ᐅ Floor Plan Planning: Who Has the Master Bedroom on the Ground Floor?

andimann schrieb:

Hello,
you have spent a long time working with the architect on the design, so you will probably like it just as much, even though I wouldn’t do many things the same way. Just my two cents:

• Is the garage located outside the building envelope? Will you get permission for that?
• The sealed surface area seems extremely large to me. Do you have a plot ratio (floor area ratio) of 0.7–0.8? You will probably need that...
• If you place the master bedroom on the ground floor (which is very good for use in old age), then also make the door widths 0.9–1m (approximately 35–39 inches) so that walkers or wheelchairs can pass through.
• Floor-to-ceiling windows with external glass balustrades look nice at first glance, but in my opinion they have all the possible downsides combined. An additional window surface to clean, cleaning only possible at great personal risk, they do not provide more fresh air than a normal window when ventilating, and they restrict usable space in the room.
• Best regards, Andreas

Hello Andreas,

thanks for the feedback!

All these points have already been adjusted, just not exactly reflected in the drawn plan.

- The garage is approved as is. We only have to provide a 5m (16 ft) storage area in front of the door (we have this in front of parking space 1; only 3m (10 ft) in front of parking space 2, but there are several approved 3m (10 ft) precedents right next door.)
- Plot ratio is 0.4 + 0.2 for ancillary structures
- Doors will be 90cm (35 inches) wide
- French balconies will be installed for the floor-to-ceiling windows.

What would you plan differently?

Pfefferfisch schrieb:

unfortunately, these are not fully planned yet – we are still in the phase of "moving walls" here 🙂

This doesn’t fit in here at all.

Pfefferfisch schrieb:

After many planning rounds, we have now, together with our architect, arrived at this design draft, which we quite like.

Rather, this is also a poor reflection on the architect, whom I would recommend replacing. Apparently, he is proceeding here in a highly unprofessional manner and has only persuaded you with a wishful picture. I would also advise extreme caution (in fact, serious suspicion) as to whether the pool is really included in the budget. From my experience, these are signs of an architect warned by @Gerddieter – did you perhaps commission him only for the scope “design phases 1 to 4”?

1. According to the tiny excerpt from the development plan, the plot has a half-meter (20 inch) height difference in reference level compared to the neighbor. This is already a strong indication that the 11ant basement rule would result in the assessment “basement = luxury.” In the elevation drawings, there is not the slightest trace of this half-meter. Unfortunately, I interpret this as an initial suspicion that the architect (if he is even independent?) has only familiarized himself with the building envelope from a bird’s-eye view and otherwise left design phase 1 to divine intervention.

2. On this basis, a clear definition of the building mass may also not have been carried out. Consequently, the spatial program might be incorrectly allocated across the floors, and a basement that may have to be removed could spoil the ground floor layout if the building envelope no longer allows the additional replacement space for the basement.

3. The upper floor has “priority” in demonstrating compliance with the spatial program. This means logically the ground floor cannot be derived until the upper floor is "fully" planned. The shown ground floor is therefore suspiciously half-baked.

The drawing represents a “neat but technically sloppy and questionable” house presentation, which primarily (and possibly solely) serves to tick off the appearance of fulfilled wishes. Incidentally, and only as a side note, the reveal of the terrace door is inconsistently depicted.

While I initially thought it was a nice gesture from you to update us after a year (albeit only with drawings instead of photos from at least a shell construction stage), it now seems to me an unintentionally clever move to show the child not yet fallen into the well in time. For the architect, to put it mildly, this is “no feather in his cap,” but hopefully the benefits for you outweigh the shock of feedback that unfortunately cannot be given with shared enthusiasm.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

P.S.: As a conciliatory note, let me add my congratulations that at least you did not end up with an incompetent designer.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Pfefferfisch schrieb:

Unfortunately, the plans are not finished yet – we are still in the phase of "moving walls" 🙂

Well, the layout should be roughly set, since it depends on the ground floor (GF), just as the GF depends on the upper floor (UF).

I somehow like the design, except for one major point, which I will explain later.
Criticism comparing room sizes of living room/kitchen or similar doesn’t really matter, as long as everyday living works well. One person might prioritize a large seating area, another needs an oversized kitchen to pursue their passion.
I think the bathroom furnishing can still be improved, without the need for a separate privacy screen. Such screens seem unnecessary to me in a bathroom used by partners. For a sensitive toilet layout, an L-shaped shower is more suitable.
I would also plan all doors on the GF to be 100cm (40 inches) wide, including terrace doors and windows!
What I personally dislike are the windows in the dining area. The space is not planned as a harmonious room. I would never place a corner bench in the dining area facing the windows. After 10 years, one either has it or does not want it anymore; this corner bench trend fades. The window front there is very important for this room.

If the UF were planned, it would make sense to swap the bedroom with the bathroom. Regarding access to pool/bathroom: I actually find swapping the terrace/seating area with the pool more logical. Then the bathroom could also be accessed via a path to the east. I don’t know if you generally imagine that all pool users will use your bathroom.

