ᐅ Evaluation of floor plan for approximately 145 sqm single-family house with basement, ground floor, and upper floor
Created on: 14 Oct 2021 12:44
A
Arango18
Hello everyone,
Zoning plan/restrictions: Zoning plan and restrictions considered by the architect
Plot size: 675m² (7260 sq ft)
Slope: yes, running diagonally across the plot (see elevation plan)
Building window, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 feet) on all sides
Edge development: yes, neighbor to the southeast
Number of parking spaces: 2 in garage and 2 in front of garage
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof, 36 degrees
Architectural style: simple
Orientation: southwest
Maximum heights/limits: same as neighboring buildings, sufficiently high
Other requirements: none
Street: cul-de-sac; our house is at the end, with neighbors on one side and open view of forest, meadow, and valley on the other
Owners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: interior as open and straightforward as possible, exterior simple
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: currently 2 (both 28 years old), planning 1-2 children
Space requirements for GF, UF: approx. 140 m² (1507 sq ft) of living space
Office: absolutely necessary due to 80% remote work
Guest bedrooms: very rare use
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative (mostly because it’s usually more affordable)
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen with bar or island (due to space and layout, more likely a bar)
Dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: planned but not mandatory
Music/stereo wall: standard TV wall
Balcony, roof terrace: small terrace on the slightly extended garage towards southwest, terrace towards southeast
Garage, carport: double garage with a single door
Utility garden, greenhouse: standard
Other wishes/notes/daily routine, including reasons why some things are wanted or not: a small shower in the guest WC is very important to us, as well as a small room for the home office. Since I work from home 80% of the time, this is essential. Also, a small storage room for vacuum cleaner etc.
House design
Who designed it: architect
What do you particularly like? The dining and living area looks bright and cozy in our opinion. Not too big and not too small with a great view.
What don’t you like? Why? Bathroom layout feels too tight and awkward, hallway in the upper floor too narrow?
Preferred heating system: air source heat pump
If you had to give up some features, which ones?
Fireplace
Why did the design end up like it is now?
The original design was larger and included more details such as corner and roof windows, but it was optimized for cost.
However, the room layout and overall room concept basically remained unchanged.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
I would appreciate further suggestions, especially regarding the aspects we don’t like. Overall, we are quite happy with it. Do you see any major “no-gos”?
If any information is incomplete or unclear, I’m happy to check it again.
Zoning plan/restrictions: Zoning plan and restrictions considered by the architect
Plot size: 675m² (7260 sq ft)
Slope: yes, running diagonally across the plot (see elevation plan)
Building window, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 feet) on all sides
Edge development: yes, neighbor to the southeast
Number of parking spaces: 2 in garage and 2 in front of garage
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof, 36 degrees
Architectural style: simple
Orientation: southwest
Maximum heights/limits: same as neighboring buildings, sufficiently high
Other requirements: none
Street: cul-de-sac; our house is at the end, with neighbors on one side and open view of forest, meadow, and valley on the other
Owners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: interior as open and straightforward as possible, exterior simple
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: currently 2 (both 28 years old), planning 1-2 children
Space requirements for GF, UF: approx. 140 m² (1507 sq ft) of living space
Office: absolutely necessary due to 80% remote work
Guest bedrooms: very rare use
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative (mostly because it’s usually more affordable)
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen with bar or island (due to space and layout, more likely a bar)
Dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: planned but not mandatory
Music/stereo wall: standard TV wall
Balcony, roof terrace: small terrace on the slightly extended garage towards southwest, terrace towards southeast
Garage, carport: double garage with a single door
Utility garden, greenhouse: standard
Other wishes/notes/daily routine, including reasons why some things are wanted or not: a small shower in the guest WC is very important to us, as well as a small room for the home office. Since I work from home 80% of the time, this is essential. Also, a small storage room for vacuum cleaner etc.
House design
Who designed it: architect
What do you particularly like? The dining and living area looks bright and cozy in our opinion. Not too big and not too small with a great view.
What don’t you like? Why? Bathroom layout feels too tight and awkward, hallway in the upper floor too narrow?
Preferred heating system: air source heat pump
If you had to give up some features, which ones?
Fireplace
Why did the design end up like it is now?
The original design was larger and included more details such as corner and roof windows, but it was optimized for cost.
However, the room layout and overall room concept basically remained unchanged.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
I would appreciate further suggestions, especially regarding the aspects we don’t like. Overall, we are quite happy with it. Do you see any major “no-gos”?
If any information is incomplete or unclear, I’m happy to check it again.
Arango18 schrieb:
A question I've often wondered about: Is the cost advantage really that significant if I put living space in the basement and instead add a garage (which would also require additional slope stabilization) next to the house? Hard to imagine for me as a layperson, but then again, I am just a layperson ;-) A counter question: do you think that using the basement less for living space—just to park cars and similar—and therefore meeting storage room standards there, can compensate for the need for more living area upstairs?
Arango18 schrieb:
The first cost estimate from the architect at the end of last year was 440k (without own labor, including all additional construction costs, only for the house). At that time, the floor plan was more complex with 160 sqm (1720 sq ft) of living space / 220 sqm (2368 sq ft) total area. Why not share it for fun? Maybe there were elements worth adopting.
