ᐅ Floor Plan Design for Renovation of a 1970s Terraced House
Created on: 6 Dec 2023 23:50
G
GalileoNRWG
GalileoNRW6 Dec 2023 23:50Hello everyone,
before I explain the request in more detail, here is the completed questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: I could find out, but I believe it is irrelevant for the floor plan design, right?
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: I could find out, but I believe it is irrelevant for the floor plan design, right?
Plot ratio: I could find out, but I believe it is irrelevant for the floor plan design, right?
Building window, building line, and boundary: ?
Edge development: ?
Number of parking spaces: Usable by us: 1 parking space in front of the house
Number of floors: Ground floor, upper floor plus basement – Usable by us: ground floor and partly basement
Roof shape -
Architectural style: ?
Orientation: ?
Maximum heights / limits: ?
Other regulations: ?
Owners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof shape, building type – Two-family house with 2 residential units, separate basement rooms and a shared basement. Relevant for us: ground floor
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor. Usable by us: ground floor and partly basement
Number of people, age: 2 adults in their mid-30s, 1 baby – potentially another child in the future
Space requirements on the ground floor and basement: Currently: kitchen (possibly including dining area), bathroom, guest WC, 1 bedroom, 1 children’s room, 1 study, storage space (possibly as part of the study), living room (possibly including dining area) – potentially a second children’s room in the future (there is a larger room in the basement which was previously used as a children’s room. Either it could be used again for that purpose or the master bedroom might be moved there).
Office: family use or home office? – Home office (possibly with storage space) – only space for a desk 140cm x 80cm (55 x 31 inches) and an office chair is needed.
Overnight guests per year – rare
Open or closed layout – Preferably an open kitchen with dining area or view into the dining room/living room. However, ideally it should be possible to separate the kitchen from the other rooms while cooking.
Conservative or modern construction: preferably modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen – see above, cooking island – yes, please
Number of dining seats: 4-6, tending towards 6 when guests visit.
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace
Garage, carport: parking space
Utility garden, greenhouse: garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also please explain why something should or should not be included:
- We would like a sufficiently large dining/living room where the child can also play later. The challenge here is: The play area should not be in the way or be so disruptive that you constantly trip over it.
- Although the house actually has large rooms (from our perspective and based on our current rental apartment), there is no real possibility for a “storage closet” for usual items like ironing board, vacuum cleaner, etc., if you don’t want to get them from the basement all the time. It would be nice to find a solution here, possibly through built-in cupboards in the hallway or entrance area.
House Design
Who created the design: The house was originally built as a bungalow but has since undergone multiple structural changes (added another floor, floor plan alterations, etc.). We don’t know who was originally responsible for the design, and that is probably irrelevant, right?
Current floor plan – I attach graphics made with SweetHome3D.
What do you like particularly? Why? – The large dining room and the large living room – we generally like that but it may not be optimal for our current needs or could be considered “space wasted.”
– Rather square rooms; our current rental apartment mostly has narrow or elongated rooms.
– Single-level living except for two rooms in the basement
What do you not like? Why?:
– Feels like there are too few rooms. We lack ideas to improve this.
– There is currently a bathtub and a small 80cm x 80cm (31 x 31 inches) shower cubicle – the classic design with shower tray and glass doors. We would prefer a bathtub (possibly in the guest WC) and a walk-in shower for aging-in-place, with at least 90 cm (35 inches) width.
Price estimate according to architect/designer: ?
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: The house is being sold within the family and the price is therefore “good.” We have not set a limit yet; first, we want to find out what can be achieved without major “poor compromises.”
Preferred heating technology: Currently, wall-mounted radiators under the windows without recessed niches. It still needs to be clarified whether underfloor heating is possible. If yes, that would probably be the chosen heating system, but this is not certain yet.
If you have to give up anything, which features / extensions
- can you do without: Ideally nothing – if anything, an open kitchen with cooking island 🙂
- cannot give up: ?
Why is the design as it is now?
Currently, this is simply the as-is condition. We haven’t developed it further. Below, we list our “thoughts” and hope this will be enough and helpful for now.
