ᐅ 200 sqm traditional-style house without a basement – concept review
Created on: 29 Nov 2020 13:33
A
AnRi311
Good day everyone,
We are currently in the initial phase of planning our upcoming house construction. The plot is already available, and the final plan will be created by a professional architect. However, we have some ideas that we want to filter in advance, especially regarding their practicality and feasibility. It’s no use committing to concepts early on that turn out to be impractical, forcing us to start over from scratch.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: ~1250 m² (approximately 0.31 acres)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: No development plan
Floor area ratio: See above
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: See above
Edge development: according to BayBO Art. 6
Parking spaces: 2 in garage / 2 in front
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof style: Hip roof approximately 35° on the main house, hip roof on the garage, flat roof on the connecting building
Architectural style: Traditional
Orientation: West
Maximum heights/limits: None
Other requirements: Wooden utility pole on the property
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Classic Swabian style (shutters, cornice on the roof, etc.)
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors plus expandable attic
Number of residents, age: 2 adults in their mid to late 20s, planning for 2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floor: approximately 90 m² (approximately 970 sq ft) each
Office: Family use or home office: Home office, possibly a bedroom later
Annual guest occupants: None
Open or closed architecture: Hybrid
Conservative or modern build: Rather conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen, possibly with island
Number of dining seats: At least 8
Fireplace: See-through fireplace in wall between living and dining area
Music/stereo wall: -
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Garage with driveway access from the south
Utility garden, greenhouse: -
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences
Full staircase to the attic (planned for expansion)
(Bat) dormer in the attic
Ability to separate living area with large sliding door (probably surface-mounted due to size)
No children’s bathroom upstairs; instead, guest bathroom on ground floor with separate toilet
No “master suite” upstairs; walk-in closet to be located in front of the bedroom
Possible future division into 2 separate living units (dashed line: inserting a wall and remodeling the bathroom)
Symmetry in the exterior appearance (except for the east / right side), exterior with bay window more or less fixed
If possible, barrier-free design on the ground floor from the start (anything can happen …)
No solar panels or photovoltaics
House Design
Designer:
- Do-it-yourself, forum discussions, home building magazines
What do you particularly like? Why? General requirements are met, the area in front of the office/staircase can be used as a spacious cloakroom, the living/dining area is also generously sized and features a catch-spot with the see-through fireplace visible from all sides.
What do you dislike? Why? See basic question
Estimated price by architect/planner: /
Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: 575k with own labor (excluding land and exterior work)
Preferred heating technology: District heating; conduits for a possible air-source heat pump or geothermal heat pump will still be installed
If you have to give up certain features/finishes,
- What can you do without: Storage room upstairs, size of kitchen/dining area (as long as there is space for at least 8 people year-round, with occasional space for 12-14)
- What is essential: Fireplace, divisibility of living units, staircase to attic, exterior appearance (although there may still be some flexibility)
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan?
They say anyone can build a big house. The rough external dimensions (whether 12.5 x 9.8 m, 12.0 x 10.0 m, or 11.5 x 9.5 m) are secondary but more or less fixed, as is the exterior design (which we believe best fits the plot). This makes the room planning on such a footprint somewhat challenging. However, these are compromises we are willing to accept. In the dining/kitchen area, in my opinion, space in front of the kitchen counter is somewhat wasted; the bathroom upstairs is also very large in terms of area but does not appear spacious. Likewise, the pantry faces south, as does the guest bathroom with shower, which faces the street (used by only three neighbors). It doesn’t need to be optimized down to the last centimeter; we have enough space inside and out. But it would be a pity if the house turns into a massive bunker whose interior spaciousness is lost due to planning errors.
The attached plan shows only one terrace door. A U-shaped kitchen is preferred, but an island would also be possible so that all windows on the west side could be converted into doors.
One idea is to remove the bay window and instead install four windows on the west side, both upstairs and downstairs. The plans are (almost) oriented to true north. The question remains whether the garage should be placed directly on the right-hand boundary or if a 3 m (approximately 10 ft) distance should be left for a carport or similar. The bathroom fixtures can ideally be considered a “work in progress.” The rest of the furnishing can be taken as “planned as is.” Exterior walls are 42.5 cm (17 inches), interior walls 17.5 cm (7 inches), garage exterior wall 24.0 cm (9.5 inches).
