Practical Elements That Every Family Home Needs

If you want to enhance your family home with practical elements, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll explore 

A Great TV

Everything family home needs a great TV. To keep the whole family happy, we recommend opting for a flatscreen 4K TV with internet capability. 

Modern TVs have built-in Wi-Fi that allows you access to apps such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, and in the 2020s, having a streaming account can be a great addition to the regular channels you’d get on your TV box (e.g., Sky), although some families choose to focus solely on internet streaming and other web services like YouTube.

Of course, adding surround sound to the room can bring your TV experience to life to a greater degree. All in all, we advise getting a setup that works best for your home. You may even want to go with a TV that offers 3D capability, although this may not be your cup of tea.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm

While a smoke alarm may be a ‘duh’, not every home will have a carbon monoxide alarm. However, if you have a gas or oil boiler or any appliance capable of producing carbon monoxide (e.g., gas stove), you really should have several carbon monoxide alarms installed.

Carbon monoxide should not be taken lightly, especially considering it is an odourless and colourless gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning results in 30 deaths in England and Wales annually, as well as 200 non-fatal poisoning hospitalisations. 

To cover all bases, we recommend having a carbon monoxide alarm fitted in the same room as the fuel-burning appliances (e.g., gas boiler). Beyond that, you should have one fitted on every floor of your home.

It’s best to test each of your carbon monoxide detectors once a month. Most of the time, batteries will last a year but should be replaced whenever necessary. The alarms themselves should be replaced once every five years or sooner if required.

Solid Bathroom Mats

Whether you have a bath, shower or both, having high-quality and durable bathroom mats installed in any of your bathrooms is important in a family home. We also recommend going with bath mats that are non-slip to maximise safety.

You’ll want bathroom mats that can deal with plenty of foot traffic and water exposure over and over again before it will need replacing. 

Some of the best bathroom mats on the market are:

• Anthropologie ocean plait knot bath mat
• Panda London bamboo bath rug
• Ruggable ooh la la bath mat
• H&M tasselled bath mat
• Next giant bobble bath mat

In general, the best materials to go with include cotton, microfiber and chenille. Some bath mats will suit your preferences more than others, whether it be in relation to the sort of underfoot they provide, their cost or how eco-friendly they are.

Curtains/Blinds

Without curtains or/and blinds in a room, an exposed window can look not only very bare, but you and your family are left with no control over how much natural light you let in. 

By ensuring as many windows as possible have blinds and curtains installed, you’ll have the opportunity to ensure just the right amount of natural light enters the room(s) in use at any given time. 

As a side note, you may be interested in having skylights installed by a professional. For instance, adding these to your kitchen could let more natural light in and improve the overall feel and look of the space.

Durable Flooring

Any family home should also have long-lasting and sturdy flooring installed, particularly in areas with plenty of foot traffic (e.g., hallway, kitchen and living room).

Some of the most durable floor types include laminate, solid hardwood, bamboo, luxury vinyl tile (LVT), entered wood, and natural stone flooring. Obviously, you’ll want to take other factors into consideration, such as appearance and cost. 

As for practicality in particular, aside from enduring plenty of foot traffic, you’ll want flooring that is well-designed to deal with water exposure, particularly in areas where it is most likely to face these issues, like the kitchen or bathroom. For kitchen flooring, it should also be stain resistant.

Porch Installation

A porch can really add to the aesthetic of your family home. On average, a porch build costs between £2,000 and £3,500. The cost will primarily depend on what type you opt for, with common options including uPVC roof gable porches, brick porches, uPVC Edwardian porches and aluminium porches.

The main advantages of having a porch added to your home are:

• Improved house security
• Can reduce heat loss via your front door
• Add an additional aesthetic appeal to the front of your home

What Else Should a Family Home Have?

Aside from the points already raised, here are some other practical elements you’ll want to include in your home:

• First Aid Kit
• Shower curtain
• Laundry basket
• Step ladder
• Measuring tape
• Iron, ironing board and ironing board cover
• Screwdrivers
• Plug extension lead
• Clotheshorse