Hello everyone,
Our house building plans are becoming more concrete. A plot of land is reserved, and now we are starting to consider possible floor plan options. For now, we want to focus only on the layout of the ground floor. The upper floor will likely be designed quite conservatively, with one bedroom, two children's rooms, and a bathroom.
Special features/conditions of the plot are:
- 845 sqm (around 9,100 sq ft)
- Corner plot
- Turning circle on the west side
- Access driveway on the west side
We have come up with two possible options. Both are attached, with each variation already positioned on the plot in what we consider the most advantageous way. The floor plans were created with an amateur program, so there are probably some errors.
- Variant_605 (11.5 m x 9.5 m [38 ft x 31 ft]): The kitchen is planned on the east side of the house. However, I am more inclined to switch it with the living/dining area, so that the kitchen would be in the southwest, providing a view of the turning circle. The main entrance is on the west side.
- Variant_BayWindow (11.0 m x 9.5 m [36 ft x 31 ft]; bay window 1.5 m x 4 m [5 ft x 13 ft]): The bay window or extension is only to be on the ground floor and not, for example, extended as a gable into the upper floor. The kitchen is located inside the bay window area. The main entrance is on the north side.
I am now curious about your opinions. I hope some of you can also offer a few tips.
Best regards and thanks in advance.
Our house building plans are becoming more concrete. A plot of land is reserved, and now we are starting to consider possible floor plan options. For now, we want to focus only on the layout of the ground floor. The upper floor will likely be designed quite conservatively, with one bedroom, two children's rooms, and a bathroom.
Special features/conditions of the plot are:
- 845 sqm (around 9,100 sq ft)
- Corner plot
- Turning circle on the west side
- Access driveway on the west side
We have come up with two possible options. Both are attached, with each variation already positioned on the plot in what we consider the most advantageous way. The floor plans were created with an amateur program, so there are probably some errors.
- Variant_605 (11.5 m x 9.5 m [38 ft x 31 ft]): The kitchen is planned on the east side of the house. However, I am more inclined to switch it with the living/dining area, so that the kitchen would be in the southwest, providing a view of the turning circle. The main entrance is on the west side.
- Variant_BayWindow (11.0 m x 9.5 m [36 ft x 31 ft]; bay window 1.5 m x 4 m [5 ft x 13 ft]): The bay window or extension is only to be on the ground floor and not, for example, extended as a gable into the upper floor. The kitchen is located inside the bay window area. The main entrance is on the north side.
I am now curious about your opinions. I hope some of you can also offer a few tips.
Best regards and thanks in advance.
Oops, I completely forgot to leave a comment yesterday and just noticed in my Acrobat that these two great designs are still open.
First of all, I want to praise your approach! You don’t look at the house separately, but as part of the plot, merging with it. Starting with a rough sketch and later adding more detail without losing sight of the essentials.
By the way, here is one of my preferred planning approaches to read about.
Also, this presentation helps illustrate a lot for the viewer.
Now to the designs:
I prefer the bay window option (although I’m not usually a fan of bay windows, here it seems more like a projection?).
The house presents a highlight to the street, which feels inviting. It doesn’t hide by being pushed into the back corner of the plot.
I can also imagine a strip of terrace between the kitchen and dining area very well, even if it’s just a walkway. I see a nice front garden connecting the street with the house. Variant 1 feels too standard to me 😉
Unfortunately, the entrance to the driveway is positioned awkwardly; I would try to move the entrance to the left next to the kitchen, maybe place the house corner with a cloakroom and guest WC to the northwest, then position the office and utility room in the east. The pantry would have to go for now, but this would create direct access from the hallway immediately to the right into the kitchen, so there is still potential in the floor plan. At least that’s what I hope 🙂
Looking forward,
Yvonne
Edit, question: Do you have a specific house model or type in mind?
First of all, I want to praise your approach! You don’t look at the house separately, but as part of the plot, merging with it. Starting with a rough sketch and later adding more detail without losing sight of the essentials.
By the way, here is one of my preferred planning approaches to read about.
Also, this presentation helps illustrate a lot for the viewer.
Now to the designs:
I prefer the bay window option (although I’m not usually a fan of bay windows, here it seems more like a projection?).
The house presents a highlight to the street, which feels inviting. It doesn’t hide by being pushed into the back corner of the plot.
I can also imagine a strip of terrace between the kitchen and dining area very well, even if it’s just a walkway. I see a nice front garden connecting the street with the house. Variant 1 feels too standard to me 😉
Unfortunately, the entrance to the driveway is positioned awkwardly; I would try to move the entrance to the left next to the kitchen, maybe place the house corner with a cloakroom and guest WC to the northwest, then position the office and utility room in the east. The pantry would have to go for now, but this would create direct access from the hallway immediately to the right into the kitchen, so there is still potential in the floor plan. At least that’s what I hope 🙂
Looking forward,
Yvonne
Edit, question: Do you have a specific house model or type in mind?
I agree with Yvonne...
