ᐅ Single-family house with a recessed upper floor, southwest-facing, located in Bonn
Created on: 5 Oct 2020 20:40
B
Benrath
Hello everyone,
we have purchased one of three plots that were divided from a larger property and still need to be developed. Access is via a private road, and all three owners share the traffic area equally. The plot is very well connected for us, located centrally in Bonn, and is perhaps a bit larger than we actually needed. However, it’s not like there are always free plots available in a similar location.
Because there was a lengthy legal dispute between the seller and the neighbors beforehand, we can only build a partial recessed upper floor to a limited extent. Probably for this reason, the plot was mainly interesting for private buyers. An accessory apartment is not possible, and we don’t want one anyway.
Up until now, the planning was done from scratch without considering costs or practical aspects, at least from our side. The architect apparently enjoys drawing, which is understandable at this stage and has a certain artistic approach. We are generally open to all suggestions and ideas on what could be done differently, especially where costs might be saved easily.
Our next step will be to conclude an architect contract for service phases 1 to 5 plus general contractor / main contractor.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: >800sqm (8600 sq ft), no slope, building envelope etc. See plan.
Parking spaces: 1 on traffic area and 1 garage
Number of storeys: Only 1 full storey plus a recessed upper floor
Roof style: Flat roof; architectural style: rather Bauhaus
Orientation: Front of the house faces southwest
Maximum height/limits: 7–8m (23–26 ft)
Owners’ requirements
We basically have no specific style requirements. A flat roof results partly from the recessed upper floor and height restrictions, which probably don’t allow a pitched roof.
We want a basement with excavation and two daylight rooms (this was more the architect’s idea). Currently, there are three of us, possibly four in the future. Early 30s and a baby.
We had planned for just over 100sqm (1076 sq ft) on the ground floor and about 75% of that upstairs. Currently, it’s roughly 230sqm (2475 sq ft) ground floor and upper floor combined plus terraces, etc., and the basement.
Office: occasional use, not very important.
Number of overnight guests per year: unknown, but a guest room is planned
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We definitely want a separate kitchen area and like the suggestion of an extended island
Number of dining seats: 4 in the kitchen, more like 8 in the dining room
Fireplace: Not very important, probably no.
Music/surround sound system: 5.1 system around the TV
Balcony, roof terrace: Terrace is a must, balcony above the kitchen results from the recessed floor
Garage, carport: The garage width of 4.5m (15 ft) is unusual and probably makes it more expensive.
House design by the architect
What do we particularly like? Why? Good use of the sunny side, and otherwise all our wishes have been taken into account.
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet.
What don’t we like? Why? I could imagine a nicer staircase, perhaps a longer, more open design. Overall, the hallway feels a bit large.
The upper-floor terrace seems somewhat oversized. We are wondering if the overhang casts too much shade on the ground floor.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: with general contractor and all additional costs >900,000€ (over 900,000 euros)
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: rather below that.
Preferred heating technology: no opinion so far
Why does the design look like it does?
For example:
There was an initial meeting with the architect during which our wishes were noted.
Ground floor: separated kitchen, combined living/dining area. Another separate room as office/guest room (and possibly bedroom if needed).
Passage from the garage to the house, possibly as a utility room.
Upper floor: 3 rooms plus 2 bathrooms, including one en-suite.
First draft at the second meeting, and at the third meeting this final design was presented.
we have purchased one of three plots that were divided from a larger property and still need to be developed. Access is via a private road, and all three owners share the traffic area equally. The plot is very well connected for us, located centrally in Bonn, and is perhaps a bit larger than we actually needed. However, it’s not like there are always free plots available in a similar location.
Because there was a lengthy legal dispute between the seller and the neighbors beforehand, we can only build a partial recessed upper floor to a limited extent. Probably for this reason, the plot was mainly interesting for private buyers. An accessory apartment is not possible, and we don’t want one anyway.
Up until now, the planning was done from scratch without considering costs or practical aspects, at least from our side. The architect apparently enjoys drawing, which is understandable at this stage and has a certain artistic approach. We are generally open to all suggestions and ideas on what could be done differently, especially where costs might be saved easily.
Our next step will be to conclude an architect contract for service phases 1 to 5 plus general contractor / main contractor.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: >800sqm (8600 sq ft), no slope, building envelope etc. See plan.
Parking spaces: 1 on traffic area and 1 garage
Number of storeys: Only 1 full storey plus a recessed upper floor
Roof style: Flat roof; architectural style: rather Bauhaus
Orientation: Front of the house faces southwest
Maximum height/limits: 7–8m (23–26 ft)
Owners’ requirements
We basically have no specific style requirements. A flat roof results partly from the recessed upper floor and height restrictions, which probably don’t allow a pitched roof.
We want a basement with excavation and two daylight rooms (this was more the architect’s idea). Currently, there are three of us, possibly four in the future. Early 30s and a baby.
We had planned for just over 100sqm (1076 sq ft) on the ground floor and about 75% of that upstairs. Currently, it’s roughly 230sqm (2475 sq ft) ground floor and upper floor combined plus terraces, etc., and the basement.
Office: occasional use, not very important.
