ᐅ House Design: Urban Villa, Two Full Stories, Double Garage

Hello everyone,

I have been a silent reader in this forum for a long time, but now the time has finally come and we want to realize our dream of owning a home.

I hope you can give us some helpful tips to improve our design. Thank you in advance!

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 702 m2 (7,550 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: ?
Floor area ratio: ?
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: hip roof
Architectural style: town villa

Owners’ requirements
Town villa 2 full stories with basement
Living area: approx. 155 m2 (1,670 sq ft)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults m30, f28 + 1 child 3 months
Office: Family use or home office: family use
Overnight guests per year: not relevant
Open or closed architecture: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen without kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6 seats
Fireplace: yes
Built-in music/stereo wall: possibly
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary
Garage, carport: double garage with flat roof

House design
Designed by: architect from the construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? the open living space
What do you not like? actually satisfied
Price estimate according to architect/planner: coming soon
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 450k
Preferred heating technology: district heating + fireplace

Why is the design as it is now?
the design was precisely adjusted according to our wishes.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?

How do you like our house design and do you have suggestions for improvement?
Questions we are currently asking ourselves:

• Full-height windows behind the sofa in the living room?
• Do we need an east-facing (clerestory) window in the living room or would it be better to leave it out and instead slightly enlarge the garage?
• Is heating necessary in the utility room?

Note:

We have revised our design, but unfortunately, we do not yet have the updated version.

What has changed?

The kitchen window now wraps around the corner. See the ground floor plan (exterior view is currently not updated)
East elevation: the upper left window will be replaced by a clerestory window. The middle window is replaced by two vertical 2 m (6 ft 7 in) windows, and the right window (bathroom) will be removed completely.
Ground floor: the house length increases from 9.99 m (32 ft 9 in) to 10.99 m (36 ft 1 in), adding 9 m2 (97 sq ft) to the living and dining areas (width increases from 3 m (10 ft) to 4 m (13 ft)). This also adds 9 m2 (97 sq ft) to the upper floor.

Familie_B schrieb:

• Floor-to-ceiling window behind the sofa in the living room?

I always find that a bit odd. It’s not very practical and looks strange from the outside. Floor-to-ceiling windows are great, but not with a sofa placed in front of them.

Familie_B schrieb:

• Is a skylight window facing east in the living room necessary? Or would it be better to skip it and enlarge the garage a bit instead…

Better to have the skylight window than a (even) larger garage—unless the garage expansion is for a hobby or other special need. I’d rather consider building a carport—unless you have classic cars that need protection against rust. Average, modern cars don’t require a garage. For winter comfort, a remote-controlled parking heater is usually sufficient.

Familie_B schrieb:

• Is heating necessary in the utility room?

That depends on the waste heat from the appliances. The room temperature should stay above the dew point. This is likely only an issue a few days a year. If space is a concern: install an infrared panel on the ceiling. The cost for heating those few days is quite low, and the initial investment is minimal.

hampshire schrieb:

I always find that a bit odd. It doesn’t benefit you and doesn’t look good from the outside. Floor-to-ceiling windows are great, but not with a sofa placed in front of them.

I completely agree now; we will probably go with a regular large window instead.

hampshire schrieb:

Better to have a window in the transom than a (even) larger garage—unless the garage enlargement is for a hobby or some other special requirement. I would rather consider building a carport—unless you have classic cars that need rust protection. Regular cars of average age do not need a garage. For winter comfort, a remote-controlled parking heater is sufficient.

A garage is definitely desired. I’m not really a fan of carports, and since we want to store our bicycles, garden tools, and possibly a workbench, etc. in the garage, the idea was to make the garage a bit larger because we do not want any sheds in our garden.
Regarding the transom window, I wonder if it really adds any benefit for us in terms of lighting.

hampshire schrieb:

It depends on the residual heat from the appliances. The room temperature should stay above the dew point. That should only be an issue on a few days per year. If space is a concern: install an infrared panel on the ceiling. Those few days per year won't cost much, and the initial investment is very low.

Some friends told us that heating in the utility room is absolutely necessary due to mold issues, etc. We are considering a standard radiator here, but as you said, we probably won’t need it very often.

Thanks for your assessment.

Familie_B schrieb:

Ground floor: the house is being expanded from 9.99m to 10.99m (33 feet to 36 feet),

Aside from the other dimensions, which have not been specified at all: this changes the situation and possibilities so significantly that we should only continue the discussion after that. Does the plot actually allow for an entire additional meter of house width just like that (what does the plot look like anyway)?

Your house’s appearance reminds me of that of @RobsonMKK (although their garage is located on the opposite side).

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

Apart from otherwise completely unspecified dimensions: that changes the situation and the possibilities so fundamentally that we should only continue the discussion after that. Does the plot (what does it actually look like?) really allow for several meters of house width just like that?

Oh, I must have accidentally forgot to include that. Our plot has a width of about 24.5m (80 feet) and a length of about 28.5m (94 feet) – so it should not be an issue. Unfortunately, I have not yet received a plan with the dimensions of the design, but it should come in the next few weeks.

Familie_B schrieb:

Unfortunately, I have not yet received a plan with the dimensions of the design.

On what basis did you then decide to want an extra meter of width—without any measurements, isn’t that just guesswork?

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/