Hello everyone,
I wanted to get some opinions from you regarding our floor plan to potentially identify any major mistakes that we might not be considering at the moment. We are building a semi-detached house.
Exterior dimensions approximately 10.99 m x 9.99 m (36 ft 1 in x 32 ft 9 in), solid construction.
Room layout ground floor: entrance area, utility room, cloakroom, WC, straight staircase, living/dining/kitchen, pantry.
Room layout upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, 1 master bedroom with walk-in closet, bathroom, storage room.
Room layout attic: studio, office, free space.
Two full stories, attic roof pitch 36°.
And here is the completed questionnaire:
Plot size: > 444 m² (4,780 sq ft)
Slope: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof
Style: classic, simple
Orientation: east
Number of occupants, age: 2 people, 25 and 28
Room requirements ground floor, upper floor: see above
Occasional overnight guests: rare
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern building method: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: preferred
Number of dining seats: if possible 8
Fireplace: currently none in the plan
Music/stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, see floor plans
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
House design
Who designed it: architect
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 400,000
Preferred heating system: not yet decided
Why does the design look the way it does now?
We wanted to design the ground floor as an open space combining the living, dining, and kitchen areas. The usual utility rooms in prefabricated houses are far too small for us, so we made ours a bit larger. The straight staircase certainly takes up quite a bit of space and causes a large corridor on the upper floor with some loss of area as well. However, we like the open concept. It is also worth mentioning that we raised the ceiling height on the ground floor to 2.75 m (9 ft) to make the rooms feel more spacious. Since we are planning to have children in the next few years, 2 children’s bedrooms are planned on the upper floor. We are less happy with the bathroom because, due to the staircase, it ends up quite narrow and corridor-like.
Originally, we did not plan to develop the attic, but since we urgently need an office and there was no space left on the main floors, we placed it there. Additionally, the attic provides enough space for future expansion if a child would like to have their own area there.
I would appreciate any feedback.
I wanted to get some opinions from you regarding our floor plan to potentially identify any major mistakes that we might not be considering at the moment. We are building a semi-detached house.
Exterior dimensions approximately 10.99 m x 9.99 m (36 ft 1 in x 32 ft 9 in), solid construction.
Room layout ground floor: entrance area, utility room, cloakroom, WC, straight staircase, living/dining/kitchen, pantry.
Room layout upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, 1 master bedroom with walk-in closet, bathroom, storage room.
Room layout attic: studio, office, free space.
Two full stories, attic roof pitch 36°.
And here is the completed questionnaire:
Plot size: > 444 m² (4,780 sq ft)
Slope: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof
Style: classic, simple
Orientation: east
Number of occupants, age: 2 people, 25 and 28
Room requirements ground floor, upper floor: see above
Occasional overnight guests: rare
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern building method: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: preferred
Number of dining seats: if possible 8
Fireplace: currently none in the plan
Music/stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, see floor plans
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
House design
Who designed it: architect
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 400,000
Preferred heating system: not yet decided
Why does the design look the way it does now?
We wanted to design the ground floor as an open space combining the living, dining, and kitchen areas. The usual utility rooms in prefabricated houses are far too small for us, so we made ours a bit larger. The straight staircase certainly takes up quite a bit of space and causes a large corridor on the upper floor with some loss of area as well. However, we like the open concept. It is also worth mentioning that we raised the ceiling height on the ground floor to 2.75 m (9 ft) to make the rooms feel more spacious. Since we are planning to have children in the next few years, 2 children’s bedrooms are planned on the upper floor. We are less happy with the bathroom because, due to the staircase, it ends up quite narrow and corridor-like.
Originally, we did not plan to develop the attic, but since we urgently need an office and there was no space left on the main floors, we placed it there. Additionally, the attic provides enough space for future expansion if a child would like to have their own area there.
I would appreciate any feedback.
What exactly is up for discussion, i.e., what can actually be changed?
