If we decide to go ahead with a current purchase option for a plot of land, this house type with the floor plans attached below would currently be our first choice. It represents a compromise between the required rooms and the price. However, we wouldn’t want to fully adopt the floor plan 100% as is – the extent to which changes are actually possible will depend on the budget, especially considering the already quite high price per square meter here. Our room for upgrades will therefore not be very generous...
Zoning plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 550 sqm (5920 sq ft)
Slope: minimal
Site coverage ratio
Floor area ratio
Building window, building line, and building boundary: the house could definitely be realised within these
Perimeter development
Number of parking spaces
Number of floors: all options possible
Roof shape: no specifications
Architectural style
Orientation
Maximum heights/restrictions
Other requirements
Homeowners’ requirements
Architectural style, roof shape, building type: single-family house, initially aiming for a gable roof
Basement, floors: basement still uncertain, 2 full floors would obviously be great
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 1 child + 1 baby, possibly 1 more maximum
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: at least 2 children’s rooms, office absolutely necessary
Office: family use or home office? Professionally required office, potential use as guest room under consideration
Guests per year: quite a few visits expected
Open or closed architecture: want a closed kitchen!
Conservative or modern construction: hmmm
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen
Number of dining seats: table in kitchen with 4 chairs, dining table with 6 chairs
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: not very important
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage to be integrated into the basement if there is one
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine:
House design
Who planned it:
- Planner from a construction company, part of a general contractor’s series
- Architect
- DIY by you
What do you like most? An eventual third child suddenly possible
What don’t you like? Kitchen is too small for me, too few windows?
Estimated price according to architect/planner: expected to cost around 227,000 euros without painter and flooring work
Personal budget limit for house including fittings:
Preferred heating technology: definitely no ground source heat pump
If you have to give up something, which details/extensions:
- Can you do without: upper bathroom could be smaller, guest room not absolutely necessary
- Can you not do without: we need 2 bathrooms with showers, I want to have the option of placing a small table in the kitchen
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Perhaps you can give us your assessment on the following points:
1. At 152 sqm (1635 sq ft) of floor area, the house is not “small” – but we have also heard opinions that the children’s rooms are too small, the living-dining area is rather small, there is hardly any space for a play corner, and that the kitchen is too small; also the entrance area might be too small for a family of four with corresponding coats, shoes, cupboards. Does that also seem true to you at first glance?
2. I definitely want a closed kitchen and according to the general contractor, this is feasible here. But I also want a small table with 4 chairs in the kitchen. I don’t want to mess up the living room dining area every morning having breakfast with the children; I want to be able to quickly sweep the kitchen instead. I’m open for kitchen layout ideas. I’m not a master cook and it’s not a hobby for me, so I definitely don’t need a luxury kitchen with all the bells and whistles. But I really want this small table with 4 seats. Is that even possible in just under 11 sqm (118 sq ft)?
3. Since I fear the kitchen is too small for this, we had the idea to turn the 12 sqm (129 sq ft) guest room into the living room by removing the wall. The kitchen would then be extended towards the living room. Does that make sense?
4. Some comments on the floor plan mentioned that there are too few windows and that the house will not be very bright. Brightness is important to me though. Architecturally, it should be possible to add another window in the kitchen and also add skylights to the children’s rooms, right? But do you have any idea what such additional windows would cost? Are we talking around 500 euros (about 550 US dollars) or closer to 5,000 euros (about 5,500 US dollars) per window or something completely different?
Thanks for every opinion!
Zoning plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 550 sqm (5920 sq ft)
Slope: minimal
Site coverage ratio
Floor area ratio
Building window, building line, and building boundary: the house could definitely be realised within these
Perimeter development
Number of parking spaces
Number of floors: all options possible
Roof shape: no specifications
Architectural style
Orientation
Maximum heights/restrictions
Other requirements
Homeowners’ requirements
Architectural style, roof shape, building type: single-family house, initially aiming for a gable roof
Basement, floors: basement still uncertain, 2 full floors would obviously be great
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 1 child + 1 baby, possibly 1 more maximum
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: at least 2 children’s rooms, office absolutely necessary
Office: family use or home office? Professionally required office, potential use as guest room under consideration
Guests per year: quite a few visits expected
Open or closed architecture: want a closed kitchen!
Conservative or modern construction: hmmm
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen
Number of dining seats: table in kitchen with 4 chairs, dining table with 6 chairs
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: not very important
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage to be integrated into the basement if there is one
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine:
House design
Who planned it:
- Planner from a construction company, part of a general contractor’s series
- Architect
- DIY by you
What do you like most? An eventual third child suddenly possible
What don’t you like? Kitchen is too small for me, too few windows?
