We all know about wish lists. In fact a clever Australian company has coined the term for a huge internet shopping business. But what about housewishlist.com.au? Or even better housebuildwishlist.com.au?

I got to thinking about how many of my wish list items were included in our final build plan. And how much individual wish lists differ.

These were some of my wish list items that made it:
• Ensuite to die for
• Humongous kitchen island bench
• Separate he/she walk-in wardrobes
• Balcony with a view
• Undermount sinks
• Customised pot drawers
• Built-in fireplace
• Evaporative cooling
• Linen chute
• Storage

But then there are the ones that didn't...
• Internal courtyard
• Dedicated pantry
• Established trees
• Bigger garden

It doesn't stop there. We had a list of close to 50 items that we really wanted but had to decide whether to keep or dump – because small details add up to big bucks. For instance:
• Waterfall sides to Essa Stone bench top: Not to be sneezed at. Comes in at just short of three grand
• Amount over allowance for larger size wall and floor tiles in ensuite: A painful luxury at over three grand
• Rearrange a Kitchen Elevation: Over a thousand
• Stainless steel balustrading (instead of powder coated aluminium): A mere three grand

At a seemingly average price of three grand a pop you are obliged to re-prioritise your wish list and decide how much you can afford to deviate from the standard.

Wish lists are an immensely personal thing. My mum likes to see a tree from her bed so that she can watch it as she has her morning cuppa. Dad can't do without a real fire. For my husband it's the workbench – for me, the island bench.

We helped to soften our wish list blow by removing all our standard internal doors (and gaining in the region of four grand). It didn't hurt that much as we far prefer heavy wooden doors to hollow fibreglass ones. But it's not a decision everyone might feel comfortable with... like our friends and family. Because they'll be the ones that will be sitting in the door-less toilet looking onto the door-less corridor while we are enjoying the luxury of our secluded ensuite.

It's not all bad though. Maybe then they'll help us find our doors.