ᐅ Own floor plan design for a 180 sqm urban villa with double garage – feedback requested
Created on: 30 Dec 2022 10:14
D
dimba234
Hello everyone,
after being an active silent reader here for quite some time, I decided it was time to register.
A few weeks ago, we applied for a building plot with our local municipality and have now received the approval for the land. Although we plan to start building at the beginning of 2024, we are already putting a lot of thought into how our house might look. We have created a rough floor plan draft ourselves. I would like to ask you for feedback and suggestions.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 576 sqm (6,200 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site occupancy index (floor area ratio for ground coverage): 0.3
Floor space index (floor area ratio for all floors): 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: building boundary as per development plan
Edge development: see attachment
Number of parking spaces: at least 1.5 parking spaces
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: hip roof, gable roof, pitched roof, saddle roof
Architectural style: -
Orientation: see attachment
Maximum height / limits: eaves height 7 m (23 ft)
Other requirements: -
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: single-family house with two full stories and a hip roof
Basement, floors: no basement, two full floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults, 2 children (2 1/2 years and newborn)
Room needs on ground floor and upper floor:
Office: family use or home office? Two offices (ground floor + upper floor)
Guest bedrooms per year: -
Open or closed layout: open living and dining area
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island not necessarily required
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with storage space; carport with shed also possible
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are preferred or avoided: -
House Design
Who designed it:
-Do-it-Yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? Two offices; open living and dining area with cozy sofa corner; children’s rooms facing south; master bedroom facing north; utility room with access to the garage
What do you not like? Why? Overall, we like our design. We want to maximize the use of our garden area on the south side. To get more out of it, the house would need to be narrower and longer (currently 11 x 10.5 m (36 x 34.5 ft)). In our designs, this always failed because the rooms become too narrow and elongated. As laypersons, we probably overlook major planning mistakes. So, we ask here for constructive criticism and suggestions.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: -
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: 500,000
Preferred heating technology: -
If you have to give up one or more details/additions,
-what can you do without: garage, the second office/guest room
-what you cannot do without: -
Why did the design end up like this? E.g.
-Collection of ideas from catalogs and internet searches
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
The main question is whether we have sensibly planned the layout and arrangement of garage, house entrance, and rooms in relation to the plot and its orientation. Is the design coherent overall?
The attached image with the house on the plot (Entwurf.jpg) is a draft from the responsible planning office for the building area. We want to build the house and garage aligned in the same way. However, the house will be placed at the front building boundary and the garage shifted towards the rear plot boundary.
PS: We created the design with a rudimentary online tool. Unfortunately, the tool does not allow adjusting room names (therefore “playroom” instead of “children’s room,” etc.), but I think you understand what is meant.
I look forward to your feedback 🙂!
after being an active silent reader here for quite some time, I decided it was time to register.
A few weeks ago, we applied for a building plot with our local municipality and have now received the approval for the land. Although we plan to start building at the beginning of 2024, we are already putting a lot of thought into how our house might look. We have created a rough floor plan draft ourselves. I would like to ask you for feedback and suggestions.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 576 sqm (6,200 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site occupancy index (floor area ratio for ground coverage): 0.3
Floor space index (floor area ratio for all floors): 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: building boundary as per development plan
Edge development: see attachment
Number of parking spaces: at least 1.5 parking spaces
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: hip roof, gable roof, pitched roof, saddle roof
Architectural style: -
Orientation: see attachment
Maximum height / limits: eaves height 7 m (23 ft)
Other requirements: -
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: single-family house with two full stories and a hip roof
Basement, floors: no basement, two full floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults, 2 children (2 1/2 years and newborn)
Room needs on ground floor and upper floor:
Office: family use or home office? Two offices (ground floor + upper floor)
Guest bedrooms per year: -
Open or closed layout: open living and dining area
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island not necessarily required
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with storage space; carport with shed also possible
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are preferred or avoided: -
House Design
Who designed it:
-Do-it-Yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? Two offices; open living and dining area with cozy sofa corner; children’s rooms facing south; master bedroom facing north; utility room with access to the garage
What do you not like? Why? Overall, we like our design. We want to maximize the use of our garden area on the south side. To get more out of it, the house would need to be narrower and longer (currently 11 x 10.5 m (36 x 34.5 ft)). In our designs, this always failed because the rooms become too narrow and elongated. As laypersons, we probably overlook major planning mistakes. So, we ask here for constructive criticism and suggestions.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: -
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: 500,000
Preferred heating technology: -
If you have to give up one or more details/additions,
-what can you do without: garage, the second office/guest room
-what you cannot do without: -
Why did the design end up like this? E.g.