Estimated price according to architect/planner: expected to cost around 227,000 euros without painter and flooring work
Personal budget limit for house including fittings:
Preferred heating technology: definitely no ground source heat pump
If you have to give up something, which details/extensions:
- Can you do without: upper bathroom could be smaller, guest room not absolutely necessary
- Can you not do without: we need 2 bathrooms with showers, I want to have the option of placing a small table in the kitchen
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Perhaps you can give us your assessment on the following points:
1. At 152 sqm (1635 sq ft) of floor area, the house is not “small” – but we have also heard opinions that the children’s rooms are too small, the living-dining area is rather small, there is hardly any space for a play corner, and that the kitchen is too small; also the entrance area might be too small for a family of four with corresponding coats, shoes, cupboards. Does that also seem true to you at first glance?
2. I definitely want a closed kitchen and according to the general contractor, this is feasible here. But I also want a small table with 4 chairs in the kitchen. I don’t want to mess up the living room dining area every morning having breakfast with the children; I want to be able to quickly sweep the kitchen instead. I’m open for kitchen layout ideas. I’m not a master cook and it’s not a hobby for me, so I definitely don’t need a luxury kitchen with all the bells and whistles. But I really want this small table with 4 seats. Is that even possible in just under 11 sqm (118 sq ft)?
3. Since I fear the kitchen is too small for this, we had the idea to turn the 12 sqm (129 sq ft) guest room into the living room by removing the wall. The kitchen would then be extended towards the living room. Does that make sense?
4. Some comments on the floor plan mentioned that there are too few windows and that the house will not be very bright. Brightness is important to me though. Architecturally, it should be possible to add another window in the kitchen and also add skylights to the children’s rooms, right? But do you have any idea what such additional windows would cost? Are we talking around 500 euros (about 550 US dollars) or closer to 5,000 euros (about 5,500 US dollars) per window or something completely different?
Thanks for every opinion!
MarcWen schrieb:
To be honest, I'm curious how Kern-Haus manages the separation between land and house, or if you will have to pay taxes on the entire project.How is that supposed to work?
We are not buying the land from Kern; so why would we have to pay taxes on the house again?
Ypg, thank you for your assessment.
We have already had several discussions with the provider, including in person. We understand that the price is a base price, and we are also budgeting for upgrades. However, we are realistic and do not want to overextend ourselves; accordingly, we cannot plan for an additional 40,000 euros for windows and various extras. For upgrades, our current plan would allow for around 15,000 euros at most.
We will also be visiting this house as a show home.
No, at this stage we are not committed to this provider. However, I generally find that the floor plans for detached houses are quite similar across different providers, and the room sizes are not drastically different. A standard detached house with a pitched roof typically does not include children's rooms of 20 m² (215 sq ft), excluding customized designs. And living-dining areas are usually around 32–34 m² (345–366 sq ft) almost everywhere.
We have also considered whether changing the roof style would significantly affect the square meterage.
We have already had several discussions with the provider, including in person. We understand that the price is a base price, and we are also budgeting for upgrades. However, we are realistic and do not want to overextend ourselves; accordingly, we cannot plan for an additional 40,000 euros for windows and various extras. For upgrades, our current plan would allow for around 15,000 euros at most.
We will also be visiting this house as a show home.
No, at this stage we are not committed to this provider. However, I generally find that the floor plans for detached houses are quite similar across different providers, and the room sizes are not drastically different. A standard detached house with a pitched roof typically does not include children's rooms of 20 m² (215 sq ft), excluding customized designs. And living-dining areas are usually around 32–34 m² (345–366 sq ft) almost everywhere.
We have also considered whether changing the roof style would significantly affect the square meterage.
Mizit schrieb:
How is this supposed to be understood?
We are not buying the plot from Kern; so why would we have to pay taxes on the house again?Well, I was never completely sure about these arrangements. The fact is, you buy a plot and then you are no longer free to decide with whom to build the house. So, you are basically buying the plot and the house as a package. It could very well be that the tax authorities will look into this more closely, and you should be prepared for questions. Do you already know how Kern handles this contractually?
Mizit schrieb:
Ypg, thank you for your assessment.
We have already had several discussions with the provider, including in person. We understand that this is a base price, and we are also budgeting for upgrades. However, we are realistic and do not want to overstretch ourselves; accordingly, we cannot allocate 40,000 euros for windows and various extras. For upgrades, our current plan limits us to about 15,000 euros.
We will also visit this house as a show home.
No, at this stage we are not committed to this provider. But in general, I find that the floor plans of single-family homes are quite similar among different providers, and the room sizes are not fundamentally different. A typical single-family house with a pitched roof usually does not include children’s rooms of 20 m² (215 sq ft), except for custom designs. And the living-dining area is almost always around 32–34 m² (345–365 sq ft).
We have also considered whether changing the roof style would significantly increase the square footage.I don’t think so, because the main bottleneck is not upstairs, but in the kitchen downstairs. Also, there is a lack of storage space.
In this respect, I would forgo a basement in the garage and slightly reduce the size of the house to save about half the cost.
ypg schrieb:
I don’t think so, because the main bottleneck is not upstairs but down in the kitchen. Also, there is a lack of storage space.
Therefore, I would skip the basement and garage and build a smaller house for about half the cost.Similar topics