ᐅ House floor plan, improvements / suggestions for a 1.5-story building
Created on: 28 Nov 2021 13:06
R
Richooo
Hello everyone,
Attached is the floor plan for our planned house. The meeting with the architect is still to come. What do you think? Does it look good as it is? An open-concept living area is desired.
The south side is at the entrance of the house, so we didn’t want a utility room or similar there in order to make full use of the sunlight.
Best regards
Attached is the floor plan for our planned house. The meeting with the architect is still to come. What do you think? Does it look good as it is? An open-concept living area is desired.
The south side is at the entrance of the house, so we didn’t want a utility room or similar there in order to make full use of the sunlight.
Best regards
Richooo schrieb:
Is this okay as it is?Yes, but only for the recycle bin, or the "DEL key". Unfortunately, there’s nothing to optimize here. (Sounds harsh, but that’s how it is.)If nothing has been planned yet, there are no fixed building dimensions.
You have already signed “just in case” that it “might fit” for the model and are entering the first phase in January?
Please clarify the setup for us, “What has happened so far.”
driver55 schrieb:
Yes, but only for the recycle bin or the “DEL key.”
Unfortunately, there’s nothing to optimize there. (Sounds harsh, but that’s how it is.)
If nothing is planned yet, then there are no fixed house dimensions.
You’ve already signed “just in case” for the model “might fit” and are going into the first round in January?
Please clarify the situation for us, “What has happened so far.” What has happened so far:
We requested a quote from EcoSystem Haus for everything we want: KfW 40 Plus, brick facade, fireplace, etc. for a 140m2 (1,507 sq ft) one-and-a-half-story single-family home. The dimensions are fixed in the sense that the house has 140m2 (1,507 sq ft), and the offer includes a free floor plan design, structural calculations, and so on.
The model shown in the catalog is only one of many options, but with a very large hallway and a separate kitchen, it does not meet our preferences.
To avoid going into the meeting with the architect completely unprepared, we spent many hours thinking about what we actually want from our house and started trying to put it into practice. We committed to preparing ourselves for the discussion.
That’s why I find it all the more surprising that the comments here have been consistently negative. What I take away from the previous posts is: “You have no clue, just give up” and “Take a standard floor plan with privacy” (even though we might not want that).
That’s all from my side regarding “what has happened so far.”
First of all, it’s great that you’re thinking about what you want.
In my opinion, planning generously on 140sqm (about 1500 sq ft) is hardly possible anyway.
I’ll try to compare it mentally with our semi-detached house. We have 145sqm (about 1560 sq ft), including a converted attic, with dimensions of about 7 x 12 meters (23 x 39 feet).
Since you don’t have children yet, of course you can’t consider certain things—how could you? And of course, your floor plan can work. But if you have the chance to build something new, it would be wise to make it as optimal as possible. Often, sooner or later, you’ll find details you wish you had done differently.
I’ll try to point out the problem areas in your plan:
Upstairs:
I would make the bathroom large enough to fit a double sink. If it works out with two children, this would be very practical. I would also move the bathroom to the upper right corner so that both children’s rooms have rectangular layouts. This also creates a solid wall for a wardrobe.
Are you allowed to build dormers? That could create more space.
Is the light blue area probably up to the 2m (6.5 ft) height line?
I find the children’s rooms unfairly small compared to the parents’ area. As they get older, they will also need room for proper wardrobes (in small rooms, a chest of drawers is enough). Where would those go?
What is the empty space behind the wardrobe shaped like an “L” used for?
Downstairs:
It’s commendable to minimize hallway space, but with two children, this isn’t practical.
On the current plan, I see the area to the right of the door filled with shoes, and a few hooks with current jackets on the left, with stacked bags and backpacks underneath (or vice versa, it doesn’t matter). Where will the stroller go? (Alternatively: a storage area for things you temporarily place in the hallway, such as groceries, packages, ride-on toys, and stubborn children you have to step over 😉 as well as guests you greet and say goodbye to.)
There should be a built-in closet under the stairs, but that won’t fit with the passage and the utility room door.
And a large closet on the left isn’t possible either because it would make the stairs difficult to navigate comfortably.
I find the downstairs shower room quite large again (in proportion to the other rooms).
The utility room could work. What will you store there? Washing machine, dryer, supplies, house connections, hot water tank?
What kind of heating system are you getting? Maybe skip a window or replace it with a higher-positioned window strip to save space for furniture.
I won’t comment on the living-dining area, as others have more expertise there.
Of course, this plan works, but considering the amount of money invested, it would be better if it were more than just “it works.”
And please fill out the questionnaire so the plan can be optimized better 🙂
In my opinion, planning generously on 140sqm (about 1500 sq ft) is hardly possible anyway.
I’ll try to compare it mentally with our semi-detached house. We have 145sqm (about 1560 sq ft), including a converted attic, with dimensions of about 7 x 12 meters (23 x 39 feet).
Since you don’t have children yet, of course you can’t consider certain things—how could you? And of course, your floor plan can work. But if you have the chance to build something new, it would be wise to make it as optimal as possible. Often, sooner or later, you’ll find details you wish you had done differently.
