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
la.schnute12 Mar 2020 22:20kaho674 schrieb:
By the way, the utility lines to the laundry/utility room are quite expensive. I think a rough estimate is around 1000 per meter? But that varies a lot – and you’re including gas, right? Try sketching the existing utility connections at the street into your plan.I’ve drawn the lines in green on the site plan. Nothing is installed yet, since the street is 36 m (120 feet) away from the property. Everything still needs to be connected. But they will probably come in near the driveway of the property.
We definitely want to keep the orientation as it is, we’re sure about that.
However, I’d really like your opinion on two things:
- Staircase design: Whether it’s a landing or a half-turn staircase, we haven’t decided yet where to place walls around the stairs on the ground floor. The wall on the left makes sense as it creates a coat niche. Of course, especially with the turned staircase, you could also extend it further under the stairs. Between the flights or in the middle there would only be a half-height wall as a railing. Should there also be a wall to separate the study? Or not? Or should there be access from here to the space under the stairs? Or a wall with an opening? Or, if we keep the coat niche as in the current sketches, should there be a door to the coat room, so the space under the stairs can still be used? We actually need the wall in front of the left staircase flight for a closet. Or move that closet somewhere else (like a wall to the utility room) and from there provide access to the space under the stairs? We are really undecided here and can’t visually imagine the options well. I hope you understand my somewhat confusing description of the walls and can give me advice (ideally for exactly one of these two stair options, landing or half-turn, in this orientation).
- Windows: The window situation and the facade views are still a bit tricky for us. I’ve attached them as they look in the current plan. I feel like the entrance side and the northwest view don’t look quite right yet. The others I actually like quite a bit. However, I get the impression that overall we have quite a lot of windows for what is a relatively small house. But where to reduce? The opening to the garden is very important to us, so we definitely want to keep the French balconies there. But small, widely scattered windows on the other facades look really awkward, so I tried to combine some of the smaller windows into what I would call “bands,” to put it simply. However, especially in the hallway upstairs, you don’t need that many windows. It just looks really strange from the outside otherwise. Also, if you want to have a window at the stairs arranged at mid-height between the floors, depending on whether it’s the landing or the middle steps… does anyone perhaps have a good idea? I’m a bit stuck here.
la.schnute schrieb:
We definitely want to keep the orientation as it is, we are sure about that.Which one now? It would be appropriate to add it to the current drawing... I read a few hours ago that you posted it several times. Do you realize you’re not the only participant in this discussion? la.schnute schrieb:
Another wall for the study? Or not?You’re starting with questions that have already been answered long ago. Please read everything again and gather the information.
la.schnute schrieb:
As I said, having the opening to the garden is very important to us, so we chose the French balconies there,One thing doesn’t necessarily relate to the other. An opening to the garden means a floor-level window on the ground floor. On the upper floor, completely different factors apply, for example light — which you actually get less of through French balconies than through standard window sills.
la.schnute12 Mar 2020 23:22ypg schrieb:
Which one now? It would be appropriate to place it on the current drawing... I read a few hours ago that you posted it several times. Do you realize that you are not the only participant in this discussion?
You are now starting with questions that have already been answered. Please read through everything again and gather your points.
These things are unrelated: an opening to the garden means a floor-level window on the ground floor. On the upper floor, completely different factors count, such as light, which is reduced by French balconies compared to normal sash windows with lower panels. Um, if this gets too much for you, feel free to stop participating… I appreciate every comment, but no one should feel forced. I thought the orientation was clear after the helpful illustration by @11ant (post #214)… I have also described it several times in words. This is definitely the one to stick with.
And yes, I know there was already a suggestion (I think even from you) to place the wall between the staircase and the study. But I’m happy to collect more opinions, including about the other walls around the staircase and the accessibility under the stairs (as far as I remember, this has not been addressed yet).
Also, why would floor-to-ceiling windows (French balconies) let in less light than smaller sash windows with lower panels? I don’t understand that. It’s the same glazed area in the same location, and even more besides, right?
kaho674 schrieb:
What? French balconies? Does la.schnute know how much those cost? I do, about 550-560 € per double window, so a total of just under 1,500 € for what is currently on the floor plan.
la.schnute schrieb:
Um, if this becomes too much for you,I'M OUT! Sorry for your open questions. However, since I assume you are here because of my ... and still have expectations through questions, but somehow also dismiss advice as ridiculous, I’m turning away here. Enough.
The three dots indicate an incorrect choice of quotation.
la.schnute13 Mar 2020 00:17ypg schrieb:
I’m out!
Sorry for your unanswered questions. But since I assume you are here because of my ... and still have expectations through questions, while somehow dismissing advice as ridiculous, I’m turning away here. Enough
The three dots represent a poor choice of quotation. No hard feelings, @ypg, I appreciate the time you took and your suggestions, even if they didn’t always suit my taste. Otherwise, I think sometimes comments in the forum can come across differently than intended or take on an unintended tone. That’s always the downside when you’re not face to face and can’t read facial expressions and so on. Sorry if anything from me also came across poorly.
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