Two doors in every room is good, and so is building them so that you can travel in a circle through the house. Backdoor are also handy sometimes. If you can, make sure there is space to move around. A cramped bathroom has killed people in my game because someone didn t go out of the way of another person wanting to get out. For that matter, buld corridors width a width of at least 2 squares.
Children are almost useless .
It s okay to do without, although they have a few advantages. They are always at home after 3 and before 8. You can make them clean the house and they can call, greet and keep friends. Neatness is a waste . Of course, you ll need a good bath to get hygiene up, but then you have time to spare to work on skills and friends.