ᐅ Single-family house floor plan approximately 165 m² plus basement
Created on: 30 Aug 2022 21:16
G
Gregor_K
Hello everyone,
My wife and I purchased a plot of land last year and are now ready to start the construction project. Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with four general contractors and gathered quotes. In the coming weeks, I plan to choose one general contractor; at the moment, two are in the final running. Several floor plans have been developed, and I have posted the one we like best here. The floor plan currently does not include furniture, but once we decide on a contractor, I will finalize it with the contractor/architect unless a better plan comes up.
Of the two general contractors we are considering, one offers a planning contract for service phases HOAI 1-4. The other does not provide this, so we will need to hire a separate architect (HOAI 1-3).
Having followed various discussions in this forum for a while, I would appreciate your feedback on the floor plan. This is our first build; my knowledge so far comes from seminars by the Builders’ Protection Association and this housebuilding forum.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot No. 194
Plot size: 680m² (7,300 sq ft)
Slope: yes, descending about 1 to 1.5m (3 to 5 feet) from the access road
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see blue line on the development plan; approximately 12.95m x 20m (42.5 ft x 66 ft)
Setback from boundary: 3m (10 feet)
Parking spaces: 1 to 2
Maximum building height: 2 full floors
Roof style: no specification in the development plan
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Single-family house, gabled roof with purlins if possible
Basement, floors: 2 full floors plus basement
Number of occupants: 5 people, 2 adults and 3 children
Office: Home office room
Occasional guests: none or at most 1 to 2 per year
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Yes, open kitchen, but kitchen island not absolutely necessary
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: not required
Garage, carport: Single garage to be located on the east side, plus at least 2 additional parking spaces on the northwest side of the property
House Design
Designer:
- Design by a prefabricated house supplier
What do you particularly like? Why?
We like the appearance of the house with the bay window; it looks stylish to us. Overall, it includes everything we need, such as a pantry, a relatively spacious dining area combined with the living room, 3 children’s rooms, and an office.
What do you dislike? Why?
The staircase could be positioned further from the entrance, but this is acceptable. The bathroom design still looks unfinished.
Price estimate according to architect/designer: €620,000 without ancillary building costs (no price negotiation)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: €650,000 without ancillary building costs
If you had to give up certain details/extra features,
- what you could do without: Items we can omit have already been removed, e.g., walk-in closet and storage room
- what you cannot do without: 3 children’s rooms, pantry, office, landing staircase, basement
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Design from the planner following these specifications:
- 2 full floors or 1.5 floors with a high knee wall (e.g., 180cm (70.9 inches))
- Flexible roof type; we like a gabled roof with purlins or alternatively a hip roof or flat roof
- Ground floor plus upper floor should be between 165m² and 175m² (1,776 to 1,884 sq ft)
- open kitchen + living room + dining area
- guest bathroom with shower
- entrance area should be usable for 5 people (space for shoe cabinets)
- pantry
- office room that can later be used as a bedroom in older age
- dining area close to the kitchen
- kitchen and dining area should be near the terrace
- 3 children’s rooms (2 rooms at least 15m² (161 sq ft), 1 room at least 12m² (129 sq ft))
- master bedroom with or without walk-in closet, depending on what fits better into the floor plan
- optional laundry chute would be great but not essential
- preferably no separate children’s bathroom
- bathroom at least 10m² (108 sq ft), better if 12 to 14m² (129 to 151 sq ft), depending on the layout
- staircase should not be located in the entrance’s dirt zone. A comfortable staircase would be great; ideally a landing staircase
- space for a single garage on the plot, i.e., no double garage
- access from the garage to the pantry would be nice but not essential
- no gallery
- no conservatory/glass extension
- covered access from garage to front door is not absolutely necessary
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the staircase be placed further away from the entrance? What do you think about making windows in the bathroom, master bedroom, and office narrower (window sill height)? Are the basement windows well positioned, especially those near the terrace?
My wife and I purchased a plot of land last year and are now ready to start the construction project. Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with four general contractors and gathered quotes. In the coming weeks, I plan to choose one general contractor; at the moment, two are in the final running. Several floor plans have been developed, and I have posted the one we like best here. The floor plan currently does not include furniture, but once we decide on a contractor, I will finalize it with the contractor/architect unless a better plan comes up.
Of the two general contractors we are considering, one offers a planning contract for service phases HOAI 1-4. The other does not provide this, so we will need to hire a separate architect (HOAI 1-3).
