When it comes to buying a home, you would definitely want to purchase a home that has an efficient and practical layout. This makes it easier for furniture placement and interior designing, and also increases the value of your unit. It is also extremely crucial to be able to make use of every single space in your condo unit when they are generally more compact.
Here are some key layout features you should look out for or avoid when you pick your next unit.
#1 Irregular walls that are hard to utilise
For a long time, irregular walls were a thing for condo units, since it exudes sophistication and creativity across the building infrastructure. The curved walls make the building look less rigid, and more like a piece of art than just an accommodation. However, the very same curved walls create layout complications that a buyer needs to be mentally prepared for. If your unit layout comes with curved walls, it will make it difficult for you to find furniture that fits the walls well.
It will consequently mean less space to be utilised, since you won’t be able to fit furniture pieces against the curved walls. This could be a major drawback for some if your units are smaller to begin with.
An alternative would be to opt for built-in furniture, which will mean customizing furniture pieces to fit the layout of your home. However, this will certainly rack up your renovation costs.
In the end, it is just not a practical design. Generally, you will have more space to work with if you opt for compact, square-ish layout that allows you to maximise your space by sofa, dining tables and other furniture easily.
#2 Huge planter boxes
This is yet another popular one – many condo units may come with huge planter boxes, since it was an appealing idea to have a mini garden to yourself. Ideally, you would be able to plant your own produce, and since it is usually incorporated into your balcony, you would be able to let your plants bask in the sunlight while you do your morning yoga or leisurely reading sessions.
However, while that is a great idea in theory, it is just not that practical to sacrifice so much space in your unit that is already limited in space. In addition, it is definitely a huge commitment to have a huge planter box, since you will need to take immense care of the plants. If your plants are not in tip top condition, it will be visible to visiting guests that your garden is falling apart.
#3 Bay windows
Yet another aesthetically pleasing and beautiful addition, bay windows became popular since it adds an atmosphere of elegance to your home. It is great for leisure reading, relaxation and lazing around in. However, again, it comes at the cost of your floor space.
In addition to that, due to space limitations, bay window cushion seats are usually not big enough to be truly comfortable. Sitting in the corner of the window area will not be as comfortable as lying on an actual sofa – overtime, many buyers have feedbacked that the utilisation rate of bay windows are actually low.
We would also like to highlight that if your unit already comes with bay windows, hacking it away will be on an application basis and requires approval. This is because it will affect your Gross Floor Area (GFA). Hence, we generally do not recommend you to get a unit that has a large bay window since it might bring about more complications down the road should you decide to remove it thereafter.
#4 Awkward bathroom placement
Another concern we have when we first walk into a unit layout would be where the guests will have to walk to when they enter your home. Privacy is an important concern for many of us, and we try not to let our guests get near to our master bedrooms since that is our own personal space.
That is also why we don’t recommend unit layouts that require guests to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom. We also don’t recommend units with bathrooms that are too close to the cooking space or kitchen area.
Similarly, as bathrooms are complex and any major changes requires approval, make sure to check that you are comfortable with the bathroom placement before you purchase your unit.
#5 Lack of privacy in an open layout
With the onset of pandemic, many of us increasingly value privacy and proper demarcation of rooms so that we can all work from home at once. Unfortunately, many of the new launches have picked up the open-layout concept. This includes having an open kitchen that connects to the living / dining room area; or where the master bedroom is connected to the living room area and only separated by a sliding cabinet.
This makes it hard for multiple family members to have meetings or phone calls at once, since the sound and noise would travel much faster through open spaces.
If this is a concern for you, you might be better off choosing units that have the standard bedroom demarcations that are properly split to offer greater privacy.
If you really want to have open kitchen layouts, opt for those that comes with ventilation windows
Picking out the unit layout that perfectly suit your needs is tricky topic to tackle after you secure your dream home. Fret not if you find it very overwhelming to know how to make the right choice – if you need guidance and help from someone with the right experience and knowledge, reach out to us to find our more.