Hello everyone,
this is my third post in this forum. First of all, thank you for the valuable tips I have already received. I think I have learned a lot so far.
I have linked the previous posts below. To avoid any misunderstandings, I will list all the necessary information again. Therefore, reading the old posts only makes limited sense. For completeness, I have included them here.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissplanung-Bungalow-170qm.31445/
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grobe-Grundstücksplanung-819m.31558/
For the initial selection, there were three rough floor plan drafts. One was from Yvonne, the second from kbt09, and the third from the planner/ourselves. Many thanks to both of you for the good ideas! After some time for consideration and consultation with the developer, we decided to pursue the third floor plan.
Now to the main topic.
At the end of April 2019, we reserved a plot (plot no. 10) and started working on the floor plan. The plot is tied to the developer, and unfortunately, the planner has not turned out to be very creative (myself included). Two weeks ago, we had another meeting with the developer and talked about the three options mentioned above. We then chose one variant and want to proceed with it. We have now received a draft, which certainly still needs improvement.
For this reason, I would like to present the floor plan here again for discussion and hope for feedback, ideas, suggestions, and tips. Maybe you will immediately see things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday life. I have also already noticed a few things that I would change, but since we will probably make quite a few modifications anyway, I have not yet suggested my own improvements in the floor plan. Also, the planner and I have not yet discussed doors and windows.
Attached again is the completed questionnaire.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 819m² (8809 sq ft)
Slope: NO
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4 (allowable exceedance 25 per 100)
Gross floor area ratio (GFAR): 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: On the northeast side approximately 31m (102 ft) deep, west side approximately 35m (115 ft) deep, plot frontage on the street 18.7m (61 ft) and rear boundary (development limit) approximately 27m (89 ft). The major challenge with the plot is the narrow width at the front. Depending on house orientation, after the 3m (10 ft) building setback on the street side, we have about 19.5m (64 ft) to 20.4m (67 ft) available. This means that if the house is parallel to the street, it is 19.5m (64 ft), and parallel to the neighbor in the northeast direction about 20.1m (66 ft).
Side building setback: 3m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces required: no specification
Number of floors: maximum 2 full floors
Roof type: gable roof, hip roof
Other requirements: Garage must be at least 5m (16 ft) from the property boundary.
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: bungalow with hip roof
Basement, floors: no basement due to high groundwater level
Number of people, age: 4 people aged 36 years (female), 37 years (male), 2 years (child), 7 months (child)
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: living/dining/kitchen, utility room, guest toilet with shower, hallway with coat area and stairs to the upper floor, children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom, and storage room.
Upper floor: office, children’s playroom and additional storage space.
Office: family use or home office? home office
Overnight guests per year: 1–2 times
Open or closed floor plan: a mix of both
Conservative or modern design: a mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island would be nice but not a must, closed kitchen also has advantages
Number of dining seats: 4, with the option for 6–8 would be nice but not essential
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: sound system in the living room
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: Space for 2 cars is required. Currently, I am considering a garage (3x6m / 10x20 ft) and carport (3.6m / 12 ft).
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special requirements/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or restrictions
House design
Who designed the plan:
-Developer’s planner / do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
-There should be enough space in the coat area and behind the stairs to store jackets, shoes, etc.
-The children’s rooms have a comfortable size and are practically equal in size.
-Living room/kitchen are close to entrance and garage.
-The storage room has a good (central) location.
-
What do you not like? Why?
-Garage/carport is very far to the back (but I can probably live with this)
-The utility room is comparatively large and long
-The kitchen in my opinion is somewhat too large
-The living room is only the desired minimum size and could use 5m² (54 sq ft) more
-The main bathroom is located between both children’s rooms and the noise from showering and toilet use is likely to be a major issue
-The main bathroom could be slightly larger
-Between the garage and the property boundary there will be a dead space where weeds will probably grow later. Does anyone have ideas on how to prevent this?
-The garage is currently planned with a length of 9m (30 ft), of which 6m (20 ft) is for the garage and 3m (10 ft) for a storage room. The current position directly behind the garage is not optimal in my view
Price estimate according to architect/planner: no new price estimate received yet
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 400,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
ideas from planner and do-it-yourself ideas from me
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
The main bathroom is located between the children’s rooms. How can we reduce noise disturbance to a minimum?
Imagine I drive a Skoda Superb into the garage. Since the garage is on the property boundary and the driveway narrows between the house and property line, I have to enter at a slight angle. Does this cause problems in everyday life? See pictures.
Assuming we build a double garage directly attached to the bungalow instead of a garage and carport, is there anything special to consider during construction?
this is my third post in this forum. First of all, thank you for the valuable tips I have already received. I think I have learned a lot so far.
