ᐅ Single-family house – flat roof – edge of forest location – 175 sqm
Created on: 16 Feb 2019 22:03
B
benediktr
After being a silent reader in this forum for a long time, I would now like to share my thoughts and ideas with you. I hope to receive some suggestions for improvement and constructive feedback.
Unfortunately, I cannot provide a site plan at the moment. Therefore, here is a screenshot of the property. I have roughly traced it on the ground floor plan. The exact orientation definitely needs further planning. It is plot number 51.
Below, I try to outline the essentials in the questionnaire.
Development plan/restrictions
Section 34 of the Building Code
Plot size
580 sqm (6,243 sq ft)
Slope
No direct slope; terrain descends about 3 m (10 ft) from north to south and roughly 3 m (10 ft) from west to east; retaining wall to the south present
Building setbacks
North/East/South – 3 m (10 ft), West – 6 m (20 ft)
Number of parking spaces
1-2
Number of floors
2 full stories plus basement
Roof type
Flat roof
Architectural style
Modern
Orientation
Southwest
Maximum heights/limits
-
Other specifications
Owners’ requirements
Room layout as shown in the plan; spacious living-dining-kitchen area
Style, roof type, building type
Flat roof
Number of occupants, ages
Currently 2 people, 28 and 26 years old; planning for 1-2 children
Room requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
GF: living, dining, kitchen, utility room, WC
UF: bathroom, 2 children's rooms, bedroom plus walk-in closet
Office: family use or home office?
Family use
Guest overnight stays per year
Very seldom
Open or closed architecture
Open
Conservative or modern construction
Modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Yes
Number of dining seats
6
Fireplace
Corner fireplace
Music/stereo wall
No
Additional wishes/particularities/daily routine, including reasons for preferences
- Staircase from ground floor to upper floor should start in the dining area and not be visible from the living room
- Living room preferably on the west side, as we both work very long hours
House design
Who did the planning?
Do-it-yourself, using various floor plans as templates
What do you particularly like? Why?
Straight staircase, layout of living, dining, and kitchen areas, corner fireplace
What do you not like? Why?
I am unsure if the rooms upstairs might be a bit too narrow due to the straight staircase. This could be improved with a landing staircase, but that is just a minor point to accept.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings:
450,000
Preferred heating technology:
Gas condensing boiler, possibly with a water jacket in the fireplace
If you have to give up something, what details/features
- can you forgo? Partition separating the WC in the bathroom
- cannot you do without? Walk-in closet
Why did the design become what it is now?
Room orientation on the plot guided the design based on our wishes. View to the west, looking over forest and fields. Access from the north to avoid an outdoor staircase.
What do you think are its strengths or weaknesses?
We would prefer to avoid floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side, as the neighbor’s front door is there, which is not ideal for brightness. Large window fronts on the west side due to the view, as mentioned. A window in the walk-in closet could still be planned.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Do you think the upper floor rooms might feel "narrow and elongated"? Budget?
Unfortunately, I cannot provide a site plan at the moment. Therefore, here is a screenshot of the property. I have roughly traced it on the ground floor plan. The exact orientation definitely needs further planning. It is plot number 51.
Below, I try to outline the essentials in the questionnaire.
Development plan/restrictions
Section 34 of the Building Code
Plot size
580 sqm (6,243 sq ft)
Slope
No direct slope; terrain descends about 3 m (10 ft) from north to south and roughly 3 m (10 ft) from west to east; retaining wall to the south present
Building setbacks
North/East/South – 3 m (10 ft), West – 6 m (20 ft)
Number of parking spaces
1-2
Number of floors
2 full stories plus basement
Roof type
Flat roof
Architectural style
Modern
Orientation
Southwest
Maximum heights/limits
-
Other specifications
Owners’ requirements
Room layout as shown in the plan; spacious living-dining-kitchen area
Style, roof type, building type
Flat roof
Number of occupants, ages
Currently 2 people, 28 and 26 years old; planning for 1-2 children
Room requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
GF: living, dining, kitchen, utility room, WC
UF: bathroom, 2 children's rooms, bedroom plus walk-in closet
Office: family use or home office?
Family use
Guest overnight stays per year
Very seldom
Open or closed architecture
Open
Conservative or modern construction
Modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Yes
Number of dining seats
6
Fireplace
Corner fireplace
Music/stereo wall
No
Additional wishes/particularities/daily routine, including reasons for preferences
- Staircase from ground floor to upper floor should start in the dining area and not be visible from the living room
- Living room preferably on the west side, as we both work very long hours
House design
Who did the planning?
Do-it-yourself, using various floor plans as templates
What do you particularly like? Why?
Straight staircase, layout of living, dining, and kitchen areas, corner fireplace
What do you not like? Why?
I am unsure if the rooms upstairs might be a bit too narrow due to the straight staircase. This could be improved with a landing staircase, but that is just a minor point to accept.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings:
450,000
Preferred heating technology:
Gas condensing boiler, possibly with a water jacket in the fireplace
If you have to give up something, what details/features
- can you forgo? Partition separating the WC in the bathroom
- cannot you do without? Walk-in closet
Why did the design become what it is now?
