ᐅ Two full stories, pass-through garage, utility room located under the stairs
Created on: 19 Aug 2015 21:39
G
Grym
We have now had several in-depth discussions since the idea of using the space under the stairs as an extension of the utility room and the idea of a direct passage to the garage have developed. Here are the findings, which are basically close to the design that one construction company now wants to finalize and price:
We have now seen the garage passage into the utility room in two private houses (one belonging to acquaintances), and it seems very practical, so we want that. The staircase is closed and basically asymmetrical. It goes up about 9 steps, then a landing, then another 6 steps. Including the landing, that totals 16 steps, or 17 risers. At the second rise, a step can easily be added or removed as needed.
My thoughts on individual rooms:
- Both children's rooms are rectangular and about 17 sqm (183 sq ft). The closet niche in the left children’s room does not seem like a limitation to me. I consider these two spacious children’s rooms, also suitable for teenagers; both have south and garden-facing windows.
-> Children's rooms: OK or not?
- The bedroom is wide enough, with a sufficiently wide passage at the bottom, east-facing; the walk-in closet has over 7 linear meters (23 feet) of shelving and an interior movement space of 1.20m (4 feet) in width.
-> Bedroom/walk-in closet: OK or not?
- The bathroom size basically results from the leftover space. I don’t like small bathrooms or toilets directly next to the bathtub. We want double sinks. We do not want a separate children’s bathroom.
-> Bathroom possibly too large for some tastes but otherwise OK or not?
- We want an open living/dining/kitchen area arranged at a corner. I have seen 4.07m (13 feet) for the living area live at acquaintances and found it good; 3.60m (12 feet) for the dining area with a 90-100cm (35-39 inch) table should fit well. The kitchen includes 6 linear meters (20 feet) of cabinets plus a large separate fridge and freezer. A sliding door is planned to avoid hitting anyone when opening; generally, both the kitchen and living room doors are planned to be open and only closed when needed. This is also how we do it at home.
-> Living/dining/kitchen: OK or not?
- The hallway is now 1.80m (6 feet) wide. We have seen 2.00m (6.5 feet) (very generous; wasteful?), 1.30m (4 feet) in a semi-detached house (functional, works but not impressive), and 1.40-1.50m (4.5-5 feet) in show homes (neutral impression). The coat niche is planned with hangers perpendicular to the hallway direction for jackets, etc. Possibly, another wardrobe will be added in the utility/transfer room to the garage because it is used frequently. Larger shoe storage will also be in the utility room, but some pairs (for me only one, for my wife a few) can remain in the hallway (e.g., between the WC door and utility room door or between the workroom door and the exterior wall or in the coat niche). The WC is planned with a shower mainly for visual reasons, though it will be used occasionally. At 2.5-3.0 sqm (27-32 sq ft), it’s visually too small for a stay room (even if one only spends a few minutes there). The work area in front of the connection niche is partly a passage area and partly for storing drink crates, which can be moved when needed. Next to this is about 2 linear meters (6.5 feet) of additional cabinetry; opposite are the washing machine and dryer under the stairs. The hot water tank could possibly be placed in the rear corner of the utility room since it normally does not require access. (The landing is at the 10th step; the height under the landing and the height of the hot water tank must be calculated and planned in detail.) Or would another necessary technical device be suitable there? If not, that space can remain unused. Next to the washing machine and dryer, there is at least 1.20m (4 feet) available for other appliances or the mentioned second wardrobe. If necessary, the approx. 2 linear meters (6.5 feet) of cabinets will have to be replaced by essential technical equipment, but there aren’t that many devices after all.
-> Hallway, utility room, WC/shower: OK or not?
- There is also a study room, let’s call it the PC room. It houses the computer, some cabinets, and additional storage primarily for documents.
-> Study room: OK?
Now for the details:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 600 sqm (6460 sq ft)
Slope: 2-7%, mostly leveled by us
Floor area ratio: 0.4 plus 50% allowance
Site coverage ratio: none
Building envelope, building line, boundary: none
Adjacent development: none
Number of parking spaces: 2 required
Number of floors: maximum 2
Roof type: single-pitch or gable roof, 25-40 degrees -> planned: gable roof 25 degrees (25°C - 77°F)
Architectural style: not finalized; possibly modern with light plaster, anthracite-colored roof tiles, and dark-tinted exterior windows
Orientation: south-southwest
Maximum heights/limits: eaves height 6.30m (20.7 feet)
Other requirements: corner plot, play street to the north and east; garage or carport only behind the street-facing building line, i.e., at the current location or directly in the south garden; so only possible at the current location
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: 2 full floors, everything else secondary; if necessary, also 2.25m (7.4 feet) knee-wall and gable roof
Basement/floors: 2 full floors on a slab foundation
Number of occupants, ages: as shown
Space needs on ground and upper floors: as depicted
Office: family use or home office? PC room, filing cabinet
Guest bedrooms per year: no
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Traditional or modern construction: hm? Brick or knee-wall plus external insulation, so I would say modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, see plan
Number of dining seats: 3 or 4 and flexible
Fireplace: not in a highly insulated new build – no
Music/sound system: surround sound (no priority; no sound in other rooms from the central system; integrated plug-sized radios with Bluetooth receivers and plug-sized speakers planned for kitchen, WC, and bathroom)
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with storage room at the back for garden tools, bicycles, children's toys, etc.
