ᐅ Single-family house, 2,370 sq ft, with a basement on a 7,530 sq ft plot of land
Created on: 8 Jul 2020 21:17
E
EFH2020
Hello everyone,
We have a 750 m² (8,073 sq ft) plot where we plan to build approximately 220 m² (2,368 sq ft) plus a basement and garages.
After initial discussions with builders, we find the following floor plan quite good, as it reflects our desired room sizes on both the ground floor and upper floor.
Ground Floor:
Two main questions still concern us:
1) Should the kitchen/dining area be on the left, or should the living room be located there instead?
The recessed kitchen on the left works well for natural light and especially because otherwise, we can't properly fit the staircase. Having the living room on the left would be nice since there is sun there until about 9:30 pm in summer, while the right side is in the shade by 6:30 pm. It’s a matter of preference when and where you want sunlight, but we’d be interested in your opinions.
2) Where should the staircase be placed, and how can we avoid losing much space on the upper floor?
So far, we have only found one solution. We prefer a 180-degree staircase; a 90-degree staircase would also work, ideally with a landing, as we want to avoid angled stair treads.
Other notes:
The plan lacks a pantry. We initially considered placing it in the passageway from the garage to the hallway, but there isn’t enough space for that. So the pantry will now go into the basement. Additionally, the hallway doesn’t have a particularly large cloakroom, so we are considering taking some space from the kitchen/guest room. The guest bathroom on the ground floor could be a bit larger.
Upper Floor:
We need the space upstairs for two children’s bedrooms, a study, two bathrooms, a master suite, and a utility room. With the current staircase placement and some restrictions regarding the master dressing room and bathroom, everything fits well, and we like the room sizes and their layouts.
Basement:
Yes, we need a “white tank” (watertight concrete basement). We want it for storage and technical equipment, which cannot be accommodated upstairs. Other rooms like a home gym are nice to have but not essential. Nevertheless, we want the basement for possible resale value and flexibility. Due to costs, we plan to only partially finish the basement. So the basement layout is less important for now.
We would very much appreciate hearing your thoughts on our ideas, what you like, and especially what you find problematic in the floor plan.
Many thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 750 m² (8,073 sq ft)
Flat terrain
Floor area ratio - no development plan
Plot ratio - no development plan
Building envelope: 12 x 15 m (39 x 49 ft), we plan to build about 12 x 12 m (39 x 39 ft)
Setbacks: 3 meters (10 ft) on all sides
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1-2 full stories
Roof type: Pitched roof preferred, flat gable roof also acceptable (preliminary building approval planned)
Style:
Orientation: Garden faces southwest
Maximum height/restrictions: approx. 8 meters (26 ft) (survey pending)
Other requirements
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type - no bay windows or balconies, pitched roof
Basement: yes
Number of occupants, age - 2 adults and 2 small children
Space requirements on ground/upper floors: like the rooms shown in the plan
Office use: family use or home office? Both work about 50% from home
Annual overnight guests: regularly guest stays with children
Open or closed layout: closed upstairs, open downstairs
Conservative or modern style: undecided
Open kitchen, kitchen island - kitchen island with 2 seats
Dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes (no coal)
House Design
Who created the design:
- Planner from a construction company, modified by us
What do we like? Room sizes
What do we dislike? Master area – dressing room and bathroom are cramped. Is the hallway with the staircase practical? Kitchen on the left side is practical regarding light, but the living room won’t have sun after 7 pm in summer? Possibly rearrange the sofa in the living room for the TV
Estimated price according to architect/planner: €700,000 including basement, garages, and additional construction costs (excluding land)
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: €750,000 (€50,000 for kitchen, landscaping)
Preferred heating system: Ground-source heat pump with cooling option
Why is the design as it is?
Upstairs we need the space for 2 children’s bedrooms, a study, two bathrooms, and a utility room.
We have a 750 m² (8,073 sq ft) plot where we plan to build approximately 220 m² (2,368 sq ft) plus a basement and garages.