Having followed various discussions in this forum for a while, I would appreciate your feedback on the floor plan. This is our first build; my knowledge so far comes from seminars by the Builders’ Protection Association and this housebuilding forum.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot No. 194
Plot size: 680m² (7,300 sq ft)
Slope: yes, descending about 1 to 1.5m (3 to 5 feet) from the access road
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see blue line on the development plan; approximately 12.95m x 20m (42.5 ft x 66 ft)
Setback from boundary: 3m (10 feet)
Parking spaces: 1 to 2
Maximum building height: 2 full floors
Roof style: no specification in the development plan
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Single-family house, gabled roof with purlins if possible
Basement, floors: 2 full floors plus basement
Number of occupants: 5 people, 2 adults and 3 children
Office: Home office room
Occasional guests: none or at most 1 to 2 per year
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Yes, open kitchen, but kitchen island not absolutely necessary
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: not required
Garage, carport: Single garage to be located on the east side, plus at least 2 additional parking spaces on the northwest side of the property
House Design
Designer:
- Design by a prefabricated house supplier
What do you particularly like? Why?
We like the appearance of the house with the bay window; it looks stylish to us. Overall, it includes everything we need, such as a pantry, a relatively spacious dining area combined with the living room, 3 children’s rooms, and an office.
What do you dislike? Why?
The staircase could be positioned further from the entrance, but this is acceptable. The bathroom design still looks unfinished.
Price estimate according to architect/designer: €620,000 without ancillary building costs (no price negotiation)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: €650,000 without ancillary building costs
If you had to give up certain details/extra features,
- what you could do without: Items we can omit have already been removed, e.g., walk-in closet and storage room
- what you cannot do without: 3 children’s rooms, pantry, office, landing staircase, basement
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Design from the planner following these specifications:
- House with basement:
- 2 full floors or 1.5 floors with a high knee wall (e.g., 180cm (70.9 inches))
- Flexible roof type; we like a gabled roof with purlins or alternatively a hip roof or flat roof
- Ground floor plus upper floor should be between 165m² and 175m² (1,776 to 1,884 sq ft)
- Ground floor:
- open kitchen + living room + dining area
- guest bathroom with shower
- entrance area should be usable for 5 people (space for shoe cabinets)
- pantry
- office room that can later be used as a bedroom in older age
- dining area close to the kitchen
- kitchen and dining area should be near the terrace
- Upper floor:
- 3 children’s rooms (2 rooms at least 15m² (161 sq ft), 1 room at least 12m² (129 sq ft))
- master bedroom with or without walk-in closet, depending on what fits better into the floor plan
- optional laundry chute would be great but not essential
- preferably no separate children’s bathroom
- bathroom at least 10m² (108 sq ft), better if 12 to 14m² (129 to 151 sq ft), depending on the layout
- General:
- staircase should not be located in the entrance’s dirt zone. A comfortable staircase would be great; ideally a landing staircase
- space for a single garage on the plot, i.e., no double garage
- access from the garage to the pantry would be nice but not essential
- no gallery
- no conservatory/glass extension
- covered access from garage to front door is not absolutely necessary
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the staircase be placed further away from the entrance? What do you think about making windows in the bathroom, master bedroom, and office narrower (window sill height)? Are the basement windows well positioned, especially those near the terrace?
Dear readers, in case you haven’t noticed yet, I would like to explicitly point out how impressively textbook-like the original poster (OP) demonstrates the value of architectural planning, even for a “normal” house that isn’t aiming to win special design awards; and how many “iterations” it takes to refine a general contractor’s (GC’s) draft plan. As you can see here, each window is adjusted countless times until it finally sits in its “final” position. When this is done without awareness of the relationship between masonry dimensions and construction grids—a common issue nowadays—each change increases the number of construction defects that will please the site workers. Moreover, with every design revision, the risk rises exponentially that, due to minor lapses in document management, the utility planner ends up with a different plan version than the structural engineer.
Since flipping back through earlier plans has become quite a hassle recently, I’ll ask lazily: which round of plan revisions is this now, and in what year are the plans expected to be ready for building permit / planning permission?
Is the price guarantee period already being used up, and when will the availability period begin?
No offense, but I’m slowly being reminded of @Shiny86 (who, if I recall correctly, had the downpipe back next to the sofa around post 240 or 250).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Since flipping back through earlier plans has become quite a hassle recently, I’ll ask lazily: which round of plan revisions is this now, and in what year are the plans expected to be ready for building permit / planning permission?
Is the price guarantee period already being used up, and when will the availability period begin?
