ᐅ If Building Again – What Would You Do Differently?

kati1337 schrieb:


It’s really annoying when you want to watch TV in the evening and someone has set the dishwasher to "Eco" instead of Silent mode.
Or when one person is cooking, the other really can’t watch TV properly. Ande
What really bothers me a lot is the lack of a counter or something similar – I love the large island, but there’s always dishes left out somewhere, especially when the dishwasher is running.

Two comments on this:
1) There are really quiet dishwashers (even in the ECO program), although they cost significantly more, but they are essential for an open-plan kitchen. You can still retrofit one.
2) Range hoods also come in higher-end (more expensive) but usually quieter versions. Retrofitting might be difficult.
3) If the TV is still too loud, a sound system can help.

And what should probably not be missing for you @kati1337 is very good sound insulation. So, 42.5 cm (17 inches) filled concrete blocks. Also, windows with good soundproofing.

I actually like our house as it is.
What we would like to add are:
- An electrical outlet in the entrance area for decorative lights
- A space-saving staircase to the attic

Tom1978 schrieb:

We are currently building, but one thing I would add for you:

• electric roller shutters with a central switch, so you don’t have to operate each one individually.

We had considered that as well but decided against it, and we’re glad we saved the money. In everyday life, it turned out that we never lower all the shutters together. In the open-plan area, they only come down when we go to bed—I want to still see our outdoor lighting and don’t want to sit in front of closed shutters or look at them. In all other rooms, they are lowered after dark. It’s the same in the morning: if my husband sleeps in on weekends, I can already raise the shutters in the open-plan area and get daylight (not right now at this time of year, but in a few weeks it will be like that again).

kati1337 schrieb:

Do you currently have an enclosed kitchen?
Open-plan kitchens are really popular at the moment. We have one now, and after a year I can’t say for sure how I’d do it in the next house.
It’s nice when you have guests, since someone is usually busy in the kitchen. You can see each other and everyone can chat.
But it’s annoying when you want to watch TV in the evening and someone has set the dishwasher to “Eco” mode instead of silent mode.
Or while one person is cooking, the other can’t really watch TV well. On the other hand, this hasn’t happened very often so far.
What really bothers me is the lack of a counter or similar— I love the large island, but there’s always dishes lying around somewhere, especially when the dishwasher is running.

That all makes sense, I agree. The obligatory “chair” can be found in many bedrooms. I’ll think about that, thanks.

We run the dishwasher at night. When we go to bed, my husband turns it on, so it doesn’t bother anyone, and by morning the dishes are clean and the machine is free again, meaning nothing has to sit out during the day.

Instead of a chair for used clothes, I installed a Boaxel wardrobe system from Ikea on the wall behind the bedroom door. It holds a lot—you can hang worn clothes on hangers or put the “day’s clothes” and work clothes in baskets or on shelves. You can customize it as needed.

Whether you want a walk-in closet depends on your habits; I don’t think there’s a universal answer. We don’t need one. My husband takes his clothes out because he gets up earlier than I do during the week. But he only works for about two more years, so it won’t matter much after that. We planned our bedroom so that about 5 meters (16 feet) of wardrobes fit nicely. That took up less space than a separate walk-in closet would have.

Mycraft schrieb:

The electric ones have the advantage that you practically don’t have to use them. They are supposed to move back and forth on their own, and that’s it.

Even if you apparently will never understand that there are people who don’t want that at all, I would still be interested to know how you would technically solve the problem that the roller shutters in the living area should always go down when we go to bed.