ᐅ Floor plan design for an urban villa with basement – any suggestions for improvement?
Created on: 8 Oct 2019 21:00
C
canerol
Hello everyone,
We are currently planning a townhouse for the plot of land we purchased. We would appreciate your feedback, improvements, or suggestions regarding the floor plans.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 448m² (5409 ft²)
Slope: South-facing slope, within the building area approximately 1.6 m (5.25 ft) descending from street level
Building type: Single-family house, townhouse style
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Plot ratio / floor space index: 0.6
Building area, building line, and boundary: Maximum building depth 14 m (46 ft), building length 10.5 m (34 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 1 in front of the garage entrance
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: Gable roof, 25-45 degrees; hip roof / tent roof 15-25 degrees
Architectural style: Modern
Orientation: South
Maximum height / limitations: No restrictions
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Townhouse style, hip/tent roof 25 degrees
Basement, floors: 2 full stories plus basement rooms and a separate apartment in the basement
Number and ages of occupants: 4 people, ages: 46, 47, children 20 and 16 years
Space requirements for basement (UG), ground floor (EG), upper floor (OG):
UG:[/B] Separate apartment for one child (20 years), WC & shower, 1 cellar/storage room, utility room
EG: Kitchen/dining/living, workspace
OG: Two children’s rooms (child 16 years), bathroom, master bedroom, storage room (washing machine, dryer)
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative
Open kitchen with island: open kitchen
Number of dining places: 4
Fireplace: yes
Music/Stereo wall: no
Balcony: no
Terrace: yes, on the ground floor; according to the development plan, half the width of the house
Rainwater tank: no
Garage or carport: garage
House Design
Designed by:
- Structural engineer
Cost estimate according to structural engineer: 350,000€ including ancillary construction costs and utility connections
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: 370,000€
Heating system: Geothermal heating
Why does the design look like it does?
Since our children are older, we wanted to prioritize giving them large rooms. Due to the slight slope on the site, a basement with a separate apartment made sense. This is where our older son would have his own space. Our daughter would have her room on the upper floor. We wanted the living room to be large and open.
We have a family member (father-in-law) who runs a civil engineering company, so we expect to get the earthworks and landscaping done at a relatively low cost.
We are currently planning a townhouse for the plot of land we purchased. We would appreciate your feedback, improvements, or suggestions regarding the floor plans.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 448m² (5409 ft²)
Slope: South-facing slope, within the building area approximately 1.6 m (5.25 ft) descending from street level
Building type: Single-family house, townhouse style
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Plot ratio / floor space index: 0.6
Building area, building line, and boundary: Maximum building depth 14 m (46 ft), building length 10.5 m (34 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 1 in front of the garage entrance
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: Gable roof, 25-45 degrees; hip roof / tent roof 15-25 degrees
Architectural style: Modern
Orientation: South
Maximum height / limitations: No restrictions
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Townhouse style, hip/tent roof 25 degrees
Basement, floors: 2 full stories plus basement rooms and a separate apartment in the basement
Number and ages of occupants: 4 people, ages: 46, 47, children 20 and 16 years
Space requirements for basement (UG), ground floor (EG), upper floor (OG):
UG:[/B] Separate apartment for one child (20 years), WC & shower, 1 cellar/storage room, utility room
EG: Kitchen/dining/living, workspace
OG: Two children’s rooms (child 16 years), bathroom, master bedroom, storage room (washing machine, dryer)
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative
Open kitchen with island: open kitchen
Number of dining places: 4
Fireplace: yes
Music/Stereo wall: no
Balcony: no
Terrace: yes, on the ground floor; according to the development plan, half the width of the house
Rainwater tank: no
Garage or carport: garage
House Design
Designed by:
- Structural engineer
Cost estimate according to structural engineer: 350,000€ including ancillary construction costs and utility connections
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: 370,000€
Heating system: Geothermal heating
Why does the design look like it does?
Since our children are older, we wanted to prioritize giving them large rooms. Due to the slight slope on the site, a basement with a separate apartment made sense. This is where our older son would have his own space. Our daughter would have her room on the upper floor. We wanted the living room to be large and open.
We have a family member (father-in-law) who runs a civil engineering company, so we expect to get the earthworks and landscaping done at a relatively low cost.
G
Grantlhaua11 Oct 2019 10:33canerol schrieb:
Unfortunately, we have very little room to redesign the kitchen here, as these are load-bearing walls (yellow).
That's clear, but the floor plan isn't set in stone yet, right? Could you share a picture including the garage and the orientation on the plot? Depending on the conditions, you might be able to adjust the type of staircase and thereby gain some space in the width of the house.
