ᐅ Opinion on the floor plan of a single-family house with a staggered shed roof – Attempt 2

Hello everyone,

I would appreciate constructive feedback on our floor plan. The building method is predetermined (southern half with ground floor and first floor, northern half only ground floor). We are quite satisfied with the room layout, but I am still unsure whether the window placement on the first floor works well. And yes, the bedroom is spacious enough for us; everything fits perfectly.

Ground floor: Due to the roof covering, the entrance area does not get much natural light, and the cloakroom is also very dark, always relying on artificial lighting. The ground floor lacks furnishings, which makes evaluation difficult, but the kitchen is far from being bright and airy.

Living area: As a completely enclosed space, it works well (if desired), but as a passage room, it feels rather uncomfortable.

Upper floor: It works; the children’s rooms should be planned together with the windows and sightlines. Lighting only in the corners may be sufficient but can be impractical.

Elevations: I don’t understand why the zoning plan / building permit regulations make it so difficult to reflect the local character (Amberg). Especially here, the planner should take more responsibility on their own initiative.

WD

Here I have remodeled it again in SH3D and added the possible furnishings:

Ground floor

Upper floor

Wanderdüne schrieb:

Upper floor: It works. You should plan the children’s rooms together with the windows and sight lines. Just lighting in the corners may be sufficient but impractical.

Sorry, I don’t understand this. What do you mean by "children’s rooms" and "sight lines"?

Wanderdüne schrieb:

Views: I don’t understand why the zoning plan makes the local context (Amberg) extremely difficult. The planner should really take more responsibility here on their own.
WD

Sorry, I don’t really understand that either. What do you mean by this? Are you referring to our planner or the people who wrote the zoning plan? Basically, we would also prefer to build a normal shed roof (single-pitch roof) house. And how do you know this is in Amberg? Because it actually is.

I don’t think the floor plan is bad at all, but I would reconsider and possibly adjust a few details.

I find that the two halves of the house have too big a difference. They don’t seem to match. This could be changed by having a lower knee wall in the two-story part or a higher one in the single-story section. Something to create a sense that the number of floors is consistent but the two parts come closer together. Alternatively, the roof pitch could be adjusted if the building permit / planning permission allows it.

The windows could also be improved to add some visual interest to the facade. I don’t find the corner arrangement successful.

From the living room window, you would only see the neighboring building; however, in the evening there will still likely be some light. Therefore, I would equip this room, as well as the office and other rooms, with ribbon windows (assuming you like them). Advantages: light, but no direct views inside and no unattractive outlooks (for example, to the north and east).

Or on the west side, consider a double door instead of the corner window.

Kitchen: plan a patio door (where the stove is currently located) for a short path to the terrace.

Especially with a shed roof, you can introduce visual interest with asymmetrical window placement.

In the cloakroom, if the closet is to stay where it is, I would like to see a fixed, floor-to-ceiling window. However, I would move the closet to the south wall and swap the window next to the door, placing it in the cloakroom instead.

Interior doors: leave about 65 cm (26 inches) on the right side of the office door so there is enough space for a TV. I like the seating area (as mentioned, without the double window).

Behind the kitchen door, I would plan kitchen cabinets. For this, the kitchen entrance would need to be moved.

The bathroom door and shower should be arranged so that there is still space in the small hallway for a cupboard or chest of drawers.

Where will your outdoor trash storage be? The covered corner of the house would be a good spot, but I would avoid it because the entrance should be inviting.

Will a car be parked under the canopy? I hope not, because the entrance area could be beautifully designed as a courtyard.

I would design the roof of the single-story section as an open ceiling, giving the living area a stylish small atrium. The other rooms would also benefit from the openness. You could also consider a skylight in the bathroom, which would prevent anyone from looking in while increasing layout options.

Your bathroom will also be for guests, so I would position the toilet and sink towards the front area, so guests don’t have to walk through the whole bathroom.

These were just a few quick ideas from me.

Regards, Yvonne

I would feel very comfortable living there.

Edit says: corner window variations do not provide as much light in the room as placing windows parallel to or farther from the corner. They only provide the width of the diagonal light amount that results from the isosceles triangle formed by the two windows.

zovima15 schrieb:

Sorry, I don’t understand. What do you mean by "children’s room" and by sight lines?

Children’s room = children’s room.
Sight lines: Directions such as cardinal points, sun path, local development plan and so on are known; a desk is necessary, so for example, the desk and window should be planned in such a way that no shading of the window is required during the main usage time, the desired view outside is achieved, but the room is not disturbingly visible from outside. This applies to every room.
This was particularly poorly done at the kitchen counter. Anyone sitting there looks inward; the window door to the outside is positioned so that it is hardly possible to look out, and the kitchen window offers only a narrow visible area to the outside. This is acceptable just for the connection to those working in the kitchen, but it could be done much better.

zovima15 schrieb:

Do you mean our planner or those who wrote the local development plan? Basically, we would prefer to build a completely normal shed roof house. And how do you know that this is in Amberg? Because that is really

I mean everyone involved. Your town survived World War II quite well and therefore still has many intact older houses. Especially after the war, as in many places, urban and architectural planning went seriously wrong, and this is still ongoing. This means the planner faces a difficult—and for the homeowner possibly (but not necessarily) costly—task and responsibility to deliver an appropriate, harmonious, and dignified design that compensates for the weaknesses of the local development plan.
Unfortunately, I cannot see that here.

WD

Thanks in advance for the tips and advice. I will write more about it tomorrow, as I will have more time then.