ᐅ Floor plan – looking forward to your opinions...

Created on: 8 Jun 2015 13:25
D
DiBu83
Hello everyone,

after following the forum discussions here for quite some time, we previously asked about the positioning of the house on the plot. We would now like to get your opinion on the following floor plan.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 850m² (9153 sq ft)
Floor area ratio: 0.25
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1
Roof type: gable roof 28-48°
Style: conservative (brick construction)
Layout: open development
Maximum heights / limits: max. 1m (3.3 ft) knee wall

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: brick construction, gable roof 45°
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors (+ converted attic)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults (32 & 31), 1 child (12 months), 1 child planned (2-3 years)
Office: family use (in the attic or, until the second child arrives, on the upper floor)
Conservative or modern style: rather conservative → brick
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Garage, carport: probably a garage-carport combination (must also be brick-clad and have a gable roof)

House design
Who planned it: ourselves

What do you particularly like?
What don’t you like?

→ I would prefer the kitchen to be towards the entrance/street (southwest corner), but then the living area shifts to the east, and we want the living spaces facing south (towards the garden).
We also considered rotating the house 90°, but then the entrance would be on the gable side, resulting in a very long hallway inside, which we don’t like.
So the current layout is a compromise.
We would like to separate the technical room from the utility/pantry area and use it as a kind of mudroom (for shopping or, for example, after gardening work). We are still uncertain about the most practical location and door placement for this.
Oh, and something that might not be clear from our amateur drawings: there is supposed to be a fixed staircase from the upper floor to the attic at the same spot as the ground floor staircase → hence the dormer.

We would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions.

Aerial view of a plot with red outline marking the planned building area

Bird’s-eye view of a property: circular driveway with island, house, garden and hedges.

Isometric view: red detached house with garage, garden, hedge and circular driveway.

Floor plan of a house with kitchen, living/dining, hall, technical room, utility/pantry, cloakroom, WC/shower.

Attic floor plan with master bedroom, child’s room 1, dressing room and rooms 174, 175, 176.
Y
ypg
9 Jun 2015 12:47
Hello,
Bauexperte schrieb:
At this time of year (and when it’s raining) – within walking distance – I even have a sensor lying in the hallway

What exactly is a sensor?
Bauexperte schrieb:
I still don’t understand the advantage of not being able to go straight up the stairs, but instead first tracking some street dirt several meters into the hallway (kids especially are good at this) and then carrying it upstairs with you? I would rather have the dirt from the entrance area there than in the adjoining rooms

Hmm, the issue isn’t really about going upstairs immediately after entering the house (I think it’s generally become common practice to take off shoes upstairs anyway), but more about the evening hours when everyone, ready for bed (including adults), comes back downstairs and then walks through street dirt (in socks or barefoot).

Let me put it this way: our home is usually quite clean, but even the few grains of sand that fall in the hallway bother me. I’m sensitive to feeling dirt on my feet. When I think about having just been at public restrooms at OBI or Ikea, where I might have had to stand in a wet spot because a mother had held her child over the toilet but the mess ran outside the bowl, I shudder. I prefer not to consider all the other places I might have walked through and then spread some of that inside the house.
I grew up with stairs inside the living area and only ever had this type, so I also pay attention to keeping a small distance between the door and the stairs.

However, the location of the stairs is a good basis for the positioning of the upper rooms, so sometimes it is the lesser of two evils to have them in the entrance area.

Best regards, Yvonne
M
Manu1976
9 Jun 2015 12:53
Bauexperte schrieb:
I always have to smile when I read that advice. Doesn’t the younger generation still know about having a doormat in front of the door?

Yes, and our front door was even covered, with mats both outside and inside. Since we always take off our shoes on the mat, especially on rainy or snowy days, the moisture and mud got spread on the inside mat. I don’t have a shoe dryer right at the door. And if someone wanted to quickly walk inside in socks or barefoot—yuck.

Now, our shoe storage is right next to the door on a dirt-trapping mat, and the stairs are opposite the door. No more sand tracked upstairs. No more wet socks from walking over a wet doormat, and no dirt spread on the ground floor, because shoes are taken off directly on the mat by the door, not three meters (10 feet) further inside.
M
Manu1976
9 Jun 2015 13:09
Bright hallway: white door with four glass panes, mirrored closet, dark tile floor

You can see it here. Where the stool with the radio used to be is now where the shoes are placed. The position of the staircase also gave us an additional room on the upper floor. Since we extended the front of the upper floor slightly to create a canopy over the front door, we were able to include a bathroom for the children here. With three girls, that’s certainly not an unnecessary luxury.
B
Bauexperte
9 Jun 2015 14:20
Hello Yvonne,
ypg schrieb:

What exactly is a collector?
Take a look at the attachment
ypg schrieb:

However, the location of the staircase is a good basis for the placement of the upper rooms, so having it in the entrance area is sometimes the lesser evil.
I agree with that as well; besides, it also depends on the individuals and the values they teach their children while living together. How they manage it later on in their own homes is their business; for me, it certainly matters a lot

Best regards, Bauexperte

White sheet of paper next to an orange envelope.
B
Bauexperte
9 Jun 2015 14:23
Manu1976 schrieb:

Right now, our shoe storage is directly next to the door on a doormat, and the staircase is opposite the door. No more sand tracked upstairs. No more wet socks from having to walk over a wet doormat, and dirt isn’t spread through the ground floor because shoes are taken off right at the door on the mat, not three meters (yards) further inside.

But does it really not matter where the staircase starts, or am I just completely confused today...?

All rooms inevitably depend on the location of the staircase in the house. It’s not uncommon for it to be positioned at the front—especially in narrower layouts—which is often better than placing it elsewhere.

Regards, Bauexperte
B
Bauexperte
9 Jun 2015 14:31
Manu1976 schrieb:

You can see it here. Where the stool with the radio is now, the shoes are currently placed.

Thanks for the picture!

Fortunately, tastes differ! For example, I would have removed the bulky wardrobe or at least found a different spot for it. Such a spacious entrance area, and then using a cabinet to not only overshadow the look of the very classic interior door (guest bathroom?), but also push the entire front door setup into the background...

Please don’t take this the wrong way

Regards, Bauexperte