Pfefferfisch schrieb:

Right now we are considering whether to have all windows on the attic floor floor-to-ceiling or only those on the south dormer and standard-sized ones on the gable sides.

Floor-to-ceiling windows on the UF in rooms meant for privacy reduce it. You don’t always feel comfortable when neighbors or people on the street can see below the waistline. I can look into a neighbor’s house and see the child’s bed – is that really desired?

Now for what I don’t like at all: the kitchen without any windows!
It’s really annoying to have to turn on a light for quick or short kitchen tasks all the time. My suggestion: swap the stair location with the kitchen and give the sink area and a small prep area natural light… windows!

11ant schrieb:

This doesn’t fit together at all in any way.

Moreover, it’s a poor reflection on the architect, whom I would strongly recommend replacing. Apparently, they are proceeding very unprofessionally here and have convinced you only with a wishful picture. From this, I would advise extreme caution (actually, quite serious suspicion) as to whether the pool is really included in the budget. In my experience, these are signs of a “@Gerddieter warns” architect – did you perhaps only commission them for the scope “phases 1 to 4”?

1. According to the small excerpt of the development plan, the plot has a half-meter (about 20 inches) height difference in reference level compared to the neighbor. This is a strong indication supporting the assumption that the 11ant basement rule would result in the assessment “basement = luxury.” In the elevation drawings, not the slightest trace of this half-meter difference can be seen. Unfortunately, I interpret this as initial suspicion that the architect (is it even an independent one?) has only familiarized themselves with the building envelope from a bird’s eye view and otherwise left phase 1 to divine intervention.
2. Based on this, a clear clarification of building volumes may not have been carried out either. As a consequence, the room program might be incorrectly distributed across the levels, and a basement that possibly needs to be eliminated could disrupt the ground floor layout if the building envelope doesn’t allow the necessary additional basement replacement space.
3. The upper floor takes “priority” when verifying the implementation of the room program. This means that until the upper floor is “fully” planned, the ground floor logically cannot be derived from it. The ground floor shown therefore appears suspiciously toy-like.

The drawing presents a “tidy, but planning-wise sloppy and questionable” house exposé, which primarily (and possibly only) allows ticking off (at least in appearance) fulfilled wishes. Incidentally – just as a side note – the reveal of the terrace door is inconsistently shown.

While at first I thought it was a kind gesture from you to update us after a year (even if only with drawings instead of photos of at least the rough construction), it now seems to me an unintentionally clever measure to show the child who hasn’t fallen into the well yet. For the architect, to put it mildly, this is “not a proud moment,” but hopefully the benefit for you outweighs the shock of feedback that unfortunately cannot be based on shared enthusiasm.

First of all, thank you very much for the feedback.
What I don’t appreciate is that things are criticized or dismissed here in an almost insulting way before even asking for the background or while it is still unclear. However, I am happy to explain.
You correctly identified that a basement is a luxury, but this did not result from a planning error by the architect; rather, it was a fixed requirement from us. We want laundry, storage rooms, and technical rooms in the basement, and for that reason, we do not want to use ground floor or upper floor space.

There is also no height difference: the entire building plot will be leveled using a retaining wall on the south side to the level of the northern boundary, making it flat.

What I need you to explain is why you believe the upper floor should take priority in the planning?
For us, it contains “only” an office, two possible children’s rooms, and a bathroom, spread over more than enough space.
We consider the living area and the private rooms on the ground floor to be far more important.

ypg schrieb:

What I personally don’t like are the windows in the dining area. The room isn’t designed as a cohesive space. Personally, I would never run a corner bench along the windows in the dining area. In 10 years, people usually don’t want or like that corner bench setup anymore. That window front is very important for this room.

We have already realized that it will be difficult to have everything: however, the desire for a large corner bench clearly outweighs for us. Since I’ve been using a corner bench in various shapes for over 30 years, I believe I will still like it for the next decades 🙂

ypg schrieb:

If you had the upper floor, it would make sense to swap the bedroom and bathroom. Regarding access to the pool/bath: I actually find swapping the terrace/seating area and pool more logical. Then you could also reach the bathroom from the east via a path. Whether you generally imagine that all pool users will use your bathroom is unknown.

I will now share the current status of the upper floor. As for the location of bedroom and bathroom, we have also thought a lot about it, but we saw the bedroom facing the cool north as an advantage. It was already considered to have a short path to the pool from the bathroom, in case it is used daily in summer. We do not want to move the pool further east, as we want the terrace itself to extend a bit around the corner to the east, creating a small seating area where you can possibly escape the intense sun in the (late) afternoon. There won’t be a pool party every week – but it would be convenient if guests could go straight into the bathroom without everyone walking through the whole house with wet swimwear. Or am I missing something?

ypg schrieb:

Now for what I really don’t like: the kitchen has no windows! It’s really annoying when you always have to turn on a light for quick or short kitchen tasks. My suggestion: swap the stair location with the kitchen and give the sink area and small prep area natural light… windows!

I agree with you here: we also had concerns whether the kitchen might be too dark. We considered possibly installing a glass panel above the sink wall to bring additional light into this area. We do not want to swap the stairs though, as they should definitely remain separated from the living area in the north.