ᐅ Looking for feedback on a floor plan with 195 sqm of living space
Created on: 17 Feb 2017 18:02
H
Hofhaus
Hello dear forum members,
We are still at a very early stage of planning and want to build a replacement house in a rural area on my grandmother’s farm. We have the basic approval from the building authority, so I kindly ask not to start discussions about building in rural areas here, but rather to provide critical feedback on the floor plan we have now received from our architect. I will try to answer the requested questions in an organized way. Unfortunately, I am quite inexperienced with construction. Please be patient with me.
Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size – several hectares, the farmstead area about 5000 sqm (54000 sq ft) (?)
Slope –
Site coverage ratio –
Floor area ratio –
Building envelope, building line and boundary –
Edge development –
Number of parking spaces –
Number of floors: 1–2
Roof type –
Architectural style –
Orientation –
Maximum heights/limits –
Other requirements – “Suitable for a rural setting”
Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type – Nordic, typical single-family house with “captain’s gable” at front and rear, brick facade
Basement, floors – 1.5 floors, no basement because a large outbuilding is available
Number of occupants, ages – Currently 2 (29, 34), house should be planned for 2–3 potential children
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor – Living room with adjoining kitchen, small study, utility room, guest bathroom (with shower)
Office: family use or home office? – Strictly family use; possibly space for paperwork if 3 children eventually come; should fit a sofa bed if needed
Overnight guests per year – irregular, hard to estimate
Open or closed architecture – ?
Conservative or modern construction – Probably conservative with some modern elements or similar
Open kitchen, cooktop island – Would be nice, but we would prefer a sliding door to be able to close off the mess sometimes
Number of dining seats – One dining area in the living room; a counter in the kitchen would be nice
Fireplace – preferably masonry, possibly initially “only” a wood stove
Music / stereo wall –
Balcony, roof terrace –
Garage, carport – We likely will not get planning permission for these; a barn/farmyard space exists and will suffice
Kitchen garden, greenhouse – no
House design
Who designed the plan: Architect based on our ideas from the internet and prefab house exhibitions
What do you particularly like? Why? – I like the open living area / corner glazing as we have green meadow and a stream behind it, nice hallway with storage under the stairs and a cloakroom, number of rooms meets our requirements, large master bedroom, “rotated” staircase
What do you not like? Why? – Tends to be a somewhat too large master bedroom, somewhat small children’s rooms, not necessarily needing a children’s bathroom, too large guest toilet, too small kitchen (no room for kitchen island or counter…)
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: –
Personal price limit for house including equipment: 500,000 EUR including demolition and site preparation of about 60,000 EUR
Preferred heating technology: Unsure... geothermal with solar possible
If you have to waive something, on which details/expansions
– can you do without:
– cannot do without:
I look forward to some input on what you find good or not so good, where a layperson might not immediately think at the start of such a project. Of course, we will pass all our critical remarks back to our architect for revisions, but I think it can’t hurt to get some feedback here as well. Unfortunately, the floor plans do not show the cardinal direction. The living room faces roughly south/west for orientation. We will receive the exterior views today and will share them here immediately.
Thank you in advance.
We are still at a very early stage of planning and want to build a replacement house in a rural area on my grandmother’s farm. We have the basic approval from the building authority, so I kindly ask not to start discussions about building in rural areas here, but rather to provide critical feedback on the floor plan we have now received from our architect. I will try to answer the requested questions in an organized way. Unfortunately, I am quite inexperienced with construction. Please be patient with me.
Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size – several hectares, the farmstead area about 5000 sqm (54000 sq ft) (?)
