Hello everyone,
Finally, my floor plans are ready. Only our basement living area is missing, but I still need some information from the architect. The plan includes a laundry room, the heating room, a storage room, an office, and a large hobby room with a bathroom and a small kitchenette.
Attached is the site plan. It was provided by our architect and has been approved by the building authority regarding setback distances and parking spaces. I only added privacy fences and a garden shed. The positions are based on local neighborhood regulations. To the north, there is a garden plot (not buildable), to the east another new building is being constructed, to the south is the street (30 km/h (18.6 mph) zone) and across from it a house with a garden. To the west, directly adjacent to our property, there is a driveway and a garage, with another house next to it.
I’m trying to provide as much information as possible:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 412.5 sqm (4,440 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.25
Floor area ratio: 0.50
Number of parking spaces: 2 free parking spaces
Number of stories: 2 floors (attic counts as 2nd floor due to knee wall) + basement living area
Roof type: gable roof, 25 degrees, knee wall 160 cm (63 inches)
Client requirements
Number of people: 2 adults (eventually + 2 children), ages 28 and 34
Office: home office in the basement living area
Kitchen: closed kitchen with a kitchen island pushed against the wall
Number of dining seats: 4, extendable to 6
Fireplace: no
Additional wishes
- The garden should be completely shielded from views (hence the privacy fence)
- We did not plan any garages, as we never had one and have never missed it. For strollers, garden furniture, etc., I have planned a garden shed, which also serves as a privacy screen
- We want a closed kitchen, no open kitchen. We don’t like that look.
- On the ground floor, we need a small niche for the vacuum cleaner, ironing board, water crates, etc.
- A walk-in closet is a must
- As well as a walk-in, built-in shower
I’m really looking forward to your opinions!
Finally, my floor plans are ready. Only our basement living area is missing, but I still need some information from the architect. The plan includes a laundry room, the heating room, a storage room, an office, and a large hobby room with a bathroom and a small kitchenette.
Attached is the site plan. It was provided by our architect and has been approved by the building authority regarding setback distances and parking spaces. I only added privacy fences and a garden shed. The positions are based on local neighborhood regulations. To the north, there is a garden plot (not buildable), to the east another new building is being constructed, to the south is the street (30 km/h (18.6 mph) zone) and across from it a house with a garden. To the west, directly adjacent to our property, there is a driveway and a garage, with another house next to it.
I’m trying to provide as much information as possible:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 412.5 sqm (4,440 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.25
Floor area ratio: 0.50
Number of parking spaces: 2 free parking spaces
Number of stories: 2 floors (attic counts as 2nd floor due to knee wall) + basement living area
Roof type: gable roof, 25 degrees, knee wall 160 cm (63 inches)
Client requirements
Number of people: 2 adults (eventually + 2 children), ages 28 and 34
Office: home office in the basement living area
Kitchen: closed kitchen with a kitchen island pushed against the wall
Number of dining seats: 4, extendable to 6
Fireplace: no
Additional wishes
- The garden should be completely shielded from views (hence the privacy fence)
- We did not plan any garages, as we never had one and have never missed it. For strollers, garden furniture, etc., I have planned a garden shed, which also serves as a privacy screen
- We want a closed kitchen, no open kitchen. We don’t like that look.
- On the ground floor, we need a small niche for the vacuum cleaner, ironing board, water crates, etc.
- A walk-in closet is a must
- As well as a walk-in, built-in shower
I’m really looking forward to your opinions!
Hello, a quick question: Have you already signed the contract with the prefab house company?
To me, the whole thread unfortunately reads like the typical recipe for a 'disaster house'.
You take a prefab house floor plan, move all the walls around, add a kitchen island here, a walk-in closet there. The result → a house that doesn’t work.
Also, the approach where YOU create preliminary drafts and then the 'architect' is supposed to implement them says a lot about your 'architect’s' working method.
If you can still get out of the contract, do so, and take your room layout, needs, and the building permit / planning permission regulations to a professional architect and have someone design your house who actually knows what they’re doing.
To me, the whole thread unfortunately reads like the typical recipe for a 'disaster house'.
You take a prefab house floor plan, move all the walls around, add a kitchen island here, a walk-in closet there. The result → a house that doesn’t work.
Also, the approach where YOU create preliminary drafts and then the 'architect' is supposed to implement them says a lot about your 'architect’s' working method.
If you can still get out of the contract, do so, and take your room layout, needs, and the building permit / planning permission regulations to a professional architect and have someone design your house who actually knows what they’re doing.
S
Schnuckline3 Apr 2017 15:41@11ant I’m having trouble understanding what you mean again. Sorry about that. Please explain it to me once more when you have time. Have a good evening!
@apokolok I don’t quite understand what you mean. The architect is from an external architecture firm, not from Bien-Zenker. I think if I walked into any other architect’s office, it would be the same result. They can’t read my mind or know what I want and what my requirements are. We’d just be sitting there going like, “Please move wall Y 30cm (12 inches) to the left,” or “Wall Z should be a little more angled and not quite as long.” It’s easier if I provide a rough draft beforehand. That wasn’t her idea either. I insisted on it and also rejected some of her other designs.
