ᐅ Floor Plan Single-Family Home with Granny Flat as a Three-Unit Residence
Created on: 5 Jul 2021 06:50
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florian93
Hello everyone,
I have been a quiet reader here for a long time and have gained a lot of information and ideas from this forum. Many thanks for that!
Since the end of last year, we have been looking into building a house. Initially, we spoke with a few turnkey construction companies. We moved forward with planning more concretely with one company. However, we were never completely satisfied with the results, as we felt the flexibility and individuality were always limited beyond a certain point. Meanwhile, we have turned to an architect from the neighboring village who will support us from planning to the finished house (phases 1-8). We have now reached the point of a "final" draft including a cost estimate.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 709 sqm (7,630 sq ft)
Slope: No
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Edge construction: garage
Number of parking spaces: 1.5 per residential unit (= 5)
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: 38-47° (100-116°F) gable or half-hipped roof
Style: No specification
Orientation: No specification
Maximum height/restrictions: None
Other requirements: None
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Classic-modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full floors (according to development plan only 1.5 => however, neighbors in the immediate area have been granted permission for 2 as long as the overall height does not exceed 1.5, which requires a lower roof pitch)
Number of people, age:
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: can sleep on the sofa
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, kitchen island maybe
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: provision for future installation
Music/stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: garage, but also open to a carport (depending on savings)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: No, possibly a small utility area in the garden
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions: None
House design
Who designed the plan: architect
What do you especially like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: Is it even possible to define this nowadays?
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you had to give up something, which features/extensions
- you can live without: fireplace (or just fireplace preparation), smart home (I’m an IT professional and can retrofit it myself later)
- you cannot live without: none
Why does the design look as it does now? For example:
Standard design from the planner? Basic idea is ours + several discussions with the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summed up in 130 characters?
I have been a quiet reader here for a long time and have gained a lot of information and ideas from this forum. Many thanks for that!
Since the end of last year, we have been looking into building a house. Initially, we spoke with a few turnkey construction companies. We moved forward with planning more concretely with one company. However, we were never completely satisfied with the results, as we felt the flexibility and individuality were always limited beyond a certain point. Meanwhile, we have turned to an architect from the neighboring village who will support us from planning to the finished house (phases 1-8). We have now reached the point of a "final" draft including a cost estimate.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 709 sqm (7,630 sq ft)
Slope: No
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Edge construction: garage
Number of parking spaces: 1.5 per residential unit (= 5)
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: 38-47° (100-116°F) gable or half-hipped roof
Style: No specification
Orientation: No specification
Maximum height/restrictions: None
Other requirements: None
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Classic-modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full floors (according to development plan only 1.5 => however, neighbors in the immediate area have been granted permission for 2 as long as the overall height does not exceed 1.5, which requires a lower roof pitch)
Number of people, age:
- Currently: 3 (Dad 27, Mom 25, son 1)
- Future: 4-5 (Dad, Mom, 2-3 children) + 2 in granny flat (parents, in about 5-10 years)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
- Ground floor + upper floor:
- Size: approx. 160-180 sqm (1,722-1,938 sq ft); inspired by the new build of an acquaintance
- Rooms ground floor: open kitchen/dining/living area + small pantry, office, utility/technical room, guest WC
- Rooms upper floor: large bathroom, master bedroom, 3 children’s rooms
- Granny flat:
- Size: approx. 50 sqm (538 sq ft); based on our old 2-room apartment
- Rooms: open kitchen/dining/living area, bathroom, bedroom
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: can sleep on the sofa
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, kitchen island maybe
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: provision for future installation
Music/stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: garage, but also open to a carport (depending on savings)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: No, possibly a small utility area in the garden
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions: None
House design
Who designed the plan: architect
What do you especially like? Why?
- Use as a single-family house plus granny flat, with the option to separate into 3 units later, e.g., when children grow older or if renting is desired
- Separate garden areas for the main house and granny flat
- Large windows facing south => lots of daylight (neighbor to the south is quite far away + good privacy to the east thanks to granny flat)
- Garden/terraces on the south side
- Direct access to the garage from inside
- Direct access to the granny flat for times of sole family use
What do you dislike? Why?
- Very dark entrance area
- Concern that the kitchen/dining/living area might be too small or cramped
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
- Note: everything calculated very generously based on current raw material prices
- All-in: 778k (we already own the serviced land)
- of which 40k are additional construction costs
- of which 35k already planned for furnishings
- of which 50k already planned for outdoor facilities and open spaces
- Resulting in:
- after deductions for subsidies: 662k (3x KfW 40 Plus + energy consultant = 116k)
- after deductions for assured DIY work: 642k
- after deduction of approx. 160k for granny flat (financed by parents): 482k
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: Is it even possible to define this nowadays?
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you had to give up something, which features/extensions
- you can live without: fireplace (or just fireplace preparation), smart home (I’m an IT professional and can retrofit it myself later)
- you cannot live without: none
Why does the design look as it does now? For example:
Standard design from the planner? Basic idea is ours + several discussions with the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
- Almost all of our wishes
- Staircase with straight steps
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
- Good: not a run-of-the-mill standard design, visually very appealing (in our opinion)
- Bad: nothing
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summed up in 130 characters?