After initial discussions with builders, we find the following floor plan quite good, as it reflects our desired room sizes on both the ground floor and upper floor.
Ground Floor:
Two main questions still concern us:
1) Should the kitchen/dining area be on the left, or should the living room be located there instead?
The recessed kitchen on the left works well for natural light and especially because otherwise, we can't properly fit the staircase. Having the living room on the left would be nice since there is sun there until about 9:30 pm in summer, while the right side is in the shade by 6:30 pm. It’s a matter of preference when and where you want sunlight, but we’d be interested in your opinions.
2) Where should the staircase be placed, and how can we avoid losing much space on the upper floor?
So far, we have only found one solution. We prefer a 180-degree staircase; a 90-degree staircase would also work, ideally with a landing, as we want to avoid angled stair treads.
Other notes:
The plan lacks a pantry. We initially considered placing it in the passageway from the garage to the hallway, but there isn’t enough space for that. So the pantry will now go into the basement. Additionally, the hallway doesn’t have a particularly large cloakroom, so we are considering taking some space from the kitchen/guest room. The guest bathroom on the ground floor could be a bit larger.
Upper Floor:
We need the space upstairs for two children’s bedrooms, a study, two bathrooms, a master suite, and a utility room. With the current staircase placement and some restrictions regarding the master dressing room and bathroom, everything fits well, and we like the room sizes and their layouts.
Basement:
Yes, we need a “white tank” (watertight concrete basement). We want it for storage and technical equipment, which cannot be accommodated upstairs. Other rooms like a home gym are nice to have but not essential. Nevertheless, we want the basement for possible resale value and flexibility. Due to costs, we plan to only partially finish the basement. So the basement layout is less important for now.
We would very much appreciate hearing your thoughts on our ideas, what you like, and especially what you find problematic in the floor plan.
Many thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 750 m² (8,073 sq ft)
Flat terrain
Floor area ratio - no development plan
Plot ratio - no development plan
Building envelope: 12 x 15 m (39 x 49 ft), we plan to build about 12 x 12 m (39 x 39 ft)
Setbacks: 3 meters (10 ft) on all sides
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1-2 full stories
Roof type: Pitched roof preferred, flat gable roof also acceptable (preliminary building approval planned)
Style:
Orientation: Garden faces southwest
Maximum height/restrictions: approx. 8 meters (26 ft) (survey pending)
Other requirements
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type - no bay windows or balconies, pitched roof
Basement: yes
Number of occupants, age - 2 adults and 2 small children
Space requirements on ground/upper floors: like the rooms shown in the plan
Office use: family use or home office? Both work about 50% from home
Annual overnight guests: regularly guest stays with children
Open or closed layout: closed upstairs, open downstairs
Conservative or modern style: undecided
Open kitchen, kitchen island - kitchen island with 2 seats
Dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes (no coal)
House Design
Who created the design:
- Planner from a construction company, modified by us
What do we like? Room sizes
What do we dislike? Master area – dressing room and bathroom are cramped. Is the hallway with the staircase practical? Kitchen on the left side is practical regarding light, but the living room won’t have sun after 7 pm in summer? Possibly rearrange the sofa in the living room for the TV
Estimated price according to architect/planner: €700,000 including basement, garages, and additional construction costs (excluding land)
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: €750,000 (€50,000 for kitchen, landscaping)
Preferred heating system: Ground-source heat pump with cooling option
Why is the design as it is?
Upstairs we need the space for 2 children’s bedrooms, a study, two bathrooms, and a utility room.
Thank you very much for the valuable feedback...
The advantage is that we can position the walls exactly where we want... The structural engineering allows it, so why not?
The exhaust pipe for the gas does not run straight up but is routed differently; the technology supports this.
The advantage is that we can position the walls exactly where we want... The structural engineering allows it, so why not?
The exhaust pipe for the gas does not run straight up but is routed differently; the technology supports this.
EFH2020 schrieb:
The structural engineering allows it, so why not?