Arango18 schrieb:
If it would dramatically reduce construction costs, we could also consider dropping the office in the basement. Overall, I get the impression that you rushed through design phases 1 and 2 rather carelessly. Why don’t you share the preliminary design drawings?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
So, our architect almost never makes mistakes, at least according to the bank and some of his clients. In addition, he knows the building area like the back of his hand (he is a direct neighbor, and another person nearby has also built next to or opposite him; the area is on a slope).
I do take that into account. I definitely consider it, but I can only communicate it to the architect. Then he has to assess whether it is practical and advisable... that was my point: to get additional suggestions. That is indeed the case, and I thank you for that, of course.
I do take that into account. I definitely consider it, but I can only communicate it to the architect. Then he has to assess whether it is practical and advisable... that was my point: to get additional suggestions. That is indeed the case, and I thank you for that, of course.
11ant schrieb:
Counter question: do you think that by using the basement less for living space — in other words, only using it for parking cars and similar purposes and accepting basement storage standards there — you can compensate for the additional living area needed upstairs?
Just show it for fun, maybe there were elements worth adopting.
Overall, I get a bit of the impression that you rushed through design phases 1 and 2 quite carelessly. Why not share the preliminary design drawings? Careless, definitely not, I can assure you of that, although I’m not an absolute expert (otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be hanging around here).
We basically trust our architect a lot. He strongly recommended this orientation to us. Opinions may certainly vary on this, and I take that into account and reflect on it.
Of course, I can share the cost estimate. But it’s probably better suited for the appropriate forum.
@11ant Oops, misread that—you meant the design, not the cost estimate.
Basically, not much has changed from the initial design to the current one. Everything is smaller and more compact, with fewer decorative elements, but the basic room layout and orientation have remained the same. The landscaping has been adjusted somewhat to optimize costs.
We received five different preliminary designs and chose this direction. However, the orientation of the house and the terrace was the same in all preliminary designs.
Basically, not much has changed from the initial design to the current one. Everything is smaller and more compact, with fewer decorative elements, but the basic room layout and orientation have remained the same. The landscaping has been adjusted somewhat to optimize costs.
We received five different preliminary designs and chose this direction. However, the orientation of the house and the terrace was the same in all preliminary designs.
@Arango18 how certain is it that the west side will remain open in the future? Or is there a risk of further development there in the coming years?
The reason I ask: if the west side stays clear, you could build parallel to the slope (ridge direction north <> south) and place the living/kitchen/dining area facing west in a more elongated shape on the basement level (= cellar). Then have the bedrooms and children’s rooms on the ground floor. With clever planning, you could have direct outdoor access on both floors. The attic could be simply finished for a home office, guest room, storage, etc. All in a long, rectangular form, giving you plenty of light and views!
I would definitely locate the parking spaces outside the house and, where convenient, place them directly by the street (a well-positioned carport adds privacy, can help with site shaping, and fits well into the landscape when viewed from above with a green roof 🙂 ).
Search for "House for Björn and Julia" on Google and just imagine the car/garage section on the left side removed. That illustrates pretty well what I mean (even if the project itself is probably quite expensive).
I also recommend checking out the project "Glückauf Vier" by "K2 Architects". There, the living/kitchen/dining area is on the upper floor, but the house is rotated slightly in relation to the slope and blends in very well. It also has entrances on both levels.
The reason I ask: if the west side stays clear, you could build parallel to the slope (ridge direction north <> south) and place the living/kitchen/dining area facing west in a more elongated shape on the basement level (= cellar). Then have the bedrooms and children’s rooms on the ground floor. With clever planning, you could have direct outdoor access on both floors. The attic could be simply finished for a home office, guest room, storage, etc. All in a long, rectangular form, giving you plenty of light and views!
I would definitely locate the parking spaces outside the house and, where convenient, place them directly by the street (a well-positioned carport adds privacy, can help with site shaping, and fits well into the landscape when viewed from above with a green roof 🙂 ).
Search for "House for Björn and Julia" on Google and just imagine the car/garage section on the left side removed. That illustrates pretty well what I mean (even if the project itself is probably quite expensive).
I also recommend checking out the project "Glückauf Vier" by "K2 Architects". There, the living/kitchen/dining area is on the upper floor, but the house is rotated slightly in relation to the slope and blends in very well. It also has entrances on both levels.
Hangman schrieb:
@Arango18 How certain is it that the west side will remain open in the future? Or is there a risk that further development might happen there in the coming years?
The reason I ask: if the west side stays open, you could build parallel to the slope (ridge direction north <> south) and place the living, kitchen, and dining areas facing west, arranged in a more elongated shape in the basement (cellar). On the ground floor, the bedrooms and children’s rooms could be located. With clever planning, you could have direct outdoor access on both floors. The attic could be simply finished for a home office, guest room, storage, etc. The whole design would be in a long, rectangular shape, giving you plenty of light and views!
I would definitely move the parking spaces away from the house and place them where it makes most sense, directly by the street (a well-placed carport adds extra privacy, can help with site grading, and with a green roof looks nice from above and fits well into the landscape 🙂 ).
Try searching for "House for Björn and Julia" on Google and just imagine the garage/parking area on the left side removed from the plan. That illustrates pretty well what I mean (although the project itself might be expensive).
Also worth seeing is the "Glückauf Vier" project by "K2 Architekten." In that one, the living, kitchen, and dining areas are upstairs, but the house is slightly twisted to fit the slope very well. It also has entrances on both levels.Thanks for the tips, I’ll definitely check those out :-)
It’s very certain that one side will remain open. The municipality will not be opening up any more building plots.
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