I would greatly appreciate feedback on any major mistakes and possible suggestions for improvement.
We are currently in the initial phase of planning our upcoming house construction. The plot is already available, and the final plan will be created by a professional architect. However, we have some ideas that we want to filter in advance, especially regarding their practicality and feasibility. It’s no use committing to concepts early on that turn out to be impractical, forcing us to start over from scratch.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: ~1250 m² (approximately 0.31 acres)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: No development plan
Floor area ratio: See above
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: See above
Edge development: according to BayBO Art. 6
Parking spaces: 2 in garage / 2 in front
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof style: Hip roof approximately 35° on the main house, hip roof on the garage, flat roof on the connecting building
Architectural style: Traditional
Orientation: West
Maximum heights/limits: None
Other requirements: Wooden utility pole on the property
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Classic Swabian style (shutters, cornice on the roof, etc.)
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors plus expandable attic
Number of residents, age: 2 adults in their mid to late 20s, planning for 2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floor: approximately 90 m² (approximately 970 sq ft) each
Office: Family use or home office: Home office, possibly a bedroom later
Annual guest occupants: None
Open or closed architecture: Hybrid
Conservative or modern build: Rather conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen, possibly with island
Number of dining seats: At least 8
Fireplace: See-through fireplace in wall between living and dining area
Music/stereo wall: -
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Garage with driveway access from the south
Utility garden, greenhouse: -
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences
Full staircase to the attic (planned for expansion)
(Bat) dormer in the attic
Ability to separate living area with large sliding door (probably surface-mounted due to size)
No children’s bathroom upstairs; instead, guest bathroom on ground floor with separate toilet
No “master suite” upstairs; walk-in closet to be located in front of the bedroom
Possible future division into 2 separate living units (dashed line: inserting a wall and remodeling the bathroom)
Symmetry in the exterior appearance (except for the east / right side), exterior with bay window more or less fixed
If possible, barrier-free design on the ground floor from the start (anything can happen …)
No solar panels or photovoltaics
House Design
Designer:
- Do-it-yourself, forum discussions, home building magazines
What do you particularly like? Why? General requirements are met, the area in front of the office/staircase can be used as a spacious cloakroom, the living/dining area is also generously sized and features a catch-spot with the see-through fireplace visible from all sides.
What do you dislike? Why? See basic question
Estimated price by architect/planner: /
Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: 575k with own labor (excluding land and exterior work)
Preferred heating technology: District heating; conduits for a possible air-source heat pump or geothermal heat pump will still be installed
If you have to give up certain features/finishes,
- What can you do without: Storage room upstairs, size of kitchen/dining area (as long as there is space for at least 8 people year-round, with occasional space for 12-14)
- What is essential: Fireplace, divisibility of living units, staircase to attic, exterior appearance (although there may still be some flexibility)
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan?
They say anyone can build a big house. The rough external dimensions (whether 12.5 x 9.8 m, 12.0 x 10.0 m, or 11.5 x 9.5 m) are secondary but more or less fixed, as is the exterior design (which we believe best fits the plot). This makes the room planning on such a footprint somewhat challenging. However, these are compromises we are willing to accept. In the dining/kitchen area, in my opinion, space in front of the kitchen counter is somewhat wasted; the bathroom upstairs is also very large in terms of area but does not appear spacious. Likewise, the pantry faces south, as does the guest bathroom with shower, which faces the street (used by only three neighbors). It doesn’t need to be optimized down to the last centimeter; we have enough space inside and out. But it would be a pity if the house turns into a massive bunker whose interior spaciousness is lost due to planning errors.
The attached plan shows only one terrace door. A U-shaped kitchen is preferred, but an island would also be possible so that all windows on the west side could be converted into doors.
One idea is to remove the bay window and instead install four windows on the west side, both upstairs and downstairs. The plans are (almost) oriented to true north. The question remains whether the garage should be placed directly on the right-hand boundary or if a 3 m (approximately 10 ft) distance should be left for a carport or similar. The bathroom fixtures can ideally be considered a “work in progress.” The rest of the furnishing can be taken as “planned as is.” Exterior walls are 42.5 cm (17 inches), interior walls 17.5 cm (7 inches), garage exterior wall 24.0 cm (9.5 inches).
