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
J
j.bautsch29 Mar 2018 14:34I would have planned that even before the forum; I have never understood the practical aspect that some see in the le Manns and Rondell :P
The small sink really looks quite practical.
I also need to remember the sink in the appliance niche, very convenient for espresso machines and similar equipment.
The small sink really looks quite practical.
I also need to remember the sink in the appliance niche, very convenient for espresso machines and similar equipment.
D
Deliverer29 Mar 2018 14:56The dead corner has resulted.
The upper drawer to the left of the oven is for kitchen waste. I chop food there about 90% of the time. The scraps practically fall straight from the cutting board into the bin.
Under the sink (where at least I definitely never chop) there is no waste bin, but space for a sparkling water crate and some recycling glass. It has to go somewhere if you don’t have a pantry...
The upper drawer to the left of the oven is for kitchen waste. I chop food there about 90% of the time. The scraps practically fall straight from the cutting board into the bin.
Under the sink (where at least I definitely never chop) there is no waste bin, but space for a sparkling water crate and some recycling glass. It has to go somewhere if you don’t have a pantry...
J
j.bautsch3 Apr 2018 09:05Deliverer schrieb:
I do about 90% of my cutting right there. The waste basically falls straight from the board into the trash.
Under the sink (where at least I definitely never cut) there is no trash, but space for a soda crate and some recycling glass.we do it the same way
Have we already discussed the pros and cons of double doors leading into the living room? They usually make quite an impression when they fit well. Unfortunately, in my opinion, they are mostly suitable for houses above a certain size. The average person still wants to offer their partner the fairy-tale dream of a castle, but that often means making compromises—sometimes quite literally.
I do find double doors attractive in themselves. However, they are a small luxury that you need to be able to afford space-wise. In our case, it simply wasn’t possible.
I do find double doors attractive in themselves. However, they are a small luxury that you need to be able to afford space-wise. In our case, it simply wasn’t possible.
KingSong schrieb:
There’s nothing worse than double doors into the living room... especially with decorative glass... Brr, shudder Haha, everyone has their own taste. I actually like them:
I actually prefer them even more as sliding doors: