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
C
chand198629 Mar 2018 09:35As mentioned, the second sink shows its advantage during large tasks, such as preparing big menus (more than 3 courses) or extensive buffet preparations. It’s also helpful when cooking with two or more people.
It allows for better workflow planning, fewer bottlenecks, and more efficient work.
For standard weekday use, it’s not essential. I wouldn’t want it just for that. Still, I would like to have one...
It allows for better workflow planning, fewer bottlenecks, and more efficient work.
For standard weekday use, it’s not essential. I wouldn’t want it just for that. Still, I would like to have one...
J
j.bautsch29 Mar 2018 09:36I really like my sink; I enjoy it every day.
My husband and I often work together in the kitchen, and sometimes we even cook with friends. Although our kitchen is quite small at the moment, there are times when the sink is used by two people at once—for washing hands, placing a drink, draining, and so on.
I guess it depends on your habits and cooking style, and of course, you need to have enough space for it.
My husband and I often work together in the kitchen, and sometimes we even cook with friends. Although our kitchen is quite small at the moment, there are times when the sink is used by two people at once—for washing hands, placing a drink, draining, and so on.
I guess it depends on your habits and cooking style, and of course, you need to have enough space for it.
D
Deliverer29 Mar 2018 11:55One of the best features of our new kitchen is the second (really small) sink with an additional faucet right next to the cooktop.
Although we don’t have an island, the distance between the main sink and the cooktop is quite large. With the extra pull-out faucet, I can now add water directly to any pot on the stove. If I need to quickly wash my hands (because I’ve made a mess with the food again), the walk to the sink is almost zero meters (zero feet). And if I want to quickly pour something out, no one is standing between 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of boiling water and the sink.
Draining vegetables, canned corn, or similar items in a colander directly in the sink next to the pot they’ll end up in is worth its weight in gold.
By the way, the small sink doesn’t take up much space. First, it’s small, and second, it’s set so far back that you can still comfortably use a 40cm x 30cm (16 inches x 12 inches) cutting board in front of it.
Another plus: the sink is flush-mounted. Any spills, drips, or boil-overs can be easily wiped into the sink.
Even better: the pull-out faucet can be opened and closed at the extended end with just one finger. This allows me to perfectly control the water flow on the spot without having to use both hands.
Although we don’t have an island, the distance between the main sink and the cooktop is quite large. With the extra pull-out faucet, I can now add water directly to any pot on the stove. If I need to quickly wash my hands (because I’ve made a mess with the food again), the walk to the sink is almost zero meters (zero feet). And if I want to quickly pour something out, no one is standing between 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of boiling water and the sink.
Draining vegetables, canned corn, or similar items in a colander directly in the sink next to the pot they’ll end up in is worth its weight in gold.
By the way, the small sink doesn’t take up much space. First, it’s small, and second, it’s set so far back that you can still comfortably use a 40cm x 30cm (16 inches x 12 inches) cutting board in front of it.
Another plus: the sink is flush-mounted. Any spills, drips, or boil-overs can be easily wiped into the sink.
Even better: the pull-out faucet can be opened and closed at the extended end with just one finger. This allows me to perfectly control the water flow on the spot without having to use both hands.
Hello Deliverer, the client would also like a second sink on the kitchen island. At the moment, it is planned to be 50cm (20 inches) away from the cooktop.
A small recessed sink right next to the cooktop would also be an option, of course. Could you please upload a picture showing how that looks?
A small recessed sink right next to the cooktop would also be an option, of course. Could you please upload a picture showing how that looks?
There is also the option of having a dedicated sink or work island with a larger basin, along with a secondary area where, for example, a coffee machine or even a proper barista espresso machine can be placed—possibly in an extended kitchen run. In this case, a small extra sink works really well.
However, such a setup is usually not necessary in a kitchen measuring around 2 × 3 m (6.5 × 10 feet).
However, such a setup is usually not necessary in a kitchen measuring around 2 × 3 m (6.5 × 10 feet).
D
Deliverer29 Mar 2018 13:58berndn schrieb:
Could you upload a picture of how it looks?Once during installation:
And once shortly after:
The basin measures 22 x 22 cm (9 x 9 inches) with a depth of 16 cm (6 inches) and is located about 35 cm (14 inches) from the front edge.
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