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
Well, not everyone can build 200m² (2,150 sq ft). The plot has been purchased, and more simply isn’t possible now. So, you have to make the best of it. Garden sheds can really help ease the situation and can be built quickly. Otherwise, you just have to push through.
The house design might be original, but there’s a reason why this isn’t a standard approach. Some rooms end up with awkward depths, poorly laid out, and uncomfortable. This happens when you optimize only one floor and then try to force the rest into the constraints.
A ceiling height of 2.84m (9 ft 4 in) is, in my opinion, also completely unnecessary for a house of this size. You should forget about that. Or do you want to turn it into a church? If you are building a small, affordable home with two children, you won’t have space for a 5m (16 ft) staircase with a gallery or open space. Every centimeter counts here. And falling down the stairs with two kids is especially bad.
Here’s a draft with a ceiling height of 2.70m (8 ft 10 in) and the same floor area:
How confident are you now with building roofs? If you are really doing it yourselves, you could design a small ground floor extension for the technical rooms to gain more space. The roof could then be extended as a lean-to, also serving as a carport extension. That should be easy for you.
The house design might be original, but there’s a reason why this isn’t a standard approach. Some rooms end up with awkward depths, poorly laid out, and uncomfortable. This happens when you optimize only one floor and then try to force the rest into the constraints.
A ceiling height of 2.84m (9 ft 4 in) is, in my opinion, also completely unnecessary for a house of this size. You should forget about that. Or do you want to turn it into a church? If you are building a small, affordable home with two children, you won’t have space for a 5m (16 ft) staircase with a gallery or open space. Every centimeter counts here. And falling down the stairs with two kids is especially bad.
Here’s a draft with a ceiling height of 2.70m (8 ft 10 in) and the same floor area:
How confident are you now with building roofs? If you are really doing it yourselves, you could design a small ground floor extension for the technical rooms to gain more space. The roof could then be extended as a lean-to, also serving as a carport extension. That should be easy for you.
Lumpi_LE schrieb:
Our staircase also has dimensions of 19cm x 23.5cm (7.5 inches x 9.25 inches) due to space constraints, which isn’t really a big issue.Golfi90 schrieb:
I would say our step width is also less than 24cm (9.5 inches)...When it comes to design mistakes that have already been built and cannot be changed, we prefer to stay discreet.
H
hampshire5 Mar 2020 12:21Better not to experiment with the stairs. That would be saving in the wrong place.
As long as you don’t communicate much, that’s fine. Distraction can also come from the person who is working. A small open desk fits almost anywhere.
Yes.
The storage space in your design is very limited and has quite radical consequences for how you handle possessions. You really have to want and implement that. It’s not easy with small children in the house.
From what I know, teenagers usually play in their own rooms.
An open concept, like a closed one, has to suit the lifestyle of the residents. Since the children have their own rooms, I’m not worried about them having places to retreat. Just expect that the kids will have visitors and, as they get older, visits at later hours as well.
la.schnute schrieb:
but the office with PC does not need to be closed off.
As long as you don’t communicate much, that’s fine. Distraction can also come from the person who is working. A small open desk fits almost anywhere.
la.schnute schrieb:
But do you think it would be disturbing downstairs watching TV if a sewing machine is running upstairs in the hallway?
Yes.
Zaba12 schrieb:
But if the participants here write that storage is missing, then that is the case.
The storage space in your design is very limited and has quite radical consequences for how you handle possessions. You really have to want and implement that. It’s not easy with small children in the house.
Matthew03 schrieb:
But maybe as a teenager you’d want to quietly play on the PC downstairs while you watch TV on the sofa.
From what I know, teenagers usually play in their own rooms.
haydee schrieb:
I think an open concept is conditionally good.
An open concept, like a closed one, has to suit the lifestyle of the residents. Since the children have their own rooms, I’m not worried about them having places to retreat. Just expect that the kids will have visitors and, as they get older, visits at later hours as well.
It needs doors that can be closed.
From what I know, if the parents are in the living room or dining room, that’s fine, and the younger generation mingles.
I will measure our stairs. One more step would be good. It was forgotten to be adjusted after the structural engineer raised the ceiling by 10cm (4 inches).
From what I know, if the parents are in the living room or dining room, that’s fine, and the younger generation mingles.
I will measure our stairs. One more step would be good. It was forgotten to be adjusted after the structural engineer raised the ceiling by 10cm (4 inches).
M
Matthew035 Mar 2020 12:46hampshire schrieb:
The practice I know is that teenagers play games in their own rooms. This should just be an example and not a basis to generalize.
In my circle of acquaintances, there are several cases where, to save costs, not every child has a laptop or PC in their room (each has a phone and a TV instead), but there is one shared “gaming” PC located in a neutral place (usually the office or guest room for fairness) that is used alternately.
Just an example, as I said, meant to encourage a change of perspective.
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