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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
I didn't know that about the doors in "storm construction"! Intriguing.
Someone else mentioned high ceilings vis-a-vis where one lives. Here in the Northeast where the heat is used 6 months of the year (or more!), I can't understand the fascination with cathedral ceilings. Wouldn't have one on a bet. That expensive oil heat goes up to the ceiling and stays there unless you operate a ceiling fan (which is one of three things I would never want in my house; the other two are skylight(s) and a swimming pool). But in a warm climate I can see where the high ceilings are not an issue.
Re: safety and location, I've never lived in an unsafe area and like you, would not choose to be in one. On the contrary, I've always lived in very "good" areas. Which are often equally attractive to burglars simply by virtue of them being 'where the good stuff is'. And there are crazies/unhinged people everywhere. In fact just last night there was a news report of a guy arrested for driving down the streets of some nice safe ($400-$500K) neighborhoods firing shots randomly at several houses and a car. You never know, lol East Islip Man Charged With Shooting 3 Houses, 1 Car | Long Island News from the Long Island Press
If I think about becoming older, frail, and possibly needing a wheelchair or walker, the open space looks like freedom to live on my own. Lots of doors and tiny rooms are not good for the mobility impaired. I would tile the whole place and make it as easy to care for as possible. If I was buying new, all the power outlets would be at waist level. And the shower would be large and walk in with a bench seat. And a shower curtain that can be easily replaced. No nasty hard to clean glass door!
And the shower would be large and walk in with a bench seat. And a shower curtain that can be easily replaced. No nasty hard to clean glass door!
You want a Roman shower then; no curtain or doors, sometimes with a decorative wall to contain splashes. They are also called roll in showers. Our FL house has one in the master bath with a built in bench. The NY house has a cast iron tub with a 360 curtain.
I'm starting to feel like I have a split personality or I'm living in an alternate universe.
edit: be careful googling Roman shower there's another definition
Most of the new houses I've seen are Open Concept and most people seem to want them. They make a space seem bigger, bring a family and guest in together and are easier to light and heat or A/C. I remember the houses of yesterday with cubby hole kitchens, lots of narrow halls, etc. Not for me. I think it would be much easier to resell open concept house than one with a bunch of walls.
Modern upscale homes have "nasty" glass shower doors while older cheaper places have shower curtains, especially in master bathrooms.
I've been reading a lot about tastes changing from the open floor plan to a bit more of the traditional concept, or a hybrid of the two. Matter of fact, the house we just chose to build is more of a hybrid - It has a living room / dining room combination, and then in a different room is a kitchen / family room combo. We liked that a lot because we do enjoy entertaining and using our dining room, as opposed to just using a kitchen table. I also would not want my guests to have to look at the kitchen after I've spent all day cooking in it.
My current home has a layout pattern that I like with a kitchen separated from the formal dining room, however, the kitchen is at the front of the house. You walk into the front door and directly in front of you is the living room, which is fine, but to your immediate right is an open doorway into the kitchen. There's also a window looking into that kitchen from the front porch, so that's the first thing you see as you stand at the front door. I have to keep it tidy for that reason. Not that keeping a tidy kitchen is a bad idea, it's just not always attainable.
We had this house built in 2005, partly open floorplan, eating/dining area of kitchen open to livingroom
and family room...one level with unfinished basement and 3 car garage on over an acre...love it, in our 60's,
rarely need to go to the basement. The 3 bedrooms and 2 baths are on the other side of the home..(1640
sq ft, basement 1240 sq ft)
Most of the new houses I've seen are Open Concept and most people seem to want them. They make a space seem bigger, bring a family and guest in together and are easier to light and heat or A/C. I remember the houses of yesterday with cubby hole kitchens, lots of narrow halls, etc. Not for me. I think it would be much easier to resell open concept house than one with a bunch of walls.
Modern upscale homes have "nasty" glass shower doors while older cheaper places have shower curtains, especially in master bathrooms.
In Texas it is the same way -- there is a step up from attached garage into pretty much any house I have seen...we have FL vacation house w/attached 2 car garage and there is step up into house--but haven't seen that many FL houses as TX to know if that is standard...
but don't think it is carbon monoxide--
In Texas and in FL many water heaters are placed in garages--
I think one reason those floors are lower is flooding--
by having the garage floor lower you hopefully trap any water overflowing from the water heater's pan it sits in and prevents damage to the house...
Also any other flooding coming in that way would be minimized to certain extent...
I think it's pretty much the other way around. It's not that the garages in Florida are lower on purpose - the living areas are higher on purpose. Because of building codes/insurance requirements/etc. I suppose you could build up your garage to the level of the house in terms of fill dirt/foundations etc. But - when you take things like driveways/grading into account - you're talking about maybe a gazillion cubic yards of fill dirt. FWIW - most building lots here (but not all) are flat as pancakes. Robyn
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. Robyn
