ᐅ Single-family house – flat roof – edge of forest location – 175 sqm
Created on: 16 Feb 2019 22:03
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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?
benediktr schrieb:
Also, I would like to have the morning sun in the kitchen and the evening sun in the living room. Hmm... in summer, the evening sun actually comes from the direction where your living room has no windows, and in winter the western sun disappears before work is finished. What also surprises me is the suggested sofa position.
By the way, kitchens nearly 5 meters (16 feet) wide call for a proper kitchen island, not just a peninsula. Otherwise, the kitchen ends up with too much walking space. Here’s an example from a kitchen design that immediately came to mind.
Including a utility room next to the kitchen... with your staircase location, I would probably prefer access here as well, since the stairs are supposed to come down into the kitchen.
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Is the garage supposed to have a walkable roof?
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Master bedroom... I don’t think placing the bed with the headboard next to the doorway is a good idea.
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Children’s room... you should seriously reconsider very large floor-to-ceiling windows as they limit furniture options. Kids grow into teenagers, so always consider furniture arrangements accordingly. Also check popular teen bed sizes, like 140 cm (55 inches) wide.
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benediktr18 Feb 2019 18:28Obstlerbaum schrieb:
Since you are building on a slope, I would try to include one or two rooms with windows to make better use of them. In my opinion, the bathroom is a disaster. Kitchen with terrace doors is not necessary, purely a matter of taste.Right. The plan is to equip the basement room in the southeast with a strip window.
11ant schrieb:
I see the floor plans changing again overall: I would call the ground floor “inefficient”: the ratio of few room functions (only living-dining-kitchen, utility room, WC, and circulation area) to a lot of space (67 sqm (722 sq ft) just for living-dining-kitchen, and if the total area were less generous, one would more quickly notice how much space the straight single-flight staircase consumes) is costly without compensating benefits.
About 20 sqm (215 sq ft) could be removed from the ground floor without missing anything. Then I would position a dog-legged staircase roughly where the bathtub and shower are now, keeping the rest of the room layout unchanged.
I have highlighted in color where the difference between the ground floor and upper floor areas actually lies. About half of this surplus space would also benefit the upper floor, meaning in my view the difference between a storage closet for a double bed and a proper bedroom.
I don’t see a “loss” of architectural profiling in terms of the pseudo-Bauhaus effect (“wild” cubic forms) as dramatic here.
Let me cautiously rephrase “inefficient” as generous. But you’re right. We don’t need more rooms on the ground floor. Of course, the house could be shortened by about 1 m (3 ft), making it roughly 10 x 10 m (33 x 33 ft). Unfortunately, I’m quite busy during the week, but I will try a half-landing staircase.
Regarding the projection on the upper floor: it could be structurally complicated if the corner glazing stays, right? Whether it is a “storage closet” or not is more a matter of taste in my opinion. Since we only sleep here and store laundry in the walk-in closet, there’s not much more in the bedroom than a bed and two nightstands.
The house was never intended to have “wild” cubic design; I prefer energy efficiency and keeping the initial costs realistic. I’m fond of clean lines.
kbt09 schrieb:
Hmm … in summer, the evening sun actually comes from the direction where your living room then has no windows, and in winter the west sun disappears before work ends. What also surprises me is the implied sofa position.
Almost 5 m (16.5 ft) wide kitchens call for a proper kitchen island rather than a peninsula. Otherwise, the kitchen will have a lot of walking distance. Here’s an example from a kitchen plan that came to mind immediately.
Including utility room adjacent to the kitchen … given the position of your stairs, I would probably prefer access there, since the stairs are supposed to descend into the kitchen.
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Is the garage actually supposed to have a walkable roof?
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Master bedroom … I don’t like the bed positioned with the headboard next to the passage.
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Children’s room … very large floor-to-ceiling windows should be seriously reconsidered, as they limit furnishing options. Children become teenagers, so always consider furniture layout, including the popular teenage bed size of 140 cm (55 inches) width. I have attached a screenshot of the sun’s path at 8:00 PM in midsummer. It clearly shows that the living room still receives sunlight. About the sofa position: because it faces away from the window?
Thanks for the tip about the free-standing island; I will try adjusting its position. I don’t understand the comment about access to the utility room?
Whether the roof of the garage is walkable depends on the costs and whether it is permitted. It would, of course, be a nice breakfast spot in summer. However, I could also do without it.
Beds in the children’s room (room 2) are all drawn with a width of 140 cm (55 inches). If I make the window a bit narrower, what changes could this allow in terms of layout? At the moment, only one child is planned.
I hope I was able to address all your questions and suggestions. I will of course keep you updated on further optimizations. Any further criticism is very welcome.
benediktr schrieb:
I’ll cautiously call it “inefficient” but rather generous. No, that’s not “cautious,” that’s boldly talk nonsense. It would be generous if the surface provided a sense of spaciousness. Here, it doesn’t; it disappears the moment you pay for it.
benediktr schrieb:
I just prefer clean lines In my opinion, “horizontally emphasized” would describe it better than “clean.”
benediktr schrieb:
Whether this is a “storage room” or not, I see that more as a matter of taste. Since we’re only here to sleep, A simple parking space for tired bodies might be enough if you have the gift to fall asleep like Sleeping Beauty on command.
benediktr schrieb:
Regarding the overhang on the upper floor: It might become structurally quite complicated if the corner glazing is to be retained, right? I usually leave detailed structural discussions for more advanced design stages. It’s doable, and every homeowner has their own passion that they consider essential for the exterior of their house.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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benediktr18 Feb 2019 19:1611ant schrieb:
No, that’s not being “cautious,” that’s boldly talking nonsense. It would be “generous” if the area created a sense of spaciousness. But it doesn’t here; it disappears as soon as you pay.OK, let’s ask the question the other way around. What area do you consider appropriate for living, dining, and kitchen spaces if you want to achieve a certain feeling of openness?
11ant schrieb:
A plain parking space for tired bodies might be enough if you have the ability to fall asleep on command like Sleeping Beauty.Luckily, we have that ability.
There’s no need to discuss that this recess has not only a practical use. As you said, everyone has their own preference. Let’s see how the price develops if you extend it a bit further. It’s hard for me to estimate. I have already asked about the implementation in another thread. The expensive part is probably the thermal break. Whether adding another meter (3 feet) will make a difference financially might be something an expert or someone experienced can explain.
benediktr schrieb:
OK, let's ask it the other way around. What area would you consider appropriate for living, dining, and kitchen spaces if you want to maintain a certain sense of spaciousness?I already mentioned that: around 20 m² (215 sq ft) can quietly be cut down. Roughly about three-quarters from the living/dining/kitchen area and one-quarter from the hallway, roughly estimated.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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benediktr11 Jun 2019 19:36I’m getting back to you with a new idea and would like to hear your feedback. The house has been made smaller, and the ground floor has been recessed into an L-shape. I moved the staircase to the other partition wall and reduced it to 15 steps. The clear ceiling height would now be only 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in).
However, I like the upper floor much better here, as the rooms could be divided more effectively -> larger master bedroom with a spacious walk-in closet that receives natural daylight -> appropriately sized children’s rooms -> smaller, cozier bathroom
Where do you see potential for improvements or changes here?
However, I like the upper floor much better here, as the rooms could be divided more effectively -> larger master bedroom with a spacious walk-in closet that receives natural daylight -> appropriately sized children’s rooms -> smaller, cozier bathroom
Where do you see potential for improvements or changes here?
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