Hello,
I have been reading along for some time now and finally dare to share a floor plan here.
First, here is the list of questions:
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 576 sqm (6,200 sq ft)
Slope: Yes, slight. According to the site plan, the top "right" corner is at 295.4 meters (970 feet), lower at 293.88 meters (964 feet), left side goes from 295.17 meters (968 feet) to 293.43 meters (963 feet)
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Applies to house number 16
Surrounding buildings
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 full floors required, plus optional recessed floor (setback floor)
Roof type: Flat roof, max. 5° pitch
Maximum height/limits: Max. 10 m (33 ft) high
Additional requirements: Equipment (heat pump) must be integrated, not external. Maximum of 2 residential units. Specific exterior colors required, rainwater should infiltrate (soil report says this is unlikely). Roofs must be greened. No oil or gas heating allowed.
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Actually, none specified.
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors.
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people — 2 adults, 2 children
Ground floor space needs: Daily life (living, kitchen, dining, technical room, guest room)
Upper floor: Family (2 children's rooms, master bedroom, separate bathrooms), home office
Office: Home office, second workspace for occasional use such as a work window sill for example in the bedroom
Guests per year: Currently few.
Open or closed architecture, conservative or modern style: Either is fine.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We are still considering. Initial wish was separate pantry like in the floor plan. An island would be nice if space allows.
Number of dining seats: Normally 4, rarely up to 8.
Fireplace: None.
Music/stereo wall: Multi-room audio with central unit in technical room.
Balcony, roof terrace: Neither.
Garage, carport: 1 garage
Other wishes: Central vacuum system, laundry chute, smart home (KNX) (I am mostly doing this myself, yes, I am a certified electrician, can program, but will also get additional help)
House design
Who designed the plan:
- Planner from a construction company: Correct, with some input from us. Based on an existing plan.
Price estimate by architect/planner: approx. 485,000 € (euros) for the house, approx. 210,000 € for the plot including basic services (survey, soil report, etc.)
Personal price limit for the house including features: approx. 800,000–850,000 € (including land)
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump
If you had to give up, which details/extra features could you skip:
- Could skip:
- Cannot skip:
Why is the design like it is now? For example:
Standard design by the planner? Yes, with minor wishes from us (wall between study and child’s room 2, T-walls in bathrooms, porch roof, conservatory, pantry)
What do you find especially good or bad about it? So far it seems to fit; apart from possibly the pantry/dining room, we don’t see major issues yet. But that’s why I’m here now.
Edit: The furniture shown in the floor plans can be safely ignored. Planners seem to like adding these.
Best regards
Ganneff
I have been reading along for some time now and finally dare to share a floor plan here.
First, here is the list of questions:
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 576 sqm (6,200 sq ft)
Slope: Yes, slight. According to the site plan, the top "right" corner is at 295.4 meters (970 feet), lower at 293.88 meters (964 feet), left side goes from 295.17 meters (968 feet) to 293.43 meters (963 feet)
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Applies to house number 16
Surrounding buildings
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 full floors required, plus optional recessed floor (setback floor)
Roof type: Flat roof, max. 5° pitch
Maximum height/limits: Max. 10 m (33 ft) high
Additional requirements: Equipment (heat pump) must be integrated, not external. Maximum of 2 residential units. Specific exterior colors required, rainwater should infiltrate (soil report says this is unlikely). Roofs must be greened. No oil or gas heating allowed.
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Actually, none specified.
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors.
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people — 2 adults, 2 children
Ground floor space needs: Daily life (living, kitchen, dining, technical room, guest room)
Upper floor: Family (2 children's rooms, master bedroom, separate bathrooms), home office
Office: Home office, second workspace for occasional use such as a work window sill for example in the bedroom
Guests per year: Currently few.
Open or closed architecture, conservative or modern style: Either is fine.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We are still considering. Initial wish was separate pantry like in the floor plan. An island would be nice if space allows.
Number of dining seats: Normally 4, rarely up to 8.
Fireplace: None.
Music/stereo wall: Multi-room audio with central unit in technical room.
Balcony, roof terrace: Neither.
Garage, carport: 1 garage
Other wishes: Central vacuum system, laundry chute, smart home (KNX) (I am mostly doing this myself, yes, I am a certified electrician, can program, but will also get additional help)
House design
Who designed the plan:
- Planner from a construction company: Correct, with some input from us. Based on an existing plan.