The plan and dimensions were created based on original floor plans and manual measurements over the past few days. Therefore, it may not be accurate in every detail but should be sufficiently precise for necessary planning and ideas. If you need anything else, please let us know – we will provide it.
The floor plan looks as follows:
1 – current kitchen (description viewpoint is from the window into the room)
2 – current dining room
3 – current living room
4 – current hallway with access to the garden (sliding door and glass front along the entire side)
5 – current guest WC (description viewpoint is from the door into the room)
6 – possible children’s room
7 – main bathroom (description viewpoint is from the door into the room)
8 – possible master bedroom
We are currently leaving out water connections, as the current owner says almost everything is possible by rerouting pipes along the basement ceiling (sometimes with more, sometimes less effort).
The following ideas have emerged so far – is the textual description sufficient? If not, we can add them to the plan:
Option 1:
Rooms 1 and 2 are combined. Along the wall where the oven, fridge, etc., are currently located, a large and long work surface extends into room 2. The cooking hob is placed at a right angle at the “end” of the work surface, running toward the window side (a classic “L” shape). The rest of room 2 remains the dining room.
Room 3 remains the living room.
Room 4 is separated off from the hallway and could then serve as a study / storage room: the problem here is that this is the only access to the garden. Therefore, quiet working in summer would not be possible; an additional access to room 3 would have to be built. A sole access through room 3 is not ideal since you would have to walk through the living room with garden waste, etc.
Additional question: The previously large and open entrance area could become very small and cramped – you would then be facing a wall from room 4. Also, there would be no possibility for a wardrobe.
Room 5 gets a bathtub instead of the washing machine and dryer.
Room 6 becomes the children’s room.
Room 7: The wash basin moves to the left side, the toilet remains where it is, the shower on the right side becomes slightly wider (if this is sensible regarding space and freedom of movement) and a bit longer.
Room 8 becomes the bedroom.
Option 2:
Room 1 becomes the home office with storage area.
Room 2 becomes the living room: the “problem” here is that the room is rather narrow for a living room concerning the distance between sofa, coffee table, and TV on the wall. Possibly some space could be taken from room 1 if that makes sense.
Room 3 becomes the kitchen with dining area (possibly with garden access, but not a must). We currently have no idea for the perfect division of “kitchen” and “dining area.”
Room 4 remains a large hallway.
Rooms 5 to 8 remain as in option 1.
Theoretically, there is also a basement room that could serve as a storage and pantry room. This would be a fallback solution because it is uncomfortable to always have to go to the basement. There is also a basement room (the above-mentioned former children’s room) that is large enough for a study with storage. However, if there is another child, that room will have to be a bedroom, and without further remodeling upstairs, there would be no possibility for a study with storage. Therefore, we would avoid that. If anyone has ideas for these rooms, we will gladly provide their floor plans.
We hope our explanations are understandable and that our suggested options at least give an idea of what we want to achieve with our ideas. These ideas are amateur and spontaneous – everything can be reconsidered and changed.
Many thanks in advance.
before I explain the request in more detail, here is the completed questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: I could find out, but I believe it is irrelevant for the floor plan design, right?
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: I could find out, but I believe it is irrelevant for the floor plan design, right?
Plot ratio: I could find out, but I believe it is irrelevant for the floor plan design, right?
Building window, building line, and boundary: ?
Edge development: ?
Number of parking spaces: Usable by us: 1 parking space in front of the house
Number of floors: Ground floor, upper floor plus basement – Usable by us: ground floor and partly basement
Roof shape -
Architectural style: ?
Orientation: ?
Maximum heights / limits: ?
Other regulations: ?
Owners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof shape, building type – Two-family house with 2 residential units, separate basement rooms and a shared basement. Relevant for us: ground floor
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor. Usable by us: ground floor and partly basement
Number of people, age: 2 adults in their mid-30s, 1 baby – potentially another child in the future
Space requirements on the ground floor and basement: Currently: kitchen (possibly including dining area), bathroom, guest WC, 1 bedroom, 1 children’s room, 1 study, storage space (possibly as part of the study), living room (possibly including dining area) – potentially a second children’s room in the future (there is a larger room in the basement which was previously used as a children’s room. Either it could be used again for that purpose or the master bedroom might be moved there).
