ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for Urban Villa + Considerations for Land Elevation

Shiny86 schrieb:

I also now regret not planning a sliding door. We thought it was too modern since we were unfamiliar with it. We mostly planned based on what we knew and couldn’t really think outside the box. And now it’s too late.

I think I already suggested a sliding door weeks ago and you always declined... I find them really practical.
And I believe everyone regrets something after building. Our architect didn’t advise us on window sizes either, so we had to figure everything out ourselves. Looking back, there are many things I would do differently now.
You just have to live with it or break open the wall again later if you really can’t accept it. If you want to be sure, build a model house you’ve already visited. Everything else always involves some uncertainty.

I think you should finally let go of the idea of the "perfect" house. Like most homeowners, you will probably discover a few things after construction that you would have done differently. I also planned a lot and gave it a lot of thought until it felt right. Still, there are some things I would do differently today. But it’s something you can live with. Either you can correct it at some point or you get used to it.

Put a line under the planning, which seems to be finished anyway, and just start with choosing colors for the walls, furnishings, etc. You can spend hours on that too—and it’s easy to change if something doesn’t work.

chrisw81 schrieb:

I think I already suggested a sliding door weeks ago, and you always declined... I find them really practical.
And I believe everyone regrets something after building. Our architect didn’t advise us on window sizes either; we had to figure everything out ourselves. And in many places, I would do things differently now.
You just have to live with it or break open the wall again later if you can’t accept it. If you want to be sure, build a model house like one you’ve already visited. Everything else involves uncertainty.

I’ll be able to live with it. I always find it hard to decide, I want to make the right choice, and I’m quite perfectionistic. But apparently, I can’t get that right when it comes to house planning.

True, you did point that out! But we decided against it because back then we weren’t ready for that much glass. My husband doesn’t want to be in a glass house. And we don’t have a nature view, just other houses.
Then we saw at the neighbor’s place across the street that the sliding door is heavy and you could easily get injured or trapped. Those were our reasons for choosing terrace swing doors instead, which we want to have as a French door version.

Ibdk14 schrieb:

There are a few things I would do differently today. But it’s manageable. Either you fix it at some point or you just get used to it.

May I ask which things those would be for you?

I also don’t think anything is seriously poorly planned. For example, it’s not like we have a room without any windows or anything. And I don’t have any oddly shaped rooms or whatever it’s called. Everything is nice and straightforward. That makes my inner perfectionist happy.

Plus, I can only plan what my husband ultimately approves. So compromises are unavoidable. For instance, I might imagine larger windows, but he would feel like an animal in a zoo with even bigger windows. But a lot of it comes from not knowing any different. None of our friends have built a house, for example. If we spent more time in newly built homes, maybe we would have made different decisions.

chrisw81 schrieb:

Our architect didn’t advise us on window sizes either; we had to figure everything out ourselves. Looking back, there are many things I would do differently now.

And are you okay with that?
So you also had an architect who only did the drawings but didn’t provide advice or input?

Most likely, with the experience I’ve gained, I would want to build again from scratch sometime. But my husband won’t go through that a second time with me.
That’s probably for the best.

So, please don’t misunderstand me, but if you’re already driving yourself crazy like this (and wow, your inability to make decisions is truly on another level) you should seriously consider getting professional help – otherwise, you might lose control eventually! And as I said, please don’t take this the wrong way. I believe that 90% of people would need therapy, but unfortunately only a small percentage realize that. You, however, at least recognize that your behavior in this regard is "not quite normal."