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
I feel like TE only accepts advice that suits him; the rest is ignored. They take bits and pieces from everything and put it together. Why have a bathroom on the ground floor if there is no guest room? The focus is on fitting a desk for a PC, but all suggestions that it doesn’t fit there are flatly rejected. I would never plan the kitchen and living room in a straight line. After dinner, when a man wants to watch the news and the woman is unloading the dishwasher, the man has to turn the TV volume up to hear anything.
When I’m relaxing on the couch, I don’t want my kids and their friends wandering back and forth behind me. With dimensions of 7.5 x 12 meters (25 x 39 feet), you end up with a corridor-like space of 4 x 12 meters (13 x 39 feet) where the kitchen, dining table, and couch are placed 2 meters (6.5 feet) in front of the TV.
For an open floor plan, the house needs to be at least 9 meters (30 feet) wide to be able to position the living room around a corner.
When I’m relaxing on the couch, I don’t want my kids and their friends wandering back and forth behind me. With dimensions of 7.5 x 12 meters (25 x 39 feet), you end up with a corridor-like space of 4 x 12 meters (13 x 39 feet) where the kitchen, dining table, and couch are placed 2 meters (6.5 feet) in front of the TV.
For an open floor plan, the house needs to be at least 9 meters (30 feet) wide to be able to position the living room around a corner.
la.schnute schrieb:
I know, about 550-560 € per double window, so just under 1,500 € total for what is currently shown on the floor plan. Well, at least that gives you something to cut from the list.
la.schnute schrieb:
I’ve marked the pipes in green on the site plan. Nothing is installed yet, the street is 36 m (118 feet) from the plot. Everything still needs to be connected. Wait a moment, I’ll quickly check the budget again...
But at least in this case, the utility room (HAR) is in the right corner.
la.schnute schrieb:
- Staircase design
You can’t afford not to use the space under the stairs.
la.schnute schrieb:
- [B]Windows: [/B]
The exterior appearance is really a disaster. Maybe ask @Nordlys, they seem to match your taste well.
ypg schrieb:
I'M OUT!
I agree.
la.schnute schrieb:
I thought the orientation was clear based on the helpful illustration by @11ant (post #214)... I have also described it several times in words. In any case, it should remain exactly as shown there.Yet in post 235, you share images again that make you have to mentally figure out how to rotate the floor plan to match the site plan. You also have to check if the site plan is truly oriented to north, since there is no north arrow. And it’s hard to tell from the image where the access road is, because the street isn’t immediately apparent. EDIT: Just read... the street is 36m (120 feet) away??? Then it can only be on the left side of the plan... so how do you get to the carport?It’s simply not enjoyable to engage mentally with such incomplete drawings over and over again (especially in so many threads—for you, of course, it’s just one... yours).
M
Matthew0313 Mar 2020 08:34la.schnute schrieb:
We welcome all comments and opinions.la.schnute schrieb:
We really appreciate all opinions!la.schnute schrieb:
What do you think?It’s nice that you’re so happy about it. But that doesn’t help much if you then respond to every valid criticism at the end with:
la.schnute schrieb:
but I actually don’t want to talk about that anymore— excluding everything about orientation, openness, price, etc. Like this, you also drive away helpful participants like @kaho674, who would otherwise probably have come up with one or two additional floor plan suggestions for you, which is a shame. It won’t help you much if you only accept Nordlys’ input because it suits you, while ignoring (at least you haven’t addressed this yet) that his house is very well designed but intended for a married couple in their later years, so it can only serve as a reference for your needs over the next 15 years to a limited extent.
Therefore, I can only agree with this here:
Vitalio schrieb:
I have the feeling the original poster accepts advice that fits, but ignores the restPage 41, hardly any added value, but you only want to discuss window positions now.
la.schnute13 Mar 2020 09:34Phew, honestly, everyone. Maybe I misunderstood something here. I know this is a forum for and by homeowners, not experts (architects, structural engineers). Still, I expected that people would – as is only human – put themselves in someone else’s shoes and actually take their wishes into account when giving advice.
