ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, 2 full stories, approximately 170 square meters, slight slope site

Hello,

I would appreciate some feedback on the current status of my architect’s design. The draft is by no means final, and we are supposed to provide the architect with feedback now, so some help would be great...

A few notes:

• Location: a smaller city in northern Bavaria
• The plot is located within a water protection area. The groundwater must not be disturbed and is unfortunately about 2 meters (6.5 feet) below the surface. For this reason, a basement is only possible with disadvantages: the house would have to be raised quite a bit above ground level (there would then be a staircase about 1 meter (3.3 feet) high at the front door, making terrace design difficult). Therefore, no basement. It took some time to reach this conclusion... There was a more detailed previous design with a basement. This is the first new design without a basement.
• In general, there is no formal zoning plan. A preliminary inquiry with the city showed that the house must fit into the neighborhood. Two full stories with a pitched roof would be acceptable.
• Windows: windows are still a very open topic. The large south-facing window is controversial (difficult to clean, etc.). Also, the window in the ground-floor office is far too large. On the first floor, I would prefer somewhat larger windows on the west side and a more uniform look overall.
• What I am still struggling with: the living area is intended to be bright and open. But on the other hand, the sofa should not be placed in front of a (floor-to-ceiling) window as shown in the design. I would be especially interested in ideas for this.
• The living area also has a small split-level, adapting the building somewhat to the slight slope of the land. The drawbacks, such as reduced accessibility, are known and this is not decided yet. I would particularly welcome opinions on this...
• Regarding the entrance area: we told the architect that we would like a covered entrance. I have gotten used to the design now and probably am a bit too accustomed to it.
• The staircase is 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide but feels almost a bit narrow to me.
• In the first-floor plan I inserted a greyed-out area at one point, which somehow felt better to me (this area is definitely going to be changed).

Here are some answers to the questions (although not complete):

Style, roof shape, building type, basement, number of floors: 2 full stories, pitched roof, no basement
Number of people, age: 2, mid-40s, no children
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: open
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Fireplace: yes, desired
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: single garage, with an option for a second single garage on the south side adjacent to the neighboring plot. A double garage is not preferred by local planning authorities.
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: The house should comfortably fit two adults, allowing them to have some privacy when needed. The first floor is designed accordingly.

House design
Who created the design: architect
What do you like most? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: 600k
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 650k
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you have to compromise, which details / features could you do without: the large window, windows in general. Possibly the entrance area without a canopy, if that helps to stay within budget.

Images:

I would write something about the sauna, but since it is covered, I am currently not sure how the setup is there.

Well, a few things would bother me a lot:

• there’s the technical room, which is less than 5m² (54 ft²). That’s definitely too small. Please include the technical equipment layout! I think this could be a dealbreaker.
• I find the guest bathroom extremely cramped—disproportionate for the size of the house.
• Is access to the terrace blocked by the sofa? Or is there a second terrace near the kitchen? This is unclear.
• Upstairs, a laundry room is needed. Since something is greyed out here, was space reserved for that?
• Is there a chimney in the bedroom but not on the ground floor?
• The cloakroom is also too tiny.
• Many recesses and protrusions. For a gable roof house, in my opinion, that’s too much. The street view would look too irregular to me.
• The bedroom facing south with direct sunlight on the bed? Not without air conditioning.

Overall, I find this quite large for two people. Of course, everyone perceives this differently. We are also two and have 176m² (1,895 ft²). However, that is only because having children didn’t work out. If we had planned for two from the start, the house would have been much smaller and probably a bungalow.

Personally, I always find a split-level design quite nice. It allows for good zoning—just to say something positive. 😉

The excerpt of the site plan could be shown on a larger scale. At least you did not obscure the street name (which is unfortunately commonly done here in a somewhat childish manner). The collage of the zoning plan and the cadastral map layered on top of each other is a bit difficult to handle. At the edge of the red mark, I believe I can see indications of existing buildings, so the plot presumably has an existing structure (?)

We are currently discussing the issue here in https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-einfamilienhaus-240-m-mit-teilueberbauter-garage.46476/ regarding the wisdom of a Damocles house wall above a garage.

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

I inserted a gray spot in one area of the upper floor plan because I felt somewhat more comfortable that way (this area definitely still needs to be changed)

Whatever that may be, there is no need to be embarrassed here. What are the light blue squares—some kind of (steel) columns?

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

I would be interested in feedback on a preliminary version from my architect. The design is by no means final; we are supposed to provide feedback to the architect now, so some help with that would be appreciated...

What exactly do you mean by "preliminary version"? To me, it seems you have a CAD-generation architect who prefers to follow fashionable customer expectations about how a modern architect should work rather than proceeding properly and solidly. I would part ways with this type of customer-pleaser. Personally, the speculative dimensions (and the flaws concealed within them) are enough reason for me to reject both the design and the designer. Not because of the floor plan or – aside from the structural question mark – the building form itself, but due to the unprofessional approach.