By the way, for the roof, you can easily double your calculations with a hip or pyramid roof.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
That’s clear, but the floor plan isn’t set in stone yet, right? Could you share a picture including the garage and the orientation on the plot? Depending on the situation, the type of staircase could be adjusted to create more flexibility in the house’s width. The floor plan is not finalized yet; we will receive it today along with the orientation and garage details. Then I will upload the pictures here....
canerol schrieb:
The floor plan is not set in stone yet; we will receive the floor plan with orientation and garage today. Then I will upload the pictures here....I’m afraid the feedback here won’t improve much if the members’ concerns are ignored without comment. It means for us: you think it’s fine as it is – so why kick a dead horse? I also can’t find the point “What do you not like” in the initial post. So what? No big deal.If I’m to list what bothers me:
- Three stories don’t fit the budget or the near future (already discussed – you’ll see)
Basement:
- Bathroom too narrow
- Utility room very small
- Hobby/kidsroom too big – the right side will become a dark, cellar-like corner
- Questionable layout: why does the heating room need a window while you barely have space to move in the bathroom? The basement itself is huge – what are you supposed to do in the middle of a dance hall? Dancing in the cellar?
Ground floor:
- Carrying groceries to the kitchen is a marathon and always takes you through the living room by the lounge area. No place to retreat or relax here.
- Although you are building 200cm² (2153 sq ft), the hallway feels comparatively tight because the coat rack is not recessed into the wall.
- No windows on the right side in the living room – any particular reason?
Upper floor:
- Children’s rooms are too large – but that’s your preference
- Does the specifications sheet indicate where the washing machine will go?
- No natural side lighting at the washbasin – there is no window
- Personally, I prefer the bathroom facing east – but that’s a matter of taste.
Elevations would be interesting. So far, the design looks quite asymmetrical for a townhouse.
Is there actually an exit to a balcony now?
I also want to say something positive:
I like the size of the kitchen and living area.
G
Grantlhaua11 Oct 2019 11:57What I find completely missing in your planning, if you really want to go ahead with the granny flats like this, is where the laundry will be washed and especially hung to dry? Your son will hardly want to walk through the apartment every time, right?
M
Matthew0311 Oct 2019 13:23I agree with Katja and am more than surprised and disappointed that you are not addressing the specific questions. Is the cost estimate before or after tax? This has remained unanswered so far.
The various points regarding the family situation have been rightfully discussed actively by almost everyone, but from you: nothing. Why?
All fundamental questions should be discussed before talking about individual wall lengths... unless you prefer not to, that’s fine. But then don’t be surprised if nothing coherent comes out of this.
The various points regarding the family situation have been rightfully discussed actively by almost everyone, but from you: nothing. Why?
All fundamental questions should be discussed before talking about individual wall lengths... unless you prefer not to, that’s fine. But then don’t be surprised if nothing coherent comes out of this.
kaho674 schrieb:
I’m afraid the feedback here won’t increase much if members’ concerns are ignored without comment. For us, it means you think it’s fine as it is – so why kick a dead horse? I couldn’t find the section “What don’t you like” in the original post either. So what? Nothing matters.
If I list what bothers me:
- Three stories don’t fit the budget or the near future (already discussed – you’ll see)
Basement:
- Bathroom too narrow
- Utility room very small
- Hobby / kids’ room too large – on the right side it will become a dark, gloomy corner
- Questionable layout: why does the heating room need a window, while there’s hardly any space to move in the bathroom? The basement is huge – what do you do in the middle of that ball room? Creepy dancing?
Ground Floor:
- Carrying shopping bags to the kitchen is a marathon and always passes through the living room’s chill-out area. No retreat or quiet zone possible here.
- Although the house is 200m² (2,150 sq ft), the hallway feels relatively narrow since the cloakroom was not recessed into the wall.
- No windows on the right side of the living room – is there a reason for that?
Upper Floor:
- Kids’ room too big – but that’s what you want
- Does the utility room have the washing machine?
- No natural side light at the washbasin – no window
- Personally, I prefer the bathroom facing east, but that’s a matter of taste.
Elevations would be interesting. So far, it all looks quite asymmetrical for a townhouse. Is there actually an exit to a balcony now?
I’d also like to say something positive:
I like the size of the kitchen and living area.I definitely did not want to leave members’ comments unanswered; I will respond to the other comments as well.
Regarding your point on the budget: many members have mentioned that our cost estimate is too low. If the amount is not sufficient, we will have to secure additional funding. We are waiting to request quotes for the major trades from contractors; then we will see whether the structural engineer sticks to his cost estimate.
Regarding your questions:
Basement:
- Yes, the bathroom is narrow, but in my opinion sufficient for one person.
- The utility room is also small; we don’t need more there since only the heating system will be installed.
- The hobby/kids’ room has two windows, including a large one on the south side. The room probably won’t be flooded with light but should be sufficient in our opinion.
- No window is planned for the heating room; only a light well is foreseen.
Ground Floor:
- The route carrying shopping bags to the kitchen is long, and you’re right, so we plan a patio door leading to the parking space; the window shown in the drawing is actually the patio door. The kitchen furniture currently shown will, of course, be removed.
- The hallway is sufficient for us; we currently live in a terraced middle house with a hallway only 1.2m (4 ft) wide, so we are not overly spoiled.
Upper Floor:
- The kids’ room size is our daughter’s wish.
- The utility room will have the dryer and washing machine.
- The washbasin position can be changed to allow natural light; we plan to do so.
An exit to a balcony is not planned, as that would exceed the budget.
We would be very grateful for any further tips or suggestions.
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