ᐅ Single-Family Home Floor Plan, 141 sqm – Any Obvious Weaknesses?
Created on: 28 Jan 2016 13:24
D
Dan8070
Hello everyone,
Attached is an initial preliminary design for a single-family house that we received after a first planning meeting with a construction company. After our "approval," we will receive the detailed offer.
North is at the top. Entrance is on the east side.
Within our possibilities and various compromises (it would have been nice to have a sliding door separating the living room, a larger storage room, and a slightly bigger bathroom to fit a built-in wardrobe), we are quite satisfied for the time being.
We have already requested that the stairwell window be enlarged from 2 meters to 3 meters (6.5 ft to 9.8 ft) in height, the front door to have the hinges reversed, the storage room window is still under discussion, the upstairs toilet may not be ideally placed, etc.
We would appreciate constructive feedback. Thank you very much!
Residents: 2 adults, 2 children (ages 1 and 10)
Development plan/restrictions: 2 stories, gable or hipped roof with 22-28% pitch
Plot size: 722 sqm (7,770 sq ft)
Slope: No
Parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2
Roof style: Hipped roof 22% pitch
Style: Townhouse?!?
Terrace facing south, entrance from the east
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof shape, building type
Basement, stories: basement plus 2 full floors
Number of occupants, ages
Space requirement for ground floor and first floor: approx. 65-70 sqm (700-750 sq ft) each
Office: none (nice to have, not a must)
Guest sleepers per year: 3-4
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: YES (small)
Garage, carport: 1 single garage with an attached space for equipment/bikes
House design
Planning by: Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Lots of space in the dining and living area, walk-in closet.
What don’t you like? Size of the hallway downstairs (too large?), storage too small, bathroom layout, bedroom somewhat too large.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 320,000 - 340,000 turnkey without floor finishes
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 380,000
Preferred heating technology: Pellets/air heat pump (no gas on the property!)
If you have to give up some details/additions:
- What can you do without: Basically nothing anymore
- What can you not give up:
Attached is an initial preliminary design for a single-family house that we received after a first planning meeting with a construction company. After our "approval," we will receive the detailed offer.
North is at the top. Entrance is on the east side.
Within our possibilities and various compromises (it would have been nice to have a sliding door separating the living room, a larger storage room, and a slightly bigger bathroom to fit a built-in wardrobe), we are quite satisfied for the time being.
We have already requested that the stairwell window be enlarged from 2 meters to 3 meters (6.5 ft to 9.8 ft) in height, the front door to have the hinges reversed, the storage room window is still under discussion, the upstairs toilet may not be ideally placed, etc.
We would appreciate constructive feedback. Thank you very much!
Residents: 2 adults, 2 children (ages 1 and 10)
Development plan/restrictions: 2 stories, gable or hipped roof with 22-28% pitch
Plot size: 722 sqm (7,770 sq ft)
Slope: No
Parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2
Roof style: Hipped roof 22% pitch
Style: Townhouse?!?
Terrace facing south, entrance from the east
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof shape, building type
Basement, stories: basement plus 2 full floors
Number of occupants, ages
Space requirement for ground floor and first floor: approx. 65-70 sqm (700-750 sq ft) each
Office: none (nice to have, not a must)
Guest sleepers per year: 3-4
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: YES (small)
Garage, carport: 1 single garage with an attached space for equipment/bikes
House design
Planning by: Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Lots of space in the dining and living area, walk-in closet.
What don’t you like? Size of the hallway downstairs (too large?), storage too small, bathroom layout, bedroom somewhat too large.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 320,000 - 340,000 turnkey without floor finishes
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 380,000
Preferred heating technology: Pellets/air heat pump (no gas on the property!)
If you have to give up some details/additions:
- What can you do without: Basically nothing anymore
- What can you not give up:
Oops, sent too early:
About the TV: Yes, it’s supposed to be placed in this area. My wife also mentioned that the sun shines directly on it from the south in summer... I tend to think the sun is too high to cause glare that far back. Unfortunately, I don’t see any alternative location for it.
