ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, 1 full story, utilities and natural lighting
Created on: 22 Jul 2024 08:21
K
klabauter8614
Hello, I would like to gather feedback on the floor plan in order to finalize the design. We don’t have sections or elevations yet, but all other drawings are attached (house shown schematically on the site plan). Thanks.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 473m² (5,089 ft²)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: maximum 2 without garage
Number of floors: 1 full floor
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style
Orientation: Roof facing NNE - SSW
Maximum heights / limits: eave height 4.2m (13.8 ft), ridge height 9.5m (31.2 ft)
Further requirements: only renewable energy sources, infiltration trench for stormwater
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors: no basement (groundwater level at 1m (3.3 ft) depth), 1 full floor
Number of occupants, ages: 4, aged 40-40-7-2 years
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Guesst room on the ground floor, office upstairs
Office use: family use or home office? Home office
Number of guest stays per year: 2 nights per week by one parent (also for coming years), parents-in-law stay several weeks annually
Open or closed layout
Traditional or modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island: semi-open (sliding door), kitchen island
Number of fixed dining seats: 6 fixed, expandable
Fireplace: no
Music/speaker wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: herb garden
Additional wishes/special points/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions
House Design
Planner: synergy between architect and client, now 4th draft
What do you particularly like? Why? Guest room and WC + shower, similar existing layout already working (although a bed is drawn, it is actually a sofa bed), office on the north side, guest room size more than sufficient, wardrobe by the entrance, living room bright, washing machine + dryer upstairs.
What don’t you like? Why?
- Utility room is half unusable due to wardrobe protrusion (which is actually sensible) so it is too small. Attic storage needs to be moved from the garage into the thermal envelope inside the utility room, indoor unit could stay there. The mechanical ventilation system would also need to be installed in the utility room. Possible solution: enlarge kitchen to the rear and expand utility room accordingly. This would make the house larger though. No other solutions discussed yet.
- Stairs are too steep; architect now proposes a rise/run of 17.2cm/26cm (6.8"/10.2"), which may be borderline regarding comfortable step depth.
- Daylight in children’s rooms might be low due to west-facing windows and roughly 12.5% window-to-floor area ratio; simulation might be needed. Skylights wouldn’t significantly improve this; only a dormer and smaller gable windows would.
- As drawn, the kitchen island layout is not suitable for me; passage from utility room too narrow, should be moved to the opposite side, with sink and window to the left.
- Air conditioning would still be needed in the bedroom and children’s rooms, but with the current window and furniture arrangement this looks impractical.
- Shower upstairs located under sloped ceiling, not necessary but a minor point.
- Skylight in guest WC is not at head height, should be slightly higher, also a minor detail.
- Bathroom door upstairs should open outwards.
- Storage under the stairs is still missing.
- Partition wall in garage is unnecessary.
Cost estimate from architect/planner: unknown
Personal price limit for house including fixtures: 650,000
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you must give up something, which features or extensions
- Can you give up: walk-in closet
- Cannot give up: office, guest room
Why is the design like it is now?
Own design developed based on space requirements plus architect’s counter proposal
What do you consider especially good or problematic?
Main issues to resolve are utility room + technical space and daylight.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 473m² (5,089 ft²)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: maximum 2 without garage
Number of floors: 1 full floor
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style
Orientation: Roof facing NNE - SSW
Maximum heights / limits: eave height 4.2m (13.8 ft), ridge height 9.5m (31.2 ft)
Further requirements: only renewable energy sources, infiltration trench for stormwater
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors: no basement (groundwater level at 1m (3.3 ft) depth), 1 full floor
Number of occupants, ages: 4, aged 40-40-7-2 years
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Guesst room on the ground floor, office upstairs
Office use: family use or home office? Home office
Number of guest stays per year: 2 nights per week by one parent (also for coming years), parents-in-law stay several weeks annually
Open or closed layout
Traditional or modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island: semi-open (sliding door), kitchen island
Number of fixed dining seats: 6 fixed, expandable
Fireplace: no
Music/speaker wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: herb garden
Additional wishes/special points/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions
House Design
Planner: synergy between architect and client, now 4th draft
What do you particularly like? Why? Guest room and WC + shower, similar existing layout already working (although a bed is drawn, it is actually a sofa bed), office on the north side, guest room size more than sufficient, wardrobe by the entrance, living room bright, washing machine + dryer upstairs.
What don’t you like? Why?
- Utility room is half unusable due to wardrobe protrusion (which is actually sensible) so it is too small. Attic storage needs to be moved from the garage into the thermal envelope inside the utility room, indoor unit could stay there. The mechanical ventilation system would also need to be installed in the utility room. Possible solution: enlarge kitchen to the rear and expand utility room accordingly. This would make the house larger though. No other solutions discussed yet.
- Stairs are too steep; architect now proposes a rise/run of 17.2cm/26cm (6.8"/10.2"), which may be borderline regarding comfortable step depth.
- Daylight in children’s rooms might be low due to west-facing windows and roughly 12.5% window-to-floor area ratio; simulation might be needed. Skylights wouldn’t significantly improve this; only a dormer and smaller gable windows would.
- As drawn, the kitchen island layout is not suitable for me; passage from utility room too narrow, should be moved to the opposite side, with sink and window to the left.