If I ask, metaphorically speaking, for advice on what dress to wear to a party, I also expect that I won’t be suggested pants only, you know? If I tell an architect that I want a house with an open kitchen-dining-living area, they won’t design me a closed-off space. Of course, taste and the wishes of the homeowners play the central role! I asked very specific questions about the design of certain areas. For fundamental design aspects (openness!!!) we have already made firm decisions, and I won’t be convinced that there is anything wrong with that. If that’s not your thing, that’s totally fine. But if you can’t set aside your own opinions when giving advice, then you might as well not bother and instead advise on house projects that better match your taste. Because, as I said, I don’t want pants for the party; I want a dress.
Yes, exactly, and what’s wrong with that? If we have already made basic decisions, it’s perfectly fine if I consider some advice and immediately reject other advice as unsuitable for us. That’s usually how it goes with advice anyway.
And of course, I try to be polite and thank you for your efforts, even when I don’t follow your advice! So... are you really upset because I don’t say yes to everything? For a non-binding exchange of opinions on the Internet, that actually surprises me.
And the idea that an open space on the ground floor is impossible given the house dimensions is just nonsense. I’ve seen this kind of thing too often from architects, for example in the already frequently mentioned Lokstedt house by Groot Architects, which has very similar dimensions and which I find really beautiful! It also makes sense – walls take up additional space.
I really apologize for not posting a north-aligned site plan! I actually thought that mainly people who have been following the thread from the start and are already involved in the project would reply. I thought I wouldn’t need to repeat it once it was clear. But maybe that was wrong. I’ll remember next time.
The budget is another matter... that will ultimately be our concern, and if it’s not feasible, we have a problem. However, we also have a fairly large financial backup from the family in prospect... so I’m not too worried about that.
If I ask, metaphorically speaking, for advice on what dress to wear to a party, I also expect that I won’t be suggested pants only, you know? If I tell an architect that I want a house with an open kitchen-dining-living area, they won’t design me a closed-off space. Of course, taste and the wishes of the homeowners play the central role! I asked very specific questions about the design of certain areas. For fundamental design aspects (openness!!!) we have already made firm decisions, and I won’t be convinced that there is anything wrong with that. If that’s not your thing, that’s totally fine. But if you can’t set aside your own opinions when giving advice, then you might as well not bother and instead advise on house projects that better match your taste. Because, as I said, I don’t want pants for the party; I want a dress.
Vitalio schrieb:
I get the feeling the original poster accepts the advice that fits them and disregards the rest.
Yes, exactly, and what’s wrong with that? If we have already made basic decisions, it’s perfectly fine if I consider some advice and immediately reject other advice as unsuitable for us. That’s usually how it goes with advice anyway.
And of course, I try to be polite and thank you for your efforts, even when I don’t follow your advice! So... are you really upset because I don’t say yes to everything? For a non-binding exchange of opinions on the Internet, that actually surprises me.
And the idea that an open space on the ground floor is impossible given the house dimensions is just nonsense. I’ve seen this kind of thing too often from architects, for example in the already frequently mentioned Lokstedt house by Groot Architects, which has very similar dimensions and which I find really beautiful! It also makes sense – walls take up additional space.
I really apologize for not posting a north-aligned site plan! I actually thought that mainly people who have been following the thread from the start and are already involved in the project would reply. I thought I wouldn’t need to repeat it once it was clear. But maybe that was wrong. I’ll remember next time.
The budget is another matter... that will ultimately be our concern, and if it’s not feasible, we have a problem. However, we also have a fairly large financial backup from the family in prospect... so I’m not too worried about that.
P
Pinkiponk13 Mar 2020 09:45la.schnute schrieb:
...
the repeatedly mentioned Lokstedt house by Groot Architects
...I looked up the house you mentioned online. Just out of curiosity: Do you want no roof overhang, like the original? This question is completely neutral.Are there any interior photos available from Lokstedt/Groot Architects? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any.
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