Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size – approx. 1000m² (0.25 acres)
Slope – yes, about one full story along the length of the house
Number of parking spaces – 4 (2 of which are carport or garage)
Number of floors – no restrictions
Roof style – anything except flat roof
Architectural style – rural, classic
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type – no Bauhaus, rather country house style
Basement, stories – 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages – currently 3: 37, 30, 2
Space needs on ground and upper floors
Office: family use or home office? Both fully remote: Home office is a permanent workplace for both
Occasional guests per year – 4-6?
Conservative or modern construction – conservative
Open kitchen, island – open but L-shaped, with an island
Number of dining seats – at least 8, with room for more
Fireplace – no
Music/stereo wall – no
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – yes
Utility garden, greenhouse – possibly, no major importance
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are preferred or avoided:
- Space for a Christmas tree in the living/dining area
- “Nerd cave”: a larger hobby room for retro games, preferably without windows -> no UV exposure
- Home gym – room for at least one rack and some additional equipment
- Cooking, dining, and living areas open and arranged in a corner layout
- Pantry desired
- Cloakroom area near the entrance for jackets and shoes
- 2 children’s bedrooms plus guest room
- Parents’ bedroom with walk-in closet
- Utility/laundry room on the sleeping floor
House Design
Designed by:
- Architect
What do you especially like? Why?
- All the wishes we sent over two pages of text have been perfectly incorporated
- Large, symmetrical pantry
- Very open, spacious living area
- Option to convert the gym into a second office if needed for work
- All children’s bedrooms are the same size
What don’t you like? Why?
- It is simply very large – pricing is at the upper limit of what we can afford
- Posts (presumably for structural reasons) in the living/dining area
- Office could possibly be a bit bigger, but the house is already huge
Price estimate according to architect/planner: Fixed-price turnkey offers from two providers so far likely to be in the range of 490,000–520,000 (currency not specified)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 500,000
Preferred heating system: Heat pump, central ventilation system, air conditioning
If you had to give up something, which details/expansions
- Could give up: maybe one room, open areas in the hallway
- Cannot give up: ventilation system, air conditioning, pantry, basically almost everything else 😀
Why did the design turn out the way it is? For example:
Which wishes were fulfilled by the architect? Simply all of them. We had communicated our wishes in writing, and the design fully reflects our complete “wish list.”
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
Everything we need is included; it’s large, inviting, open, bright, and leaves no wishes unfulfilled. However, the price is close to the maximum monthly financial burden we want to accept.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
My husband is completely thrilled with this floor plan, and he’s usually not so easily enthusiastic. 😀
I also find it very well done. But it’s clearly the fact that all our wishes are included that makes it great for us.
I’m just curious to hear your opinion.
Here, @Pinkiponk – I just went ahead and posted it. 🙂
Plot size – approx. 1000m² (0.25 acres)
Slope – yes, about one full story along the length of the house
Number of parking spaces – 4 (2 of which are carport or garage)
Number of floors – no restrictions
Roof style – anything except flat roof
Architectural style – rural, classic
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type – no Bauhaus, rather country house style
Basement, stories – 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages – currently 3: 37, 30, 2
Space needs on ground and upper floors
Office: family use or home office? Both fully remote: Home office is a permanent workplace for both
Occasional guests per year – 4-6?
Conservative or modern construction – conservative
Open kitchen, island – open but L-shaped, with an island
Number of dining seats – at least 8, with room for more
Fireplace – no
Music/stereo wall – no
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – yes
Utility garden, greenhouse – possibly, no major importance
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are preferred or avoided:
- Space for a Christmas tree in the living/dining area
- “Nerd cave”: a larger hobby room for retro games, preferably without windows -> no UV exposure
- Home gym – room for at least one rack and some additional equipment
- Cooking, dining, and living areas open and arranged in a corner layout
- Pantry desired
- Cloakroom area near the entrance for jackets and shoes
- 2 children’s bedrooms plus guest room
- Parents’ bedroom with walk-in closet
- Utility/laundry room on the sleeping floor
House Design
Designed by:
- Architect
What do you especially like? Why?
- All the wishes we sent over two pages of text have been perfectly incorporated
- Large, symmetrical pantry
- Very open, spacious living area
- Option to convert the gym into a second office if needed for work
- All children’s bedrooms are the same size
What don’t you like? Why?
