ᐅ 170 m² single-family house in rural Bavaria

I have a few criticisms as well:

Definitely do NOT make the pantry access the way Evelinoz suggested! Think about coming back from grocery shopping: first through the kitchen door, which you then have to close before entering the pantry. That will drive you crazy every time. Or another scenario: I guarantee that kitchen door will ALWAYS be left open – meaning the pantry door will always be obstructed by the open kitchen door. I would consider Hampshire’s suggestion to have an open kitchen facing the hallway.

I’m personally a fan of the pantry, but you have to be aware that the pantry nowadays does not have the cooler temperature typical of old houses. You can achieve a few degrees difference (I do), but it’s no longer a cool room as it used to be. Just so you know!

I would ALWAYS design the kitchen with two parallel worklines. Here, the pantry access is integrated into the run along the wall, between tall cabinets. So you don’t have a separate door but rather a kitchen cabinet door hiding the pantry behind it. Possibly even use a swing door, which makes it easier to access the pantry when hands are full.

Instead of a window at countertop height, I would definitely suggest a patio door, so you have direct access from the kitchen to the garden. A clever garden designer could then create at least one raised bed with herbs for quick access while cooking. A well-placed raised bed would also be great if you grow your own vegetables. It doesn’t always work out, but just an idea.

Why not extend the kitchen bay window upwards and add it to the master bathroom? You could then plan for a sauna there. A basement sauna only makes sense if years after moving in you realize you want one, but if you plan it from the start, I don’t understand why you’d have to become a cave dweller just to enjoy it. If a basement sauna is needed, then at least have a sloped ceiling and a room in the basement with direct garden access and natural light.

But think about this: why put it in the basement? Then you have to build everything again down there: shower, toilet, etc. Why? You already have that upstairs. And for relaxing you can just go to bed; no need for a separate space with a drafty lounge chair. You’ll also save on building another shower and so forth in the basement (which is financially interesting), plus avoid the need for a sewage lifting station.

Sure, the parents have a basement sauna and you use that and it works. Yes, it does. But you’re building new – “it works” should not be the goal. Make it nice for yourself! A dark basement sauna works, but it’s not pleasant...

The exterior views look very dull to me. Honestly: since you keep referring to the parents’ house as a model, this probably influenced the exterior, too. Again: it’s functional, but not attractive. Simply turning the kitchen window into a kitchen door leading to the garden would already loosen up the boring facade.

That’s true about the pantry. It’s really a matter of weighing whether you prefer a split kitchen layout or having the door in the corner.
I’m against having a door leading to the garden there because I can step outside into the green directly next to the dining table. I can still manage the extra 2 meters (6.5 feet) with my youth.

Regarding the sauna, I can only say it again: having an exit to the outdoors is a great feature! But in my opinion, the whole area doesn’t necessarily need natural daylight. I don’t know when you would have time to use the sauna during the day. I only use mine in the evenings. Especially in winter, when it’s on more often, it’s already dark by the time I get home from work.

As for the master bathroom, I once had a bay window drawn over two floors (that was actually my idea at one point). However, considering the size of the house, I think it ends up looking more like a big box attached to the front. One option would have been to build the house with knee walls instead of full-height walls, which would have looked better. But for me, it wasn’t worth it.

And no, my parents' house doesn’t look like that. From your profile picture, I can see you’ve built something quite extravagant. That’s totally fine—I tend to prefer a simpler style.

XxTankerxX schrieb:

I had a bay window drawn over two floors (and that was my original idea to do it that way). However, considering the size of the house, I think it actually looks more like a huge box attached to the front. Another option would have been to build the house with a knee wall instead of a full upper story – that would have looked better.

Show me, in my opinion you must have made a mistake in your thinking – it’s just not clear to me at the moment without a picture which one.

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11ant schrieb:

Show it, in my opinion you must have made a logical error there – I just can’t see which one without a drawing.

Are you referring to the bay window? I don’t have that version on hand right now. That was handled by the architect on site.
With a bay window depth of 1.5m (5 feet), that’s already an impressive structure.

XxTankerxX schrieb:

Regarding the sauna, I can only say it again: direct access to the garden -> great idea!

In our old house, we built a really spacious sauna with a shower and toilet down in the basement ourselves; very stylish, but we also had plenty of space for loungers, a nice relaxation room, and so on.
However, I often see saunas in basements squeezed in somewhere between shelves, because basements eventually fill up with all sorts of stuff. So, I don’t enter a cozy wellness room but rather my typical basement, and then lie down inside the usually max. 2x2m (6.5x6.5 ft) sauna cabin.
In my opinion, basements usually have that typical basement air or feeling, which makes it hard to understand why people don’t just put a sauna outside if there’s enough space—either on the lawn, next to the terrace, or as an extension of an existing shed.
Since the sauna heater is usually electric anyway, this is an easy and affordable sauna to set up outside, as you don’t have to worry about moisture, mold, or other issues, and you don’t take up valuable living space.
You also don’t have to overdo the insulation because the sauna doesn’t need to be kept warm all the time. We later had the sauna outdoors, and the electricity costs were negligible.
This is how it’s done all over Scandinavia, but around here, like with many things, people tend to overcomplicate it.
This is just my experience and advice for those who want to create a sauna in an affordable and pleasant way.
I built a base of formwork boards measuring 3.5x2.5m (11.5x8 ft), laid down a mat, and poured concrete. Then I drilled wooden beams on top and placed a used plug-and-play sauna (which you can find online by the dozens) on it, with a cheap flat roof on top. I made the lounging areas wider as desired, bought a steam function stove for €300, and that was it. It still runs today.
Basically, you can also buy an inexpensive wooden shed with about 40-50mm (1.5-2 inches) wall thickness and instead of storing garden equipment, just put the sauna heater and loungers inside—and you have a sauna. An outdoor shower right next to it can be connected to the terrace water tap.
Since I’ve had both, I’d only put a sauna inside if I really had enough space for at least a small “wellness area.” Otherwise, it’s always nicer and much cheaper outside.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

Often, I see saunas in basements placed somewhere between shelves, because basements eventually get filled with all kinds of stuff.

I've seen that quite often. The worst was once in a room right next to the workbench! I find about 25 m² (270 sq ft) sufficient for me. But yes, having it outside is of course also an option.