ᐅ 10x10 m urban villa (approximately 1,670 sq ft, 6 rooms), fine-tuning welcome
Created on: 20 Aug 2017 14:34
C
Changeling
Ground Floor:
Upper Floor:
Outdoor Areas:
Positioned on the Plot:
Development Plan / Restrictions:
The plot may only be built on the southern half; otherwise, there are no particular restrictions.
Plot size: 900 square meters (approx. 30 x 30 meters / 98 x 98 feet)
Slope: No, only on the west side does the land slope down 3 meters (10 feet) toward the street at the end of the plot. On the north side, there is a retaining wall because the plot is about 2 meters (7 feet) above street level there. Therefore, access by vehicle is only possible from the south.
Clients’ Requirements
Style, Roof Shape, Building Type: A two-story urban villa with a pyramid hip roof (square hipped roof), since the upper floor has no sloped ceilings.
Basement: No basement, as it is too expensive, impractical, and involves additional construction risks.
Number of Occupants, Age: 2 adults (30 years old), 1 child (3 years old), with 1-2 more children planned.
Living Room: A large, open living area was important to us as this is where life happens. A computer corner is planned in the lower right corner since we spend more time at the computer than watching TV. We also work a lot from home and do not want to be confined to a separate room.
Fireplace: Yes.
Guest Room: Also used as storage space, which is especially useful since there is no basement.
Kitchen: The stove and sink are not in their final positions yet – a cooking island is undesirable because of the extractor hood and impractical due to splashing.
Technical / Utility Room: Also serves as a pantry and should be filled with shelves up to the ceiling.
Children’s Rooms: Size should be adequate.
Bedroom: Almost too large, but necessary due to the large wardrobe and double bed.
Bathroom: The design is still at an early stage; for example, the shower is planned as a built-in enclosure without a cabin.
Terrace: Important to us, along with a covered area so we can leave items outside occasionally.
Garage, Carport: As large as possible! It should be a wooden carport, fully closed at the front with sectional doors, and open or closed at the rear as needed. We currently use our garage as a "second living room" and for storing garden tools and similar items. Due to the long car, space will be tight; likely the terrace will be slightly smaller and the carport deeper (or the roof overhang on the left extended). The additions on the far left are planned later as a garden shed or similar and are therefore not a fixed part of the house. The covered connection to the house is a must, so we can enter without getting wet. The lower part facing the street is purely for privacy and is not a solid wall.
Garden: We will build our greenhouse ourselves as we have it now.
House Design:
Planning by: Planner from a construction company; outdoor areas added by us.
What do you particularly like? Why?: The numerous outbuildings and large carport for space, the large living room with open kitchen (also for space). Also, the level access to the terrace (which we don’t have currently).
What do you dislike? Why?: The basement level feels a bit cramped (utility room/kitchen small), while the upper floor is very spacious, but so far this is the best solution.
Cost Estimate by Architect/Planner: $290,000 USD with a maximum of +10% overrun.
Insulation / Construction: Unfortunately, it is built only to the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) standards; I would have preferred better insulation, but it is likely too expensive. The masonry consists of calcium silicate blocks (20 cm / 8 inches outside + 16 cm / 6 inches EPS (polystyrene) insulation boards).
Heating System: Ground-source heat pump (brine-water) with earth probe; gas connection would be too expensive and we do not want oil heating.
If you had to give up features / expansions
- Could you do without: At most one fewer children’s room; the rest should stay as is...
- Could you not do without: Everything? That would be difficult.
Why did the design turn out the way it is?
We reviewed suggestions from the planner, spent a weekend designing alternatives ourselves, and ultimately found the current compromise. It includes essentially all our wishes.
The design could have been better if the house orientation had been different; otherwise, the kitchen/terrace/dining area wouldn’t all have to be squeezed next to the carport. However, since the street is on the south side and the northern half of the plot cannot be built on, the house must be positioned as it is and the terrace on the south side to catch the sun. We do not want the carport on the east side, as that would place the house further toward the center of the plot and make the terrace fully visible from the neighboring house to the south.
A similar-sized building plot on the east side will be developed with another single-family urban villa.
What is the most important / fundamental question regarding the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think? What could be improved or is missing? Any concerns?
Upper Floor:
Outdoor Areas:
Positioned on the Plot:
Development Plan / Restrictions:
The plot may only be built on the southern half; otherwise, there are no particular restrictions.
