ᐅ 12 x 9.6 m, 2 full stories, basement, attic, 4 children's bedrooms

Created on: 26 Apr 2018 22:24
J
Johannes L
Hello everyone,

After more than six years of searching, we will soon be able to purchase a plot of land, so it’s time to advance the planning.

Since we are still undecided whether to build with an architect or a developer, we started drawing ourselves and have been diligently browsing internet forums like this one. The floor plans below are the result, thanks to SketchUp.

I hope we understand the floor area ratio correctly, meaning the basement is not included. Otherwise, we have a problem...

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size 15.6 x 29.95 m = 436 sqm (51.2 x 98.3 ft = 4,692 sq ft)
Slope no
Site coverage ratio 0.4 = 174.4 sqm (1,878 sq ft)
Floor area ratio 0.8 = 348.8 sqm (3,753 sq ft)
Building envelope, building line and boundary 12 m depth (39 ft)
Setbacks 3 m (10 ft) on right and left
Number of parking spaces only in front of the garage planned
Number of storeys 2 full storeys
Roof type Gable roof 42 degrees
Style brick + Wienerberger Poroton T7 P 36.5
Orientation garden facing east-northeast
Maximum height restrictions 10 m (33 ft) high
Other requirements finished floor level at least 30 cm (12 inches) above reference mark

Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type gable roof is mandatory
Basement, number of storeys 2 full
Number and ages of occupants 6 (37, 36, 6, 4, 2, 0)
Space requirements on ground and upper floors (see plan)
Office: family use or home office? both
Guests sleeping per year the attic provides enough space
Open or closed architecture
Traditional or modern design it will be a smart home with KNX, photovoltaic system, heat pump, possibly battery storage…
Open kitchen, kitchen island open kitchen
Number of dining seats 6
Fireplace no
Music/stereo wall I was thinking of multi-room audio, i.e. one ceiling speaker per room
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage, carport garage
Utility garden, greenhouse later
Additional wishes/particulars/daily routine, also reasons why certain things are required or excluded The house should be divisible in 25 years, hence the staircase placement. There is a kitchen shown on the upper floor, but it will only be relevant in 25 years. I roughly marked the ventilation system, indicating where ceiling or wall outlets might be and where ducts lead to the upper floors. The two offices are important. The master bedroom on the ground floor is future-proof. Everyone gets old!

House design
Who designed the plan: us amateurs
What do you like most? Why? four equally sized children’s rooms
What do you like least? Why? the upstairs hallway might be somewhat dark
Price estimate according to architect/planner: if only we knew
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 400 + building allowance
Preferred heating technology: ground-source heat pump

If you have to give up features or extensions
- what can you do without: I hope we don’t have to
- what can you not do without: we definitely want to keep the base dimensions and the basement is a must, but we may have to save on components.

Why is the design like it is now? 4 children’s rooms, two offices, ground floor master bedroom, divisibility in 25 years…
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? that’s what we want to know from you

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What would you do differently and why?
C
Curly
30 Apr 2018 09:49
You want to spend half a million euros on a house, and yet your guest bathroom is only going to be 80cm (31.5 inches) wide, minus interior plaster and possibly tiles, which makes it even narrower. You’ll be embarrassing your overweight guests!

Best regards,
Sabine
kaho67430 Apr 2018 09:52
If you divide the house, the guest bathroom is located in the hallway just before the front door. At that point, you might as well set up a small guest house outside in the yard...
Y
ypg
30 Apr 2018 10:01
Very amusing. They are cutting back on essential space just to include one more tiny, claustrophobic room.

What were those two office rooms supposed to be for again? Why do you need two if one office would be enough for a family?

In my opinion, I would swap the kitchen and the living room. With this layout, no one would ever have peace on the sofa. Even when a bunch of teenagers makes a pizza, they wouldn’t have to go through the whole house—they could just stay in the kitchen and dining area.
kaho67430 Apr 2018 10:09
I don't see the guest toilet as a big issue, just as I believe that two bathrooms are still reasonable for six people. However, I would install empty conduits in the attic for a potential third bathroom.
J
Johannes L
30 Apr 2018 10:15
So, I went back to the bathroom with a tape measure. A width of 80cm (31.5 inches) feels more than sufficient. A depth of 110cm (43 inches) is admittedly a bit tight, but it still works with the space-saving toilet from WICI Conzept. Having the guest toilet in the stairwell when there is a house separation is certainly not ideal. We’ll see, maybe we’ll relocate it in 25 years.

I designed the two office rooms according to our needs. I just need a small room where I can work and make phone calls without interruptions. My wife wants a separate room she can lock so she can leave things “out in the open” sometimes without the children getting into them.

I’m not saying the design will suit everyone, but we really like it. We are still considering placing the kitchen island in a different spot. My wife is less keen on the idea, but I definitely want to sketch it out again later.

I don’t really expect peace and quiet in the dining, living, or kitchen areas. Four children always bring life with them wherever they are, and we love that.
kaho67430 Apr 2018 10:18
Johannes L schrieb:
So, I went back to the bathroom with a tape measure. A width of 80cm (31.5 inches) feels more than sufficient to me.


People perceive it very differently when measuring a width with a tape measure compared to having solid 2.5m (8.2 ft) high walls on both sides.

In my case, guests would have to share the shower toilet. I don’t see this as a problem. Although my guests mostly use the guest bathroom, some still prefer to use our main bathroom when there is a lot of demand. It has never been an issue for anyone.