- It is simply very large – pricing is at the upper limit of what we can afford
- Posts (presumably for structural reasons) in the living/dining area
- Office could possibly be a bit bigger, but the house is already huge
Price estimate according to architect/planner: Fixed-price turnkey offers from two providers so far likely to be in the range of 490,000–520,000 (currency not specified)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 500,000
Preferred heating system: Heat pump, central ventilation system, air conditioning
If you had to give up something, which details/expansions
- Could give up: maybe one room, open areas in the hallway
- Cannot give up: ventilation system, air conditioning, pantry, basically almost everything else 😀
Why did the design turn out the way it is? For example:
Which wishes were fulfilled by the architect? Simply all of them. We had communicated our wishes in writing, and the design fully reflects our complete “wish list.”
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
Everything we need is included; it’s large, inviting, open, bright, and leaves no wishes unfulfilled. However, the price is close to the maximum monthly financial burden we want to accept.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
My husband is completely thrilled with this floor plan, and he’s usually not so easily enthusiastic. 😀
I also find it very well done. But it’s clearly the fact that all our wishes are included that makes it great for us.
I’m just curious to hear your opinion.
Here, @Pinkiponk – I just went ahead and posted it. 🙂
Hello,
please don’t take this the wrong way, as a lot has already been said.
But I have to say it clearly again:
Nothing fits together! When I add up the floor areas, I get 280 sqm (120 upstairs and 160 downstairs) plus the garage footprint! How does the architect arrive at 220 sqm?
And with 280 sqm, you end up with only a tiny 39 sqm living room and an 8 sqm kitchen? Sorry, my kitchen in my last one-bedroom apartment was bigger! And a 10 sqm bathroom? That size is usually found in a 120 sqm terraced house. Yes, it’s sufficient, but not in a 280 sqm mansion?!
11 sqm office space, for two people working permanent remote? How can anyone work there?
The layout and orientation would not be my choice at all, extremely inefficient. Essentially, the house consists mostly of hallways and the garage with a few extra rooms.
Then a technical question about the extension/garage:
According to the drawing, it is completely within the thermal envelope. This means you will likely have the same building requirements here as in the “main building.” You will also have the same ceiling heights and floor levels due to the connection with the main building. (Side question: can you park a car on a floating screed floor?!?!? Because you need that to create any kind of thermal separation between living space and garage at all.)
I would seriously doubt your massively different cost estimates for the main building versus the extension. On the contrary, the garage will be technically challenging and therefore expensive.
Furthermore: are you aware that this design revives the good 1970s tradition of a heated garage? What kind of garage door are you planning to install in order to even get approval (keyword KFW 55)?
So, completely independent of the room layout: I have strong doubts whether this design is technically feasible at all. And then you still have to get your heated garage approved.
No offense, but please go back to the drawing board and start all over again...
Best regards,
Andreas
please don’t take this the wrong way, as a lot has already been said.
But I have to say it clearly again:
Nothing fits together! When I add up the floor areas, I get 280 sqm (120 upstairs and 160 downstairs) plus the garage footprint! How does the architect arrive at 220 sqm?
And with 280 sqm, you end up with only a tiny 39 sqm living room and an 8 sqm kitchen? Sorry, my kitchen in my last one-bedroom apartment was bigger! And a 10 sqm bathroom? That size is usually found in a 120 sqm terraced house. Yes, it’s sufficient, but not in a 280 sqm mansion?!
11 sqm office space, for two people working permanent remote? How can anyone work there?
The layout and orientation would not be my choice at all, extremely inefficient. Essentially, the house consists mostly of hallways and the garage with a few extra rooms.
Then a technical question about the extension/garage:
According to the drawing, it is completely within the thermal envelope. This means you will likely have the same building requirements here as in the “main building.” You will also have the same ceiling heights and floor levels due to the connection with the main building. (Side question: can you park a car on a floating screed floor?!?!? Because you need that to create any kind of thermal separation between living space and garage at all.)
I would seriously doubt your massively different cost estimates for the main building versus the extension. On the contrary, the garage will be technically challenging and therefore expensive.
Furthermore: are you aware that this design revives the good 1970s tradition of a heated garage? What kind of garage door are you planning to install in order to even get approval (keyword KFW 55)?
