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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   1657 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 22, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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A mildly-interesting two-story house design (including a version with cl*sets, plus one-story parent designs for comparison purposes): In theory (to satisfy code requirements), the living room is on floor 1 and the dining room is on floor 2. But, in practice, the room on floor 1 serves both living and dining purposes, and the room on floor 2 is just an extra living room.

Whether it makes sense hinges on how the first-floor room is reconfigured between living and dining uses. Obviously, folding tables and folding chairs are perfect for dining use. For living use, folding couches apparently are available for purchase, though I'm not sure how compactly they actually fold up. Alternatively, perhaps the folding chairs and folding couches can be replaced with comfy, headrest-equipped office chairs that can serve for both living and dining.

cl*sets

May I enquire as to why you censored the term "closets", what is the new secret most awful problematic usage of this commonplace word? And if it is so terrible a word that we must return to the 18th century habit of writing, why not replace it with "walk-in wardrobe" or some other euphemism?

I'd also say that having the kitchen and dining room on separate floors is a bad idea, unless you're going to incorporate a dumb waiter or the likes. Just take five minutes to imagine having to carry the Sunday roast upstairs. Combination living/dining room is a better idea. Or make the kitchen bigger and turn that into a combination kitchen/dining area.

May I enquire as to why you censored the term "closets"?

I personally dislike closets (which, being immovable, needlessly constrain the rearrangement of furniture) and much prefer shelving units and wardrobes. Past discussion: 1 2

I'd also say that having the kitchen and dining room on separate floors is a bad idea.

Read what I wrote again. For code-compliance purposes, the living room is on the first floor and the dining room is on the second floor—but, in everyday life, the room labeled "living room" serves double duty as either a living room or a dining room depending on circumstances, and the room labeled "dining room" serves as a living room for the people occupying the upstairs bedrooms.

which, being immovable, needlessly constrain the rearrangement of furniture

And yet you design floor plans that only allow for one reasonable arrangement of furniture, if that

I don't know what you mean by that. My bathrooms and laundry/utility rooms are cramped enough that the accusation may be accurate there. But my kitchens, living rooms, and dining rooms are ample. And I believe that my bedrooms permit a few different configurations even at maximum occupancy—and how often are bedrooms at maximum occupancy anyway? (For example, the design that I am having built will have nominal occupancy of five but actual occupancy of just two.)

Have you considered sliding into the wall doors for the bedrooms access into their respective bathrooms? That way, it avoids the risk of two people trying to enter the bathroom simultaneously from different doors and slamming into each other. Most likely when there are guests invited who are not familiar with the layout.

Edit: The laundry room and front door are a greater risk of collision, actually.

In this design, it is not intended that a bathroom will ever have both doors unlocked at the same time. Rather:

  • 99 percent of the time, each bathroom will be in "private mode", with the door to the living/dining room locked from the bathroom side.

  • On the rare occasion that a guest is present, at least one bathroom will be in "guest mode", with the door to the bedroom locked from both sides.

Also, it's my understanding that sliding doors are very bad at blocking sounds and odors, so using them on bathrooms is ill-advised.

Regarding the laundry/utility-room door, I could have used a sliding door there, but I saw no reason to. IMO, having eight swinging doors is simpler than having seven swinging doors and one sliding door.

I understand your point on bathroom sliding doors, indeed they block sound poorly. But maybe if you have not started constructing your home yet you can widen the entire house just for the laundry door. If you and your roommate or wife live in the unit together, eventually someone will be exiting the laundry room at the same time someone is entering the home. Or someone will forget something in the house and step in quickly to retrieve it (keys, wallet, credit card, etc) and not communicate the entry as normal to the other person, knocking them senseless in a rush.

But maybe if you have not started constructing your home yet you can widen the entire house just for the laundry door.

(1) Construction already is underway.

(2) The house already takes up the entire buildable width of the lot (34′2″ vs. 35′).

If you and your roommate live in the unit together, eventually someone will be exiting the laundry room at the same time someone is entering the home. Or someone will forget something in the house and step in quickly to retrieve it (keys, wallet, credit card, etc.) and not communicate the entry as normal to the other person, knocking him senseless in a rush.

I do not assign much probability to this hypothetical event. If you disagree, you can join the betting pool with @orthoxerox. (Come on! Are you people in the habit of opening opaque doors with all your strength? I certainly am not. People can be standing behind doors unbeknownst to you even if those doors don't swing into other doors.)

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