The exhaust pipe for the gas doesn’t go straight up but is routed differently; the technology allows it. The structural engineering doesn’t allow it for Ömmesöns, but fine: go ahead and build the upper floor round as well if you want.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I asked in the forum for some helpful advice.
Good point, thanks!
That was our original plan, too. However, since there is a sloped roof (over part of the upper floor), we will extend the hallway all the way up and get plenty of natural light through the Velux windows. For the staircase, we left it as is for external symmetry in terms of the windows.
KEVST schrieb:
The hallway on the upper floor could use some natural light. I would remove the narrow corner in the utility room, assign that space to the staircase, and install a window there.
Good point, thanks!
That was our original plan, too. However, since there is a sloped roof (over part of the upper floor), we will extend the hallway all the way up and get plenty of natural light through the Velux windows. For the staircase, we left it as is for external symmetry in terms of the windows.
Do you have any exterior views of the house? You mention “FD” for the roof type and also talk about the roof slope. How does that fit together? If it were a flat roof, I would find the forced symmetry even less necessary. What does that small setback on the upper floor look like? I don’t understand it either and wonder if it will look good. Not to mention the waterproofing and extra costs.
Whether you prefer the evening sun in the living room or the kitchen is something you need to decide. How does your daily life look? Where do you usually spend your evenings? However, I think you might be overestimating this, since the sun only stays high enough for a few weeks a year to shine in like that. Which car do you usually use for groceries? If it’s the large one in the right garage, then having the kitchen including pantry/storage on the right side would make more sense. As it is now, you have a long walk from the car to the kitchen and from the kitchen to the pantry. By the way, you only need the pantry because the kitchen is too small.
Overall, you are wasting a lot of space with this “double hallway” in your new ground floor plan. That’s probably about 25 sqm (270 sq ft)? I would arrange it differently and prefer to make the kitchen a bit larger.
It’s good that you thought of a driveway gate for the left garage, since you will probably close off your property completely with the two garages on the left and right. I’m also curious about how that will look. A small gate on the right, a large one on the left?
Whether you prefer the evening sun in the living room or the kitchen is something you need to decide. How does your daily life look? Where do you usually spend your evenings? However, I think you might be overestimating this, since the sun only stays high enough for a few weeks a year to shine in like that. Which car do you usually use for groceries? If it’s the large one in the right garage, then having the kitchen including pantry/storage on the right side would make more sense. As it is now, you have a long walk from the car to the kitchen and from the kitchen to the pantry. By the way, you only need the pantry because the kitchen is too small.
Overall, you are wasting a lot of space with this “double hallway” in your new ground floor plan. That’s probably about 25 sqm (270 sq ft)? I would arrange it differently and prefer to make the kitchen a bit larger.
It’s good that you thought of a driveway gate for the left garage, since you will probably close off your property completely with the two garages on the left and right. I’m also curious about how that will look. A small gate on the right, a large one on the left?
I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I’m surprised by how absolute your statements are.
You have to do this and that because...
The fact is, you have now changed the staircase despite what you said earlier (see above).
And the fact is also that you could fit your required space on a smaller area. Of course, you can also afford more space if you disregard the building envelope. In that respect, I wouldn’t let yourself be restricted by rigid ideas.
I can’t quite follow that line of thought.
At this rate, you’ll break 800,000€ just for the house itself without ancillary building costs.
If in your DIY planning the hallway keeps getting bigger to fit as many gadgets as possible in the house, you’ve probably gotten yourself tangled up somehow.
You’re not really starting fresh; you’re only changing a few things here and there. And if you keep enlarging all rooms and the whole house, of course you won’t see any options because there are hardly any constraints. Yet, there are hardly any gadgets installed: I don’t even see an open space or a gallery...
Right from the start there was the confusing idea of building up to the property boundary and the garages.
An amateur adds garages like elephant ears to a block-shaped house with two driveways, whereas an architect partially integrates a double garage into the house and creates projections that can be used in many ways—as windbreaks, for aesthetic appeal, or for waste disposal—to end up with an attractive house. With good planning, your room program can be realized on a smaller footprint. Although a basement may play a role, the main body of the house won’t have to become disproportionately large and bulky.
