Hello everyone,
we would like to share our design with you to get feedback and suggestions for improvements, as well as to identify any potential issues.
With the optimized design, we plan to approach construction companies for quotes. All the architects we contacted have long waiting times, and since we need to apply for funding in spring, that would not be feasible timing-wise.
What do we want to build?
A single-family house with a maximum of 160 m² (approximately 1720 sq ft) according to the living space regulations (with the terrace counted proportionally) in order to qualify for funding.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 645 m² (approximately 0.16 acres)
Slope: yes, slight. The plot is about 28 m (92 feet) long and rises about 1.5 – 2 m (5 – 6.5 feet) from the street (south) upwards.
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: The building boundary is 2.5 m (8 feet) from the front and rear (as viewed from the street). Roof overhangs may project up to 1 m (3 feet) beyond the building boundaries, provided the setback requirements of the state building code BW are met. Garages may be built outside the buildable areas.
Border development: Neighbor’s garage to the west on the boundary, see site plan. Both neighbors east and west have already built. On the opposite street side (south) is still a free building plot. North is a field with no planned development.
Number of parking spaces: 2, preferably a double garage.
Number of floors: 2 possible.
Roof shape: free choice.
Style: free choice.
Orientation: southwest (SW).
Maximum height limits: maximum height of 8.5 m (28 feet) measured from the ground floor level to the highest point of the roof structure (for roofs up to 7°, only 7.5 m / 25 feet height allowed).
Other requirements: ground floor height max. 0.5 m (1.6 feet) above street level; mandatory photovoltaic system (BW), mandatory cistern (~6 m³ (1580 gallons)).
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic gable roof house, 30° roof pitch, 1.4 m (4.6 feet) knee wall.
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors.
Number of occupants, age: 3 persons, ages 32, 28, 0.
Space requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF):
GF: living-dining-kitchen approx. 45 m² (484 sq ft), office/guest room approx. 10 m² (108 sq ft), utility/technical room approx. 8-10 m² (86-108 sq ft), shower bathroom approx. 4 m² (43 sq ft).
UF (all net floor area): bedroom approx. 14 m² (151 sq ft), bathroom with laundry room approx. 16 m² (172 sq ft), 2 children’s rooms approx. 16 m² (172 sq ft) each.
Office: family use or home office?
Since we currently plan for only one child, the office on the GF should serve as storage and guest room; the second "children’s room" will be used as an office. Approximately 15 guests per year; home office about 3 days per week.
Open or closed architecture: open.
Conservative or modern style: more or less modern.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes.
Number of dining seats: normally 4, extendable up to 12.
Fireplace: no.
Music/stereo wall: no.
Balcony, roof terrace: no.
Garage, carport: yes, preferably double garage at least 6 x 7 m (20 x 23 feet).
Utility garden, greenhouse: no.
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for certain choices or exclusions:
House design
Who designed it: Do-it-Yourself.
What do you like most and why?
What do you dislike and why?
Cost estimate by architect/planner: -
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: €520,000 (around US $570,000), excluding landscaping, must be reduced by personal labor.
Preferred heating system: not decided yet, no fossil fuels allowed, likely air-to-water heat pump.
If you had to give up something, on which details or expansions could you do without:
What could you not do without:
Why is the design the way it is?
We approached three construction companies, received some good but too large plans, and some standard plans that did not fit at all. Therefore, we studied floor plans intensively and tried to create a design with as few compromises as possible. Because of our wish for a side entrance and the living-dining-kitchen area arranged as an L-shape on the southwest side of the house and the two children’s rooms facing south without dormers or small gables, we couldn’t find 1.5-story designs from prefab house providers that fit.
After considering many other designs, we ultimately drew this one ourselves, which we basically like best and is just acceptable in size. The bay window for the stairs will probably cause extra costs, but we hope to compensate by omitting a flat roof and extending the roof line.
The ground floor ceiling height is an assumption; the stairs are planned for a floor height of 2.83 m (9.3 feet), with 26 cm (10 inches) tread depth and 18 cm (7 inches) riser height.
In addition to comments and suggestions on the floor plan, we also have the following questions:
Thank you very much in advance for your help! I will gladly provide any information available if needed.
Please be kind, this is my first post and
we would like to share our design with you to get feedback and suggestions for improvements, as well as to identify any potential issues.
With the optimized design, we plan to approach construction companies for quotes. All the architects we contacted have long waiting times, and since we need to apply for funding in spring, that would not be feasible timing-wise.
