ᐅ Single-family home, approximately 1500 square feet, with 2 children’s bedrooms – What do you think of the floor plan?
Created on: 4 Aug 2018 14:18
S
Stege90
Hello,
we have been offered a plot of land by a developer and would like to build our future home there. The plot is located at the end of a cul-de-sac in a traffic-calmed residential area (infilling development).
I should mention upfront that we have not yet received much information from the developer. We shared our rough requirements with him, and he has created a first draft, so far only for the ground floor.
It would be great if you could help us evaluate this early on before we progress too far in the planning and have to make major changes later.
The positioning of the house on the plot is due to the fact that all other options we considered would cast too much shadow on the rest of the plot.
The plot shown as undeveloped on the site plan has meanwhile been built on with a bungalow (marked). A carport will be constructed between the bungalow and our plot.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 750 m² (about 8,070 sq ft)
Slope: none
Floor area ratio: no information received yet
Plot ratio: no information received yet
Building window, building line, and boundary: no information received yet
Edge development: no information received yet
Number of parking spaces: no information received yet
Number of floors: no information received yet
Roof shape:
Architectural style:
Orientation: see image
Maximum heights / limits: ?
Additional requirements?
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: A mono-pitched roof was preferred to minimize sloping ceilings, but according to the developer and the development plan this is not permitted, so a gable roof was proposed – this still needs clarification.
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: currently 3 (28, 28, 1), planned: second child
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor: guest toilet, utility room, kitchen/dining room, living room; Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, office, bathroom
Office use: family or home office? office to be used occasionally as a mobile workspace; initially also as a guest room
Guests per year – every 3 months 2-4 people
Open or closed layout – rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: probably a mix
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen connected to dining room – no freestanding kitchen island; separation from dining area by a counter
Number of dining seats: minimum 6, option for a large dining table (big family)
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: yes, in the living room where the sofa is currently planned (wall on the left towards the carport); sofa arranged in an L-shape facing north and east – pictures might be hung on the wall towards the dining room
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage was requested, but we also like the current proposal
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be included:
Bathroom – T-shaped bathroom with shower cabin desired; a large washbasin
Walk-in closet not desired
No basement
Access via the garage/carport
House Design
Designed by:
- planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like and why? What do you dislike and why?
We definitely want the carport to be wider than in the initial floor plan – at least 4 meters (about 13 feet).
Noticeable is the missing entrance area, i.e. the actual front door. Initially, this seemed strange to us, but it provides many opportunities for the interior layout, so after some consideration we don’t find it so bad.
Price estimate according to architect/planner; personal price limit for the house, including fittings: approx. €260,000
Preferred heating technology: not discussed yet
If you have to give up something, which features/extensions
- can you do without: garage – already left out by the developer to enable the design without a main entrance area
- cannot do without: kitchen/dining area – pantry next to the kitchen
Why is the design like it is? For example:
We do not want a completely open living/dining area. Therefore, the living room should be a separate, closed room.
[U]What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
What do you think about the missing traditional entrance area?
Please feel free to criticize and offer suggestions for improvement. For now, the focus is on the house location on the plot and the ground floor layout. Since we are still at the beginning, many things are still changeable.
we have been offered a plot of land by a developer and would like to build our future home there. The plot is located at the end of a cul-de-sac in a traffic-calmed residential area (infilling development).
I should mention upfront that we have not yet received much information from the developer. We shared our rough requirements with him, and he has created a first draft, so far only for the ground floor.
It would be great if you could help us evaluate this early on before we progress too far in the planning and have to make major changes later.
The positioning of the house on the plot is due to the fact that all other options we considered would cast too much shadow on the rest of the plot.
The plot shown as undeveloped on the site plan has meanwhile been built on with a bungalow (marked). A carport will be constructed between the bungalow and our plot.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 750 m² (about 8,070 sq ft)
Slope: none
Floor area ratio: no information received yet
Plot ratio: no information received yet
Building window, building line, and boundary: no information received yet
Edge development: no information received yet
Number of parking spaces: no information received yet
Number of floors: no information received yet
Roof shape:
Architectural style:
Orientation: see image
Maximum heights / limits: ?
Additional requirements?
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: A mono-pitched roof was preferred to minimize sloping ceilings, but according to the developer and the development plan this is not permitted, so a gable roof was proposed – this still needs clarification.
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: currently 3 (28, 28, 1), planned: second child
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor: guest toilet, utility room, kitchen/dining room, living room; Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, office, bathroom
Office use: family or home office? office to be used occasionally as a mobile workspace; initially also as a guest room
Guests per year – every 3 months 2-4 people
Open or closed layout – rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: probably a mix
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen connected to dining room – no freestanding kitchen island; separation from dining area by a counter
Number of dining seats: minimum 6, option for a large dining table (big family)
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: yes, in the living room where the sofa is currently planned (wall on the left towards the carport); sofa arranged in an L-shape facing north and east – pictures might be hung on the wall towards the dining room
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage was requested, but we also like the current proposal
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be included:
Bathroom – T-shaped bathroom with shower cabin desired; a large washbasin
Walk-in closet not desired
No basement
Access via the garage/carport
House Design
Designed by:
- planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like and why? What do you dislike and why?
