Home design principles
When designing a home or an apartment building, consider the ambience. Avoid building bedrooms that face a parking lot or a street. I often see kitchens and or living rooms facing the backyard, while bedrooms are looking out to the street or a driveway. Well, woopty fuckin-doo, you have a nice view while doing the dishes. How about waking up at 6:00 am when your neighbor is warming up his classic? That is not neccessary. If the blueprint has a kitchen and a living-room facing the backyard, flip the blueprint. If it has a bedroom facing the street and either a kitchen or living room facing the backyard, don't buy that blueprint. It's cheap garbage! Do not confuse cheap with inexpensive. No water or sewage pipes should ever go inside a bedroom wall. Use closets are buffers in between the bedrooms, and if necessary, place the faucets on the exterior wall. It might (or might not!) cost you an extra grand or two in plumbing expenses, but will be well worth it for the ambience and sanity of the person sleeping next door. Stairs and staircase platforms: should never ever ever be attached to the wall that is shared with bedroom walls. Just don't do it. Doors: there are many solutions to create an elegant and seemless buffer around the door and the door frame, so they do not make noise on contact. If you have bedrooms downstairs, then spend extra money and soundproof the floor above. Do not use the squeeky hardwood floor. Invest into good hardwood floor. There is more to come. But for now, keep your people well-rested and sane :)