Hello,
here is one of my first attempts to draw a floor plan for the house to be built.
The plot is available, quite small, with a building envelope of max. 7.50 x 15.00 meters (25 x 49 feet). The shown design measures 7.50 x 12.50 meters (25 x 41 feet). Not shown: entrance is on the north side = street side.
What I tried to achieve:
- open floor plan between living, dining, and kitchen areas
- sheltered/covered entrance area
- despite the open layout, to slightly separate the entrance area so you don’t have a clear view from the front door all the way to the couch and garden
- fireplace in the living area
- staircase with landing / avoiding a boring “U-shaped” staircase
- kitchen island (which turned into a peninsula)
- sheltered/covered terrace area in the southeast corner, access via sliding door
What I am still not quite happy with:
- probably too little natural light in the hallway area, because the garage does not allow for a window on the west side
- staircase descent located centrally
What’s not obvious but important:
- we plan to build with a basement
- single-storey design, gable roof ridge parallel to the street, so the staircase upstairs must be centrally positioned to avoid conflicts with the roof slopes
Please feel free to give me lots of feedback so I can see what I have overlooked and improve the design. Overall, I have the feeling that the hallway and staircase area are still a bit tight.
Thanks in advance and best regards to everyone!
here is one of my first attempts to draw a floor plan for the house to be built.
The plot is available, quite small, with a building envelope of max. 7.50 x 15.00 meters (25 x 49 feet). The shown design measures 7.50 x 12.50 meters (25 x 41 feet). Not shown: entrance is on the north side = street side.
What I tried to achieve:
- open floor plan between living, dining, and kitchen areas
- sheltered/covered entrance area
- despite the open layout, to slightly separate the entrance area so you don’t have a clear view from the front door all the way to the couch and garden
- fireplace in the living area
- staircase with landing / avoiding a boring “U-shaped” staircase
- kitchen island (which turned into a peninsula)
- sheltered/covered terrace area in the southeast corner, access via sliding door
What I am still not quite happy with:
- probably too little natural light in the hallway area, because the garage does not allow for a window on the west side
- staircase descent located centrally
What’s not obvious but important:
- we plan to build with a basement
- single-storey design, gable roof ridge parallel to the street, so the staircase upstairs must be centrally positioned to avoid conflicts with the roof slopes
Please feel free to give me lots of feedback so I can see what I have overlooked and improve the design. Overall, I have the feeling that the hallway and staircase area are still a bit tight.
Thanks in advance and best regards to everyone!
This really reminds me of our old townhouse. I can only recommend closing off the living area from the staircase. You can hear everything from the rooms upstairs – and vice versa as well.
So far, I liked the previous layout best because at least there was no direct view into the staircase.
By the way, almost everyone in townhouses ended up hanging a curtain over the staircase leading down to the basement sooner or later, because especially in winter, there was always a draft there – despite having heating in the basement.
So far, I liked the previous layout best because at least there was no direct view into the staircase.
By the way, almost everyone in townhouses ended up hanging a curtain over the staircase leading down to the basement sooner or later, because especially in winter, there was always a draft there – despite having heating in the basement.
sirhc schrieb:
I'm not quite sure what you mean by whether we want to hire an architect. A construction company is supposed to handle everything. ... Next, I want to try again with the upper floor.That can become a problem if, as a layperson, you try something here, change something there, plan the ground floor without considering the upper floor, don’t even think through basic structural requirements for the ground floor, and then bring it to a builder who blindly constructs exactly what you give them: a significant extra cost in the five-figure range for structural engineering, a bathroom door that hits the urinal and thus only opens at a 70-degree angle, a toilet without a cistern, patio windows blocked by furniture, and...
sirhc schrieb:
Kitchen = dead end is how we want it; we don’t want a connection to the hallway....a kitchen where two people bump into each other and cannot get in or out if they both try to go to the back right towards the glasses. That has nothing to do with the hallway. Nevertheless, you have to adapt to the conditions of the plot: 7.50 meters (25 feet) in width – you have to subordinate to that – and in such cases, you may need to set aside some wishes. When I think of 7.50 meters (25 feet), I imagine a narrow kitchen that is a bit longer. You basically have to split the 7.50 meters (25 feet) into two areas if you want the entrance at the front. From those 7.50 meters (25 feet), subtract the walls ... and what about the roof overhangs? Are you sure that 7.50 meters (25 feet) is not actually too wide?
sirhc schrieb:
I revised the design again and, funny enough, after 10 different attempts I’m back closest to the very first drawing. The latest version is attached.Yes, that can be funny and even enjoyable. It can also be helpful because you slowly develop a feel for it. But a design is not just made in a few days, and you probably don’t want to spend years on it (I’m referring to the slow pace here). How much is your free time worth that you spend on this?