Room orientation on the plot guided the design based on our wishes. View to the west, looking over forest and fields. Access from the north to avoid an outdoor staircase.
What do you think are its strengths or weaknesses?
We would prefer to avoid floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side, as the neighbor’s front door is there, which is not ideal for brightness. Large window fronts on the west side due to the view, as mentioned. A window in the walk-in closet could still be planned.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Do you think the upper floor rooms might feel "narrow and elongated"? Budget?
B
benediktr17 Feb 2019 14:24Thank you all for your great interest in the discussion. To keep things simple, I have “marked up” the floor plans, adjusted the dimensions, and created a small section sketch. Whether this will actually work in reality needs to be evaluated by a professional. In the neighborhood, this was at least solved in this way.
Correct, the utility room could be a bit smaller. However, the wall panel for the straight staircase must remain. I am trying to adjust this somewhat. The door under the stairs has already been addressed.
I remeasured the 3.30 m (11 feet) again in my current apartment and also consider it sufficient. The children’s room situation definitely still has potential for improvement. I hope the sketch helps to better interpret the slope of the site.
Last year, we built a townhouse at my brother’s. Helpers were my father, grandfather, father-in-law, and me. A few hours during the week and Friday/Saturday. That definitely strains your nerves, but I’m young and resilient. The help from the mentioned people is assured.
I knew the kitchen and living room situation would lead to disagreements. We really thought it through carefully here. I fully agree with your reasoning and know we’re accepting a disadvantage in this regard. Still, we want the layout this way. I want to have the view into the valley and the street from the kitchen. Additionally, I want the morning sun in the kitchen and the evening sun in the living room. This simply fits our daily rhythms and work situation. There is a field path on the north side of the triangle.
As described before, I consider it feasible since I recently did this myself. Here’s an example from the in-house sanitary installation as owner participation:
The entire water/wastewater installation for bathroom plus WC and kitchen was completed in about 120 hours (including final assembly). I source the materials through wholesale at very favorable terms. I am aware that the savings potential here isn’t huge. Still, there is a difference between paying a plumber $30,000 or possibly managing it for $15,000 to $20,000.
I look forward to more suggestions for improvement.
ypg schrieb:
Then it could even be smaller... I would place the door under the stairs. More centrally accessible...
Why? The rooms upstairs have a very good width. That’s all that’s needed.
There’s still some room at K2 (wall to corridor), K1 could then benefit from K2 (partition wall).
I don’t understand the slope. I don’t see why 3 meters (10 feet) is nothing. So here I see a big unknown.
Correct, the utility room could be a bit smaller. However, the wall panel for the straight staircase must remain. I am trying to adjust this somewhat. The door under the stairs has already been addressed.
I remeasured the 3.30 m (11 feet) again in my current apartment and also consider it sufficient. The children’s room situation definitely still has potential for improvement. I hope the sketch helps to better interpret the slope of the site.
haydee schrieb:
Owner participation is solid. Do you have so many helpers? With one or two people, you won’t get far.
If you have enough helpers, then the budget looks better.
But having the kitchen in the flight path helps, because the mess only gets on the 2 meters (6.5 feet) to the fridge, and that floor is tiled.
Just as an example:
This morning, five adults sat warmly dressed on the terrace while the children went through the wet, partially frozen sand and gravel. There, having the coffee machine next to the door is worth gold. Or you just shouldn’t have a bakery and ducks in the neighborhood.
About the widths:
Bedroom and one children’s room are 3.8 m (12.5 feet) wide in our place, both roughly 19 sqm (205 sq ft), so they’re not narrow at all.
Children’s room 2 is 3.15 m (10.5 feet) wide, also about 19 sqm (205 sq ft), still works. A few centimeters (inches) more would be nice but not a reason to throw the floor plan overboard.
What’s on the north side of the triangle?
Looking forward to the height details, somehow I can’t reconcile the slope with the plan.
Last year, we built a townhouse at my brother’s. Helpers were my father, grandfather, father-in-law, and me. A few hours during the week and Friday/Saturday. That definitely strains your nerves, but I’m young and resilient. The help from the mentioned people is assured.
I knew the kitchen and living room situation would lead to disagreements. We really thought it through carefully here. I fully agree with your reasoning and know we’re accepting a disadvantage in this regard. Still, we want the layout this way. I want to have the view into the valley and the street from the kitchen. Additionally, I want the morning sun in the kitchen and the evening sun in the living room. This simply fits our daily rhythms and work situation. There is a field path on the north side of the triangle.
11ant schrieb:
When evaluating owner participation as a "muscle mortgage," people often forget that only those friends count who have simultaneously skills and motivation and time — and also: the synchronization of these possible owner work efforts with the construction schedule.
