ᐅ Final stage floor plan: Is there still potential for improvement?
Created on: 16 Apr 2018 22:14
M
modder
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 606m² (6519 sq ft)
Slope: slight north-facing slope (3m (10 ft) over 34m (112 ft) length)
House: south-north = 1m (3 ft) height difference
Site occupancy index: 0.35 (212m² (2282 sq ft))
Floor area ratio: 0.40 (242m² (2605 sq ft))
Building envelope: marked in blue (approx. 11.8 x 14.5m (39 x 48 ft))
Boundary construction allowed: no
Parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: two full stories: ground floor + upper floor
Roof type: 38–42° (degrees) gable roof
Architectural style: traditional
Ridge orientation: south-north
Maximum heights / limits: northern eave-side wall height above natural ground level: 3.80m (12 ft 6 in)
Additional requirements: knee wall height from top of raw floor slab to bottom of wall plate 0.50m (70cm / 1 ft 8 in approx. inside)
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: all according to development plan
Basement, floors: basement + ground floor + upper floor
Number of occupants, ages: 28 (female), 30 (male), plus at least 1 planned child
Space needs in basement: hobby room, utility room, pantry/storage, sauna planned later
Space needs on ground floor: living room, dining + kitchen, WC, hallway
Space needs on upper floor: master bedroom, dressing room, child 1 + child 2, hallway, bathroom
Office: home office!
Overnight guests per year: 3 guests at Easter and Christmas
Closed architecture
Conservative construction style
Open kitchen connected to dining room
Number of dining seats: 5
Living room fireplace: wall-mounted ethanol fireplace
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: single or double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other: hallway large enough to bring in and temporarily park a stroller, e.g., when it’s raining outside; staircase with 1m (3 ft 3 in) wide steps and easy to walk on (hence double landings); living room at least 4.5m (15 ft) wide; no direct connection between parents’ and children’s bedrooms; stairway not located in entryway dirt area; all interior doors with 985mm (39 in) clear opening; dining room: lift-and-slide door with 3m (10 ft) width
House Design
- Designer: do-it-yourself
- What do you particularly like about it? Why?
Double-landing staircase, kitchen and dining area facing south, circulation area on the north-east side; large glass window in dining room facing garden, G-shaped kitchen, enlargement of children’s rooms with dormer windows; hallway hopefully spacious-looking even though it could be a little wider
- What do you dislike? Why?
No room for a urinal in the ground floor bathroom
Basement not yet well planned, unsure how to properly separate a future sauna room
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: €425,000
- Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump / ground loop collector + mechanical ventilation with heat recovery + underfloor heating
If You Have to Give Up Anything, on which details / features
- Could give up: exposed roof structure
- Cannot give up: shower in ground floor WC; staircase with straight steps; stairway outside the dirt zone; wardrobe
Why is the Design Like It Is?
Lots of reading layout reviews here, input from builder friends; about 100 hours of drawing floor plans
- What makes it especially good or bad in your view?
In our opinion, very efficient use of space in a relatively small house, pleasant hallway layout
What Is the Most Important / Basic Question About the Floor Plan Summarized in 130 Characters?
Is this floor plan practical?
Are there any major issues or deal-breakers we might have overlooked?
