ᐅ Single-family house approximately 185 sqm – Initial design – Suggestions for improvement?
Created on: 2 Nov 2019 21:52
L
LionsbarnL
Lionsbarn2 Nov 2019 21:52Hello everyone,
My wife and I are expecting a child and are planning to build our own house soon. We have visited two large model home parks, looked through many brochures, and gathered inspiration online.
We want to build a single-family house (to KfW 55 energy standard) with a gable roof and a bay window and are currently in discussions with several builders. We have presented them with our designs, but feedback has been limited, so we’re unsure whether we should also consult an architect.
Therefore, we would like to share our design here and get your opinions on whether the floor plan makes sense or if we might have overlooked something or made any mistakes.
Thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 700m² (7,535 ft²)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: see screenshot
Floor area ratio: see screenshot
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: Building envelope approx. 25 x 20m (82 x 66 ft), 3m (10 ft) setback from neighboring property
Edge development: Yes, garage
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired (1 garage)
Number of storeys: 1 full storey
Roof type: Gable roof
Architectural style: Modern single-family house
Orientation: -
Maximum heights / limits: see screenshot
Other requirements: Roof pitch: minimum 20°; driveway from NW direction
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Single-family house (KfW 55) with gable roof and bay window, knee wall preferably high (approximately 1.25m (4 ft))
Basement, floors: 1.5 full storeys, no basement
Number of people, ages: 3 people (34, 33, 0), one baby on the way, potentially more in the future
Room requirements – ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: Spacious and bright living/dining area, kitchen (not open), office, utility/technical room
Upper floor: Bedroom with walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, guest room (or third children’s room), bathroom
Office: Essential due to work
Overnight guests per year: 5-10
Open or closed layout: Open
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: No / yes
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: Yes
Music/stereo setup: Large TV and 9.1 surround sound with big speakers
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Garage with adjacent rooms
Utility garden, greenhouse: Low-maintenance garden, lawn and flowerbeds
House design
Who planned it: Do-it-yourself – ideas gathered from model home parks, brochures, and the internet
What do you like most? Why?
Ground floor: Open living/dining area with fireplace, morning sun enters the kitchen and moves throughout the living room all day. The sofa always has a view of the garden and the fireplace.
Upper floor: Quite large children’s rooms, each room has windows
What do you dislike? Why?
Ground floor: Position of the staircase, kitchen far from the entrance, distance of kitchen island from the wall, utility room too small?
Upper floor: Hallway too large and bathroom too small? Storage space poorly planned?
Estimated price according to planner:
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 400,000 € (excluding land)
Preferred heating technology: Gas condensing boiler with solar thermal and centralized ventilation system
If you had to give up on which features/finishes could you do without: Smart home
-which you cannot do without: Office/guest room, separate walk-in closet, fireplace, garage
Why does the current design look like it does? For example:
- The first draft is a mix of impressions from model home parks, brochures, internet, etc.
- Since the driveway is at the NW corner of the plot, the house and garage should move as far as possible to the NE to create a garden and terrace facing SW.
- Living/dining area should be on the SW side of the house.
- The kitchen should be separated from the living/dining area by a sliding door.
- Children’s rooms should be spacious and get as much sunlight as possible.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of the design, and what could be improved? Is a door from the hallway to the kitchen useful? Should we plan a half-landing staircase? Is the utility/technical room big enough? How do you rate the storage space upstairs?
Thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions!
My wife and I are expecting a child and are planning to build our own house soon. We have visited two large model home parks, looked through many brochures, and gathered inspiration online.
We want to build a single-family house (to KfW 55 energy standard) with a gable roof and a bay window and are currently in discussions with several builders. We have presented them with our designs, but feedback has been limited, so we’re unsure whether we should also consult an architect.
Therefore, we would like to share our design here and get your opinions on whether the floor plan makes sense or if we might have overlooked something or made any mistakes.
Thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 700m² (7,535 ft²)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: see screenshot
Floor area ratio: see screenshot
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: Building envelope approx. 25 x 20m (82 x 66 ft), 3m (10 ft) setback from neighboring property
Edge development: Yes, garage
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired (1 garage)
Number of storeys: 1 full storey
Roof type: Gable roof
Architectural style: Modern single-family house
Orientation: -
Maximum heights / limits: see screenshot
Other requirements: Roof pitch: minimum 20°; driveway from NW direction
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Single-family house (KfW 55) with gable roof and bay window, knee wall preferably high (approximately 1.25m (4 ft))
Basement, floors: 1.5 full storeys, no basement
Number of people, ages: 3 people (34, 33, 0), one baby on the way, potentially more in the future
Room requirements – ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: Spacious and bright living/dining area, kitchen (not open), office, utility/technical room
Upper floor: Bedroom with walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, guest room (or third children’s room), bathroom
Office: Essential due to work
Overnight guests per year: 5-10
Open or closed layout: Open
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: No / yes
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: Yes
Music/stereo setup: Large TV and 9.1 surround sound with big speakers
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Garage with adjacent rooms
Utility garden, greenhouse: Low-maintenance garden, lawn and flowerbeds
House design
Who planned it: Do-it-yourself – ideas gathered from model home parks, brochures, and the internet
What do you like most? Why?
