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
Tastes and trends vary, of course [emoji6]
For example, we like the open concept for living, dining, and kitchen areas. My husband shouldn’t always be alone in the kitchen [emoji23]. We share interests and friends. There would be very few moments when either of us would want to retreat. For that, a TV will be placed in the guest room or bedroom. And the girls have bedrooms of 20 m² (215 sq ft), which are large enough for them to have their own space.
Floor-to-ceiling windows are great on the south side if the garden is there. However, we would need to replace a terrace door in the living room. Still, I wouldn’t like the idea of turning a terrace door into a regular window from the outside. Upstairs for the girls, floor-to-ceiling windows were not something we wanted.
We didn’t want a balcony, but if we did, we wouldn’t want it to be shared with a child’s room. Since our children’s rooms are on the south side, this wouldn’t have been an issue.
For example, we like the open concept for living, dining, and kitchen areas. My husband shouldn’t always be alone in the kitchen [emoji23]. We share interests and friends. There would be very few moments when either of us would want to retreat. For that, a TV will be placed in the guest room or bedroom. And the girls have bedrooms of 20 m² (215 sq ft), which are large enough for them to have their own space.
Floor-to-ceiling windows are great on the south side if the garden is there. However, we would need to replace a terrace door in the living room. Still, I wouldn’t like the idea of turning a terrace door into a regular window from the outside. Upstairs for the girls, floor-to-ceiling windows were not something we wanted.
We didn’t want a balcony, but if we did, we wouldn’t want it to be shared with a child’s room. Since our children’s rooms are on the south side, this wouldn’t have been an issue.
We have floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere. I have never lived in a place so bright and spacious – I wouldn’t want to miss it. None of the windows are blocked.
An open-plan kitchen with a large breakfast bar. This is the heart of the home and creates a completely new living experience. Finally, when preparing the next dish, you’re not interrupted from conversations, etc. And if cooking smells are a problem, a cooking class helps more than a door…
Our huge roof terrace is definitely a luxury and not a must-have. But especially in the evenings, we regularly use it for a cocktail or a beer.
An open-plan kitchen with a large breakfast bar. This is the heart of the home and creates a completely new living experience. Finally, when preparing the next dish, you’re not interrupted from conversations, etc. And if cooking smells are a problem, a cooking class helps more than a door…
Our huge roof terrace is definitely a luxury and not a must-have. But especially in the evenings, we regularly use it for a cocktail or a beer.
Curly schrieb:
When I cook, it doesn’t smell at all! How do you manage that, and could you please teach my husband? He always cooks with a lot of fresh garlic, horseradish, and onions. I’m so grateful for our door to the kitchen.
It has to suit you.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows. We have them on the ground floor. Somehow, light has to enter the house. Due to the sloping site, we only have three sides where windows are possible.
We enjoy being outside a lot; if that’s not possible, at least we want an unobstructed view outside.
On the upper floor, we only have a terrace door leading from the hallway to the terrace; all other windows have a standard sill height.
We didn’t include a balcony on the upper floor. Because of the slope, a direct garden access with a small terrace is ideal, which is nicely shaded around midday.
The open ground floor includes kitchen, dining, and living areas all in one large space. We like it. You can always keep an eye on the children, whether you’re cooking, working at the large table, or reading a book on the sofa (hopefully that will be possible again someday).
Almost all our friends are shared, and the best parties always end up in the kitchen anyway. My best friend often comes during the week when my husband is not at home. My husband and his best friend are usually found under a car or at the grill.
What is really important to us is that the floor plan offers flexibility. We have friends and relatives who rely on different mobility aids. So sometimes the sofa can just be moved, and suddenly there is enough space at the dining table for a wheelchair to pass the parked rollator.
Cooking smells. Food smells good, except when something goes wrong. As soon as the kitchen door is opened, the smells spread to other rooms. If the ventilation system can’t handle this, there is always the option to open windows after eating.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows. We have them on the ground floor. Somehow, light has to enter the house. Due to the sloping site, we only have three sides where windows are possible.
We enjoy being outside a lot; if that’s not possible, at least we want an unobstructed view outside.
On the upper floor, we only have a terrace door leading from the hallway to the terrace; all other windows have a standard sill height.
We didn’t include a balcony on the upper floor. Because of the slope, a direct garden access with a small terrace is ideal, which is nicely shaded around midday.
The open ground floor includes kitchen, dining, and living areas all in one large space. We like it. You can always keep an eye on the children, whether you’re cooking, working at the large table, or reading a book on the sofa (hopefully that will be possible again someday).
Almost all our friends are shared, and the best parties always end up in the kitchen anyway. My best friend often comes during the week when my husband is not at home. My husband and his best friend are usually found under a car or at the grill.
What is really important to us is that the floor plan offers flexibility. We have friends and relatives who rely on different mobility aids. So sometimes the sofa can just be moved, and suddenly there is enough space at the dining table for a wheelchair to pass the parked rollator.
Cooking smells. Food smells good, except when something goes wrong. As soon as the kitchen door is opened, the smells spread to other rooms. If the ventilation system can’t handle this, there is always the option to open windows after eating.
kaho674 schrieb:
I am so happy with our door to the kitchen.How do you manage cooking smells in the kitchen when you want to eat at the dining table in the living room? Or do you always eat in the kitchen? Here, no one minds if there is a cooking smell, which is hardly noticeable anyway since we are vegetarians .
Best regards,
Sabine
In everyday life, we usually eat in the kitchen. It is large enough to seat four people comfortably, including for breakfast. Only when we have guests do we move to the living room to eat—especially at Christmas. Then we simply carry the food in there. With visitors, we always sit in the living room. I don’t see the advantage of an open kitchen, and my wife certainly doesn’t either. Our children had this setup in their house but have now closed it off with a wall and a sliding door, because the sight of kitchen furniture just isn’t appealing.
Floor-to-ceiling windows feel to me like something you’d find in an office of a public health insurance provider, designed to signal transparency. But in a private home, we are not transparent—we are private.
Karsten
Floor-to-ceiling windows feel to me like something you’d find in an office of a public health insurance provider, designed to signal transparency. But in a private home, we are not transparent—we are private.
Karsten
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