Plot size: 900 square meters (approx. 30 x 30 meters / 98 x 98 feet)
Slope: No, only on the west side does the land slope down 3 meters (10 feet) toward the street at the end of the plot. On the north side, there is a retaining wall because the plot is about 2 meters (7 feet) above street level there. Therefore, access by vehicle is only possible from the south.
Clients’ Requirements
Style, Roof Shape, Building Type: A two-story urban villa with a pyramid hip roof (square hipped roof), since the upper floor has no sloped ceilings.
Basement: No basement, as it is too expensive, impractical, and involves additional construction risks.
Number of Occupants, Age: 2 adults (30 years old), 1 child (3 years old), with 1-2 more children planned.
Living Room: A large, open living area was important to us as this is where life happens. A computer corner is planned in the lower right corner since we spend more time at the computer than watching TV. We also work a lot from home and do not want to be confined to a separate room.
Fireplace: Yes.
Guest Room: Also used as storage space, which is especially useful since there is no basement.
Kitchen: The stove and sink are not in their final positions yet – a cooking island is undesirable because of the extractor hood and impractical due to splashing.
Technical / Utility Room: Also serves as a pantry and should be filled with shelves up to the ceiling.
Children’s Rooms: Size should be adequate.
Bedroom: Almost too large, but necessary due to the large wardrobe and double bed.
Bathroom: The design is still at an early stage; for example, the shower is planned as a built-in enclosure without a cabin.
Terrace: Important to us, along with a covered area so we can leave items outside occasionally.
Garage, Carport: As large as possible! It should be a wooden carport, fully closed at the front with sectional doors, and open or closed at the rear as needed. We currently use our garage as a "second living room" and for storing garden tools and similar items. Due to the long car, space will be tight; likely the terrace will be slightly smaller and the carport deeper (or the roof overhang on the left extended). The additions on the far left are planned later as a garden shed or similar and are therefore not a fixed part of the house. The covered connection to the house is a must, so we can enter without getting wet. The lower part facing the street is purely for privacy and is not a solid wall.
Garden: We will build our greenhouse ourselves as we have it now.
House Design:
Planning by: Planner from a construction company; outdoor areas added by us.
What do you particularly like? Why?: The numerous outbuildings and large carport for space, the large living room with open kitchen (also for space). Also, the level access to the terrace (which we don’t have currently).
What do you dislike? Why?: The basement level feels a bit cramped (utility room/kitchen small), while the upper floor is very spacious, but so far this is the best solution.
Cost Estimate by Architect/Planner: $290,000 USD with a maximum of +10% overrun.
Insulation / Construction: Unfortunately, it is built only to the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) standards; I would have preferred better insulation, but it is likely too expensive. The masonry consists of calcium silicate blocks (20 cm / 8 inches outside + 16 cm / 6 inches EPS (polystyrene) insulation boards).
Heating System: Ground-source heat pump (brine-water) with earth probe; gas connection would be too expensive and we do not want oil heating.
If you had to give up features / expansions
- Could you do without: At most one fewer children’s room; the rest should stay as is...
- Could you not do without: Everything? That would be difficult.
Why did the design turn out the way it is?
We reviewed suggestions from the planner, spent a weekend designing alternatives ourselves, and ultimately found the current compromise. It includes essentially all our wishes.
The design could have been better if the house orientation had been different; otherwise, the kitchen/terrace/dining area wouldn’t all have to be squeezed next to the carport. However, since the street is on the south side and the northern half of the plot cannot be built on, the house must be positioned as it is and the terrace on the south side to catch the sun. We do not want the carport on the east side, as that would place the house further toward the center of the plot and make the terrace fully visible from the neighboring house to the south.
A similar-sized building plot on the east side will be developed with another single-family urban villa.
What is the most important / fundamental question regarding the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think? What could be improved or is missing? Any concerns?
M
Matthew0321 Aug 2017 12:11Changeling schrieb:
Kitchen: The stove and sink are not yet in their final positions – a cooking island is unattractive due to the extractor hood and impractical because of splashing.
Apart from the concerns about storage space, which I also consider far too limited, here is another tip about the kitchen: there are now several attractive alternatives to an overhead extractor hood, and I’m not just referring to Bora; there are more affordable options that work just as well.
If you make the peninsula deeper, you could keep the cooktop there.
Changeling schrieb:
...