Ground floor: Open living/dining area with fireplace, morning sun enters the kitchen and moves throughout the living room all day. The sofa always has a view of the garden and the fireplace.
Upper floor: Quite large children’s rooms, each room has windows
What do you dislike? Why?
Ground floor: Position of the staircase, kitchen far from the entrance, distance of kitchen island from the wall, utility room too small?
Upper floor: Hallway too large and bathroom too small? Storage space poorly planned?
Estimated price according to planner:
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 400,000 € (excluding land)
Preferred heating technology: Gas condensing boiler with solar thermal and centralized ventilation system
If you had to give up on which features/finishes could you do without: Smart home
-which you cannot do without: Office/guest room, separate walk-in closet, fireplace, garage
Why does the current design look like it does? For example:
- The first draft is a mix of impressions from model home parks, brochures, internet, etc.
- Since the driveway is at the NW corner of the plot, the house and garage should move as far as possible to the NE to create a garden and terrace facing SW.
- Living/dining area should be on the SW side of the house.
- The kitchen should be separated from the living/dining area by a sliding door.
- Children’s rooms should be spacious and get as much sunlight as possible.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of the design, and what could be improved? Is a door from the hallway to the kitchen useful? Should we plan a half-landing staircase? Is the utility/technical room big enough? How do you rate the storage space upstairs?
Thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions!
I like it very much so far.
Of course, the bay windows will increase the cost, but I think $400K should be enough. Elevation views would be helpful. I’d also suggest marking the 2m (6.5 ft) height line.
The storage space on the upper floor will be difficult to use because of the sloped ceiling. I would create an open void instead and open it up completely. The children’s desks can’t be placed under the slope either; you would probably need to rotate them. I find the privacy screen next to the toilet unnecessary—but these are minor details.
The staircase looks a bit short or steep. It could be an optical illusion. Could you provide the measurements along with the intended floor-to-ceiling height?
The technical room is really tight—please tell me what exactly you plan to put in there.
The kitchen layout is probably ergonomically poor, but Kerstin (@kbt09) knows better about that. I would remove the small table and replace it with a proper island—none of that pseudo-island that doesn’t allow proper workspace. Also, doubling the door to the dining area would be a good idea.
A site plan would be helpful.
Of course, the bay windows will increase the cost, but I think $400K should be enough. Elevation views would be helpful. I’d also suggest marking the 2m (6.5 ft) height line.
The storage space on the upper floor will be difficult to use because of the sloped ceiling. I would create an open void instead and open it up completely. The children’s desks can’t be placed under the slope either; you would probably need to rotate them. I find the privacy screen next to the toilet unnecessary—but these are minor details.
The staircase looks a bit short or steep. It could be an optical illusion. Could you provide the measurements along with the intended floor-to-ceiling height?
The technical room is really tight—please tell me what exactly you plan to put in there.
The kitchen layout is probably ergonomically poor, but Kerstin (@kbt09) knows better about that. I would remove the small table and replace it with a proper island—none of that pseudo-island that doesn’t allow proper workspace. Also, doubling the door to the dining area would be a good idea.
A site plan would be helpful.
I basically agree with Katja (@kaho674).
The bay window for the dining area seems too narrow to me. Where is the terrace planned (site plan !!)? All possible access points look very cluttered, and the path from the kitchen would be like a slalom.
In the hallway, the niche for the utility room should consistently be about 65 cm (25 inches) deep to accommodate a continuous cabinet. So, side windows or doors should be narrower or adjusted accordingly.
In general, a few measurements would be helpful, and as mentioned, definitely the 2m (6.6 ft) height line of the attic.
The site plan is also important to assess whether the garage can be accessed well at all. It seems to require quite a large paved area in front of the house.
The bay window for the dining area seems too narrow to me. Where is the terrace planned (site plan !!)? All possible access points look very cluttered, and the path from the kitchen would be like a slalom.
In the hallway, the niche for the utility room should consistently be about 65 cm (25 inches) deep to accommodate a continuous cabinet. So, side windows or doors should be narrower or adjusted accordingly.
In general, a few measurements would be helpful, and as mentioned, definitely the 2m (6.6 ft) height line of the attic.
The site plan is also important to assess whether the garage can be accessed well at all. It seems to require quite a large paved area in front of the house.
kaho674 schrieb:
Also, better mark the 2m (6.6 feet) line as well.And the 2.20m (7.2 feet) line too. Lower Saxony’s definition of a full storey is among the most restrictive in our country, with a clear height requirement of 2.20m (7.2 feet) and the two-thirds rule (for example, North Rhine-Westphalia uses 2.30m (7.5 feet) and three-quarters). The dormer is probably not going to comply.kbt09 schrieb:
In general, a few measurements would be helpful, and as mentioned, definitely the 2m (6.6 ft) line from the attic floor.
Yes, especially measurements that actually make sense and not distances to the center of the wall or something like that. So exterior dimensions, wall thicknesses, stair dimensions, floor-to-ceiling height, and similar. Then we could calculate whether you can achieve a knee wall height of 125cm (49 inches). I also think the dormer will have to be omitted.Similar topics