ᐅ Floor Plan Feedback: Semi-Detached House for a Family of Four, Self-Designed
Created on: 4 Sep 2021 00:22
P
pho3nixxHi everyone,
We have been working on the floor plan of our house for quite some time and would appreciate your feedback. It is a semi-detached house from the 1950s that will be demolished and replaced with a new build. Since the designs from two construction companies did not really appeal to us and architects in our area are declining due to workload, we took matters into our own hands and tried to combine our inspirations into a coherent overall concept. We like the current version, but we are unsure if the floor plan really works. The positioning, number, and size of the windows are also giving us headaches—perhaps wider windows instead of floor-to-ceiling ones would be better on the upper floor and facing the street?
Thank you in advance for your ideas and comments! :-)
P.S. Please note, in the attached floor plans, “top” is south (garden side) and “bottom” is north (street side).
Building Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 887m² (2134 sq ft) – 19m (62 ft) wide on the north side, 17m (56 ft) wide on the south side, 49m (161 ft) long
Slope: approx. 50cm (20 inches) gradient from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4, max. 140m² (1507 sq ft)
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: building envelope 13.5m (44 ft) wide, 12.5m (41 ft) long, 4m (13 ft) building line
Edge development: attached to neighboring semi-detached house
Number of parking spaces: at least 1, preferably 2
Number of storeys: 2 full storeys
Roof type: 30° gable roof
Architectural style: modern, minimalist, simple
Orientation: street to the north, garden to the south
Maximum heights / limits: base up to 1m (3 ft), knee wall for 2 full storeys max. 0.5m (20 inches)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, 2 full storeys with a 30° gable roof, semi-detached house
Basement, floors: basement desired, 2 full storeys
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people (40, 40, 10, 6)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor: open living/dining/kitchen and guest/office room, toilet; Upper floor: bedrooms, 2 children’s rooms, bathrooms
Office: Family use or home office? home office, possibly guest room
Number of overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed architecture: open plan
Conservative or modern building method: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes to both
Number of dining seats: at least 8
Fireplace: desired
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, also for parking bicycles and driving through with the caravan (min. 2.70m (8 ft 10 in) clearance height)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or should not be included: washer & dryer on the upper floor because laundry accumulates there; possible later attic conversion; possibly small rental apartment in the basement
House Design
Designer: Do-it-Yourself
What do you like most? Why?: open living-dining-kitchen area facing the garden, large children’s rooms, air space at the entrance
What do you like least? Why?: window design, bathroom layout, overall uncertainty
Estimated price according to architect/planner: none yet
Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: €650,000
Preferred heating system: geothermal, alternatively air-to-water heat pump
Why is the design as it is now? a mix of many examples from various magazines
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion? living and sleeping rooms on the south/garden side with large window areas
What is the most important / basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters? Is the floor plan coherent? Do you see potential for improvement, especially regarding window design and furniture/bathroom layout?
We have been working on the floor plan of our house for quite some time and would appreciate your feedback. It is a semi-detached house from the 1950s that will be demolished and replaced with a new build. Since the designs from two construction companies did not really appeal to us and architects in our area are declining due to workload, we took matters into our own hands and tried to combine our inspirations into a coherent overall concept. We like the current version, but we are unsure if the floor plan really works. The positioning, number, and size of the windows are also giving us headaches—perhaps wider windows instead of floor-to-ceiling ones would be better on the upper floor and facing the street?
Thank you in advance for your ideas and comments! :-)
P.S. Please note, in the attached floor plans, “top” is south (garden side) and “bottom” is north (street side).