As described before, I consider it feasible since I recently did this myself. Here’s an example from the in-house sanitary installation as owner participation:
The entire water/wastewater installation for bathroom plus WC and kitchen was completed in about 120 hours (including final assembly). I source the materials through wholesale at very favorable terms. I am aware that the savings potential here isn’t huge. Still, there is a difference between paying a plumber $30,000 or possibly managing it for $15,000 to $20,000.
I look forward to more suggestions for improvement.
B
benediktr17 Feb 2019 17:38kaho674 schrieb:
I think the floor plan is okay. The bathroom is too large, and the layout isn’t really to my taste. But that’s a matter of personal preference.
Regarding the staircase, you can still get more out of it. Depending on its length and the ceiling height you plan, you can extend the staircase landing on the upper floor by 1-2 steps. The same effect applies on the ground floor—the last step disappears into the ceiling. Overall, this means the staircase can be moved closer to the front door. This has several positive effects:
The door to child 1’s room can be shifted downwards, the corner at child 2’s room becomes significantly smaller when you include the hallway, and the bathroom becomes somewhat smaller.I also currently find the bathroom too large. The layout was initially just a trial. We are open to all suggestions.
Regarding the staircase: I understand your description. I have designed the staircase for a floor-to-floor height of 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) and a clear room height of 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in). This results in at least a 16-step staircase with a length of 4.10 m (13 ft 5 in).
Considering the span, it will probably require at least a 20 cm (8 inches) reinforced concrete slab plus 15 cm (6 inches) for insulation boards, underfloor heating, and screed. I also think that by optimizing the staircase a bit, significant space gains can be achieved in other areas. Thanks for the tip.
Regarding the site profile: I find the drawing only somewhat helpful; marking elevation points on the aerial photo would provide me with more useful information.
However, I will point out the specific criticisms based on the example: the privacy wall in the toilet is pointless because it is hidden behind the door when you enter; the small hand basin, which you reach by quickly going around the wall panel to a full-size sink, fits into this category; but the person showering is immediately visible. Overall, the nearly 17 square meters (about 183 square feet) offer little sense of spaciousness.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
benediktr schrieb:
The layout was initially just an experiment. We are open to all suggestions.
However, I will point out the specific criticisms based on the example: the privacy wall in the toilet is pointless because it is hidden behind the door when you enter; the small hand basin, which you reach by quickly going around the wall panel to a full-size sink, fits into this category; but the person showering is immediately visible. Overall, the nearly 17 square meters (about 183 square feet) offer little sense of spaciousness.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
B
benediktr17 Feb 2019 19:4711ant schrieb:
Regarding the site profile: I find the drawing only somewhat helpful; marking elevation points on the aerial photo would give me a better understanding.
Still, I will list the criticism based on the specific example: the privacy wall at the WC is pointless since it is hidden behind the door when entering; the hand washbasin, which you reach by briefly walking around the wall panel to get to the full washbasin, fits into this critique as well; the person showering, however, is immediately in view. Overall, nearly 17 square meters (183 square feet) without giving much of a feeling of "space."Tomorrow, I will roughly mark the elevation points on the aerial photo. With the drawing, I only wanted to clarify the misunderstanding regarding the garage in the basement.
The bathroom was a mess—I'm aware of that. I’ll make some adjustments and share the solutions with you. The 17 square meters (183 square feet) will also be reduced to benefit the child. For me, 17 square meters (183 square feet) is definitely too large as well.
O
Obstlerbaum17 Feb 2019 20:25Since you are building on a slope, I would suggest trying to include one or two rooms with windows to make better use of the space. In my opinion, the bathroom is a disaster. Having patio doors in the kitchen is not necessary; it’s purely a matter of personal preference.
I still see the floor plans changing overall: I would describe the ground floor as "inefficient." The ratio of few functional spaces (only living-dining-kitchen area, utility room, toilet, and circulation space) to a large floor area (67 m² (721 sq ft) just for the living-dining-kitchen) is costly without offering much benefit.
Up to 20 m² (215 sq ft) could be removed from the ground floor without any loss of functionality. Then, I would position a double-flight staircase roughly where the bathtub and shower are currently located, keeping the rest of the layout the same.
I have highlighted in color attached where the difference in floor area between the ground floor and the upper floor lies. About half of this surplus would also benefit the upper floor, meaning it could make the difference between a storage room for a double bed and an actual bedroom from my perspective.
I wouldn’t consider this a dramatic loss of architectural character in terms of a pseudo-Bauhaus effect ("wild" cubism).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Up to 20 m² (215 sq ft) could be removed from the ground floor without any loss of functionality. Then, I would position a double-flight staircase roughly where the bathtub and shower are currently located, keeping the rest of the layout the same.
I have highlighted in color attached where the difference in floor area between the ground floor and the upper floor lies. About half of this surplus would also benefit the upper floor, meaning it could make the difference between a storage room for a double bed and an actual bedroom from my perspective.
I wouldn’t consider this a dramatic loss of architectural character in terms of a pseudo-Bauhaus effect ("wild" cubism).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Similar topics