Walk-in closet: Interesting thought... Our usual argument was the classic one: One person is still sleeping while the other can get dressed without disturbing their partner. Whether it’s practical to run to the bedroom for every larger clothing item is another question... We wanted to avoid a walk-in closet that feels trapped or enclosed if possible.
Bathroom: I can’t quite imagine that right now. I’ll have to think it over again tonight and maybe sketch it out.
Doors: We planned for two glass doors to ensure enough brightness downstairs and to prevent drafts in that area. Of course, this is mostly a winter issue... When there’s a fire in the fireplace, you’d probably have the doors open anyway to distribute the heat throughout the house. Good point... we will definitely discuss that. There might also be the option to install the doors later if, after living in the house for a year, we realize they would be better.
About the TV: Yes, it’s supposed to be placed in this area. My wife also mentioned that the sun shines directly on it from the south in summer... I tend to think the sun is too high to cause glare that far back. Unfortunately, I don’t see any alternative location for it.
Walk-in closet: Interesting thought... Our usual argument was the classic one: One person is still sleeping while the other can get dressed without disturbing their partner. Whether it’s practical to run to the bedroom for every larger clothing item is another question... We wanted to avoid a walk-in closet that feels trapped or enclosed if possible.
Bathroom: I can’t quite imagine that right now. I’ll have to think it over again tonight and maybe sketch it out.
Doors: We planned for two glass doors to ensure enough brightness downstairs and to prevent drafts in that area. Of course, this is mostly a winter issue... When there’s a fire in the fireplace, you’d probably have the doors open anyway to distribute the heat throughout the house. Good point... we will definitely discuss that. There might also be the option to install the doors later if, after living in the house for a year, we realize they would be better.
I agree with the comments from @Doc.Schnaggls—except for the bathroom design.
I would design the bathroom differently as well, but I think Doc’s suggestion doesn’t work because of the door. One practical aspect of your design is having side lighting at the washbasin. However, I find the toilet behind the door problematic.
Other than that, I really like it.
I would design the bathroom differently as well, but I think Doc’s suggestion doesn’t work because of the door. One practical aspect of your design is having side lighting at the washbasin. However, I find the toilet behind the door problematic.
Other than that, I really like it.
Thanks for your reply as well.
I have looked into the bathroom situation: I’m afraid the shower would be too narrow. We wanted it to be a comfortable size.
We’ve also been thinking a lot about the toilet... Because of the laundry chute (which also has to go through the ground floor, so this location makes sense), we are somewhat limited. A T-layout might still be possible; however, in my opinion, this would make the room and the shower quite cramped.
To prevent the door from hitting the toilet in the current plan, a doorstop would need to be installed. I think this could be positioned closer to the wall. Usually, when someone is using the toilet, they lock the door (at least that’s what we do)... But obviously, this isn’t a 100% perfect solution.
How would you solve the lighting? Good shading seems almost to be the only option... Unfortunately, that’s one drawback of large south-facing windows. There is a vacant lot between my parents’ house (to the south) and ours. So we always get a lot of sun... which of course makes it quite hot in summer. We had planned to install roller shutters on both the upper and lower levels. It might make sense to choose blinds for the two large south-facing windows... or just lower the roller shutters when watching TV during the day in summer. Or go to the bedroom instead.
I have looked into the bathroom situation: I’m afraid the shower would be too narrow. We wanted it to be a comfortable size.
We’ve also been thinking a lot about the toilet... Because of the laundry chute (which also has to go through the ground floor, so this location makes sense), we are somewhat limited. A T-layout might still be possible; however, in my opinion, this would make the room and the shower quite cramped.
To prevent the door from hitting the toilet in the current plan, a doorstop would need to be installed. I think this could be positioned closer to the wall. Usually, when someone is using the toilet, they lock the door (at least that’s what we do)... But obviously, this isn’t a 100% perfect solution.
