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
Fireplace / Wood Stove
A lot of work, little benefit.
If I want an open fire, I light one of the fire baskets. There’s usually still a spot for the kettle or for the Muurikka or Dutch oven.
T-shaped plumbing layouts in the bathroom
We don’t have any; we consider them impractical. Depending on your lifestyle, they might make sense.
Gallery
This has bothered me even in show homes. A small gallery that doesn’t really add anything—except to carry noise. Because of this, not even a proper wardrobe fits in the bedroom.
I only know one house where the gallery looked really good, and that was a large one over 200 m² (over 2,150 sq ft), more like 300 m² (over 3,230 sq ft), and well designed. The gallery blended into the house instead of feeling like “the owner wanted it, so somehow it had to be included.” A beautiful, luxurious villa.
A lot of work, little benefit.
If I want an open fire, I light one of the fire baskets. There’s usually still a spot for the kettle or for the Muurikka or Dutch oven.
T-shaped plumbing layouts in the bathroom
We don’t have any; we consider them impractical. Depending on your lifestyle, they might make sense.
Gallery
This has bothered me even in show homes. A small gallery that doesn’t really add anything—except to carry noise. Because of this, not even a proper wardrobe fits in the bedroom.
I only know one house where the gallery looked really good, and that was a large one over 200 m² (over 2,150 sq ft), more like 300 m² (over 3,230 sq ft), and well designed. The gallery blended into the house instead of feeling like “the owner wanted it, so somehow it had to be included.” A beautiful, luxurious villa.
A square floor plan doesn’t fit our plot, so the townhouse option is out.
I don’t necessarily dislike townhouses. Honestly, it’s just the term “townhouse” that bothers me—it sounds a bit tacky, like “Economy First” on an airplane.
We will have skylights, but only as a supplement. The living, dining, and kitchen areas have large windows facing south and west, while the skylight will bring in the morning sun from the east. However, the east side is also the street-facing side that needs privacy protection, so tall skylights are ideal. Anything else would just be covered permanently. The skylights will extend up to the ceiling (no blinds) and will be fixed glass.
I find skylights much more practical than narrow slit windows because rooms are usually wide, so a horizontal format makes more sense.
Anthracite Windows
We won’t have anthracite, but rather a shade of gray. Anthracite windows (and the color anthracite in general) are too common in current new builds. The worst are those that try to hide poor window symmetry with wide colored stripes—those “Batman masks” I find awful.
We haven’t decided which gray yet, but it will definitely be a lighter tone. I also want to see DB 703 in real life to get a better impression.
T-wall Solution
Yes, it’s trendy and works well with walk-in showers. But we have a walk-in shower in our current rental and we are not fans anymore. It causes water to splash everywhere and feels cold since it’s not a fully enclosed cabin that traps steam around you. The problem is often “solved” by using high-flow “Raindance” style showerheads that spray three times as much water as necessary. Not very smart. Our little one even gets panic underneath it—the amount of water can be overwhelming.
I don’t necessarily dislike townhouses. Honestly, it’s just the term “townhouse” that bothers me—it sounds a bit tacky, like “Economy First” on an airplane.
We will have skylights, but only as a supplement. The living, dining, and kitchen areas have large windows facing south and west, while the skylight will bring in the morning sun from the east. However, the east side is also the street-facing side that needs privacy protection, so tall skylights are ideal. Anything else would just be covered permanently. The skylights will extend up to the ceiling (no blinds) and will be fixed glass.
I find skylights much more practical than narrow slit windows because rooms are usually wide, so a horizontal format makes more sense.
Anthracite Windows
We won’t have anthracite, but rather a shade of gray. Anthracite windows (and the color anthracite in general) are too common in current new builds. The worst are those that try to hide poor window symmetry with wide colored stripes—those “Batman masks” I find awful.
We haven’t decided which gray yet, but it will definitely be a lighter tone. I also want to see DB 703 in real life to get a better impression.
