ᐅ New single-family house construction, approximately 174 m² floor area, architectural design
Created on: 22 Nov 2019 07:51
M
mini_g!
Hello everyone,
After following this forum for quite a while, our own project is becoming more concrete. We have secured a plot of land and have spoken with various general contractors and an architect. So far, my wife and I like the architect’s design best. It is still a draft plan, but it already feels very "right" for us.
Therefore, I would appreciate your feedback. Are there any critical points we might be overlooking? What could be solved more cleverly?
I hope I have included everything needed. If not, I’m happy to provide more information. Unfortunately, the basement is still the old version; it has now been mirrored and the light shafts have been slightly changed. You can see this on the ground floor plan.
Looking forward to your feedback!
Thank you very much! mini
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 494 m2 (approximately 5313 sq ft); about 20.5 m (67 feet) wide on the street side, 24.2 m (79.5 feet) deep
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not specified
Building setback: 3 meters (10 feet) from the street, 4 meters (13 feet) from adjacent property at the back
Edge construction: no
Number of parking spaces: 1.5 per residential unit
Number of floors: max. 2
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style: classic-modern?
Orientation: ridge runs northwest
Maximum height/restrictions: eaves height 6.5 m (21 feet), ridge height 9.5 m (31 feet)
Other requirements: various, planting obligations, infiltration etc., but nothing really unusual nowadays
Clients’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: classic modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full stories plus basement
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults in their mid-30s, 2 children aged 2 years
Space requirements on the ground floor: cloakroom, guest WC, utility room, kitchen, living and dining area
Space requirements on the upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, parents’ room, walk-in closets, children’s bathroom, parents’ bathroom
Office: family use plus possible home office about one day every two weeks
Guest beds per year: few; about 3?
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction method: We consider ourselves modern but want a classic building shape on the outside. So the interior is rather open and modern, the exterior has a classic form.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with work island
Number of dining seats: usual 4-6, for events at least 12-16 people
Fireplace: no
Media wall for music/stereo: media wall for TV and books, no stereo
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony for the children
Garage, carport: garage plus carport
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: possibly later
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
- Children’s bathroom
- Balcony on garage/carport accessible for both children (for friends etc. when they are older)
- Utility room next to kitchen on ground floor
- Covered entrance
- Spacious open living and dining area
- Open attic
House design
Planner: architect
What do you like most?
Open and spacious, all our wishes were taken into account. We wanted to keep the building’s main shape as simple as possible and avoid dormers, bay windows, and setbacks.
What do you not like? Why?
Could it possibly be a bit smaller? We don’t have to fully exhaust our budget...
Estimated price according to architect/planner: approx. $600,000
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: -
Preferred heating system: heat pump with ground collector, possibly supplemented with photovoltaic. Maybe switch to a standard air-to-water heat pump?
If you had to give up something, which details or upgrades would you cut?
Difficult, we don’t really have anything we would cut.
Why did the design turn out as it is now? For example:
We spent a long time thinking about the floor plans, looked at many houses online and from friends/family. We wrote down everything we liked and also what we didn’t want. For example, a clear design without bay windows, setbacks, or similar features was important to us. This is what we took to the builders and the architect. The result is this plan.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Are there any optimizations in the floor plan that we may have missed? Enough windows/daylight in general?
After following this forum for quite a while, our own project is becoming more concrete. We have secured a plot of land and have spoken with various general contractors and an architect. So far, my wife and I like the architect’s design best. It is still a draft plan, but it already feels very "right" for us.
Therefore, I would appreciate your feedback. Are there any critical points we might be overlooking? What could be solved more cleverly?
I hope I have included everything needed. If not, I’m happy to provide more information. Unfortunately, the basement is still the old version; it has now been mirrored and the light shafts have been slightly changed. You can see this on the ground floor plan.
Looking forward to your feedback!
Thank you very much! mini
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 494 m2 (approximately 5313 sq ft); about 20.5 m (67 feet) wide on the street side, 24.2 m (79.5 feet) deep
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not specified
Building setback: 3 meters (10 feet) from the street, 4 meters (13 feet) from adjacent property at the back
Edge construction: no
Number of parking spaces: 1.5 per residential unit
Number of floors: max. 2
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style: classic-modern?
Orientation: ridge runs northwest
Maximum height/restrictions: eaves height 6.5 m (21 feet), ridge height 9.5 m (31 feet)
Other requirements: various, planting obligations, infiltration etc., but nothing really unusual nowadays
Clients’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: classic modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full stories plus basement
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults in their mid-30s, 2 children aged 2 years
Space requirements on the ground floor: cloakroom, guest WC, utility room, kitchen, living and dining area
Space requirements on the upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, parents’ room, walk-in closets, children’s bathroom, parents’ bathroom
Office: family use plus possible home office about one day every two weeks
Guest beds per year: few; about 3?
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction method: We consider ourselves modern but want a classic building shape on the outside. So the interior is rather open and modern, the exterior has a classic form.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with work island
Number of dining seats: usual 4-6, for events at least 12-16 people
Fireplace: no
Media wall for music/stereo: media wall for TV and books, no stereo
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony for the children
Garage, carport: garage plus carport
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: possibly later
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
- Children’s bathroom
- Balcony on garage/carport accessible for both children (for friends etc. when they are older)
- Utility room next to kitchen on ground floor
- Covered entrance
- Spacious open living and dining area
- Open attic
House design
Planner: architect
What do you like most?
