ᐅ New single-family house, 190 sqm (aiming for fewer square meters!)
Created on: 15 Mar 2019 15:40
L
Lucrezia
Let’s give it a try 😉
We have finally decided on a local supplier who builds MHM walls (solid wood with wood wool insulation). It’s more expensive than a timber frame construction, but the local sourcing and construction method ultimately convinced us.
The floor plans were originally created by an architect, but we have gradually adapted them.
Of course, we will have “official” floor plans drawn up by the architect later. Before that, I’d like to exchange ideas with you and gather good suggestions 🙂
Hard facts:
We already live on the property in an older semi-detached house, which we will then rent out.
Plot size 470 sqm (total 1404 sqm, but part is already occupied by our old house, the double garage, and parking spaces).
The new house will have an “L-shape” to make optimal use of the free part of the property. The preliminary building enquiry with this plan was successful. The facade will be white! (or orange if approved).
The terrain is flat (needs about 60 cm (2 feet) of fill) – part of the topsoil will be reused, and whatever is missing will hopefully be “imported” from neighbors who are also building.
2 stories
Gable roof, between 25° and 28°
Style rather traditional
Orientation southwest
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type rather traditional, gable roof (requirements from local building authority/planning department)
No basement
Number of people, ages: she 45, he 50, 2 medium-sized dogs, children aged 1.5 and 2.5 years
Space needed on ground floor and upper floor – about 120 sqm (1300 sq ft) on the ground floor (due to practice), around 50 sqm (540 sq ft) upstairs would be enough
Practice with 2 rooms on the ground floor: 1 room purely as a practice, 1 larger room for courses/seminars as well. Soundproof wall between practice and living space. In 20 years or later, when we retire, the practice should become a granny flat (hence connections for kitchen + shower).
Guest sleepers per year – 5-6
Open or closed architecture – rather closed
Conservative or modern construction – doesn’t matter, main thing is practical
Open kitchen with island – more likely yes, but not mandatory
Number of dining seats – 3 to 6
Fireplace – only a stove
Music/stereo wall – unclear, possibly in the future?
Balcony, roof terrace – 1 balcony upstairs, 8.5 sqm (90 sq ft)
Garage, carport – no, already exists on the other part of the property
Utility garden, greenhouse – no, already present in the other garden area (maybe expand?)
House design
Originally planned by the architect, now “copied” and modified by me
What do you like in particular? Why? Light! Relatively little “dead space” (entrance, hallway...). I want it bright, and all square meters used rationally and sensibly.
What don’t you like? Why? Practice WC without a window, but apparently it can’t be done differently. Probably still too little storage space because no basement (we have storage in and on the garage, but since we have several hobbies, I’m afraid it will be tight).
Especially upstairs I would like fewer square meters overall, and less corridor space...
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 430K
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 510K
Preferred heating technology: heat pump without ventilation system (only in WC/bathroom), underfloor heating.
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions would it be?
- You could give up: parts of the entrance/hallway, living space upstairs
- You could not give up: practice, disabled-accessible practice WC. However, everything could be a bit smaller (overall house size, especially upstairs). A lower knee wall upstairs (currently 144 cm (4 ft 9 in)) is not feasible because on the south side, we would lose too much light.
Why is the design like this now? For example: Practice area
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Do you see ways to avoid dead space? Reduce costs?
We have treated the upper floor somewhat as an afterthought, since we only need 1 bedroom, 1 guest room, 1 sauna, and not necessarily an extra office/dog room.
The layout is still open. There is definitely room for improvement and lots of opportunity for constructive ideas 🙂
*Note: no window on the south side is possible in the guest room, because the roof gable of the ground floor is there.
We have finally decided on a local supplier who builds MHM walls (solid wood with wood wool insulation). It’s more expensive than a timber frame construction, but the local sourcing and construction method ultimately convinced us.
The floor plans were originally created by an architect, but we have gradually adapted them.
Of course, we will have “official” floor plans drawn up by the architect later. Before that, I’d like to exchange ideas with you and gather good suggestions 🙂
Hard facts:
We already live on the property in an older semi-detached house, which we will then rent out.
Plot size 470 sqm (total 1404 sqm, but part is already occupied by our old house, the double garage, and parking spaces).
The new house will have an “L-shape” to make optimal use of the free part of the property. The preliminary building enquiry with this plan was successful. The facade will be white! (or orange if approved).
The terrain is flat (needs about 60 cm (2 feet) of fill) – part of the topsoil will be reused, and whatever is missing will hopefully be “imported” from neighbors who are also building.
2 stories
Gable roof, between 25° and 28°
Style rather traditional
Orientation southwest
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type rather traditional, gable roof (requirements from local building authority/planning department)
No basement
Number of people, ages: she 45, he 50, 2 medium-sized dogs, children aged 1.5 and 2.5 years
Space needed on ground floor and upper floor – about 120 sqm (1300 sq ft) on the ground floor (due to practice), around 50 sqm (540 sq ft) upstairs would be enough
Practice with 2 rooms on the ground floor: 1 room purely as a practice, 1 larger room for courses/seminars as well. Soundproof wall between practice and living space. In 20 years or later, when we retire, the practice should become a granny flat (hence connections for kitchen + shower).
Guest sleepers per year – 5-6
Open or closed architecture – rather closed
Conservative or modern construction – doesn’t matter, main thing is practical
Open kitchen with island – more likely yes, but not mandatory
Number of dining seats – 3 to 6
Fireplace – only a stove
Music/stereo wall – unclear, possibly in the future?
Balcony, roof terrace – 1 balcony upstairs, 8.5 sqm (90 sq ft)
Garage, carport – no, already exists on the other part of the property
Utility garden, greenhouse – no, already present in the other garden area (maybe expand?)
