ᐅ Floor plan for a newly built two-story single-family house, 200 m² (2,150 sq ft)
Created on: 26 Dec 2024 16:14
H
HaseUndIgel
Hello everyone and Merry Christmas,
after I posted a question about the heat pump to be used a few days ago, I now want to continue with the main and fundamental thread regarding the floor plan.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 618 m² (6660 sq ft)
Slope: None
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: None
Building envelope, building line and boundary: See image
Peripheral development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: up to 2
Roof shape: All allowed; for hip or gable roofs 25° - 50° pitch
Architectural style: None specified
Orientation: None specified
Maximum height / limits: 9 m ridge height (29.5 ft)
Other requirements: Photovoltaic system covering at least 50% of usable roof surface
Homeowner Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: "Urban villa but Northern German style"
Basement, floors: 2 full stories, no basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people, 32, 32, 1, -2 years
Room requirements on ground and upper floors: Study (ground floor), Study/guest room (upper floor)
Office: Family use or home office? 1 office for full-time use, 1 additional as a guest room hybrid
Number of guest stay days per year: approx. 10-15 days, mostly family
Open or closed layout: Open
Conservative or modern construction: More modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen, with island if it fits, otherwise U- or L-shaped
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Carport for 1 car
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things are wanted or not: Nothing noteworthy
House Design
Who designed the plan: Planner (Architect?) of the general contractor (GC)
What do you particularly like and why?
What do you dislike and why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 565,000 EUR
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 730,000 EUR (including garden, carport, photovoltaics, kitchen, additional costs)
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump is basically a must (no gas connection)
If you have to give up, which details / extras
Why did the design turn out the way it did?
Three-hour meeting with the architect at the general contractor, starting from a similar model house (this was a 1.5-story house with a gable roof), several iterations on tracing paper, then a week later the digital design was received.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Covered entrance and terrace set back under the upper floor, bedroom with dressing room, 2 studies (1 ground floor, 1 upper floor).
What do you think makes the design good or bad? Overall we quite like the whole package.
I’m looking forward to your opinions and am curious about what you think. If we still like the design in January, we will probably proceed with further planning with the general contractor.
after I posted a question about the heat pump to be used a few days ago, I now want to continue with the main and fundamental thread regarding the floor plan.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 618 m² (6660 sq ft)
Slope: None
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: None
Building envelope, building line and boundary: See image
Peripheral development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: up to 2
Roof shape: All allowed; for hip or gable roofs 25° - 50° pitch
Architectural style: None specified
Orientation: None specified
Maximum height / limits: 9 m ridge height (29.5 ft)
Other requirements: Photovoltaic system covering at least 50% of usable roof surface
Homeowner Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: "Urban villa but Northern German style"
Basement, floors: 2 full stories, no basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people, 32, 32, 1, -2 years
Room requirements on ground and upper floors: Study (ground floor), Study/guest room (upper floor)
Office: Family use or home office? 1 office for full-time use, 1 additional as a guest room hybrid
Number of guest stay days per year: approx. 10-15 days, mostly family
Open or closed layout: Open
Conservative or modern construction: More modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen, with island if it fits, otherwise U- or L-shaped
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Carport for 1 car
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things are wanted or not: Nothing noteworthy
House Design
Who designed the plan: Planner (Architect?) of the general contractor (GC)
What do you particularly like and why?
- Straight staircase
- Covered entrance and terrace
- Spacious enough for our needs
What do you dislike and why?
- Ground floor WC probably too small
- Pantry doesn’t make much sense (maybe omit)
- Layout of the bathroom upstairs (we already have alternative ideas)
- Unsure if there is enough light in the living/dining area
- Slightly too big / bulky
- A bit too expensive
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 565,000 EUR
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 730,000 EUR (including garden, carport, photovoltaics, kitchen, additional costs)
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump is basically a must (no gas connection)
If you have to give up, which details / extras
- Can be skipped: open atrium, pantry, if necessary the type of covering on entrance and terrace (set back under the upper floor)
- Cannot be skipped: Storage space
Why did the design turn out the way it did?
