DH Banpo, Interior Estimate Revealed

Typical examples include inefficient laundry flow in the kitchen balcony, lack of storage space, and problems with bed placement in the master bedroom. Builnam stated, "DH Banpo is a new apartment complex. I'm going to show you the structure here, discuss areas for improvement, and even provide a kind of preliminary estimate, including the cost." He presented an interior guide to address these issues and optimize space utilization.

This is a premium brand 'THE H' complex constructed by Hyundai E&C, with excellent access to major subway lines including Line 2, Line 7, and Line 4. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, emphasized the scale and brand value of the complex, stating, "DH Banpo is a large complex with 3,064 units. It has 29 buildings, and of course, it was supplied by Hyundai E&C, being a DH property."

In particular, the inappropriate location of the dishwasher leads to a convoluted kitchen flow. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, pointed out, "In the case of the 59A type, if you look at the floor plan, this part was exactly where I saw a problem. If the washing machine and dryer are placed on the kitchen balcony, you won't be able to use the window."

Therefore, a proposal was made to use an adjacent room as a dressing room and install a sliding door between these two spaces to integrate the master bedroom and dressing room. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, emphasized the structural advantage, stating, "In the master bedroom, once a king-size bed is placed, there's no space for a built-in wardrobe. This area is likely to be used as a dressing room. If a sliding door is installed here, these two spaces can be used as one master bedroom space, which is a structural advantage."

Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, suggested a way to increase space efficiency, saying, "What we propose is to utilize this room as a laundry room plus a dressing room. We remove the partition wall of the laundry room here and expand the kitchen, moving the washing machine that was here to this room."

The kitchen space, which felt cramped due to the protruding laundry room, can be expanded by structural changes. By removing the laundry room wall, the layout can be tidied up, and the dishwasher can be moved right next to the sink to increase practicality. The food waste disposer is placed next to the refrigerator to visually conceal it. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO of Developer House, explained, "This is a photo of the kitchen structure we propose. The kitchen feels very narrow because of the laundry room sticking out. If structural changes are made, this protruding wall is gone, and the layout becomes organized."

The existing recessed lighting over the dining table was off-center, causing visual imbalance. By tidying up the ceiling's recessed lighting, visual comfort can be ensured, and the cooking flow can also be improved. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO of Developer House, pointed out the need for ceiling structure improvement, saying, "To my eyes, this doesn't look balanced, so I think there's a need to organize the ceiling in this way."

The rooms retain the original flooring, while common areas are separated by cutting the flooring at the halfway point between door frames and replacing it. This adds a sophisticated ambiance to the living room. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO of Developer House, explained, "What you see on the left looks like tile, but it's not tile; it's engineered wood flooring. The rooms can keep their flooring, and the common areas can have the flooring replaced by cutting it at the halfway point between the door frames, allowing for space separation."

The Signature grade includes kitchen structure changes and tone adjustments, maximizing cost efficiency by retaining existing salvageable materials. Builnam and Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, explained, "We've divided them into three grades: Essential, Signature, and High-End. If it's currently at the Essential level, this package upgrades it to the Signature level with structural changes."

However, the inward opening radius of the laundry room door causes inconvenience when using the washing machine. The alpha room can be efficiently utilized as a pantry or a recycling space. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO of Developer House, mentioned, "The 84A type is the main floor plan with the most units. At first glance, the floor plan suggests a very pleasant kitchen. However, the kitchen balcony's laundry room door opening radius makes it inconvenient when a washing machine is placed there."

The placement of the alpha room next to the kitchen created structural limitations. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, stated, "I think the master bedroom structure in Gaepo DH is better, where opening the door allows for cross-ventilation."

The dining table integrated with the island's height is convenient, but since it's not at a standard dining table height, it may cause back pain. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, explained, "It was an imported kitchen option. But the imported kitchen extends a large island, not a small one, with ceramic finishes, and this dining area was extended in a straight line at island height, not standard dining table height." He emphasized the need for height adjustment considering user comfort.

Especially for couples with many clothes, choosing this option is efficient for maximizing storage space. Even meticulous design considerations like a recycling bin space can increase space utilization. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, stated, "This is a case where they kept a non-demolishable pillar and created a pantry here and a master bedroom dressing room here. In such cases, if, for example, a couple has a lot of clothes, I think choosing this option would be much better."

The cost to change the flooring with a paid option is approximately 20 million won. Most residents chose engineered wood flooring, but this flooring is not a common material circulated in the market; it is a special flooring custom-made for this complex. This makes it difficult to secure identical flooring for additional interior structural changes, and maintenance issues may arise. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, emphasized, "If you change it with a paid option, it costs almost 20 million won. And most likely, residents chose engineered wood flooring, but it's not a common flooring found in the market; it's a special flooring made specifically for this complex. So, it's not easy to acquire that flooring."

A proposal was made to divide the pantry in half for outdoor and indoor use. The laundry room's door opening radius makes it difficult to install a recycling bin, causing inconvenience in flow. A detailed improvement plan was also suggested to finish the bottom of the master bathroom sink with tiles to prevent moisture problems. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, proposed, "The entrance pantry is surprisingly large. So, I thought it would have been better to divide this space in half, allocating one part for an outdoor pantry and the other for an indoor pantry."

Instead of a chimney hood, a built-in hood can be used to strengthen air volume, and changing the alpha room entrance to a sliding door can add volume to the space. Shin Jeong-hoon, CEO, explained, "We could propose a kitchen structure with a large island, not the existing U-shaped kitchen."

The inward-opening laundry room door exacerbates inconvenience during use. The space for the food waste bin and laundry basket overlaps, leading to inefficient flow, and the structure was pointed out as causing strain on the back. Builnam pointed out the need for improvement, saying, "You'll likely keep putting food waste there, taking out the basket, and putting in laundry repeatedly, so it's a back-straining structure."

Carrying out partial construction after moving in and while residing is inefficient and increases costs. As new apartments have a low probability of defects, it is effective to concentrate interior construction before moving in. Builnam emphasized the benefits of pre-occupancy construction, stating, "Many people ask if partial construction is possible when they are already living there. But realistically, it's not that easy."