Hello everyone,
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had to take on the role of an amateur architect. This was necessary because our current so-called architect isn’t delivering. He’s not an independent architect, so he just copies whatever we suggest and, of course, thinks everything is just great.
Well, no contract has been signed yet, and we are leaning more towards starting with an independent architect.
Still, I want to share what I’ve created over the past weeks for discussion. Simply because a lot of work has gone into it, and I’m really interested in honest opinions.
Of course, I will only give our wishes to the new architect, not finished drawings—after all, I am paying them for the ideal floor plan.
So, long story short—here is the plan and an exterior view. Have fun tearing it apart 🙂
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had to take on the role of an amateur architect. This was necessary because our current so-called architect isn’t delivering. He’s not an independent architect, so he just copies whatever we suggest and, of course, thinks everything is just great.
Well, no contract has been signed yet, and we are leaning more towards starting with an independent architect.
Still, I want to share what I’ve created over the past weeks for discussion. Simply because a lot of work has gone into it, and I’m really interested in honest opinions.
Of course, I will only give our wishes to the new architect, not finished drawings—after all, I am paying them for the ideal floor plan.
So, long story short—here is the plan and an exterior view. Have fun tearing it apart 🙂
K
karliseppel7 Oct 2012 13:45Hi,
for a DIY project, I think it turned out quite well.
What I like:
The guest toilet is slightly set back, not directly at the entrance, and sufficiently spacious.
Is the rectangle in there supposed to represent a shower?
I would reconsider that carefully and think critically about how often it will actually be used.
If the office ever becomes a guest room, then it makes sense.
Since there doesn’t seem to be a basement, almost 10m² (107.6 sq ft) for the utility room, which also serves as the service and technical room, is a bit tight.
It won’t be very roomy, and setting up the ironing board occasionally will probably be difficult.
But it also depends on what kind of equipment you plan to install and how much space that will require.
The cloakroom is a bit small; I might extend it by about a meter (3 ft). It also slightly encroaches on the kitchen.
The staircase doesn’t seem to work for me.
It’s missing a few steps...
This is quite critical, because otherwise, the last step will soon be directly in front of the bedroom door...
I like the airlock-style dressing area between the bathroom and the bedroom. We initially planned the same but unfortunately couldn’t implement it in our house.
I would straighten the zigzag-shaped wall of the storage room on the upper floor though. That’s unnecessary and doesn’t provide any useful space to the room. However, every square meter in the storage room might become important later since there’s no basement or attic… where else to put all the stuff: decorations, Christmas items, sports gear, and so on.
Having the bathtub in front of the window is always a bit tricky because of accessibility for cleaning and ventilation.
There isn’t much leftover space for shelves in the wellness bathroom, which is actually not small.
More could be made out of those 20m² (215 sq ft)! We once had a professional bathroom planner design two bathrooms for us.
The price was reasonable, around €600, I think.
It was worth it because the planners are familiar with the products and dimensions from the manufacturer and can plan everything perfectly.
Be sure to try furnishing the kids’ rooms beforehand!
Is there no chimney planned? (For a stove?)
Best regards,
Kühlschrank
for a DIY project, I think it turned out quite well.
What I like:
The guest toilet is slightly set back, not directly at the entrance, and sufficiently spacious.
Is the rectangle in there supposed to represent a shower?
I would reconsider that carefully and think critically about how often it will actually be used.
If the office ever becomes a guest room, then it makes sense.
Since there doesn’t seem to be a basement, almost 10m² (107.6 sq ft) for the utility room, which also serves as the service and technical room, is a bit tight.
It won’t be very roomy, and setting up the ironing board occasionally will probably be difficult.
But it also depends on what kind of equipment you plan to install and how much space that will require.
The cloakroom is a bit small; I might extend it by about a meter (3 ft). It also slightly encroaches on the kitchen.
The staircase doesn’t seem to work for me.
It’s missing a few steps...
This is quite critical, because otherwise, the last step will soon be directly in front of the bedroom door...
I like the airlock-style dressing area between the bathroom and the bedroom. We initially planned the same but unfortunately couldn’t implement it in our house.
I would straighten the zigzag-shaped wall of the storage room on the upper floor though. That’s unnecessary and doesn’t provide any useful space to the room. However, every square meter in the storage room might become important later since there’s no basement or attic… where else to put all the stuff: decorations, Christmas items, sports gear, and so on.
Having the bathtub in front of the window is always a bit tricky because of accessibility for cleaning and ventilation.
There isn’t much leftover space for shelves in the wellness bathroom, which is actually not small.
More could be made out of those 20m² (215 sq ft)! We once had a professional bathroom planner design two bathrooms for us.
The price was reasonable, around €600, I think.
It was worth it because the planners are familiar with the products and dimensions from the manufacturer and can plan everything perfectly.
Be sure to try furnishing the kids’ rooms beforehand!
Is there no chimney planned? (For a stove?)
Best regards,
Kühlschrank
B
Bauexperte7 Oct 2012 20:22Hello,
Best regards
AnTiRi schrieb:Most architects working for national or larger firms are not very creative – and that’s rarely expected; smaller construction companies can’t afford that extra effort.
Out of necessity, since our current so-called architect isn’t delivering. He’s not an independent architect, so he just mechanically draws what we suggest ...
AnTiRi schrieb:Your drawings clearly show that a layperson made them 😀
Simply because there’s a lot of work involved and I am genuinely interested in honest opinions.