And we don’t really care much about the stairs, as long as they don’t creak (and the design includes floating steps recessed into the wall). Whether beech with a metal railing or white oak... it’s a staircase, not a fashion statement.
We won’t spend thousands of euros more just because we might find something else more attractive. First, it’s not in the budget, and second, it’s not worth that much to us.
Better to have something not visible Just for your information or to ask: didn’t you mention somewhere that the stairs should be closed?
If that’s the case, additional costs will definitely come up for you. I don’t know if your type of staircase can even be closed... we have half risers, each costing around €100 (about $110).
Anyway, that wasn’t your main question here, but it’s still something you should think about.
Edit: in post #3 you mentioned a closed staircase.
Yes, that’s good for storage, but as already said: you won’t get that easily with the staircase included in your construction contract without a four-figure extra cost.
And that goes for every detail... that’s what @RobinMKK wanted to point out.
W
winnetou7821 Aug 2017 12:22What you’re saying is all valid, and criticism is definitely helpful, but sometimes things here are just exaggerated way too much.
C
Changeling21 Aug 2017 12:24chand1986 schrieb:
Okay. Then this is a need that must be addressed. However, I would point out that privacy screening doesn’t necessarily have to come from the carport.
It would be important to determine from which height a privacy screen effectively blocks the view from the windows. Masonry or appropriate planting, if high enough and well placed, can do the job as well.
You won’t be able to recreate the original feeling of 2000sqm (0.5 acres) of privacy anyway.
A rather basic question: Why move out at all? It doesn’t sound like there will be a significant improvement with the new build.That’s true, we won’t get that back. But we want something of our own. We practically never go on “classic” vacations; instead, we spend most of our time at home and in the garden, doing crafts and building a lot, and we enjoy working in the vegetable patch and on constant improvements. We also keep chickens (no rooster).
The problem is that part of our current plot is designated as building land, and the landlord plans to erect a house there in about three years. This new house will be 2m (6.5 ft) higher than the rest of the land and will have full view of everything. Also, we currently have a north-facing terrace made of precast concrete slabs, and we would like to have something nicer, or occasionally make decent investments here and there (windows, fireplace, shower, etc.). But all of that would benefit only the landlord, and with the new house the plot will lose all its charm. That’s why we prefer owning a home. At least then, you invest all the time and love into your own four walls. And especially the money (rent is 1100€ cold rent; so not much of a financial advantage compared to owning that would justify renting).
We’re looking forward to the ground-level access to the garden (currently only accessible via stairs from the carport!), the garden view from the house’s ground floor (currently only visible through a toilet window, so you can’t just let the child out to play in the garden), the side-by-side double carport (currently the cars are parked one behind the other), and the open kitchen. What we will miss is the huge, private, and secluded plot, the lack of neighbors, and (some of) the peace and quiet.
We definitely plan to visit the plot again and measure the height needed for the privacy screen anyway.
RobsonMKK schrieb:
I’ll be a bit provocative. If you only need a computer corner in the living room, then 33sqm (355 sq ft) is too much there. A bit too provocative. We do want a couch to lounge on and a dining table as well.
The biggest room we have now (6.5x4.6m; 21x15 ft) is our current living room... it works, but bigger would be nicer. There’s currently no dining table in there though.
Matthew03 schrieb:
Apart from the concerns about storage space, which I also find far too small, one tip about the kitchen: there are now several nice alternatives to a traditional overhead extractor hood—not just Bora; there are cheaper options that work just as well.
If you make the peninsula deeper, you could leave the cooktop there. That’s my wife’s decision; I don’t want to interfere. Since she doesn’t want the cooktop there at all (not just because of the extractor hood), it’s fine.
Nice side effect: costs less.
ypg schrieb:
Just for info and a question: didn’t you say somewhere that the stairs should be closed?
If that’s the case, you will almost certainly face additional costs. I don’t know if your type of stairs can even be closed... we have half risers, each cost around 100€ (about $110).
Anyway, that wasn’t your question here, but it’s something you should keep in mind. Yes, exactly. The risers are included in the price (we explicitly asked about that).
Changeling schrieb:
Yes, exactly. However, risers are included in the price (we specifically inquired about that).Ah, okay [emoji848][emoji2] not bad!
Which rooms in the multi-family house face north?
C
Changeling21 Aug 2017 12:58Good question! I have no idea.
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