Attached are our own drawings from SketchUp / site plan from the development plan
Our plot is number [9]
Note: Unfortunately, windows are missing on the upper floor. There are planned windows on the gable ends sized 150 x 138cm (59 x 54 in), dormer windows each approx. 200 x 138cm (79 x 54 in), and in the stairwell, master bedroom, and bathroom an additional double casement window sized 78 x 160cm (31 x 63 in)
Plot size: 606m² (6519 sq ft)
Slope: slight north-facing slope (3m (10 ft) over 34m (112 ft) length)
House: south-north = 1m (3 ft) height difference
Site occupancy index: 0.35 (212m² (2282 sq ft))
Floor area ratio: 0.40 (242m² (2605 sq ft))
Building envelope: marked in blue (approx. 11.8 x 14.5m (39 x 48 ft))
Boundary construction allowed: no
Parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: two full stories: ground floor + upper floor
Roof type: 38–42° (degrees) gable roof
Architectural style: traditional
Ridge orientation: south-north
Maximum heights / limits: northern eave-side wall height above natural ground level: 3.80m (12 ft 6 in)
Additional requirements: knee wall height from top of raw floor slab to bottom of wall plate 0.50m (70cm / 1 ft 8 in approx. inside)
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: all according to development plan
Basement, floors: basement + ground floor + upper floor
Number of occupants, ages: 28 (female), 30 (male), plus at least 1 planned child
Space needs in basement: hobby room, utility room, pantry/storage, sauna planned later
Space needs on ground floor: living room, dining + kitchen, WC, hallway
Space needs on upper floor: master bedroom, dressing room, child 1 + child 2, hallway, bathroom
Office: home office!
Overnight guests per year: 3 guests at Easter and Christmas
Closed architecture
Conservative construction style
Open kitchen connected to dining room
Number of dining seats: 5
Living room fireplace: wall-mounted ethanol fireplace
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: single or double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other: hallway large enough to bring in and temporarily park a stroller, e.g., when it’s raining outside; staircase with 1m (3 ft 3 in) wide steps and easy to walk on (hence double landings); living room at least 4.5m (15 ft) wide; no direct connection between parents’ and children’s bedrooms; stairway not located in entryway dirt area; all interior doors with 985mm (39 in) clear opening; dining room: lift-and-slide door with 3m (10 ft) width
House Design
- Designer: do-it-yourself
- What do you particularly like about it? Why?
Double-landing staircase, kitchen and dining area facing south, circulation area on the north-east side; large glass window in dining room facing garden, G-shaped kitchen, enlargement of children’s rooms with dormer windows; hallway hopefully spacious-looking even though it could be a little wider
- What do you dislike? Why?
No room for a urinal in the ground floor bathroom
Basement not yet well planned, unsure how to properly separate a future sauna room
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: €425,000
- Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump / ground loop collector + mechanical ventilation with heat recovery + underfloor heating
If You Have to Give Up Anything, on which details / features
- Could give up: exposed roof structure
- Cannot give up: shower in ground floor WC; staircase with straight steps; stairway outside the dirt zone; wardrobe
Why is the Design Like It Is?
Lots of reading layout reviews here, input from builder friends; about 100 hours of drawing floor plans
- What makes it especially good or bad in your view?
In our opinion, very efficient use of space in a relatively small house, pleasant hallway layout
What Is the Most Important / Basic Question About the Floor Plan Summarized in 130 Characters?
Is this floor plan practical?
Are there any major issues or deal-breakers we might have overlooked?
Attached are our own drawings from SketchUp / site plan from the development plan
Our plot is number [9]
Note: Unfortunately, windows are missing on the upper floor. There are planned windows on the gable ends sized 150 x 138cm (59 x 54 in), dormer windows each approx. 200 x 138cm (79 x 54 in), and in the stairwell, master bedroom, and bathroom an additional double casement window sized 78 x 160cm (31 x 63 in)
Thanks for all the kitchen tips, but the kitchen planner tool isn’t that precise to use.
We only roughly focused on the layout to fit everything we currently have in the kitchen, and there is still quite a bit of empty space left.
To the left of the stove, we wanted two large compartments and one very small one at the top, so pots, pans, and bowls are stored below and an 80cm (31.5 inches) wide drawer for sharp knives is at the very top. It’s true that if one person is at the stove, the other can’t access those compartments. That’s a very valuable tip. Thanks a lot. We will need to reconsider that. Or rather, only stuff you don’t use often should go into the drawers next to the stove anyway (blender, egg cooker, vacuum sealer, rolling pin, etc.), and it doesn’t matter if it gets warm in the drawer.
