ᐅ Your Opinion on Our Floor Plan for a Single-Family Home Without a Basement
Created on: 1 Feb 2018 03:36
B
beatboxkingB
beatboxking1 Feb 2018 03:36Hello dear forum community,
The time of quietly reading along is over, and today I would like to share my own building project and the current status of the floor plan design. We aim to sign the construction contract with the general contractor as soon as possible so that construction can start this year. However, without the blessing of the forum, I’m not quite daring to proceed – after all, many eyes are known to be helpful...
Thank you in advance for your efforts – I’m curious to see which direction the discussion will take...
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 694sqm (7,469 sq ft)
Slope: gentle north-facing slope
Floor area ratio (FAR): Max. 0.35
Site coverage ratio: Max. 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: Building envelope = blue, 16m x 16m (52ft x 52ft), the house must be placed against the red line (can be oriented lengthwise or widthwise – must be perpendicular to the building line);
Setbacks: 3m (10 ft), garage or carport may be built on the north boundary
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof, roof pitch 18°–22°
Style: modern
Orientation: south (possibly east if the advantages of a better floor plan outweigh this)
Maximum heights/restrictions: Max. 7.5m (25 ft) wall height
Additional requirements: House dimensions according to development plan max. 14m x 10m (46 ft x 33 ft), rectangular with a minimum side ratio of 5:4
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, gable roof 22°, wooden house
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 3 people, 1 more child planned
Ground floor space needs: utility room, shower bathroom, office/guest room, cloakroom, large kitchen/dining/living area
Upper floor space needs: 2 children’s rooms facing south, master bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guests per year: 3–4
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: preferred
Music/stereo wall: yes and no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double carport with additional storage space
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: later
Additional wishes/particulars/daily routine: We want no direct line of sight from the living room into the kitchen – fireplace as a room divider; the utility room should also accommodate the washing machine and dryer.
House Design
Who designed the plan: self-designed based on an existing floor plan
What do you especially like and why?: Private access from the bedroom to the bathroom (via the walk-in closet)
What do you dislike and why?: Shower bathroom on the ground floor is not accessible from the guest room; the layout of the bathroom upstairs doesn’t quite work – the space at the sink is too small; no space for the TV;
Cost estimate: approx. 400,000€
Personal maximum budget for the house including fittings: 450,000€
Preferred heating system: gas condensing boiler
If you have to give up some details or features:
- Which can you live without: access to the shower bathroom on the ground floor from the guest room
- Which you cannot do without: access to the bathroom from the bedroom (via the walk-in closet)
Why has the design become what it is now?
After what felt like 200 drawn floor plans, I came across a plan from a builder that, with few changes, meets many of our requirements.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes? Good because it is basically simple and still allows the possibility of an additional room upstairs (perhaps a kind of reading/music corner for later – separated by glass, like a conservatory). Bad because in some areas it is just a compromise – but that is probably normal in home building as long as the budget is limited...
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Have we made any fundamental mistakes? Would you prefer the living space to face east? Are the usable areas sufficient?
The time of quietly reading along is over, and today I would like to share my own building project and the current status of the floor plan design. We aim to sign the construction contract with the general contractor as soon as possible so that construction can start this year. However, without the blessing of the forum, I’m not quite daring to proceed – after all, many eyes are known to be helpful...
Thank you in advance for your efforts – I’m curious to see which direction the discussion will take...
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 694sqm (7,469 sq ft)
Slope: gentle north-facing slope
Floor area ratio (FAR): Max. 0.35
Site coverage ratio: Max. 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: Building envelope = blue, 16m x 16m (52ft x 52ft), the house must be placed against the red line (can be oriented lengthwise or widthwise – must be perpendicular to the building line);
Setbacks: 3m (10 ft), garage or carport may be built on the north boundary
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof, roof pitch 18°–22°
Style: modern
Orientation: south (possibly east if the advantages of a better floor plan outweigh this)
Maximum heights/restrictions: Max. 7.5m (25 ft) wall height
Additional requirements: House dimensions according to development plan max. 14m x 10m (46 ft x 33 ft), rectangular with a minimum side ratio of 5:4
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, gable roof 22°, wooden house
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 3 people, 1 more child planned
Ground floor space needs: utility room, shower bathroom, office/guest room, cloakroom, large kitchen/dining/living area
Upper floor space needs: 2 children’s rooms facing south, master bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guests per year: 3–4
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: preferred
Music/stereo wall: yes and no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double carport with additional storage space
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: later
Additional wishes/particulars/daily routine: We want no direct line of sight from the living room into the kitchen – fireplace as a room divider; the utility room should also accommodate the washing machine and dryer.
House Design
Who designed the plan: self-designed based on an existing floor plan
What do you especially like and why?: Private access from the bedroom to the bathroom (via the walk-in closet)
What do you dislike and why?: Shower bathroom on the ground floor is not accessible from the guest room; the layout of the bathroom upstairs doesn’t quite work – the space at the sink is too small; no space for the TV;
Cost estimate: approx. 400,000€
Personal maximum budget for the house including fittings: 450,000€
Preferred heating system: gas condensing boiler
If you have to give up some details or features:
- Which can you live without: access to the shower bathroom on the ground floor from the guest room
- Which you cannot do without: access to the bathroom from the bedroom (via the walk-in closet)
Why has the design become what it is now?
