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Open floor plans are a con (photos.zillowstatic.com)

This was just a way for home builders to save money by building fewer walls.

They convinced homebuyers and influencers that is trendy, that living in a house that feels like a Walmart supercenter was the thing to do.

I really don't think many homebuyers asked for a toilet next to their living room.

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[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Open plan is just kitchen/dining/living room? We have that now and I love it. Have never seen a toilet in a living room.

Having no walls between kitchen/dining/living works so well for us, this is the first time I have had a house with more open plan & it does look bigger and keeps everyone from crowding me in the kitchen when we have parties.

And walls don't cost much - we moved some around when we bought this house and interior walls that are not structural are affordable (compared to other renovations).

[-] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

I like open kitchen, dining room, living room, but the bathroom should be down the hall somewhere.

[-] OpticalMoose@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

I know, right? I made a typo in my post - that bathroom is right next to where the dining table would be.

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Oh - I think that is what was intended with our house, a half bath next to a dining table, and do agree that is odd. I put the dining table on the other side of the kitchen and made the little "dining" space into a lounge area. That half bath also had the washer & dryer, which seemed dead unhygienic, we moved those. I do think that room ought to have been a pantry not a toilet, but the half bath has been useful.

I really do like the one big space, and defining zones and flow using furniture.

Is the door in the picture a front door or back door?

[-] OpticalMoose@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

It's the back door. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1016-Matchingham-Dr-Columbia-SC-29223/2072231592_zpid/?

I always thought putting a washer/dryer in a bathroom was more of a European thing.

[-] glimse@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Nah, adding an interior wall during construction is cheap. They build open floorplans because that's what people want. I've been on dozens of custom house builds and ALL of them had open floorplans. Whether or not they're good is up for debate, though!

I see the appeal of both but lean anti-open floorplan. Like I want walls in a kitchen but prefer when it opens up to the living room or dining room. I currently have an "enclosed" kitchen and I don't like that it feels separate

[-] Jojowski@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Next step: remove the bathroom walls. Shit in the open just like god intended!

[-] bluGill@fedia.io 1 points 1 week ago

There are pros and cons to them. I've lived in both. I want my kitchen to have better access to a main space because so much of living (both daily life and parties) is in the kitchen. However I also want separate rooms, my kid's violin practice shouldn't bother the other kids piano; different party activities should be in different rooms. If you can afford to have both that is ideal, but can you afford that large of a house or do you have to choose a compromise?

this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2025
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