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
Well, things are different for me now. Maybe it’s because of my age. It bothers me when used plates in the kitchen start to give off odors. Not that I put them away immediately all the time, but it still annoys me. And when I’m really upset, I basically feel like I have to clean the whole kitchen right away.
It’s also unpleasant when, for example, I put a lot of effort into decorating the Christmas table—everything looks very festive—and then next to it there’s a pile of smelly dirty dishes and pots that ruins the mood. That’s why we decided against an open kitchen back then. But then again—how often is it Christmas?
It’s also unpleasant when, for example, I put a lot of effort into decorating the Christmas table—everything looks very festive—and then next to it there’s a pile of smelly dirty dishes and pots that ruins the mood. That’s why we decided against an open kitchen back then. But then again—how often is it Christmas?
I never said that dishes should sit around for days and start to smell... and always clearing everything away immediately—honestly, when you’re having a party (which definitely happens even at an older age), there’s probably nothing worse than a host who keeps running around trying to tidy up all the time. To me, THAT’s a real mood killer! If the food is good, the party great, and the guests happy, no one cares what the kitchen looks like. In fact, it’s even a positive sign and shows that the event was a success!
I keep grinning because the food smells so tempting beforehand, but then the plates end up smelling bad.
Still, I always make sure to air out the room well after eating.
Basically: I have a dishwasher. Great appliance, I can only recommend it! And before I pile the plates on the counter, they go straight into that cool machine and disappear. Why should I have to handle them twice?
Besides that, I’m also the type who puts away things no longer needed while cooking. Used items go into that cool machine, other utensils back to their places, and so on. By the time I’m done cooking, my kitchen is tidy. I really don’t understand why some people leave everything lying around while cooking, and after 15 minutes there’s a chaotic mess that’s impossible to organize and no room left. Horrible!
I enjoy cooking, and at the best parties I've experienced, the kitchen eventually became the central spot (of course, it’s always close to the action *grin*). I also prefer not being isolated while cooking, with my guests sitting in the living room and me stuck with the dilemma: attend to guests or finish the meal.
We now have a small open-plan kitchen in our living space, and I really enjoy it. I can calmly finish cooking, hand my guests a glass of wine, and they can sit at the table, on the couch, or stand in the kitchen with me (where I only shoo them away if they’re in my way), and we can chat comfortably.
When we get a much larger kitchen with an island in our new home, “being in the way” probably won’t be a problem anymore.
NEVER GOING BACK!!!
By the way, our building permit / planning permission finally got approved! Yipppeee! After about 1.5 years (1.5 years) *sigh*
Still, I always make sure to air out the room well after eating.
Basically: I have a dishwasher. Great appliance, I can only recommend it! And before I pile the plates on the counter, they go straight into that cool machine and disappear. Why should I have to handle them twice?
Besides that, I’m also the type who puts away things no longer needed while cooking. Used items go into that cool machine, other utensils back to their places, and so on. By the time I’m done cooking, my kitchen is tidy. I really don’t understand why some people leave everything lying around while cooking, and after 15 minutes there’s a chaotic mess that’s impossible to organize and no room left. Horrible!
I enjoy cooking, and at the best parties I've experienced, the kitchen eventually became the central spot (of course, it’s always close to the action *grin*). I also prefer not being isolated while cooking, with my guests sitting in the living room and me stuck with the dilemma: attend to guests or finish the meal.
We now have a small open-plan kitchen in our living space, and I really enjoy it. I can calmly finish cooking, hand my guests a glass of wine, and they can sit at the table, on the couch, or stand in the kitchen with me (where I only shoo them away if they’re in my way), and we can chat comfortably.
When we get a much larger kitchen with an island in our new home, “being in the way” probably won’t be a problem anymore.
NEVER GOING BACK!!!
By the way, our building permit / planning permission finally got approved! Yipppeee! After about 1.5 years (1.5 years) *sigh*
Caidori schrieb:
I simply don’t want dirt tracked through half the house, and here there’s really no other way to avoid it.
The men and our boys are not keen on having to change completely every time they come in from the yard. So, they only take off boots/shoes, shake out their clothes, wash their hands in the utility room, and then come inside. When the workday ends, that’s also where the laundry basket is, for example.
We don’t only go into the living room on holidays, just so that’s clear.
Usually, only people from rural areas understand this issue, because in cities or new housing developments, you don’t get this kind of dirt or permanent situation.Clothes with manure and so on have to be taken off in the utility room; shoes with mud, manure, and the like are removed in the garage—that’s the plan. I’m probably the one dragging dirt through the house again.
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