So, completely independent of the room layout: I have strong doubts whether this design is technically feasible at all. And then you still have to get your heated garage approved.
No offense, but please go back to the drawing board and start all over again...
Best regards,
Andreas
Pinkiponk schrieb:
I'm sorry, but I don't know which post you are referring to.Not this floor plan draft; @haydee just mentioned now having a neighbor like the Makita radio junkie from @kati1337’s previous neighborhood.andimann schrieb:
(Side question: is it possible to park a car on floating screed?!?!? Because you need that to have any kind of thermal separation between the living area and the garage)I also think having the garage inside the thermal envelope is overkill (but that doesn’t have to be carried through to the construction drawings). For the separation, I could imagine that Schöck has something suitable in their catalog.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
At first glance, I thought the floor plan was quite good (though huge), but then I reconsidered how I would assess it if it were for me.... I realized personally there are just too many rooms; I tend to prefer multifunctional spaces.
Looking at the following rooms (as "daytime living areas"):
* Open-plan living space
* Office
* Fitness room
* Hobby room
* Guest room
Usually, probably only two of these are in use at the same time, right? I personally sometimes need a retreat, but usually I don't need five of them :S You can certainly allocate separate rooms for specific activities, but often I think it’s actually nice when we can talk to each other even when doing different things 🙂 One person is doing a puzzle while another is cooking, for example. I would find it a bit sad if all of this happened at the other end of the house behind closed doors. (The children also have their bedrooms, which I didn’t even count here, but in many families they probably fall into this category as well.)
From my own experience in our last apartment, I would also worry that many rooms quickly become “dead” spaces and turn into storage rooms because activities tend to center around 1-2 rooms (the guest room is a classic example, but I see this potential with other rooms as well). I know needs can vary and obviously hobbies have a big influence etc. I just wanted to offer a basic prompt to think about how and whether you would actually use the rooms or if you might want to revise your list of requirements.
The storage rooms also seem very large to me at first:
* Utility room
* Storage downstairs
* Storage upstairs
* Pantry
Plus a large walk-in closet.
That seems a bit much? Do you need all of that? Well, the storage rooms in the garage are probably mostly for bikes and gardening tools. I’m not sure if the rooms might just be a bit expensive for me, but if that’s not an issue for you 🤨
Looking at the following rooms (as "daytime living areas"):
* Open-plan living space
* Office
* Fitness room
* Hobby room
* Guest room
Usually, probably only two of these are in use at the same time, right? I personally sometimes need a retreat, but usually I don't need five of them :S You can certainly allocate separate rooms for specific activities, but often I think it’s actually nice when we can talk to each other even when doing different things 🙂 One person is doing a puzzle while another is cooking, for example. I would find it a bit sad if all of this happened at the other end of the house behind closed doors. (The children also have their bedrooms, which I didn’t even count here, but in many families they probably fall into this category as well.)
From my own experience in our last apartment, I would also worry that many rooms quickly become “dead” spaces and turn into storage rooms because activities tend to center around 1-2 rooms (the guest room is a classic example, but I see this potential with other rooms as well). I know needs can vary and obviously hobbies have a big influence etc. I just wanted to offer a basic prompt to think about how and whether you would actually use the rooms or if you might want to revise your list of requirements.
The storage rooms also seem very large to me at first:
* Utility room
* Storage downstairs
* Storage upstairs
* Pantry
Plus a large walk-in closet.
That seems a bit much? Do you need all of that? Well, the storage rooms in the garage are probably mostly for bikes and gardening tools. I’m not sure if the rooms might just be a bit expensive for me, but if that’s not an issue for you 🤨
Unfortunately, no more editing possible 😀
I just remembered, I think you meant the garden is more to the north (I can’t find the post right now). I’m not sure if having the nerd cave in the south on the upper floor is really ideal. (I don’t really have any ideas for rearranging, but I just imagine it might be a bit uncomfortable? Also a bit of a shame to have a windowless room there.)
If you say the nerd cave and fitness room are important to you, I would probably consider removing the guest room from the list (maybe provide an extra sofa in another room) and rearrange accordingly to give the kids more space, and then possibly the pantry? You’d just need to check where you could place one or two larger cabinets elsewhere (I can see some simple options now, but I’m also not sure if the architect might want to rearrange things even more anyway).