- Air conditioning would still be needed in the bedroom and children’s rooms, but with the current window and furniture arrangement this looks impractical.
- Shower upstairs located under sloped ceiling, not necessary but a minor point.
- Skylight in guest WC is not at head height, should be slightly higher, also a minor detail.
- Bathroom door upstairs should open outwards.
- Storage under the stairs is still missing.
- Partition wall in garage is unnecessary.
Cost estimate from architect/planner: unknown
Personal price limit for house including fixtures: 650,000
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you must give up something, which features or extensions
- Can you give up: walk-in closet
- Cannot give up: office, guest room
Why is the design like it is now?
Own design developed based on space requirements plus architect’s counter proposal
What do you consider especially good or problematic?
Main issues to resolve are utility room + technical space and daylight.
Yes, I already suspected it would look like that.
You should prioritize this decision above all others: What exactly is the attic space going to be used for? Experience shows that hard-to-reach areas are rarely or hardly ever used. This ladder from the architect is tiny, steep, and narrow. It will already be difficult to carry a suitcase up there. If he presents alternative options, he should also show the entire floor plan!
If the attic is permanently accessed via a staircase, it is usually finished, meaning it includes things like insulation, wiring, and all the necessary details. Of course, this costs money and only makes sense if the rooms are going to be used and offer enough space to provide real added value. In your case, you can just about stand under the roof peak. So as living space, it’s rather unsuitable. As storage space, it might still work, but do you want it to be a “warm roof”? Storage options under a cold roof are a bit more limited. For just Easter eggs and tinsel, maybe a folding ladder with a hatch, like most people have, would be enough.
Having an additional staircase to the attic significantly limits your options for floor plan ideas. Without the attic conversion, you will quickly find many suitable ideas. Just try selecting more than five rooms and 1.5 stories at Danwood. You will definitely get some matches.
Providing permanent access to the attic will quickly reduce your options to zero. That’s why this decision is not trivial.
You should prioritize this decision above all others: What exactly is the attic space going to be used for? Experience shows that hard-to-reach areas are rarely or hardly ever used. This ladder from the architect is tiny, steep, and narrow. It will already be difficult to carry a suitcase up there. If he presents alternative options, he should also show the entire floor plan!
If the attic is permanently accessed via a staircase, it is usually finished, meaning it includes things like insulation, wiring, and all the necessary details. Of course, this costs money and only makes sense if the rooms are going to be used and offer enough space to provide real added value. In your case, you can just about stand under the roof peak. So as living space, it’s rather unsuitable. As storage space, it might still work, but do you want it to be a “warm roof”? Storage options under a cold roof are a bit more limited. For just Easter eggs and tinsel, maybe a folding ladder with a hatch, like most people have, would be enough.
Having an additional staircase to the attic significantly limits your options for floor plan ideas. Without the attic conversion, you will quickly find many suitable ideas. Just try selecting more than five rooms and 1.5 stories at Danwood. You will definitely get some matches.
Providing permanent access to the attic will quickly reduce your options to zero. That’s why this decision is not trivial.
K
klabauter861430 Jul 2024 11:05K a t j a schrieb:
If he shows alternatives, he should please also include the complete floor plan!I have that too, but I would prefer not to post it here and I am not able to send a private message yet.K
klabauter861430 Jul 2024 13:06The attic is intended as storage space and a retreat (therefore insulated), not as living space with a second means of escape, etc.
K
klabauter861430 Jul 2024 14:05Assuming that the rest of the floor plan is not compromised as a result
klabauter8614 schrieb:
The attic is intended as storage and a retreat area (so insulated), not as a living space with a second emergency exit, etc. klabauter8614 schrieb:
Assuming that the rest of the floor plan beneath it isn’t compromised. That doesn’t sound like a plan to me. If the budget is limited, this is probably the first thing to be cut. Or how much do you want to spend on drywall construction, a second staircase, flooring, windows, electrical, heating, insulation, wallpapering, and painting in the attic? Who is supposed to use this space as a retreat, and what costs justify this additional “development expense” for storage?
As I already mentioned – you can’t expect fully usable living rooms up there. Not with this house depth and height, and you didn’t want to build bigger anyway – quite the opposite. What you might consider is a play area for the kids on the floor with a train set and slot car track, if you can get them up there in pieces. Nice to have if you already have two proper bedrooms on the upper floor, I would say.
That’s why I’m emphasizing again: think carefully about what this is worth to you, because your attic scores below average in terms of cost-benefit ratio and the other floors might suffer as a result.
K
klabauter861430 Jul 2024 17:01K a t j a schrieb:
However, the fixed staircase to the attic significantly limits your options when it comes to the floor plan ideas. Without finishing the attic, you can quickly find many suitable options. Just try selecting more than 5 rooms and 1.5 stories at Danwood. You’ll surely find some matches there.
Providing access to the attic space quickly reduces the options to zero. That’s why this decision is not trivial. Yes, indeed, without a finished attic you find more options, with one really fewer—I found only two on the fly, Haus Denker and Löwental.
We didn’t have a specific use in mind, that’s true, it was only an idea (like teenagers wanting some peace somewhere other than their bedroom). So far, no one has said that it could be a problem for the floor plan. Another example why I feel a bit left alone after four months.
The fact that more storage space just means more junk is pretty obvious.
For me, a well-insulated hatch is enough to at least hide some things that don’t belong anywhere else.
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