Office: family use or home office? – Home office (possibly with storage space) – only space for a desk 140cm x 80cm (55 x 31 inches) and an office chair is needed.
Overnight guests per year – rare
Open or closed layout – Preferably an open kitchen with dining area or view into the dining room/living room. However, ideally it should be possible to separate the kitchen from the other rooms while cooking.
Conservative or modern construction: preferably modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen – see above, cooking island – yes, please
Number of dining seats: 4-6, tending towards 6 when guests visit.
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace
Garage, carport: parking space
Utility garden, greenhouse: garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also please explain why something should or should not be included:
- We would like a sufficiently large dining/living room where the child can also play later. The challenge here is: The play area should not be in the way or be so disruptive that you constantly trip over it.
- Although the house actually has large rooms (from our perspective and based on our current rental apartment), there is no real possibility for a “storage closet” for usual items like ironing board, vacuum cleaner, etc., if you don’t want to get them from the basement all the time. It would be nice to find a solution here, possibly through built-in cupboards in the hallway or entrance area.
House Design
Who created the design: The house was originally built as a bungalow but has since undergone multiple structural changes (added another floor, floor plan alterations, etc.). We don’t know who was originally responsible for the design, and that is probably irrelevant, right?
Current floor plan – I attach graphics made with SweetHome3D.
What do you like particularly? Why? – The large dining room and the large living room – we generally like that but it may not be optimal for our current needs or could be considered “space wasted.”
– Rather square rooms; our current rental apartment mostly has narrow or elongated rooms.
– Single-level living except for two rooms in the basement
What do you not like? Why?:
– Feels like there are too few rooms. We lack ideas to improve this.
– There is currently a bathtub and a small 80cm x 80cm (31 x 31 inches) shower cubicle – the classic design with shower tray and glass doors. We would prefer a bathtub (possibly in the guest WC) and a walk-in shower for aging-in-place, with at least 90 cm (35 inches) width.
Price estimate according to architect/designer: ?
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: The house is being sold within the family and the price is therefore “good.” We have not set a limit yet; first, we want to find out what can be achieved without major “poor compromises.”
Preferred heating technology: Currently, wall-mounted radiators under the windows without recessed niches. It still needs to be clarified whether underfloor heating is possible. If yes, that would probably be the chosen heating system, but this is not certain yet.
If you have to give up anything, which features / extensions
- can you do without: Ideally nothing – if anything, an open kitchen with cooking island 🙂
- cannot give up: ?
Why is the design as it is now?
Currently, this is simply the as-is condition. We haven’t developed it further. Below, we list our “thoughts” and hope this will be enough and helpful for now.
The plan and dimensions were created based on original floor plans and manual measurements over the past few days. Therefore, it may not be accurate in every detail but should be sufficiently precise for necessary planning and ideas. If you need anything else, please let us know – we will provide it.
The floor plan looks as follows:
1 – current kitchen (description viewpoint is from the window into the room)
- Currently, the stove and dishwasher are on the left side.
- Currently, “above” is a row of cupboards including oven, microwave, and fridge.
- Currently, “below” at the windows is a worktop. But the windows are so low that an ergonomic working height is not possible – this is no longer an option for us.
2 – current dining room
- It is possible to open up a connection to the kitchen beyond the existing door.
- Between the dining room and living room, there is currently a somewhat outdated accordion door.
3 – current living room
4 – current hallway with access to the garden (sliding door and glass front along the entire side)
5 – current guest WC (description viewpoint is from the door into the room)
- Currently, the wash basin is “above.”
- Currently, the toilet is on the right.
- Currently, on the left are a washing machine and a dryer (these are no longer needed and should initially be relocated to the basement).
6 – possible children’s room
7 – main bathroom (description viewpoint is from the door into the room)
- Currently, on the left is first a small cupboard and then a bathtub (in front of / under the window).
- Currently, straight ahead is the toilet.
- Currently, on the right is first a wash basin and then the shower.
