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
S
stefanc8423 Jul 2017 12:24Nordlys schrieb:
The advantage is obvious. Accessible. Suitable for all ages.Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to criticize the walk-in shower, just questioning whether the arguments hold true or if it’s simply a trend. I believe if someone can’t lift their foot into a 3cm (1.2 inch) high shower tray anymore, they probably have much bigger issues. In that case, the main priority would be building a bungalow on flat land. Only then would the shower really matter. I’m actually surprised that a flush shower is cheaper—I would even be tempted to ask our builder again. I always assumed it was more expensive. But it’s true that a shower tray from a specialty store can be quite costly.
Waterproofing slurry must be applied under the tiles in the shower area anyway, so you can just brush it onto the floor as well. It’s about 10 minutes of extra work. Laying one square meter of tiles costs around 30 plus, let’s say, 25 for the tiles themselves, so the shower area comes to roughly 200 plus tax. The built masonry wall is also cheaper than a glass wall, he says. The drain channel is just a product costing a few euros.
The advantage is that it also allows showering with a wheelchair for those with mobility impairments. I’m almost 60 and need to consider this. Please make the access about 90cm (35 inches) wide. Karsten
The advantage is that it also allows showering with a wheelchair for those with mobility impairments. I’m almost 60 and need to consider this. Please make the access about 90cm (35 inches) wide. Karsten
W
winnetou7823 Jul 2017 12:47I pay an additional 860 euros for the open shower.
S
stefanc8423 Jul 2017 12:52Nordlys schrieb:
Waterproofing slurry is necessary under the tiles in the shower area anyway, so you might as well apply it on the floor. It only takes about 10 minutes more work. Laying one square meter (11 square feet) of tiles costs around 30 plus, let’s say 25 more for the tiles themselves, which totals roughly 200 plus tax for the shower area. The masonry wall is also cheaper than a glass wall, according to him. The drainage channel is a product that costs only a few euros.
Advantage: it’s possible to shower with a wheelchair for people with limited mobility. I’m nearly 60, so I have to take that into account. The access should be about 90 cm (35 inches) wide. KarstenIt’s more like 80€/sqm (7.40 USD/sqft), but we only have one square meter (11 square feet). I don’t think you can get a shower drain in a home improvement store for just a few euros. But overall, I agree with you—it shouldn’t be much more expensive with a flush-mounted shower. Instead of a chair, we have a fixed tiled bench. I’m curious about the price difference now. However, I would want a glass door in front of it, nothing open, otherwise our entire bathroom would need to be redesigned.
That depends on the type of material you want. Also, for a tiled, level-access shower, you need a sloped screed layer as far as I know, which is not necessary with a shower tray. The work for tiling is probably more intensive since quite a bit of cutting is required.
Both options are suitable for a floor-level shower, but whether with a tray or tiles ... hmm. I currently have tiles and don't notice any disadvantages from it. However, I think I would opt for the shower tray.
Both options are suitable for a floor-level shower, but whether with a tray or tiles ... hmm. I currently have tiles and don't notice any disadvantages from it. However, I think I would opt for the shower tray.
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