Hello dear forum members,
as mentioned in the introduction thread, here is the current status of our house planning.
The plot is located in the second row and is accessible via the courtyard of the front house (shared driveway).
Currently, there are existing buildings on the plot that need to be demolished.
We have already had a few planning discussions with construction companies, and honestly, I have to say I am shocked by their “professionalism.” We have now specifically selected companies where consultation takes place with architects and not, for example, a trained cook (no joke, that actually happened!). In addition, we are already annoyed by the question: “What do you want to build? A shell bungalow or a single-family house?” When we say: “Let’s work out the floor plan step by step and see which shape and roof pitch result, then we can still decide the official house type,” we only get strange looks. There were no independent ideas tailored to the plot... When asking what they would recommend, we just get a questioning look. I have to say, I expected more, but maybe it is normal that you have to bring the initial idea for the floor plan yourself...
Due to the current situation, further appointments with the construction companies are difficult to arrange. So we are using the time to plan ourselves. After tapping into your collective intelligence in the first step, we will then send our draft to the companies including the issues we still see. They will then have the chance to optimize and price our draft for the next consultation.
For us, the heart of the house is the ground floor; the upper floor follows from the ground floor plan (room layout, bathroom above utility room, windows, etc.). The upper floor is located on the exterior walls of the ground floor to the right (north) and bottom (east) of the plan, while to the left (south) and top (west) it is limited to the “main rectangle” or recessed by 1.5m (roughly 5 feet).
Attached you will find the completed questionnaire. Unanswered questions I have not included anymore.
We are very curious about your opinion!
Many thanks in advance.
Ypsi aus NI
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approx. 700 sqm
Floor area ratio (FAR) 0.3
Site coverage ratio 0.3
Building window, building line and boundary 3m (10 feet) from the neighbor’s boundary
Number of floors 1 full story
open development
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type (Mediterranean) urban villa
Basement, floors 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age 2 people + planned children
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor GF = 130-140 sqm (1400-1500 sq ft), UF = 50-60 sqm (540-650 sq ft)
Open or closed architecture open
Conservative or modern construction modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island kitchen island
Number of dining seats 6-8
Fireplace wood stove
Balcony, roof terrace possibly roof terrace (flat roof on both volumes)
Garage, carport double garage
House Design
Planned by: Do-it-Yourself
What do you like in particular? Why? Shape fits well into the plot, living area is somewhat separated, kitchen and dining table as central element
What do you dislike? Why? Is the staircase suitable? Is the entrance spacious enough? Can the private rooms on the ground floor be arranged this way?
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
Why did the design develop this way?
We consider the plot relatively narrow. Normally, a rectangular house shape would make sense, using the full width of the plot. But then you lose the best side (south). The floor plan was developed according to “form follows function” and we really like it now (I mean the L-shape, not necessarily the individual room layout).
An interesting idea is not to realize the two wings on the upper floor with a hip roof, but instead to have a flat roof to possibly create one or two roof terraces.
The original wish was for a bungalow, but we realized that it consumes too much floor space. A good compromise for us is to have the master bedroom and master bathroom on the ground floor, and the children’s rooms plus office upstairs.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Are there fundamental planning mistakes we have overlooked so far?
as mentioned in the introduction thread, here is the current status of our house planning.
The plot is located in the second row and is accessible via the courtyard of the front house (shared driveway).
Currently, there are existing buildings on the plot that need to be demolished.
We have already had a few planning discussions with construction companies, and honestly, I have to say I am shocked by their “professionalism.” We have now specifically selected companies where consultation takes place with architects and not, for example, a trained cook (no joke, that actually happened!). In addition, we are already annoyed by the question: “What do you want to build? A shell bungalow or a single-family house?” When we say: “Let’s work out the floor plan step by step and see which shape and roof pitch result, then we can still decide the official house type,” we only get strange looks. There were no independent ideas tailored to the plot... When asking what they would recommend, we just get a questioning look. I have to say, I expected more, but maybe it is normal that you have to bring the initial idea for the floor plan yourself...
Due to the current situation, further appointments with the construction companies are difficult to arrange. So we are using the time to plan ourselves. After tapping into your collective intelligence in the first step, we will then send our draft to the companies including the issues we still see. They will then have the chance to optimize and price our draft for the next consultation.
For us, the heart of the house is the ground floor; the upper floor follows from the ground floor plan (room layout, bathroom above utility room, windows, etc.). The upper floor is located on the exterior walls of the ground floor to the right (north) and bottom (east) of the plan, while to the left (south) and top (west) it is limited to the “main rectangle” or recessed by 1.5m (roughly 5 feet).
Attached you will find the completed questionnaire. Unanswered questions I have not included anymore.
We are very curious about your opinion!
Many thanks in advance.
Ypsi aus NI
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approx. 700 sqm
Floor area ratio (FAR) 0.3
Site coverage ratio 0.3
Building window, building line and boundary 3m (10 feet) from the neighbor’s boundary
Number of floors 1 full story
open development
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type (Mediterranean) urban villa
Basement, floors 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age 2 people + planned children
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor GF = 130-140 sqm (1400-1500 sq ft), UF = 50-60 sqm (540-650 sq ft)
Open or closed architecture open
Conservative or modern construction modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island kitchen island
Number of dining seats 6-8
Fireplace wood stove
Balcony, roof terrace possibly roof terrace (flat roof on both volumes)
Garage, carport double garage
House Design
Planned by: Do-it-Yourself
What do you like in particular? Why? Shape fits well into the plot, living area is somewhat separated, kitchen and dining table as central element
What do you dislike? Why? Is the staircase suitable? Is the entrance spacious enough? Can the private rooms on the ground floor be arranged this way?
