ᐅ Floor Plan Design for Semi-Detached Homes Suitable for Large Families

Created on: 7 Jan 2018 20:12

Hello everyone,

At the moment, we are planning to build a semi-detached house together with my brother’s family. We already have a plot of land on the edge of the village, see attachment.
The plan is for a timber frame house. Before consulting an architect for detailed planning, we want to first draft a preferred floor plan ourselves to clarify our own wishes.
Since this is our first house, we hope to get some suggestions regarding our ideas here.

The two halves of the house should be mirror-symmetrical in terms of the ground area in the first draft, to keep the building simple. The room layout can basically differ but, due to similar requirements, it is also planned to be mirror-symmetrical. The floor plans of one half are outlined in the attachment.

Now to the conditions:
1. Zoning/building restrictions

Plot size: approx. 2300 square meters (25,000 square feet)
No slope, completely level
No formal zoning plan exists, neighboring buildings mostly two-storey and of a comparable size to the shown design. Plot is on the edge of the village.

2. Requirements of the builders

Roof shape: gable roof, roof pitch approx. 45° (typical for this area)
Style: conservative, inspired by local traditional farmhouses
Planned building orientation: east-west
Floors: basement, two finished full floors, cold roof space
Occupants: per family/house half 2 adults and 4 children
Space requirements: see planning
Office: one home office room per household
Occasional guests: approx. 20 per year
Tend to prefer a rather closed architecture with a semi-open living/dining area
Construction method: traditional with modern elements
Kitchen should be separable from the dining area
Dining places: 8
Fireplace: masonry heater in the living room
No built-in stereo wall
Balcony on the upper floor
No garage, no carport
Large utility garden behind the house
Upper and ground floors should be divisible and basically independent from each other; the master bedroom together with the bathroom could be converted into a kitchen. The wall containing the water pipes is planned as a walk-in shaft.

3. House design

Do-it-yourself planning
Living area: approx. 90 square meters (970 square feet) per floor and half of the house
What we particularly like: simple floor plan, simple exterior shape. Evenly distributed children’s rooms, balcony access for three of the four children’s rooms
Cost estimate: none available
Personal budget limit per half of the house: approx. 400,000 euros (without plot)
Preferred heating system: own solar system with heat pump

4. If you have to omit something, which details/extensions would you forgo?
- Could do without: fireplace in the living room, smaller footprint

5. What is the most important question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
What do you think of the shown floor plans, especially the chosen room layout?

Parcellation map with red boundary lines and building areas

Hand-drawn floor plan of a two-story house (ground and upper floor) with rooms, terrace and balcony.

Sketch of a two-story house with red gable roof and many windows, front view

kaho6749 Jan 2018 06:50

#13

ypg schrieb:

Children in the utility room at night? Someone has to explain that to me!

Not me!

kaho6749 Jan 2018 07:05

#14

ypg schrieb:

I would design a living room that all family members can use together. Give it space where children can play and the others can communicate.

Yep.
Layout options with and without a play area.

Floor plan of a house: open living/kitchen area, bathroom, office, hallway, utility room, stairs.

Floor plan: open living and working area with kitchen, dining area, bathroom, office, hallway, stairs.

ypg9 Jan 2018 11:12

#15

I would also suggest the exterior walls for the living areas as Kaho has drawn them. More light where it is needed. Zoning for living and working, later living and sleeping.

However, too many walls can also restrict unnecessarily, Kaho

kaho6749 Jan 2018 12:05

#16

ypg schrieb:

too many walls can also limit you where they don’t need to, kaho

You mean already too many walls? We’ll just tear them down – sure. I’m also in favor of fewer!
However, a separate kitchen was requested – so we still need to convince them to remove the walls.

11ant9 Jan 2018 14:02

#17

As mentioned, I consider the maintenance shaft to be excessive. In other words, the reasoning is understandable and absolutely correct, but it applies to buildings of a different scale than a single- or two-family house. With highly calcareous water, on average, you might have to remove a wall every 60 years or so. However, an installation wall can be worth considering. For this purpose, a load-bearing wall can also serve as a placeholder in the floor plan regarding thickness.

The modular dimension of 62.5 cm (25 inches) as a planning framework can practically be ignored nowadays. This often results in spaces being planned either too tight or too wide just to stay within the grid. I would apply such a planning grid only to exterior walls and be flexible at least with non-load-bearing internal walls.

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

ypg9 Jan 2018 14:29

#18

kaho674 schrieb:
You mean too many walls already? We’ll just tear them down – sure. I’m also in favor of fewer walls!
However, a separate kitchen was requested – so we still need to convince them that the walls should be removed.

... in the living room

ᐅ Floor Plan Design for Semi-Detached Homes Suitable for Large Families

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