How to find the home you have always wanted

How to find the home you have always wanted?

Difference between home and house

A house is a structure you live in that provides your basic needs and safety.

 A home is a place that provides you mental and emotional support, a place you look forward to being in to get away from the outside world.

In the following, you will find elements that preach a better space quality.

Orientation

Building orientation refers to the way a building is situated on a site and the positioning of windows, rooflines, and other features.

Sun Orientation 

Refers to the alignment of a building or structure with respect to the transit of the Sun across the sky. The orientation determines which walls or windows receive light during the day. 

It is important that bedrooms and most stayed in the area receive a big amount of sun rays

Location and access (references)

Be sure that the apartment’s bays, terraces offer broad views over the city, the sea, or the mountains

Accessing road which allows traffic to reach the location, possibility of traffic jam, easiness of reference points

Neighborhood and possibilities of future constructions that will block view, light, and aeration.

Layout and functions

A good layout is a layout where each space has its own privacy and interacts independently.

Day and night zone

Day zone: zone where you spend your time during the day (sitting room, dining room, kitchen, home office…)

Night zone: Zone where you spend your time during the night (bedrooms)

Zones are linked together with horizontal circulation such as corridors, lobby, and SAS 

The more the day zone is separated from the night zone, the more comfortable is the use of the space.

Lighting

Natural light is too important. It is intrinsically linked to our mood, boosting the serotonin levels that regulate our emotions, sleep, and even memory. 

Refer to orientation and location (sections 1 and 2)

A building oriented for solar design takes advantage of passive and active solar strategies. Passive solar strategies use energy from the sun to heat and illuminate buildings.

In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer.

Choosing glazed elements for walls, doors, ceilings, and floors will allow you to achieve continuity of light between rooms.

Neighborhood

The height of neighboring buildings and trees can cause shading, but this can be resolved by keeping surrounding planting at a low level and opting for pale exterior surfaces to give the illusion of brightness.

Operational spaces (kitchen, dining room, WC)

Refer to section 3

Architects usually arrange spaces to facilitate their operation. Space studies aim to exploit to the maximum the availability of every square meter and reduce what we call dead/wasted spaces.

Dead spaces(wasted space)

Dead space is unused space, dysfunctional, unable, or barely to be furnished 

And here come the terms Ergonomics (designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment) and space efficiency.

This is why, for the same surface, a layout could be felt either comfortable or spacious, either cramped and tight-fitting. 

Finishes

The last not least field, trade to pass through is finishes.

Most people are trapped with the finishes issues. They look for them firstly and neglect the quality of the space itself.

Nonetheless, this does not exclude finishes from their role in enhancing space quality, but we are here treating the corrective and non-corrective components that forge any space.

Please note that finishes come at the end. Each discrepancy could be easily corrected later on after the move or prior to any space occupation.

The most rational assessment of a space finish is to check the quality-price ratio.

You can’t expect luxury while paying a small amount. All is relative.

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