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
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
Yes, that slipped past me. Sorry! The development plan only allows gable or hip roofs, and a maximum of two full stories. As far as I saw yesterday, nothing else is specified. I would have to ask the architect what he was thinking. Yes, please, I’m eager to find out.
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
But the dormers are off the table for now anyway. I don’t necessarily agree with that. If you have now read (and understood)—the latter likely needs to be read three times and with a drink for an untrained reader—my post, you should realize that you don’t actually have dormers, but rather cross-gables (dormers would sit on the roof—usually on the knee wall—whereas cross-gables extend the exterior wall); that the roof above the "dormers" is therefore an unnecessary overhang from a structural rafters’ perspective; and consequently, this overhang can be omitted without blocking window sills that sit below the knee wall’s height. Your concern
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
The dormers are no longer feasible with a 1.30m (4 ft 3 in) knee wall without the window sills being way too high. I consider this a reasonable misconception for a layperson. In fact, this misunderstanding is what led me to recognize the unusual design of your "dormers" in the first place.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
S
Sparfuchs7725 Jul 2019 15:5611ant schrieb:
I don’t necessarily see it that way. If you have now read (and understood) my post – the latter probably requires reading it three times and a shot of Underberg if you’re not used to it – then you should realize that you don’t actually have real dormers, but rather cross-gables (dormers typically sit on the roof – usually on the knee wall – whereas cross-gables continue the exterior wall); so the roof in front of the “dormers” is an unnecessary roof overhang for the roof structure; and therefore it can be omitted here without blocking window sills that would slip below the knee wall’s belt line. Your concern Yes, I think I understand now. You mean this difference, right?
Dormer
Knee wall variable
And this is what we have planned.
Right?
I arranged with the architect that we’ll send him an email with our questions and he will have the weekend to gather ideas. We can get an appointment on Wednesday.
If we decide to keep the open concept, the items to address would be:
- Decongest the staircase
- Adjust the upper floor
- Dormer instead of cross-gable
- Raise the knee wall
Happy then?
Is that possible? A masonry dormer that tall and the bay window below on the dining area side? I could imagine it might look strange. I suppose we’ll have to choose between the two.
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
You mean this difference, right?
Dormer
[IMG alt="gaube2.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/data/attachments/36/36210-6f28a5006c5b198b1584b2dc2950f2b1.jpg[/IMG]
Knee wall height variable
And this is what is planned for us.
[IMG alt="gaube3.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/data/attachments/36/36211-9dc823f021d4623e852f65c3a2a57be3.jpg[/IMG] I’m not sure: the upper image shows not a dormer but a cross gable roof - because it rises directly from the exterior wall; and yes, the knee wall height is more flexible in this case. In the lower image, it’s unclear whether it shows a dormer or a cross gable, precisely because the picture does not show enough below to see if there is only an eave under the windows or actually part of the main roof.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
S
Sparfuchs7725 Jul 2019 16:11Ok, I guess I didn’t understand it after all.
I’ve read it three times now… so…
I have cross-gable extensions—does that mean my “dormer” rests on the exterior wall? We apparently have the roof overhang in place to cover the terrace. I think he mentioned that once. But I didn’t think much about it at the time because I didn’t see any disadvantage.
So, the dormer rests behind (that is, inside) the exterior wall on the roof structure? Is that correct now?
11ant schrieb:
If you have now read (and understood) my post—understanding probably requires reading it three times and a shot of Underberg for beginners—then it should be clear to you that you don’t actually have true dormers, but rather cross-gable extensions (true dormers usually rest on the roof—mostly on its knee wall—whereas cross-gable extensions continue the exterior wall); that the roof area in front of these “dormers” is therefore an unnecessary overhang from a structural point of view for the roof frame; and consequently, it can be omitted without obstructing window sills that would extend below the knee wall’s base level.
I’ve read it three times now… so…
I have cross-gable extensions—does that mean my “dormer” rests on the exterior wall? We apparently have the roof overhang in place to cover the terrace. I think he mentioned that once. But I didn’t think much about it at the time because I didn’t see any disadvantage.
So, the dormer rests behind (that is, inside) the exterior wall on the roof structure? Is that correct now?
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
So the dormer is positioned behind (that is, inside) the exterior wall, mounted on the roof frame? Is that correct now?Exactly – and to be clear, this isn’t about my terminology strictness, but about your understanding that a higher knee wall here does not force your window sills to be any higher.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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