Ah, I know I’m a really complicated and confusing person. I sincerely apologize to everyone who wants to help me.
@apokolok I don’t quite understand what you mean. The architect is from an external architecture firm, not from Bien-Zenker. I think if I walked into any other architect’s office, it would be the same result. They can’t read my mind or know what I want and what my requirements are. We’d just be sitting there going like, “Please move wall Y 30cm (12 inches) to the left,” or “Wall Z should be a little more angled and not quite as long.” It’s easier if I provide a rough draft beforehand. That wasn’t her idea either. I insisted on it and also rejected some of her other designs.
Ah, I know I’m a really complicated and confusing person. I sincerely apologize to everyone who wants to help me.
Schnuckline schrieb:
I completely forgot to mention during all the planning (especially for the bathroom) that my boyfriend is about 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) tall Roof pitch? I’m also about 1.90 meters (6 ft 3 in) tall, and a knee wall height of 1.2 meters (4 ft) with a 45° pitch, for example, is more than enough. 1.6 meters (5 ft 3 in) at 38° should also work without any problems. Draw it all out on graph paper with millimeter (inch) scale and see where the 2-meter (6 ft 7 in) line falls. Then he’ll just have to sit down to use the toilet as usual. (That way, you won’t even need a urinal anymore.)
Schnuckline schrieb:
So where does the dresser with the TV go now? On the wall with a swivel arm.
Schnuckline schrieb:
Then the door will slam against the dresser There are door stops in all kinds of variations. Behind the door handle, we have a wardrobe door with a glass panel, and it doesn’t get damaged.
You are paying a lot of money for the architect to do NOTHING! Either you don’t work well together, or you should give her some creative freedom and trust her; you can communicate your preferences effectively with images and text.
First of all, the focus should be on planning which rooms are needed, where they should be located, how they relate to each other, and what other requirements there are. Moving something 30cm (12 inches) to the left should only happen later, once the basics are clear.
The way you are approaching this so far carries a significant risk of getting lost in details and losing sight of the overall coherence. By the way, with the house size you have, some features (especially the walk-in closet?!) might simply not be feasible...
First of all, the focus should be on planning which rooms are needed, where they should be located, how they relate to each other, and what other requirements there are. Moving something 30cm (12 inches) to the left should only happen later, once the basics are clear.
The way you are approaching this so far carries a significant risk of getting lost in details and losing sight of the overall coherence. By the way, with the house size you have, some features (especially the walk-in closet?!) might simply not be feasible...
S
Schnuckline3 Apr 2017 16:12So, something basic now. I’m totally confused. We currently live in a 3-room apartment of about 70 sqm (750 sq ft). The size is absolutely fine for us. Everything fits. And now I’m planning a house of around 120 sqm (1,290 sq ft) and nothing fits anymore. How can that be?
Just thinking about the bedroom alone. At the moment, it’s nice with a large walk-in closet, a chest of drawers (for bed linen), a matching cabinet (overflowing with skincare products, cosmetics, glasses, bags, etc.), and a makeup corner with a dressing table. Now when I imagine walking in and my front door blocking the cabinet, no space for the dressing table, chest of drawers, or cabinet (where would all the stuff go?), I feel like crying. This is just terrible. It can’t be that owning a house puts us in a worse situation than before. I know this sounds like I’m just whining, but it really makes me unhappy.
If you didn’t even like how the house could turn out, would you pull back and give up on building? So far, we’ve only spent a few thousand dollars on the architect, surveyor, etc., but we are still waiting for the notary appointment.
Here in our area, it’s really tough just to find a plot of land. After more than three years of searching, this was our only chance—and it’s in a good location, with an acceptable price and no slope. This was basically what I had been working and dreaming towards all these years, and now it’s not at all how I imagined it. I’m so frustrated. Sorry for the complaining, but I just needed to get it off my chest.
Just thinking about the bedroom alone. At the moment, it’s nice with a large walk-in closet, a chest of drawers (for bed linen), a matching cabinet (overflowing with skincare products, cosmetics, glasses, bags, etc.), and a makeup corner with a dressing table. Now when I imagine walking in and my front door blocking the cabinet, no space for the dressing table, chest of drawers, or cabinet (where would all the stuff go?), I feel like crying. This is just terrible. It can’t be that owning a house puts us in a worse situation than before. I know this sounds like I’m just whining, but it really makes me unhappy.
If you didn’t even like how the house could turn out, would you pull back and give up on building? So far, we’ve only spent a few thousand dollars on the architect, surveyor, etc., but we are still waiting for the notary appointment.
Here in our area, it’s really tough just to find a plot of land. After more than three years of searching, this was our only chance—and it’s in a good location, with an acceptable price and no slope. This was basically what I had been working and dreaming towards all these years, and now it’s not at all how I imagined it. I’m so frustrated. Sorry for the complaining, but I just needed to get it off my chest.
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