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
C
chand198618 Jul 2017 11:49ypg schrieb:
Furthermore, I would like to neutrally open the discussion about other “hypes” I remember from show homes. These would be
- the walk-in closet
- separate master/children’s bathroomRegarding the walk-in closet: We don’t have one but realize it would have advantages. Here, the argument should be purely needs-based, highlighting real benefits rather than simply following a trend. Of course, one could argue that laying out clothes for the next day in the bathroom can replace a walk-in closet even if family members wake up at different times. That’s true. Still, the other way is more convenient. Once you consistently keep appropriate clothing ready in a dedicated room, you’ve effectively created a walk-in closet—so it makes logical sense to plan for one from the start.
As for the master/children’s bathroom: Does this simply mean having two bathrooms, or does it necessarily imply that children must be involved?
kaho674 schrieb:
I’d like to chime in here. The hype around dressing rooms is completely baffling to me. People cut up and divide spaces "at all costs" just to create a dressing room. This often results in tiny, awkward rooms with awkward partitions and wall recesses that you often bump into. When the space and layout allow, of course it’s a luxury and quite pleasant. Some floor plans naturally invite the inclusion of a dressing room. But definitely not in 120m² (1,292 sq ft) houses with two children.Replace your word dressing room with the word kitchen
The chaos you want to isolate during food preparation, others experience with clothing. On weekends, piles of worn clothes accumulate on dressers and chairs, waiting to be washed—sometimes only reluctantly, because they’re wrinkled. Having a dressing room helps keep this mess out of the bedroom.
In our household, we simply get up at different times. My husband quickly leaves the bedroom and can turn on the light in the dressing room—I can snooze a little longer in the dark. This way, the different daily rhythms of partners are respected.
Children’s bathroom: I think it’s a good choice for two children in their teenage years. However, I consider it a minor luxury—later, this bathroom and the children’s bedrooms often remain unused. Unused rooms feel lonely, in my opinion.
Walk-in Closet and Second Bathroom (or Children’s Bathroom):
Both are nice to have if there is enough space. A second bathroom may not be particularly necessary when the kids are still very young (and you need to make sure they brush their teeth properly anyway), but when those cute little toddlers turn into full-grown teenagers, a second bathroom definitely becomes quite appealing *g*
However, not at all costs—if the floor plan or available space simply doesn’t allow it, it’s better to opt for a large wardrobe or a comfortable bathroom rather than two small bathrooms.
Both are nice to have if there is enough space. A second bathroom may not be particularly necessary when the kids are still very young (and you need to make sure they brush their teeth properly anyway), but when those cute little toddlers turn into full-grown teenagers, a second bathroom definitely becomes quite appealing *g*
However, not at all costs—if the floor plan or available space simply doesn’t allow it, it’s better to opt for a large wardrobe or a comfortable bathroom rather than two small bathrooms.
chand1986 schrieb:
By master/kids bathroom: Does this simply mean two bathrooms, or do you necessarily have to have children for that?Personally, I mean two bathrooms on one floor: one for the child and one for the parents. This can be seen in some model homes.
Otherwise, interpret it however you prefer.
C
chand198618 Jul 2017 12:03blablub1234 schrieb:
For us (my wife and I), it wouldn't be an option anyway, since getting dressed in the morning only takes a few seconds and doesn’t require an extra room. And if you want to get ready nicely for a big event, that can be done without a separate room as well.If you both need to leave around the same time for work, the need is also minimal.
In our case, there is a 90-minute difference between our wake-up times. I (the first to get up) prepare my clothes for the next day in the bathroom the night before. Otherwise, I would have to turn on the light in the morning to find clothes in the wardrobe. Wardrobe door open, wardrobe door closed. Underwear: drawer open, drawer closed. So there's noise and light while someone half a meter away is trying to sleep. Whether I can get dressed within a few seconds after that doesn’t matter.
Sometimes, however, I’m the second person going to bed at night. If I forget to prepare the next morning’s clothes in advance, I’ve messed up – in one way or another (and yes: it’s entirely my own fault. Circumstances don’t count).
Since I organize myself best by getting dressed in a separate room on weekdays where I also need to have clothes ready, a proper dressing room would just be the logical next step.
C
chand198618 Jul 2017 12:15ypg schrieb:
Personally, I mean two bathrooms on the same floor: one for the child and one for the parents. Seen like this in some show homes.It depends on the number of children. I think it’s unnecessary if there are fewer than three.
Some acquaintances have two bathrooms (a small shower room next to the bedroom and a large "wellness oasis" one floor below near the terrace), which I think is great. But at the end of the day, it’s a luxury that you have to be able and willing to afford. Personally, I could do without a bathtub entirely but definitely want a walk-in shower.
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