ᐅ Floor plan for a 180 m² urban villa with a basement, designed for a family with three children – what are your thoughts?
Created on: 27 Dec 2020 15:20
K
Kraj
Hello dear forum members,
after reading along for a long time, the time has finally come for us as well.
Since we are always open to criticism, different perspectives, and suggestions, we look forward to your opinions on our floor plan design.
Before entering the crucial phase, the two of us created a self-designed floor plan, and this is the one we want to move forward with.
Now, onto the details:
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 880m² (0.22 acres)
Slope: Approximately 2m (6.5 feet) between the east and west property boundaries but varying significantly—see surveying documents
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 13x10m (43x33 feet) for one full story and 10x10m (33x33 feet) for two full stories
Edge development: None
Number of parking spaces: No requirements
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: According to the development plan, pitched roofs are mandatory
Architectural style: Urban villa
Orientation: Main entrance on the east side, terrace and recreational garden on the west side, utility garden on east side
Maximum heights/limits: According to the development plan no specification other than two full stories
Other requirements: Rainwater must infiltrate the plot. According to the soil report, the ground is not optimally permeable. Additionally, some hydrostatic pressure from groundwater is expected. Therefore, we plan to install a cistern to use rainwater.
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Solid construction (Ytong), 35cm (14 inches) hip roof with 80cm (31 inches) knee wall
Basement, floors: Basement 10x10m (33x33 feet) precast waterproof concrete basement (white tank construction)
Number of occupants, age: Parents 36 and 33, children 3.5 and 1.5 years old, plus one due July 2021
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor 80m² (860 sq ft), upper floor 80m² (860 sq ft), attic 15-20m² (160-215 sq ft), basement mainly utility but with a larger fitness room planned
Office: Family use or home office?: Home office only. Before COVID-19, working at home 2-3 days a week; in 2020 a total of 10 months working from home; after COVID-19 probably 3-4 days a week home office
Overnight guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: Open on the ground floor
Traditional or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open with large kitchen island, cooking happens daily, about once a month guests up to 8 people, pantry directly adjacent to kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6-8, expandable with an additional table
Fireplace: No
Music/stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Large garage plus possibly 1-2 guest parking spaces
Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes, large greenhouse (possibly earth-sheltered) planned on east side with south orientation
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasoning why certain things should or should not be included: Very bright ground floor with many windows, where only the middle lift-and-slide door and the door near the kitchen can be opened, all other windows on the ground floor are fixed glazing. Photovoltaics and KNX home automation system are planned.
House Design
Who created the plan: DIY
What do you especially like? Why?: Large living/dining area, open kitchen, pantry, three children’s rooms roughly equal in size facing the garden
What do you dislike? Why?: No walk-in closet in the master bedroom
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 400,000 without additional construction costs
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 415,000
Preferred heating technology: Geothermal (either probe or trench collector) with underfloor heating
If you had to give up, which details/extensions
-could you do without: Walk-in closet in the bedroom
-could you not do without: Large living/dining area, open kitchen, pantry, three children’s rooms roughly equal in size facing the garden
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the 12th or 13th version after long discussions and considerations. Whether it is more or less final also depends on your feedback.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Optimally use space and layout, avoid pitfalls.
after reading along for a long time, the time has finally come for us as well.
Since we are always open to criticism, different perspectives, and suggestions, we look forward to your opinions on our floor plan design.
Before entering the crucial phase, the two of us created a self-designed floor plan, and this is the one we want to move forward with.
Now, onto the details:
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 880m² (0.22 acres)
Slope: Approximately 2m (6.5 feet) between the east and west property boundaries but varying significantly—see surveying documents
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 13x10m (43x33 feet) for one full story and 10x10m (33x33 feet) for two full stories
Edge development: None
Number of parking spaces: No requirements
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: According to the development plan, pitched roofs are mandatory
Architectural style: Urban villa
Orientation: Main entrance on the east side, terrace and recreational garden on the west side, utility garden on east side
Maximum heights/limits: According to the development plan no specification other than two full stories
Other requirements: Rainwater must infiltrate the plot. According to the soil report, the ground is not optimally permeable. Additionally, some hydrostatic pressure from groundwater is expected. Therefore, we plan to install a cistern to use rainwater.
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Solid construction (Ytong), 35cm (14 inches) hip roof with 80cm (31 inches) knee wall
Basement, floors: Basement 10x10m (33x33 feet) precast waterproof concrete basement (white tank construction)
Number of occupants, age: Parents 36 and 33, children 3.5 and 1.5 years old, plus one due July 2021
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor 80m² (860 sq ft), upper floor 80m² (860 sq ft), attic 15-20m² (160-215 sq ft), basement mainly utility but with a larger fitness room planned
Office: Family use or home office?: Home office only. Before COVID-19, working at home 2-3 days a week; in 2020 a total of 10 months working from home; after COVID-19 probably 3-4 days a week home office
Overnight guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: Open on the ground floor
Traditional or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open with large kitchen island, cooking happens daily, about once a month guests up to 8 people, pantry directly adjacent to kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6-8, expandable with an additional table
Fireplace: No
Music/stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Large garage plus possibly 1-2 guest parking spaces
Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes, large greenhouse (possibly earth-sheltered) planned on east side with south orientation
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasoning why certain things should or should not be included: Very bright ground floor with many windows, where only the middle lift-and-slide door and the door near the kitchen can be opened, all other windows on the ground floor are fixed glazing. Photovoltaics and KNX home automation system are planned.