What do we want to build?
A single-family house with a maximum of 160 m² (approximately 1720 sq ft) according to the living space regulations (with the terrace counted proportionally) in order to qualify for funding.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 645 m² (approximately 0.16 acres)
Slope: yes, slight. The plot is about 28 m (92 feet) long and rises about 1.5 – 2 m (5 – 6.5 feet) from the street (south) upwards.
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: The building boundary is 2.5 m (8 feet) from the front and rear (as viewed from the street). Roof overhangs may project up to 1 m (3 feet) beyond the building boundaries, provided the setback requirements of the state building code BW are met. Garages may be built outside the buildable areas.
Border development: Neighbor’s garage to the west on the boundary, see site plan. Both neighbors east and west have already built. On the opposite street side (south) is still a free building plot. North is a field with no planned development.
Number of parking spaces: 2, preferably a double garage.
Number of floors: 2 possible.
Roof shape: free choice.
Style: free choice.
Orientation: southwest (SW).
Maximum height limits: maximum height of 8.5 m (28 feet) measured from the ground floor level to the highest point of the roof structure (for roofs up to 7°, only 7.5 m / 25 feet height allowed).
Other requirements: ground floor height max. 0.5 m (1.6 feet) above street level; mandatory photovoltaic system (BW), mandatory cistern (~6 m³ (1580 gallons)).
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic gable roof house, 30° roof pitch, 1.4 m (4.6 feet) knee wall.
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors.
Number of occupants, age: 3 persons, ages 32, 28, 0.
Space requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF):
GF: living-dining-kitchen approx. 45 m² (484 sq ft), office/guest room approx. 10 m² (108 sq ft), utility/technical room approx. 8-10 m² (86-108 sq ft), shower bathroom approx. 4 m² (43 sq ft).
UF (all net floor area): bedroom approx. 14 m² (151 sq ft), bathroom with laundry room approx. 16 m² (172 sq ft), 2 children’s rooms approx. 16 m² (172 sq ft) each.
Office: family use or home office?
Since we currently plan for only one child, the office on the GF should serve as storage and guest room; the second "children’s room" will be used as an office. Approximately 15 guests per year; home office about 3 days per week.
Open or closed architecture: open.
Conservative or modern style: more or less modern.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes.
Number of dining seats: normally 4, extendable up to 12.
Fireplace: no.
Music/stereo wall: no.
Balcony, roof terrace: no.
Garage, carport: yes, preferably double garage at least 6 x 7 m (20 x 23 feet).
Utility garden, greenhouse: no.
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for certain choices or exclusions:
- The kitchen should not be visible from the sofa (when sitting).
- The living-dining area with kitchen should be the “heart” of the house.
- The shower bathroom and stairs (and if possible the guest room) should not be accessible through the dirt zone at the entrance door.
- Sufficient cloakroom space.
- Washing machine & dryer in the bathroom on the upper floor, as laundry accumulates there, but separated from the children’s rooms by the hallway.
- Gable or dormer facing southeast (street side) due to the view.
- No dormers or more costly architectural features due to cost reasons.
- Terrace mainly on the southwest side to catch evening sun. It will later be covered with a pergola. A 3 m (10 feet) lift-and-slide door would be ideal.
- Ground floor ceiling height at least 2.5 m (8.2 feet), upper floor 2.4 m (7.9 feet) is acceptable.
House design
Who designed it: Do-it-Yourself.
What do you like most and why?
- Spacious living-dining-kitchen area with kitchen not visible from the living room.
- Light-flooded living spaces.
- Possibility to later separate the living room with, for example, glass elements.
- Space available for furniture placement in living room.
- Modern feel due to open staircase.
- Staircase accessible from living area (natural access to bathroom or bedroom).
- Visual axis from entrance to garden through window behind the stairs, without having a view of the entrance door from the rooms.
- Implementation of basic wishes (number of rooms, orientation, functionality, etc.).
- Minimal actual hallway area on ground floor.
What do you dislike and why?
- No separation from upper floor possible.
- Head clearance to the first landing of the stairs is critical.
- Overhang in front of left children’s room is wasted space.
- No window in the shower bathroom on the ground floor.
- Dirt corridor & relevant rooms are separated.
- If a second child comes, there is little storage space.
- With about 155 m² (1668 sq ft), relatively large (and therefore expensive).
- Exterior appearance, but we have not focused on this as a priority so far.
