Hello everyone, we are in the final phase of our house planning and would appreciate your tips on the following topics:
1.: The door between the living room and kitchen will be a wide wooden sliding door (2-panel) to prevent cooking smells from entering the living room. For aesthetic and practical reasons, it should be hidden inside the wall. The architect suggested installing it on the kitchen side, as otherwise a full-width casing would have to run in the living room, causing loss of space. We find this impractical because in case of any issue with the door, not only the wall but also the kitchen would have to be dismantled. Do you have experience with how often a sliding door comes off its track and requires opening the casing?
There is an exhaust hood planned that vents outside, but I am very sensitive to odors. How satisfied are those of you with a sensitive nose and an open kitchen? Could this be an alternative? Or has anyone installed glass in between? We want as much light as possible from the living room to reach the kitchen because, in the long term, a semi-detached house might be built next to ours, potentially blocking the kitchen window. Therefore, our idea was a wooden sliding door that closes tightly when needed but remains mostly hidden in the wall.
The other kitchen issue is the door to the hallway. Either access to the cabinets behind it is difficult, or if the door swings the other way, it would block the room, and a door opening into the hallway would be in the way there. Could that also be a sliding door? Hidden? Or something completely different?
2.: The arrangement of the sanitary fixtures in the bathroom is not quite satisfying yet. The position of the laundry chute is fixed. So is the location of the shower on the upper floor. There is a sloped ceiling there, but we want to build a wall at a reasonable depth so that the height above the bathtub is comfortable even for taller people. The toilet should also be usable without having to keep your head tucked in. Additionally, a washbasin between 80–100cm (31–39 inches), a bathtub measuring 180cm x 80cm x 43cm (71 inches x 31 inches x 17 inches), as well as built-in cabinets and possibly a plinth are planned, since something needs to be done with the laundry chute area anyway. Behind the door, 50cm (20 inches) are planned to potentially fit a cabinet or towel rack. Otherwise, an integrated cabinet could be placed under the slope.
What do you think about built-in ledges in the shower or next to the bathtub?
3.: Sanitary fixtures:
- The washbasin in the guest toilet is 60cm x 48cm (24 inches x 19 inches). For the bathroom upstairs, we are looking for a basin that also has a rim to prevent water from running backward, but is wider. So, the basin bowl including the surrounding edge, not just the basin itself, since we do not need any shelf space next to it. So far, we haven’t found one.
- The shower drain is not planned as a linear channel, as I find those unhygienic and difficult to clean. Has anyone had experience with a wall drain, or do most people choose the classic round drain?
Thank you very much for your feedback and ideas.
Jörn
1.: The door between the living room and kitchen will be a wide wooden sliding door (2-panel) to prevent cooking smells from entering the living room. For aesthetic and practical reasons, it should be hidden inside the wall. The architect suggested installing it on the kitchen side, as otherwise a full-width casing would have to run in the living room, causing loss of space. We find this impractical because in case of any issue with the door, not only the wall but also the kitchen would have to be dismantled. Do you have experience with how often a sliding door comes off its track and requires opening the casing?
There is an exhaust hood planned that vents outside, but I am very sensitive to odors. How satisfied are those of you with a sensitive nose and an open kitchen? Could this be an alternative? Or has anyone installed glass in between? We want as much light as possible from the living room to reach the kitchen because, in the long term, a semi-detached house might be built next to ours, potentially blocking the kitchen window. Therefore, our idea was a wooden sliding door that closes tightly when needed but remains mostly hidden in the wall.
The other kitchen issue is the door to the hallway. Either access to the cabinets behind it is difficult, or if the door swings the other way, it would block the room, and a door opening into the hallway would be in the way there. Could that also be a sliding door? Hidden? Or something completely different?