Three-hour meeting with the architect at the general contractor, starting from a similar model house (this was a 1.5-story house with a gable roof), several iterations on tracing paper, then a week later the digital design was received.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Covered entrance and terrace set back under the upper floor, bedroom with dressing room, 2 studies (1 ground floor, 1 upper floor).
What do you think makes the design good or bad? Overall we quite like the whole package.
I’m looking forward to your opinions and am curious about what you think. If we still like the design in January, we will probably proceed with further planning with the general contractor.
E
elminster28 Dec 2024 14:41I find the second shower valuable and practical. We had the same setup in my parents’ house. At first, nobody used it. But later, when we kids became teenagers, we used it a lot. Some families have children who also want privacy and a shower to themselves. One bathroom alone doesn’t work in that case. This wasn’t really the case for us, but our daily routines in the evenings and mornings overlapped, so otherwise someone would have had to shower in the bathtub. At least for us, that was never really comfortable.
That’s why I would definitely install a second shower. However, I would make it about 1 m² (11 sq ft) larger than currently planned. That way it’s also comfortable to use.
In our current home, we have a large bathroom with a shower and a bathtub. Even here, the kids prefer to shower. We often come home together or all need to shower before going out. Then there is a line, and a second shower would be well used.
That’s why I would definitely install a second shower. However, I would make it about 1 m² (11 sq ft) larger than currently planned. That way it’s also comfortable to use.
In our current home, we have a large bathroom with a shower and a bathtub. Even here, the kids prefer to shower. We often come home together or all need to shower before going out. Then there is a line, and a second shower would be well used.
E
elminster28 Dec 2024 14:50Arauki11 schrieb:
This reminds me of Gerhard Polt and his staircase scene with Hanna Schygulla. Do you also get goosebumps and hot flashes when using angled stairs?
"Absolutely terrible" walking experience on a stair turn??? I think that this might also show the limits of my admittedly broad perception of different people. I believe you are setting one limitation after another for yourself, and for the house, which will eventually show in the result. I can really relate to the straight staircase. I grew up for the first 13 years with a half-turn staircase, then for the following years with a straight staircase. In the apartments after that, it was always spiral or curved stairs. I still find the straight staircase at my parents’ place very comfortable. You have to invest more planning effort so that you don’t need too much hallway space. I also don’t understand the argument that a straight staircase requires much more space. If a straight staircase can be sensibly integrated, I would absolutely prefer it. Maybe that’s why these iterations are currently ongoing.
HaseUndIgel28 Dec 2024 15:34hausmma schrieb:
Given the size and price range, I wouldn’t cut corners on a second shower.elminster schrieb:
But later, when we were teenagers, we used it a lot.Thanks again for the insights. We’re still thinking it over. However, we don’t have pets (and I don’t expect that will change), and I’m not fully convinced by the argument about dirty kids. If it’s too cold outside to clean off the worst of the dirt, hopefully the dirt sticks to their clothes, not the child. But the usage scenarios do add up. Personally, I feel that a shower that might only be used around 20 days over its entire lifespan is unnecessary, and that’s based on my experience living in a house with four people plus guests.
ypg schrieb:
By the way: For four people, possibly with guests, I would plan for two washbasins in the family bathroom.We have a direct comparison between my parents’ and in-laws’ houses, one with two and the other with just one. We prefer the solution with one.
ypg schrieb:
Older plots/houses were only built for one family car.That’s also the case with us and many of our friends (including those with children). Not for financial or practical reasons, but simply because one car is enough today. In the last five years, I’ve probably driven a car no more than 10 times.
Arauki11 schrieb:
Everyone is responsible for their own stuff, including kids. And… 99% of the time, nothing like that will ever happen.Arauki11 schrieb:
I don’t like walking into a wall just inside the door, then having only a narrow passage around the open door, only to have to turn the next corner and end up in front of an inward-opening door that I don’t even need since it’s always open.ypg schrieb:
Personally, I value the entrance situation higher than an extra meter of garden. Because one is what “must” work, the other is what “can” be. The courtyard has to function, the garden can.We’re currently evaluating whether that extra 50-100cm (20-40 inches) of garden is worth expanding the entrance a little. That means our south-facing side would be about 10% closer to the neighbor’s house, and that is noticeable.
