ᐅ Single-family house, 160 m² with basement, on a 500 m² plot of land
Created on: 9 Jun 2020 18:34
M
Murmelstein
Hi,
We have a 500m2 (5400 sq ft) plot where we would like to build.
We have now received the initial plans from our preferred construction company.
We need a basement because my wife and I both work from home, and we have three children who should each have their own room.
The attic is not really a good option due to the small dormer window and a building height limit of 9 meters (30 ft). The basement is quite expensive because of the clay soil, but in the end, we decided in favor of the basement, and the first financing simulations fit approximately a $680,000 build cost including additional construction expenses. The land is not included, of course.
I think the plans are already quite good, but I don’t have much expertise. A master bathroom was our request. The guest bathroom on the ground floor is there because we often have guests staying with us.
In my opinion, the pantry can be left out.
I planned the upstairs hallway once larger and once smaller to allow for a bigger children’s bathroom.
I miss the external staircase to the basement. If the stairs were on the right side, it would allow for "normal" windows in the basement offices. I have pointed this out. Also, the street runs roughly along the house from left to right and drops about one meter (3 ft).
I’m not sure about the layout of the "fitness" room; I think it might be structurally necessary. I want to bother the architect only once we are 100% sure we are going with this construction company.
What I generally don't like right now is that generic feel when looking at it, but the house is simply a standard two-story with a 30° pitched roof.
I would really like to know from your experience whether this covered terrace is a good idea or not.
Thanks in advance
We have a 500m2 (5400 sq ft) plot where we would like to build.
We have now received the initial plans from our preferred construction company.
We need a basement because my wife and I both work from home, and we have three children who should each have their own room.
The attic is not really a good option due to the small dormer window and a building height limit of 9 meters (30 ft). The basement is quite expensive because of the clay soil, but in the end, we decided in favor of the basement, and the first financing simulations fit approximately a $680,000 build cost including additional construction expenses. The land is not included, of course.
I think the plans are already quite good, but I don’t have much expertise. A master bathroom was our request. The guest bathroom on the ground floor is there because we often have guests staying with us.
In my opinion, the pantry can be left out.
I planned the upstairs hallway once larger and once smaller to allow for a bigger children’s bathroom.
I miss the external staircase to the basement. If the stairs were on the right side, it would allow for "normal" windows in the basement offices. I have pointed this out. Also, the street runs roughly along the house from left to right and drops about one meter (3 ft).
I’m not sure about the layout of the "fitness" room; I think it might be structurally necessary. I want to bother the architect only once we are 100% sure we are going with this construction company.
What I generally don't like right now is that generic feel when looking at it, but the house is simply a standard two-story with a 30° pitched roof.
I would really like to know from your experience whether this covered terrace is a good idea or not.
Thanks in advance
M
Murmelstein7 Jul 2020 16:37Hi,
The building boundaries and plot are visible on the plan, right?
I’ll try to take some photos of the plot in the next few days, although timing is difficult at the moment.
So far, we have only talked with the builder for a comparison offer. The design in the first post came out of the initial consultation. After that, we gave 30 minutes of feedback, and this is what resulted. We were told that once we have chosen a building company (which we now have), we can start planning properly. It’s also clear that you can’t just dismiss an architect lightly.
Another issue is, of course, that you don’t exactly know what you want, but you quickly realize what you definitely don’t want. I think this has to be an iterative process.
My reasons for not choosing a freelance architect are based on experiences from friends and family. In many cases, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it mentally and probably would have ended up with burnout and unable to work. Building can be very stressful. We want to have a construction supervisor during the build to oversee the builder, as we’ve had too much stress in life in recent years and want to make the process as stress-free as possible.
Others might say: “then don’t do it, stress-free building doesn’t exist,” but I believe there are definitely enough options to manage it well.
The building boundaries and plot are visible on the plan, right?
I’ll try to take some photos of the plot in the next few days, although timing is difficult at the moment.
So far, we have only talked with the builder for a comparison offer. The design in the first post came out of the initial consultation. After that, we gave 30 minutes of feedback, and this is what resulted. We were told that once we have chosen a building company (which we now have), we can start planning properly. It’s also clear that you can’t just dismiss an architect lightly.
Another issue is, of course, that you don’t exactly know what you want, but you quickly realize what you definitely don’t want. I think this has to be an iterative process.
My reasons for not choosing a freelance architect are based on experiences from friends and family. In many cases, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it mentally and probably would have ended up with burnout and unable to work. Building can be very stressful. We want to have a construction supervisor during the build to oversee the builder, as we’ve had too much stress in life in recent years and want to make the process as stress-free as possible.
Others might say: “then don’t do it, stress-free building doesn’t exist,” but I believe there are definitely enough options to manage it well.
Murmelstein schrieb:
My reasons against hiring an independent architect were overturned by the experiences of friends and relatives. In many cases, I would not have been able to handle it mentally and would have ended up with burnout, unable to work. Building a house can be very stressful. We want to have a construction supervisor during the build to oversee the builder, since we have had too much stress in recent years and need to keep this process as stress-free as possible. Our suggestion to hire an architect is based on the approach of having the architect’s house design then built by the builder. No one here has recommended a fully custom architect-designed house to you, as in our opinion your requests and your plot are quite standard, not fitting for a fully custom build.
Murmelstein schrieb:
Experiences of friends and relatives Some experiences you have to make yourself or be able to let go of. Not everything is the same just because the wool is the same.
Regarding the site plan: okay… here is my proposed floor plan:
M
Murmelstein7 Jul 2020 17:06ypg schrieb:
Our suggestion to hire an architect is based on the process of having the architect’s house design then built by the general contractor. No one here has recommended an architect-designed house; in our opinion, your wishes and your plot are quite standard, so it doesn’t require a custom build.What costs should one expect? I hadn’t really considered separating these, since the general contractor includes it, but perhaps that’s why the quality isn’t the highest.
ypg schrieb:
About the site plan: okay... here is my floor plan suggestion:Is that a hidden teaching moment?M
Murmelstein7 Jul 2020 17:19ypg schrieb:
Regarding the site plan: okay... here is my floor plan suggestion:I’m not trying to offend you with anything, but apparently I did... what exactly is a site plan? The empty plot with the building envelope?That’s all I have on hand right now. I can download the development plan later and anonymize the plot location there....
Murmelstein schrieb:
I can download the development plan again later and anonymize the property location.... The next person who spends more effort blacking out supposedly irrelevant information than filling out the questionnaire will have to manage without me – just to say that while we’re at it.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
With my first house, I could have easily saved the equivalent of 100,000 DM on pointless stuff. Maybe there is something you could add to my “Grütze” thread https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/gruetze-der-sammelthread-fuer-zerknuellte-grundrisse-co.30156/?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Murmelstein7 Jul 2020 19:3311ant schrieb:
The next person who spends more effort blacking out supposedly irrelevant information than filling out the questionnaire will have to manage without me – just to say that while I’m at it. I filled out the questionnaire as much as I could. Which details are you missing?
Besides, shouldn’t everyone be allowed to keep a bit of their privacy on the internet? Who knows who might be reading this…
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