T-wall Solution
Yes, it’s trendy and works well with walk-in showers. But we have a walk-in shower in our current rental and we are not fans anymore. It causes water to splash everywhere and feels cold since it’s not a fully enclosed cabin that traps steam around you. The problem is often “solved” by using high-flow “Raindance” style showerheads that spray three times as much water as necessary. Not very smart. Our little one even gets panic underneath it—the amount of water can be overwhelming.
Hypes can be quite regional. Here in the north, our "urban villa" with anthracite windows is rather unusual. It seems like there’s currently a trend towards extremely dark bricks, applied to the whole house. For us, that somehow feels a bit like a mausoleum.
Otherwise, we tick off quite a few of the popular trends:
- Open kitchen: Check, we have it now in the apartment and like it. The only issue is the odors and noise from the extractor hood. We are hopeful that a controlled mechanical ventilation system together with a Berbel unit will help manage that.
- T-cross bond brickwork: Check, my wife wanted it. You have to know which battles you want to fight.
- Floor-to-ceiling windows: Check, we have 7 in the living and dining area. We wanted more, but left out two spots to have space for mounting a TV on the wall. The room now has windows facing all four cardinal directions, with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, and even with the now darker interior plaster, it already feels quite bright.
- Balconies: Check, we needed the extension to keep the building single-story. We both found a simple flat roof unattractive—especially with a floor-to-ceiling bedroom window just behind and roofing felt in front of it. Whether we will actually use the balcony, no idea, but it definitely breaks up the otherwise rather straight-lined look of the house.
Otherwise, we tick off quite a few of the popular trends:
- Open kitchen: Check, we have it now in the apartment and like it. The only issue is the odors and noise from the extractor hood. We are hopeful that a controlled mechanical ventilation system together with a Berbel unit will help manage that.
- T-cross bond brickwork: Check, my wife wanted it. You have to know which battles you want to fight.
- Floor-to-ceiling windows: Check, we have 7 in the living and dining area. We wanted more, but left out two spots to have space for mounting a TV on the wall. The room now has windows facing all four cardinal directions, with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, and even with the now darker interior plaster, it already feels quite bright.
- Balconies: Check, we needed the extension to keep the building single-story. We both found a simple flat roof unattractive—especially with a floor-to-ceiling bedroom window just behind and roofing felt in front of it. Whether we will actually use the balcony, no idea, but it definitely breaks up the otherwise rather straight-lined look of the house.
It probably won’t surprise anyone, but we don’t have any of the trendy features. The kitchen is closed off, extra, windows are white, no floor-to-ceiling windows except for the patio door, and only one of those; there is a back door leading to the utility room. White windows. No balcony. No mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. No roller shutters, no black brick, no anthracite roof but ruby red instead, no air-to-water heat pump but gas heating, no walk-in closet. No combined toilet and bathroom, but a walk-in shower—after all, you don’t get any younger—no bathtub, no second bathroom, only a guest toilet; showers are for home. No window bands or slots. However, if that’s trendy, there are recessed ceiling lights and LED lighting in the roof overhang.
Un-trendy extras, on the other hand, include: a utility sink in the laundry room, ideal for water sanding and also for peeling potatoes. A truly walkable attic with over 2.20 meters (7 feet 3 inches) of headroom, fully covered with wood. Lit, daylighted, ventilated with Velux windows. A step-free entrance to the house, a flagpole in the garden, 10 meters (33 feet) high. White. Painted. K.
Un-trendy extras, on the other hand, include: a utility sink in the laundry room, ideal for water sanding and also for peeling potatoes. A truly walkable attic with over 2.20 meters (7 feet 3 inches) of headroom, fully covered with wood. Lit, daylighted, ventilated with Velux windows. A step-free entrance to the house, a flagpole in the garden, 10 meters (33 feet) high. White. Painted. K.
Anthracite Windows and Dark Bricks: We had this in the original plan but fortunately decided against it at the last moment. Most people like it at first, but after a while, it starts to look like a bunker. I think in a few years, people will look back at this combination and think... oh my god, what did they build back then (like those shabby yellow or brown bricks that were common before).