- We would simply like some unbiased opinions/optimizations from third parties
- How can the entrance area be improved in terms of natural light?
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Myrna_Loy5 Jul 2021 11:01120 cm (47 inches) is not a kitchen island; at best, it’s a sandbank. 🙂
Gudeen. schrieb:
Are you related to @Felix85 by any chance? :pNot that I know of 😉F
florian935 Jul 2021 11:20Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I like the plan – the architect really did a good job. But the overall concept feels unfamiliar to me.
I assume the parents are still relatively young? And the move-in is planned around age 60?
The self-contained apartment as currently designed is not wheelchair accessible at all. I always find these all-in-one dream houses difficult. If the ideal scenario doesn’t happen, then you three end up living in 230 m² (2,480 sq ft) with a ton of rooms. I’ve seen many single-family homes where people planned during the design phase to rent out later – but nobody does. Because in a single-family home, you don’t want strangers living next door. It’s like a shared flat. Thanks, we agree. It’s always nice to hear positive feedback! 🙂 I didn’t answer all your questions in my first reply, but I quickly added an edit earlier to address most of them.
The apartment does not aim to be wheelchair accessible. “Age-appropriate” is a better description, and we think it fits that purpose. Don’t you agree? If not, we’d be interested to hear what concerns you might have! The move-in of the parents is approximately planned around retirement age. It’s important to mention that my father is a self-employed farmer, and the farm is tied to the current property. So moving earlier wouldn’t have been possible anyway. Until then, the apartment would not remain empty and would be used as an office.
Renting out is, as I mentioned before, only a last option. It’s rather unlikely, mainly for the reason you stated: We are building because we want something of our own and not “strangers” living just one room away.
One other thought I had: what is currently labeled as “bedroom” on the ground floor is actually intended as our office. But since we want to use the apartment as an office at first, that room would effectively remain empty. Perhaps it would make sense to remove the wall to the living area (to the west) for now. This would create a large open living space. After 5–10 years, a drywall partition could be added later to divide the space. This way, we wouldn’t have an unused room “just sitting around” for a while.
M
Myrna_Loy5 Jul 2021 11:32My parents would be grateful if they had to cook, eat, and live in one room of 25 m² (270 sq ft), while I get to enjoy the same activities in over 70 m² (750 sq ft). 🙂
For elderly-friendly living, the bedroom is too small for a couple. It might work with a single bed for one person. Nowadays, bathtubs are no longer planned in senior-adapted housing. Instead, larger showers with seating are common.
Try looking up “barrier-free building – floor plans for life” for sample layouts.
Or are the parents expected to move out again immediately if they develop mobility issues or require care?
For elderly-friendly living, the bedroom is too small for a couple. It might work with a single bed for one person. Nowadays, bathtubs are no longer planned in senior-adapted housing. Instead, larger showers with seating are common.
Try looking up “barrier-free building – floor plans for life” for sample layouts.
Or are the parents expected to move out again immediately if they develop mobility issues or require care?
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florian935 Jul 2021 11:38Gudeen. schrieb:
The plot looks good, southwest garden, driveway on the northeast side—I like that. The rest not so much 🤨
The kitchen looks impractical to me, the utility room is too small for a multi-family house, and the hallway upstairs has no windows but a door leading to the stairwell.
It feels to me like instead of building a really nice living unit, there’s a forced attempt to fit in 3 apartments even though only one is actually needed right now.
Are you related to @Felix85 by any chance? :p As I’ve already mentioned: We’re not 100% happy with the kitchen either. We welcome all suggestions for improvements from everyone—so bring them on 🙂
The utility room is, after consultation with the architect, large enough for the equipment. He prefers a compact air-to-water heat pump with integrated ventilation and hot water tank. The exact size is already shown on the plan. There will also be the main utility connections, an electrical control cabinet, and a water softener—then the room will be full. Doesn’t fit?
We really appreciate constructive criticism. We’re neither trying to force anything nor do we want to regret later that, for example, the staircase placed in the middle of the living area prevents us from dividing the house into two apartments. Children grow up. And the fact that they don’t necessarily have to move out of the house to have their own apartment is something we consider positive. TLDR: Criticism? Gladly! But please with reasons and/or suggestions for improvement.
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florian935 Jul 2021 11:44Myrna_Loy schrieb:
My parents would not appreciate having cooking, dining, and living all in one 25 sqm (270 sq ft) room, while I celebrate the same on over 70 sqm (750 sq ft). 🙂
For age-appropriate living, the bedroom is too small for a couple. It might work with a single bed for one person. Bathtubs are no longer planned in senior-friendly areas these days. Instead, larger showers with seating are preferred.
Try searching for “barrier-free building – floor plans for living” – there are example layouts available.
Or should the parents move out again immediately if they have mobility impairments or need care?People are so different 🙂 My parents think the size is perfectly fine for their age. Reduced to the essentials, but still not too tight to feel uncomfortable.
We appreciate the additional tips for the granny flat and will see how we can fit them in. I already have one or two ideas. Removing the bathtub could allow for a smaller bathroom and a slightly larger bedroom. But first, we’ll take a closer look at the reading material you recommended. Thanks!
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