ᐅ Architect-designed house floor plan with a recessed upper level
Created on: 26 Aug 2021 20:36
S
stfn_86
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 485 sqm (5220 sq ft)
Slope: No slope on the property, but the site will be raised about 1 m (3 ft) above street level due to terrain adjustment
Floor Area Ratio: 0.4
Building Coverage Ratio: Not specified
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: See plan
Peripheral building: Within standard guidelines
Number of parking spaces: TBD
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: Flat roof as specified by the development plan
Architectural style: Modern
Orientation: Garden facing west
Maximum heights/limits: Max building height: 10.50 m (34 ft)
Additional requirements: According to the development plan, no fences or hedges are allowed in the front yard. However, our plot is on the edge of the development area along an existing street. On the opposite side of the street (outside the development area), most houses have fences, so exemption from this regulation might be possible.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Modern, cubic
Basement, floors: Partial basement, ground floor, upper floor, penthouse floor
Number of people, ages: M 35, F 34, planning for 1-2 children
Office: M 100% home office, F 40-60% home office, two separate offices needed
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: TBD
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace
Garage, carport: somewhat larger single garage, no double garage needed
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences:
House Design
Planner: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Overall, the layout meets our expectations well, for example modern exterior, lots of natural light, large kitchen.
What do you dislike? Why?
Price estimate by architect: €725,000 (construction + incidental building costs)
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: TBD
Preferred heating system: District heating (mandated)
If you have to give up on something, which details/extensions
-can you forego: lounge, gallery, sauna, possibly one child’s room
-can’t you forego: two offices (one in the penthouse floor, one on the upper floor)
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the architect’s first draft, which we see as a basis for further revisions.
What is the key/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What general feedback do you have for us to bring into the next discussion with the architect (besides points under “dislikes”)? I will post the next revision of the floor plan here.
Apologies for the rough dimensions. I added them myself and they are not exact to the last decimal.
Plot size: 485 sqm (5220 sq ft)
Slope: No slope on the property, but the site will be raised about 1 m (3 ft) above street level due to terrain adjustment
Floor Area Ratio: 0.4
Building Coverage Ratio: Not specified
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: See plan
Peripheral building: Within standard guidelines
Number of parking spaces: TBD
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: Flat roof as specified by the development plan
Architectural style: Modern
Orientation: Garden facing west
Maximum heights/limits: Max building height: 10.50 m (34 ft)
Additional requirements: According to the development plan, no fences or hedges are allowed in the front yard. However, our plot is on the edge of the development area along an existing street. On the opposite side of the street (outside the development area), most houses have fences, so exemption from this regulation might be possible.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Modern, cubic
Basement, floors: Partial basement, ground floor, upper floor, penthouse floor
Number of people, ages: M 35, F 34, planning for 1-2 children
Office: M 100% home office, F 40-60% home office, two separate offices needed
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: TBD
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace
Garage, carport: somewhat larger single garage, no double garage needed
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences:
- Possibly a sauna in the penthouse floor. If so, a bathroom should be relocated there and the penthouse floor slightly enlarged. Otherwise, the penthouse floor will serve as a study/guest room.
- Originally no basement was planned, only a utility room on the upper floor. Due to terrain raising, a partial basement now seems reasonable. Currently considering replacing the utility room with a gallery/open space.
House Design
Planner: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Overall, the layout meets our expectations well, for example modern exterior, lots of natural light, large kitchen.
What do you dislike? Why?
- The living room is located at the front as per the architect’s recommendation, placing the kitchen towards the garden. The idea was to protect the living area from street views with a hedge or similar. However, fences or hedges in the front yard are prohibited (see above), so adequate privacy seems difficult. On the other hand, the house is raised relative to the street (finished floor level 30.60 m (100.4 ft), street: 29.50 m (96.8 ft)), which may provide some privacy. I’m unsure if the architect fully considered the fence restriction. Currently, we are thinking about swapping the kitchen and living room.
- The lounge area was not explicitly requested by us and seems like an afterthought to use extra space.
- The dressing room is somewhat oversized.
- The entrance from the garage into the house feels too “American” and might be removed. This would mean a longer path from the garage to the kitchen for unloading groceries.
Price estimate by architect: €725,000 (construction + incidental building costs)
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: TBD
Preferred heating system: District heating (mandated)
If you have to give up on something, which details/extensions
-can you forego: lounge, gallery, sauna, possibly one child’s room
-can’t you forego: two offices (one in the penthouse floor, one on the upper floor)
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the architect’s first draft, which we see as a basis for further revisions.
What is the key/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What general feedback do you have for us to bring into the next discussion with the architect (besides points under “dislikes”)? I will post the next revision of the floor plan here.
Apologies for the rough dimensions. I added them myself and they are not exact to the last decimal.
I might be the only one with this opinion, but I would place the areas where I spend the most time facing the garden. For me, that would be the dining table in a generously glazed southwest corner and the living room to the right, facing west—where it’s the most private. The active kitchen area could be visible from outside, facing the street.
If neighbors are also not allowed to have privacy screens in their front yards, people from the street will be able to look not only into the east window but also into the south window of the current living room very easily. You might not notice it since you’ll be sitting with your back to these large windows, but you will feel the gazes of passersby 😎 You will only see your garden from the kitchen or from the lounge, which nobody really needs.
My kitchen is not adjacent to the main terrace but only to a small side terrace where we like to have breakfast in the sun. But I have a large tray, and I just carry everything on it. Whether I walk 5 meters (16 feet) or 12 meters (39 feet) with this tray doesn’t matter to me... those roughly 10 times this summer that we could sit outside in the evening 😉 For that, I also enjoy the view of the garden in spring, autumn, and winter, whether from the table or the sofa. I don’t spend much time looking out of the kitchen window anyway because I’m usually too busy there.