We definitely want the carport to be wider than in the initial floor plan – at least 4 meters (about 13 feet).
Noticeable is the missing entrance area, i.e. the actual front door. Initially, this seemed strange to us, but it provides many opportunities for the interior layout, so after some consideration we don’t find it so bad.
Price estimate according to architect/planner; personal price limit for the house, including fittings: approx. €260,000
Preferred heating technology: not discussed yet
If you have to give up something, which features/extensions
- can you do without: garage – already left out by the developer to enable the design without a main entrance area
- cannot do without: kitchen/dining area – pantry next to the kitchen
Why is the design like it is? For example:
We do not want a completely open living/dining area. Therefore, the living room should be a separate, closed room.
[U]What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
What do you think about the missing traditional entrance area?
Please feel free to criticize and offer suggestions for improvement. For now, the focus is on the house location on the plot and the ground floor layout. Since we are still at the beginning, many things are still changeable.
So when I look at the current weather situation... I really don’t understand why everyone always wants a south-facing terrace. We have one too, but more out of necessity. At least half of our decision was based on minimizing the amount of sun hitting the sides of the house.
Stege90 schrieb:
With this option, the space under the stairs, which is currently planned as a storage area/niche, would be added to the utility room. What would be the advantage of that? Or how could I use this room better there? As it is, I would have a sloped ceiling including a niche, which means I lose the chance for a full closet wall, or am I misunderstanding? Here is an example floor plan. Unfortunately, my software can’t represent this perfectly. The space under the stairs serves as storage and is accessible from the utility room without having to squeeze into a dark corridor beneath the stairs. Of course, if you prefer a full closet wall inside the utility room, this wouldn’t be possible.
Besides that, as currently drawn, the general contractor has senselessly placed the door on a constructed 45° corner wall, so no large closet could fit along the utility room wall anyway. But the plan isn’t meant to be taken seriously at this stage.
Müllerin schrieb:
So when I look at the current weather... I don’t understand why everyone always wants a south-facing terrace. We have one too, but rather by necessity. At least half of our choice was based on minimizing direct sunlight on the house sides...Because otherwise, we wouldn’t have such sunny weather like this year.
I wouldn’t focus too much on the ground floor itself, but rather try moving rectangles around on the site plan: sketch out where the rooms should or could be located. With a smart stair placement, the upper floor will naturally follow. I also think the builder intended it that way – just a suggestion for how it could be.
Personally, I would start by straightening the legs of the staircase so the dining room can be made wider. But that’s just theoretical, because the current design isn’t cozy at all. Planning level 6! Just extending the dining room into the kitchen.
I also don’t like when the front door can only be accessed through the carport. It feels hidden, uninviting, and if a crowd of kids comes over, I would worry about my car.
I can imagine it being more attractive to place the garage along the southern boundary of the plot, possibly further forward, with the sunny south garden behind it (south-facing windows and a narrower plot), and a larger garden area on the west and north side, each with their own terrace.
So: I would just start moving things around myself.
We have now received a revised floor plan for the ground floor and an initial one for the upper floor from the builder.
We currently prefer this floor plan over the alternative proposal. We are uncertain about the small guest toilet.
Alternative proposal:
We would probably assign the storage room under the stairs to the utility room.
The exit of the garden shed (currently facing north) will have to be redirected towards the east (right), since we have already reached the property boundary to the north.
Upper floor plan:
We are considering swapping the bathroom and the office/guest room. What do you think about that?
And here again is the (old) site plan. The house location on the plot remains the same; it will just be shifted further to the right (larger garage/carport + bigger house):
I hope this time there will be more approval since the complete floor plan is now available. Nevertheless, please feel free to critically review everything.
Thank you very much in advance!
We currently prefer this floor plan over the alternative proposal. We are uncertain about the small guest toilet.
Alternative proposal:
We would probably assign the storage room under the stairs to the utility room.
The exit of the garden shed (currently facing north) will have to be redirected towards the east (right), since we have already reached the property boundary to the north.
Upper floor plan:
We are considering swapping the bathroom and the office/guest room. What do you think about that?
And here again is the (old) site plan. The house location on the plot remains the same; it will just be shifted further to the right (larger garage/carport + bigger house):
I hope this time there will be more approval since the complete floor plan is now available. Nevertheless, please feel free to critically review everything.
Thank you very much in advance!
Stege90 schrieb:
We currently prefer this floor plan over the alternative proposal. We are uncertain about the small guest bathroom. The bathroom fits, but the bent (Z-shaped) path through the hallway wouldn’t be my choice. The upper floor serves its purpose, but the elevation looks oddly outdated.
An open-plan kitchen and living room combined with a separate sitting room totaling 48 square meters (516 square feet) is surprisingly spacious for such a small cottage-style house, but it still warrants reconsideration for a better layout.
I don’t believe in the 11.5 cm (4.5 inch) interior wall thickness. Where exactly do the 45 cm (18 inch) exterior wall thicknesses come from?
Overall, the design appears much more coherent — but have you taken my “high” opinion of the builder seriously?
Stege90 schrieb:
The location of the house on the lot remains the same; it will only be shifted further to the right (larger garage/carport + larger house): Try drawing the house there. If the storage shed is directly on the boundary, the setback on the upper right side (at the corner of the sitting room) seems questionable.
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