- Southwest terrace has a possible sliding door that is too small (currently 1.5 m / 5 feet), so this door is planned 3 m (10 feet) slightly to the south instead.
- No pantry; we would consider a small cupboard and fridge-freezer in the technical room if space permits.
- Very long driveway.
- Unfortunately relatively close to neighbor’s plot on the southwest side.
Cost estimate by architect/planner: -
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: €520,000 (around US $570,000), excluding landscaping, must be reduced by personal labor.
Preferred heating system: not decided yet, no fossil fuels allowed, likely air-to-water heat pump.
If you had to give up something, on which details or expansions could you do without:
- Large guest/work/storage room.
- Shower on ground floor.
What could you not do without:
- Laundry room on upper floor.
- Side entrance to the house.
- Generous living-dining-kitchen area.
Why is the design the way it is?
We approached three construction companies, received some good but too large plans, and some standard plans that did not fit at all. Therefore, we studied floor plans intensively and tried to create a design with as few compromises as possible. Because of our wish for a side entrance and the living-dining-kitchen area arranged as an L-shape on the southwest side of the house and the two children’s rooms facing south without dormers or small gables, we couldn’t find 1.5-story designs from prefab house providers that fit.
After considering many other designs, we ultimately drew this one ourselves, which we basically like best and is just acceptable in size. The bay window for the stairs will probably cause extra costs, but we hope to compensate by omitting a flat roof and extending the roof line.
The ground floor ceiling height is an assumption; the stairs are planned for a floor height of 2.83 m (9.3 feet), with 26 cm (10 inches) tread depth and 18 cm (7 inches) riser height.
In addition to comments and suggestions on the floor plan, we also have the following questions:
- Is the size of the living area including the stairs structurally feasible without issues?
- How complicated and expensive would ventilation for the shower bathroom on the ground floor be?
- Is the head clearance for the staircase sufficient?
- Are knee wall windows, as planned in the children’s room, worthwhile? We see advantages in improved lighting for a small seating area and ventilation possibilities via a tilt window.
Thank you very much in advance for your help! I will gladly provide any information available if needed.
Please be kind, this is my first post and
Reading this here...
Then let me ask if you have understood from all the standard floor plan variants online why some things are designed one way or the other. It’s simply that the hallway is the first area you enter, connecting the main functional spaces. The stairs are placed centrally to create privacy. The guest WC is located near the entrance to quickly deal with urgent needs or to wash hands – this is especially practical during gardening. The location of the guest room needs to be found accordingly. If you want it differently, you’d have to increase the 155 m² (1,669 sq ft) by about 50 m² (540 sq ft) and opt for a custom architect-designed home.
I’m also not a fan of having the stairs right by the entrance. But it makes sense if you want to build cost-effectively. The structural requirements of a gable roof house with gable ends and roof beams set certain limits. Any different arrangement must be recalculated and may involve additional costs due to structural reasons.
The rigid idea of doing things exactly like others recommend or promote on social media is nonsense. Yes, there are preferred approaches here in the forum as well — I don’t exclude myself — but as a starting point, you should first take a close look at the plot, budget, and possibilities before trying to reinvent everything. What isn’t ideal should not be forced; instead, try to imagine the advantages of the existing situation or the new or different solution.
What do people with a terraced house facing north do? They try to make the kitchen window at the front a bit larger and place two Adirondack chairs in the front garden. Otherwise, they are probably happier spending the day on their north-facing terrace during current summer temperatures where I live.
Original thought: there is a sufficiently large sloping plot facing north; for photovoltaic panels, the gable orientation is basically fixed. You accept that the children’s rooms won’t get southern exposure but will be on the west side instead.
If the cost of controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) hurts, then you should also think cost-optimized for other things. Regarding this statement:
I don’t understand the reasoning: a garage is not a high-rise building, nor does the sun always shine from the same direction. There won’t be extensive shadow areas, and if there are, you can even make use of them — for example, storing trash in the shade is better. Kids may also prefer not to clean their bikes in direct sun.
The clear priority is cost optimization for the driveway. I’ll say it openly: a double garage is not cheap. So if you need to keep costs down, you should consider accepting a carport.
Once some feasible wishes are integrated, the house is essentially planned.
Yes, without a signature or contract they rarely calculate individual houses. They have a price factor per square meter. Additionally, style matters: facade height and roof type affect price and feasibility. They may also check if the number of windows is manageable or whether some items on the wish list will drive costs up (for example, a custom and therefore expensive staircase, brick facades, panoramic windows, etc.).
