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
tomtom79 schrieb:
Ventilation systems are not a trend but a necessity. Necessary, yes, because otherwise it is difficult to meet the energy-saving regulations, which themselves are a large-scale subsidy for the involved trades.
We have been living in our house for 18 months without a ventilation system... we have no mold or mildew, not even in the attic (if you take building physics—the dew point—into account a bit, nothing will mold).
Certainly, the indoor climate comfort is better with a ventilation system, especially if you are not able to air out regularly; you just have to weigh the pros and cons.
In our top floor we have floor-to-ceiling windows (this was not planned but structurally necessary because the roller shutter boxes did not fit under the roof with wide instead of deep windows); the windows are divided in two and have closed blinds at the bottom... so basically useless.
I wouldn’t want to miss the electric roller shutters.
We also had a chimney flue installed; the fireplace will be added, uh... eventually...
Corner Windows
Yes, they can sometimes be quite nice. However, I only like them with windows that have a somewhat higher sill height. Floor-to-ceiling corner windows just aren’t my thing visually. Even with corner windows that have a sill, I don’t always like the look. Sometimes it appears as if a corner has been cut out of the house, which can look odd. We don’t have any corner windows. They didn’t fit with our floor plan. For me, a corner window only adds value if it fits well within the room. I’ve seen cases where a corner window was included just because it looks great, but then it was completely out of place in the room, and that’s something I wanted to avoid.
Bay Windows
I absolutely don’t like them, no matter the shape. Usually, the bay is too small anyway, and the intended dining table fits poorly. We don’t have a bay window.
Walk-in Shower
We have them, both in the guest bathroom and the main bathroom. Originally, I wanted shower trays that were almost flush with the floor because I simply think it looks more hygienic (due to the absence of grout lines). However, our main bathroom shower ended up so large that no standard trays were available for that size. It would have required a custom-made tray. This custom option would have been significantly more expensive than just tiling the shower floor and letting the water drain through a channel. That’s why we decided on this option instead. Accessibility was not a factor in our decision. Our entire house was not really planned to be fully accessible; in case of doubt, the shower would have been the least of our problems. We are still young and healthy. If the unlikely event occurs that one of us needs a wheelchair or similar mobility aid, we would probably have to sell the house or undergo more or less extensive remodeling.
Square Toilets
I find them terrible. We don’t have them. But we opted for rimless toilets. Another kind of “trend.”
Ventilation System
We are having one, even though we are only building according to the energy saving regulations (building permit / planning permission). For us, it’s a luxury we wanted to treat ourselves to. I am very much looking forward to the ventilation system. I’m a fresh air fanatic (meaning I constantly need fresh oxygen and hate stale air like the plague) and at the same time, I’m very sensitive to cold. This drives me crazy for about half the year because I either freeze but have fresh air (windows open) or it’s warm inside but the air feels “stale” to me (windows closed). From the ventilation system, I hope to have good air inside almost all the time without getting cold. For example, the air in the bedroom should be good in the morning even with the window closed. And so on. This is the luxury I wanted to indulge in. We gave up other things for it, like a fireplace; I’m absolutely not a fan anyway, but I have already mentioned this earlier in the thread.
Yes, they can sometimes be quite nice. However, I only like them with windows that have a somewhat higher sill height. Floor-to-ceiling corner windows just aren’t my thing visually. Even with corner windows that have a sill, I don’t always like the look. Sometimes it appears as if a corner has been cut out of the house, which can look odd. We don’t have any corner windows. They didn’t fit with our floor plan. For me, a corner window only adds value if it fits well within the room. I’ve seen cases where a corner window was included just because it looks great, but then it was completely out of place in the room, and that’s something I wanted to avoid.
Bay Windows
I absolutely don’t like them, no matter the shape. Usually, the bay is too small anyway, and the intended dining table fits poorly. We don’t have a bay window.
Walk-in Shower
We have them, both in the guest bathroom and the main bathroom. Originally, I wanted shower trays that were almost flush with the floor because I simply think it looks more hygienic (due to the absence of grout lines). However, our main bathroom shower ended up so large that no standard trays were available for that size. It would have required a custom-made tray. This custom option would have been significantly more expensive than just tiling the shower floor and letting the water drain through a channel. That’s why we decided on this option instead. Accessibility was not a factor in our decision. Our entire house was not really planned to be fully accessible; in case of doubt, the shower would have been the least of our problems. We are still young and healthy. If the unlikely event occurs that one of us needs a wheelchair or similar mobility aid, we would probably have to sell the house or undergo more or less extensive remodeling.
Square Toilets
I find them terrible. We don’t have them. But we opted for rimless toilets. Another kind of “trend.”
Ventilation System
We are having one, even though we are only building according to the energy saving regulations (building permit / planning permission). For us, it’s a luxury we wanted to treat ourselves to. I am very much looking forward to the ventilation system. I’m a fresh air fanatic (meaning I constantly need fresh oxygen and hate stale air like the plague) and at the same time, I’m very sensitive to cold. This drives me crazy for about half the year because I either freeze but have fresh air (windows open) or it’s warm inside but the air feels “stale” to me (windows closed). From the ventilation system, I hope to have good air inside almost all the time without getting cold. For example, the air in the bedroom should be good in the morning even with the window closed. And so on. This is the luxury I wanted to indulge in. We gave up other things for it, like a fireplace; I’m absolutely not a fan anyway, but I have already mentioned this earlier in the thread.
Lobster schrieb:
What do you think about sliding doors? Either the more complex solution recessed between two walls with a lightweight partition, or the simpler version running along the wall. The trendier option is the one mounted directly in front of the wall, especially in open-plan, loft-style living spaces. I find the recessed version a bit old-fashioned.
Lanini schrieb:
For me, a corner window only adds value if it suits the room. I’ve seen a few cases where a corner window was planned just because it looks nice, but ended up completely out of place in the room. I wanted to avoid that in our home. “True” corner windows (with a mullion within the window unit itself but no support on the corner masonry) require an L-shaped lintel. For cost reasons, I recommend building a corner pillar and cladding it to match the frame color. I think they should be used as accents only, so that you don’t see several of them at once from one viewpoint. Rounded corner windows (a half circle on each side) would be clever, but you rarely see those.
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11ant schrieb:
A recessed design is the option directly in front of the wall, especially in a loft-style open living area. I find the covered version a bit conventional.We just had an interesting discussion on this topic as well. What do you do if a covered sliding door breaks?
We looked at what was installed before the second wall was added. Imagining what would happen if such a door were slammed shut, we already considered how we would have to tear down the drywall partition...
Even though I prefer the version integrated into the wall, the risk feels a bit too high for me.
What I currently see as a total trend is planning the staircase to the living room or open-plan area. The space that is usually reserved for the hallway is completely included in the open-plan area.
I honestly think it’s really great when the staircase is cleverly positioned. The living area instantly feels larger, and especially in smaller houses, it still gives a sense of spaciousness. Just one example among many for better understanding: SH 135 S – but it is now available from many suppliers.
I honestly think it’s really great when the staircase is cleverly positioned. The living area instantly feels larger, and especially in smaller houses, it still gives a sense of spaciousness. Just one example among many for better understanding: SH 135 S – but it is now available from many suppliers.
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