Hello everyone,
finally, we have reached an important step… the plot is signed for.
We want to build with an architect and already have some ideas about what we like and what we don’t.
We definitely want to give the architect the opportunity to apply their expertise regarding the floor plan… maybe they can convince us.
But if not, we are currently (almost) quite happy with this self-drawn floor plan.
A few key facts…
Plot size: 660 sqm (about 7100 sq ft), floor area ratio 0.4, no slope, approximately 26m x 25m (85 ft x 82 ft)
Longest building side allowed: max. 15m (about 49 ft)
L-shaped bungalow with covered terrace (southwest side)
We want to build with a basement. This should have windows with natural daylight behind the garage on the east side. There will be 2–3 living rooms down there (playroom, hobby room, later for the kids or grandparents if necessary).
The roof will not be converted into a living space — 20-22° (degrees) pitch, hip roof, for aesthetic reasons.
We know that a basement is more expensive than a second floor, etc. The budget is roughly 650,000–700,000 (currency).
Utility room, laundry room, sauna, etc. will all be located in the basement since there is enough space. 🙂
Now to the floor plan:
We like an open design with a large entrance area.
What we like about this floor plan:
Children’s area separated from parents
Connection from the garage with access to the storage room and basement
Access from kitchen and living room to the terrace possible
Master bedroom with direct view of the garden on the southeast side (in summer the shutters are closed anyway)
Children’s rooms with windows facing west, slightly southwest.
Open questions…
Are the children’s rooms too narrow at almost 3m (about 10 ft)?
Is the living room too narrow at almost 4.5m (about 15 ft)?
The L-shape at the terrace is about 3m (10 ft) deep — here we could possibly adjust a bit to enlarge the children’s rooms.
My wife doesn’t like that the kitchen is visible directly from the entrance area.
(I prefer the kitchen visibility over the living room couch). What do you think is better or worse?
The kitchen window is on the south side, possibly too much sun… maybe we should add an awning if needed.
I can’t fit a second toilet elsewhere without making the children’s rooms even smaller… so it will remain a guest toilet for the parents.
Is a door between the entrance area and the living area for a windbreak useful, or unnecessary? (We have underfloor heating.)
(Maybe a hidden interior door, but I’m unsure what happens if it gets damaged.)
The floor area ratio will be tight… 15m x 15m = 225 sqm (about 11,200 sq ft) + garage + driveway… we might need to reduce the width a bit.
660 sqm x 0.4 = 264 sqm (about 2,840 sq ft).
I have seen many floor plans here… wishes and practicality have to match somewhere.
I’m really curious about the experts’ opinions…
Is it rubbish or usable?
Thanks
finally, we have reached an important step… the plot is signed for.
We want to build with an architect and already have some ideas about what we like and what we don’t.
We definitely want to give the architect the opportunity to apply their expertise regarding the floor plan… maybe they can convince us.
But if not, we are currently (almost) quite happy with this self-drawn floor plan.
A few key facts…
Plot size: 660 sqm (about 7100 sq ft), floor area ratio 0.4, no slope, approximately 26m x 25m (85 ft x 82 ft)
Longest building side allowed: max. 15m (about 49 ft)
L-shaped bungalow with covered terrace (southwest side)
We want to build with a basement. This should have windows with natural daylight behind the garage on the east side. There will be 2–3 living rooms down there (playroom, hobby room, later for the kids or grandparents if necessary).
The roof will not be converted into a living space — 20-22° (degrees) pitch, hip roof, for aesthetic reasons.
We know that a basement is more expensive than a second floor, etc. The budget is roughly 650,000–700,000 (currency).
Utility room, laundry room, sauna, etc. will all be located in the basement since there is enough space. 🙂
Now to the floor plan:
We like an open design with a large entrance area.
What we like about this floor plan:
Children’s area separated from parents
Connection from the garage with access to the storage room and basement
Access from kitchen and living room to the terrace possible
Master bedroom with direct view of the garden on the southeast side (in summer the shutters are closed anyway)
Children’s rooms with windows facing west, slightly southwest.
Open questions…
Are the children’s rooms too narrow at almost 3m (about 10 ft)?
Is the living room too narrow at almost 4.5m (about 15 ft)?
The L-shape at the terrace is about 3m (10 ft) deep — here we could possibly adjust a bit to enlarge the children’s rooms.
My wife doesn’t like that the kitchen is visible directly from the entrance area.
(I prefer the kitchen visibility over the living room couch). What do you think is better or worse?
The kitchen window is on the south side, possibly too much sun… maybe we should add an awning if needed.
I can’t fit a second toilet elsewhere without making the children’s rooms even smaller… so it will remain a guest toilet for the parents.
Is a door between the entrance area and the living area for a windbreak useful, or unnecessary? (We have underfloor heating.)
(Maybe a hidden interior door, but I’m unsure what happens if it gets damaged.)
The floor area ratio will be tight… 15m x 15m = 225 sqm (about 11,200 sq ft) + garage + driveway… we might need to reduce the width a bit.
660 sqm x 0.4 = 264 sqm (about 2,840 sq ft).
I have seen many floor plans here… wishes and practicality have to match somewhere.
I’m really curious about the experts’ opinions…
Is it rubbish or usable?
Thanks
Regarding roof windows: My parents have a traditional single-family house. So, I also had a roof window in my room. I liked to push my bed underneath it to bask in the sunlight. I find roof windows easier to handle than standard windows—you don’t have to clear anything off the windowsill.
With small children, their clear advantage becomes evident—the kids can’t even open the larger roof windows on their own.
And regarding modern roof windows, rain is no less of a disturbance than with standard windows. In fact, it’s often quieter since the blinds are usually installed inside rather than outside. I personally enjoy the sound of rain hitting the house while staying dry and warm inside.
