gettin’ stuff done and doing things you’ve been wanting to get done too!