If neighbors are also not allowed to have privacy screens in their front yards, people from the street will be able to look not only into the east window but also into the south window of the current living room very easily. You might not notice it since you’ll be sitting with your back to these large windows, but you will feel the gazes of passersby 😎 You will only see your garden from the kitchen or from the lounge, which nobody really needs.
My kitchen is not adjacent to the main terrace but only to a small side terrace where we like to have breakfast in the sun. But I have a large tray, and I just carry everything on it. Whether I walk 5 meters (16 feet) or 12 meters (39 feet) with this tray doesn’t matter to me... those roughly 10 times this summer that we could sit outside in the evening 😉 For that, I also enjoy the view of the garden in spring, autumn, and winter, whether from the table or the sofa. I don’t spend much time looking out of the kitchen window anyway because I’m usually too busy there.
I have already suggested placing the utility room (AB) by the kitchen and creating the home office (HO) there instead (mirroring the west side and replacing the lounge with the home office). This would also make the passage to the garage practical. However, I also think the basement is unnecessary… perhaps the proportions should be adjusted so that there is a cold storage room on the ground floor, with the utility room in the attic or upper floor. Having the laundry room on the upper floor with a window would also be nice, allowing for quick ventilation of humid air.
OWLer schrieb:
I just can’t get it, someone is building a 250sqm (2,691 sq ft) house with a project volume of 1 million euros. And then they’re supposed to spend at least 8 hours a day in this shoebox? [...] I assume the OP’s name is Stefan and he is male, with 100% home office. Yes, it is true that the small study room is intended for me. The point about the size has been noted, and as mentioned above, I will reconsider it. Besides, it’s not certain that a 100% home office job will last until retirement.
11ant schrieb:
First of all, it strikes me that the house at best fits onto the plot just mathematically. Even without fencing, it still looks like a block, and to really showcase its sculptural effect it would need about ten meters (33 feet) more open space on all sides. Yes, the point about the size has been noted. As mentioned above, we also didn’t plan for four floors.
11ant schrieb:
Overall, I see this as a house for high-earning dual-income households (both full-time, hardly below senior public prosecutor / chief physician level). At first glance, I see at least an “8” figure. Including the basement as a full-height basement, and the studio area not counted as a setback floor, you get closer to the likely true price.
Additionally - not yet factored into the above! - I see a worryingly large “factor X” for site grading. One meter ten centimeters (3 feet 7 inches), in what form, especially regarding how it matches the existing terrain (you mention neighbouring buildings already on the opposite side of the street)? How will this affect ridge or wall height restrictions, even though I don’t see any notes on eaves or upper wall height requirements? The point about costs/budget has also been noted. Even if costs were 20% higher, we could still handle the project. However, we do not want to spend that much because the house size and budget should reasonably fit the plot size (as many here have already said). Getting a larger plot is not an option. The plot is located in the commuter belt of a major city in NRW, where available land is very rare.
11ant schrieb:
Does he see it this way, meaning is this a “preliminary draft” (commonly at a scale of 1:200, typically part of design phase 2)? We are definitely still in design phase 2. This is the very first draft we received from the architect. It is a “regular” architect, not a professor or anything like that.
stfn_86 schrieb:
However, we don’t want to spend that much, since the house size and budget should also match the plot size (as many here have already pointed out). Choosing a larger plot is not an option either. I only sketched hypothetically how much more land THIS house would require. This was not meant as a call to look for a bigger plot, but rather as a suggestion to consider a house better suited to the plot. I would be reluctant to generously fund an architect who, besides my wishes for the house, also designs ninety-four extra corners into the building because that is what their star architect ego “needs.” To be clear, my concerns about exceeding the budget already refer to the house EXCLUDING site grading; and last but not least, I see site grading as something that must be clearly defined BEFORE even starting to dream up building concepts. Phase 1 must be COMPLETED before Phase 2 begins!https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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hampshire27 Aug 2021 14:23OWLer schrieb:
I just can’t wrap my head around it—someone is building a 250sqm (2690 sq ft) house with a project budget of 1 million euros. And they’re supposed to spend at least 8 hours a day in this shoebox? I can’t understand why someone would have to spend 8 hours working in a home office—well, I guess it depends on what kind of work it is.
11ant schrieb:
In my view, the design (why does it actually have no elevations? Would that have been image 02?) reads like the architect’s narcissism diagnosis; I also suspect they might be a professor or a private lecturer. I don’t quite get it—is this about completely avoiding any cost inefficiency in construction combined with an unrealistic optimism about costs? The architects have excellent references on their website and apparently a client base that is less cost-sensitive. As I said, I like the design.
Würfel* schrieb:
I’m probably alone in this opinion, but I would arrange the areas where I spend the most time facing the garden. No, you’re not alone there. The garden is quite small anyway, no matter which direction it faces. Those few extra meters on the west side don’t really make much difference—there’s a street on the south side, which could offer a different view. All the main rooms have garden views and access.
stfn_86 schrieb:
The plot is located in the commuter belt of a major city in North Rhine-Westphalia, where free plots are very rare. That’s what I was thinking. In my old hometown of Kaarst, plots of similar size are divided up and sold at high prices—if it’s a private buyer and not a business. Without connections, it’s tough. The commuter belt is naturally attractive because of infrastructure. It might actually be cheaper to buy a 1950s house on a larger plot and demolish it than to look for a free building plot.
I always find it "great" when the original poster hides the history. (Profile restricted).
Exactly. Not everyone wants to carry around 2–3 flat screens… 😀
hampshire schrieb:
I just can’t understand that someone has to spend 8 hours working in a home office – well, I guess it depends on what kind of work you do.
Exactly. Not everyone wants to carry around 2–3 flat screens… 😀
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