2.: The arrangement of the sanitary fixtures in the bathroom is not quite satisfying yet. The position of the laundry chute is fixed. So is the location of the shower on the upper floor. There is a sloped ceiling there, but we want to build a wall at a reasonable depth so that the height above the bathtub is comfortable even for taller people. The toilet should also be usable without having to keep your head tucked in. Additionally, a washbasin between 80–100cm (31–39 inches), a bathtub measuring 180cm x 80cm x 43cm (71 inches x 31 inches x 17 inches), as well as built-in cabinets and possibly a plinth are planned, since something needs to be done with the laundry chute area anyway. Behind the door, 50cm (20 inches) are planned to potentially fit a cabinet or towel rack. Otherwise, an integrated cabinet could be placed under the slope.
What do you think about built-in ledges in the shower or next to the bathtub?
3.: Sanitary fixtures:
- The washbasin in the guest toilet is 60cm x 48cm (24 inches x 19 inches). For the bathroom upstairs, we are looking for a basin that also has a rim to prevent water from running backward, but is wider. So, the basin bowl including the surrounding edge, not just the basin itself, since we do not need any shelf space next to it. So far, we haven’t found one.
- The shower drain is not planned as a linear channel, as I find those unhygienic and difficult to clean. Has anyone had experience with a wall drain, or do most people choose the classic round drain?
Thank you very much for your feedback and ideas.
Jörn
You should also answer these questions so that it is clear for how many people, for example, the rooms are designed.
As it appears, the bathroom is oversized for 5 people, so it doesn’t really matter how the fixtures are arranged. It will simply be a large space where you could dance, but it won’t have the cozy atmosphere you would want in a bathroom.
Regarding kitchen odors: a regular door, let alone a sliding door, won’t keep them out. Tip: learn to cook, because good cooking doesn’t smell. Otherwise, try to minimize frying fish and grilling indoors. 🙂
The ground floor looks quite good; you could add windows on the left and right sides for more natural light.
As it appears, the bathroom is oversized for 5 people, so it doesn’t really matter how the fixtures are arranged. It will simply be a large space where you could dance, but it won’t have the cozy atmosphere you would want in a bathroom.
Regarding kitchen odors: a regular door, let alone a sliding door, won’t keep them out. Tip: learn to cook, because good cooking doesn’t smell. Otherwise, try to minimize frying fish and grilling indoors. 🙂
The ground floor looks quite good; you could add windows on the left and right sides for more natural light.
About the kitchen... the smell of the food doesn’t just disappear when you put it on the dining table 😉 ... so much for odors.
I also find the bathroom quite unbalanced now. The shower will still need a door. It should be a hinged door opening inward towards the shower wall at the top of the plan. That way, no water will drip outside the shower. Unfortunately, due to the window position, the shower can’t be enlarged, although there would be enough space.
Otherwise, I would consult a bathroom planner.
I also find the bathroom quite unbalanced now. The shower will still need a door. It should be a hinged door opening inward towards the shower wall at the top of the plan. That way, no water will drip outside the shower. Unfortunately, due to the window position, the shower can’t be enlarged, although there would be enough space.
Otherwise, I would consult a bathroom planner.
Are you getting a ventilation system? If so, I was told that even kale gets ventilated away pretty quickly.
Why is the bathroom so huge? Are you planning to put more items in there, or is that the final setup? I would suggest visiting a bathroom showroom for some advice.
Just a curious question: why is the staircase made from two different materials?
Why is the bathroom so huge? Are you planning to put more items in there, or is that the final setup? I would suggest visiting a bathroom showroom for some advice.
Just a curious question: why is the staircase made from two different materials?
DNL schrieb:
Just a curious question: why is the staircase made of two different materials?The concrete stairs lead to the basement, the wooden stairs go upstairs 😉
Best regards in short
joerng schrieb:
because something needs to be done with the laundry chute anyway. ... what exactly do you mean by that?
Single-chamber laundry chutes only shift the sorting elsewhere. I also see plenty of space here for a washing machine and dryer, so why throw the laundry down at all?
joerng schrieb:
Do you have any experience with how often a sliding door comes off its track and you have to open the casing? Statistically, probably once every 200 years ;-)
These days, sliding doors are usually designed without trying to hide them, rather than going through the trouble of building enclosures to conceal them.
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