Hello, I have been following this forum for a long time and find it always interesting. I thought I might share our planning here. We started planning at the end of 2018, began construction in 03/2019, and moved in by 12/2019.
We planned the floor plans, dimensions, materials, etc., ourselves and then hired a retired architect to create the construction drawings and structural engineering, as well as to submit the building permit / planning permission application. He also handled the approvals and insurance.
Since we live in a historic preservation area with classical architecture, we wanted to reflect this style in our house and I did a lot of research. I know nothing is perfect and it is a series of compromises (size, budget, historic style). We wanted about 120sqm (1292 sqft) of living space, aimed not to exceed a certain budget, and wanted to choose and plan all the trades ourselves (this really saves a lot of money!). I have almost no craftsmanship skills, yet we still did or helped with many tasks ourselves (preparations for the electrician, applying window and facade plaster molding ourselves, ceiling molding, wooden baseboards, cladding the carport, assembling the garden shed, distributing 55t (60 US tons) of soil, planting, manually drilling a garden well, etc.). Ok, my father-in-law helped a lot because he is handy.
We wanted to keep as much symmetry as possible and had a rough idea inspired by a Georgian house. Wooden sash windows and front door made by the local carpenter, facade plaster molding, ceiling height of 2.75m (9 ft) on the ground floor, and a hipped roof with clay tiles.
The staircase was a bit challenging because the hallway is central and the dimensions we set (somewhat arbitrarily) limited a straight staircase. The stair builder managed it nevertheless using some tricks (a bit steeper and with a longer tread or something like that).
Since I talked a lot with energy consultants and wanted a reasonable price-performance/use balance, we made the following decisions:
* Energy standard just enough to meet requirements (saves construction costs)
* Therefore, deliberately only double-glazed windows
* Gas condensing boiler with underfloor heating and gas fireplace
* Solar thermal system for hot water (I would have preferred to skip this as a cost driver; in summer you don’t need 270l (71 gallons) of hot water and in winter the sun usually isn’t sufficient despite the south-facing side)
* No electric window openers (but conduits were installed)
* 36.5cm (14.4 inches) aerated concrete walls on the outside and 17.5/11.5cm (6.9/4.5 inches) limestone interior walls
* Interior walls plastered with cement plaster to Q3 level (relatively smooth)
* Plumbing and heating company installed everything. Toilets, sinks, faucets were bought by us (all Villeroy & Boch and GROHE, mostly via eBay)
* Floor tiles and parquet also bought by us and then installed by professionals
The total cost excluding the land was €297,000 (about USD 320,000) including connections and exterior works, garden planting (partly €500 (about USD 540) per tree), double carport, 12sqm (129 sqft) garden shed, 150sqm (1615 sqft) paving, 24sqm (258 sqft) travertine terrace, insurance, surveying, 55t (60 US tons) of topsoil (we added about 20-30cm (8-12 inches) of soil), kitchen and appliances, electric garden gate, and masonry gate pillars (including historically accurate pillar caps) etc.
Land size: 680sqm (7320 sqft)
Living space: 122sqm (1313 sqft)
* 29sqm (312 sqft) living room
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) kitchen
* 7.5sqm (81 sqft) utility room (laundry hangs from the ceiling with Foxydry)
* approx. 9.5sqm (102 sqft) hallway downstairs
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) children’s room
* 9sqm (97 sqft) guest room/library/study
* approx. 9.3sqm (100 sqft) bathroom with shower, freestanding bathtub, toilet, bidet, washbasin
* approx. 20sqm (215 sqft) bedroom with walk-in closet/wardrobe
* The attic is currently an unheated storage room but could still be developed.
The space is sufficient, sometimes missing 0.5-1m (1.6-3.3 ft) here and there, but more space would have come at significantly higher construction costs.
What do you think of the floor plan? Any questions?
I’ve attached some pictures to give you a rough idea.
We planned the floor plans, dimensions, materials, etc., ourselves and then hired a retired architect to create the construction drawings and structural engineering, as well as to submit the building permit / planning permission application. He also handled the approvals and insurance.
Since we live in a historic preservation area with classical architecture, we wanted to reflect this style in our house and I did a lot of research. I know nothing is perfect and it is a series of compromises (size, budget, historic style). We wanted about 120sqm (1292 sqft) of living space, aimed not to exceed a certain budget, and wanted to choose and plan all the trades ourselves (this really saves a lot of money!). I have almost no craftsmanship skills, yet we still did or helped with many tasks ourselves (preparations for the electrician, applying window and facade plaster molding ourselves, ceiling molding, wooden baseboards, cladding the carport, assembling the garden shed, distributing 55t (60 US tons) of soil, planting, manually drilling a garden well, etc.). Ok, my father-in-law helped a lot because he is handy.
We wanted to keep as much symmetry as possible and had a rough idea inspired by a Georgian house. Wooden sash windows and front door made by the local carpenter, facade plaster molding, ceiling height of 2.75m (9 ft) on the ground floor, and a hipped roof with clay tiles.
The staircase was a bit challenging because the hallway is central and the dimensions we set (somewhat arbitrarily) limited a straight staircase. The stair builder managed it nevertheless using some tricks (a bit steeper and with a longer tread or something like that).