Under the sink, there should be a fixed panel and then a large 80cm (31.5 inches) wide drawer that fits all four trash bins as a matching set. As mentioned, we haven’t entered every last detail in the kitchen planner yet. Our main concern was just to see if something reasonable could be done with the kitchen dimensions. The detailed planning will come later.
I don’t quite understand what you mean by:
"In any case, you should make the space for two tall cabinets next to the window about 130 to 135 cm wide. That way it doesn’t look cramped."
I can’t measure it properly at work right now, but that is at least 1.5m (59 inches).
My girlfriend also prefers the countertop overhang, but the kitchen planner doesn’t allow it. Thanks again for the hint.
Less surface area for dirt is exactly right for us.
There is also a corner display cabinet in the dining area, and between the kitchen door and the double door, a small shallow wall cabinet where mugs will hang.
About the hallway:
Yes, we also have some concerns, but there will be a roof window measuring 78x160cm (31x63 inches) in the stairwell, next to the door is a 40cm (16 inches) wide glass element, and the kitchen door should let in the southern sunlight because it has a lot of glass area.
Another idea was to have a narrow floor-to-ceiling fixed glass panel between the living room and hallway, but can we just plan a door there instead?
We only roughly focused on the layout to fit everything we currently have in the kitchen, and there is still quite a bit of empty space left.
To the left of the stove, we wanted two large compartments and one very small one at the top, so pots, pans, and bowls are stored below and an 80cm (31.5 inches) wide drawer for sharp knives is at the very top. It’s true that if one person is at the stove, the other can’t access those compartments. That’s a very valuable tip. Thanks a lot. We will need to reconsider that. Or rather, only stuff you don’t use often should go into the drawers next to the stove anyway (blender, egg cooker, vacuum sealer, rolling pin, etc.), and it doesn’t matter if it gets warm in the drawer.
Under the sink, there should be a fixed panel and then a large 80cm (31.5 inches) wide drawer that fits all four trash bins as a matching set. As mentioned, we haven’t entered every last detail in the kitchen planner yet. Our main concern was just to see if something reasonable could be done with the kitchen dimensions. The detailed planning will come later.
I don’t quite understand what you mean by:
"In any case, you should make the space for two tall cabinets next to the window about 130 to 135 cm wide. That way it doesn’t look cramped."
I can’t measure it properly at work right now, but that is at least 1.5m (59 inches).
My girlfriend also prefers the countertop overhang, but the kitchen planner doesn’t allow it. Thanks again for the hint.
Less surface area for dirt is exactly right for us.
There is also a corner display cabinet in the dining area, and between the kitchen door and the double door, a small shallow wall cabinet where mugs will hang.
About the hallway:
Yes, we also have some concerns, but there will be a roof window measuring 78x160cm (31x63 inches) in the stairwell, next to the door is a 40cm (16 inches) wide glass element, and the kitchen door should let in the southern sunlight because it has a lot of glass area.
Another idea was to have a narrow floor-to-ceiling fixed glass panel between the living room and hallway, but can we just plan a door there instead?
Personally, I find the living room layout a disaster. Having bars in front of the already too few windows completely gives it a cell-like feeling! Definitely add a door from the hallway into the living room, and I would also make the opening from the dining area larger. Have you thought about sliding doors spanning the entire width? Whether three- or two-panel, all movable, this offers many possibilities and, for example, really connects both rooms during a party.
