ᐅ Floor plan of a single-family house, 240 m², on a gentle slope
Created on: 3 Apr 2023 16:32
T
T23RGGYY
We are currently in the middle of planning our single-family home. There is an existing house built in 1965 that will mostly be demolished, but the basement will be retained and expanded. According to the current plan, a few exterior walls and the stairwell will remain.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 950 m² (11,000 sq ft)
Slope: yes, rising approx. 7 m (23 ft) from the access road to the end of the property
Site coverage ratio: N/A
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Setbacks: 3 m (10 ft) to the west, taken into account
Parking spaces: N/A
Number of levels: Basement + 1.5 floors
Roof type: Gable roof, 25 degrees
Architectural style: Modern single-family home
Orientation: View towards street/north, at the end of a cul-de-sac
Maximum height/limits: Eaves and ridge heights specified, matching neighboring buildings
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Modern 1.5-story single-family house, approximately 250 m² (2,690 sq ft) with gable roof
Basement, Floors
Number of occupants: 3 (possibly +1). 2 adults, 1 child (2 years old), maybe another child later.
Office: Family use or home office? Home office
Overnight guests per year: rather few, not a priority
Open or closed layout: Open layout
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen with cooking island: Open kitchen with cooking island
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: Covered outdoor seating area
Garage, carport: Currently planning 3 garages, 2 mandatory
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
House Design
Who designed it: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Open living spaces, pantry, separate children’s area including entrance and bathroom. Upper floor for parents. Entrance in the basement with wardrobe at street level, open atrium.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 1.5 million EUR (all inclusive, also built-in furniture, lighting, landscaping, etc.)
Personal budget for house and fittings: manageable as planned
Preferred heating system: Heat pump
If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions
- Can you give up: Atrium
- Cannot give up: Home office
Why is the design the way it is now? For example:
Due to the size of the plot and the restriction of not being allowed to build two full floors, the basic idea is to build as much area as possible on the ground floor. The eaves heights are given and significantly restrict the attic, so the children’s area in the attic was discarded. Storage (utility space) is also important so it does not reduce the ground/upper floor living space. Currently, this means about 240 m² (2,585 sq ft) of living space + 100 m² (1,075 sq ft) of utility space (including a granny flat) + 3 garages.
The atrium is certainly a matter of taste. We plan to fully glaze it towards the upper floor (to reduce noise and odors), but want the ground floor to feel airy. However, due to maximum height restrictions, we cannot build as high ceilings on the ground floor as we would like. Currently, there is a small child who will initially occupy the attic in the office/guest room. Rooms for children 1 and 2 will initially be used as playroom and office. When the child is older, they can move to the area with their own bathroom. If there is only one child, possibly one room per child. In the basement, there are an additional approx. 50 m² (540 sq ft) of living space with shower and toilet as a granny flat, which could be another option for child 2. Currently, this is used as a fitness/hobby room.
On the plans, north is roughly towards the bottom. Overall, we like the design very much and have already gone through several scenarios and optimizations—but we would be grateful for any further feedback.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 950 m² (11,000 sq ft)
Slope: yes, rising approx. 7 m (23 ft) from the access road to the end of the property
Site coverage ratio: N/A
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Setbacks: 3 m (10 ft) to the west, taken into account
Parking spaces: N/A
Number of levels: Basement + 1.5 floors
Roof type: Gable roof, 25 degrees
Architectural style: Modern single-family home
Orientation: View towards street/north, at the end of a cul-de-sac
Maximum height/limits: Eaves and ridge heights specified, matching neighboring buildings
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Modern 1.5-story single-family house, approximately 250 m² (2,690 sq ft) with gable roof
Basement, Floors
Number of occupants: 3 (possibly +1). 2 adults, 1 child (2 years old), maybe another child later.
Office: Family use or home office? Home office
Overnight guests per year: rather few, not a priority
Open or closed layout: Open layout
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen with cooking island: Open kitchen with cooking island
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: Covered outdoor seating area
Garage, carport: Currently planning 3 garages, 2 mandatory
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
House Design
Who designed it: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Open living spaces, pantry, separate children’s area including entrance and bathroom. Upper floor for parents. Entrance in the basement with wardrobe at street level, open atrium.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 1.5 million EUR (all inclusive, also built-in furniture, lighting, landscaping, etc.)