Slope –
Site coverage ratio –
Floor area ratio –
Building envelope, building line and boundary –
Edge development –
Number of parking spaces –
Number of floors: 1–2
Roof type –
Architectural style –
Orientation –
Maximum heights/limits –
Other requirements – “Suitable for a rural setting”
Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type – Nordic, typical single-family house with “captain’s gable” at front and rear, brick facade
Basement, floors – 1.5 floors, no basement because a large outbuilding is available
Number of occupants, ages – Currently 2 (29, 34), house should be planned for 2–3 potential children
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor – Living room with adjoining kitchen, small study, utility room, guest bathroom (with shower)
Office: family use or home office? – Strictly family use; possibly space for paperwork if 3 children eventually come; should fit a sofa bed if needed
Overnight guests per year – irregular, hard to estimate
Open or closed architecture – ?
Conservative or modern construction – Probably conservative with some modern elements or similar
Open kitchen, cooktop island – Would be nice, but we would prefer a sliding door to be able to close off the mess sometimes
Number of dining seats – One dining area in the living room; a counter in the kitchen would be nice
Fireplace – preferably masonry, possibly initially “only” a wood stove
Music / stereo wall –
Balcony, roof terrace –
Garage, carport – We likely will not get planning permission for these; a barn/farmyard space exists and will suffice
Kitchen garden, greenhouse – no
House design
Who designed the plan: Architect based on our ideas from the internet and prefab house exhibitions
What do you particularly like? Why? – I like the open living area / corner glazing as we have green meadow and a stream behind it, nice hallway with storage under the stairs and a cloakroom, number of rooms meets our requirements, large master bedroom, “rotated” staircase
What do you not like? Why? – Tends to be a somewhat too large master bedroom, somewhat small children’s rooms, not necessarily needing a children’s bathroom, too large guest toilet, too small kitchen (no room for kitchen island or counter…)
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: –
Personal price limit for house including equipment: 500,000 EUR including demolition and site preparation of about 60,000 EUR
Preferred heating technology: Unsure... geothermal with solar possible
If you have to waive something, on which details/expansions
– can you do without:
– cannot do without:
I look forward to some input on what you find good or not so good, where a layperson might not immediately think at the start of such a project. Of course, we will pass all our critical remarks back to our architect for revisions, but I think it can’t hurt to get some feedback here as well. Unfortunately, the floor plans do not show the cardinal direction. The living room faces roughly south/west for orientation. We will receive the exterior views today and will share them here immediately.
Thank you in advance.
Urinal)
One is shown in the guest bathroom. By the way, the architect’s symbols seem to indicate no toilets at all, but rather bidets instead. I would actually consider those a good additional option.
Flushed window reveals)
Well, I mean that in the mentioned rooms the window reveals are flush with the wall surfaces and lack a stop or reveal edge. This style doesn’t suit this kind of house—it’s more typical for the Bauhaus style.
Architect)
In these drawings, familiar modular dimensions can still be seen in several places. I can’t quite follow the wall thickness; the air gap seems rather generously sized. Also, yes, sometimes it seems like the whole design was done rather carelessly. I have the impression of a general quality difference between the “pencil” and “mouse” generations.
Another thread with the mentioned Viebrock house)
A villa for two children, by Kwonni.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
One is shown in the guest bathroom. By the way, the architect’s symbols seem to indicate no toilets at all, but rather bidets instead. I would actually consider those a good additional option.
Flushed window reveals)
Well, I mean that in the mentioned rooms the window reveals are flush with the wall surfaces and lack a stop or reveal edge. This style doesn’t suit this kind of house—it’s more typical for the Bauhaus style.
Architect)
In these drawings, familiar modular dimensions can still be seen in several places. I can’t quite follow the wall thickness; the air gap seems rather generously sized. Also, yes, sometimes it seems like the whole design was done rather carelessly. I have the impression of a general quality difference between the “pencil” and “mouse” generations.
Another thread with the mentioned Viebrock house)
A villa for two children, by Kwonni.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hello Hofhaus, welcome to the forum.
Consider whether you want to place the sofas directly in front of the window wall and what view or light you will have from the windows in that case. In my opinion, these windows don’t make much sense there.
I would move the wall by half a meter (about 20 inches) in favor of the office; otherwise, there won’t be enough space for a sofa bed in the office. That would be a shame for the shower area.