Number of overnight guests per year: unknown, but a guest room is planned
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We definitely want a separate kitchen area and like the suggestion of an extended island
Number of dining seats: 4 in the kitchen, more like 8 in the dining room
Fireplace: Not very important, probably no.
Music/surround sound system: 5.1 system around the TV
Balcony, roof terrace: Terrace is a must, balcony above the kitchen results from the recessed floor
Garage, carport: The garage width of 4.5m (15 ft) is unusual and probably makes it more expensive.
House design by the architect
What do we particularly like? Why? Good use of the sunny side, and otherwise all our wishes have been taken into account.
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet.
What don’t we like? Why? I could imagine a nicer staircase, perhaps a longer, more open design. Overall, the hallway feels a bit large.
The upper-floor terrace seems somewhat oversized. We are wondering if the overhang casts too much shade on the ground floor.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: with general contractor and all additional costs >900,000€ (over 900,000 euros)
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: rather below that.
Preferred heating technology: no opinion so far
Why does the design look like it does?
For example:
There was an initial meeting with the architect during which our wishes were noted.
Ground floor: separated kitchen, combined living/dining area. Another separate room as office/guest room (and possibly bedroom if needed).
Passage from the garage to the house, possibly as a utility room.
Upper floor: 3 rooms plus 2 bathrooms, including one en-suite.
First draft at the second meeting, and at the third meeting this final design was presented.
Ibdk14 schrieb:
No idea why the drawings are praised so much. At first glance, they look nice and colorful, but a lot is quite hard to make out. I would definitely prefer dimensions over so much color. Because at this stage and scale of conceptual planning, dimensions hardly matter. It’s unlikely that anything important affecting those 5 m² (54 ft²) will be planned here that wouldn’t work due to the limited space at this early planning phase.
Benrath schrieb:
only somewhat limited The zoning plan imposes surprisingly few restrictions.
Benrath schrieb:
build with a recessed top floor Where does it say that? Only the building height and number of full floors are specified. Roof shape, orientation, pitch, eaves height – all are free to choose...
Benrath schrieb:
So far, the planning has been done on a greenfield site, without considering costs or practical aspects. At least from our side. ... maybe too freely?
Benrath schrieb:
Flat roof is somewhat the result of the recessed roof and the height restriction, which probably rules out a pitched roof. That seems to me like a misinterpretation.
Benrath schrieb:
Price estimate according to architect/planner: With general contractor and all additional costs >900,000€
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: rather below that. Without a number, further discussion isn’t possible. We don’t want to end up with a Town & Country house after all.
ypg schrieb:
Because measurements at this stage and size of the design concept hardly matter. At this point in the planning, there won’t be anything important planned in just 5 sqm (54 sq ft) that wouldn’t work due to the limited space.Well, there is a discussion about the children's rooms, even though it is not clear whether they are approximately 3 x 5 m (10 x 16 ft) or 2.5 x 7 m (8 x 23 ft). That makes a big difference when it comes to furnishing.Ibdk14 schrieb:
Well, the children's rooms are being discussed, even though it’s unclear whether they are about 3x5 or 2.5x7 meters (10x16 feet or 8x23 feet). That makes a big difference when it comes to furnishing. For example, I’m less concerned with a specific figure and more with a disproportion.
If someone wants to build over 200 square meters (2,150 square feet), more power to them. I also allowed myself half a meter (1.6 feet) extra in width. That makes many aspects of planning simpler, because it matters whether you only have 80 centimeters (31 inches) between wardrobes in the dressing area or over 1 meter (3 feet). Dimensions like 1.3 or 1.5 meters (4.3 or 5 feet) don’t even need to be mentioned here.
But @Escroda is right: there’s no point in continuing the discussion without knowing the budget. I estimate the 230 square meters (2,475 square feet) (without basement) to cost around 600,000 including additional building costs (building permit / planning permission fees, connection fees, etc.)... the finished basement adds further expenses. And considering that architects often overlook 10-20% of the total construction time in their estimates, we’re looking at a house plan exceeding one million... while the original poster is only willing to spend 500,000? (600,000 including additional costs and a carport).
For measurements, the client has a ruler. At this stage, it’s only about how a house could look. The planning is still far from finalized, my furniture may not fit. And whether with or without measurements, the children’s rooms are small and poorly laid out in relation to the living area, hallway, etc.
Of course, if there were measurements provided for us, there would be a whole range of other comments.
Of course, if there were measurements provided for us, there would be a whole range of other comments.
Ibdk14 schrieb:
Well, there is a discussion about the kids’ rooms, even though it’s unclear whether they are approximately 3x5 meters (10x16 feet) or 2.5x7 meters (8x23 feet). That makes a big difference when arranging furniture. However, it’s clear that these rooms have many corners and edges, which likely means that whether they are ultimately 13m² (140 sq ft) or 17m² (183 sq ft), they are not “nice rooms” (“nice” to me means a rectangle with an aspect ratio of about 3:4). The corners near the doors add square meters but don’t provide usable space. I also find the trick of built-in wardrobes problematic in kids’ rooms because the needs for these rooms change the most over time compared to other rooms in the house. And if I want to turn the room into a reading room or library later, built-in wardrobes with a depth of 60cm (24 inches) will just get in the way.