In my opinion – for explanations please use the search function to avoid repetition – semi-detached houses are generally a developer product that is only moderately suitable for self-build projects, and even less so for planning or constructing just one half. Semi-detached houses – even if not identical twins – simply require more coordination than detached neighbors. It becomes especially problematic if the "second twin" is planned with a basement while the first one is not.
Such a project is possible, but I would clearly not recommend it.
From my perspective, this was too much effort.
This can definitely have the opposite effect.
You start your day in the bathroom. Here, at the double washbasin, with a door right behind you.
Based on the room layouts, I would prefer to be child number two. I believe the floor plan, especially on the upper floor, could benefit from many changes.
Am I correct in understanding that the garden is mainly oriented to the north?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
In my opinion – for explanations please use the search function to avoid repetition – semi-detached houses are generally a developer product that is only moderately suitable for self-build projects, and even less so for planning or constructing just one half. Semi-detached houses – even if not identical twins – simply require more coordination than detached neighbors. It becomes especially problematic if the "second twin" is planned with a basement while the first one is not.
Such a project is possible, but I would clearly not recommend it.
r3vO88 schrieb:
The usual utility rooms in prefabricated houses are much too small for us, so we made this one a bit larger.
From my perspective, this was too much effort.
r3vO88 schrieb:
Additionally, we raised the ceiling height on the ground floor to 2.75m (9 feet) so the rooms feel larger.
This can definitely have the opposite effect.
r3vO88 schrieb:
We don’t like the bathroom as much, because it can only be so narrow due to the staircase.
You start your day in the bathroom. Here, at the double washbasin, with a door right behind you.
r3vO88 schrieb:
Since we are planning to have children in the next few years, we have planned two children's rooms on the upper floor.
Based on the room layouts, I would prefer to be child number two. I believe the floor plan, especially on the upper floor, could benefit from many changes.
Am I correct in understanding that the garden is mainly oriented to the north?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hello and thank you very much for your reply.
Well, what’s up for discussion is more or less the potential for improvement. Often you read very good tips that you hadn’t thought of at first. I think the way you quoted my text is already a very good solution.
That will be exactly the case. Our neighbor will build with a basement. Our architect knows that and has already advised us regarding underpinning. Additional costs of about 3000-4000€ (approximately 3200-4300 USD). Is that realistic?
So, you think it’s oversized, meaning too large?
We’ve seen this with the increased wall construction in a prefabricated house and were actually enthusiastic from the start. Sure, you use more heating energy, but I think it really makes a difference. Or what do you mean exactly?
Well, we planned for about 15 sqm (160 sq ft) per child’s room. I had much less myself and managed fine. So why do you say that about child 2?
Correct, northwest.
11ant schrieb:
What exactly is up for discussion, that is, what can actually be changed?
Well, what’s up for discussion is more or less the potential for improvement. Often you read very good tips that you hadn’t thought of at first. I think the way you quoted my text is already a very good solution.
11ant schrieb:
It becomes especially problematic if the “second-born twin” is built with a basement and the first one isn’t.
That will be exactly the case. Our neighbor will build with a basement. Our architect knows that and has already advised us regarding underpinning. Additional costs of about 3000-4000€ (approximately 3200-4300 USD). Is that realistic?
11ant schrieb:
In my opinion, it has too much momentum.
So, you think it’s oversized, meaning too large?
11ant schrieb:
It can definitely have the opposite effect as well.
We’ve seen this with the increased wall construction in a prefabricated house and were actually enthusiastic from the start. Sure, you use more heating energy, but I think it really makes a difference. Or what do you mean exactly?
11ant schrieb:
In terms of room layouts, I’d rather be child 2. I believe the floor plan, especially on the upper floor, can tolerate many changes.
Well, we planned for about 15 sqm (160 sq ft) per child’s room. I had much less myself and managed fine. So why do you say that about child 2?
11ant schrieb:
Am I right that the garden is mainly oriented to the north?
Correct, northwest.