No offense, but I’m slowly being reminded of @Shiny86 (who, if I recall correctly, had the downpipe back next to the sofa around post 240 or 250).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
@11ant It is absolutely true that having an architect’s plan makes sense. You emphasizing that again is right because the reader should also learn from my mistakes. I don’t think I went through that many iterations, and we are only on page 22 so far. The starting point for these changes was my question about the bedroom window. Everyone agreed that none of the windows I originally suggested were suitable. When you change one window, it often affects many others, and that is exactly the case here now. It is tempting not to have a floor-to-ceiling window on the upper floor since the French balcony also adds costs.
I already have quite a few planning documents:
- Thermal insulation certificate (unfortunately without the basement)
- Structural engineering report
- Building permit / planning permission
To be honest, I am not sure if I will still include this window change. It’s already a bit stressful for everyone involved — the general contractor, the construction quality supervisor, and especially myself.
The free provision period has been running since May 1, 2023, and it lasts 12 months. We originally planned to sign the contract next Friday, and then the construction period would be 12 months starting from the contract signing. However, the general contractor has not yet revised the construction and service specifications, and the missing thermal insulation certificate for the basement is also a bit concerning.
I already have quite a few planning documents:
- Thermal insulation certificate (unfortunately without the basement)
- Structural engineering report
- Building permit / planning permission
To be honest, I am not sure if I will still include this window change. It’s already a bit stressful for everyone involved — the general contractor, the construction quality supervisor, and especially myself.
The free provision period has been running since May 1, 2023, and it lasts 12 months. We originally planned to sign the contract next Friday, and then the construction period would be 12 months starting from the contract signing. However, the general contractor has not yet revised the construction and service specifications, and the missing thermal insulation certificate for the basement is also a bit concerning.
ypg schrieb:
Why doesn’t the house have an east-facing window on the ground floor?
I wouldn’t want to miss out on that! Where will the carport be located? I think the kitchen designer suggested that it might be better to skip it. There tends to be some clutter around the sink area, and it would be visible through the window.
The garage will be on the east side, with a shed behind it.
S
Schorsch_baut29 May 2023 20:35Gregor_K schrieb:
I think the kitchen fitter meant that it’s better if we do without it. There tends to be a bit of clutter around the sink area, and you can see that quite easily. Okay, that’s a wonderfully absurd reason to skip installing a window. So the delivery person won’t see the dirty Nutella knife or used wine glass?
Gregor_K schrieb:
@11ant It is absolutely true that having an architectural design makes sense. You emphasizing this again is important because the reader should also learn from my mistakes.Exactly, and now I’ll quote it again: triple-stitched holds better.Gregor_K schrieb:
I don’t think I did that many iterations.I believe that too—that it really isn’t very many yet. But first, it’s relatively many considering they are so close to the final approval; and second, those are the most critical from a document management perspective. Always check the latest version number on every plan posted on the construction site wall.Gregor_K schrieb:
Everyone agreed that it is none of the windows I proposed. When you change one window, it often affects many different windows, and that’s exactly the case now.Anything already approved by the structural engineer checkpoint, I would no longer broadly change; relocating positions only if there remains at least half a meter (1.5 feet) clearance to other components; increasing parapet heights is unproblematic as long as minimum size requirements are maintained.Gregor_K schrieb:
Besides, I already have a fair amount of planning documents.“A fair amount” is not enough. It is advisable to set deadlines for when certain documents must be available and checked for correctness; much can be learned for construction from the “pre-signals” of train drivers.Gregor_K schrieb:
Honestly, I don’t know if I can still include this window change. It’s already stressing everyone involved a bit. The general contractor, construction monitoring quality control, and especially me.That’s what I told Princess @Shiny86 back then too: that in a worst-case scenario, the other parties can probably expect to be acquitted, especially the draftsman. I never pity the general contractors themselves: they often strongly promote the misconception “You don’t need an architect; everything is included.” Have you at least used a tried-and-tested standard model from a general contractor, or is this just an internet taste-sample free-for-all being pushed through the planning process?https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Gregor_K schrieb:
There’s often some stuff left around the sink area, and you can see it. What do you mean? Surely you’re not serious? That’s nonsense cubed!
He just doesn’t want to measure the window opening… what did he sell before? Basements, containers?… I’d give him a piece of my mind!
At a minimum, there should be natural daylight in the sink area through windows and ventilation options.
Who wants to stare at a blank wall while working? I wasn’t even allowed to work like that in the basement workshop.
East-facing sunlight is an underestimated source of light.
No exterior walls should be without windows—this is the cheapest way to get a view, fresh air, ventilation, natural light, and a sense of space.
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