8 – possible master bedroom
We are currently leaving out water connections, as the current owner says almost everything is possible by rerouting pipes along the basement ceiling (sometimes with more, sometimes less effort).
The following ideas have emerged so far – is the textual description sufficient? If not, we can add them to the plan:
Option 1:
Rooms 1 and 2 are combined. Along the wall where the oven, fridge, etc., are currently located, a large and long work surface extends into room 2. The cooking hob is placed at a right angle at the “end” of the work surface, running toward the window side (a classic “L” shape). The rest of room 2 remains the dining room.
Room 3 remains the living room.
Room 4 is separated off from the hallway and could then serve as a study / storage room: the problem here is that this is the only access to the garden. Therefore, quiet working in summer would not be possible; an additional access to room 3 would have to be built. A sole access through room 3 is not ideal since you would have to walk through the living room with garden waste, etc.
Additional question: The previously large and open entrance area could become very small and cramped – you would then be facing a wall from room 4. Also, there would be no possibility for a wardrobe.
Room 5 gets a bathtub instead of the washing machine and dryer.
Room 6 becomes the children’s room.
Room 7: The wash basin moves to the left side, the toilet remains where it is, the shower on the right side becomes slightly wider (if this is sensible regarding space and freedom of movement) and a bit longer.
Room 8 becomes the bedroom.
Option 2:
Room 1 becomes the home office with storage area.
Room 2 becomes the living room: the “problem” here is that the room is rather narrow for a living room concerning the distance between sofa, coffee table, and TV on the wall. Possibly some space could be taken from room 1 if that makes sense.
Room 3 becomes the kitchen with dining area (possibly with garden access, but not a must). We currently have no idea for the perfect division of “kitchen” and “dining area.”
Room 4 remains a large hallway.
Rooms 5 to 8 remain as in option 1.
Theoretically, there is also a basement room that could serve as a storage and pantry room. This would be a fallback solution because it is uncomfortable to always have to go to the basement. There is also a basement room (the above-mentioned former children’s room) that is large enough for a study with storage. However, if there is another child, that room will have to be a bedroom, and without further remodeling upstairs, there would be no possibility for a study with storage. Therefore, we would avoid that. If anyone has ideas for these rooms, we will gladly provide their floor plans.
We hope our explanations are understandable and that our suggested options at least give an idea of what we want to achieve with our ideas. These ideas are amateur and spontaneous – everything can be reconsidered and changed.
Many thanks in advance.
GalileoNRW schrieb:
Irrelevant for the floor plan, right? Maybe you could first specify the area in square meters, where the terrace is located, where north and the street are… where the entrance and parking spaces are. Some of these details are actually not entirely irrelevant.
Then simply redraw everything to scale and furnish it with your ideas: demolition areas in yellow, walls to be bricked up in red… this way it will be clear whether some things are feasible. Because it needs to be understandable. After all, these are your ideas that you might want to implement, not instructions or an assignment for the forum.
By the way, I find it important to know who is selling. Is it the person living upstairs? Is it the owner of the entire building or just the owner of the ground floor apartment?
Please provide all this information. Also, the original drafts are important to identify the load-bearing walls and the types of windows.
And if the upper floor plans are also available, please share those as well.
So you have therefore set aside the older terraced house and now found a somewhat newer one (?)
I thought the introduction was still good up to the point of redrawing it :-(
Whether it was the fisherman's wife who wanted the renovation is indeed unimportant. However, there should still be documentation (building file!) for the original construction and the renovations. Floor plans and at least one cross-section would be helpful.
For a suspicion, though, the drawing is already enough for me: that it is not a terraced house, but rather a linked house (?)
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
GalileoNRW schrieb:
I am attaching the current floor plan – graphics made with SweetHome3D.
I thought the introduction was still good up to the point of redrawing it :-(
GalileoNRW schrieb:
Who designed the plan: The house was significantly modified after construction (originally a bungalow) with additional floors, changes to the layout, etc. We do not know who was originally responsible for this, and that is probably irrelevant, right?
Whether it was the fisherman's wife who wanted the renovation is indeed unimportant. However, there should still be documentation (building file!) for the original construction and the renovations. Floor plans and at least one cross-section would be helpful.
