Hello everyone,
we currently have a plot of land reserved and plan to purchase it within the next few months. However, the house construction will take place next year, as we first need to sell our existing property. The plot is located in Lower Saxony in the Südheide region.
All further information can be found below.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 739m² (approximately 7,951 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio (floor area ratio): 0.3
Gross floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3m (10 feet) around the plot
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof shape: 25° to 45° slope
Style: no high-gloss roof tiles, roof tiles in red or anthracite
Orientation: no specifications
Maximum heights / limits: at least 3m (10 feet) eaves height
Other regulations
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: preferably classic but modern, brick facing. Roof shape: hipped roof 25°, the garage should also have a hipped roof (integrated into the main roof; roofs on ancillary buildings can be flatter); building: bungalow
Basement, floors: no basement, 1 floor, the attic should be usable as storage space
Number and age of occupants: 2 people, both 40 years old; no children now or planned for the future
Space requirements on the ground floor: approx. 120–125m² (so much as needed, as little as possible); the attached floor plan comes to 125m² (1,344 sq ft)
Office: home office needed for one of us
Guest bedrooms per year: very rarely to never
Open or closed layout: living area open, the rest closed
Conservative or modern construction style: rather conservative but not outdated, definitely no experiments
Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 4–5
Fireplace: no
Garage is a must, also space for equipment storage
Other special features:
We have a dog (Labrador), so a second entrance through the garage/laundry room is necessary. Therefore, the garage is planned to be this large (6.4m (21 feet), so you can walk around the car inside the garage).
Storage space: the utility room is planned to be large but will mainly be used as needed. The cabinets shown in the plans are just examples.
Next to the dining table is a window seat for sitting and looking outside.
KfW 55 standard (only what is required by law).
The ceiling in the small hallway near the bedrooms should be lowered and equipped with air conditioning (not immediate but must be prepared for it).
Photovoltaic system should also be installed or at least conduit pipes provided for later installation.
House Design
Planning origin: do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
I’m not sure if the entrance area is too complicated.
The utility room seems oversized, but on the other hand, storage space is needed.
The bedroom on the south side seems oversized, but I cannot sensibly reduce it.
Price estimate from architect/planner: none so far
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 500,000 EUR total (plot, incidental construction costs, garden, terrace, etc.). The plot costs 73,000 EUR fully serviced. Own labor is not an option due to time constraints.
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
The plot is not ideal for building a bungalow with a garage. On the west, north, and east sides, the house just fits with a 3m (10 feet) setback from the boundary.
If you have to compromise, on which details/finishes
-you can give up:
-you cannot give up:
Basically, on one hand, we want to build as cost-effectively as possible, but on the other hand, a few things are important to us (garage, brick facing, air conditioning, storage space including utility room and equipment).
I would like to bring the living area down to 120m² (1,292 sq ft), but it is not that easy to achieve this meaningfully.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions
we currently have a plot of land reserved and plan to purchase it within the next few months. However, the house construction will take place next year, as we first need to sell our existing property. The plot is located in Lower Saxony in the Südheide region.
All further information can be found below.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 739m² (approximately 7,951 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio (floor area ratio): 0.3
Gross floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3m (10 feet) around the plot
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof shape: 25° to 45° slope
Style: no high-gloss roof tiles, roof tiles in red or anthracite
Orientation: no specifications
Maximum heights / limits: at least 3m (10 feet) eaves height
Other regulations
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: preferably classic but modern, brick facing. Roof shape: hipped roof 25°, the garage should also have a hipped roof (integrated into the main roof; roofs on ancillary buildings can be flatter); building: bungalow
Basement, floors: no basement, 1 floor, the attic should be usable as storage space
Number and age of occupants: 2 people, both 40 years old; no children now or planned for the future
Space requirements on the ground floor: approx. 120–125m² (so much as needed, as little as possible); the attached floor plan comes to 125m² (1,344 sq ft)
Office: home office needed for one of us
Guest bedrooms per year: very rarely to never
Open or closed layout: living area open, the rest closed
Conservative or modern construction style: rather conservative but not outdated, definitely no experiments
Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 4–5
Fireplace: no
Garage is a must, also space for equipment storage
Other special features:
We have a dog (Labrador), so a second entrance through the garage/laundry room is necessary. Therefore, the garage is planned to be this large (6.4m (21 feet), so you can walk around the car inside the garage).
Storage space: the utility room is planned to be large but will mainly be used as needed. The cabinets shown in the plans are just examples.
Next to the dining table is a window seat for sitting and looking outside.
KfW 55 standard (only what is required by law).
The ceiling in the small hallway near the bedrooms should be lowered and equipped with air conditioning (not immediate but must be prepared for it).
Photovoltaic system should also be installed or at least conduit pipes provided for later installation.
House Design
Planning origin: do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
I’m not sure if the entrance area is too complicated.
The utility room seems oversized, but on the other hand, storage space is needed.
The bedroom on the south side seems oversized, but I cannot sensibly reduce it.
Price estimate from architect/planner: none so far
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 500,000 EUR total (plot, incidental construction costs, garden, terrace, etc.). The plot costs 73,000 EUR fully serviced. Own labor is not an option due to time constraints.
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
The plot is not ideal for building a bungalow with a garage. On the west, north, and east sides, the house just fits with a 3m (10 feet) setback from the boundary.
If you have to compromise, on which details/finishes
-you can give up:
-you cannot give up:
Basically, on one hand, we want to build as cost-effectively as possible, but on the other hand, a few things are important to us (garage, brick facing, air conditioning, storage space including utility room and equipment).