If cost optimization is the goal, find a solid general builder or contractor, take one of their suitable standard designs, and adapt it — possibly adjusting the length or width, mirroring the house, rotating one half or a plan module, making some further changes, and adding an affordable highlight (for example, a bay window, large window, built-in cupboard, or similar). This way, you can be happy with a reasonably built home.
Mone_04 schrieb:
The shower bathroom and stairs (if possible also the guest room) should not be accessible through the entryway’s dirt zone.
Then let me ask if you have understood from all the standard floor plan variants online why some things are designed one way or the other. It’s simply that the hallway is the first area you enter, connecting the main functional spaces. The stairs are placed centrally to create privacy. The guest WC is located near the entrance to quickly deal with urgent needs or to wash hands – this is especially practical during gardening. The location of the guest room needs to be found accordingly. If you want it differently, you’d have to increase the 155 m² (1,669 sq ft) by about 50 m² (540 sq ft) and opt for a custom architect-designed home.
I’m also not a fan of having the stairs right by the entrance. But it makes sense if you want to build cost-effectively. The structural requirements of a gable roof house with gable ends and roof beams set certain limits. Any different arrangement must be recalculated and may involve additional costs due to structural reasons.
The rigid idea of doing things exactly like others recommend or promote on social media is nonsense. Yes, there are preferred approaches here in the forum as well — I don’t exclude myself — but as a starting point, you should first take a close look at the plot, budget, and possibilities before trying to reinvent everything. What isn’t ideal should not be forced; instead, try to imagine the advantages of the existing situation or the new or different solution.
What do people with a terraced house facing north do? They try to make the kitchen window at the front a bit larger and place two Adirondack chairs in the front garden. Otherwise, they are probably happier spending the day on their north-facing terrace during current summer temperatures where I live.
Original thought: there is a sufficiently large sloping plot facing north; for photovoltaic panels, the gable orientation is basically fixed. You accept that the children’s rooms won’t get southern exposure but will be on the west side instead.
Mone_04 schrieb:
Probably decentralized ventilation for cost reasons.
If the cost of controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) hurts, then you should also think cost-optimized for other things. Regarding this statement:
Mone_04 schrieb:
... no shadow areas caused by the garage ...
I don’t understand the reasoning: a garage is not a high-rise building, nor does the sun always shine from the same direction. There won’t be extensive shadow areas, and if there are, you can even make use of them — for example, storing trash in the shade is better. Kids may also prefer not to clean their bikes in direct sun.
The clear priority is cost optimization for the driveway. I’ll say it openly: a double garage is not cheap. So if you need to keep costs down, you should consider accepting a carport.
Once some feasible wishes are integrated, the house is essentially planned.
Mone_04 schrieb:
We visited three builders, received some good plans (but too large), and some standard drafts that didn’t fit at all.
Mone_04 schrieb:
With the optimized draft, we want to approach building companies and request quotes.
Yes, without a signature or contract they rarely calculate individual houses. They have a price factor per square meter. Additionally, style matters: facade height and roof type affect price and feasibility. They may also check if the number of windows is manageable or whether some items on the wish list will drive costs up (for example, a custom and therefore expensive staircase, brick facades, panoramic windows, etc.).
If cost optimization is the goal, find a solid general builder or contractor, take one of their suitable standard designs, and adapt it — possibly adjusting the length or width, mirroring the house, rotating one half or a plan module, making some further changes, and adding an affordable highlight (for example, a bay window, large window, built-in cupboard, or similar). This way, you can be happy with a reasonably built home.
Mone_04 schrieb:
Do you have some specific reasons why the house might not be feasible? I think the staircase alone will significantly change the rest of the plan; maybe I didn’t express that clearly enough.
Mone_04 schrieb:
How much budget should be planned for a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery? One of the builders gave us an estimate of €22,500. Is that realistic? Our centralized mechanical ventilation with heat recovery cost about €10,000 back in 2021, but that was in a relatively low-cost area. €25,000 seems quite high to me. I believe there are people here with more current figures. Technically, I wouldn’t dive deep into details yet—in your place, I’d just decide to install such a system. The specifics can be worked out later or you can gather user experiences here.