Price estimate by architect/planner: approx. 485,000 € (euros) for the house, approx. 210,000 € for the plot including basic services (survey, soil report, etc.)
Personal price limit for the house including features: approx. 800,000–850,000 € (including land)
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump
If you had to give up, which details/extra features could you skip:
- Could skip:
- Cannot skip:
Why is the design like it is now? For example:
Standard design by the planner? Yes, with minor wishes from us (wall between study and child’s room 2, T-walls in bathrooms, porch roof, conservatory, pantry)
What do you find especially good or bad about it? So far it seems to fit; apart from possibly the pantry/dining room, we don’t see major issues yet. But that’s why I’m here now.
Edit: The furniture shown in the floor plans can be safely ignored. Planners seem to like adding these.
Best regards
Ganneff
M
motorradsilke29 Jun 2025 18:2811ant schrieb:
Is the rule still so widely misunderstood that I have to keep explaining it?The rule considers only the economic aspect of the basement.
A basement can serve many more purposes than just storage, especially if it extends about 1 meter (3 feet) above ground level. It can accommodate a utility room, hobby room, home office, children’s room, laundry room, and more.
And many decisions in house construction are made for reasons other than purely economic ones.
Ganneff schrieb:
Basically, what moves from top to bottom (all the technical equipment, possibly a home office, etc.) can be saved upstairs, allowing the upper floor to be smaller and thus reducing the total enclosed area, while maintaining the same usable space. That is precisely why this rule should not only be understood in theory but also applied early on—when translating the room program into a building form (i.e., at the start of design phase 2, not only during discussions in design phase 3). Especially considering the possible implications of a hybrid construction approach, this is crucial for setting the right course.
motorradsilke schrieb:
The rule only considers the economic aspect of the basement. [...] And many decisions in house construction are not made solely based on economic factors. That is also why I said this rule is based on my experience, not opinion. If it were purely subjective—personally, as someone who is passionately inconsistent at decluttering—the answer to the basement question would be a simple “yes.” Besides, I am very serious-minded and therefore definitely need a basement just to have a good laugh.
motorradsilke schrieb:
A basement, especially if it extends about 1 meter (3 feet) above ground level, can be much more than just a storage room; it can house the utility room, hobby room, home office, children’s rooms, laundry room, and more. Unfortunately, this most practical form of basement—like the mansard roof—is nowadays being phased out by many zoning plans.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
motorradsilke29 Jun 2025 21:3211ant schrieb:
Unfortunately, this most practical cellar shape is nowadays being phased out by many zoning regulations, just like the mansard roof.
That is a shame. But fortunately, there are still some areas without zoning regulations.
Ganneff schrieb:
The other way around: I think it’s great to have all this input here. There are plenty of things included that you wouldn’t necessarily have considered before, and quite a few are already noted down for selections, inspections, and other upcoming phases. (Not only taken from this thread.) Exactly, that’s what this is all about; brainstorming and inspiration.
No one, myself included, is trying to persuade you here, but it does show you different lifestyles, all of which work, and that makes it exciting.
ypg schrieb:
Quick and dirty again, my suggestionAlright, thanks again for that, we went through it today. The general idea of mirroring the sides wasn’t popular here, and the wall between the kids’ rooms will stay straight. The idea of the somewhat recessed closets is interesting, but it limits that wall to furniture that fits those sizes. That works well for the closets, but for example, the older child is already considering how to place the bed elsewhere (on that wall, for example), and that wouldn’t look good.
What all four of us liked, though, is your design around the bathrooms. We more or less adopted that. Not the door, though—that will stay in the bedroom (the electrical panel will be installed in the hallway wall there. Even though it could theoretically be placed in the wall facing the kids’ bathroom (there has to be a minimum 6cm (2.4 inch) thickness remaining from the built-in panel), I don’t want it there. Nor facing the office or kids’ room).
The ground floor is mostly unchanged—sunroom removed, but the room enlarged instead. The living room door is one of the points where they should confirm what’s possible besides the 98cm (39 inch) width. And the window for the multipurpose/guest room will be a single one. The room fits well with the planned furniture (a wall bed and a sofa bed). When both are used at the same time, there isn’t much free floor space left, but it’s enough.
Oh, and the tip about home.by.me was great. That really helped a lot.
I was already informed that I won’t get any input until calendar week 28. They apparently haven’t heard the “you shouldn’t have other clients beside me” rule—or worse, there’s a vacation period. So I won’t be able to provide updates until then.
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