Building Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 887m² (2134 sq ft) – 19m (62 ft) wide on the north side, 17m (56 ft) wide on the south side, 49m (161 ft) long
Slope: approx. 50cm (20 inches) gradient from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4, max. 140m² (1507 sq ft)
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: building envelope 13.5m (44 ft) wide, 12.5m (41 ft) long, 4m (13 ft) building line
Edge development: attached to neighboring semi-detached house
Number of parking spaces: at least 1, preferably 2
Number of storeys: 2 full storeys
Roof type: 30° gable roof
Architectural style: modern, minimalist, simple
Orientation: street to the north, garden to the south
Maximum heights / limits: base up to 1m (3 ft), knee wall for 2 full storeys max. 0.5m (20 inches)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, 2 full storeys with a 30° gable roof, semi-detached house
Basement, floors: basement desired, 2 full storeys
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people (40, 40, 10, 6)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor: open living/dining/kitchen and guest/office room, toilet; Upper floor: bedrooms, 2 children’s rooms, bathrooms
Office: Family use or home office? home office, possibly guest room
Number of overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed architecture: open plan
Conservative or modern building method: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes to both
Number of dining seats: at least 8
Fireplace: desired
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, also for parking bicycles and driving through with the caravan (min. 2.70m (8 ft 10 in) clearance height)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or should not be included: washer & dryer on the upper floor because laundry accumulates there; possible later attic conversion; possibly small rental apartment in the basement
House Design
Designer: Do-it-Yourself
What do you like most? Why?: open living-dining-kitchen area facing the garden, large children’s rooms, air space at the entrance
What do you like least? Why?: window design, bathroom layout, overall uncertainty
Estimated price according to architect/planner: none yet
Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: €650,000
Preferred heating system: geothermal, alternatively air-to-water heat pump
Why is the design as it is now? a mix of many examples from various magazines
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion? living and sleeping rooms on the south/garden side with large window areas
What is the most important / basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters? Is the floor plan coherent? Do you see potential for improvement, especially regarding window design and furniture/bathroom layout?
M
Myrna_Loy4 Sep 2021 09:11Has the demolition and reconstruction been structurally assessed? Especially in terms of the basement foundation and the partition wall with the neighbor? And have demolition and site securing costs been included in the total construction budget?
A demolition company has inspected the site and submitted a quote of approximately €40,000 (~$44,000), which we could potentially finance additionally if needed, but ideally, it fits within the existing budget. Since our basement would sit about one meter (3 feet) deeper in the ground compared to the existing basement, either the neighboring house would need underpinning, or we would maintain a 2–3 meter (6.5–10 feet) distance and only partially basement the house.
Currently, the two houses are separated by a thin interior wall made of timber stud construction – standards of privacy were different back in the 1950s ;-) A new build would be a completely independent house and would need to include a fire-rated wall.
The load-bearing walls are based on the builders’ designs, so I assume the structural calculations are sound 🙂
Currently, the two houses are separated by a thin interior wall made of timber stud construction – standards of privacy were different back in the 1950s ;-) A new build would be a completely independent house and would need to include a fire-rated wall.
The load-bearing walls are based on the builders’ designs, so I assume the structural calculations are sound 🙂
M
Myrna_Loy4 Sep 2021 10:31I don’t see any dimensions for the planned house, only some measurements in individual rooms. How many square meters (square feet) are you planning?
Marie, my dear! – Nobility is leading the world to ruin. Is there no similarity requirement for semi-detached houses here?
See: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/reihenendhaus-mit-gue-in-eigenregie-bauen.31198/
Oh dear. That suggests significant complications during demolition, and it also implies that the entire semi-detached house was built as timber frame construction. The structural safety verification of the neighboring half will not be a trivial matter. It might be economically worthwhile to consider purchasing the neighboring half. In the 1950s, timber frame prefabricated houses were still quite basic and even two-story versions were rather temporary shelters.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
pho3nixx schrieb:
Since our basement would be about one meter (3.3 feet) deeper in the ground than the existing basement, either the neighboring house would have to be underpinned, or a 2–3 meter (6.6–9.8 feet) gap would need to be maintained and only a partial basement built.
See: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/reihenendhaus-mit-gue-in-eigenregie-bauen.31198/
pho3nixx schrieb:
The two houses are currently separated by a thin interior wall made of timber stud construction – in the 1950s people had different ideas about privacy ;-) A new building would be a completely independent house and would have to include a fire separation wall.
Oh dear. That suggests significant complications during demolition, and it also implies that the entire semi-detached house was built as timber frame construction. The structural safety verification of the neighboring half will not be a trivial matter. It might be economically worthwhile to consider purchasing the neighboring half. In the 1950s, timber frame prefabricated houses were still quite basic and even two-story versions were rather temporary shelters.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I don’t see any dimensions for the planned house, only some in individual rooms? How many square meters are you planning? We are planning about 200m² (2,150 sq ft), with exterior dimensions of 13m x 9m (43ft x 30ft) – unfortunately, the dimension display in Home.By.Me is only partially adjustable.
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