-Collection of ideas from catalogs and internet searches
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
The main question is whether we have sensibly planned the layout and arrangement of garage, house entrance, and rooms in relation to the plot and its orientation. Is the design coherent overall?
The attached image with the house on the plot (Entwurf.jpg) is a draft from the responsible planning office for the building area. We want to build the house and garage aligned in the same way. However, the house will be placed at the front building boundary and the garage shifted towards the rear plot boundary.
PS: We created the design with a rudimentary online tool. Unfortunately, the tool does not allow adjusting room names (therefore “playroom” instead of “children’s room,” etc.), but I think you understand what is meant.
I look forward to your feedback 🙂!
dimba234 schrieb:
Although construction is planned to start only at the beginning of 2024, we are already giving a lot of thought to how our house might look. As a result, we have created a rough draft of the floor plan. I would like to ask for your feedback and suggestions. P.S.: First, given the current delivery times for heat pumps (and related equipment), there is no risk that construction will begin much earlier, so you can confidently proceed with financing and planning routines. Second: I do not see any special features here (perhaps due to the lack of height specifications?) that would require a custom design, except for the double home office. So consider using tried-and-tested building designs to avoid potential complications. Customizing an off-the-shelf house plan is quick and easy.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Marvinius30 Dec 2022 16:28What is noticeably problematic: the walkway to the front door overlaps with the driveway to the garage. What happens if the front door is open, the car is reversing out of the garage, and a cat, dog, or small child runs out of the door?
Please plan with sufficient distance between these areas or relocate the main entrance.
Please plan with sufficient distance between these areas or relocate the main entrance.
X
xMisterDx30 Dec 2022 17:46I don’t see any problem with the garage now, unless someone does a launch control start with the gearbox preloaded and speeds out of the driveway at full throttle.
The kids or the dog can just as easily run around the corner of the house, so you just need to be a bit careful. It’s always a good idea anyway when driving...
Something else I thought of:
Your house is quite far from the street, are you allowed to build the terrace outside the building boundary? And do you really want only a narrow strip behind the house and a 5 to 10m (16 to 33 ft) front yard?
[Edit]
Correction, 5–10m (16–33 ft) front yard.
It will also be expensive with the utility connections because of the long distance, and personally, I would never lay the connections under the slab.
That was the initial plan for us, but the civil engineers refused and placed the meter cabinet outside the wall.
Make sure something is done about that, because once it’s under the slab, you will never be able to access it again.
The kids or the dog can just as easily run around the corner of the house, so you just need to be a bit careful. It’s always a good idea anyway when driving...
Something else I thought of:
Your house is quite far from the street, are you allowed to build the terrace outside the building boundary? And do you really want only a narrow strip behind the house and a 5 to 10m (16 to 33 ft) front yard?
[Edit]
Correction, 5–10m (16–33 ft) front yard.
It will also be expensive with the utility connections because of the long distance, and personally, I would never lay the connections under the slab.
That was the initial plan for us, but the civil engineers refused and placed the meter cabinet outside the wall.
Make sure something is done about that, because once it’s under the slab, you will never be able to access it again.
dimba234 schrieb:
Staircase: I overlooked that it doesn’t line up on the different levels. For the length, I followed the suggestion from the question catalog of 3.60 m (12 feet). … Basement stairs. Next to it is one that is 4.20 m (14 feet) long. But even that is not mandatory. However, a layperson should plan for about 4 meters (13 feet) in their sketch. The architect can adjust everything later.
dimba234 schrieb:
Conservative or modern building style: modern Hmm… I see a somewhat conservative floor plan in its basic form.
