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
stefanc8420 Oct 2017 00:21ypg schrieb:
Associating the kitchen with dirt is quite a statement nowadays In our case, for various reasons, it actually looks quite messy (untidy and dirty) most of the time.stefanc84 schrieb:
In our case, for various reasons, it actually looks quite messy (untidy and dirty) most of the time That’s terrible!
I cook almost every day, I enjoy cooking, I enjoy eating... and during the last third of the preparation, I wipe down surfaces and wash dishes—that just comes naturally.
Quick-fried food only happens in restaurants. When guests arrive, a lot is prepared in advance and oven-cooked meals are served. Is there no mess, no dirt then?!? The rest goes into the sink, and it’s mostly at the edge...
S
stefanc8420 Oct 2017 00:42It’s not on me, I do it the same way as you But not everyone can work and keep things tidy at the same time. My beloved wife cooks wonderfully, but it only takes one move and it looks like a war zone... Oh God, I hope she never reads this.
Anyway, it’s not a big issue in the separate kitchen, it can look messy there and still be comfortable in the living room.
Anyway, it’s not a big issue in the separate kitchen, it can look messy there and still be comfortable in the living room.
Honestly?!? I don’t understand this whole open-plan kitchen discussion. For us, it will be a really large open-plan space with a living room angled at 90°, which is the main issue that currently annoys us in our living situation. When guests come over, one or two people always have to hide away in the kitchen and barely get to be part of the socializing. Sure, when cooking is happening, there will probably be used dishes left around... so what??? Who cares? What kind of fear or compulsion is it that I can’t sit at the dining table and see used dishes in the kitchen without having a breakdown? It’s my used dishes! And when we have guests, it doesn’t matter anyway, since we cooked together or for each other! What’s your problem with making a perfect impression in front of guests? I don’t have to please anyone, it’s my life! And if a guest eats at our place and then says, “Well, there were used dishes in the kitchen all evening... but the food was tasty,” that will be the last time they eat with us...
... it’s no different with an open-plan kitchen: the large pot is on the stove, everyone serves themselves, and food is eaten... you feel comfortable in the community. Anyone who wants to wash up is not alone, and those who want to sneak another bite from the pot can do so later as well.
And no one associates dirt or odors with being together.
And no one associates dirt or odors with being together.
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