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?
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?
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
It should be 30cm (12 inches) wide. Remove the window. The door with the side panel is no problem; you can simply place it below the window on the upper floor. But if you remove the other window at the entrance, unfortunately that looks bad because the symmetry is lost. Also, you lose natural light. At least for the exterior appearance, it should be worth it to position windows where they don’t interfere. But maybe others have ideas or your general contractor can suggest something.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
Thanks for the solution with the bathroom and storage room. I think that’s good, and it could save us some money. That was just one example without needing to change the windows. Other solutions might affect them. So it’s good to try those out already and pick a favorite. Any sloping ceilings upstairs would, of course, have a big impact. The decision on that should come first. (I can already see you getting shocked when the actual numbers for the additional cost of a townhouse come up and add up.) The windows are usually selected pretty much at the end.
What I mean is: there is a certain order to the decisions because the “higher-level” ones affect the ones below. Starting from the end doesn’t make sense. So first fix the knee wall/number of floors, then the room sizes, bathroom layout, and then the windows. In the end, you might take a step back for the exterior view, but you’re not at that stage yet.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
The garage could also be placed on the other side. There are no requirements for this in the building area. I don’t see much advantage in putting it on the east side with this floor plan at least. Oh yes, the evening western sun in the living rooms is very desirable. The eastern sun is better early in the upper rooms. That’s why the typical planning is to have the garage in the east. This is not trivial. Light is crucial in house design.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
We want a large guest room that could also be used as a bedroom.
...
I think the living and dining area is still big enough. That’s also what my wife says! We prefer a large guest room that could later also be used as a bedroom. Okay, if it should be a large bedroom on the ground floor. I think a smaller one would also do, as long as bed and wardrobe fit. But don’t complain afterward if the living room feels narrow and the table is in the way when you want to get to the patio.
The assumption that you won’t use the upper floor in old age is a misconception many people plan for here.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
The garage could also be placed on the other side. There are no regulations about that in the development area. At least in the floor plan, I don’t see a significant advantage to placing it on the east side. We want to have a large guest room that could also be used as a bedroom. The garage is already on the right side of the plan—is the orientation of the plans actually rotated so that the top faces south?
kaho674 schrieb:
Assuming the upper floor won’t be usable in old age is a misconception that many people here plan for. https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
C
Chrisi19067 May 2020 12:38kaho674 schrieb:
Oh yes, the west-facing evening sun in the living areas is highly desirable. The east-facing morning sun, on the other hand, is usually best for the upper rooms. That’s why it’s common to plan the garage on the east side. This is not a trivial matter. Light is absolutely crucial when designing a house. Okay, I understand. I think I can live with that.
11ant schrieb:
But the garage is already on the right side of the plans – does that mean the plans have been oriented south all along? The plans are not oriented north. That’s why the garage is in the southwest.
kaho674 schrieb:
That was just an example without needing to change the windows. Other solutions might affect that. So it would be good to try out a few options and pick a favorite. Any potential roof slopes on the upper floor would, of course, have a major impact. That decision should be made beforehand. (I can already see you getting shocked when the actual numbers for the extra cost of the town villa come in and add up.) You pretty much decide on the windows towards the end.
What I mean is: there is a certain order to the decisions because the higher-level ones influence the lower-level ones. Starting from the end doesn’t make sense. So first, you define the knee wall/number of floors, then room sizes, bathroom layout, and finally the windows. At the end, you might take a step back for the exterior appearance, but you’re not there yet. Which actual numbers? Do you mean the windows will be more expensive? That should only be minimal...
To be honest, I still find the one-and-a-half-story house with a gable roof more harmonious.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
The plans are not oriented to true north. Therefore, the garage is located in the southwest.
...
Okay, I understand. I think I can live with that.Man, this is getting worse and worse. In the southwest? That’s a disaster. Move the garage away from there—that’s just ridiculous. Do you want eternal darkness and to live in a cave?Chrisi1906 schrieb:
What actual numbers are you referring to? You mean the windows will be more expensive? That should only be minimal, right...The walls are three times higher, and if the roof becomes a hip roof, it will be significantly more expensive. Everything else increases in price too: plaster, windows, window sills, paint. None of that comes for free, I believe...Chrisi1906 schrieb:
To be honest, I still find the one and a half-story house with a gable roof more harmonious....that would be a blessing for the budget.kaho674 schrieb:
Man, this is getting worse and worse. In the southwest? That’s a total disaster. Remove the garage there – it’s ridiculous. Do you want eternal darkness and to live in a cave?Why is the garage in that spot a problem? There is a west-facing window, as I saw on the latest floor plan, so everything should be fine, and the living room is in the southwest. Of course, you could consider a terrace there or a nice west-facing garden, but there is probably still space south of the garage for that...Similar topics