ᐅ My floor plan for a four-family house—looking forward to your feedback.
Created on: 21 Feb 2019 18:16
D
dobbelhaus
I have already shared my project here before. I want to build a single-family house with two residential buildings (a semi-detached house) and a total of four housing units in a new development area. These apartments are initially intended for rent, but might be used later for personal use or family.
The two residential units should be easy to combine without major work. For now, the ground floor forms one unit, and the upper floor plus the attic together form another unit (maisonette).
I would have preferred the bathrooms and kitchens to have windows. The architect did not include this in the first floor plan draft and says it is basically okay this way, but difficult to implement otherwise.
Since the two front doors are located on the south and north sides of the house, and the living room is on the west side (with a terrace), it is naturally not easy to design all rooms with windows.
I would like to get your opinions on the floor plan for this four-family house and maybe some suggestions so I can contribute to the discussion with the architect next week.
Thank you!
The two residential units should be easy to combine without major work. For now, the ground floor forms one unit, and the upper floor plus the attic together form another unit (maisonette).
I would have preferred the bathrooms and kitchens to have windows. The architect did not include this in the first floor plan draft and says it is basically okay this way, but difficult to implement otherwise.
Since the two front doors are located on the south and north sides of the house, and the living room is on the west side (with a terrace), it is naturally not easy to design all rooms with windows.
I would like to get your opinions on the floor plan for this four-family house and maybe some suggestions so I can contribute to the discussion with the architect next week.
Thank you!
I agree with the previous comments that this concept is economically nonsensical. I find both Thies' and Yvonne's suggestions much better.
Furthermore, I think it’s quite weak if the architect can’t fulfill the client’s request for a bathroom with a window. I would understand that in an older building, but in a new build, it’s disappointing.
I would say this architect is not the right one for you. Are there any others available?
Furthermore, I think it’s quite weak if the architect can’t fulfill the client’s request for a bathroom with a window. I would understand that in an older building, but in a new build, it’s disappointing.
I would say this architect is not the right one for you. Are there any others available?
D
dobbelhaus22 Feb 2019 10:11Thank you for the numerous feedbacks!!
The following changes I would like to have made:
- Move the kitchens on both floors to the window side
- Make the apartment entrance door left-hand opening
- Standardize the staircase direction, using the north side variant
- Reduce the living/dining areas on both floors by about 5–7 m2 (54–75 sq ft), and increase the bedrooms by 2–3 m2 (22–32 sq ft), plus add a 3–4 m2 (32–43 sq ft) storage room next to the bathrooms
- Modify the windows on the east side (bedroom windows oriented north-south instead of east, and kitchen window 0.6 m (2 feet) smaller); this provides more privacy for the rear gardens of the maisonette apartments
- In the attic, create a larger bathroom with a bathtub and window, while making the utility/storage room smaller
The following changes I would like to have made:
- Move the kitchens on both floors to the window side
- Make the apartment entrance door left-hand opening
- Standardize the staircase direction, using the north side variant
- Reduce the living/dining areas on both floors by about 5–7 m2 (54–75 sq ft), and increase the bedrooms by 2–3 m2 (22–32 sq ft), plus add a 3–4 m2 (32–43 sq ft) storage room next to the bathrooms
- Modify the windows on the east side (bedroom windows oriented north-south instead of east, and kitchen window 0.6 m (2 feet) smaller); this provides more privacy for the rear gardens of the maisonette apartments
- In the attic, create a larger bathroom with a bathtub and window, while making the utility/storage room smaller
Start planning from scratch.
Families want direct garden access – for that, the interior can be simpler.
Singles or couples don’t want children around, no garden, but prefer everything to be a bit more stylish and trendy. High earners are also willing to pay for open-plan living and a rooftop terrace, as suggested by YPG. Your family apartment is not suitable for families.
Families want direct garden access – for that, the interior can be simpler.
Singles or couples don’t want children around, no garden, but prefer everything to be a bit more stylish and trendy. High earners are also willing to pay for open-plan living and a rooftop terrace, as suggested by YPG. Your family apartment is not suitable for families.
kaho674 schrieb:
Furthermore, I find it weak when the architect can’t fulfill the client’s wish for a bathroom with a window. I would understand that in an older building, but in a new build, it’s disappointing.That has nothing to do with being “weak.” Some things just aren’t possible. Look at the client’s requirements (4 residential units) and the property itself. Our drafting skills might be interesting, but putting aside economic factors: apartment buildings intended for rental are planned differently than a private house. More economically driven.
As a landlord, you want tenants to find the place attractive and feel comfortable. (Every tenant change is uneconomical and wears down the property.) From what I see in this design, a bathroom window is secondary. A floor plan can work well even without it.
dobbelhaus schrieb:
Putting kitchens on the window side on both floorsThat’s overrated. My kitchen has a window (of course, it’s a classic house). Still, I often have to switch on the light. The work surfaces not directly by the window will always need artificial lighting. I’d rather have good lighting at the dining table, where office work, homework, and reading the newspaper take place.
What you’re doing now is fiddling around again without considering the root cause of the problem.
I roughly sketched my idea from this morning, assuming the dimensions of one half are 14m x 8m (46ft x 26ft). (In the image: ground floor - first floor - attic, apartment 1 in gray, apartment 2 in brown, only one half shown)
I can’t say if placing the boiler room partially under the stairs would work in a two-family house. I left out the bay windows and extensions from your plan (since you don’t want the construction costs to rise indefinitely). It might then require an “annex” for the heating system or another suitable solution (but not in apartment 2 in the attic).
There are no windows in the plan yet, but at least the main bathroom and shower room could have some.
I would also move away from the idea that the upper apartment gets part of the garden assigned to it. I’ve seen this personally with acquaintances in their rental apartment … it just isn’t used.
Better to make the east garden a shared area, with a seating and barbecue spot that each resident, or all of them together, can use.
I can’t say if placing the boiler room partially under the stairs would work in a two-family house. I left out the bay windows and extensions from your plan (since you don’t want the construction costs to rise indefinitely). It might then require an “annex” for the heating system or another suitable solution (but not in apartment 2 in the attic).
There are no windows in the plan yet, but at least the main bathroom and shower room could have some.
I would also move away from the idea that the upper apartment gets part of the garden assigned to it. I’ve seen this personally with acquaintances in their rental apartment … it just isn’t used.
Better to make the east garden a shared area, with a seating and barbecue spot that each resident, or all of them together, can use.
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