After what felt like 200 drawn floor plans, I came across a plan from a builder that, with few changes, meets many of our requirements.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes? Good because it is basically simple and still allows the possibility of an additional room upstairs (perhaps a kind of reading/music corner for later – separated by glass, like a conservatory). Bad because in some areas it is just a compromise – but that is probably normal in home building as long as the budget is limited...
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Have we made any fundamental mistakes? Would you prefer the living space to face east? Are the usable areas sufficient?
Off the top of my head, it seems like you won’t be happy with your hallway/entrance area. How do you plan for four people to take off their shoes there???
A guest bathroom like that is really inconvenient. But with this floor plan, I can’t think of a better way to arrange it. If you redesign the hallway, it might feel less cramped.
A play corridor has its appeal, but I don’t think you’ll enjoy it for long… I already get stressed just going through my son’s room. Adding one in the hallway will only lead to more frustration and noise.
It would be better to plan a guest room upstairs and use the space downstairs for the hallway. With nearly 16 m² (172 sq ft), the children’s rooms are also sufficiently spacious.
A guest bathroom like that is really inconvenient. But with this floor plan, I can’t think of a better way to arrange it. If you redesign the hallway, it might feel less cramped.
A play corridor has its appeal, but I don’t think you’ll enjoy it for long… I already get stressed just going through my son’s room. Adding one in the hallway will only lead to more frustration and noise.
It would be better to plan a guest room upstairs and use the space downstairs for the hallway. With nearly 16 m² (172 sq ft), the children’s rooms are also sufficiently spacious.
J
j.bautsch1 Feb 2018 07:34I would move the doors to the walk-in closet to the top of the plan, so the wardrobe can be placed against the stair wall and you can install a window in the room. I find natural daylight very pleasant. Of course, the bed will need to be positioned differently, so the window will also have to be rearranged accordingly.
Nice start. However, I would discard the current plan and start over, or directly consult the architect.
Here are some points that immediately stand out to me:
- The space under the stairs is intended to serve as a pantry for the kitchen – wrong location,
- The guest room and utility room (HAR) should switch places,
- The utility room is too small if it is also meant to accommodate laundry,
- The dressing room is too narrow and, above all, too dark,
- The play corridor is huge compared to the other rooms,
- Distance from the guest toilet to the guest room – already noted as an issue,
- The line of sight from the living room to the kitchen is not really interrupted,
- TV – if desired – where would it be placed?
Here are some points that immediately stand out to me:
- The space under the stairs is intended to serve as a pantry for the kitchen – wrong location,
- The guest room and utility room (HAR) should switch places,
- The utility room is too small if it is also meant to accommodate laundry,
- The dressing room is too narrow and, above all, too dark,
- The play corridor is huge compared to the other rooms,
- Distance from the guest toilet to the guest room – already noted as an issue,
- The line of sight from the living room to the kitchen is not really interrupted,
- TV – if desired – where would it be placed?
Before going into details, a few objections:
The vestibule is smaller than those found in many terraced houses. This will cause frustration—congestion when entering, when welcoming guests, and when storing coats.
A 1.70m (5 ft 7 in) space for the utility room will feel very tight once the technical equipment is planned in.
Overall, the staircase is positioned incorrectly, resulting in narrow, corridor-like rooms (see also the dressing room upstairs).
Besides that, widths of 3.20m (10 ft 6 in) or 3.40m (11 ft 2 in) are rather narrow for a comfortable dining area.
What is too small downstairs is overly generous upstairs. A 14 sqm (150 sq ft) bathroom becomes somewhat uncomfortable and inconvenient to use due to long walking distances.
The large children's rooms come with extra free space, which is then often designated as a play area but remains unused.
In any case, after just a couple of minutes looking at the plan, I would consider mirroring the entire house.
However, this is all still in early stages—a proper plan requires sitting down with a written room program and the list of requirements (an L-shaped layout is preferable for the open living area to ensure privacy), studying the site plan, and roughly positioning the rooms on the property. In my opinion, this leads to a better result.
The vestibule is smaller than those found in many terraced houses. This will cause frustration—congestion when entering, when welcoming guests, and when storing coats.
A 1.70m (5 ft 7 in) space for the utility room will feel very tight once the technical equipment is planned in.
Overall, the staircase is positioned incorrectly, resulting in narrow, corridor-like rooms (see also the dressing room upstairs).
Besides that, widths of 3.20m (10 ft 6 in) or 3.40m (11 ft 2 in) are rather narrow for a comfortable dining area.
What is too small downstairs is overly generous upstairs. A 14 sqm (150 sq ft) bathroom becomes somewhat uncomfortable and inconvenient to use due to long walking distances.
The large children's rooms come with extra free space, which is then often designated as a play area but remains unused.
In any case, after just a couple of minutes looking at the plan, I would consider mirroring the entire house.
However, this is all still in early stages—a proper plan requires sitting down with a written room program and the list of requirements (an L-shaped layout is preferable for the open living area to ensure privacy), studying the site plan, and roughly positioning the rooms on the property. In my opinion, this leads to a better result.
J
j.bautsch1 Feb 2018 10:12Well, 3.20–3.40 meters (10.5–11 feet) is already fine for dining. We currently have 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) in our rental apartment, which is quite tight with a 90cm (35 inch) table, but it still works. An extra 50–70 cm (20–28 inches) would be good. Four meters (13 feet) would be more of a luxury, of course—it’s nice if possible, obviously.
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