I’ll try to point out the problem areas in your plan:
Upstairs:
I would make the bathroom large enough to fit a double sink. If it works out with two children, this would be very practical. I would also move the bathroom to the upper right corner so that both children’s rooms have rectangular layouts. This also creates a solid wall for a wardrobe.
Are you allowed to build dormers? That could create more space.
Is the light blue area probably up to the 2m (6.5 ft) height line?
I find the children’s rooms unfairly small compared to the parents’ area. As they get older, they will also need room for proper wardrobes (in small rooms, a chest of drawers is enough). Where would those go?
What is the empty space behind the wardrobe shaped like an “L” used for?
Downstairs:
It’s commendable to minimize hallway space, but with two children, this isn’t practical.
On the current plan, I see the area to the right of the door filled with shoes, and a few hooks with current jackets on the left, with stacked bags and backpacks underneath (or vice versa, it doesn’t matter). Where will the stroller go? (Alternatively: a storage area for things you temporarily place in the hallway, such as groceries, packages, ride-on toys, and stubborn children you have to step over 😉 as well as guests you greet and say goodbye to.)
There should be a built-in closet under the stairs, but that won’t fit with the passage and the utility room door.
And a large closet on the left isn’t possible either because it would make the stairs difficult to navigate comfortably.
I find the downstairs shower room quite large again (in proportion to the other rooms).
The utility room could work. What will you store there? Washing machine, dryer, supplies, house connections, hot water tank?
What kind of heating system are you getting? Maybe skip a window or replace it with a higher-positioned window strip to save space for furniture.
I won’t comment on the living-dining area, as others have more expertise there.
Of course, this plan works, but considering the amount of money invested, it would be better if it were more than just “it works.”
And please fill out the questionnaire so the plan can be optimized better 🙂
Richooo schrieb:
We expect ourselves to be well prepared going into the discussion.
That's why I’m all the more surprised by the consistently negative comments here. What I take away from the previous posts is: “You have no idea, just forget it.” Don’t expect the same from a meeting with a draftsman—even if you respectfully call them an “architect”—as you would from a fully qualified architect without quotation marks. Although sometimes the planners working for construction companies are indeed architects, their assignment is different from that of an architect you commission and pay yourself. In the case of a draftsman or planner employed by the builder, their task is simply to make the client’s wishes ready for approval (and nothing more). It’s not their job to come up with good ideas for you.
If you have no planning experience yourself (and have not hired your own architect), it is better to rely on proven house models—not just their exterior dimensions—which is not a harsh criticism but good advice.
The “Vario Houses” 140 I and II, however, are both so far from your variation that I would not recommend them as a basis. Even the smaller versions 130 and 120—which I reviewed to see if a “widened” version might be a better starting point—are fundamentally different in a key aspect, considering that you rotated the staircase axis firstparallel. Wouldn’t it be better to base your project on the “Barn House 130” or even to plan freely?
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Thank you for your comments!
In this case, we are indeed dealing with architects and not draftsmen (who will probably play a role later in the process). It is important for us – and I hope – that the architect can provide us with good ideas based on our floor plan and knows from the beginning which direction we want to take.
In this case, we are indeed dealing with architects and not draftsmen (who will probably play a role later in the process). It is important for us – and I hope – that the architect can provide us with good ideas based on our floor plan and knows from the beginning which direction we want to take.
Only through eire
Thanks for the information.
Okay, you currently only have a bare contract for 140m2 (1507 sq ft), but with KfW 40 Plus, brick facade, fireplace, etc., you are already going for a full package.
What is the price per square meter?
Please don’t fixate too much on the specified house size; that only unnecessarily restricts the planning. Use it as orientation.
A house/floor plan should be designed to fit the plot.
Richooo schrieb:
What has happened so far:
We requested a quote from EcoSystem Haus for everything we would like to have: KfW 40 Plus, brick facade, fireplace, etc. For a 140m2 (1507 sq ft) 1.5-story single-family home. The dimensions are fixed in that the house has 140m2 (1507 sq ft) and the offer includes a free floor plan design, structural engineering calculation, and so on.
The house shown in the catalog is just one of many options but doesn’t meet our expectations because of a very large hallway and a separate kitchen.
And so that we wouldn’t go into the meeting with the architect completely unprepared, we spent many hours thinking about what we actually expect from our house and tried to put it into practice. We made the effort to go into the meeting well prepared.
That’s why I am all the more surprised by the consistently negative comments here. What I take from previous posts is: “You don’t know what you’re doing, just forget it” and “take a standard floor plan with privacy” (although maybe we don’t want privacy?).
That’s all from my side about “what has happened so far.”
Thanks for the information.
Okay, you currently only have a bare contract for 140m2 (1507 sq ft), but with KfW 40 Plus, brick facade, fireplace, etc., you are already going for a full package.
What is the price per square meter?
Please don’t fixate too much on the specified house size; that only unnecessarily restricts the planning. Use it as orientation.
A house/floor plan should be designed to fit the plot.
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