ᐅ If Building Again – What Would You Do Differently?

blubbernase schrieb:

I wouldn’t have thought that roller shutters are such a controversial topic.

But they always are.

mayglow schrieb:

Are they there because of heating control, and if so, would you prefer ones with a display, or what’s the reason?

As far as I know, Kati just has the usual rotary knobs. But she would like ones with a display.

In a house built to at least the Energy Saving Ordinance (Building Energy Act) standard with underfloor heating, both are actually not necessary—provided the planning and installation are done properly.

Possibly Kati just wants them for informational purposes. I also check ours from time to time, or observe the temperature patterns. That way you can see very well what the heating system is doing and if there might be any issues somewhere.

kbt09 schrieb:

@kati1337 ... between the large open-plan area (kitchen to TV) and the closed kitchen, there is also the option of having the kitchen and dining area as one large room (ideally facing the garden) and the sofa/TV as a separate closed room. That way, the TV isn’t disturbed when the dishwasher is running after meals.

This is exactly how we will do it in our new house, because even though the kitchen, dining, and living areas in our old house were arranged in an L-shape, the noise was often a problem. When one person was busy in the kitchen and the other was sitting on the sofa reading or watching TV, or when guests were visiting and the parents were talking at the table while the kids wanted to watch a movie.

Otherwise, these are the points on our list:
Central ventilation – this was dismissed as unnecessary in our first house, so we later retrofitted decentralized ventilation.

Motorized blinds (raffstores) instead of roller shutters, so you can shade in summer without sitting in the dark—especially important for south-facing children’s rooms.

KNX system – in our old house, only the motorized roller shutters were controlled centrally, but this time we want to expand on that. (I would never want to go without electric controls again—it’s comfortable, practical, and we had no issues over 15 years.)

A “kids’ bathroom” because it’s really challenging with teenagers (and their visitors). We are leaving out the shower in the guest toilet this time, which was never used as an alternative or backup for the family bathroom as originally planned. Also, having the guest toilet with a shower never proved practical enough during the planning phase to serve as an accessible bathroom in older age and enable single-floor living.

Direct access from the garage into the house.

A large, closed wardrobe where everything disappears. It bothered me a lot in the old house to always see jackets around.

Better garden planning and zoning.

A cellar again because we need and want the space.

Nothing else comes to mind right now. But everything is very personal and depends on one’s life situation. I had imagined some things as practical beforehand, but daily life (especially with kids) has taught me otherwise. From my experience, planning a family home with small or no children is very different from doing it while living with children.
We will probably need to build a third time once we’re on our own again.

What I missed in my first house and would definitely include this time? Or what I would want to have again.

- Always keep a drivable access to the property/garden clear.
- Back then, I had a basement. Today, I would build without one. It just ends up storing useless stuff.
- Electric shutters or venetian blinds.
- Separate living room area from kitchen and dining space.
- Controlled mechanical ventilation system
- Bedrooms, if possible, not under the roof and preferably facing east or north.
- More power outlets and network ports.
- Existing developments always preferred over new housing estates.
- Location and quietness. At the time, I built above the sports field/football club. Never again!
- Distance from neighboring houses
- Zoning of the property

The best burglary protection, by the way, is a dog. 🙂

Mycraft schrieb:


Maybe kati just wants this for informational purposes. I also check on our system from time to time or look at the temperature trends. That way, you can clearly see what the heating is doing and if there might be any issues somewhere.

Exactly, that was the idea. More for information.
We have the rotary controls, which I just don’t find very appealing (not a big deal), and we hardly ever adjust them.
In the new house, though, we would need to handle the office differently. Here, it’s just a room like any other in terms of heating demand.
But we almost always turn the thermostat off completely in the office because the two PCs heat the room. I don’t know how to explain to a construction company how we use our computers.

kati1337 schrieb:

But we almost always turn the thermostat off completely in the office because the two PCs heat the room. I don’t know how to explain to a construction company how we use our computers.

You don’t have to. The underfloor heating loops don’t make much difference anyway. By the way, you can replace the adjustment knobs with other thermostats at any time. It’s not a big effort. Basically, you could install a NEST thermostat in every room if you want.

kbt09 schrieb:

Cooking and dining as one large room (ideally facing the garden) and sofa/TV as a separate enclosed space.

Oh, that’s my definition of the living room and kitchen too 😀
We didn’t build a narrow galley kitchen in the style of a 1960s multi-family building. I hope @kati1337 didn't either 😉