Hello House Building Forum
I am new here, and we are currently planning our house with an architect. There are currently 4 of us, but we plan to have a 5th. Therefore, the house will include 3 children's bedrooms.
Here is the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1250 sqm (13455 sq ft) on 25m x 50m (82 ft x 164 ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not sure at the moment
Edge development: allowed but I want to avoid it
Number of parking spaces: double carport + 2 cars in front
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: classic single-family home
Orientation: see drawing
Owners’ Requirements
Open floor plan on the ground floor, 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, attic with enough space for storage and a hobby area
House Design
Who created the design:
- Architect
What do you like most? Why?
Ground floor: open kitchen and living room. Office accessible from the living room. Direct access to the terrace.
Upper floor: accommodate 3 children’s bedrooms, bedroom with walk-in closet area. The large dormer. The stairs to the attic, where the hobby room will be located.
What do you dislike? Why?
Basically only the staircase to the upper floor. I am a bit bothered by having to walk “around the corner” when coming up. I am looking for ideas to improve this. Or is this concern unfounded?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Not determined yet.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings:
350,000 Euro
Preferred heating system:
Gas boiler, solar thermal, and underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details or extensions can you do without:
We have already eliminated everything we could possibly do without.
Why is the design the way it is? For example:
We went to the architect with our preferred design. He used our floor plan as a basis and created a floor plan that we like even better. Only the staircase layout is not yet 100% satisfactory for me.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
As mentioned, the staircase to the upper floor is my biggest concern. I hope to get some ideas on how to improve it and maybe some feedback on the rest.
South is “up” on the drawings
If more information is needed, I am happy to provide it.
Best regards
I am new here, and we are currently planning our house with an architect. There are currently 4 of us, but we plan to have a 5th. Therefore, the house will include 3 children's bedrooms.
Here is the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1250 sqm (13455 sq ft) on 25m x 50m (82 ft x 164 ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not sure at the moment
Edge development: allowed but I want to avoid it
Number of parking spaces: double carport + 2 cars in front
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: classic single-family home
Orientation: see drawing
Owners’ Requirements
Open floor plan on the ground floor, 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, attic with enough space for storage and a hobby area
House Design
Who created the design:
- Architect
What do you like most? Why?
Ground floor: open kitchen and living room. Office accessible from the living room. Direct access to the terrace.
Upper floor: accommodate 3 children’s bedrooms, bedroom with walk-in closet area. The large dormer. The stairs to the attic, where the hobby room will be located.
What do you dislike? Why?
Basically only the staircase to the upper floor. I am a bit bothered by having to walk “around the corner” when coming up. I am looking for ideas to improve this. Or is this concern unfounded?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Not determined yet.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings:
350,000 Euro
Preferred heating system:
Gas boiler, solar thermal, and underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details or extensions can you do without:
We have already eliminated everything we could possibly do without.
Why is the design the way it is? For example:
We went to the architect with our preferred design. He used our floor plan as a basis and created a floor plan that we like even better. Only the staircase layout is not yet 100% satisfactory for me.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
As mentioned, the staircase to the upper floor is my biggest concern. I hope to get some ideas on how to improve it and maybe some feedback on the rest.
South is “up” on the drawings
If more information is needed, I am happy to provide it.
Best regards
kaho674 schrieb:
My personal opinion: I think it is absolutely wrong to legitimize poor workmanship on the upper floor by installing or offsetting a gable. I agree.
When it comes to dormers, I’m out! In my opinion, you can’t just slap them on as an amateur. And certainly, there are regulations in the development plan regarding roofs and dormers.
S
Sparfuchs7723 Jul 2019 12:07ypg schrieb:
First, clean up the floor plan from any errors. Then we can look at how the dormers might either mess things up a bit or improve them. - In the end, I need to see which points I agree with my wife on and which compromises the ground floor is worth to us (her :P). Ultimately, swapping the kitchen and living room is a matter of personal preference.
- A higher knee wall would definitely make the children's rooms, attic, and storage/wardrobe room more spacious.
