Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In fact, unless you have a correctly installed (meaning with a reinforcing block of wood behind the strikeplate) deadbolt on your exterior doors, most EXTERIOR doors can be kicked in easily by a man. One good shot to the doorknob will usually do it. Interior doors are usually flimsier, especially those Home Depot quality masonite things.
If your exterior doors are properly secured, you don't leave windows open, and you have a monitored security system you've done more to protect yourself against a home invasion than an extra interior door is likely to do.
It always amazes me when I read about home invasion victims who left a back door unlocked, or a first-floor window partly open on a summer night, and are "shocked that it happened". Just like people who leave their car in the driveway unlocked and then are surprised when it's stolen.
In all honesty - I have never worried for 10 seconds about being safe wherever I lived. If I worried about being safe where I lived or proposed to live - I wouldn't live there. Note that when it comes to good storm ready construction in Florida - well our doors open "out" - not "in". A bad storm could decimate them (and everything else in the house) - but a burglar would probably break a few toes trying to kick them "in" . Robyn
Now we are getting into a gun fight at the OK coral. OMG this is going odd.
Downright weird IMO. Where do all you people live? I do worry about hurricanes and tropical storms where I live (and that was the case when I lived in Miami too). But turning my house into a fortress to fend off home invasions? Never worried about that. I figure the worst that will happen where I live is some sex crazed buck will chase a doe in heat and crash through the screens on our outside porch. Or a squirrel or raccoon will chew a hole in the screens and try to find some food on the porch. I would probably not be a happy camper in those events. But don't need weapons (automatic or otherwise) to deal with those possibilities. Robyn
Downright weird IMO. Where do all you people live? I do worry about hurricanes and tropical storms where I live (and that was the case when I lived in Miami too). But turning my house into a fortress to fend off home invasions? Never worried about that. I figure the worst that will happen where I live is some sex crazed buck will chase a doe in heat and crash through the screens on our outside porch. Or a squirrel or raccoon will chew a hole in the screens and try to find some food on the porch. I would probably not be a happy camper in those events. But don't need weapons (automatic or otherwise) to deal with those possibilities. Robyn
We're just talking about bedrooms with doors or without doors.
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.
I think one issue you bring up is the issue of your lot. What's on the sides - and what's in the back. We bought a relatively narrow but very deep lot. The houses next door are perhaps 20 feet away - but our rear yard goes on forever (like hundreds of feet). When we designed our house - with an architect - we wound up with almost zero windows on the sides - but tons in the rear. IOW - close to neighbors - but very private.
FWIW - our architect sited our house perfectly so we are honestly not aware of the houses next to us unless we're walking around the house outside. Architects are underused and under appreciated these days IMO. Robyn
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.
So..... back to those open floor plans.
In all honesty - unless it's a matter of finances - like you can't afford to live anywhere else in the US - you have to be a moron to live in a place as dangerous as the one you describe.
Is where you live the absolute cheapest place to live in the US - and the safest when it comes to a cheap place as well? I tend to doubt it. But I could be wrong. Robyn
I am putting this in the Retirement section because I want to hear how retirees feel about this open floor plan. Many of us are more familiar with the traditional floor plan where there are separate rooms for the kitchen, dining room, etc... Our lifestyles are different now (the the most part).
I was recently in NC looking at various communities and the homes we looked at all had this wide open plan. Since I was not on an actually home buying mission I didn't want anyone that was still living in a home to be disturbed so we looked at model homes and homes that were vacant.
Over the years there have been many degrees of "open" and what I saw was really open. The only interior walls were for the BRs and the BTHs. Obviously this saves the builders a tremendous amount of money (I would think). I really wonder what holds that house together - especially in an area where high winds from tropical storms and hurricanes are common.
My main concern is the kitchen. When you walk in the front door and see the kitchen right away - well, this just seems wrong. Not all bad when the house is mostly empty and everything is neat & tidy but what about when you are cooking - everyday cooking - occasional dinner party cooking or holiday cooking. I don't have a maid that cleans up behind me and even though attempting to keep things clean and orderly is a good idea - that just isn't always possible so I want to deal with reality.
There are also fewer cabinets because - there are no walls.
I imagine having a nice dinner party and everyone sits down to eat and there's the kitchen. I'm thinking a kitchen that is some what open but where you have the ability the shut it up.
Is it time for me to change my thinking - this will be a retirement coastal home. No kids in and out.
Thoughts???
Umbria:
Wow, I thought I was the only one who thought like this. When I mention my "aversion" to the open floor plans, I get looks that basically say "Are you crazy? Get with the times!". When we bought our current home in SC it was the same way. I avoided any floor plans with a totally open plan. If I could see the sink with some dishes soaking in it while sitting in the living area, that plan went out the door along with me. We finally settled on one that has a large opening between the kitchen and living room, which negates the excuse of people saying that they want to be able to talk to their guests, but I can't see the sink or the countertops. Plus I have the wall space on either side of the opening for cabinets. I also threw out galley style kitchens because if hubby is going to be retired he is going to help in the kitchen and I don't want to have to be constantly running into him while cooking.
And you are definitely right about losing cabinet space. We have been kicking around the idea of possibly moving closer to our daughter and went to the area to look at homes this week. The guy at one of the 55+ communities was so excited to tell us about the redesigned kitchen in the models which basically tore out a wall with 4 cabinets on it, tore out an "L" shaped peninsula with 2 cabinets under it, and only gave back 2 smaller cabinets and a narrow set of drawers, along with opening the sink to the living area and removing the only window because he had to move the stove there! He couldn't figure out why I wasn't thrilled. Hello?? Where is all the kitchen storage space? I don't like to cook and would love to eat out all the time so I could get rid of all my pans, etc., but that isn't reality. There was barely enough storage in the old version of the kitchen, much less the new one!
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?
Curiouser and curiouser~~~~
We don't have floor or table lamps in our open areas. We have cans in the ceilings - ceiling fixtures in the DR and elsewhere - and sconce lighting as well. A ton of light (especially since we changed over to LEDs in most fixtures earlier this year). Robyn
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?
Curiouser and curiouser~~~~
When I did my big remodel and had the house rewired, I had some electrical outlets put in the middle of the floor in two of the large rooms. I don't use them but I thought they could be useful in the future.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Robyn
)~~~~~