How would you solve the lighting? Good shading seems almost to be the only option... Unfortunately, that’s one drawback of large south-facing windows. There is a vacant lot between my parents’ house (to the south) and ours. So we always get a lot of sun... which of course makes it quite hot in summer. We had planned to install roller shutters on both the upper and lower levels. It might make sense to choose blinds for the two large south-facing windows... or just lower the roller shutters when watching TV during the day in summer. Or go to the bedroom instead.
D
Doc.Schnaggls28 Jan 2016 17:03Jochen104 schrieb:
I would design the bathroom differently as well, but I think Doc’s suggestion won’t work because of the door. That might be the case—I find it a bit difficult to assess without measurements...
Of course, you could also use a nice large awning, but with a good branded product, you should probably budget another 4 to 6 thousand euros for the required size.
Regarding the doors on the ground floor—we decided to omit them entirely, as mentioned earlier, but left the option open to install them later without any problems.
There is no draft in our house, even though we have a very open structure from the basement floor up to the attic.
Best regards,
Dirk
A nice floor plan – if it actually fits the plot, which is unknown to us
In the living room, it won’t be the sun causing glare, but rather the bright sky behind the viewer reflecting on the TV screen and causing glare. But: there are worse things. I think it won’t be that severe for you.
And: during daylight, one is usually doing something other than watching TV; exceptions can be addressed with a roller shutter.
I would also make some changes to the bathroom, but not to the walk-in closet.
I believe it’s important to have the option to look outside from the toilet.
Dan8070 schrieb:
My wife also said that the sun hits it from the south in summer... I’m more of the opinion that the sun is too high in the sky to cause glare all the way at the back
In the living room, it won’t be the sun causing glare, but rather the bright sky behind the viewer reflecting on the TV screen and causing glare. But: there are worse things. I think it won’t be that severe for you.
And: during daylight, one is usually doing something other than watching TV; exceptions can be addressed with a roller shutter.
I would also make some changes to the bathroom, but not to the walk-in closet.
I believe it’s important to have the option to look outside from the toilet.
Is the storage room even usable? An 80cm (31.5 inches) clearance and a 20cm (8 inches) cabinet depth—how is that supposed to work?
Walk-in closet accessed from the hallway, well, you already know my thoughts on that.
The hot water tank is also positioned at the maximum possible distance from the toilet and bathroom.
Why does Child 1 only get a north-facing room, while you want a south-facing orientation for the bedroom and walk-in closet?
These G-shaped kitchens are not very popular, but I won’t go into detail here.
Please also draw a realistically scaled youth bed in the children's rooms (140cm x 200cm plus frame, about 150cm x 210cm (59 x 83 inches)), a proper desk (160cm or preferably larger, since it will serve as both a study desk and a PC desk for the kids), and a decent wardrobe (2 meters (6.6 feet)). After that, is there still enough space for hobbies, a chest of drawers, etc.?
When lying in the bathtub, the head is right next to the toilet. I don’t find that very appealing.
Walk-in closet accessed from the hallway, well, you already know my thoughts on that.
The hot water tank is also positioned at the maximum possible distance from the toilet and bathroom.
Why does Child 1 only get a north-facing room, while you want a south-facing orientation for the bedroom and walk-in closet?
These G-shaped kitchens are not very popular, but I won’t go into detail here.
Please also draw a realistically scaled youth bed in the children's rooms (140cm x 200cm plus frame, about 150cm x 210cm (59 x 83 inches)), a proper desk (160cm or preferably larger, since it will serve as both a study desk and a PC desk for the kids), and a decent wardrobe (2 meters (6.6 feet)). After that, is there still enough space for hobbies, a chest of drawers, etc.?
When lying in the bathtub, the head is right next to the toilet. I don’t find that very appealing.
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