Hello everyone!
We seem to be going in circles with our floor plan design!
I’m starting to feel dizzy – the kids are growing up and are actually more excited about a carousel in the garden... Although our ideas are pretty clear, we’re not finding the optimal solution.
We’d really appreciate your general feedback and maybe some suggestions to the questions below.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 670 m2 (7,220 sq ft)
Slope: yes, maximum elevation difference 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.5
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof, 30–40 degrees
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: free
Maximum height / limits: 10.5 m (34.4 ft)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof
Basement, storeys: basement plus 1.5 storeys
Number of occupants, ages: male 38, female 37, one male toddler, one more child planned (female)
Space requirements on ground floor: kitchen (half-open or around the corner), storage pantry, small shower bathroom, wardrobe niche, guest room (min. 12 m2 (130 sq ft)), living/dining room (min. 40 m2 (430 sq ft))
Space requirements on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms min. 15 m2 (160 sq ft) each, master bedroom with dressing room, if possible with connection to bathroom, bedroom separated from children’s rooms by hallway or bathroom
Office: as family room / guest room
Guests per year: guest room is a must-have
Open or closed layout: rather closed (kitchen with sliding door or half wall?), staircase definitely separated from living area
Conservative or modern construction: classic with modern elements (windows? light bands, shallow roof pitch, no large roof overhang, color scheme gray/white)
Open kitchen, cooking island: half-open, a small breakfast bar is a must-have
Number of dining seats: table for 6 regularly, up to 17 for celebrations
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: facing north because of great view
Garage, carport: carport with 2 parking spaces
Additional wishes / special features
- Covered entrance (L-shape), front door with narrow side panel
- Platform stairs with risers
- Entrance should be on the east side
- Largest windows (floor-to-ceiling, possibly sliding door) on the ground floor at the northwest corner of the house (despite sun exposure, because of the view)
House Design
Planner: planner from a construction company
What do you like in particular? Why?: All rooms were accommodated in the floor plan
What don’t you like? Why?
On the ground floor: the solution for the pantry, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche.
In addition, the living room feels a bit too small.
On the upper floor: we think the bedroom and dressing room are somewhat too large, and the bathroom is too small (we want a T-shaped layout).
If you had to give up something, on which details / built-ins
- You could give up: bay window, platform stairs
- You could not give up: guest bathroom with shower on ground floor and guest room on ground floor
Why does the current design look the way it does?
We mixed many designs (prefab houses found online)
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Entrance on the east side, large windows facing north / northwest, all rooms accommodated in the floor plan
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Is the natural light on the upper floor sufficient? Would you consider “loopholes” appropriate? Or are skylights necessary? Is the bathroom too small for a T-layout? Do you find the bedroom and dressing area noticeably too large?
We’d like a small terrace in front of the house to enjoy some sun. Do you think an exit from the kitchen makes sense or is feasible? (The slope is not as steep as shown in the picture.)
How would you solve the area with guest bathroom, wardrobe corner and pantry? Is the shower bathroom too small and pantry too big? (Ideally, guest room, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche would be close together in one “corner” of the house, but that’s not a must.)
How would you enlarge the living room? We might drop the bay window to the northwest and perhaps add one facing north instead. What do you think?
How would you cover the front door? An extension? L-shape canopy? The carport probably won’t be built for a few years...
Thanks so much for your help!
We seem to be going in circles with our floor plan design!
I’m starting to feel dizzy – the kids are growing up and are actually more excited about a carousel in the garden... Although our ideas are pretty clear, we’re not finding the optimal solution.