- My initial suggestion to swap the kitchen and living room wasn’t really met with enthusiasm ^^. Today, I’ll rebuild all three versions in Sweet Home and show them to her. Then we’ll make a pros and cons list and see what comes out of it.
- I think moving the staircase to make the stairs straight would be a good idea.
I think once we have the floor plans in front of us tonight and I meet with our designer tomorrow, we’ll know more. But I expect some compromises will be necessary. I also don’t want to force my opinion (swapping kitchen, moving stairs, etc.) on my wife at all costs.
Could you please share where we can find the development plan (links are not preferred here, so better something like "Posemuckel No. 258 in Wiesengrund" or similar – you have a private message)? With such an unusual roof, I strongly suspect there are regulations that inspired the architect to come up with such an extraordinary design.
In the floor plan, I hardly noticed the "dormers" or the knee wall. It really is a knee wall, and by my interpretation, it is 75 cm (30 inches) high, as many development plans envision for a house meant to look "Franconian." Normally, I would say this knee wall height is poor because I expect a knee wall to completely replace a short wall (Drempel); in my experience, practical knee wall heights are between 100 and 130 cm (39 to 51 inches), often called the bed knee wall. This allows for facade windows in the knee wall and roof windows in the roof slope above.
However, this is quite different here: they settle for the 75 cm (30 inches) “dust-collector” knee wall, structurally clean without doubling it with a short wall—but then it gets interesting: the roof is pulled forward over the roof attachments, which, together with the low knee wall, prevents placing meaningful facade windows in the knee wall. Instead—and this is where I say no competent architect would do this without good reason—gable dormers are added on top of the knee wall. You really tricked me because, without the cross-section, just from the elevation, I almost mistook them for “dormers.” However, these are actually gable dormers with shed roofs—rarely more unusual—and this is usually done only for a reason. Therefore, one would have to assume that classic gable dormers (with a gable end, usually called “return gables”) are excluded here not just due to cost, but also because of a requirement in the development plan. That said, you are right about the bat dormer; that would also clearly exceed this design in terms of cost and effort (though that would be more typical in northern Germany).
Has a carpenter already shared their opinion on how complex they expect this roof structure to be? After all, the windows seem feasible without altering the rafter spacing; however, this also gives the house a strong impression of a 1950s suburban home. From the outside alone, I wouldn’t estimate the finished house as a new build, but rather as a renovated property with a modern front door.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
In the floor plan, I hardly noticed the "dormers" or the knee wall. It really is a knee wall, and by my interpretation, it is 75 cm (30 inches) high, as many development plans envision for a house meant to look "Franconian." Normally, I would say this knee wall height is poor because I expect a knee wall to completely replace a short wall (Drempel); in my experience, practical knee wall heights are between 100 and 130 cm (39 to 51 inches), often called the bed knee wall. This allows for facade windows in the knee wall and roof windows in the roof slope above.
However, this is quite different here: they settle for the 75 cm (30 inches) “dust-collector” knee wall, structurally clean without doubling it with a short wall—but then it gets interesting: the roof is pulled forward over the roof attachments, which, together with the low knee wall, prevents placing meaningful facade windows in the knee wall. Instead—and this is where I say no competent architect would do this without good reason—gable dormers are added on top of the knee wall. You really tricked me because, without the cross-section, just from the elevation, I almost mistook them for “dormers.” However, these are actually gable dormers with shed roofs—rarely more unusual—and this is usually done only for a reason. Therefore, one would have to assume that classic gable dormers (with a gable end, usually called “return gables”) are excluded here not just due to cost, but also because of a requirement in the development plan. That said, you are right about the bat dormer; that would also clearly exceed this design in terms of cost and effort (though that would be more typical in northern Germany).
Has a carpenter already shared their opinion on how complex they expect this roof structure to be? After all, the windows seem feasible without altering the rafter spacing; however, this also gives the house a strong impression of a 1950s suburban home. From the outside alone, I wouldn’t estimate the finished house as a new build, but rather as a renovated property with a modern front door.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
You have a private message... or maybe not: I can’t send you a message, please check your settings. I can’t even see details like which state or region you are building in...https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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