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

If you have to make sacrifices, which details/extensions can you do without: the large window, windows in general, or possibly your entrance area without a canopy, if that would otherwise put too much strain on the budget

I would appreciate it if you could explain that a bit more.

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How do you get onto the terrace?

Hello,
Do you have grandchildren or something? Are the two rooms upstairs placeholders or intended mainly for marketing purposes? One room could otherwise be for guests, the second for hobbies?
Is there a view to the east that justifies putting such large windows there?

I’ll go through the individual components and use the quotes:

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

The large window on the south side obviously divides opinion (difficult to clean, etc.).

I think it’s great. A house needs a statement, in my opinion (if you can afford it).

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

But the window in the ground floor office is also way too big. On the first floor, however, I would like somewhat larger windows on the west side and everything a bit more consistent.

To be honest, the windows overwhelm me. In my taste, they don’t fit the style—there are way too many individual elements creating visual clutter. For me, it even starts in the north where the wide light strips are lined up side by side. It would be nice to have a bit more wall in between. Everything is somehow too much, even though some of the sizes are justified. Look, for example, at the bedroom windows—who really needs south-facing windows there? And in the living room, the east windows could be removed—if you get up on a winter Sunday, the sun is already halfway around anyway.

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

But on the other hand, the sofa is not supposed to be in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, as in the design. I’m especially interested in ideas about that.

Counter-question: what bothers you about that? Some people object. Those are the ones who would install a knee-level window there and then arrange orchids or Christmas decorations on the sill. Others plan it so that the view from the sofa also leads into the garden—it usually creates a visually appealing transition from the living space into the garden. However, I do find the living room too narrow to consider the fireplace divider as intentional. I don’t find it bad if one feels sheltered on the property and in the house.
However: how do you get onto the terrace?

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

The disadvantages like reduced accessibility are intentional, so it’s not yet decided. Opinions are especially welcome here...

I think those 2-3 steps are okay and well done. More of a barrier is the staircase. You can always handle 2-3 steps. And if not, then you can’t get to the bedroom upstairs anyway.

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

The staircase is one meter wide (and actually seems a bit narrow to me).

Fits perfectly!

Huhuhu7 schrieb:

It should be possible for two adults to live here so that they can sometimes avoid each other in daily life, which is why the upper floor is designed accordingly.

I wouldn’t say that’s particularly noteworthy. Ultimately, you can live downstairs and sleep upstairs. And yes, you can retreat. However, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that door above the head area in the bedroom. It doesn’t belong there.

K a t j a schrieb:

There needs to be a laundry room upstairs. Since something was greyed out here, was space intended for this?

With the laundry room in the technical room plus the storage room on the ground floor, I find the space sufficient. One room upstairs will probably have to be used for stuff, decorations, and hobby materials.

K a t j a schrieb:

Is there a chimney in the bedroom but not on the ground floor?

It’s directly above the fireplace, according to the plan.

K a t j a schrieb:

The wardrobe is way too small.

Yes, absolutely! It’s enough for the woman’s shoes, but where does everything else go?
Also, I noticed that the kitchen involves too large distances.
The covered entrance is okay and does not pose major cost traps in construction.

Let me introduce myself and my house briefly:
I was in my mid-40s when we built ten years ago. Just for us—not for children who might move back in later. So we built on about 10 x 10 meters (about 33 x 33 feet), upstairs roughly half under the roof then about 45 square meters (484 square feet) more. Not a classical layout, with a huge open space, everything open, including the stairwell with many low windows.
If I had more money:
Bedroom on the ground floor with a dressing room and a small wellness bathroom instead of the office with shower toilets.
Office then upstairs.
So, a consistent layout of compact living on the ground floor, everything else (hobbies, retreat, guests, work) upstairs. Including yoga, sauna, and bathtub upstairs. That way, if someone is sick, you can really separate areas, or guests can have their own space.
Again, a fireplace, an open kitchen with a view to the TV and the greenery, again the utility room accessible from the hallway, again laundry on the upper floor. Again, direct access from the kitchen to the terrace. And: the wardrobe was very important to us. Under the stairs there is a sufficiently sized space, small but important. However, it can be twice as wide my way. Bags take up a lot of space. And then suddenly a dog came into our lives (never intended), and everything in the entrance area became far too small.
Just a thought to inspire...

I don’t see any jacket hanging anywhere in your plan, not even one on a hook. But where’s the rest? Winter coats, scarves? You don’t want that upstairs; you need it on the ground floor.
What’s the purpose of the door facing the kitchen?
Guest WC with a shower: just as badly thought-out as in our house. If you want to use it, the bathroom is too small. Otherwise, you don’t need it.
A wardrobe room would arise if you swapped the storage room and the technical room.
The office at the back near the living room is in a location better suited for private use than for home office.
I would rotate the kitchen island here. Adapt the open space to the dining table area.

Why doesn’t the guest bathroom have a window? In my opinion, that’s rather unfortunate, especially since it’s already located in the corner...