ᐅ Floor Plan Feedback: Semi-Detached House for a Family of Four, Self-Designed
Created on: 4 Sep 2021 00:22
P
pho3nixx
Hi 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?
RomeoZwo schrieb:
For fixed windows, it is indeed possible to use safety glass.I know. But it’s not practical since you want to be able to ventilate or clean the windows sometimes. My objection refers to using design software focusing only on aesthetics without considering functionality.M
Myrna_Loy7 Sep 2021 11:55I might be repeating myself, but with a budget of 650,000 to possibly 700,000 for demolition, documentation, securing, underpinning, and rebuilding approximately 280 square meters (3,012 square feet) of usable space with extensive window design and fittings, including the kitchen, there is no point in discussing floor plans until the budget planning is based on some reliable reality. Building next to existing foundations, especially below the neighbor’s foundation level, is not a straightforward or inexpensive task. Depending on the contractor, even the builder’s insurance can be more expensive because potential damage to the neighboring property must be taken into account.
M
Myrna_Loy7 Sep 2021 14:07With the amount of glass on the south and west sides, you should also include the costs for shading and air conditioning in the budget.
Probably conservatively estimated in some areas...:
40 Demolition
20 Carport with canopy (likely significantly more due to special height and dimensions)
20 Outdoor areas (terrace, paving)
20 Additional costs for utility connections, as old connections are probably no longer legally usable
100 Basement (1000 per square meter)
500 House (slightly over 200 sqm (2150 sq ft) x approximately 2500€, the glass surfaces are above the usual standard 😉, KFW40 usually also involves some additional cost)
10 Fireplace (probably an absolute minimum, and sometimes energetically challenging especially with KFW40)
Additional costs would include structural reinforcements, foundation or load transfer efforts, replacement of wooden walls, interior fittings, kitchen, etc.
Apart from that, I actually like the floor plan, although there are some details that raise questions, such as the necessity of two windows in the kitchen under the carport or where a refrigerator and oven would be located.
Basically, I would design the windows facing the street with higher sills and a more elongated shape instead of floor-to-ceiling slit windows, and the sill on the upper floor facing the garden at least knee-high, so that something can be placed there or hidden behind it, preventing all clutter from being directly visible from outside. The added value in terms of more light from those few extra centimeters is quite limited.
In the master bedroom area, I would probably assign the small hallway space on the left to the bedroom and create only one additional door to the bathroom, gaining a few extra centimeters.
As for the fireplace, if it’s a “must-have,” route it inside; the exterior chimney pipe looks makeshift.
If the windows are to be executed frameless as suggested, the garden side alone will probably be in the six-figure range. For a more balanced impression, it’s best to see if you can add “frames” here, which are usually not really narrow.
40 Demolition
20 Carport with canopy (likely significantly more due to special height and dimensions)
20 Outdoor areas (terrace, paving)
20 Additional costs for utility connections, as old connections are probably no longer legally usable
100 Basement (1000 per square meter)
500 House (slightly over 200 sqm (2150 sq ft) x approximately 2500€, the glass surfaces are above the usual standard 😉, KFW40 usually also involves some additional cost)
10 Fireplace (probably an absolute minimum, and sometimes energetically challenging especially with KFW40)
Additional costs would include structural reinforcements, foundation or load transfer efforts, replacement of wooden walls, interior fittings, kitchen, etc.
Apart from that, I actually like the floor plan, although there are some details that raise questions, such as the necessity of two windows in the kitchen under the carport or where a refrigerator and oven would be located.
Basically, I would design the windows facing the street with higher sills and a more elongated shape instead of floor-to-ceiling slit windows, and the sill on the upper floor facing the garden at least knee-high, so that something can be placed there or hidden behind it, preventing all clutter from being directly visible from outside. The added value in terms of more light from those few extra centimeters is quite limited.
In the master bedroom area, I would probably assign the small hallway space on the left to the bedroom and create only one additional door to the bathroom, gaining a few extra centimeters.
As for the fireplace, if it’s a “must-have,” route it inside; the exterior chimney pipe looks makeshift.
If the windows are to be executed frameless as suggested, the garden side alone will probably be in the six-figure range. For a more balanced impression, it’s best to see if you can add “frames” here, which are usually not really narrow.
borxx schrieb:
Apart from that, I do like the floor plan overall, although there are some questionable details.I haven’t examined it in detail. Several gaps immediately seem too wide: between the budget and the major cost items in the calculation, the generous room sizes and unclear furnishing options, and last but not least, the semi-detached house symmetry, reminiscent of the "twins" de Vito and Schwarzenegger...https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Similar topics