Mone_04 schrieb:
To save costs, we would initially only build the foundation and add the garage later or build it ourselves as a timber frame, for example. How we would handle the garage roof is still uncertain. Or we might wait for a promotional garage deal. A carport is only an option if nothing else works since we have harsh winters at 800 meters above sea level (about 2,600 feet) and want to avoid scraping ice. A foundation also costs a fair amount. You can build a carport on inexpensive pier foundations. We attached one measuring 6x9 meters (about 20x30 feet) to our house, and I was surprised at how little foundation work was needed. We then clad it ourselves with wood and a flat roof with appropriate waterproofing membrane. Our terrace roof was done the same way—simple, functional, and nice. That can save a lot of money.
It can indeed be windy and wintry on the Swabian Alb or in the Black Forest, which I know well myself. Still, I would ask myself whether I’d rather scrape ice a few times in winter or ventilate my living space several times daily for life to prevent mold. Our electric cars already have a parking heater, and for combustion engine cars, you can solve this relatively cheaply with an outlet in the carport. Spending lots of money on a garage just to avoid ice scraping, and then cutting corners elsewhere, wouldn’t make sense to me. If you’re deliberately building in that area, you accept the local conditions and benefits—and scrape ice occasionally or buy an inexpensive ice-prevention solution for the car. That would be a very costly decision just to avoid scraping ice. I would even give up the carport and rather install a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Inside the house, it must be as comfortable as possible for me—that comes before everything else.
Mone_04 schrieb:
By the way, we also received a cost estimate from a construction company for 163 m² (about 1,755 sq ft) at €540,000 including additional costs (fixed price). This company has already built around 15 houses in this development, so hopefully they have a good grasp of things. There are many threads here listing detailed additional costs, especially those you won’t find listed anywhere but still arrive in your mailbox as bills. Just in the last 2–3 weeks, I saw this mentioned again here. Also, it’s important to know what exactly is included in that fixed price and what extras you will add. The company naturally wants to attract you as a customer, not scare you off.
Mone_04 schrieb:
This construction company has already built about 15 houses in this development. That’s definitely a good sign. You can check out what they are doing and maybe get some useful insights from the neighborhood.
Maybe you’ll post one of the general contractor’s floor plans that you like in principle, and it can possibly be adjusted as @ypg suggested.
ypg schrieb:
It’s simply the hallway that you enter first and that connects the main functional areas. The staircase is placed centrally to create privacy. The guest toilet is located near the entrance for quick use or to wash hands promptly. I understand that in principle – but in our current apartment, the dirty area is centralized, and especially during winter everything gets quite dirty. Since the downstairs toilet will be the primary one used, I want to avoid this. The other rooms are far less relevant regarding this issue and could be accessed through the dirty area as well.
ypg schrieb:
A garage is not a high-rise building, nor does the sun shine from the same direction all the time. I agree with you on that and will take it into consideration. Then, as you suggested, the trash bins could also be placed in the shade. Whether it’s a garage or carport can still be decided over time.
One more question on this: what width would you recommend for garages and carports for two vehicles?
ypg schrieb:
Yes, without a signature and contract, they rarely calculate custom houses. They usually have their fixed factor per square meter. This construction company actually made a fairly specific estimate for this house. I could also try calling others who have built with them to check how many additional invoices might come afterward. The others proceeded as you described. Of course, there is a margin of tolerance.
With the estimate of 540,000 for 163 m² (1755 sq ft), I was hoping to come in a bit lower within the budget, especially considering the work we plan to do ourselves. But we still have homework with the bank to clarify the exact budget, as everything so far has only been very rough.
Regarding the staircase again – what exactly is the technical problem with the stairs? I would like to understand. Just out of curiosity – would it be possible to move the entire staircase by one or one and a half steps further into the bay window, thus enlarging the bay window and improving the “head clearance”? Or are there other fundamental issues I might be overlooking?
Arauki11 schrieb:
Then covered with wood flat roof with appropriate membrane. Our patio roof was done the same way, simple but functional and nice. Thanks for your input. Would you be willing to share a photo of your carport so I can picture it?
I agree with your priorities – controlled mechanical ventilation before carport and definitely before garage.
Arauki11 schrieb:
Maybe you could post one of the general contractor’s floor plans that you basically like, and as @ypg suggested, it could perhaps be adapted. I’m hesitant to share this particular design because the construction method is less common. From my experience, there isn’t much enthusiasm here for redrawing plans by non-professionals, since we don’t really know what’s important.
I will post the other design, which we weren’t so keen on, tomorrow. Maybe it has more potential than what we have seen so far.
