Hello,
My wife and I visited a model home park for prefabricated houses yesterday, and we noticed that each house offered various features and floor plans whose practical benefits I don’t quite understand. That’s why I’m starting this thread, hoping you can explain the advantages of these choices or point out what I might be missing and why it still makes sense to design a house that way:
1. Almost every house had floor-to-ceiling windows installed. What’s the purpose of these? I imagine they would be terrible both in summer and winter. Wouldn’t it get extremely hot in summer? And in winter, don’t you constantly have to lower the blinds so that anyone passing by can’t look directly into the living room or inside the house? Also, isn’t the effort to clean those windows huge? Am I missing something? Do they have advantages that I don’t see?
2. There wasn’t a single house where the kitchen and dining area were separated from the living space; at best, the kitchen was separated from the dining area. I understand that having everything open makes the space appear larger and is better for hosting many people, but isn’t it very impractical? If I’m frying or cooking something in the kitchen, doesn’t the whole living room end up smelling like food? It would also bother me that as soon as my wife or I have guests over, the other person couldn’t sit in the living room and watch TV quietly, for example. This might sound a bit picky, but for me, it’s important that everyone can invite their friends without the other person always being within earshot or needing to get out of the way somehow. Why are open-plan ground floors so common? What are the real advantages?
3. The balconies on the upper floor are always accessible from one of the children’s bedrooms and the parents’ bedroom. Doesn’t that significantly affect privacy? I can’t imagine it’s great if my child can constantly knock on our bedroom door via the balcony, for example. Also, if you have two children, wouldn’t the one without a balcony be at a disadvantage?
I don’t want to bias you with my opinions here—I’m completely open to your views because I’d like to be convinced of the benefits. So I would like to know your reasons for including such features in your plans. Alternatively, has anyone built in a more “traditional” way and can speak to the practicality of these layout choices?
Best regards
My wife and I visited a model home park for prefabricated houses yesterday, and we noticed that each house offered various features and floor plans whose practical benefits I don’t quite understand. That’s why I’m starting this thread, hoping you can explain the advantages of these choices or point out what I might be missing and why it still makes sense to design a house that way:
1. Almost every house had floor-to-ceiling windows installed. What’s the purpose of these? I imagine they would be terrible both in summer and winter. Wouldn’t it get extremely hot in summer? And in winter, don’t you constantly have to lower the blinds so that anyone passing by can’t look directly into the living room or inside the house? Also, isn’t the effort to clean those windows huge? Am I missing something? Do they have advantages that I don’t see?
2. There wasn’t a single house where the kitchen and dining area were separated from the living space; at best, the kitchen was separated from the dining area. I understand that having everything open makes the space appear larger and is better for hosting many people, but isn’t it very impractical? If I’m frying or cooking something in the kitchen, doesn’t the whole living room end up smelling like food? It would also bother me that as soon as my wife or I have guests over, the other person couldn’t sit in the living room and watch TV quietly, for example. This might sound a bit picky, but for me, it’s important that everyone can invite their friends without the other person always being within earshot or needing to get out of the way somehow. Why are open-plan ground floors so common? What are the real advantages?
3. The balconies on the upper floor are always accessible from one of the children’s bedrooms and the parents’ bedroom. Doesn’t that significantly affect privacy? I can’t imagine it’s great if my child can constantly knock on our bedroom door via the balcony, for example. Also, if you have two children, wouldn’t the one without a balcony be at a disadvantage?
I don’t want to bias you with my opinions here—I’m completely open to your views because I’d like to be convinced of the benefits. So I would like to know your reasons for including such features in your plans. Alternatively, has anyone built in a more “traditional” way and can speak to the practicality of these layout choices?
Best regards
No, I’m not an advocate of the open-plan option. But for me, it’s decided that we want it that way.
Which appliances will be installed between? The refrigerator will be built-in. You won’t see it anyway. By the way, wine coolers with glass doors are very stylish – but nobody here drinks wine.
Our current dishwasher is from Siemens, cost about 450€ (around $480), and is not a specifically ultra-quiet model. You hardly hear it anymore, as long as it’s loaded correctly. I don’t see a problem with spending 50€ (about $53) more for the silent model. A timer is also an option; the dishwasher already runs overnight here.
Which appliances will be installed between? The refrigerator will be built-in. You won’t see it anyway. By the way, wine coolers with glass doors are very stylish – but nobody here drinks wine.
Our current dishwasher is from Siemens, cost about 450€ (around $480), and is not a specifically ultra-quiet model. You hardly hear it anymore, as long as it’s loaded correctly. I don’t see a problem with spending 50€ (about $53) more for the silent model. A timer is also an option; the dishwasher already runs overnight here.
77.willo schrieb:
I’ve read a lot here already, but this still seems somewhat contrived to me. Even after really large meals, I’ve never needed a second one. If necessary, you can just keep it on the counter during the meal. I was actually not referring to "large meals," but rather to the desire arising from combining an open kitchen with a cozy atmosphere for the immediate disposal of the decorative nuisance "used dishes." Without requiring the condition that "Dishwasher 1 is already finished and emptied."
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant and KarlaHollerbach, we have to accept that since it’s a trend, those of us who appreciate the traditional old German living room with a wall to the kitchen are a small radical minority—the black bloc of the home savings scene, the enemy of the kitchen showroom, miserable hosts who hand their guests a pizza and then use the boxes as ashtrays, urging visitors to have a Cuba libre just 14 minutes after finishing their food. Venceremos. Viva la revolución... now I’m putting on Die Toten Hosen, grabbing a Mars bar, a drink, and listening respectfully to the Bayern Song. When my wife comes home, I’ll switch to Bonnie and Clyde... we’ll rob two, three, four, five banks, she loves that. Karsten
11ant schrieb:
I was not referring to “large meals,” but rather to the desire that arises from balancing an open-plan kitchen with comfort: the need for immediate disposal of the decorative killer “used dishes.” Without the requirement that “dishwasher 1 has to be finished and emptied” first.Stay grounded.
Alex85 schrieb:
Stay grounded. Grounded. Good point. In the living room, sure; in the kitchen, better not.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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