Maybe my original dream house might interest you. I always wanted a house with a recessed upper floor (also called a set-back or stepped floor). It combines the benefits of an urban villa without looking bulky. Upstairs, I wanted a nice, large open hallway area as a playroom (later to be used as an office and reading room) and about an 11 sqm (118 sq ft) children’s bedroom just for sleeping. A small bathroom with a shower and possibly a modest storage room. But beware—this stuff is really expensive. Even five years ago, we couldn’t find a house listed under 400k. But maybe that has changed since then.
With small children, their clear advantage becomes evident—the kids can’t even open the larger roof windows on their own.
And regarding modern roof windows, rain is no less of a disturbance than with standard windows. In fact, it’s often quieter since the blinds are usually installed inside rather than outside. I personally enjoy the sound of rain hitting the house while staying dry and warm inside.
Maybe my original dream house might interest you. I always wanted a house with a recessed upper floor (also called a set-back or stepped floor). It combines the benefits of an urban villa without looking bulky. Upstairs, I wanted a nice, large open hallway area as a playroom (later to be used as an office and reading room) and about an 11 sqm (118 sq ft) children’s bedroom just for sleeping. A small bathroom with a shower and possibly a modest storage room. But beware—this stuff is really expensive. Even five years ago, we couldn’t find a house listed under 400k. But maybe that has changed since then.
M
Myrna_Loy22 Apr 2021 08:56I had a child’s room on the east side – my parents now use that room as a storage space since it was never really used as a sewing or ironing room – and now we have an apartment with only west-facing rooms. During the day, it is generally quite dark. When the weather is bad, the lights are always on. Only the evening light makes the rooms look nice. I wouldn’t want my child to have a room like that, especially if studying is going to take place there later on. But everyone defines quality of living differently, and the original poster has their own clear priorities, where the children’s needs are simply not as high on the list. Even an architect won’t be able to change that.
I
Iotafreak22 Apr 2021 09:58Evolith schrieb:
Regarding roof windows: My parents have a traditional detached house. So, I also had a roof window in my room. I liked to push my bed underneath it to bask in the sunlight. I find them easier to use than regular windows—you don’t have to clear anything off the windowsill.
With small children, their clear advantage becomes obvious—the little ones can’t open the larger roof windows on their own.
Oh, and with modern roof windows, the rain isn’t any louder than with classic ones. In fact, it’s often quieter because most of the blinds are inside rather than outside. But I do enjoy the sound of rain hitting the house when I’m warm and dry inside.
Maybe my original dream house design could be interesting for you. I always wanted a house with a recessed upper floor (also called a stepped floor). It combines the benefits of a townhouse but doesn’t look as bulky. Upstairs, I envisioned a large, open hallway space as a playroom (later turned into an office and reading area), along with about an 11 m² (118 ft²) children’s bedroom used mainly for sleeping. There would be a small shower bathroom and possibly a modest storage room. But beware—this kind of setup is very expensive. Even five years ago, we didn’t find any house listed under 400k. Perhaps that has changed by now.Thank you very much for your explanation...
Recently, a log cabin bungalow appeared nearby here...
I believe the DN is 22.5 (probably referring to roof pitch), and it apparently has a very large room upstairs... I plan to ask if I can take a look at it... The dimensions seem very similar...
Your children’s bedrooms are also on the west side if I understood correctly. How do you find the light conditions?
Opinions on this vary widely...
It would be good if you can see it in reality.
We have two almost identical rooms. The children's room has a large southwest-facing window and a smaller one facing west, while the bedroom has the same window area but facing northwest. The bedroom needs light, especially during the transitional seasons, whereas the children's room is still bright enough.
We have two almost identical rooms. The children's room has a large southwest-facing window and a smaller one facing west, while the bedroom has the same window area but facing northwest. The bedroom needs light, especially during the transitional seasons, whereas the children's room is still bright enough.
Iotafreak schrieb:
Thank you very much for your explanation...
Recently, a log cabin bungalow has been built nearby...
The nominal size is probably 22.5, and it apparently has a very large room upstairs... I’ll ask if I can take a look... The dimensions are very similar...
Your children’s bedrooms are on the west side if I understood correctly. How do you find the lighting conditions?
Opinions differ widely... My daughter’s room (the middle one) seems brighter. That might also be because I only painted a tree on one side of the wall.
My son’s room feels darker just because of the length. I also painted a blue stripe on his wall, which makes it feel even darker.
During the day, he doesn’t need to turn on any lights unless there are really heavy rain clouds – not even for the large amount of Lego he uses. Overall, I don’t find it excessively dark now.
I asked my husband to take some photos. Keep in mind that the darker ones were taken facing the window, which makes it look quite dark. You can see from the tree how bright it really is. When I’m home again, I’ll check if I can take better photos.
I
Iotafreak22 Apr 2021 10:57Evolith schrieb:
My daughter’s room (the middle one) feels brighter. That might be because I only painted a tree on one side of the wall.
My son’s room seems a bit darker just because of its length. I also painted a blue stripe on the wall, which makes it seem even darker.
During the day, he doesn’t need to turn on the light unless there are really thick rain clouds— even when he’s playing with his Lego bricks. Overall, I don’t find it too dark now.
I asked my husband to take some photos. Keep in mind the darker pictures are taken facing the window, which makes the room look quite dark. You can see from the photo with the tree how bright it actually is. When I’m home, I’ll try to take better photos. Wow, thanks for your commitment.. That’s not something to take for granted.....
I don’t find the lighting (tree) too dark at all....
We plan to have quite large windows in every room.. I think that will make a big difference.. Thanks
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