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
Why did the design develop this way?
We consider the plot relatively narrow. Normally, a rectangular house shape would make sense, using the full width of the plot. But then you lose the best side (south). The floor plan was developed according to “form follows function” and we really like it now (I mean the L-shape, not necessarily the individual room layout).
An interesting idea is not to realize the two wings on the upper floor with a hip roof, but instead to have a flat roof to possibly create one or two roof terraces.
The original wish was for a bungalow, but we realized that it consumes too much floor space. A good compromise for us is to have the master bedroom and master bathroom on the ground floor, and the children’s rooms plus office upstairs.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Are there fundamental planning mistakes we have overlooked so far?
Y
Ypsi aus NI23 Mar 2020 10:41ypg schrieb:
Cabinets are 60/65 cm (24/26 inches) deep... they don’t stand flush against the wall.
With a wall system, you have 50 mm (2 inches) boards plus the frame. And you want to be able to walk between them and have a clear view of your stuff—not stand in a narrow corridor like in a tight archive. We do have the option to give the walk-in closet more space. Adding 30 or 50 cm (12 or 20 inches) is not a problem in terms of space. The house just gets a bit longer.
Y
Ypsi aus NI23 Mar 2020 10:48hanse987 schrieb:
Distance between couch and TV is very large.
Maneuvering into the garage would be too stressful for me. Where will the entrance platform be placed? The distance between the TV and couch is similar today. However, in the new build, it could be smaller. The spacing is a result of the room layout. The fireplace is intended to act like a small room divider. At the same time, there needs to be enough space to walk comfortably through, which then determines the ideal distance.
Why would it be too stressful? Because you would have to turn left into the garage rather than drive straight in?
Do you mean the entrance area in front of the front door by "platform"? That will be placed in front of the garage. If that doesn’t work in terms of space, we’ll have to leave some space between the garage and the house. But the preference is for the attached version with access to the house through the utility room.
You should calculate a minimum of 80 cm (31.5 inches) between the table edge and the wall. So, 80 cm (31.5 inches) + table width + 80 cm (31.5 inches).
Your rough construction measurement is less than 3 m (9 ft 10 in) if I use the staircase as a reference.
I simply think a window directly over the table for natural light is missing.
Your rough construction measurement is less than 3 m (9 ft 10 in) if I use the staircase as a reference.
I simply think a window directly over the table for natural light is missing.
M
Matthew0323 Mar 2020 11:02Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
How am I supposed to answer the questions if I don’t (yet) know the answers myself? Then you are simply too early for such a detailed floor plan!
Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
Which question from the questionnaire do you think is missing to make a better assessment? Since my post, you have made 6 more contributions, but the fundamental budget topic has still been skillfully avoided.
Edit: My question about the number of children and an approximate timeline is also unanswered.
Also missing: home office? Number of overnight guests?
This is important to know in order to assess the priority and location of a guest room or office. For example, if the difficult mother-in-law visits once a year, she can stay in the basement (exaggerated!), but if a brother, sister, child from a previous relationship, etc. stays every other weekend, the room should have more sunlight.
This is an example of why these questions are included...
Regarding the master area, if you swap the bathroom and bedroom, you could create access through the centrally located walk-in closet from the kitchen, as shown in the attached image.
I also don’t see the kitchen working like this:
With a structural width of 3.78m (12.4 ft) starting from the right:
65cm (26 inches) kitchen unit, 1.10m (43 inches) circulation space, 1.2m (47 inches) kitchen island, leaving 0.83m (33 inches) structural width for the bar stool area.
The only option would be to reduce the depth of the kitchen island on the side with the bar stools, making it less deep. Then it would probably be only about 1m (39 inches) deep. However, this would probably look odd with an island length of around 4m (13 ft).
I also find the distance from the couch to the TV of about 6m (20 ft) completely unsuitable.
I also don’t see the kitchen working like this:
With a structural width of 3.78m (12.4 ft) starting from the right:
65cm (26 inches) kitchen unit, 1.10m (43 inches) circulation space, 1.2m (47 inches) kitchen island, leaving 0.83m (33 inches) structural width for the bar stool area.
The only option would be to reduce the depth of the kitchen island on the side with the bar stools, making it less deep. Then it would probably be only about 1m (39 inches) deep. However, this would probably look odd with an island length of around 4m (13 ft).
I also find the distance from the couch to the TV of about 6m (20 ft) completely unsuitable.
Y
Ypsi aus NI23 Mar 2020 11:08haydee schrieb:
You should calculate the clearance between the table edge and the wall as at least 80 cm (31.5 inches). So, 80 cm (31.5 inches) + table width + 80 cm (31.5 inches).
If I use the staircase as a reference, your rough structural dimension is less than 3 m (9 ft 10 in).
I simply think the table needs a window right next to it for direct natural light. Isn’t the dining area much larger than the staircase width of 3 m (9 ft 10 in)?
That gives us a lot more space! Between the wall of the utility room and the start of the table, there are about 1.30 m (51 inches). There is even more room between the table and the kitchen. That really shouldn’t be too small.
Where exactly would you put another window? Everything is already glazed, so there’s plenty of natural light. The table is just not directly by the window but set a bit further into the room.
What specific changes would you suggest?
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