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This is another one of those threads that makes me wonder how I missed something when I retired. It never dawned on me that retirement was suppose to make me look at walls in a different way. I knew the possibility of stairs but not walls.
I would definitely miss a window over my kitchen sink. I'm making a list of needs for the new spot and this is now on it. Little things you don't think about until they are gone.
I have a window over the sink. I even put in shelving for plants. I hate people looking in so the plants were supposed to stop that. They grew great except for the spices my cat liked, but then came summer and boom, dead plants. Cooked plants....
Now there is a curtain over it which remains closed. I have no desire to see people wander in and out of the neighbors house. I'm thinking of putting in a shade over the window and a glass cat barrier and trying spice plants again too.
I for myself do not like the world to see whatever I'm doing and when I finish the windows they'll have blinds in them which let in light but keep nosey neighbors out.
As for open concept, if I had to buy something like that the first step would be building new walls and doors. Huge open concept houses remind me of hotels. Who wants to live in a hotel. And as for saving on utilities, those super high ceilings will suck up ALL the heat and you'll pay a LOT more if you want a warm floor. And I have one room which is storage/guest/stuff not used daily. It remains closed. Its heated or cooled only if needed.
There is an arch between the kitchen and living room. I'm looking into a sliding door to shut it off when I want. Every room is a different color scheme so it would look odd with it so open anyway.
I turned on the design competion show on ABC a couple of weeks ago, and they had a vintage in tact Victorian house. This idiot twenty year old starts by saying we'll have to rip all this out, who needs these rooms? If you buy a vintage victorian do not ruin it. If you want a shopping mall, buy one which already is.... Ugh.
Now we are getting into a gun fight at the OK coral. OMG this is going odd.
Might be getting odd to some of you but I live 20 minutes from the Mexican border and alone in the country as I've mentioned previously in this forum. Twice in my life someone his tried to kick the door in, in the middle of the night. Last year, there was an officer involved shooting: shotgun blast, 11 handgun shots, in front of my home. There have been other threatening events.
I would be a MORON to not consider various scenarios to insure my safety and give me an advantage during a confrontation. As this pertains to old age/retirement - think of it - your eyesight and possibly hearing are worse now. Your reflexes and strength/speed are now a joke. And ANYONE who thinks the cops are going to help when you have seconds is just not realistic.
Back to the open floor plans (really do need walls in that safe room - but no window)~~~~~
One thing I didn't notice or pay attention to - electrical outlets. I assume they are on the floor but are they next to the few walls that exist and others on the floor? How do they determine where on the floor?
Two of my three homes are open plan. Our little cabin in the woods up north is, and it's always been great. I like being able to interact with my guest while I cook. The dining room is in the kitchen area as well. So when we went looking for a condo to downsize in the city, we found one with an open concept kitchen, living room and dining room. The kitchen is enclosed by a counter, where we have stools to sit on. Plenty of cabinets on two walls plus under the counter. The only thing I don't like is that the sink is also on the counter, which is not how I'd choose if I could, but this layout is ubiquitous here.
Our little condo in Florida is not open concept. We have a pass-through from the kitchen. I would prefer it to be open. And yes, the kitchen is right there when you come in--not ideal, but we have learned to live with it, considering we're in relative paradise in the winter months.
That is a great point about the outlet. Obviously along the walls and there will have to be some in the floor. We have not seen great solutions for that, we will be doing hardwood. For lighting many have suggested battery powered leds.............
Last edited by jack_pine; 05-28-2014 at 05:35 PM..
And as for saving on utilities, those super high ceilings will suck up ALL the heat and you'll pay a LOT more if you want a warm floor.
We have to keep in mind the different areas we are posting from and about. High ceilings in the South are good for AC since heat rises up and saves on cooling costs since comfort levels are easier to maintain. Warm floors? I never turned the heat on this past winter in FL.
Warning old house rant ahead!
I'm so over old houses at this point, I'm not seeing quaint and historic anymore, I'm seeing old and trouble.
The village water dept. has been estimating our water bill for three quarterly billings cycles and we had the water turned off to the house in NY for seven months. We called and asked if they would read our meter and adjust the bill. No problem, and in fact we could read the meter in the basement and just give them the numbers. Oh-oh, the meter has condensation inside and can't be read. They check the records and we have an old meter that needs replaced. The meter is replaced and there is a small leak a day later. Call to the water dept., they come to look at it and the leak is on our side so it's our fix. DH fixes it and then later another leak develops. It's small, DH has to catch a flight, so he will take care of it when he gets back at the end of the week. Next day I find water on the basement floor and now the water turnoff for the house isn't working either.
The plumber I call replaces the leaking section of pipe but he needs to coordinate with the village to have water from the street turned off so he can replace the house water turn off. This is scheduled two days later and the plumber tells me they do it early, just in case the village has trouble with their turn off not turning off or being where they think it is. Sometimes they need to tear up the street which is the reason for an early start! The house was built in 1876 so these pipes and the infrastructure are beyond antique. It ended well, the village came, had the water off in a few minutes, the plumber did his thing and the village came back and turned the water on again. I now have a new mandated-as-of-2014, lead free valve to shut the water off. And it works.
This started with a conversation where we bet the village owed us money on the estimated bills. I haven't seen the adjusted water bill yet, but I did pay plumber for two visits.
New and old houses take upkeep and maintenance, but the old ones have parts that are never standard, making those repairs more costly and time consuming.
After living with newer construction, a more open floor plan and modern conveniences, I'm finding I don't love quaint and old the same way I used to.
I prefer the open concept in a retirement home. Most people downsize in retirement, so they will be dealing with less space which can make you feel boxed in. My husband and I are looking at snowbirding in a home that would be half the size of our current home. I'm not used to living in small spaces and need my home to feel airy, even if it is a modified tuna can!
While we plan to snowbird for now, we will likely end up living in that house full-time when we are much older and expect that the small size will be easier to clean and that the open concept will accommodate any walkers, wheelchairs or anything else that we might need.
The idea of a formal dining room is an old one. There is nothing wrong with having one if you really want one, but most families don't sit down to big family dinners anymore. In some instances, it is a waste of perfectly good space that you could be USING for living in. Ditto for formal living rooms. I remember when most families didn't allow family members to use the living room because it was reserved just for company! The concept of a great room addresses these issues and ensures that you are using all of the space in your home.
To me, an open kitchen is ideal because I can interact with guests while I cook and not feel that I'm missing out on anything. When it is time to eat, I will just lengthen the table in the dining area of the open floor plan and voila! It's an instant dinner party.
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