Dear house building community,
After much consideration, I have decided to share our preliminary design here. As a longtime passive reader, I would like to give back to the community with this small contribution and perhaps even inspire some readers with our floor plan.
For context: We have completed the preliminary design phase with the architect and are currently gathering quotes. The house will be a prefabricated home with slightly upscale features (KfW-40 standard, Q3 plaster, ventilation system, motorized blinds, etc.) and will cost around 3000 € per square meter (about 280 per square foot). I appreciate any feedback and look forward to many comments. Feel free to critically question the design. One note: we are satisfied with the planning and do not wish to make any changes.
Let’s get started!
Basic data:
Requirements:
I have kept it brief on purpose and do not want to reveal what I like or dislike about the design just yet. Instead, I’m going to relax now and grab some popcorn. If you want to know more, feel free to visit my website (Name + “.de”).
I’m looking forward to your opinions!
After much consideration, I have decided to share our preliminary design here. As a longtime passive reader, I would like to give back to the community with this small contribution and perhaps even inspire some readers with our floor plan.
For context: We have completed the preliminary design phase with the architect and are currently gathering quotes. The house will be a prefabricated home with slightly upscale features (KfW-40 standard, Q3 plaster, ventilation system, motorized blinds, etc.) and will cost around 3000 € per square meter (about 280 per square foot). I appreciate any feedback and look forward to many comments. Feel free to critically question the design. One note: we are satisfied with the planning and do not wish to make any changes.
Let’s get started!
Basic data:
- Plot: approx. 470 m² (about 5050 sq ft) in a new development area with a slight south-facing slope (1 m (3 feet) over plot length, 0.5 m (1.5 feet) over house width)
- Neighboring plot to the north: unattractive, vacant three-story building
- Maximum budget for the construction project excluding land and possibly garden/terrace: 700,000 €
Requirements:
- 3 children’s bedrooms (each 12–14 m² (130–150 sq ft))
- Laundry or utility/laundry room
- Study room with space for double desk and guest bed
- Shower in guest bathroom
- Straight-run staircase
- Living-dining-kitchen area in an L-shape
- Space for hallway furniture
- Double garage
- 2 full stories
- Built on a slab foundation
I have kept it brief on purpose and do not want to reveal what I like or dislike about the design just yet. Instead, I’m going to relax now and grab some popcorn. If you want to know more, feel free to visit my website (Name + “.de”).
I’m looking forward to your opinions!
roteweste schrieb:
In my opinion, this sums up the problem I see in many posts here quite well. Personal preferences are absolutized. In my view, this is not a good way to communicate, neither online nor offline. Oh, I completely overlooked that. It can almost be taken as offensive.
As Katja also says: with those who have a say here, you can tell whether the advice is general or if it’s just a different solution someone would choose personally because of their preferences. The difference is not in the details but in the mission each person has here, which is obvious.
That’s why I posted the questionnaire to be filled out, so it’s even easier to respond to the needs of the homeowners.
It’s just not easy to deal with justified criticism that isn’t a question and doesn’t need further explanation.
And yes, you are allowed to say that the balcony is in the worst position for its intended function.
K a t j a schrieb:
Well, my dealbreaker is the hallway. As I said before: for me, both are dealbreakers.
K a t j a schrieb:
The rest is fine by me. But that doesn’t mean much, because for me a dealbreaker always means failed. I would have planned until the hallways were both practical and combined the function with a positive feeling. However, in this case, it would not even be a matter of fiddling but obvious; there are possibilities. And there would still be plenty of space left for the bathroom cabinet.
Thanks again Katja and ypg for your contributions. As I mentioned before, we don’t entirely agree with the hallway situation. On the contrary, I actually find the rendered image quite inviting. We visited dozens of prefab homes during our preparation and focused solely on the feeling of space. What neither my wife nor I liked was:
- walking in and immediately facing a wall (which happens quite often)
- being able to see through the entire house
- looking from the living room into the hallway
K a t j a schrieb:I would fundamentally disagree with that at a basic level. Even practical considerations can vary greatly from person to person. Just think of the kitchen and who does what, when, and how much there.
The aesthetics, spatial perception, or practical usability of rooms in daily life are universal.
MachsSelbst schrieb:That’s actually something we’re thinking about right now. I’m trying to convince my better half.
At least remove the double door and let the single door open towards the kitchen area. The double door leaf facing the dining area is always in the way—you’ll be stepping around it your whole life... if you keep it like that, you’ll probably replace that door leaf with a glass panel within six months...
M
MachsSelbst10 Nov 2024 18:35roteweste schrieb:
(...)
I would fundamentally disagree with that. Even practical aspects can look different for everyone. Just think about the kitchen and who does what, when, and how much there.
(...)No. Even though everyone thinks they are terribly unique and individual, in the end, people are pretty much alike. Of course, you can adapt to everything with the attitude "Yes, we planned it poorly, it can’t be changed now... but we sell it to others as if we love it..."
But why bother having a custom design with an architect at all?
You simply don’t enter your living area through the kitchen... that’s extremely annoying, especially with kids who have to run through the kitchen all the time when going to the living room, terrace, or garden. I try to keep the children and guests out of the kitchen as much as possible, but you make them go right through it... for every single trip you make...
M
Maulwurfbau10 Nov 2024 19:16roteweste schrieb:
I would fundamentally disagree with that. Even practical aspects can vary greatly from person to person. Just think about the kitchen—who uses it, when, and how much.Great point. If everything were that fundamental, all kitchens and houses would look the same. Fortunately, they don’t.
I don’t always appreciate the tendency here to standardize all plans and sometimes discourage homeowners from expressing their wishes. More than the content, it’s often the tone that I don’t like. But that’s another topic.
On the other hand, I admit that if the answers get annoying, maybe they shouldn’t ask. I felt that way sometimes too, and eventually stopped posting suggestions for changes and improvements—and that’s fine.
The entire hallway and staircase, the access to the living, dining, and kitchen area, and the door to the garage through that small utility room—none of that would work for me either. The parking space would be far too valuable to sacrifice like that. Same goes for the balcony. A few small things on the upper floor wouldn’t work for us either. But, I don’t have to build it, so that’s that.
M
MachsSelbst10 Nov 2024 19:30Maulwurfbau schrieb:
Great argument.
If everything were that fundamental, all kitchens and houses would look the same. Fortunately, they don’t.
(...) I can’t recall ever entering a living room through the kitchen. There must be reasons why no one does that.
So that just isn’t true. Surely houses all look unique, but well-designed, functional floor plans follow certain rules and principles based on the habits of the vast majority of people.
Whether you build it that way or not, that’s not my concern. But why post a floor plan here if you can’t accept any criticism?
Just stand by your choices and build it as it is on paper.
But presenting this as a good example—that just doesn’t work. Any standard Town & Country floor plan achieves more, is more practical in everyday life, and simply works better than this, because they focus primarily on how to get the most benefit from the least amount of space (square meters).
This shows me that, on a "fundamental level," you don’t really understand what I’m talking about. Individuality does not stand in the way of good floor plan design. It is part of it. Explaining this here would probably go beyond the scope. I would try to describe it with one word: harmony. Everything fits together – all elements complement each other functionally and aesthetically, forming a complete work of art. Then it is good.