Personal budget for house and fittings: manageable as planned
Preferred heating system: Heat pump
If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions
- Can you give up: Atrium
- Cannot give up: Home office
Why is the design the way it is now? For example:
Due to the size of the plot and the restriction of not being allowed to build two full floors, the basic idea is to build as much area as possible on the ground floor. The eaves heights are given and significantly restrict the attic, so the children’s area in the attic was discarded. Storage (utility space) is also important so it does not reduce the ground/upper floor living space. Currently, this means about 240 m² (2,585 sq ft) of living space + 100 m² (1,075 sq ft) of utility space (including a granny flat) + 3 garages.
The atrium is certainly a matter of taste. We plan to fully glaze it towards the upper floor (to reduce noise and odors), but want the ground floor to feel airy. However, due to maximum height restrictions, we cannot build as high ceilings on the ground floor as we would like. Currently, there is a small child who will initially occupy the attic in the office/guest room. Rooms for children 1 and 2 will initially be used as playroom and office. When the child is older, they can move to the area with their own bathroom. If there is only one child, possibly one room per child. In the basement, there are an additional approx. 50 m² (540 sq ft) of living space with shower and toilet as a granny flat, which could be another option for child 2. Currently, this is used as a fitness/hobby room.
On the plans, north is roughly towards the bottom. Overall, we like the design very much and have already gone through several scenarios and optimizations—but we would be grateful for any further feedback.
H
hanghaus20234 Apr 2023 00:05Congratulations. Your architect has put some good thought into the renovation. I like that.
I think it’s quite nice to consider partially preserving the existing structure. However, this creates many constraints that I wouldn’t want to accept with this budget. Should we give a plus point for sustainability?
I like the glass wall facing the open space.
The staircase design is not my preference. For this price range, I would expect at least a half-landing staircase and large windows. (Without windows, it’s impossible.)
Bathroom in the studio without a door to the bedroom? At least a frosted glass door.
The water pipe from the studio bathroom is supposed to run straight through the living room downwards?
The bathroom in the apartment should have at least a continuous clerestory window at full width, placed at a sill height of 2m (6.6 feet) outside, maybe a light well.
The basement apartment could be converted into a man cave, media room, or library depending on leisure activities.
I also don’t like the children’s bedroom right next to the living room.
The guest toilet could also have a clerestory window. Whether it bothers someone if the light is on while occupied is something to clarify.
I think it’s quite nice to consider partially preserving the existing structure. However, this creates many constraints that I wouldn’t want to accept with this budget. Should we give a plus point for sustainability?
I like the glass wall facing the open space.
The staircase design is not my preference. For this price range, I would expect at least a half-landing staircase and large windows. (Without windows, it’s impossible.)
Bathroom in the studio without a door to the bedroom? At least a frosted glass door.
The water pipe from the studio bathroom is supposed to run straight through the living room downwards?
The bathroom in the apartment should have at least a continuous clerestory window at full width, placed at a sill height of 2m (6.6 feet) outside, maybe a light well.
The basement apartment could be converted into a man cave, media room, or library depending on leisure activities.
I also don’t like the children’s bedroom right next to the living room.
The guest toilet could also have a clerestory window. Whether it bothers someone if the light is on while occupied is something to clarify.
The suggested options for the children are well-intentioned theories but not well thought out.
The child has too long a way to the toilet, only accessible through the parents' bedroom and then without a door?! …
And access to the child’s room goes through the dark utility room basement...
The family unit is being broken up: especially teenagers should not live uncontrolled, but rather live communally within the family. To me, this all feels too fragmented and too pragmatically considered.
Instead, the two 12 m² (129 ft²) children’s rooms next to the large and spacious living/dining area again feel like a punishment.
The rest regarding windows, drainage in the upper floor bathroom, and the emergency staircase has been well summarized by @hanghaus2023.
T23RGGYY schrieb:
Currently, a small child will initially move into the attic in the office/guest room.
The child has too long a way to the toilet, only accessible through the parents' bedroom and then without a door?! …
T23RGGYY schrieb:
We could provide two teenagers with their own separate areas within the house.
And access to the child’s room goes through the dark utility room basement...
The family unit is being broken up: especially teenagers should not live uncontrolled, but rather live communally within the family. To me, this all feels too fragmented and too pragmatically considered.
Instead, the two 12 m² (129 ft²) children’s rooms next to the large and spacious living/dining area again feel like a punishment.
The rest regarding windows, drainage in the upper floor bathroom, and the emergency staircase has been well summarized by @hanghaus2023.