The phenomenon of going in circles happens because you don’t know any more options.
Here are a few brief responses without quoting everything:
- I am planning the ground floor together with the upper floor and have various designs for the upper floor, which still need to be adjusted according to the latest ground floor drawings.
- I have a structural engineer in the family who doesn’t see any structural (or cost) issues with the few walls (I assume this is what you are referring to).
- The door does not hit the urinal but could just as well open outwards.
- The tip about the flushing cistern is helpful, though.
- To me, the window is not blocked, since the dresser is set back more than half a meter (about 20 inches) from the window.
- I don’t quite understand the criticism of the kitchen.
- I don’t get the point about the roof overhangs in relation to the house width — some further explanation would be helpful here.
- I enjoy drawing and experimenting in my free time and getting a feel for what works and what doesn’t; I don’t weigh this in monetary terms or anything like that.
As I said before, I am still grateful for open and honest feedback, but right now I feel like you are being a bit harsh on the design. Still, thank you, that’s the only way to make progress.
Best regards
- I am planning the ground floor together with the upper floor and have various designs for the upper floor, which still need to be adjusted according to the latest ground floor drawings.
- I have a structural engineer in the family who doesn’t see any structural (or cost) issues with the few walls (I assume this is what you are referring to).
- The door does not hit the urinal but could just as well open outwards.
- The tip about the flushing cistern is helpful, though.
- To me, the window is not blocked, since the dresser is set back more than half a meter (about 20 inches) from the window.
- I don’t quite understand the criticism of the kitchen.
- I don’t get the point about the roof overhangs in relation to the house width — some further explanation would be helpful here.
- I enjoy drawing and experimenting in my free time and getting a feel for what works and what doesn’t; I don’t weigh this in monetary terms or anything like that.
As I said before, I am still grateful for open and honest feedback, but right now I feel like you are being a bit harsh on the design. Still, thank you, that’s the only way to make progress.
Best regards
B
Bauexperte15 Dec 2014 13:10Hello,
Best regards, Bauexperte
sirhc schrieb:That probably depends on how or from which perspective you consider this statement. Basically, it’s not a problem; however, it will still incur costs since a beam has to be taken into account and—depending on the results of the soil survey—possibly concrete supports in the exterior walls.
- I have a civil engineer in the family who doesn’t see a structural (or cost) issue with the few walls (I think that’s what you’re referring to)
Best regards, Bauexperte
D
Doc.Schnaggls15 Dec 2014 14:31As the construction expert already mentioned, this is definitely not an unsolvable structural problem – however, this floor plan will be quite expensive.
We also have a very open floor plan, and our kitchen, living, and dining area "occupies" two complete exterior walls measuring 9.04 meters by 11.20 meters (30 ft by 37 ft) in an L-shape.
For the 62 square meter (667 square feet) room, a total of five (!!!) double-T steel beams were required, which of course had to be supported by appropriate walls.
Best regards,
Dirk
We also have a very open floor plan, and our kitchen, living, and dining area "occupies" two complete exterior walls measuring 9.04 meters by 11.20 meters (30 ft by 37 ft) in an L-shape.
For the 62 square meter (667 square feet) room, a total of five (!!!) double-T steel beams were required, which of course had to be supported by appropriate walls.
Best regards,
Dirk
D
Doc.Schnaggls16 Dec 2014 09:03Hello,
I'm not entirely sure anymore – we planned it that way from the beginning, so there was never a separate item for "steel beam" = X dollars...
However, I seem to recall our architect mentioning additional costs of around 10,000 to 12,000 euros (approximately 11,000 to 13,200 USD) in a conversation due to the large open space.
Extending the entire kitchen wall probably won’t be necessary for you – I guess that if you plan a wall section somewhere between the dining area and the stairs, the beams could be supported there.
If I were you, I would keep the floor plan as open as possible.
Best regards,
Dirk
I'm not entirely sure anymore – we planned it that way from the beginning, so there was never a separate item for "steel beam" = X dollars...
However, I seem to recall our architect mentioning additional costs of around 10,000 to 12,000 euros (approximately 11,000 to 13,200 USD) in a conversation due to the large open space.
Extending the entire kitchen wall probably won’t be necessary for you – I guess that if you plan a wall section somewhere between the dining area and the stairs, the beams could be supported there.
If I were you, I would keep the floor plan as open as possible.
Best regards,
Dirk
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