I prefer the kitchen/dining area layout as it better integrates outdoor terrace living in the summer.
The entrance also caught my attention as slightly inconvenient. On the other hand, a mailbox and doorbell system will probably be installed at the edge of the property. For the kitchen, it would be possible to have a lockable door accessible from the outside, so groceries can be brought in via a shorter route. Otherwise, you can enter from the garage, which has a side access door, and reach the main entrance quickly.
I prefer the kitchen/dining area layout as it better integrates outdoor terrace living in the summer.
The entrance also caught my attention as slightly inconvenient. On the other hand, a mailbox and doorbell system will probably be installed at the edge of the property. For the kitchen, it would be possible to have a lockable door accessible from the outside, so groceries can be brought in via a shorter route. Otherwise, you can enter from the garage, which has a side access door, and reach the main entrance quickly.
@ypg
Thank you for your reply. That gives us some reassurance about our approach.
When we chose the plot, we first thought about how the house would fit best on it. Thanks to the building envelope/planning boundary, we had a lot of flexibility. My partner had already made a post about this here.
Out of the options, these were initially the ones we liked best. After that, we considered which room layout would be most practical. It was important to us to have the living room face south. And as I said, I really wanted to be able to look out at the street from the kitchen. That’s definitely more interesting when cooking than looking out on an empty field.
Yes, it’s more of a projection or an extension than a true bay window.
We’re still not totally happy about having the front door on the north side; we were hoping the architect might have some ideas for that. The hallway shouldn’t be too long either; otherwise, you end up wasting a lot of space.
No, we don’t favor any particular style. Honestly, it’s almost more important to me that I like the floor plan, and then I see what kind of house results from it.
However, we do have to use brick cladding according to building regulations, and I still need to check if such an extension is even allowed. The regulations are quite conservative.
@kbt09
I hadn’t even thought of the option to bring groceries directly into the kitchen, thanks—that idea of an exterior lockable door sounds good to me.
Our primary goal was initially to have direct access from the kitchen to the terrace.
Exactly, we would also install the doorbell system and mailbox by the driveway.
However, I also think that a house with an extension like this is significantly more expensive than a standard rectangular house, even if the footprint is larger. Or have you had different experiences?
Thank you for your reply. That gives us some reassurance about our approach.
When we chose the plot, we first thought about how the house would fit best on it. Thanks to the building envelope/planning boundary, we had a lot of flexibility. My partner had already made a post about this here.
Out of the options, these were initially the ones we liked best. After that, we considered which room layout would be most practical. It was important to us to have the living room face south. And as I said, I really wanted to be able to look out at the street from the kitchen. That’s definitely more interesting when cooking than looking out on an empty field.
Yes, it’s more of a projection or an extension than a true bay window.
We’re still not totally happy about having the front door on the north side; we were hoping the architect might have some ideas for that. The hallway shouldn’t be too long either; otherwise, you end up wasting a lot of space.
No, we don’t favor any particular style. Honestly, it’s almost more important to me that I like the floor plan, and then I see what kind of house results from it.
However, we do have to use brick cladding according to building regulations, and I still need to check if such an extension is even allowed. The regulations are quite conservative.
@kbt09
I hadn’t even thought of the option to bring groceries directly into the kitchen, thanks—that idea of an exterior lockable door sounds good to me.
Our primary goal was initially to have direct access from the kitchen to the terrace.
Exactly, we would also install the doorbell system and mailbox by the driveway.
However, I also think that a house with an extension like this is significantly more expensive than a standard rectangular house, even if the footprint is larger. Or have you had different experiences?
These are initial rough ideas to get a basic understanding of the possible room layout. I think it’s possible to achieve a “bay window” type of room arrangement even without an actual bay window. Although I’m not a homeowner myself 😉 … I do believe that including a bay window increases the cost.
What are the requirements regarding the number of floors, roof type, eave height, roof orientation, etc.? Are there any restrictions?
Is the study intended for professional use? Or will it also be used as a guest room?
Guest toilet on the ground floor with a shower?
Utility room… for building services, washing machine, storage?
What are the requirements regarding the number of floors, roof type, eave height, roof orientation, etc.? Are there any restrictions?
Is the study intended for professional use? Or will it also be used as a guest room?
Guest toilet on the ground floor with a shower?
Utility room… for building services, washing machine, storage?
kbt09 schrieb:
What are the requirements regarding the number of floors, roof type, eave height, roof orientation, etc.? Are there any restrictions?
Is the study intended for professional use or also as a guest room?
Guest toilet on the ground floor with a shower?
Utility room for building services, washing machine, storage?Single-story construction is permitted and sufficient for us. Knee walls up to 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches), ridge height 9 meters (29 feet 6 inches), gable, hip, or clipped gable roof.
No information yet on roof orientation or eave height. The local building regulations or planning permission are still to be finalized.
The study will also be used as a guest room and is intended only for private purposes.
The guest toilet with shower and the utility room should also serve as storage since we are building without a basement.
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