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
Nordlys schrieb:
My opinion: an open blouse is fine, open-plan living is terrible. Karsten No, it’s wonderful. Think it over again! You actually want it too. Ok – now it’s too late. But isn’t it great to have such a huge room where everyone gathers and you really are together.
Malz1902 schrieb:
That's exactly why the front door is equipped with a camera and motion sensor; as soon as someone approaches, you can see it on the TV Ha, the younger generation has probably quickly programmed a loop for you to trick you. But the staircase is not so easy to bypass—at most, climbing through a window.C
chand198613 Oct 2017 10:05Nordlys schrieb:
Soon even the bathroom will be integrated into the living room, the latest trend will be a bathtub in the living room. I bet they’ll actually do that!Karsten, you’re really not up-to-date.
This is already happening, and I’ve seen it live in a loft in Düsseldorf. With a floor-to-ceiling glass partition, otherwise open to the single space with its four-meter (13-foot) ceiling height. It sells well. It’s aimed at wealthy single hipsters.
For me, it’s way too open—although I do support the modern concept of open-plan living, dining, and kitchen areas.
I like the open-plan living concept, and it suits us well.
It is a multi-purpose room with open communication among the residents.
In our case, anyone who wants to go upstairs has to pass through the multi-purpose room. Whether it will bother us eventually—I don't think so. If it does, the teenager will have to go in and out through the garden upstairs in the evening. (The slope has to have at least one advantage.)
Of course, there must be enough private retreat spaces. This is standard nowadays. Each child usually has a bedroom well beyond the shoebox size; parents have nice bedrooms, an office, guest rooms, high-quality bathrooms, hobby rooms, and so on.
There are some floor plans where the bathtub is located in the sleeping area.
I don’t think that is more cost-effective. Freestanding bathtubs are quite expensive.
In my opinion, many design proposals are just attempts to offer customers something that deviates from the standard.
Bathtub for two people—yawn.
Rain shower—everyone has that.
Concealed fittings—my mother-in-law has been complaining for 20 years because the nozzles are difficult to descale.
By the way, a house salesperson/advisor also recommended wardrobes in the corridor to us. Short distances both for putting away laundry and on the way to the bathroom. It makes it easier for the person doing the laundry, who can put it away immediately without leaving the basket until the kids go to school. The truth is, it was the easiest way for him to reach the number of square meters we wanted with his show home. Wider corridor = bigger house.
It is a multi-purpose room with open communication among the residents.
In our case, anyone who wants to go upstairs has to pass through the multi-purpose room. Whether it will bother us eventually—I don't think so. If it does, the teenager will have to go in and out through the garden upstairs in the evening. (The slope has to have at least one advantage.)
Of course, there must be enough private retreat spaces. This is standard nowadays. Each child usually has a bedroom well beyond the shoebox size; parents have nice bedrooms, an office, guest rooms, high-quality bathrooms, hobby rooms, and so on.
There are some floor plans where the bathtub is located in the sleeping area.
I don’t think that is more cost-effective. Freestanding bathtubs are quite expensive.
In my opinion, many design proposals are just attempts to offer customers something that deviates from the standard.
Bathtub for two people—yawn.
Rain shower—everyone has that.
Concealed fittings—my mother-in-law has been complaining for 20 years because the nozzles are difficult to descale.
By the way, a house salesperson/advisor also recommended wardrobes in the corridor to us. Short distances both for putting away laundry and on the way to the bathroom. It makes it easier for the person doing the laundry, who can put it away immediately without leaving the basket until the kids go to school. The truth is, it was the easiest way for him to reach the number of square meters we wanted with his show home. Wider corridor = bigger house.
kaho674 schrieb:
What I currently see as a total trend is planning the staircase into the living room or open-plan area. The space that would usually be used for the hallway is fully added to the open-plan area.
Honestly, I think it’s great when the staircase is positioned cleverly. It immediately makes the living space feel larger, and especially in smaller houses, it still gives a sense of spaciousness. Just one example among many for better understanding: SH 135 S – but now available from many suppliers.Haha, that’s not a trend but desperation, since, for example, we don’t want or can’t have more than 139m² (1495 sq ft) and want a 55m² (590 sq ft) kitchen/living/dining area.
Zaba12 schrieb:
Haha, that's not hype but desperation, since, for example, we don't want/can't have more than 139m² (1,496 sq ft) & want a 55m² (592 sq ft) kitchen/living/dining room Not at all. Small houses are cozy. If they still feel spacious, that's great!
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