What is up for discussion?
By that, I meant: what are we allowed to change – only move interior walls, or also the external dimensions of the house, the roof shape, or other elements?
Neighbor with basement
I would clearly prefer to let them go first or build at the same time, but not for them to start only afterwards. Generally, I recommend coordinating the planning, ideally even hiring the same architect or planner together with the partner building the semi-detached house.
Utility room / service room
It is already noticeably larger than the kitchen, which makes me concerned.
Higher rooms
These can also appear narrower as a result.
Children’s rooms
Child 1’s room isn’t as narrow and elongated as the bathroom, but it is still considerably longer than Child 2’s room. If I were Child 1, I would want the nicer room, so based on the floor plan, I would prefer to be Child 2.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
By that, I meant: what are we allowed to change – only move interior walls, or also the external dimensions of the house, the roof shape, or other elements?
Neighbor with basement
I would clearly prefer to let them go first or build at the same time, but not for them to start only afterwards. Generally, I recommend coordinating the planning, ideally even hiring the same architect or planner together with the partner building the semi-detached house.
Utility room / service room
It is already noticeably larger than the kitchen, which makes me concerned.
Higher rooms
These can also appear narrower as a result.
Children’s rooms
Child 1’s room isn’t as narrow and elongated as the bathroom, but it is still considerably longer than Child 2’s room. If I were Child 1, I would want the nicer room, so based on the floor plan, I would prefer to be Child 2.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Only moving interior walls or also changing the external dimensions of the house or the roof shape or other?Exterior walls are fixed, as is the roof shape.
I hope I’m correct in assuming that “planoben” refers to the south direction?
Well, the bathroom would be a deal-breaker for me. Planning something like that in a new build is just not acceptable. *shaking my head*
I like the ceiling height of 2.75 m (9 feet).
Child 1 sleeps with their ear against the bedroom wall – I hope this has been clarified by now.
Storage room on the ground floor with a tiny door – how wide is that supposed to be? Would you be able to get a (cooling) cabinet through it? How do you open the large cabinet right next to the door? Enter first, then turn around, step back, open cabinet, close cabinet. And try not to fall into the shelf behind you while stepping backwards – not very practical.
The utility room doesn’t seem too large if you prefer a big laundry/utility space. However, shouldn’t it be located against the dark, windowless wall rather than the nice garden-facing side? Or will it also be used as an ironing room with a craft space, etc.?
The kitchen is rather small – but that would be fine for me. I think it shouldn’t be located on the dark wall again.
The large, bright windows are nice. However, I miss them in the living room on the south side. How can the windows be omitted there? *shaking my head again*
Personally, I find straight staircases boring, space-wasting, and not attractive at all. I would scrap this one immediately. Curved stairs are simply sexier – but that’s just a personal preference. 😉
Well, the bathroom would be a deal-breaker for me. Planning something like that in a new build is just not acceptable. *shaking my head*
I like the ceiling height of 2.75 m (9 feet).
Child 1 sleeps with their ear against the bedroom wall – I hope this has been clarified by now.
Storage room on the ground floor with a tiny door – how wide is that supposed to be? Would you be able to get a (cooling) cabinet through it? How do you open the large cabinet right next to the door? Enter first, then turn around, step back, open cabinet, close cabinet. And try not to fall into the shelf behind you while stepping backwards – not very practical.
The utility room doesn’t seem too large if you prefer a big laundry/utility space. However, shouldn’t it be located against the dark, windowless wall rather than the nice garden-facing side? Or will it also be used as an ironing room with a craft space, etc.?
The kitchen is rather small – but that would be fine for me. I think it shouldn’t be located on the dark wall again.
The large, bright windows are nice. However, I miss them in the living room on the south side. How can the windows be omitted there? *shaking my head again*
Personally, I find straight staircases boring, space-wasting, and not attractive at all. I would scrap this one immediately. Curved stairs are simply sexier – but that’s just a personal preference. 😉
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