ᐅ Smart ideas that make everyday life easier incorporated into the home

BeHaElJa schrieb:
Home entertainment and networking can nowadays almost be handled with a single Raspberry Pi. Turntables with a diameter of 25cm (10 inches) don’t really add much value. I’m unsure about the washing machine.

We also discarded the idea of a server room. The appealing part of that solution would be the clean appearance of our living room wall, where only the TV with external speakers would be visible. Everything else would be "hidden."

Regarding the turntables, their benefit lies not in providing additional space but rather in improving organization.

EveundGerd schrieb:
Just out of curiosity: why is the sloped ceiling tiled?

The pictures are just for illustration and my house is still in planning or under construction. So unfortunately, I can’t tell you why the slopes are tiled.

EveundGerd schrieb:
I would recommend a safety strap or something similar.

I was rather thinking of an anti-vibration/anti-slip mat.

D3N7S schrieb:
In the long term, having a bedroom on the ground floor (if feasible) is certainly a very smart and sensible idea for later life.

That’s exactly what we did. Additionally, we installed a shower in the guest bathroom so that living independently on the ground floor is really possible.

D3N7S schrieb:
The laundry chute is very clever in terms of convenience, but is it specially sealed in your case?

Yes, it will have a door and is therefore sealed.

ypg schrieb:
Clever ideas... This reminds me of the catalogs my parents used to receive: things nobody really needs, but that are extremely expensive.

Since I build these things myself, the costs are kept reasonable.

ypg schrieb:
A) I don’t find it stylish, b) all my husband’s pants and jackets and my work clothes, including overalls, would clog this chute. It might work for underwear, but I’d have hygienic concerns.

Since it is covered and hidden, it shouldn’t be visually noticeable. It will look like a covered chimney pipe. Regarding clogging, that depends on the diameter: ours will be 40–50cm (16–20 inches) wide, so it should actually work. I don’t share your hygiene concern, because dirty laundry ends up in a laundry basket in the basement anyway.

Another handy feature for today’s homebuilder is sockets with a small integrated LED light that guides your way at night — see photo.

Hype about the shafts? These components have been around for decades...

The Gira sockets are simply overpriced – nice, yes, but too expensive even when buying them yourself.

I installed a Gira sensor that dims the hallway light at dusk and can be switched to full brightness with a hand movement. This makes getting up at night a bit more comfortable – and in the morning as well.

50cm (20 inches) for the shaft? It will be difficult with the appropriate pipes – especially since using sewer pipes (KG) gets very expensive. As a tip: I used spiral ducting – lighter and much cheaper.

Masipulami schrieb:
Always these generalizations...

You can tell you haven’t really looked into the topic. Our laundry chute is discreetly integrated into the bathroom, has a nice stainless steel cover, and everything fits through it (bedding, etc.) without any problems.

Of course, if you plan a 20mm (3/4 inch) pipe...

Properly planned, a laundry chute makes housework much easier.

You’re right: I never gave much thought to such a feature—I didn’t have to since I chose the cellarless house option with a second utility room on the upper floor.

However, this isn’t a generalization when I consider the opening shown at the top of the photo and imagine stuffing our clothes down it.
If someone wants to build the traditional way with a usable basement and three rooms plus a bathroom on the upper floor, they’re welcome to install such a chute—I don’t mind at all.
I was responding to the comment from @BeHaElJa.

We are still planning the laundry chute. However, I find the one above the bathtub somewhat impractical.

So far, we haven’t come across a clever and safe solution. During a recent structural inspection, we only looked at the large pipe, which was unfortunately installed awkwardly (it runs through a room on the ground floor and will need extensive concealment, and on the upper floor it ends at the floor). There is also the concern that small children might play around it.

We do not want a laundry chute because we do not have a live-in housekeeper, and we want our children to learn to sort their laundry and wash it themselves sometimes, instead of "out of sight, out of mind."

The learning effect and the associated attitude would be higher with the laundry chute = better-behaved children = a better Germany = brilliant