AnTiRi schrieb:If the architect doesn’t take enough time to discuss your needs thoroughly and ask the right questions, it won’t work out. In other words, you need a creative mind … Of course, an important question is how much money you want to invest in the new house. What you have “presented” already seems to be in the range of around 300,000 euros.
Of course, I will only give the new architect our requirements and no finished drawings – after all, I’m paying them for the ideal floor plan....
Best regards
Hello Karliseppel
No, a fireplace is not planned in the current design. That would probably be difficult...
Thanks a lot for all your suggestions.
Best regards
AnTiRi
karliseppel schrieb:Thanks 😀
For a DIY job, I think it turned out quite well.
karliseppel schrieb:Yes, the rectangle is meant to represent a shower. The idea is that I would like to have two showers in the house, and also, of course, for guests. In that case, a sofa bed would go in the "office," so I thought it would be practical to have a shower nearby.
Is the rectangle supposed to represent a shower?
I would reconsider that and really think critically
about how often it will actually be used.
If the office ever turns into a guest room, it does make sense.
karliseppel schrieb:Our architect thinks he can manage well with the right side of the room. The ventilation system will be placed above the washer and dryer. The remaining space will be used for a small buffer tank plus a gas boiler or possibly a heat pump. Alternatively, we could connect to the district heating network, but besides the benefits regarding the energy-saving regulations, I don’t see any cost advantages.
Since there doesn't seem to be a basement, just under 10m² (about 108 sq ft) for
the utility room, and thus also the connection and technical room, is a bit
tight.
It won’t be spacious, and it will probably be difficult to set up an ironing board occasionally.
But it depends on what equipment you still plan
and how much space that will require.
karliseppel schrieb:Yes, I've thought about that too, but wouldn’t the passage to the kitchen then be too narrow? I find it hard to judge how much space a coat closet really needs. Currently, it’s 0.6 x 1.2m (2 x 4 feet), which seems quite big to me—but there are no children in the household yet.
The coat closet is a bit small; I would maybe extend it by another meter. It also includes part of the kitchen slightly.
karliseppel schrieb:Oh, that surprises me. I was working on the following: 2.5m (8 ft) ceiling height plus 0.3m (1 ft) floor thickness = 2.8m (9 ft 2 in) height difference. A step should not be higher than 20cm (8 inches). So that makes 14 steps. For the tread depth, I assumed 28cm (11 inches), resulting in a length of about 4m (13 ft). If that’s not how it is shown in the plan, I definitely need to make corrections—thanks for the heads up.
The staircase doesn’t seem to work.
A few steps are missing...
That’s not trivial, since otherwise the last step would end right in front of the bedroom door...
karliseppel schrieb:Hmm, understandable point—but that wall has a story. The plan is to have a backlit shoe display there, which really impressed my wife. That’s why the zigzag is exactly 30cm (12 inches) deep 😀
I would straighten out the zigzag wall of the storage room on the upper floor.
It’s unnecessary and doesn’t add usable space to any room.
Maybe every square meter will later be important in the storage room.
No basement, no attic... where to put
all that stuff... from decorations to Christmas items,
sports gear, and so on.
karliseppel schrieb:You’re right about the window, I hadn’t thought about that at all. The idea of using a bathroom planner isn’t bad either. I’m still not really satisfied with the current design.
A bathtub in front of the window is always tricky because of
access for cleaning and ventilation.
There isn’t much space left for shelving
in what isn’t a small wellness bathroom.
You could get more out of 20m² (215 sq ft)! We once had
a professional bathroom planner design two bathrooms.
It was reasonably priced, around 600€, I believe.
It was worth it because they know the products and dimensions very well and can plan everything perfectly.
karliseppel schrieb:Yes, I have to get to that at some point. I’m thinking about whether it makes sense to use the space under the roof for the children’s bedrooms. I’m just not sure if the effort is worth it or if a teenager would still enjoy it...
Definitely try arranging the kids' rooms with furniture first!
Is a chimney planned? (stove?)
No, a fireplace is not planned in the current design. That would probably be difficult...
Thanks a lot for all your suggestions.
Best regards
AnTiRi
Hello building expert,
thank you for your reply
The plan was to reach around 280,000 euros including self-performed work (painting, carpet, laminate, possibly tiles, complete electrical installation). So that doesn’t seem impossible to me :-)
Regards
AnTiRi
thank you for your reply
Bauexperte schrieb:Yes, exactly our experience, that’s why we are reconsidering it.
Hello,
Most architects working for national companies are not very creative – which is rarely expected anyway; smaller builders cannot afford that effort.
Bauexperte schrieb:Well, otherwise I would have chosen the wrong profession, right?
You can tell from your drawings that you are an amateur 😀
Bauexperte schrieb:
What you have "submitted" should already be in the range of 300,000 euros.
The plan was to reach around 280,000 euros including self-performed work (painting, carpet, laminate, possibly tiles, complete electrical installation). So that doesn’t seem impossible to me :-)
Regards
AnTiRi
Hello,
The architect will appreciate that you don’t give them any floor plans upfront. This way, they have more freedom in their thinking and don’t have to stick to a layout that most clients are reluctant to change.
Regards
AnTiRi schrieb:
Of course, I will only provide our wishes to the new architect and not any finished drawings – after all, I’m paying them for the ideal floor plan....
The architect will appreciate that you don’t give them any floor plans upfront. This way, they have more freedom in their thinking and don’t have to stick to a layout that most clients are reluctant to change.
Regards
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