House Design
Who created the plan: DIY
What do you especially like? Why?: Large living/dining area, open kitchen, pantry, three children’s rooms roughly equal in size facing the garden
What do you dislike? Why?: No walk-in closet in the master bedroom
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 400,000 without additional construction costs
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 415,000
Preferred heating technology: Geothermal (either probe or trench collector) with underfloor heating
If you had to give up, which details/extensions
-could you do without: Walk-in closet in the bedroom
-could you not do without: Large living/dining area, open kitchen, pantry, three children’s rooms roughly equal in size facing the garden
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the 12th or 13th version after long discussions and considerations. Whether it is more or less final also depends on your feedback.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Optimally use space and layout, avoid pitfalls.
H
hampshire28 Dec 2020 21:31A gable roof does not have to be symmetrical; that could be helpful.
Kraj schrieb:
However, we have not yet seen a house with 2 full stories that is lower with a gable roof than one with a hip or pyramid roof. What are common roof types for urban villas? A hip roof? We could also imagine that, we are not necessarily tied to a specific roof style, as long as 2 full stories are maintained. Affordable urban villas typically have a pyramid roof, which is a type of hip roof. This roof style has no knee wall and usually cannot be converted or used as living space due to the timber structure; at best, it can serve as a crawl space for storage.
What you are planning is in a higher price category: you plan a) a framework that can be converted and accessed, b) an additional knee wall, c) another staircase, d) a ceiling that must support much more than just storage loads, e) insulation turning a cold roof into a warm roof, f) a habitable finish, g) some technical installations like heating, h) a nice window instead of a roof hatch, i) higher scaffolding during construction, and k) the exterior wall materials. And this is despite you already planning a costly basement build.
Kraj schrieb:
Apparently, our floor plan is not too bad, I took a look: two users who do not usually appear in other floor plan discussions with counterexamples or alternative approaches.
1) Both children’s rooms lose about one square meter (sqm) of living space each, and a room width of 2.60m (not the stated 3.50m) is something that can be improved.
2) The bathroom has the shape of a storage room.
3) The pantry is a waste of space.
These are obvious points, no need to go into every detail. I could complain more, but anyway: the general contractor’s planner will draw this exactly as is. They will not advise or improve anything—“the customer gets what they want.”
The problem is: you see and plan this as a layperson, are fascinated by the 3D button, and no longer consider the value of a trained architect in a house build because everything seems so simple. At least let the planner do their job and loosen the rigid 10 x 10 (meters) grid, which here only acts as a poor constraint without being shown.
Kraj schrieb:
active support Does the active support also have the time on the days you need? The helpers for the theoretically planned days must earn their own living… or are these people unemployed?
Kraj schrieb:
But it certainly won’t be a walk in the park, I believe that. If my husband works elsewhere on weekends, he is still away with me on the third weekend for a short vacation :p This may sound silly but it is reality—nobody can spend more than one weekend on a construction site. For free, definitely not. With good friends or family, maybe a week will work. But nobody gives up their annual vacation. Therefore, I don’t see how you will have 45,000 euros (around $50,000) equity for the shell construction.
H
hampshire28 Dec 2020 22:46I have seen self-contributed work go very well in three different cases among friends, each with different setups. Every weekend and many evenings were invested with a clear goal in mind, with a lot of help from family and friends. It is normal that life comes to a standstill at times, but in all cases, the partners managed to get through it very well together.
hampshire schrieb:
I have seen self-construction work very well in three different cases among friends, each with different setups. Every weekend and many evenings were invested with a clear goal. With a lot of help from family and friends.
The fact that life sometimes comes to a standstill in between is part of it, but in all cases, the partners made it through very well together. Yes, it can work well. But here, we have also often read about it turning into a bit of a disaster—with additional financing needed, especially related to painting work including plastering… I don’t remember the details exactly.
I personally witnessed a soccer team building a house together with their tradespeople. That was quite a few years ago… team dynamics can make a big difference.
But building extra large and filling the missing equity with borrowed “muscle loan” (personal labor loan) that you depend on—I consider that unwise. The good thing about your project, OP, @Kraj, is that you can find out pretty early on if it’s going to work. At that point, the helpers are still enthusiastic.
Still, you have to consider that the helpers have their own jobs during the day. As a result, you’re mostly working alone on site. Many people tend to overlook this fact.
Kraj schrieb:
Apparently, our floor plan isn’t that bad after all, since the criticism seems to focus more on the budget and the DIY work 🙂
Or are we misunderstanding that? I’m afraid you are. If the overall project is unrealistically estimated, there’s no point in debating the floor plan. And to add on that: some aspects (for example, the living/dining area) I like, while others (such as the bathroom) are rather unpleasant to use or even unusable. And as soon as you start fixing one part, the whole house of cards falls apart somewhere else. Not that 100 meters squared (1,076 square feet) of floor area is small, especially with a basement and an attic, but with that room program, it’s rather insufficient. And storage space hasn’t even been taken into account yet.
The pantry is too narrow. With a 15 cm (6 inch) shelf, it’s an extremely expensive storage space. Better to add another cabinet in the kitchen.
And what about the freezer?
I find the cloakroom small for five people, especially since you have to pass through the dirty area and climb over shoes every time to get to the bathroom.
The bathroom upstairs is an absolute no-go and will be eliminated with the changed staircase.
If the floor plan is oriented to the north, swap parents with child 3.
And what about the freezer?
I find the cloakroom small for five people, especially since you have to pass through the dirty area and climb over shoes every time to get to the bathroom.
The bathroom upstairs is an absolute no-go and will be eliminated with the changed staircase.
If the floor plan is oriented to the north, swap parents with child 3.
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