Utility room: think about whether you want to carry laundry through the living room and then the kitchen to get to the utility room. Personally, I don’t like that, and generally, I am also not in favor of a utility room without direct access.
Perhaps the WC could be made smaller to allow access from there?!
Upstairs, I am not happy with the door and hallway layout leading to the master area.
Best regards, Yvonne
Consider whether you want to place the sofas directly in front of the window wall and what view or light you will have from the windows in that case. In my opinion, these windows don’t make much sense there.
I would move the wall by half a meter (about 20 inches) in favor of the office; otherwise, there won’t be enough space for a sofa bed in the office. That would be a shame for the shower area.
Utility room: think about whether you want to carry laundry through the living room and then the kitchen to get to the utility room. Personally, I don’t like that, and generally, I am also not in favor of a utility room without direct access.
Perhaps the WC could be made smaller to allow access from there?!
Upstairs, I am not happy with the door and hallway layout leading to the master area.
Best regards, Yvonne
Hello Yvonne,
Thank you very much for your opinion!
I will definitely reconsider the enclosed utility room. I liked the direct access through the kitchen since, for example, a second sink will be installed there, and when cooking larger meals, it can also serve as additional counter space. However, I hadn’t yet thought about the laundry and the fact that you would always have to go through the kitchen. Thanks for the suggestion.
We are also actually still thinking about the upstairs. Somehow it’s difficult to fit 4 rooms plus a walk-in closet. The walk-in closet is important to me for general storage like towels and bed linen. Two bathrooms upstairs are not absolutely necessary. As long as there is another shower downstairs, one bathroom upstairs would be enough. Somehow, I haven’t found a perfect solution while researching (most houses are simply designed for two children). I like what our architect suggested, but it’s still not ideal.
What do you all think about opening the rooms upstairs up to the roof space? Are there advantages or disadvantages? I’ve seen this in some model home parks but found little information about it. Maybe I’m missing the right term to look it up properly.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Thank you very much for your opinion!
I will definitely reconsider the enclosed utility room. I liked the direct access through the kitchen since, for example, a second sink will be installed there, and when cooking larger meals, it can also serve as additional counter space. However, I hadn’t yet thought about the laundry and the fact that you would always have to go through the kitchen. Thanks for the suggestion.
We are also actually still thinking about the upstairs. Somehow it’s difficult to fit 4 rooms plus a walk-in closet. The walk-in closet is important to me for general storage like towels and bed linen. Two bathrooms upstairs are not absolutely necessary. As long as there is another shower downstairs, one bathroom upstairs would be enough. Somehow, I haven’t found a perfect solution while researching (most houses are simply designed for two children). I like what our architect suggested, but it’s still not ideal.
What do you all think about opening the rooms upstairs up to the roof space? Are there advantages or disadvantages? I’ve seen this in some model home parks but found little information about it. Maybe I’m missing the right term to look it up properly.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Nordlys schrieb:
Room with high ceiling: more expensive, you have to heat more.Heating costs are hardly noticeable.
I would open up all possible spaces vertically—you gain much more living value and a sense of exclusivity; the children could maybe have a loft bed.
I would then skip a second bathroom... but there are also opinions that strongly prefer having a second bathroom upstairs even with only one child.
Upstairs, you have options to reorganize the hallway and convert half of the children's bathroom into a utility room for laundry. The main bathroom would then be somewhat larger. Perhaps you could include a separate toilet with a hand basin within the bathroom? This can help reduce conflicts over privacy later on.
The wall by the staircase is under the stairs and indicates the storage room.
Best regards, Yvonne
ypg schrieb:
The wall in the staircase is located beneath the stairs and indicates the storage room.I understood that already, but what didn’t make sense to me was only using half of the space under the stairs as storage and walling off the rest as wasted space. If they’re planning to put a secret safe there, I wouldn’t post it on the internet.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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