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
ruppsn schrieb:
...but even pleated blinds (which I really dislike) have the advantage over masonry that they let more light into the room. More light creates a more open, spacious feeling compared to the darker effect of solid masonry. Of course, opponents of pleated blinds may see it differently, but that is just the way it is—just try shining a flashlight behind a pleated blind and then behind a masonry wall. [emoji6][emoji4]On the sides of our house where there is no terrace, often only narrow floor-to-ceiling windows are installed. In my opinion, when these windows are half covered by pleated blinds, they let in less light than, for example, a double casement window.
That’s also my opinion. But if I plan for one meter (3 feet) window width and have enough space anyway, then I prefer floor-to-ceiling windows with those pleated blinds (which I don’t like either).
In bedrooms, from my own experience, knee-high windowsills are actually more practical. In that case, wide windows are also preferable so that the width of the room, rather than the ceiling, is illuminated.
By the way, we have floor-to-ceiling windows on almost the entire ground floor. I really like it, as it allows you to see the garden floor as an extension of the room. And any onlookers are more likely to be looking at a hedge than directly into the house.
In bedrooms, from my own experience, knee-high windowsills are actually more practical. In that case, wide windows are also preferable so that the width of the room, rather than the ceiling, is illuminated.
By the way, we have floor-to-ceiling windows on almost the entire ground floor. I really like it, as it allows you to see the garden floor as an extension of the room. And any onlookers are more likely to be looking at a hedge than directly into the house.
kaho674 schrieb:
What I haven’t quite understood yet and see more and more often lately: What is a backup kitchen? Another word for a large pantry? What’s the difference?A second sink and prep or storage area. Possibly countertop space for a toaster, microwave, and bread maker.
It looks good when the kitchen countertop is extended into that area. But basically, it’s just the pantry [emoji16]
Backup kitchen: in my opinion, a clever way for kitchen retailers to sell more. It looks stylish but is expensive. The traditional pantry becomes trendier this way.
This is a part of the kitchen separated from the main kitchen (like a pantry), but with a trendy swinging door or self-opening doors (similar to what you see in professional kitchens). Behind it, there is space for storage, maybe the freezer, and noisy kitchen appliances that don’t fit well in the streamlined, stylish kitchen (bread makers, blenders, toasters, ice cream machines). Instead of cheap DIY store shelves (which were usually enough for the pantry), high-quality kitchen cabinets are installed here. It certainly looks good when the swinging door or automatic door opens and reveals this area for a few seconds.
And it fills the pockets of kitchen manufacturers and studios.
Our kitchen builder suggested it to us as well, and yes, it is stylish. But it would have cost us several thousand more without real added value. Because I can achieve all of this with budget-friendly shelves, and the freezer cabinet doesn’t need a kitchen-front panel—it can just be a plain white unit from an appliance store.
Hardly anyone is going to look behind my pantry door. I’d rather invest the money in the main kitchen.
For example, a second sink on the island (which is large enough in our kitchen). I use that much more often.
This is a part of the kitchen separated from the main kitchen (like a pantry), but with a trendy swinging door or self-opening doors (similar to what you see in professional kitchens). Behind it, there is space for storage, maybe the freezer, and noisy kitchen appliances that don’t fit well in the streamlined, stylish kitchen (bread makers, blenders, toasters, ice cream machines). Instead of cheap DIY store shelves (which were usually enough for the pantry), high-quality kitchen cabinets are installed here. It certainly looks good when the swinging door or automatic door opens and reveals this area for a few seconds.
And it fills the pockets of kitchen manufacturers and studios.
Our kitchen builder suggested it to us as well, and yes, it is stylish. But it would have cost us several thousand more without real added value. Because I can achieve all of this with budget-friendly shelves, and the freezer cabinet doesn’t need a kitchen-front panel—it can just be a plain white unit from an appliance store.
Hardly anyone is going to look behind my pantry door. I’d rather invest the money in the main kitchen.
For example, a second sink on the island (which is large enough in our kitchen). I use that much more often.
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