I wouldn’t want to cook in the kitchen! You have space there, so make use of it, but not this forced fitness obstacle course. I think I’ve said it so many times, but I’ll say it again: the most ergonomic setup is two parallel worklines with 110–120cm (43–47 inches) distance. You have the option to do so here. Personally, I also don’t quite understand why people want seating at the kitchen bar if the table with seats is just 50cm (20 inches) away. Even less do I understand the hype about counter height. Why??? As kbt already said: good luck with cleaning! But in return, you lose usable workspace. Again: if seating at the countertop is desired, simply extend the countertop and tuck chairs or stools of normal sitting height under it. They won’t be in the way, and you will have much more workspace. However, for me, this would only be a nice-to-have. As toxi cautiously pointed out: consider where you want to store what, and in that context, whether it might be smarter to skip the chairs at the countertop and instead avoid making the second freestanding workline with two rows of base cabinets (depth of base cabinets facing the kitchen 60cm (24 inches), toward the dining area 40 or 50cm (16 or 20 inches), resulting in an island 110cm (43 inches) deep). This greatly increases the kitchen’s storage capacity! Then weigh what you need more: seating used five times a week or sufficient storage space? For me, the answer would be clear...
The walk-in closet would offer too few running meters of wardrobe space for the qms. I know the cabinet solution you described from here as well. I think it’s great (and that’s also how our closet will be designed), but before building all those corners, consider simply straightening the wall between the children’s room and the walk-in closet. That way, both sides keep the full length for a built-in wardrobe. Your girlfriend can have her seating on the opposite side, if necessary. But if my poor eyesight doesn’t deceive me, there isn’t even a window in the walk-in closet? Does she really want her dressing table in such a dark niche? Negotiate with her and make the idea of a dressing table in the bedroom more appealing—it has space and plenty of natural light.
I wouldn’t want to cook in the kitchen! You have space there, so make use of it, but not this forced fitness obstacle course. I think I’ve said it so many times, but I’ll say it again: the most ergonomic setup is two parallel worklines with 110–120cm (43–47 inches) distance. You have the option to do so here. Personally, I also don’t quite understand why people want seating at the kitchen bar if the table with seats is just 50cm (20 inches) away. Even less do I understand the hype about counter height. Why??? As kbt already said: good luck with cleaning! But in return, you lose usable workspace. Again: if seating at the countertop is desired, simply extend the countertop and tuck chairs or stools of normal sitting height under it. They won’t be in the way, and you will have much more workspace. However, for me, this would only be a nice-to-have. As toxi cautiously pointed out: consider where you want to store what, and in that context, whether it might be smarter to skip the chairs at the countertop and instead avoid making the second freestanding workline with two rows of base cabinets (depth of base cabinets facing the kitchen 60cm (24 inches), toward the dining area 40 or 50cm (16 or 20 inches), resulting in an island 110cm (43 inches) deep). This greatly increases the kitchen’s storage capacity! Then weigh what you need more: seating used five times a week or sufficient storage space? For me, the answer would be clear...
The walk-in closet would offer too few running meters of wardrobe space for the qms. I know the cabinet solution you described from here as well. I think it’s great (and that’s also how our closet will be designed), but before building all those corners, consider simply straightening the wall between the children’s room and the walk-in closet. That way, both sides keep the full length for a built-in wardrobe. Your girlfriend can have her seating on the opposite side, if necessary. But if my poor eyesight doesn’t deceive me, there isn’t even a window in the walk-in closet? Does she really want her dressing table in such a dark niche? Negotiate with her and make the idea of a dressing table in the bedroom more appealing—it has space and plenty of natural light.
Hi
Okay, the additional door to the hallway is basically decided, even though it creates a large dead space as a circulation area in the living room.
Yes, the opening from the dining area should be bigger, but the door already costs 1750 Euros. Do you have any suggestions for a door type? A sliding door can’t be much wider either, since 4.5m (15 feet) width minus a 2.0m (6.5 feet) door leaves only 1.25m (4 feet) on each side for sliding.
The door in the attachment is planned for that purpose. For the kitchen, it will be a single-leaf door.
Thanks for all the kitchen tips. The kitchen planning has only taken us about 30 minutes so far because we just wanted to see if we could fit anything in the room that we could live with. It’s not more than a rough layout yet.
I’ll have to look into your idea about the parallel kitchen layouts—I’m not quite sure what you mean.
The seating areas were just a bit of fun in the kitchen planner.
