Dear forum members,
We bought a plot of land last autumn and are currently deep into the floor plan design. We would like to share our current draft with you and welcome any comments and opinions.
[F]irst some preliminary information about the plot and its buildability:[/F]
Best regards
We bought a plot of land last autumn and are currently deep into the floor plan design. We would like to share our current draft with you and welcome any comments and opinions.
[F]irst some preliminary information about the plot and its buildability:[/F]
- 1000 m² (10,764 sq ft) rear plot, southwest facing (so southwest is on the left side of the site plan)
- Building boundary up to approx. 16 m (52 ft) behind the property line (up to the dashed line on the site plan)
- No zoning plan (construction according to § 34 of the Building Code)
- Groundwater at surface level and peaty soil (exact geotechnical report pending), so piled foundation required and no basement
- Affordable! (Our maximum budget for the house including foundation slab is €230,000)
- Country house style
- Bright, large windows facing south/garden
- Open living/dining/kitchen area
- Family of four, 1 bedroom and 2 children’s rooms
- Not oversized, max 150 m² (1,615 sq ft), preferably less
- Solid construction using Ytong blocks (for us the most cost-effective option, although we would have liked to build with wood as well).
- Developed ourselves after studying various floor plans (including from the book "Affordable Building with a Small Budget" by Achim Linhardt) with support from architect friends and our planner (an independent civil engineer).
- Dimensions 12.50 x 7.50 m (41 x 25 ft) (the measurements shown on the site plan are from an earlier draft).
- What we like: open living area, all main rooms have large windows facing the garden, efficient size, although the children’s and bedroom could be smaller, sewing/work nook behind the stairs upstairs, plenty of wall space for large wardrobes in the upstairs bedroom and hallway on the ground floor, light shaft in the stairwell, staircase (we originally wanted a straight run staircase but it would have taken too much space; the one with three quarter turns is also fine with us).
- What we don’t like 100% yet: the height of the house from the outside. It is currently planned as a two-story house with an eaves height of 6.2 m (20 ft), with the ground floor 2.84 m (9 ft 4 in) high and the upper floor 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) high. The gable roof will be an uninsulated, unfinished cold roof, mainly because of the economical prefabricated truss construction method. This is a bit disappointing because I really like sloped ceilings and did not want the character of a townhouse. Lowering the roof with a knee wall of about 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) and an insulated roof with open sloped ceilings would probably be more expensive due to the rafter/beam construction. We would also lose the garden view through the floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows.
- Simple: What do you think about the floor plan?
- Can you still imagine the relatively tall two-story house having a country house character? Maybe it depends on the facade design and choice of materials? Do you think it looks too “blocky,” especially from the front entrance side? Or would a lower eaves height with an attic conversion including a knee wall be preferable?
- We are still unsure how to arrange the windows on the garden side. The drawing with the elevations shows two possible versions. We actually prefer it when the upper floor window is centered over the lower window front. However, this does not align the interior line of sight from the entrance door to the garden/patio door (see ground floor plan). This represents version two; for version one, the window front would have to be shifted about one window width to the right, so that the patio door is behind the dining table. With the window front shifted left, the interior looks better to us, but from the outside it looks strange if it is offset from the upper floor window, right? What do you think?
Best regards
kaho674 schrieb:
Ouch! Did everything stay intact?Well, the hand-sized purple bruise has disappeared by now, but I ended up with a lasting reminder on my hand... not functional, just visible...