On Airiness:
The dining area has no quiet wall anywhere where you could place or hang something. The occupant or viewer won’t be able to find a calm wall or zone. There are extended spaces everywhere. Additionally, the ceiling is opened up.
You can also see across the dining area from the sofa. Don’t forget that airiness, spaciousness, and the perception of space also have something to do with furniture arrangement and wall design.
The dining area has no quiet wall anywhere where you could place or hang something. The occupant or viewer won’t be able to find a calm wall or zone. There are extended spaces everywhere. Additionally, the ceiling is opened up.
You can also see across the dining area from the sofa. Don’t forget that airiness, spaciousness, and the perception of space also have something to do with furniture arrangement and wall design.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Congratulations. Your architect has put a lot of thought into the renovation. I really like that.Thank youhanghaus2023 schrieb:
I think it’s quite nice to consider partially preserving the existing building. But that creates a lot of constraints that I wouldn’t want to accept with this budget. Should we give a plus point for sustainability?
The stairwell isn’t my taste. For this price range, I would want at least a landing staircase and large windows. (Without windows that’s impossible).The existing staircase isn’t my favorite either and will actually be rebuilt, but in the same location. That was a conclusion from our last discussion. There is a window in the existing building… we are quite close to the neighbor. Is it impossible because it’s too dark, like “basement-like”? Where else do you see constraints?hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Bathroom in the studio without a door to the bedroom? At least a frosted glass door.Exactly, I agree completely.hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Is the bathroom water pipe in the studio supposed to run right through the living room?I have no idea. So far I assumed it's technically and acoustically manageable. Is that a wrong assumption?hanghaus2023 schrieb:
The apartment’s bathroom should have at least a horizontal window strip at a parapet height of 2m (6 ft 7 in) outside, then a light well.
The basement apartment should become a man cave, media room, or library depending on leisure activities?Our basic idea was that the basement space is a utility area. Then came the additional basement entrance from the garden, then the sunken courtyard, and then the bathroom. The plan is to be able to use it as an apartment for a child in a number of years. For now, the apartment will be a fitness/hobby room. I’m not a fan of these light wells; you buy light downstairs but “optical distraction” upstairs, or “holes” in the garden/terrace. I spend most of my time upstairs; I’m only in the bathroom briefly. But we will reconsider.hanghaus2023 schrieb:
The guest WC could also have a horizontal window strip. Whether it bothers someone if the light is on there at times remains to be clarified.The window strip would be, for example, facing the wardrobe/staircase. I don’t think that would be disturbing and would provide some light.Thank you very much for your input, I found it very helpful.
ypg schrieb:
The suggested options for the children are well-intentioned theories but not well thought out.
The child has too long a way to the toilet, only through the parents’ bedroom and then without a door?! … Currently, this is a child in diapers, but there is something to that. A door needs to be installed, I agree. Maybe someone has a good idea for the toilet access?
ypg schrieb:
And the access to the child’s room goes through the dark utility room in the basement…
The family bond is broken: especially teenagers shouldn’t live uncontrolled but should live together within the family. For me, this all seems too fragmented and too pragmatically planned.
The arrangement of the children’s area is a dilemma for me. The little ones should be as close to the parents as possible and sleep peacefully. Of course. But they will grow up, have friends stay overnight, and later become teenagers going through puberty with everything that comes with it. The classic upper floor with master bedroom and children’s rooms comes with many other disadvantages in my opinion. As parents, I can better consider the negative side effects of a solution in the best interest of the children. Thinking back to my own youth, avoiding nighttime noise for my parents was not a priority. I’m thinking of loud computer games, music…
Our consideration is this: we are not the loud home theater type and generally not big TV watchers; we want only one TV in the living room so that the family can watch something together. Possibly we wanted to place another TV upstairs in the small lounge area.
But I assumed that the wall and door that lead to the children’s area corridor would be designed so that the living room can be used without noise disturbing the children’s rooms. Is that wrong?
ypg schrieb:
Instead, the two 12-sqm (130 sq ft) children’s bedrooms next to the large and spacious living room/common area seem like a punishment. Could you explain that in more detail? I would like to understand the idea better.
T23RGGYY schrieb:
Could you explain that in more detail? – I’d like to fully understand the idea.75m² (807 sq ft) of living space and 42m² (452 sq ft) for the parents’ area stand in strong contrast to 12m² (129 sq ft) children’s rooms.To put it bluntly, only the best for you, but minimal-size rooms for the kids.
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