ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction – Join Us on Our Journey!
Created on: 4 Aug 2022 16:13
G
gregman22
Dear community,
We are finally getting a step closer to realizing our dream of building a single-family home.
The plot has been purchased, building plans have been reviewed, construction method decided, and so on. We have now commissioned the architect of the general contractor (GC) of our choice with the planning task and are currently fine-tuning the house design. I would love to take you along on this journey and incorporate your valuable feedback.
At this stage, the focus is on the house design.
Basic data:
Plot: 1062m2 (11,433 sq ft); approx. 25.5m x 41.64m (84 ft x 137 ft)
Orientation: Northwest -> The arrow in the screenshot of the 3D view points south
Desired room layout:
Ground floor:
First floor:
Attic:
Note: I am still discussing this with the architect. Due to the hipped roof shape, the actual living area has shrunk too much. Therefore, further discussion is needed to accommodate the other rooms. I had underestimated the ratio of gross floor area to usable living space.
Basement:
Additional plans:
Now to my first questions for you:
My biggest construction challenge at the moment is the layout of the attic. There are two alternatives:
- Change the roof type, which would increase costs but provide more usable living space in the attic
- Give up the playroom on the first floor, convert it into a guest room, and build only the two offices in the attic (no guest room or bathroom)
Thank you in advance for your comments.
We are finally getting a step closer to realizing our dream of building a single-family home.
The plot has been purchased, building plans have been reviewed, construction method decided, and so on. We have now commissioned the architect of the general contractor (GC) of our choice with the planning task and are currently fine-tuning the house design. I would love to take you along on this journey and incorporate your valuable feedback.
At this stage, the focus is on the house design.
Basic data:
Plot: 1062m2 (11,433 sq ft); approx. 25.5m x 41.64m (84 ft x 137 ft)
Orientation: Northwest -> The arrow in the screenshot of the 3D view points south
Desired room layout:
Ground floor:
- Large living/dining area with adjacent (but separable) kitchen at the bottom left, plus a gallery overlooking the first floor
- Utility room
- Guest toilet
- Garage
- Separate apartment at the top right with its own entrance for parents-in-law
First floor:
- Gallery overlooking the ground floor
- 2 children’s bedrooms with a shared bathroom
- 1 playroom (initially a home cinema room, later to be repurposed) above the garage
- Master wing with main bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom
Attic:
Note: I am still discussing this with the architect. Due to the hipped roof shape, the actual living area has shrunk too much. Therefore, further discussion is needed to accommodate the other rooms. I had underestimated the ratio of gross floor area to usable living space.
- 2 separate offices
- 1 guest bedroom
- 1 small guest bathroom
Basement:
- 1 technical room
- 1 laundry room
- 1 storage room
- Large fitness room
- Wellness room with sauna
Additional plans:
- Air-to-air heat pump or air-to-water heat pump
- Photovoltaic system with/without battery storage
- Possible pool (3.5/4m x 8m or 3.5/4m x 12m) with heat pump (and countercurrent system)
- Sauna in the basement room
- Air conditioning for various rooms
- Smart home system – most likely via KNX
- Garden: Currently planning 2 terraces – one to the left, slightly more to the south, and one facing the main part of the plot further north
Now to my first questions for you:
- How do the floor plans strike you? Do they make sense in terms of the dynamics of family life?
- The location of the separate apartment was chosen based on our wish. We wanted a strict, clearly defined spatial separation with a separate entrance. Do you have any comments on this?
- Do you consider the utility rooms in the basement to be adequately sized (considering KNX, heat pump, etc.)?
My biggest construction challenge at the moment is the layout of the attic. There are two alternatives:
- Change the roof type, which would increase costs but provide more usable living space in the attic
- Give up the playroom on the first floor, convert it into a guest room, and build only the two offices in the attic (no guest room or bathroom)
Thank you in advance for your comments.
H
hanghaus202310 Dec 2022 17:52I really like the design.
What are the two crosses in the living room?
Glass floor for daylighting the basement?
Has a decision been made regarding the wall construction? It looks like a cavity wall.
I wouldn’t break up the wall to the granny flat. I liked the idea from @ypg with the larger kitchen.
What are the two crosses in the living room?
Glass floor for daylighting the basement?
Has a decision been made regarding the wall construction? It looks like a cavity wall.
I wouldn’t break up the wall to the granny flat. I liked the idea from @ypg with the larger kitchen.
H
hanghaus202311 Dec 2022 11:56A lot has already been said about the airspace. I actually built one myself once. After two years, I closed it off. It’s simply very uncomfortable. Achieving good acoustics is nearly impossible. Since you can’t do without it, at least do something about the terrible acoustics. For example, the sloped ceiling could be covered with perforated panels.
The bedroom lacks a door. Who wants to be disturbed by light or noise from the dressing room/bathroom while sleeping?
The roof windows in the bathroom are too low. The bathroom layout definitely needs to be improved. Simply copying the master bathroom is not an option.
No utility room on the upper floor? At least install a laundry chute to the basement. I have one that is accessible from both the children’s bathroom and the master bathroom.
The bedroom lacks a door. Who wants to be disturbed by light or noise from the dressing room/bathroom while sleeping?
The roof windows in the bathroom are too low. The bathroom layout definitely needs to be improved. Simply copying the master bathroom is not an option.
No utility room on the upper floor? At least install a laundry chute to the basement. I have one that is accessible from both the children’s bathroom and the master bathroom.
S
Sunshine38712 Dec 2022 22:10An open void is not only visually appealing but also creates a sense of spaciousness and openness. I personally would not want to miss it for its atmosphere alone. Therefore, definitely include an open void in your build!
B
Bertram10012 Dec 2022 22:20Sunshine387 schrieb:
An atrium is not only visually appealing but also conveys a sense of spaciousness and openness.Well, I often find the atmosphere somewhat cold, more like a “car showroom” combined with “oh, we have extra space and we’re so modern.” Even if I had the space and budget, I wouldn’t want an atrium. I believe the charm of openness and spaciousness comes from skillful interior design. But tastes differ, and everyone can have their own opinion. Still, it’s not true for everyone that an atrium automatically conveys spaciousness and openness.S
Sunshine38713 Dec 2022 16:27Exactly. It’s a matter of personal taste. What is clear to me is that especially in larger houses (so, not the single-family home with 125m2 (1,345 sq ft), where it really doesn’t make sense) an open void space is very enriching, giving the room a certain sense of spaciousness. It’s no coincidence that many large villas feature impressive void spaces of this kind.
Sunshine387 schrieb:
This is a matter of personal taste. For me, it is clear that especially in larger houses (not the single-family home with 125m2 (1350 sq ft), where it really doesn’t make sense), an open void space is very enriching, giving the room a certain generosity. It’s no coincidence that many large villas feature impressive open voids of this kind. A dance floor above the heads of the party guests, at the level of the floor above, costs only slightly less to build than a usable room of the same size, and the operating costs don’t exactly make the open void more attractive either. This style was popular when the oil crisis had just been overcome, the year 2000 was still a symbol of hope (and Joschka was the first sneaker-wearing minister). Back then, this was how people built if they drove a senator rather than a commodore. Houses like these only get a classic vehicle registration if the bathroom fixtures are the original Bahamabeige. At least back then, villas were not yet "instead of" ;-)
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Similar topics