Hello everyone,
we are planning to start construction in June/July. Our architect is currently working on the drawings, so I wanted to join here and ask for your ideas or suggestions to improve my floor plan. At the moment, there are no dimensions included because it's purely about the room layout right now. Does anyone have an idea how to reduce the hallway from 16/17m² (172/183 sq ft) and somehow gain a bit more living space for one of the rooms? What else could or should be optimized in the floor plan? As soon as the drawings are ready, I will upload everything here and keep you updated throughout the build. A lot of the work will be done by ourselves.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 1007m² (10,837 sq ft)
Slope: 0.8m (2.6 ft) drop over 22m (72 ft) width
Site coverage ratio: -
Floor area ratio: -
Building window, building line and boundary:
Edge construction: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: Hipped roof
Style: Modern
Orientation: South
Maximum height/restrictions: None specified
Additional requirements:
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: as indicated above
Basement, floors: 1 story without basement
Number of occupants, ages: 28 + 30 and 2 children aged 7 + 2
Construction location: Westerwald region, a still relatively affordable area. The plot is already owned by us.
Financial situation: I don’t think this matters much here, we have €320,000 (about $350,000) in equity, so the house will be funded entirely from own capital.
Own work: Earthworks, electrical, heating + plumbing, screed, tiling, flooring, painting will be done by ourselves. (These trades are covered by family members and me, as family companies are available, so everything is basically sorted and I have plenty of time.) The rest will be contracted out to local companies. According to the architect, savings through own work should be about €45,000 (about $50,000).
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: We currently live in a much smaller space with 5 people (100m² / 1,076 sq ft), so 137m² (1,474 sq ft) would be a big improvement for us.
Office: office combined with changing room
Guest sleepers per year: 2–3 times a year
Modern construction method
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Number of dining places: 8
Fireplace: yes, with external pipe
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine: The parents’ bedroom and the living room should have access to a covered terrace.
House design
Planned by: me
Price estimate by architect/planner: €310,000 (about $340,000)
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: €320,000 (about $350,000)
Preferred heating technology: Air source heat pump
If you had to do without, which details or add-ons
-could you do without:
-could you not do without: air source heat pump, covered terrace, fireplace, kitchen with island
Why did the design end up like this? e.g.
Standard design from planner: This is my idea after one year of planning and hundreds of changes
Which wishes were implemented by the architect: The architect is currently still working on the drawings
we are planning to start construction in June/July. Our architect is currently working on the drawings, so I wanted to join here and ask for your ideas or suggestions to improve my floor plan. At the moment, there are no dimensions included because it's purely about the room layout right now. Does anyone have an idea how to reduce the hallway from 16/17m² (172/183 sq ft) and somehow gain a bit more living space for one of the rooms? What else could or should be optimized in the floor plan? As soon as the drawings are ready, I will upload everything here and keep you updated throughout the build. A lot of the work will be done by ourselves.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 1007m² (10,837 sq ft)
Slope: 0.8m (2.6 ft) drop over 22m (72 ft) width
Site coverage ratio: -
Floor area ratio: -
Building window, building line and boundary:
Edge construction: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: Hipped roof
Style: Modern
Orientation: South
Maximum height/restrictions: None specified
Additional requirements:
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: as indicated above
Basement, floors: 1 story without basement
Number of occupants, ages: 28 + 30 and 2 children aged 7 + 2
Construction location: Westerwald region, a still relatively affordable area. The plot is already owned by us.
Financial situation: I don’t think this matters much here, we have €320,000 (about $350,000) in equity, so the house will be funded entirely from own capital.
Own work: Earthworks, electrical, heating + plumbing, screed, tiling, flooring, painting will be done by ourselves. (These trades are covered by family members and me, as family companies are available, so everything is basically sorted and I have plenty of time.) The rest will be contracted out to local companies. According to the architect, savings through own work should be about €45,000 (about $50,000).
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: We currently live in a much smaller space with 5 people (100m² / 1,076 sq ft), so 137m² (1,474 sq ft) would be a big improvement for us.
Office: office combined with changing room
Guest sleepers per year: 2–3 times a year
Modern construction method
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Number of dining places: 8
Fireplace: yes, with external pipe
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine: The parents’ bedroom and the living room should have access to a covered terrace.
House design
Planned by: me
Price estimate by architect/planner: €310,000 (about $340,000)
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: €320,000 (about $350,000)
Preferred heating technology: Air source heat pump
If you had to do without, which details or add-ons
-could you do without:
-could you not do without: air source heat pump, covered terrace, fireplace, kitchen with island
Why did the design end up like this? e.g.
Standard design from planner: This is my idea after one year of planning and hundreds of changes
Which wishes were implemented by the architect: The architect is currently still working on the drawings
P
pagoni202011 Feb 2021 12:31I find the idea of building a house entirely with equity fundamentally interesting – but not suitable for Deone’s situation.
In your case, I would start thinking about this from scratch again – it is still possible NOW, so take your time to plan everything carefully!
You’re young, and that’s a good thing. You’re thinking ahead, but in my opinion, you’re skipping huge and crucial phases of life by jumping straight to retirement, which you might imagine as having limited mobility or other restrictions. Sure, that could happen – but lucky you, you still have so much time ahead and so many things will happen and change that you simply cannot plan for. Forty years!!! Life will be completely different!
I would definitely allow myself the square meters I need to live well WITH my family; I think that would be at least 150-160 sqm (1,615–1,722 sq ft).