Mone_04 schrieb:
Regarding the staircase again – what exactly is the technical issue with it? I’d like to understand. Just out of curiosity – would it be possible to move the entire staircase by about one to one and a half steps further into the bay window area, thus enlarging the bay and improving the head clearance? Or are there other fundamental problems that I’m missing? To assess this, a height section drawing is needed, since you’re planning a kind of lean-to roof for the bay window.
Also, I see the problem with the staircase is that the access route disrupts the living space. It also leads upstairs to that awkward corner and to the long, wide hallway, which you currently plan to close off at the end with cupboards under the sloped ceiling.
Mone_04 schrieb:
A quick question again: what width do you recommend for garages and carports for two vehicles? Let’s start with the basics: it depends.
The standard external width for a single garage is 3 meters (10 feet). For a double, it’s 6 meters (20 feet). If you want shelves along the sides, it needs to be wider. If you have a convertible car with wider doors, you also need more width. If someone in your household struggles with parking, if you often carry large luggage from the back seat, or if you simply want or need more space, then more width is necessary. Others manage with less because they drive small cars or are careful when parking. If you want to store trash bins there, you need extra clearance for walking space, and so on. Carports are more straightforward since there are no doors or limited maneuvering space.
Mone_04 schrieb:
This construction company actually gave a fairly concrete estimate for this house, Yes, I can actually do that as well!
Mone_04 schrieb:
Received a cost estimate of €540,000 for 163 m² (including additional costs, fixed price). At €3000 per square meter for 163 m² (1750 sq ft), that comes to €489,000. Adding a flat €50,000 for additional construction-related costs brings you to about €540,000. Period.
A cost estimate is not a personalized offer. Both are based on turnkey construction with a fixed price guarantee.
The contract follows the construction specification. Construction specifications always hold surprises if the client relies solely on fixed price and turnkey claims.
Earthworks, special equipment, even painting are usually excluded. In the industry, this is called “client-side work.” Please research this yourself. Although the €50,000 figure for additional costs is actually a very confident estimate.
Mone_04 schrieb:
With the €540,000 estimate for 163 m², I hoped to come in under budget by going smaller, especially if we include self-performed tasks. But now we have homework with the bank to clarify the exact budget; so far, everything has been very rough. Self-performance also costs. Either it means your free time, longer rent payments, double financial burdens, or materials and “finding someone to do the work.” That “someone” also costs money.
Mone_04 schrieb:
Currently, in our apartment, the dirty area is centrally located, and especially in winter, everything simply gets dirty. Of course. Winter is inconvenient. Everyone’s jackets are wet or damp. Shoes are dirty. You just have to clean more often. Put something by the door for shoes. Train the kids, train yourself. That’s just how it is. The same problem will happen in summer with the terrace. And there are surely 20 other examples why the utility room should not be next to the living area, the kitchen should not be open to the TV area, the bedroom should not be next to the bathroom, the front door should not be directly in front of the garage, the toilet should not be windowless, the dining table should not be close to the stairs, the child’s room should not be near the stairwell, and so on.
The bigger the house, the less these sensitivities matter, because you can plan accordingly.
As said before: build bigger and then you can plan a larger hallway. Honestly? I once had a hallway only 1.30 meters (4 feet 3 inches) wide and never want that again. Here, the hallway runs right up to the underside of the stairs, which is really not a nice sight. Open stair treads look nice from the front but not from underneath. Plus, a lot of dust falls through due to constant movement.
Honestly? Before I allow movement above me on the sofa, where I want to relax, I would plan it differently. Similarly, I don’t want to be on the sofa in the evening and have a teenager with their friend pass by me and my recliner. No, I want privacy and no one walking over my spot.
Earlier, I didn’t comment specifically on the floor plan because spatially I find it awkward. The enclosed bathroom is unnecessary, the hallway is very narrow, and the narrow feeling is reinforced by the partition wall at the kitchen island and the visual focus on the underside of the stairs. This will also restrict the dining area because the ceiling height there is limited.
That it fits dimensionally (headroom upstairs) I can imagine with a knee wall height of 130 cm (4 feet 3 inches) or more.
kbt09 schrieb:
. .
Also, I find the issue with the staircase is that its access disrupts the living space. It also leads upstairs to an awkward corner and a long, wide corridor, which you currently plan to close off at the end with cabinets under the sloped ceiling.Yes, forgot to mention: this long corridor, which already wastes space, is visually further spoiled by the addition of shelves that narrow it even more. I think this is really ruined both visually and in terms of the layout.Similar topics