House design
Originally planned by the architect, now “copied” and modified by me
What do you like in particular? Why? Light! Relatively little “dead space” (entrance, hallway...). I want it bright, and all square meters used rationally and sensibly.
What don’t you like? Why? Practice WC without a window, but apparently it can’t be done differently. Probably still too little storage space because no basement (we have storage in and on the garage, but since we have several hobbies, I’m afraid it will be tight).
Especially upstairs I would like fewer square meters overall, and less corridor space...
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 430K
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 510K
Preferred heating technology: heat pump without ventilation system (only in WC/bathroom), underfloor heating.
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions would it be?
- You could give up: parts of the entrance/hallway, living space upstairs
- You could not give up: practice, disabled-accessible practice WC. However, everything could be a bit smaller (overall house size, especially upstairs). A lower knee wall upstairs (currently 144 cm (4 ft 9 in)) is not feasible because on the south side, we would lose too much light.
Why is the design like this now? For example: Practice area
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Do you see ways to avoid dead space? Reduce costs?
We have treated the upper floor somewhat as an afterthought, since we only need 1 bedroom, 1 guest room, 1 sauna, and not necessarily an extra office/dog room.
The layout is still open. There is definitely room for improvement and lots of opportunity for constructive ideas 🙂
*Note: no window on the south side is possible in the guest room, because the roof gable of the ground floor is there.
ypg schrieb:
The upper floor is basically just a maze. That’s exactly what I meant by “we neglected the upper floor.” Because we’re not convinced at all. The word “maze” hits the nail on the head.
My approach would be an upper floor “downsize,” but I don’t yet know how to get there 🙂
Lucrezia schrieb:
Sometimes we get to enjoy a relaxing evening, but not every day. Do you really find the open-plan kitchen so small? I was used to about 30 sqm (320 sq ft), this one seems huge to me 🙂For an open-plan kitchen, it’s not small, but in my opinion, it’s not really suited for cozy relaxation or unwinding.
Who wants to chill on the sofa while looking under the dining table?
Suggestion: move the utility room to the upper floor, convert the old utility room into the practice, and use the smaller practice room as a chill-out area.
To me, the house feels more like a practice where a private open-plan kitchen was added as an afterthought. That’s how the attic floor came about.
It somehow reminds me of my hairdresser, who also has a kitchen next to the practice. Or like a holiday apartment connected to a practice.
Is your husband also involved in the practice? Who has the final say in your family’s planning decisions? I don’t see much private life there, even with a sauna included. Sorry.
Yes, my husband is also a psychologist and will share the practice space.
ypg schrieb:True, the table is in an awkward spot here 🙂
Who wants to chill on the sofa and end up looking under the dining table?
ypg schrieb:Thanks! I will definitely think about your suggestion! Hmm... we need the utility room/laundry close to the entrance, as we often have to wash the dogs and their dirty items, especially in autumn/winter.
Suggestion: move the utility room to the upper floor, convert the old utility room into the practice, and use the smaller practice room as a chill-out area.
H
hampshire15 Mar 2019 16:57Start at the top:
The labyrinth concept can be pursued more consistently ;-)
Consider removing the corridor between the bedroom and the dressing room. Then see how you can arrange the bedroom, dressing room, sauna, and bathroom side by side on the bedroom side, and move the guest room to the opposite side. The new labyrinth would form if access to the private area ran through the dressing room, with entry to the bedroom on the left, the bathroom on the right, and from there into the sauna. The guest room on the other side would have more natural light, and the corridor around the upper floor could be reduced by about 50%.
Regarding the office / dog room:
We also have (only one) dog. Is this room intended to house the dog while work is being done?
The room could serve well as a kind of lounge where you can relax. Depending on how much stuff the office has, the guest room could be used for this purpose – despite possible tax disadvantages.
So, if a relaxation area is created upstairs, the lower floor can focus more on cooking and dining. This then offers the opportunity to save space.
The labyrinth concept can be pursued more consistently ;-)
Consider removing the corridor between the bedroom and the dressing room. Then see how you can arrange the bedroom, dressing room, sauna, and bathroom side by side on the bedroom side, and move the guest room to the opposite side. The new labyrinth would form if access to the private area ran through the dressing room, with entry to the bedroom on the left, the bathroom on the right, and from there into the sauna. The guest room on the other side would have more natural light, and the corridor around the upper floor could be reduced by about 50%.
Regarding the office / dog room:
We also have (only one) dog. Is this room intended to house the dog while work is being done?
The room could serve well as a kind of lounge where you can relax. Depending on how much stuff the office has, the guest room could be used for this purpose – despite possible tax disadvantages.
So, if a relaxation area is created upstairs, the lower floor can focus more on cooking and dining. This then offers the opportunity to save space.
A utility room upstairs was also my second thought. If that’s not possible, I would create a spacious lounge area on the upper floor, or perhaps move everything to the upper floor and have just a small secondary eat-in kitchen on the ground floor for the terrace. Later on, you could fully divide it into two separate apartments – one upstairs and one downstairs.
I think you have completely forgotten about your everyday life in the planning. Workspaces here, dining area there, dog grooming space there, bed there, dressing room there. Visitors, too. Okay, a sauna as well – that must have been your dream.
I find there is a lack of coziness, places to retreat, and areas for guests.
And honestly, I can’t imagine two patients wanting to meet each other in a waiting room.
Or is that common practice in group medical offices?
I find there is a lack of coziness, places to retreat, and areas for guests.
And honestly, I can’t imagine two patients wanting to meet each other in a waiting room.
Or is that common practice in group medical offices?
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