Your children will grow older, may not get along with each other, bring friends home, have urgent needs; your life as a mother will change, there will be professional and health developments and much more. All of this can happen before you reach the age you are currently planning for. And then you get older, and… suddenly… everything is different, meaning you built the house 40 years ago and may have left out things that no longer suit your needs at all.
My advice: Don’t plan for old age yet. If anything happens in between, you’ll have to make decisions based on the actual situation anyway.
With two children… who knows what Mother Nature still has in store 😀 … I would definitely have a second bathroom/shower in the house, and no guest toilet at all. And… sometimes you also want to have your own quiet space (sounds unromantic but is often realistic).
We’ve been through this ourselves, with a house and kids who grow up and change, with parents living in the house, etc., so I would strongly advise you to take out some financing and allow yourself the space and comfort that you NEED NOW and will definitely need in the next few years, to live well and accommodate guests occasionally.
And… I’m not talking about luxury or technical gadgets, just living space and sensible facilities.
With current interest rates, that’s not a problem. Your situation is excellent, so I wouldn’t restrict myself unnecessarily.
So – back to square one and rethink everything!
In your case, I would start thinking about this from scratch again – it is still possible NOW, so take your time to plan everything carefully!
You’re young, and that’s a good thing. You’re thinking ahead, but in my opinion, you’re skipping huge and crucial phases of life by jumping straight to retirement, which you might imagine as having limited mobility or other restrictions. Sure, that could happen – but lucky you, you still have so much time ahead and so many things will happen and change that you simply cannot plan for. Forty years!!! Life will be completely different!
I would definitely allow myself the square meters I need to live well WITH my family; I think that would be at least 150-160 sqm (1,615–1,722 sq ft).
Your children will grow older, may not get along with each other, bring friends home, have urgent needs; your life as a mother will change, there will be professional and health developments and much more. All of this can happen before you reach the age you are currently planning for. And then you get older, and… suddenly… everything is different, meaning you built the house 40 years ago and may have left out things that no longer suit your needs at all.
My advice: Don’t plan for old age yet. If anything happens in between, you’ll have to make decisions based on the actual situation anyway.
With two children… who knows what Mother Nature still has in store 😀 … I would definitely have a second bathroom/shower in the house, and no guest toilet at all. And… sometimes you also want to have your own quiet space (sounds unromantic but is often realistic).
We’ve been through this ourselves, with a house and kids who grow up and change, with parents living in the house, etc., so I would strongly advise you to take out some financing and allow yourself the space and comfort that you NEED NOW and will definitely need in the next few years, to live well and accommodate guests occasionally.
And… I’m not talking about luxury or technical gadgets, just living space and sensible facilities.
With current interest rates, that’s not a problem. Your situation is excellent, so I wouldn’t restrict myself unnecessarily.
So – back to square one and rethink everything!
erwin93 schrieb:
Can’t do without: air source heat pump, covered terrace, erwin93 schrieb:
I created something here without the covered terrace. Why? In your first post, you said you couldn’t do without a covered terrace.
erwin93 schrieb:
We don’t need a storage room for food. Nobody said that. But you need storage space, and it has to be near where the activities take place.
erwin93 schrieb:
Personally, I don’t mind using the walk-in closet as a passage to the bedroom. That’s basically true. However, trying to fit a desk, shelves, and wardrobes into 9 or 10 sqm (97 or 108 sq ft) won’t do justice to any of those functions. Also, clothes collect dust.
Both of your layouts are not really suitable for seniors because of the walk-through rooms and long distances. The toilet should definitely be closer to the bedroom, especially as one gets older.
I would strongly advise against custom designs—basics needed for house planning are missing.
Let your imagination run wild,
both children's rooms with loft beds in the attic with a pirate ladder,
open-plan living area with a clear view up to the roof,
gallery leading to the attic,
Märklin/Lego room in the attic,
corner for suitcases, decorations, skis, and surfboards,
I'm missing the third dimension, which you will build expensively anyway.
both children's rooms with loft beds in the attic with a pirate ladder,
open-plan living area with a clear view up to the roof,
gallery leading to the attic,
Märklin/Lego room in the attic,
corner for suitcases, decorations, skis, and surfboards,
I'm missing the third dimension, which you will build expensively anyway.
@icandoit
I like it. It reminds me of my bungalow ideas. I also created one on my home computer inpetto based on the Scanhaus Marlow Marlow 147 B, but with a narrow staircase to the attic for storage space for suitcases, decorations, seasonal clothing, and a hobby room.
The original poster seems to lack storage space completely. That might be because at 27, you probably haven’t accumulated many of those things yet.
I like it. It reminds me of my bungalow ideas. I also created one on my home computer inpetto based on the Scanhaus Marlow Marlow 147 B, but with a narrow staircase to the attic for storage space for suitcases, decorations, seasonal clothing, and a hobby room.
The original poster seems to lack storage space completely. That might be because at 27, you probably haven’t accumulated many of those things yet.
I’m reading a lot of ideas here that I hadn’t thought about yet. I’ll need to give them some more consideration. We can take out a loan if necessary, but we would prefer not to. However, if it comes to that, it’s not a big deal. I’m attaching the plot of land here. There is no zoning plan, but the 3m (10 feet) boundary to the neighbor must be respected. The garage may be built on the property line. Don’t be confused by the tractor shown on the property in the picture.
ypg schrieb:That’s why I’m suggesting possibly a pavilion as a replacement instead of the covered terrace. It doesn’t have to be the covered terrace specifically; we just want something where we can sit outside even when it’s raining.
Why? In the first post you wrote that you can't do without a covered terrace.
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