Hello everyone,
We have started over with a different architect. The corner windows from my previous thread have now been discarded. We look forward to your opinions and suggestions for improvement.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 454m² (about 4,888 sq ft)
Slope: no slope
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: see plan
Border development: garage on boundary, 1.5 meters (5 feet) from the street
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hipped roof
Style: modern
Building orientation: eaves-facing
Maximum heights / limits: 6.5 meters (21 ft)
Additional requirements: max 0.7 m (28 inches) roof overhang, no roof eaves, roof pitch 30–35°
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: two-story single-family house
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 (26 years old), 2 children planned
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floor: approx. 75m² (807 sq ft) each
Office: family use or home office? Mostly family use
Overnight guests per year: 5–10
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 garage, space for 1 car in front of garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or should not be included
House Design
Planner: architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Floor-to-ceiling windows, appearance
What do you not like? Why? Staircase design in the plan (alternatives?)
Price estimate according to architect/planner: ~250,000 (plumbing/heating/drywall as DIY)
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 260,000
Preferred heating technology: gas + solar thermal for domestic hot water
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Standard design from the planner? We had little time due to complete replanning and used a design from a large prefab house company that we liked. This was then optimized and adapted to the house dimensions.
Questions we have:
- The utility/technical room with 8m² (86 sq ft) will probably be too small, I assume. Where could space be saved? Controlled ventilation/heating, washing machine, our small current kitchen (along the wall on the right when entering, could be “shortened” accordingly) and a drying rack should fit there.
- Do you have a better idea for the position of the fireplace? Between the two windows seems a bit tight. We would actually prefer the wall opposite, but then the chimney does not fit with the room layout upstairs.
- Is the entrance area possibly too narrow, or is there another way to place the stairs? We would actually like to place the front door in the center, but then according to the plan the stairs are in the way.
If any more information is needed, just let me know.
We look forward to your comments!
Best regards
We have started over with a different architect. The corner windows from my previous thread have now been discarded. We look forward to your opinions and suggestions for improvement.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 454m² (about 4,888 sq ft)
Slope: no slope
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: see plan
Border development: garage on boundary, 1.5 meters (5 feet) from the street
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hipped roof
Style: modern
Building orientation: eaves-facing
Maximum heights / limits: 6.5 meters (21 ft)
Additional requirements: max 0.7 m (28 inches) roof overhang, no roof eaves, roof pitch 30–35°
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: two-story single-family house
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 (26 years old), 2 children planned
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floor: approx. 75m² (807 sq ft) each
Office: family use or home office? Mostly family use
Overnight guests per year: 5–10
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 garage, space for 1 car in front of garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or should not be included
House Design
Planner: architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Floor-to-ceiling windows, appearance
What do you not like? Why? Staircase design in the plan (alternatives?)
Price estimate according to architect/planner: ~250,000 (plumbing/heating/drywall as DIY)
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 260,000
Preferred heating technology: gas + solar thermal for domestic hot water
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Standard design from the planner? We had little time due to complete replanning and used a design from a large prefab house company that we liked. This was then optimized and adapted to the house dimensions.
Questions we have:
- The utility/technical room with 8m² (86 sq ft) will probably be too small, I assume. Where could space be saved? Controlled ventilation/heating, washing machine, our small current kitchen (along the wall on the right when entering, could be “shortened” accordingly) and a drying rack should fit there.
- Do you have a better idea for the position of the fireplace? Between the two windows seems a bit tight. We would actually prefer the wall opposite, but then the chimney does not fit with the room layout upstairs.
- Is the entrance area possibly too narrow, or is there another way to place the stairs? We would actually like to place the front door in the center, but then according to the plan the stairs are in the way.
If any more information is needed, just let me know.
We look forward to your comments!
Best regards
Mat91 schrieb:
Yes, with the current plan we are at 10.12 x 9.75 meters (33.2 x 32.0 feet)... I can’t quite interpret that right now. What are the exterior dimensions of the house and how wide is the garage?
kaho674 schrieb:
I can’t interpret that right now. What are the external dimensions of the house and how wide is the garage? The garage is 3.50 meters (11.5 feet) wide, and the house is 10.12 meters (33.2 feet) wide. With an additional gap of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) — which needs to be planted with a hedge 1.80 meters (5.9 feet) high — we are using the full plot width of 15.12 meters (49.6 feet).
I probably can’t repeat this enough in this forum: in winter, the sun does not set in the west, but around 4:30 PM in the southwest! In mid-June, it sets in the northwest, but at that time of year it is light anyway.
From September until March, you won’t see the sun inside your sacred rooms, and the daylight during this period is generally poor—that’s why it’s called the “dark” season.
You can simulate the sun’s path for different months online.
Best regards in brief
From September until March, you won’t see the sun inside your sacred rooms, and the daylight during this period is generally poor—that’s why it’s called the “dark” season.
You can simulate the sun’s path for different months online.
Best regards in brief
We have also been thinking about the current plan. I quickly made some changes using paint.net. Please don’t laugh—if it makes sense as we imagine, it would of course be discussed and implemented with the architect.
The office in the lower right would be replaced by the utility room for building services (gas boiler, buffer tank for solar thermal system, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, about 8 m² (86 sq ft)). We feel that we already have enough rooms and don’t need an extra office. This way, there is still enough space in the laundry/utility room for groceries and our current small kitchen, where additional items can be stored. I made the hallway a bit smaller so that the building services room can be reduced in size and the living room slightly enlarged. I also spontaneously got a bit brave and reduced the size of the garage, adding a corner window so that the house should get sunlight already around midday… hopefully. The chimney would roughly run through the second child’s bedroom, which wouldn’t bother me (maybe the child, but you can’t have everything ). Of course, this was all done by me, an amateur. Whether the kitchen layout isn’t too small now is another question. I will need precise measurements from the architect to calculate that properly. Don’t be surprised that the staircase is missing—that will be handled by a professional.
Otherwise, I will happily discuss your drafts and opinions with my partner and get back to you later. Thanks again!
The office in the lower right would be replaced by the utility room for building services (gas boiler, buffer tank for solar thermal system, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, about 8 m² (86 sq ft)). We feel that we already have enough rooms and don’t need an extra office. This way, there is still enough space in the laundry/utility room for groceries and our current small kitchen, where additional items can be stored. I made the hallway a bit smaller so that the building services room can be reduced in size and the living room slightly enlarged. I also spontaneously got a bit brave and reduced the size of the garage, adding a corner window so that the house should get sunlight already around midday… hopefully. The chimney would roughly run through the second child’s bedroom, which wouldn’t bother me (maybe the child, but you can’t have everything ). Of course, this was all done by me, an amateur. Whether the kitchen layout isn’t too small now is another question. I will need precise measurements from the architect to calculate that properly. Don’t be surprised that the staircase is missing—that will be handled by a professional.
Otherwise, I will happily discuss your drafts and opinions with my partner and get back to you later. Thanks again!
Unfortunately, from a solar perspective, this is a disaster. The sun enters the living room from the left side of the plan. There, you have a tiny corner window. Otherwise, your garage blocks the sunlight from reaching the house. The other windows are on the north side—although quite large, there is no light coming through. The utility room no longer has any window at all. The chimney situation is also still unclear. Well, everything depends on the staircase.
You still have quite a bit to figure out.
You still have quite a bit to figure out.
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