I have linked the previous posts below. To avoid any misunderstandings, I will list all the necessary information again. Therefore, reading the old posts only makes limited sense. For completeness, I have included them here.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissplanung-Bungalow-170qm.31445/
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grobe-Grundstücksplanung-819m.31558/
For the initial selection, there were three rough floor plan drafts. One was from Yvonne, the second from kbt09, and the third from the planner/ourselves. Many thanks to both of you for the good ideas! After some time for consideration and consultation with the developer, we decided to pursue the third floor plan.
ypg schrieb:
If I say that the plot is not easy, I am understated.
Maybe this is an approach?
kbt09 schrieb:
I continued with the approach from the floor plan adjustments.
Now to the main topic.
At the end of April 2019, we reserved a plot (plot no. 10) and started working on the floor plan. The plot is tied to the developer, and unfortunately, the planner has not turned out to be very creative (myself included). Two weeks ago, we had another meeting with the developer and talked about the three options mentioned above. We then chose one variant and want to proceed with it. We have now received a draft, which certainly still needs improvement.
For this reason, I would like to present the floor plan here again for discussion and hope for feedback, ideas, suggestions, and tips. Maybe you will immediately see things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday life. I have also already noticed a few things that I would change, but since we will probably make quite a few modifications anyway, I have not yet suggested my own improvements in the floor plan. Also, the planner and I have not yet discussed doors and windows.
Attached again is the completed questionnaire.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 819m² (8809 sq ft)
Slope: NO
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4 (allowable exceedance 25 per 100)
Gross floor area ratio (GFAR): 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: On the northeast side approximately 31m (102 ft) deep, west side approximately 35m (115 ft) deep, plot frontage on the street 18.7m (61 ft) and rear boundary (development limit) approximately 27m (89 ft). The major challenge with the plot is the narrow width at the front. Depending on house orientation, after the 3m (10 ft) building setback on the street side, we have about 19.5m (64 ft) to 20.4m (67 ft) available. This means that if the house is parallel to the street, it is 19.5m (64 ft), and parallel to the neighbor in the northeast direction about 20.1m (66 ft).
Side building setback: 3m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces required: no specification
Number of floors: maximum 2 full floors
Roof type: gable roof, hip roof
Other requirements: Garage must be at least 5m (16 ft) from the property boundary.
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: bungalow with hip roof
Basement, floors: no basement due to high groundwater level
Number of people, age: 4 people aged 36 years (female), 37 years (male), 2 years (child), 7 months (child)
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: living/dining/kitchen, utility room, guest toilet with shower, hallway with coat area and stairs to the upper floor, children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom, and storage room.
Upper floor: office, children’s playroom and additional storage space.
Office: family use or home office? home office
Overnight guests per year: 1–2 times
Open or closed floor plan: a mix of both
Conservative or modern design: a mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island would be nice but not a must, closed kitchen also has advantages
Number of dining seats: 4, with the option for 6–8 would be nice but not essential
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: sound system in the living room
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: Space for 2 cars is required. Currently, I am considering a garage (3x6m / 10x20 ft) and carport (3.6m / 12 ft).
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special requirements/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or restrictions
House design
Who designed the plan:
-Developer’s planner / do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
-There should be enough space in the coat area and behind the stairs to store jackets, shoes, etc.
-The children’s rooms have a comfortable size and are practically equal in size.
-Living room/kitchen are close to entrance and garage.
-The storage room has a good (central) location.
-
What do you not like? Why?
-Garage/carport is very far to the back (but I can probably live with this)
-The utility room is comparatively large and long
-The kitchen in my opinion is somewhat too large
-The living room is only the desired minimum size and could use 5m² (54 sq ft) more
-The main bathroom is located between both children’s rooms and the noise from showering and toilet use is likely to be a major issue
-The main bathroom could be slightly larger
-Between the garage and the property boundary there will be a dead space where weeds will probably grow later. Does anyone have ideas on how to prevent this?
-The garage is currently planned with a length of 9m (30 ft), of which 6m (20 ft) is for the garage and 3m (10 ft) for a storage room. The current position directly behind the garage is not optimal in my view
Price estimate according to architect/planner: no new price estimate received yet
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 400,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
ideas from planner and do-it-yourself ideas from me
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
The main bathroom is located between the children’s rooms. How can we reduce noise disturbance to a minimum?
Imagine I drive a Skoda Superb into the garage. Since the garage is on the property boundary and the driveway narrows between the house and property line, I have to enter at a slight angle. Does this cause problems in everyday life? See pictures.
Assuming we build a double garage directly attached to the bungalow instead of a garage and carport, is there anything special to consider during construction?
C
Chrisi190621 Aug 2019 21:50ypg schrieb:
You summarized it well
I have basically dropped out myself, exactly for the reasons explained.
By now, I can understand a building contractor who puts little to no effort into the design
Yes, as long as the subwoofer plays a bigger role after work than the washing machine
And instead of Dad confronting his wife with the designs and comments.Sorry, but saying the subwoofer plays a bigger role than the washing machine is just nonsense. Am I not allowed to express my wishes?
Of course, I show my wife the floor plans; why wouldn’t I? My father lives 200 km (125 miles) away, so I only show him a few. My wife sees all the floor plans.