For a suspicion, though, the drawing is already enough for me: that it is not a terraced house, but rather a linked house (?)
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
G
GalileoNRW7 Dec 2023 01:11First of all, thank you for your replies.
Yes, exactly. We stayed away from the older terraced house. Overall, it was too expensive for us at the asking price.
The current house is already family-owned (second generation; first generation has passed away). The current owner owns the entire building and the whole property. The house was originally built as a bungalow; later, the upper floor was added and the house was arranged so that the ground floor and upper floor have separate entrances. The current owner will stay in the upper floor after the sale; we will move into the ground floor.
What exactly do you mean by that? I’m a bit lost.
I had to quickly Google that 🙂 It’s not a linked house. Whether it is officially a terraced house in technical terms? For me, as a layperson, it is. The house marked with an x in the following picture (north is at the top – I will add a compass to the SH3D plan as requested) is the current property. It is located on a cul-de-sac. The parking spaces are directly in front of the house (parallel to the house; I will include them at the top of the plan as requested).
I am uploading the original floor plans. I have the basement and ground floor. The upper floor was added later. I currently do not have the floor plan for the upper floor.
I will write more about the rest of the contribution from @ypg later.
11ant schrieb:
So you have ruled out the older terraced house and found a newer one (?)
Yes, exactly. We stayed away from the older terraced house. Overall, it was too expensive for us at the asking price.
ypg schrieb:
By the way, I think it’s important to know who is selling. Is it the person who lives upstairs? Is it the owner of the entire building, or just the owner of the ground floor apartment?
The current house is already family-owned (second generation; first generation has passed away). The current owner owns the entire building and the whole property. The house was originally built as a bungalow; later, the upper floor was added and the house was arranged so that the ground floor and upper floor have separate entrances. The current owner will stay in the upper floor after the sale; we will move into the ground floor.
11ant schrieb:
Up to the point about redrawing, I still liked the introduction :-(
What exactly do you mean by that? I’m a bit lost.
11ant schrieb:
For suspicion, the drawing alone is enough for me: that it might not be a terraced house, but a linked house (?)
I had to quickly Google that 🙂 It’s not a linked house. Whether it is officially a terraced house in technical terms? For me, as a layperson, it is. The house marked with an x in the following picture (north is at the top – I will add a compass to the SH3D plan as requested) is the current property. It is located on a cul-de-sac. The parking spaces are directly in front of the house (parallel to the house; I will include them at the top of the plan as requested).
11ant schrieb:
But there should still be documents (building records!) for original construction and any conversions. Floor plans and at least one cross-section would be helpful.
ypg schrieb:
Also, the original designs are important to identify load-bearing walls and also the characteristics of the windows. And if there are plans for the upper floor, please share those as well.
I am uploading the original floor plans. I have the basement and ground floor. The upper floor was added later. I currently do not have the floor plan for the upper floor.
I will write more about the rest of the contribution from @ypg later.
G
GalileoNRW7 Dec 2023 01:17GalileoNRW schrieb:
We are going to the ground floor. and receive the rooms marked on the original plan (see above) as cellar bar and oil tank room (no longer present). Laundry and heating will become general utility rooms. The rest belongs to the upper floor.
GalileoNRW schrieb:
The current house has already been in the family for two generations (the first generation is deceased). The current owner holds full ownership of both the house and the entire plot. The house was originally built as a bungalow, then the upper floor was added later. It was arranged so that the ground floor and the upper floor can be accessed separately. After the purchase/sale, the current owner will remain on the upper floor. We will move into the ground floor. A TV detective once had the saying on his wall: "Eat and laugh with family, but never do business" ;-)
GalileoNRW schrieb:
What exactly do you mean by that? I’m a bit confused. I mean the typical “transmission errors” when copying plans by hand.
GalileoNRW schrieb:
It’s not a linked house. Is it officially considered a terraced house by technical definition? Ah yes, it’s definitely not a linked house here, but the term “terraced house” fits best from a formal perspective. However, it is somewhat atypical, as it is attached on both sides but not the classic continuous row of houses usually associated with that term.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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