I just remembered, I think you meant the garden is more to the north (I can’t find the post right now). I’m not sure if having the nerd cave in the south on the upper floor is really ideal. (I don’t really have any ideas for rearranging, but I just imagine it might be a bit uncomfortable? Also a bit of a shame to have a windowless room there.)
If you say the nerd cave and fitness room are important to you, I would probably consider removing the guest room from the list (maybe provide an extra sofa in another room) and rearrange accordingly to give the kids more space, and then possibly the pantry? You’d just need to check where you could place one or two larger cabinets elsewhere (I can see some simple options now, but I’m also not sure if the architect might want to rearrange things even more anyway).
Hi again,
Just a thought: I might consider a completely different approach. You don’t seem to be limited to two stories.
So why go for this complex extension?
Why not design the main building with three floors? The footprint would still be about 10 x 10m (33 x 33 ft), or maybe even slightly smaller.
Then use a classic vertical layout, with the difference that you could have direct access from the basement (lower ground floor) to the garden.
So:
Upper floor: bedrooms, walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, possibly 1 office, main bathroom,
Ground floor (garage level): main entrance, hall, kitchen, pantry, living room (with raised terrace in front, super cool!), guest room, guest bathroom with shower (so guests don’t have to go upstairs, which remains private).
Basement (lower ground floor): building services, utility room, storage room, 2nd office, gym with outdoor workout area under the raised terrace, nerd cave.
This way you avoid the hassle of carrying groceries up and down stairs all the time.
You can still build a garage or carport next to the house.
You would save about 40% of the slab area and roof area. Also, the exterior walls would be fewer, and you’d have to move much less soil. Since the shape is more compact, the circulation areas are much smaller. Without a detailed design or calculation to hand, I’d still suggest this concept could easily be about 25% cheaper than your current design and provide more space.
I professionally design large industrial facilities and know the feeling of falling in love with a layout or design, which often makes it hard to judge it objectively. Here, I honestly think you could get something better for that amount of money!
Best regards,
Andreas
Just a thought: I might consider a completely different approach. You don’t seem to be limited to two stories.
So why go for this complex extension?
Why not design the main building with three floors? The footprint would still be about 10 x 10m (33 x 33 ft), or maybe even slightly smaller.
Then use a classic vertical layout, with the difference that you could have direct access from the basement (lower ground floor) to the garden.
So:
Upper floor: bedrooms, walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, possibly 1 office, main bathroom,
Ground floor (garage level): main entrance, hall, kitchen, pantry, living room (with raised terrace in front, super cool!), guest room, guest bathroom with shower (so guests don’t have to go upstairs, which remains private).
Basement (lower ground floor): building services, utility room, storage room, 2nd office, gym with outdoor workout area under the raised terrace, nerd cave.
This way you avoid the hassle of carrying groceries up and down stairs all the time.
You can still build a garage or carport next to the house.
You would save about 40% of the slab area and roof area. Also, the exterior walls would be fewer, and you’d have to move much less soil. Since the shape is more compact, the circulation areas are much smaller. Without a detailed design or calculation to hand, I’d still suggest this concept could easily be about 25% cheaper than your current design and provide more space.
I professionally design large industrial facilities and know the feeling of falling in love with a layout or design, which often makes it hard to judge it objectively. Here, I honestly think you could get something better for that amount of money!
Best regards,
Andreas
I really like the design. I also have a house with a lot of “wasted” space in the hallway. When you enter my house, it feels huge. And everyone, truly everyone, who walks in initially stops in amazement and then expresses their enthusiasm. Even some pizza delivery drivers hesitate for a moment when looking over my shoulder and then say, “Wow, cool house!”
So from me, a clear “go!” for the design! The spaciousness is what makes the design stand out!
Personally, I would swap the fitness room with the guest room. For one, I would place a second desk in the guest room, and also, I think it would be better to have a short path from the fitness room to the shower instead of having to walk through the whole house.
But that’s just a personal preference.
So from me, a clear “go!” for the design! The spaciousness is what makes the design stand out!
Personally, I would swap the fitness room with the guest room. For one, I would place a second desk in the guest room, and also, I think it would be better to have a short path from the fitness room to the shower instead of having to walk through the whole house.
But that’s just a personal preference.
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