Since I talked a lot with energy consultants and wanted a reasonable price-performance/use balance, we made the following decisions:
* Energy standard just enough to meet requirements (saves construction costs)
* Therefore, deliberately only double-glazed windows
* Gas condensing boiler with underfloor heating and gas fireplace
* Solar thermal system for hot water (I would have preferred to skip this as a cost driver; in summer you don’t need 270l (71 gallons) of hot water and in winter the sun usually isn’t sufficient despite the south-facing side)
* No electric window openers (but conduits were installed)
* 36.5cm (14.4 inches) aerated concrete walls on the outside and 17.5/11.5cm (6.9/4.5 inches) limestone interior walls
* Interior walls plastered with cement plaster to Q3 level (relatively smooth)
* Plumbing and heating company installed everything. Toilets, sinks, faucets were bought by us (all Villeroy & Boch and GROHE, mostly via eBay)
* Floor tiles and parquet also bought by us and then installed by professionals
The total cost excluding the land was €297,000 (about USD 320,000) including connections and exterior works, garden planting (partly €500 (about USD 540) per tree), double carport, 12sqm (129 sqft) garden shed, 150sqm (1615 sqft) paving, 24sqm (258 sqft) travertine terrace, insurance, surveying, 55t (60 US tons) of topsoil (we added about 20-30cm (8-12 inches) of soil), kitchen and appliances, electric garden gate, and masonry gate pillars (including historically accurate pillar caps) etc.
Land size: 680sqm (7320 sqft)
Living space: 122sqm (1313 sqft)
* 29sqm (312 sqft) living room
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) kitchen
* 7.5sqm (81 sqft) utility room (laundry hangs from the ceiling with Foxydry)
* approx. 9.5sqm (102 sqft) hallway downstairs
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) children’s room
* 9sqm (97 sqft) guest room/library/study
* approx. 9.3sqm (100 sqft) bathroom with shower, freestanding bathtub, toilet, bidet, washbasin
* approx. 20sqm (215 sqft) bedroom with walk-in closet/wardrobe
* The attic is currently an unheated storage room but could still be developed.
The space is sufficient, sometimes missing 0.5-1m (1.6-3.3 ft) here and there, but more space would have come at significantly higher construction costs.
What do you think of the floor plan? Any questions?
I’ve attached some pictures to give you a rough idea.
P
Pinkiponk24 Sep 2021 13:34Georgian2019 schrieb:
...Something just came to mind that I find missing with you all: ;-) A large hatbox. :-) Seriously, in my single apartments I always used a large hatbox as a bedside table (in which you could also store quite a few things) and, if I may say so myself, I found it charming. :-) :-)P
Pinkiponk24 Sep 2021 13:44There are also beautiful, well-executed examples of block-style houses. It is a pity when a skilled architect puts a lot of experience into balancing the facade, but the client is led to believe in a house building forum that this is nonsense and that they have the final say just because they are the client. Then the architect goes along with it and adds the oversized window the client wanted, which ruins the entire appearance. Sigh 😉
This is an interesting topic for a new thread. For me, I must admit that I do not recognize the beauty of block-style houses or the facade balance you mentioned. That is clearly one of my shortcomings, since other people, like you for example, do see it.
In Rick’s house, for instance, I perceive “purity,” which for me in this case equals beauty, but that is an exception.
The same applies to music. I don’t find the beauty of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and others matched by younger composers. I guess I’m probably just old.
This is an interesting topic for a new thread. For me, I must admit that I do not recognize the beauty of block-style houses or the facade balance you mentioned. That is clearly one of my shortcomings, since other people, like you for example, do see it.
In Rick’s house, for instance, I perceive “purity,” which for me in this case equals beauty, but that is an exception.
The same applies to music. I don’t find the beauty of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and others matched by younger composers. I guess I’m probably just old.
M
Myrna_Loy24 Sep 2021 14:30ypg schrieb:
There are also beautiful, well-executed examples of block houses.
It’s unfortunate when a skilled architect puts a lot of experience into balancing the facade, but the client is told in a homebuilding forum that it’s rubbish and that they have the final say because they are the homeowner. Then the architect compromises and adds the oversized window requested by the client, which ruins the whole elevation. Sigh 😉 Only to show up here later asking for advice on cooling or shading. 🙂
Pinkiponk schrieb:
It’s no different with music. To me, younger composers can’t match the beauty of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and others. I’m probably just old. It’s interesting that you feel that way, especially the last sentence.
Everyone is different and has their own valid perspectives.
And the older you get, the further you can see—because you’ve experienced and learned more (at least, we hope). Some people travel a lot, others are skilled with numbers or languages, another knows all the spices because they cook well, and someone else knows music better instead of judging design or craftsmanship.
It doesn’t matter what it is. I would never seriously question my own qualities just because I am older than others and have followed my own path, however it turned out.
Being older means having experience. My profession relies on empirical knowledge; a newbie or recent graduate can’t deliver the same level yet. But they bring other qualities. This brings us back to your artist comparison: different music, different experiences, a different time, a different taste of the era.
Just because houses are built differently today than in the past doesn’t mean they are worse. They are different. Comfort food is tasty, one-star cuisine is fine sometimes, and caviar only needs some bread and vodka.
Everything has become much more diverse—and that’s a good thing. But you don’t realize that in your early twenties; it becomes clear much later.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
I just thought of something I miss from your setups: ;-) a large hatbox. 🙂 Seriously, when I lived alone, I always used a large hatbox next to my bed (which was also handy for storing various things) and, no false modesty, I found it charming. 🙂 🙂I had mine on top of the cabinets. But now the dusty stuff is in the trash—disposed of 🙂
Pinkiponk schrieb:
It’s no different with music. In my opinion, younger composers don’t reach the beauty of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and others. I’m probably just old. Last Saturday, I watched the Vienna Philharmonic’s concert from the Sagrada Familia on TV and experienced the world premiere of ELYSIUM by Samy Moussa (born 1884). Impressive! And I wouldn’t want to miss the not-so-young Arvo Pärt either...
And now, quickly back to the main topic... 😉