ᐅ Single-family Home for Four People – Opinions

Created on: 10 Apr 2020 21:51
C
Chrisi1906
Hello everyone,

At our developer, a customer who had reserved a plot of land dropped out. Since the other plot faces south / southwest, we didn’t hesitate long and switched to that plot. The new plot is smaller, so we gave up on our bungalow dream. The plot number is 5.

To remind you: The plot is tied to the developer.

I have been thinking over the past few days about the arrangement and design of the rooms and the plot, and I would first like to know if the concept is okay. I am not concerned with details inside the rooms such as windows, doors, or bathroom design. That’s not possible anyway since I created the floor plan myself based on Gussek Haus floor plans. However, I tried to design it as well as possible. For this reason, I want to share the floor plan here for discussion. I’m mainly looking for feedback on the layout and room arrangement, as well as ideas, suggestions, or tips. Maybe you’ll also spot things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday living.

I created the floor plan with RoomSketcher, but only used the free version, so many features are limited. Please ignore the room dimensions on the upper floor. There is a dormer in the area of the home office.

A few more details about the house.
Roof pitch 38°
Knee wall (Drempel) 100cm (39 inches)
External dimensions 12.85 x 9.60 m (42.2 x 31.5 feet) (enlarged, original dimensions of Gussek Haus models are smaller)
Unfortunately, I cannot show internal room dimensions because RoomSketcher does not allow it.

Attached again is the completed questionnaire.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 676m²
Slope: NO
Site coverage ratio: 0.4 (allowed exceedance 25 out of 100)
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: On the north side / south side approx. 20.5 m (67 feet) wide, west and east sides approx. 33 m (108 feet) wide, 3 m (10 feet) building setback on each side, rectangular plot, clearly visible in the pictures

Edge construction setback: 3 m (10 feet)
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of stories: maximum 2 full stories
Roof style: Gable roof, hipped roof
Other requirements: Garage must be 5 m (16 feet) from the property boundary. Garage on the west side because the curb is lowered there.

Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Doesn’t matter, initially considered a house with a gable roof, there is a dormer in the home office area
Basement, number of floors: No basement due to high groundwater level
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people aged 36 (female), 37 (male), 3 (child), 1 (child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: Living/dining/kitchen area, utility room, guest WC with shower, hallway with coat area and stairs to upper floor, guest room / playroom
Upper floor: Master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room, office

Office use: Family use or home office? Home office combined with family use
Guests per year: 1–2 times
Open or closed architecture: Closed architecture?
Conservative or modern style: A mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Closed kitchen with island would be nice but not a must; open kitchen is also an option
Number of dining seats: 4, with the option for 6
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: Sound system in the living room
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Space for 2 cars is required, preferably 3 to 4. Currently considering a garage (3 x 6 m / 9.8 x 19.7 feet) with a carport (3.6 m / 12 feet) in front, not sure if that works. Plus 2 parking spaces in front of the house.
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be:

House Design
Who created the design:
- DIY - copy and combination of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2
What do you especially like? Why?
- Large closed kitchen with island and direct / short access to the terrace
- Living room close to the terrace
- Guest / playroom on the ground floor
- Storage room on the upper floor with washing machine and dryer
- Utility room with washing machine and dryer (yes, twice)
- 6 rooms
- Layout of rooms on the upper floor


What do you not like? Why?
- Location of the home office on the upper floor is not ideal in my view, but I could live with it

Price estimate from architect/planner: No new estimate so far
Personal price limit for house including features: 400,000
Preferred heating system: Heat pump

Why does the design look like it does now? For example:
Copy-paste of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2

What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Is the room layout okay?

Site plan of a building plot with parcels, dimensions, and orientation


Hand-drawn plot plan sketch with house, garage, carport, and parking spaces


Site plan of a building plot with outline lines, measurements, and small interior layout


2D floor plan of a single-family house with hallway, bathroom, storage room


Floor plan of a house with living and dining area, guest room, corridor, and utility room


White single-family house exterior view with dark tiled roof, windows, and garden


Two-story house with gray facade, dark roof, and garden terrace
Pinky030115 Apr 2020 06:13
I don’t think the kitchen layout will work. The spacing between the rows looks about the same as the cabinet depth, so only around 60cm (24 inches). That is far too little. Maybe try using pen and paper instead of an unrealistic program. I also like working with Sweet Home.
K
kbt09
15 Apr 2020 06:54
I find the new plan somewhat less favorable, for example, the guest bathroom. I also don’t see the access to the utility room as a major issue in the first version, since the washing machine and similar appliances are planned for the upper floor.

However, some space for a coat closet would still need to be created; this could be done by relocating the home office door or the entrance door.

In general, I would also lean more toward a two-story design, as this allows for better distribution of windows on the upper floor.
C
Curly
15 Apr 2020 09:07
If the house is 12.85m (42 feet) wide and you subtract the exterior walls and the interior wall between the kitchen and living room, then arrange the kitchen as shown (with 1.10m (43 inches) spacing between the rows and a 1m (39 inches) cooking island), the living room width is only 7.60m (25 feet). A sofa as depicted will never fit in such a small space, especially with all the surrounding clearance. You should carefully consider how much space you really need.

Best regards,
Sabine
11ant15 Apr 2020 13:26
My approach would be not to enlarge the hybrid design from the two Gussek house inspirations extensively, but only specifically where it is believed to be too tight; then, by shifting from knee wall / dormer to a full-height straight wall, all potential headroom issues can be resolved in one go. That should be enough, though – where endless tweaking cycles like those by StanSch lead is already being illustrated by @Shiny86 to my utter amusement.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
S
Shiny86
15 Apr 2020 14:49
11ant schrieb:

My approach would be to avoid significantly enlarging the hybrid design inspired by the two Gussek house models, and instead only expand it specifically where there is a feeling it might otherwise feel cramped. Then, by changing the knee wall / dormer to a full-height straight wall, you can eliminate all potential head height issues in one go. That should suffice—where endless puzzle-like adjustments lead, as @Shiny86 is currently illustrating to my exhausting amusement.

Don’t you like my puzzle result? I prefer it over the previous version.