I would like to bring the living area down to 120m² (1,292 sq ft), but it is not that easy to achieve this meaningfully.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions
We also have a bungalow. You can probably still find the floor plan here.
What is incredibly important in a bungalow is the hallway. You walk through the hallway more often in a bungalow than in any other type of house. So give it some space and attention. Ideally, it should be somewhat rounded, with the rooms branching off like spokes on a wheel. One side can be for the living area, and the other for public spaces. Forget about creating a completely separate living area. In a compact bungalow, that simply isn’t possible without creating dark, narrow corridors. And make sure to include those interior doors in the hallways. Since light comes in, they will almost always be left open anyway.
Basically, a bungalow is a house that invites sociability and a certain level of intimacy. If the bedroom door is open, you can see inside from the front door. That’s just how it is and you have to like it. When we have guests, they get an immediate impression of our mess. With two kids and cats, the doors are almost always wide open. Everyone can see inside our closets 😀 That probably won’t be as extreme for you, but you should be aware of it.
Otherwise: allow yourself a bit of space in the open-plan area (living room, dining room, kitchen). You’ll quickly miss it if you want to add a nice new cabinet later on.
What is incredibly important in a bungalow is the hallway. You walk through the hallway more often in a bungalow than in any other type of house. So give it some space and attention. Ideally, it should be somewhat rounded, with the rooms branching off like spokes on a wheel. One side can be for the living area, and the other for public spaces. Forget about creating a completely separate living area. In a compact bungalow, that simply isn’t possible without creating dark, narrow corridors. And make sure to include those interior doors in the hallways. Since light comes in, they will almost always be left open anyway.
Basically, a bungalow is a house that invites sociability and a certain level of intimacy. If the bedroom door is open, you can see inside from the front door. That’s just how it is and you have to like it. When we have guests, they get an immediate impression of our mess. With two kids and cats, the doors are almost always wide open. Everyone can see inside our closets 😀 That probably won’t be as extreme for you, but you should be aware of it.
Otherwise: allow yourself a bit of space in the open-plan area (living room, dining room, kitchen). You’ll quickly miss it if you want to add a nice new cabinet later on.
F
forrestde20 Apr 2024 09:08hanghaus2023 schrieb:
This is just a placeholder. Why not place the garage along the property line? The layout can be improved a lot.
Hello hanghaus,
thank you for your suggestion.
We don’t like this floor plan because the room arrangement doesn’t work for us. For example, the bathroom is only accessible through the bedroom, which wouldn’t be suitable. Also, from the terrace I can see into the bathroom, so I already know if the toilet is occupied or not 😀
The garage as shown is not permitted since the 3m (10ft) building setback line must be observed at the front. Only right at the neighbor’s property line is a boundary wall allowed.
I have the next DIY experiment in the pipeline, I will post it later.
Best regards
forrest
F
forrestde20 Apr 2024 12:04So, here is the new design.
The key suggestions from you have now been incorporated.
It’s still not easy to fit all the requirements and wishes (setback distances, garage, practical usability of the rooms) into one plan.
I’m still not completely satisfied with the two bedrooms. Maybe someone has an idea?
One bedroom is the master bedroom, the other is a guest bedroom, which is used quite regularly because a certain gentleman snores 😀
Thanks and best regards
forrest
The key suggestions from you have now been incorporated.
It’s still not easy to fit all the requirements and wishes (setback distances, garage, practical usability of the rooms) into one plan.
I’m still not completely satisfied with the two bedrooms. Maybe someone has an idea?
One bedroom is the master bedroom, the other is a guest bedroom, which is used quite regularly because a certain gentleman snores 😀
Thanks and best regards
forrest
We also have a 125m² (1,345 sqft) bungalow. Your design is far too complicated and cluttered for my taste, plus it features the most expensive roof type with a hip roof that doesn’t offer proper standing height in the fully utilized attic. After a discussion with an architect, we quickly decided on a gable roof instead.
F
forrestde20 Apr 2024 18:24Do you mean by “complex” the recess at the entrance area or the room layout inside?
The recess at the entrance is related to the garage door. Since we have a dog, we don’t want to track dirt directly into the house, so we plan to enter the house through the garage.
We lived for several years in a "quasi" bungalow with a gable roof, but we don’t find that appealing visually. Regarding the higher costs for a hip roof, I’m not so sure; it depends on the general contractor/provider. I’ve also read here that a gable roof can be more expensive because it involves more wall surface (brickwork, etc.). At least one user reported that here.
I just found it:
Gable Roof vs. Hip Roof
The recess at the entrance is related to the garage door. Since we have a dog, we don’t want to track dirt directly into the house, so we plan to enter the house through the garage.
We lived for several years in a "quasi" bungalow with a gable roof, but we don’t find that appealing visually. Regarding the higher costs for a hip roof, I’m not so sure; it depends on the general contractor/provider. I’ve also read here that a gable roof can be more expensive because it involves more wall surface (brickwork, etc.). At least one user reported that here.
I just found it:
Gable Roof vs. Hip Roof
forrestde schrieb:
We don’t like the floor plan because the room layout doesn’t work for us. But he says it’s just a placeholder?!
forrestde schrieb:
Also, from the terrace you can see into the bathroom, so I can already tell if the toilet is occupied or not 😀 So what? You don’t have anyone who would mind! The family situation that allows direct access from the bathroom to the terrace is a rare find for some. If you’re afraid of your own reflection or don’t know about pleated blinds/curtains, well, now you do.
If you search for small bungalows from Scanhaus Marlow or Danwood, you’ll find that almost every design fits your plot in terms of width and length.
Here are two examples from me:
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