ᐅ Subtly Modern Urban Villa, 218 sqm

Created on: 25 Aug 2020 21:45
M
Marco180
Hello,

we have been living in our own single-family house for a long time and now want to build a new one. I did not expect it to be so difficult to design a suitable floor plan. Every change affects another requirement. We are now at an impasse and can’t think of any further improvements. I hope your fresh perspectives and honest feedback will help us here.
Thank you in advance for all comments.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size 1,220 sqm (13,130 sq ft)
Slope no
Floor area ratio (FAR) – not specified
Building coverage ratio – not specified
Building envelope, building line and boundary – none
Edge development – detached double garage 7 m (23 ft) (optional triple garage)
Number of parking spaces – 3
Number of storeys – 2
Roof type – hipped roof 25°, 80 cm (31.5 inches) overhang
Architectural style – classic
Orientation – entrance = northeast
Maximum heights/limits – none
Additional requirements – none

Owners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: city villa, subtly modern, low hipped roof, KfW55 standard
Basement, number of storeys – 2 storeys, no basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4 persons – 2x 40 years, 1x 11 years, 1x 7 years
Space requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF) – see design
Office: family use or home office? – yes, 2 days per week
Guest sleepers per year – 5–6 times per year
Open or closed architecture – GF open, UF closed
Traditional or modern construction – somewhere in between
Open kitchen, kitchen island – yes/yes
Number of dining seats – 6–8
Fireplace – no
Music/speaker wall – no
Balcony, roof terrace – no, but covered terrace on ground floor
Garage, carport – detached garage
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for specific choices
Open living-dining area, lots of light, no narrow spaces, harmonious proportions and symmetry, cozy
Smooth roof tiles

House design
- Do-it-yourself planning
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Upper floor layout, stairwell

What do you not like? Why?
- Children’s rooms vary in size
- Office could be larger
- Orientation not quite optimal
- Ground floor lacks a bit of flair

Cost estimate according to architect/planner: €480,000 without garage
Personal budget for house including fixtures: €500,000
Preferred heating system: ground-source heat pump

If you had to do without anything, which details or expansions?
- Could do without: basically nothing, most things are already optimized (open space, fireplace, and other extras)
- Cannot do without:

Why is the design as it is now? e.g.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor be better designed, and are there any major design errors?

In the aerial photo, it is the lower house on the right.
The shaded area roughly represents the paved surface.
Driveway passes two L-shaped bungalows in grey.


Top view floor plan: living room with dining table and sofa, kitchen, hallway, office, utility room, room 13.51.

Floor plan of a house with master bedroom, child 1, child 2, dressing room, bathroom, hallway.

Aerial photo of a residential area with three blue buildings, parking lots, and plot boundaries.
11ant4 Sep 2020 15:49
Peter Silie schrieb:

you definitely have to keep everything clean as well.
Dirt tends to accumulate in corners, and larger spaces often offer a good chance to design rooms with fewer nooks and crannies, making corners less frequent. What makes cleaning time-consuming is having to maneuver a broom in places where there’s hardly enough space to turn around.
nordanney schrieb:

Having a robot vacuum makes it even more relaxed.
What good does it do me if the robot vacuum just vents its frustration :-(
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Marco18010 Sep 2020 12:55
We will not make many more changes to the general floor plan. Thank you for the very valuable suggestions.
Currently, I am working on the bathroom. This is how it is supposed to look.
Including a sauna with a large glass surface (appearance).
However, the shower will have a very small glass surface (for cleaning).

Floor plan of a bathroom with toilet area, shower, washbasin, and bathtub, 18.48 m² (199 ft²).
A
Alessandro
10 Sep 2020 13:05
Looks good! However, you definitely need a door for the shower.

Also, pay attention to the space required for the cabinets shown in the upper floor. With your walk-in closet, 60cm (24 inches) deep cabinets won’t work. There will be plaster on the walls, and then the cabinet will block the window.
Marco18010 Sep 2020 13:32
… thanks, that’s correct. The 60cm (24 inches) recesses in all rooms still need a few centimeters of clearance.
At the moment, it looks like it will fit. Today we’re visiting our preferred builder again.
I’m curious to see if we will reach a final agreement.


Grundriss eines Hauses mit offener Wohnküche, Esstisch, Sofa und mehreren Zimmern.

Grundriss eines Hauses: Flur in Mitte, links Bad & Schlafen, rechts Kind 1 & Kind 2, Ankleide.



Offene Küche und Essbereich mit Holztisch, Insel, schwarzen Pendelleuchten; Wohnzimmer mit rotem Sofa und Kamin.
A
Alessandro
11 Sep 2020 13:15
I like it and it looks practical.
The only thing you need to adjust is the layout of the shower room on the ground floor, because as it is, you can’t get into the shower.
I’m also not a big fan of the fireplace, but that’s a matter of personal taste. You’ll also need to consider fire protection, because if you place a glass panel there, it could create a tripping hazard when going to the patio door.
C
Curly
11 Sep 2020 14:53
Why shouldn’t you enter the shower like that? I would prefer to build a wall instead of the glass panel, as maintaining it would be too much effort for me.

Best regards,
Sabine