It’s understandable to also have some sympathy for a building contractor. I am an IT consultant myself and often notice that my clients’ wishes change during the project, making the work done useless.
C
Chrisi190621 Aug 2019 22:30kaho674 schrieb:
I think a gable roof is already the obvious choice given your requirements.
Could you clarify the 5m (16 feet) distance from the street for garages? Does this also apply to carports, and would a carport be an option? Would it then be okay to choose a shallow gable roof and a higher knee wall? We prefer that look. Could you maybe explain again why a gable roof is the default option for our needs? Is it because it makes it easier to position the staircase in the floor plan, or because of the better usable space in the attic, or something else? Setting costs aside for now...
The garage must be at least 5m (16 feet) away from the street. I didn’t find anything about carports in the development plan, so I assume the rule does not apply to them. Yes, a carport would be an option.
Here is the relevant excerpt from the development plan:
Garages must be at least 5 meters (16 feet) from the access road, to allow a vehicle to be temporarily parked on the property and to prevent traffic on the access road from being obstructed when the garage door is opened.
I think we have already found some very good floor plans. Here are my top two.
If you add a knee wall to the main structure now, it will exceed the budget.
The roof is already barely included as it is. Personally, I see this more as a DIY task – but with two small children, that’s unrealistic. In my opinion, you should be glad if you manage to include the staircase, flooring, and insulation under the roof – aesthetics aside. Besides, adding a knee wall would increase the space under the roof, which means more area and a higher cost for every centimeter (inch). But you don’t actually need that extra space.
In my view, the gable roof is the most cost-effective and suitable solution for your needs. It offers enough room even without a knee wall, plus windows in the gable for bright, pleasant rooms. Also, it looks better with a steeper roof pitch than, for example, a hip roof. However, I wouldn’t go above 31° (31 degrees). At 1.20m (4 feet), I would recess it. In the last draft, it looked something like this:
By the way, the double casement window above the stairs lets some light into the hallway below.
If possible, I wouldn’t attach the carport to the L-shaped bungalow. I think it looks better if it stands separately. However, the question is whether it is allowed to be 3m (10 feet) away – otherwise, you’ll have to move it 2m (7 feet) further back.
The roof is already barely included as it is. Personally, I see this more as a DIY task – but with two small children, that’s unrealistic. In my opinion, you should be glad if you manage to include the staircase, flooring, and insulation under the roof – aesthetics aside. Besides, adding a knee wall would increase the space under the roof, which means more area and a higher cost for every centimeter (inch). But you don’t actually need that extra space.
In my view, the gable roof is the most cost-effective and suitable solution for your needs. It offers enough room even without a knee wall, plus windows in the gable for bright, pleasant rooms. Also, it looks better with a steeper roof pitch than, for example, a hip roof. However, I wouldn’t go above 31° (31 degrees). At 1.20m (4 feet), I would recess it. In the last draft, it looked something like this:
By the way, the double casement window above the stairs lets some light into the hallway below.
If possible, I wouldn’t attach the carport to the L-shaped bungalow. I think it looks better if it stands separately. However, the question is whether it is allowed to be 3m (10 feet) away – otherwise, you’ll have to move it 2m (7 feet) further back.
C
Chrisi190622 Aug 2019 08:53kaho674 schrieb:
If you add a knee wall on top of the main building volume, it will blow the budget.
The roof is already barely included as it is. Personally, I see this more as DIY work – but with two small children, that’s unrealistic. In my opinion, you should be happy if you can include the staircase, flooring, and insulation under the roof – aesthetics aside. Also, a knee wall would increase the space under the roof, which means more area and the price rises with every centimeter (inch). But you don’t really need that space.
A gable roof is, in my view, the most cost-effective and suitable solution for your needs. It offers enough space—even without a knee wall—and also windows in the gable for pleasant rooms. Plus, a steeper roof pitch looks better than, for example, a hip roof. I would still not go above 31° (31 degrees). At 1.20m (4 feet), I would create a recess. The last draft would then look something like this:
[ATTACH alt="DG.jpg"]37706[/ATTACH]
By the way, the double casement window above the staircase lets some light into the hallway below.
If possible, I wouldn’t attach the carport to the corner bungalow. I think it looks better freestanding. The question is if leaving 3m (10 feet) clearance is allowed—otherwise, you might have to move it 2m (6.5 feet) further back.
[ATTACH alt="Carport.jpg"]37707[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="Ansicht.jpg"]37708[/ATTACH] I wouldn’t use a knee wall with your suggestion either—I like the look as it is. I agree about the carport... freestanding is better.
Thank you very much! I really like it, and it offers many advantages compared to the previous designs.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
Thank you very much!!! I really like it, and it offers many advantages compared to the previous designs.I personally like this one best as well, I must admit. However, the issue with the bicycle storage still needs to be resolved. Also, I would consider the heating system and its sizing. Should it be an air-source heat pump or a ground-source heat pump? With an air-source heat pump, you also have the external unit.Similar topics