Which architects? The ones from the general contractor? Forget it. They work for low pay.
With that budget and floor plan, find a competent architect; later the general contractor can build the house.
You yourself have limits, as does any layperson facing such a complex task.
Also, the idea of building with a basement for resale value is somewhat questionable: the budget will be higher accordingly, and buyers also watch the costs. I believe you severely limit your target group with that floor area. And you can see yourself: the basement rooms are mostly just placeholders. A tool room might be nice, but without an exterior stairway you won’t be starting woodworking down there.
...........................................
One detail:
You plan for a reception area of over 30 sqm (over 323 sqft) in the hallway on the ground floor plus in the living room... I wouldn’t plan to use the living room as a passageway with children anymore. I don’t think you’ll enjoy watching TV when teenagers throw a kitchen party and greet their friends right in front of you. But that’s exactly what you’re planning.
You have to do this and that because...
EFH2020 schrieb:
otherwise we can’t properly fit the staircase.
EFH2020 schrieb:
Only with this staircase placement and the limitations on ...
EFH2020 schrieb:
and the technical rooms, which wouldn’t fit upstairs. The other rooms like the fitness room are nice but not essential; still, we want the basement for possible resale value and flexibility.
The fact is, you have now changed the staircase despite what you said earlier (see above).
And the fact is also that you could fit your required space on a smaller area. Of course, you can also afford more space if you disregard the building envelope. In that respect, I wouldn’t let yourself be restricted by rigid ideas.
EFH2020 schrieb:
Kitchen on the left side is practical because of the light, but no sun in the living room after 7 pm in summer?
I can’t quite follow that line of thought.
EFH2020 schrieb:
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 700,000€ including basement, garages, and ancillary building costs (excluding land)
At this rate, you’ll break 800,000€ just for the house itself without ancillary building costs.
If in your DIY planning the hallway keeps getting bigger to fit as many gadgets as possible in the house, you’ve probably gotten yourself tangled up somehow.
You’re not really starting fresh; you’re only changing a few things here and there. And if you keep enlarging all rooms and the whole house, of course you won’t see any options because there are hardly any constraints. Yet, there are hardly any gadgets installed: I don’t even see an open space or a gallery...
Right from the start there was the confusing idea of building up to the property boundary and the garages.
An amateur adds garages like elephant ears to a block-shaped house with two driveways, whereas an architect partially integrates a double garage into the house and creates projections that can be used in many ways—as windbreaks, for aesthetic appeal, or for waste disposal—to end up with an attractive house. With good planning, your room program can be realized on a smaller footprint. Although a basement may play a role, the main body of the house won’t have to become disproportionately large and bulky.
EFH2020 schrieb:
We had the same idea but it was sobering. The architect’s drafts gave hardly any valuable new input; this draft appeals to us more.
Which architects? The ones from the general contractor? Forget it. They work for low pay.
With that budget and floor plan, find a competent architect; later the general contractor can build the house.
You yourself have limits, as does any layperson facing such a complex task.
Also, the idea of building with a basement for resale value is somewhat questionable: the budget will be higher accordingly, and buyers also watch the costs. I believe you severely limit your target group with that floor area. And you can see yourself: the basement rooms are mostly just placeholders. A tool room might be nice, but without an exterior stairway you won’t be starting woodworking down there.
...........................................
One detail:
EFH2020 schrieb:
1) Should kitchen/dining be on the left or would you rather have the living room there?
EFH2020 schrieb:
Because of the entrance to the living room, we effectively have a reception area there, and with the additional passage to the kitchen we find that practical.
You plan for a reception area of over 30 sqm (over 323 sqft) in the hallway on the ground floor plus in the living room... I wouldn’t plan to use the living room as a passageway with children anymore. I don’t think you’ll enjoy watching TV when teenagers throw a kitchen party and greet their friends right in front of you. But that’s exactly what you’re planning.
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