dimba234 schrieb:
Is the design coherent overall? Basically, it resembles any typical urban villa, but as a layperson, you end up with some awkward details. Doors are positioned too close to the corners, the parents’ bedroom can’t be arranged properly, the built-in closet is too narrow to be comfortable…
dimba234 schrieb:
We want to build the house and garage oriented the same way. The house at the front building line, and the garage set back towards the rear property boundary. I would orient the rooms differently… where exactly is south? Your children’s rooms are not located to the sunny southern side, while the bedroom and bathroom have the best positions.
dimba234 schrieb:
What do you particularly like? Why? Two offices; open living and dining area with cozy sofa corner; children’s rooms facing south; parents’ bedroom in the north; utility room with access to the garage Somehow, everything looks different to me. 😉
First of all, thank you all. I did not expect so much feedback in such a short time. I will try to work through the questions and suggestions one by one.
There seems to be a small misunderstanding 😉 I placed our floor plan onto the site plan – see the screenshot.
Overall, your feedback has made us think. So this evening we looked at other floor plan ideas. I really liked the suggestion of the "Sento house" from another thread. We like the Sento 504 very much, both for the room layout and the dimensions – except for one point. With our house orientation, the parents’ bedroom with dressing room would face southeast. That’s not what we want. We prefer the children to have the sun. So I will try to adapt this idea to our preferences.
hanse987 schrieb:My mistake, as I based it on a basement staircase. The staircase will be planned with a length of 4m (13 feet) going forward.
The staircase seems too short to me. How long is it marked?
xMisterDx schrieb:If the planned budget isn’t enough, we will tighten the belt. No office downstairs, carport instead of double garage, etc. We actually plan to visit 3–4 local builders with our plan and concept sketch in early January. I’m curious to see what total price they will quote.
And you’re building around 180m² (180m² x 2,500 EUR/m² = 450,000 EUR + additional construction costs + interior fittings + landscaping). With 500,000 EUR the budget will be tight, but I’m sure you’ll hear that a few more times here.
11ant schrieb:If I remember the sentence correctly from the land-use plan, the city mentions a possible extension to the east, but as of now, nothing concrete is planned.
Your land-use plan suggests that a future building phase is planned behind your garden – what is known about this?
11ant schrieb:According to the geoportal, the property has a height difference of 0.2m (8 inches) along the diagonal from the NE to SW corner. A standard house would be perfectly fine for us.
Secondly: I do not see any special features here (maybe due to lack of elevation data?) that would require a custom design, apart from the double office room. Look for proven building plans to avoid potential complications. It’s quick and easy to customize a "standard" house.
Marvinius schrieb:Very good point. If we keep the double garage, I would plan for a 5m (16 feet) garage door and move it as far to the left as possible. Not ideal, but I don’t see another solution for a side entrance at this point.
What seems problematic to me: the walkway to the front door overlaps with the driveway to the garage. What happens if the front door is open, a car is reversing out of the garage, and a cat, dog, or toddler runs out the front door? Please plan with sufficient distance or move the house entrance.
xMisterDx schrieb:
One more thought:
Your house is set quite far back from the street. Are you allowed to build the terrace outside the designated building area? And do you really want only a narrow strip behind the house and a 10 or 15m (33 or 49 feet) front garden?
ypg schrieb:
I would orient the rooms differently… where exactly is south again? Your children’s rooms are not sunny in the south, while the bedroom and bathroom have the best location.
Somehow everything looks different for me 😉
There seems to be a small misunderstanding 😉 I placed our floor plan onto the site plan – see the screenshot.
Overall, your feedback has made us think. So this evening we looked at other floor plan ideas. I really liked the suggestion of the "Sento house" from another thread. We like the Sento 504 very much, both for the room layout and the dimensions – except for one point. With our house orientation, the parents’ bedroom with dressing room would face southeast. That’s not what we want. We prefer the children to have the sun. So I will try to adapt this idea to our preferences.
X
xMisterDx30 Dec 2022 22:54Sento 504 looks stylish. It should be no problem to swap the bedroom with the children’s room and move the door to the walk-in closet into the other room.
The price could be closer to your budget, depending on which optional features you want and the overall level of quality you expect.
The price could be closer to your budget, depending on which optional features you want and the overall level of quality you expect.
Similar topics