ᐅ Semi-detached house with rather small children's bedrooms

Created on: 13 Mar 2018 12:41
M
MichaeI
Hello everyone,

We have a plot where we are allowed to build a semi-detached house. The exterior dimensions can be a maximum of 7 m x 10 m (23 ft x 33 ft), with 2 full floors.

We have visited several carpentry companies (we want to build with solid wood) to get quotes. Each one designed a slightly different plan, but in all of them the children's rooms are quite small (between 11 and 12 square meters (118 to 129 square feet)).

Our requirements were:
- Ground floor with living/dining area, kitchen (preferably also separated), bathroom with shower, pantry
- Upper floor with one bedroom, 2 children's rooms, and a bathroom with shower + bathtub.

A basement is also planned, as the floor plan is already quite small. It will house a hobby room and a boiler room.

My question now:
Is it not possible to get larger children’s rooms with these exterior dimensions? Or has anyone built something similar with a completely different floor plan?

If more space really isn’t possible, is 11 square meters (118 square feet) enough for one child?
11ant15 Mar 2018 11:44
Arifas schrieb:
Interestingly, the large room is completely empty, and the children prefer to stay in the smaller ones.

Makes sense, as those feel cozier. For playing football, you have to go outside anyway—30 square meters (320 square feet) wouldn’t be enough.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
77.willo15 Mar 2018 12:47
It seems to me that the planning here is only focused on children, not teenagers. Teenagers neither play outside nor like to stay in the living room. Most of them close their bedroom door as soon as they get home and spend the rest of the day in their room, often with friends. If there isn’t enough space for a couch or a larger bed, etc., this becomes a problem...
kaho67415 Mar 2018 13:26
77.willo schrieb:
It seems to me that the planning here is focused only on children, not teenagers. Teenagers neither play outside nor like to spend time in the living room. Most close their door as soon as they get home and spend the rest of the day in their room, often with friends. If there isn’t room for a couch or a larger bed, etc., that becomes a problem...

This is less about not wanting to plan, and more about what is actually possible. With the available floor space, you certainly can’t allocate more than 13m² (140 sq ft) per child, especially if there also needs to be a bedroom and bathroom. Personally, I think that’s still acceptable for teenagers.
77.willo15 Mar 2018 13:29
Sure, if there is no other way, then there is no other way, and 13 m² (140 sq ft) is not exactly a tiny space. My point was more about the frequently mentioned reasons like "my child plays outside all day or in the living room," which I think are quite short-sighted.
8
86bibo
15 Mar 2018 17:47
I also find the argument “playing outside” misplaced. Of course, children need to spend time outdoors—playing football, riding bikes, climbing trees, and so on. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean a dark 6m2 (65 sq ft) room with just a bed is an acceptable children’s bedroom. I can only speak from my own experience, but as a teenager we often hung out at friends’ places, doing all sorts of things. Usually, we stayed where we had the most space and privacy. You could of course make the room deliberately small so that all the neighborhood kids won’t want to hang out inside your house, but in my opinion that’s not the point. I had a schoolmate who had to share a 12m2 (130 sq ft) room with his brother, who was seven years younger. Of course, he was always outside, because inside he felt like the walls were closing in on him.

13m2 (140 sq ft) is okay, but I find anything under 11m2 (120 sq ft) borderline. Still, it doesn’t have to be 25m2 (270 sq ft). It should fit a 140cm (55 inch) bed, and if there’s room for a seating area, even better.
Arifas15 Mar 2018 19:09
In our current (old) house, a youth bedroom is just under 11 square meters (118 square feet). It’s doable, but you have to furnish it very, very cleverly. I definitely prefer something a bit larger. Definitely. But if the house doesn’t allow for more space, I think 12 square meters (129 square feet) is already good. You have to put a lot of effort into the planning and later the furnishing, but then it can definitely be enough. We explicitly planned the children’s rooms in advance with the exact furniture because we had limited space available, and it’s crucial that the small amount of space fits everything, so you don’t suddenly miss 10cm (4 inches). In the current house, we have a few corners that aren’t ideal. That’s where careful planning really pays off.