Altai schrieb:
Well, the hand-sized purple bruise has disappeared by now, but I ended up with a lasting mark on my hand... not functional, just visible... Yes, I’ve also fallen down the stairs before. I couldn’t walk for two months after that. It’s not surprising that people sometimes die from such accidents.
la.schnute5 Mar 2020 10:10ypg schrieb:
Despite the incorrect dimensions for understanding: do you now just want to hear what we think of it? Or were you looking for constructive criticism?Of course, constructive criticism is very welcome. But as you rightly said, things like privacy and openness are very personal arguments. Everyone is different, and we really like openness (the first thing we did in our rental apartment was to remove the kitchen door ). It’s also mentioned in our first post that we like the openness of the design. Privacy for bedrooms, children’s rooms, and bathrooms is essential, but the office with the PC does not need to be a closed-off room. I don’t think this is all that unusual nowadays, as many floor plans are designed quite openly.
haydee schrieb:
I would remove the sewing corner on the upper floor. It would only be disturbing there. I would go crazy if the machine was running in the hallway.I can understand that many people feel that way. When it comes to noise levels, I honestly find it difficult to assess. Ytong blocks generally don’t insulate sound very well, and I’m a bit concerned it might be too loud in the children’s rooms if I’m sewing in the hallway. But do you think it would bother downstairs while watching TV if a sewing machine was running upstairs in the hallway? Of course, we have already thought about integrating the sewing corner into the workspace downstairs or into the bedroom, maybe separated by a wall or so. The latter is a bit of a problem for me because I wouldn’t want to sit sewing in a small closed-off room. That would make me feel so isolated, which I don’t like (hence the preference for open spaces). I also don’t like the idea of having the office in the bedroom because to me, it’s more about paperwork and files that naturally accumulate. Many people place it in the bedroom, friends of ours included. But for me, thematically, it doesn’t fit. I also don’t like having large screens or tech equipment in the bedroom. So you see, basically the floor plan as it is now suits our needs quite well. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked about it in the first place.
But exactly details like the staircase or the window arrangements are still open and could be improved, I think.
kaho674 schrieb:
A staircase with a 24 cm (9.5 inch) tread is misleading. Go around and measure the tread depth on every staircase you find. Is there any with a 24 cm (9.5 inch) tread? No, right? Ask yourself why! Even with an overhang, they’re barely walkable. Climbing up might still work, but going down, from shoe size 36 onwards, you’ll need a safety rope every time. It gets really tricky around corners.Regarding the staircase: I have actually done that (though not for many stairs). The one at my parents’ is 18.5/24.5 [cm] (7.3/9.6 inches), but with nosings. As far as I know, the DIN standard specifies stride lengths between 59 and 65 cm (23–25.6 inches). We are well within that range, and we’re both short with relatively small feet. But it’s true, I already find my parents’ staircase quite steep, and ours would be even steeper... I’m definitely not keen on an experience like @Altai had. How can this be solved? The bedroom shouldn’t get any narrower.
1. To reach a 25 cm (9.8 inch) tread depth, it might be enough to simply move it 10 cm (4 inches) closer to the entrance door. The ceiling opening at the top could still remain as is.
2. Lower the ceiling to 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) so that one step can be saved and the staircase would be more comfortable.
3. A completely different staircase design? I might reconsider the double-turn staircase... Do you know any good tools to calculate staircases? Our planner is currently on vacation and may not be thrilled to design multiple staircase options for us (first straight, then quarter-turn with 14/3, then quarter-turn 13/4, then again 14/3).
Regarding the window arrangement: @11ant, I had actually hoped that the current second draft of the south facade feels much more relaxed due to the staggered windows. I actually like it quite a bit. It’s quite difficult for us not to have the windows on the upper floor be floor-to-ceiling, as they are meant to create a balcony feeling when opened. Maybe the far left window could just be a single-leaf one? Do you have any ideas?
P
Pinkiponk5 Mar 2020 10:30kaho674 schrieb:
I use Architect 3D Ultimate from Avanquest.
Can I recommend it?: >>> No. <<<
Why not?: >>> It cannot design spiral staircases and calculates areas incorrectly. <<< Is there a free or low-cost program you can recommend? I am already familiar with Sweet Home. Thanks.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Is there a free or low-cost software you can recommend? I already know Sweet Home. Thanks. No, I don’t test any software.
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