Open and spacious, all our wishes were taken into account. We wanted to keep the building’s main shape as simple as possible and avoid dormers, bay windows, and setbacks.
What do you not like? Why?
Could it possibly be a bit smaller? We don’t have to fully exhaust our budget...
Estimated price according to architect/planner: approx. $600,000
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: -
Preferred heating system: heat pump with ground collector, possibly supplemented with photovoltaic. Maybe switch to a standard air-to-water heat pump?
If you had to give up something, which details or upgrades would you cut?
Difficult, we don’t really have anything we would cut.
Why did the design turn out as it is now? For example:
We spent a long time thinking about the floor plans, looked at many houses online and from friends/family. We wrote down everything we liked and also what we didn’t want. For example, a clear design without bay windows, setbacks, or similar features was important to us. This is what we took to the builders and the architect. The result is this plan.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Are there any optimizations in the floor plan that we may have missed? Enough windows/daylight in general?
mini_g! schrieb:
There would be enough space to rotate the bed. Regarding the bedroom: You say ok...
Advantages of making the change:
- You won’t have the hot southern sun in the room, but pleasant morning sun from the east.
- When you enter, you’ll be facing the bed, not looking past it. That is the perfect view for a bedroom!
- You don’t just sleep ok, you sleep really well!
Regarding the bedroom and east instead of south-facing windows, as well as the bed arrangement, I explicitly agree again with Yvonne.
As for the living room... I prefer the L-shaped layouts over the elongated versions. This usually allows for a true retreat area within the living space. The way you planned the L-shape, the room can indeed be properly separated.
If you also want to use the utility room as a mudroom or similar, I find the utility room door as shown in the original plan very practical. It would allow for a very clever kitchen design. And as mentioned, I would definitely try to relocate the wastewater stack from the upper floor to the utility room area.
As for the living room... I prefer the L-shaped layouts over the elongated versions. This usually allows for a true retreat area within the living space. The way you planned the L-shape, the room can indeed be properly separated.
If you also want to use the utility room as a mudroom or similar, I find the utility room door as shown in the original plan very practical. It would allow for a very clever kitchen design. And as mentioned, I would definitely try to relocate the wastewater stack from the upper floor to the utility room area.
I would slightly adjust the house dimensions to 1045 x 975 to make the staircase area and the living room depth a bit more appealing. Also, when it comes to the space next to the car in front of the main entrance, every centimeter counts (in my opinion, this is a compromise I would only accept if usually just one car is parked on the property).
Regarding this house size, I am ambivalent about planning a separate bathroom for children. On one hand, it is located above the living room anyway, so the drainage system would need to be carefully planned. On the other hand, with this layout, there is no shower downstairs.
I feel that the size of the plot is overestimated in the discussion about the L-shaped living space, or that some simply lack the overall perspective. The supposedly quiet and cozy location in the rear part of the L loses much of its appeal in my view when you add an overhead view including the expected bordering development of the neighboring property. I took my sketch and highlighted the living room area in pink:
If you also consider the planned corner windows mentioned in #1, it becomes even more absurd. The garden location does not appear as attractive, does it?
Regarding this house size, I am ambivalent about planning a separate bathroom for children. On one hand, it is located above the living room anyway, so the drainage system would need to be carefully planned. On the other hand, with this layout, there is no shower downstairs.
I feel that the size of the plot is overestimated in the discussion about the L-shaped living space, or that some simply lack the overall perspective. The supposedly quiet and cozy location in the rear part of the L loses much of its appeal in my view when you add an overhead view including the expected bordering development of the neighboring property. I took my sketch and highlighted the living room area in pink:
If you also consider the planned corner windows mentioned in #1, it becomes even more absurd. The garden location does not appear as attractive, does it?
I am a self-confessed kitchen enthusiast and unfortunately, I really don’t like U-shaped kitchens in this layout. Also, the utility room is harder to use as an extended kitchen, as the original poster described. I prefer true kitchen islands, which are not easily possible here.
Ultimately, it really depends on personal preferences... when and how the living space is actually used for different purposes.
Ultimately, it really depends on personal preferences... when and how the living space is actually used for different purposes.
H
hampshire24 Nov 2019 14:12I really like the L-shape. Its position facing the street has a bit of a Dutch or English lifestyle feel – this is quite common and appreciated there. The interaction with the bright basement space below creates a nice contrast.
The space next to the car in the carport becomes larger if you park so that only the driver’s side doors open towards the house.
Very well designed and apparently the result of good collaboration with the architect. I wish you as smooth and enjoyable a construction phase as we had!
Great project.
The space next to the car in the carport becomes larger if you park so that only the driver’s side doors open towards the house.
Very well designed and apparently the result of good collaboration with the architect. I wish you as smooth and enjoyable a construction phase as we had!
Great project.
@kaho674 Thanks for your effort! I think it’s good to take a step back regarding the exterior dimensions and the layout.
We still need to gather feedback today and discuss whether this is a viable solution.
And let’s not kid ourselves, this is a new development area, and in my opinion, those are hand towels, not bath towels. But unfortunately, there’s nothing else available here :-(.
Thanks! mini
We still need to gather feedback today and discuss whether this is a viable solution.
And let’s not kid ourselves, this is a new development area, and in my opinion, those are hand towels, not bath towels. But unfortunately, there’s nothing else available here :-(.
Thanks! mini
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