Open Kitchen: Trend or standard... we’ve had many rental apartments with different layouts, and we’re simply fans of open kitchens. It’s great, especially with kids and friends for cooking, chatting, or playing together.
Kitchen Directly Connected to the Terrace: Our house is designed around this. Fantastic in summer, short trip to the fridge, outdoor parties with direct kitchen access, grilling is a dream... I would definitely plan it this way again. Our life really revolves around the kitchen and dining area.
Balconies: Is this a trend? I hardly know anyone who actually builds one, and if they do, it usually doesn’t get used.
Extra Utility Room on the Upper Floor: One of the best decisions in our house build... no hauling laundry to the basement or main floor, everything is washed where it’s generated. It could have been a bit bigger, but the budget wasn’t unlimited, unfortunately.
Skylights: We have one in the upper floor hallway, and I think it’s great. In hindsight, we regret not planning a few more.
LED Spotlights: We deliberately decided against them. For us, they always create an office or hospital atmosphere (barely acceptable in the bathroom and hallway, but in the living room... just awful). I would have liked indirect ceiling lighting with LED strips, but it was too complicated and expensive to implement. My wife simply preferred regular ceiling lamps.
Floor-to-Ceiling Windows: Almost exclusively. In our opinion, they make rooms much more beautiful. Yes, you lose some space and privacy... but we don’t care, it just looks fantastic! And the kids really love it.
Open Kitchen: Trend or standard... we’ve had many rental apartments with different layouts, and we’re simply fans of open kitchens. It’s great, especially with kids and friends for cooking, chatting, or playing together.
Kitchen Directly Connected to the Terrace: Our house is designed around this. Fantastic in summer, short trip to the fridge, outdoor parties with direct kitchen access, grilling is a dream... I would definitely plan it this way again. Our life really revolves around the kitchen and dining area.
Balconies: Is this a trend? I hardly know anyone who actually builds one, and if they do, it usually doesn’t get used.
Extra Utility Room on the Upper Floor: One of the best decisions in our house build... no hauling laundry to the basement or main floor, everything is washed where it’s generated. It could have been a bit bigger, but the budget wasn’t unlimited, unfortunately.
Skylights: We have one in the upper floor hallway, and I think it’s great. In hindsight, we regret not planning a few more.
LED Spotlights: We deliberately decided against them. For us, they always create an office or hospital atmosphere (barely acceptable in the bathroom and hallway, but in the living room... just awful). I would have liked indirect ceiling lighting with LED strips, but it was too complicated and expensive to implement. My wife simply preferred regular ceiling lamps.
Floor-to-Ceiling Windows: Almost exclusively. In our opinion, they make rooms much more beautiful. Yes, you lose some space and privacy... but we don’t care, it just looks fantastic! And the kids really love it.
Maybe it’s worth considering the difference between a hype and a trend.
When you look closely, 90% of things are more like common practice than something extraordinary. And some are simply due to technical innovations. Dark window frames have existed for a long time, previously made of wood. Open-plan kitchens are not really new either—they have been around for 30 years or more. The master bathroom comes from the USA and has been standard there for generations. “Town villas” are nothing new; “coffee mill houses” have existed for over 100 years, although these usually had an attic converted into living space.
Honestly, I think it’s a bit pointless to talk about hype in housebuilding. There may be trends in one direction or another, often driven by legislation. But just as often, they come from other countries and blend with local styles.
When you look closely, 90% of things are more like common practice than something extraordinary. And some are simply due to technical innovations. Dark window frames have existed for a long time, previously made of wood. Open-plan kitchens are not really new either—they have been around for 30 years or more. The master bathroom comes from the USA and has been standard there for generations. “Town villas” are nothing new; “coffee mill houses” have existed for over 100 years, although these usually had an attic converted into living space.
Honestly, I think it’s a bit pointless to talk about hype in housebuilding. There may be trends in one direction or another, often driven by legislation. But just as often, they come from other countries and blend with local styles.
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