We’d really appreciate your general feedback and maybe some suggestions to the questions below.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 670 m2 (7,220 sq ft)
Slope: yes, maximum elevation difference 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.5
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof, 30–40 degrees
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: free
Maximum height / limits: 10.5 m (34.4 ft)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof
Basement, storeys: basement plus 1.5 storeys
Number of occupants, ages: male 38, female 37, one male toddler, one more child planned (female)
Space requirements on ground floor: kitchen (half-open or around the corner), storage pantry, small shower bathroom, wardrobe niche, guest room (min. 12 m2 (130 sq ft)), living/dining room (min. 40 m2 (430 sq ft))
Space requirements on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms min. 15 m2 (160 sq ft) each, master bedroom with dressing room, if possible with connection to bathroom, bedroom separated from children’s rooms by hallway or bathroom
Office: as family room / guest room
Guests per year: guest room is a must-have
Open or closed layout: rather closed (kitchen with sliding door or half wall?), staircase definitely separated from living area
Conservative or modern construction: classic with modern elements (windows? light bands, shallow roof pitch, no large roof overhang, color scheme gray/white)
Open kitchen, cooking island: half-open, a small breakfast bar is a must-have
Number of dining seats: table for 6 regularly, up to 17 for celebrations
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: facing north because of great view
Garage, carport: carport with 2 parking spaces
Additional wishes / special features
- Covered entrance (L-shape), front door with narrow side panel
- Platform stairs with risers
- Entrance should be on the east side
- Largest windows (floor-to-ceiling, possibly sliding door) on the ground floor at the northwest corner of the house (despite sun exposure, because of the view)
House Design
Planner: planner from a construction company
What do you like in particular? Why?: All rooms were accommodated in the floor plan
What don’t you like? Why?
On the ground floor: the solution for the pantry, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche.
In addition, the living room feels a bit too small.
On the upper floor: we think the bedroom and dressing room are somewhat too large, and the bathroom is too small (we want a T-shaped layout).
If you had to give up something, on which details / built-ins
- You could give up: bay window, platform stairs
- You could not give up: guest bathroom with shower on ground floor and guest room on ground floor
Why does the current design look the way it does?
We mixed many designs (prefab houses found online)
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Entrance on the east side, large windows facing north / northwest, all rooms accommodated in the floor plan
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Is the natural light on the upper floor sufficient? Would you consider “loopholes” appropriate? Or are skylights necessary? Is the bathroom too small for a T-layout? Do you find the bedroom and dressing area noticeably too large?
We’d like a small terrace in front of the house to enjoy some sun. Do you think an exit from the kitchen makes sense or is feasible? (The slope is not as steep as shown in the picture.)
How would you solve the area with guest bathroom, wardrobe corner and pantry? Is the shower bathroom too small and pantry too big? (Ideally, guest room, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche would be close together in one “corner” of the house, but that’s not a must.)
How would you enlarge the living room? We might drop the bay window to the northwest and perhaps add one facing north instead. What do you think?
How would you cover the front door? An extension? L-shape canopy? The carport probably won’t be built for a few years...
Thanks so much for your help!
Jule-2501 schrieb:
Floor plan from the architectWhat did you not like about this floor plan? I really like the ground floor; how was the upper floor? Maybe you could also upload the development plan for the building plot?
Niloa schrieb:
Because you’re afraid the design will be too expensive? 160 sq m (1,722 sq ft) built is 160 sq m (1,722 sq ft) built. I would rather get 160 sq m (1,722 sq ft) of living space with a clearly stated architect’s fee than 125 sq m (1,346 sq ft) of living space from a bargain-basement architect “included.” The general contractor doesn’t say: I’ll build the 35 square meters (377 sq ft) of botched space that my cheap drafter carelessly squeezed into all the rooms for free.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Take a look at the thread starting from post #66.
When skimming through your thread, the basic conditions such as east-facing entrance, (extreme) slope, garden to the north, basement due to the slope (with a living area there because of the slope), desired rooms, etc., are the same.
The other design had the issue that the plot was very narrow, and Grandpa was supposed to have several official common rooms in the basement, the children’s bedrooms and a kids’ bathroom on the upper floor, and the house access on the property was from the south.
You don’t have these problems, so a feasible and attractive design should be possible for you, right?!
If you could add the building envelope/planning permission area, the plot dimensions, and/or a few photos of the site, I could try to adapt the previous design somewhat to your requirements.
The elevations are quite visible, but screenshots in rather low resolution are hard to read.
When skimming through your thread, the basic conditions such as east-facing entrance, (extreme) slope, garden to the north, basement due to the slope (with a living area there because of the slope), desired rooms, etc., are the same.
The other design had the issue that the plot was very narrow, and Grandpa was supposed to have several official common rooms in the basement, the children’s bedrooms and a kids’ bathroom on the upper floor, and the house access on the property was from the south.
You don’t have these problems, so a feasible and attractive design should be possible for you, right?!
If you could add the building envelope/planning permission area, the plot dimensions, and/or a few photos of the site, I could try to adapt the previous design somewhat to your requirements.
The elevations are quite visible, but screenshots in rather low resolution are hard to read.
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