Hello everyone!
I’ve often heard the saying, “Your first house is built for an enemy” — I wouldn’t put it quite that harshly, but after a year in a new build, I understand what they meant. 😀 Since we might move again, I’d like to collect some ideas here and benefit from your experiences: What would you do differently if you were to build again?
Here’s what I’ve noted so far:
What about you?
I’ve often heard the saying, “Your first house is built for an enemy” — I wouldn’t put it quite that harshly, but after a year in a new build, I understand what they meant. 😀 Since we might move again, I’d like to collect some ideas here and benefit from your experiences: What would you do differently if you were to build again?
Here’s what I’ve noted so far:
- electric roller shutters
- thermostats with displays
- larger storage room
- less awkwardly shaped rooms
- dedicated cloakroom area
- wooden window sills (?)
- more outdoor power outlets
- power outlets in window frames
What about you?
KingJulien30 Dec 2021 08:12Marvinius2016 schrieb:
3) If the TV is still too loud, a sound system can helpFight fire with fire? That can’t be the basis for planning. If something is too loud, turning up something else even louder is not the solution.KingJulien30 Dec 2021 08:24@kati1337
This has been popular for almost 20 years now, hasn’t it?
We went with separate rooms because in everyday life, the drawbacks of an open-plan kitchen outweigh the benefits for us. And we don’t even have an island; we’ve really resisted every trend in the kitchen here 😉
It might be nice when guests are over, but they can just as well sit in a closed kitchen.
Especially with children, I often appreciate every door that can still be closed, for example when the baby is sleeping in the living room.
And Santa wouldn’t have been able to decorate the Christmas tree unnoticed in an open-plan kitchen, either 😉
But I agree with @Mycraft and @driver55, it’s a personal choice. What’s a must-have for one person is a no-go for another.
This has been popular for almost 20 years now, hasn’t it?
We went with separate rooms because in everyday life, the drawbacks of an open-plan kitchen outweigh the benefits for us. And we don’t even have an island; we’ve really resisted every trend in the kitchen here 😉
It might be nice when guests are over, but they can just as well sit in a closed kitchen.
Especially with children, I often appreciate every door that can still be closed, for example when the baby is sleeping in the living room.
And Santa wouldn’t have been able to decorate the Christmas tree unnoticed in an open-plan kitchen, either 😉
But I agree with @Mycraft and @driver55, it’s a personal choice. What’s a must-have for one person is a no-go for another.
That's true. Everyone has to decide for themselves. With a baby, I really hated having a closed kitchen. Never again closed.
The Christ child comes during the church service.
@kati1337
You should get to know the area you're moving to very well in order to be able to identify noise sources. Maybe a building gap with a quiet, older neighborhood and mature gardens would be the right choice.
The Christ child comes during the church service.
@kati1337
You should get to know the area you're moving to very well in order to be able to identify noise sources. Maybe a building gap with a quiet, older neighborhood and mature gardens would be the right choice.
As you probably know, we are currently in the middle of the process, and until recently, I was one of those who thought you only build once in your life. By now, I think that if I found the ultimate dream plot, I would definitely go for it and build again (I always think of @11ant’s comment on this..).
What I imagine I would do differently:
1. Be more patient, take time to think things through, and sleep on decisions instead of making them on the spot.
2. Have my floor plan designed by a "real" architect (not just a draftsman for a general contractor) and spend more time looking for the right one!
3. Share my ideas but avoid giving strict “orders.” In the end, everything was drawn exactly as I said, and there were hardly any objections or feedback on whether something works well or not.
4. I would definitely use a full-scale floor plan service and, as recommended by (either @haydee or @hampshire), place or draw the furniture to scale directly on the floor plan. We have already made two changes to the floor plan during the shell construction because our planning errors didn’t show on the original plans, which, of course, adds more costs.
Regarding the walk-in closet: we’re having one as well (with a window), partly for the reasons mentioned here before and partly because a wardrobe feels so bulky to me. It takes up too much space in the bedroom—too tall and wide. I prefer an open, airy feeling. That’s why we created the walk-in closet area, to get the huge wardrobe out of the room.
What I imagine I would do differently:
1. Be more patient, take time to think things through, and sleep on decisions instead of making them on the spot.
2. Have my floor plan designed by a "real" architect (not just a draftsman for a general contractor) and spend more time looking for the right one!
3. Share my ideas but avoid giving strict “orders.” In the end, everything was drawn exactly as I said, and there were hardly any objections or feedback on whether something works well or not.
4. I would definitely use a full-scale floor plan service and, as recommended by (either @haydee or @hampshire), place or draw the furniture to scale directly on the floor plan. We have already made two changes to the floor plan during the shell construction because our planning errors didn’t show on the original plans, which, of course, adds more costs.
Regarding the walk-in closet: we’re having one as well (with a window), partly for the reasons mentioned here before and partly because a wardrobe feels so bulky to me. It takes up too much space in the bedroom—too tall and wide. I prefer an open, airy feeling. That’s why we created the walk-in closet area, to get the huge wardrobe out of the room.
motorradsilke schrieb:
In our household, the dishwasher runs at night. When we go to bed, my husband starts it, so it doesn’t bother anyone, and in the morning the dishes are clean and the machine is free again, meaning nothing has to be left out during the day.We will handle this differently because of the photovoltaic system. When the most energy is produced, the largest appliances will be turned on, such as the washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher.
M
motorradsilke30 Dec 2021 10:01Tom1978 schrieb:
We will handle that differently, for example with photovoltaics. When the most energy is produced, most of the appliances will be switched on — like the washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher.We don’t have photovoltaics. If we had them, I would consider that. But the topic is still in the decision-making phase.How do you actually implement that? Do you really plan to turn on appliances during bright sunshine? You would also need to be at home for that.
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