The point about the front door being in the way is very valid. We hadn’t really considered that. We’ll check again if this might be a dealbreaker.
Regarding the “twisty” entrance: It really bothers me if someone standing outside at the door can immediately see the main pathways or even into the dining room. So having an “L”-shaped entrance (more like a “Z”) is not a compromise for us but something we actually want.
ypg schrieb:
One might think that 30–50sqm (320–540 sq ft) are only there to make the house more complicated.That’s definitely not the goal, even though I don’t want to spend endless cycles of revisions just to squeeze out every last bit.
ypg schrieb:
And in any group, not a day goes by without photos of real hallways with open shoe racks and coat areas being shared, asking for improvements because the obvious clutter is bothersome, especially since it’s the first thing you see entering the home.My experience is that if there isn’t an open shoe rack, the most frequently worn pairs of every household member just end up on the floor somewhere instead. To me, that’s not better. Also, do you put your guests’ shoes away in a closet?
elminster schrieb:
I still find the straight staircase at my parents’ house really comfortable.Thanks, I was starting to think we were the only ones who felt that way.
ypg schrieb:
Where does it say that?I’m almost certain that got removed during the four-minute editing window after your post. I can’t prove it, and if I imagined it, I apologize.
HaseUndIgel schrieb:
We have a direct comparison between my parents' house and my in-laws', with two and one respectively. We prefer the solution with one. But that has less to do with "preference" or solution-oriented planning and more with common functionality in daily routines.
HaseUndIgel schrieb:
My experience is that if there is no open shoe rack, the most frequently worn pairs of each resident end up scattered somewhere on the floor. That also comes down to upbringing or solution-oriented planning: if you plan a generous area for movement and storage near the entrance for coats and shoes, it will be used.
Years ago, we had a guy here who spent over a year planning his small storage cabinets around the house. That’s the difference—planning functionally according to the daily routine.
HaseUndIgel schrieb:
Also: do you put your guests’ shoes in a closet? Sort of. We don’t have a closet but designed a storage room in the hallway specifically to serve as a cloakroom, where everything—including guests’ items—can be tucked away. They actually do it themselves.
I’m starting to think that you are only considering your current situation and not taking into account possible changes or what might happen 10 years down the line, including how habits evolve and how children develop new needs as they grow older.
Whether it’s about bathroom use, access to the garden, or even vehicle parking—which I also include bicycles and other equipment—all habits are based on your past personal experiences, rather than on scenarios that don’t exist yet but could arise.
Whether it’s about bathroom use, access to the garden, or even vehicle parking—which I also include bicycles and other equipment—all habits are based on your past personal experiences, rather than on scenarios that don’t exist yet but could arise.
HaseUndIgel28 Dec 2024 16:44ypg schrieb:
All habits are based on your own past experiences, not on situations that do not yet exist but might occur. First of all, our memories do indeed cover the entire family life cycle of a house, but only from the perspective of a child living in these homes until we moved out, and now as guests when we visit our parents.
Secondly, for the past few weeks we have been having many discussions about the house design with exactly those parents, who have experienced that time from the perspective that lies ahead of us.
Of course, basing our future use of the house strongly on our own experiences and thus deviating in some details from the majority opinion is a very individual decision. However, we are actually planning the house for the next 30 years. After retirement and when the children have moved out, the house will probably be too large. Still, we are considering that time as well.
ypg schrieb:
This has less to do with “preference” or solution-oriented planning than with common daily functionality. An example is the bathroom sink question. "Preference" is a strong simplification of the evaluation process we went through to decide to install only one sink. We took into account the expected usage and maintenance intervals based on our habits and the expected (and unexpected) changes over the lifetime of the bathroom (maybe it will last the full 30 years). Based on this assessment, we reached a decision.
Cost is not a factor for either the sink or the level of finish for the downstairs bathroom. If we believed that we would ultimately be more satisfied with a double sink and a second shower, we would (or maybe will) plan for them.
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