The dressing room has the “problem” that half of it is within the gable. So the side where the wardrobe is recessed into the wall is fully usable without a sloped ceiling.
I also can’t place the wardrobes along a straight wall side by side, otherwise the windows in the gable would be blocked. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the seat area there.
She didn’t want a dressing table anymore, and our bedroom is currently 17m² (183 square feet).
The bathroom mirror is enough for her in the mornings.
Okay, the additional door to the hallway is basically decided, even though it creates a large dead space as a circulation area in the living room.
Yes, the opening from the dining area should be bigger, but the door already costs 1750 Euros. Do you have any suggestions for a door type? A sliding door can’t be much wider either, since 4.5m (15 feet) width minus a 2.0m (6.5 feet) door leaves only 1.25m (4 feet) on each side for sliding.
The door in the attachment is planned for that purpose. For the kitchen, it will be a single-leaf door.
Thanks for all the kitchen tips. The kitchen planning has only taken us about 30 minutes so far because we just wanted to see if we could fit anything in the room that we could live with. It’s not more than a rough layout yet.
I’ll have to look into your idea about the parallel kitchen layouts—I’m not quite sure what you mean.
The seating areas were just a bit of fun in the kitchen planner.
The dressing room has the “problem” that half of it is within the gable. So the side where the wardrobe is recessed into the wall is fully usable without a sloped ceiling.
I also can’t place the wardrobes along a straight wall side by side, otherwise the windows in the gable would be blocked. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the seat area there.
She didn’t want a dressing table anymore, and our bedroom is currently 17m² (183 square feet).
The bathroom mirror is enough for her in the mornings.
modder schrieb:
G
I designed the staircase in SketchUp, with each step at least 2.30m (7.5 ft) below the ceiling.
Ground floor shell height: 2.65m (8.7 ft) → finished floor-to-ceiling height 2.5m (8.2 ft)
The ceiling will be a 14cm (5.5 inch) thick CLT (cross-laminated timber) composite floor with a 15cm (6 inch) floor build-up.
That means the staircase needs to cover 2.5 + 0.14 + 0.15m = approximately 2.80m (9.2 ft). With 18.7cm (7.4 inch) steps, that results in exactly 15 steps. Only 14 steps to the basement. In the plans, the tread is 26 x 100cm (10 x 39 inches).
So, if I may break it down:
The floor height is about 2.80m (9.2 ft). Ceiling height is 2.50m (8.2 ft) and the floor/ceiling construction is roughly 30cm (12 inches). That should work out fine for the staircase, I think.
I still find the upper floor a bit problematic. I would rather add a third gable in the dressing room and that’s it! Then you get more space for wardrobes there and the house gains a classic exterior look. The staircase gets a skylight, and if needed, the children’s rooms each get one as well. (Dimensions optimized for symmetry with the third gable.) My software can’t draw that properly, so the gable is only roughly indicated as a window.
I don’t understand why you want so few windows on the ground floor. I sketched a few more in.
What wall thicknesses are you using?
Two-row kitchen? I mean something like this:
The island can be placed against the wall or stand freely. Of course, you have more space if it’s against the wall, but then it’s no longer a true “island.”
Another advantage: no dead corners.
Here, there are obviously two rows of base cabinets under the island; you can also leave out the base cabinets on the dining side to slide chairs under.
Your and my taste in doors differ greatly *ugh*.
I was thinking of a solution more as a room divider with both sliding panels movable; the same can be done with three panels, where two can slide behind a third, creating an even wider opening:
The island can be placed against the wall or stand freely. Of course, you have more space if it’s against the wall, but then it’s no longer a true “island.”
Another advantage: no dead corners.
Here, there are obviously two rows of base cabinets under the island; you can also leave out the base cabinets on the dining side to slide chairs under.
Your and my taste in doors differ greatly *ugh*.
I was thinking of a solution more as a room divider with both sliding panels movable; the same can be done with three panels, where two can slide behind a third, creating an even wider opening:
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