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
You can hear the sewing machine upstairs through the open staircase, and it would also be distracting while watching TV.
Downstairs, you're right in the middle of the action and can also use the dining table.
In the bedroom, I would move the wardrobe closer to the bed and create a small office space behind it. That way, it won’t look untidy.
Downstairs, you're right in the middle of the action and can also use the dining table.
In the bedroom, I would move the wardrobe closer to the bed and create a small office space behind it. That way, it won’t look untidy.
We have often heard arguments like yours here before, such as "We don’t have that currently," "We don’t need it," or "We’re doing it completely differently."
At the time, I also didn’t always consider optimization points like swapping the living room with the kitchen.
But when the contributors here tell you that storage space is lacking, then that’s the case. This applies even if you come from a 50m² (540 sq ft) apartment without a basement. These are simply experiences we have all gained here. It’s understandable that you don’t want to hear it because it would disrupt your floor plan and you don’t want to build larger, but that doesn’t change the fact that with two children, this will inevitably be the case.
At the time, I also didn’t always consider optimization points like swapping the living room with the kitchen.
But when the contributors here tell you that storage space is lacking, then that’s the case. This applies even if you come from a 50m² (540 sq ft) apartment without a basement. These are simply experiences we have all gained here. It’s understandable that you don’t want to hear it because it would disrupt your floor plan and you don’t want to build larger, but that doesn’t change the fact that with two children, this will inevitably be the case.
It is a large plot, and obviously one or two garden sheds are planned. This eases the storage situation somewhat. However, there are simply items I don’t want to keep in the shed because I need them more frequently or because they shouldn’t be exposed to frost, for example. I am thinking of various beverages (beer and wine can tolerate a few degrees below freezing, but soft drinks will burst the bottle); kitchen appliances that are used less often, like a raclette grill, I also prefer not to have to retrieve from the garden.
Good items for such a garden shed would be skis, children’s vehicles, bicycles, Christmas decorations, etc.
Good items for such a garden shed would be skis, children’s vehicles, bicycles, Christmas decorations, etc.
M
Matthew035 Mar 2020 11:41What stands out to me a lot: you present your needs as if they are shared by all of you. Is that really 100% the case? In your first post, you only mention 4 people, but not the ages of the children... with this extreme openness, you might be imposing your ideas on your kids. That's fine, of course, since you’re paying for the house, not the children. But maybe as a teenager, one might want to quietly play games on the computer downstairs while you’re watching TV on the sofa. You disturb each other just as much as if he or she wants to Skype with a holiday fling and mom overhears everything.
I just want to point out that even with attitudes like "we want everything open, we love each other so much, we’re family, etc." — people like you may also have family members who sometimes want a private retreat, regardless of the bedroom.
I prefer @ypg’s floor plan. You can open or leave open a door, but you can’t close one that doesn’t exist.
I just want to point out that even with attitudes like "we want everything open, we love each other so much, we’re family, etc." — people like you may also have family members who sometimes want a private retreat, regardless of the bedroom.
I prefer @ypg’s floor plan. You can open or leave open a door, but you can’t close one that doesn’t exist.
la.schnute schrieb:
We really like openness That reminds me of the living room… we made sure not to position the sofa with its back to the dining table. I think that creates a much more open feel; otherwise, you’re always looking at the backrest, and the living space doesn’t feel open. I was just surprised that you planned to place it that way. We find it much nicer to be able to look from the sofa toward the dining area and kitchen.
I think an open floor plan is good to a certain extent. Our ground floor is quite open, while the upper floor provides private spaces for everyone.
As a teenager, I would have been really bothered if my mother was sitting outside my room sewing, always unintentionally eavesdropping at the door.
Likewise, I don’t want my work stuff in the living room. No one else needs to know what’s on my latest pension statement.
As a teenager, I would have been really bothered if my mother was sitting outside my room sewing, always unintentionally eavesdropping at the door.
Likewise, I don’t want my work stuff in the living room. No one else needs to know what’s on my latest pension statement.
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