I would greatly appreciate feedback on any major mistakes and possible suggestions for improvement.
P
pagoni202029 Nov 2020 17:51AnRi311 schrieb:
I don’t want to sound stubborn, but the exterior view is simply very important to us. We just like it.You’ll have to live inside the house afterwards. Then you can always step outside now and then to look at something nice 😱. Jokes aside. As you mentioned, most of us here are amateurs, but it’s easier to look at someone else’s floor plan more objectively. Your own “child” is always the most beautiful, even if... 🤨 ...almost all of us feel that way!Because we’re not experts, we tend to believe that the house can ONLY look good this one way, which is a fatal approach. There are thousands of ways to design a house that looks great inside and also attractive on the outside, almost as many as there are to ruin it. Why not take a two-track approach and simultaneously design a “dream” floor plan within the limits of the building permit/planning permission, BUT separate from the exterior appearance? You should have that much time...
AnRi311 schrieb:
this view, or this style, roughly compatible with our interior requirements.Within one architectural style, there are countless options without losing the style’s overall coherence. Could you share an exterior view so we can better understand the style you want?AnRi311 schrieb:
The style and what it represents are important.And what does this style stand for...?Let go of what you’ve done so far, including the outer shell. Just imagine how many changes most people here have had... we don’t even count them anymore.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
In the end, you just have to live in it yourselves. Then you can go outside once in a while to enjoy something nice 😱But that is actually one of the intentions behind it. I want to come home in the evening and see a house that I like. The same goes for when I'm sitting in the garden. Of course, the interior still has to be comfortable and livable.
I've attached an example picture, although without shutters and with a lower roof. There is also a floor plan available online, but it doesn’t include some must-have features.
AnRi311 schrieb:
The bathroom fixtures can, at best, be considered a "work in progress."Rarely have I been able to agree with a sentence so wholeheartedly. Otherwise, I look forward to alternative designs :-)https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
P
pagoni202029 Nov 2020 18:59AnRi311 schrieb:
That is precisely one of the intentions behind it. I want to come home in the evening and see a house that I like, also when I’m sitting in the garden. But of course, the interior still needs to be livable.
I’ve attached a sample picture, though without shutters and with a lower roof. There’s also a floor plan online, but it doesn’t include some must-have features. Of course, I understand that.
But you seem really fixated on this particular exterior style, while there are thousands of others... Your house won’t look the same because it will always be seen in context with your building plot, location, orientation, neighboring buildings, and much more.
Although your property is 1200 sqm (about 13,000 sq ft), the house can still feel small depending on the design. The house in the picture stands in a park…
Just imagine if the area with the lounge chairs faces north, or if your neighbor’s house is there, or if that’s where the access road is.
In other words: you shouldn’t just pick a house you’re captivated by and then try to force your life into it… but of course, you can do that if you want.
As soon as you pull one thread, things will start to fall apart everywhere—you can’t just add two rooms and keep the facade unchanged; that changes everything immediately. There are dependencies, processes, etc., and you also want to plan for aging in place.
I’m not trying to preach to you by any means, but I can only encourage you again to prioritize your preferences; sometimes you can’t do everything if you want to do one thing really well.
It doesn’t help to add a small room to the bathroom that makes it a forced passage, a tiny storage room upstairs with another door, children’s beds placed directly in front of a window, or a dressing room that’s not really functional.
I believe people here can help you, but for that you’ll have to let go a bit… or just build it as is 🙂
I truly understand that you want a house that looks good from the outside, but the emphasis should really be on ALSO!
AnRi311 schrieb:
I want to come home in the evening and see a house that I like.The day feels bad if it starts badly. The day begins in the bathroom, and here the bathroom is dominated by a drying rack that gets a prime spot, around which the rest of the bathroom has to fit itself in. No dream house can make up for that by perfectly lighting its owner in the evening. Overture ruined – symphony ruined.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
hampshire29 Nov 2020 19:33If you are rational, it is much nicer to look at the nice neighboring house, since you can’t see your own. I guess I am not rational.
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