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine: no
We have now seen the garage passage into the utility room in two private houses (one belonging to acquaintances), and it seems very practical, so we want that. The staircase is closed and basically asymmetrical. It goes up about 9 steps, then a landing, then another 6 steps. Including the landing, that totals 16 steps, or 17 risers. At the second rise, a step can easily be added or removed as needed.
My thoughts on individual rooms:
- Both children's rooms are rectangular and about 17 sqm (183 sq ft). The closet niche in the left children’s room does not seem like a limitation to me. I consider these two spacious children’s rooms, also suitable for teenagers; both have south and garden-facing windows.
-> Children's rooms: OK or not?
- The bedroom is wide enough, with a sufficiently wide passage at the bottom, east-facing; the walk-in closet has over 7 linear meters (23 feet) of shelving and an interior movement space of 1.20m (4 feet) in width.
-> Bedroom/walk-in closet: OK or not?
- The bathroom size basically results from the leftover space. I don’t like small bathrooms or toilets directly next to the bathtub. We want double sinks. We do not want a separate children’s bathroom.
-> Bathroom possibly too large for some tastes but otherwise OK or not?
- We want an open living/dining/kitchen area arranged at a corner. I have seen 4.07m (13 feet) for the living area live at acquaintances and found it good; 3.60m (12 feet) for the dining area with a 90-100cm (35-39 inch) table should fit well. The kitchen includes 6 linear meters (20 feet) of cabinets plus a large separate fridge and freezer. A sliding door is planned to avoid hitting anyone when opening; generally, both the kitchen and living room doors are planned to be open and only closed when needed. This is also how we do it at home.
-> Living/dining/kitchen: OK or not?
- The hallway is now 1.80m (6 feet) wide. We have seen 2.00m (6.5 feet) (very generous; wasteful?), 1.30m (4 feet) in a semi-detached house (functional, works but not impressive), and 1.40-1.50m (4.5-5 feet) in show homes (neutral impression). The coat niche is planned with hangers perpendicular to the hallway direction for jackets, etc. Possibly, another wardrobe will be added in the utility/transfer room to the garage because it is used frequently. Larger shoe storage will also be in the utility room, but some pairs (for me only one, for my wife a few) can remain in the hallway (e.g., between the WC door and utility room door or between the workroom door and the exterior wall or in the coat niche). The WC is planned with a shower mainly for visual reasons, though it will be used occasionally. At 2.5-3.0 sqm (27-32 sq ft), it’s visually too small for a stay room (even if one only spends a few minutes there). The work area in front of the connection niche is partly a passage area and partly for storing drink crates, which can be moved when needed. Next to this is about 2 linear meters (6.5 feet) of additional cabinetry; opposite are the washing machine and dryer under the stairs. The hot water tank could possibly be placed in the rear corner of the utility room since it normally does not require access. (The landing is at the 10th step; the height under the landing and the height of the hot water tank must be calculated and planned in detail.) Or would another necessary technical device be suitable there? If not, that space can remain unused. Next to the washing machine and dryer, there is at least 1.20m (4 feet) available for other appliances or the mentioned second wardrobe. If necessary, the approx. 2 linear meters (6.5 feet) of cabinets will have to be replaced by essential technical equipment, but there aren’t that many devices after all.
-> Hallway, utility room, WC/shower: OK or not?
- There is also a study room, let’s call it the PC room. It houses the computer, some cabinets, and additional storage primarily for documents.
-> Study room: OK?
Now for the details:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 600 sqm (6460 sq ft)
Slope: 2-7%, mostly leveled by us
Floor area ratio: 0.4 plus 50% allowance
Site coverage ratio: none
Building envelope, building line, boundary: none
Adjacent development: none
Number of parking spaces: 2 required
Number of floors: maximum 2
Roof type: single-pitch or gable roof, 25-40 degrees -> planned: gable roof 25 degrees (25°C - 77°F)
Architectural style: not finalized; possibly modern with light plaster, anthracite-colored roof tiles, and dark-tinted exterior windows
Orientation: south-southwest
Maximum heights/limits: eaves height 6.30m (20.7 feet)
Other requirements: corner plot, play street to the north and east; garage or carport only behind the street-facing building line, i.e., at the current location or directly in the south garden; so only possible at the current location
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: 2 full floors, everything else secondary; if necessary, also 2.25m (7.4 feet) knee-wall and gable roof
Basement/floors: 2 full floors on a slab foundation
Number of occupants, ages: as shown
Space needs on ground and upper floors: as depicted
Office: family use or home office? PC room, filing cabinet
Guest bedrooms per year: no
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Traditional or modern construction: hm? Brick or knee-wall plus external insulation, so I would say modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, see plan
Number of dining seats: 3 or 4 and flexible
Fireplace: not in a highly insulated new build – no
Music/sound system: surround sound (no priority; no sound in other rooms from the central system; integrated plug-sized radios with Bluetooth receivers and plug-sized speakers planned for kitchen, WC, and bathroom)
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with storage room at the back for garden tools, bicycles, children's toys, etc.
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine: no
I have been following the progress of your house, even if I haven’t always commented. But I have to say: it has improved by several hundred percent. Certainly, the square meter area has increased somewhat.
Nevertheless, I need to point out something you should really reconsider, which will probably lead to another change:
According to your plan, your utility room is 9 sqm (approx. 97 sq ft), but not all of that space is truly usable.
For one, it’s an expensive and major construction task to have a (possibly load-bearing) wall next to the stairs appear to float. Well, let’s assume that works. The heating system should have a control panel that you need to be able to see and adjust from time to time. Any plumber would shake their head (ours would simply move the heating unit elsewhere). The washing machine shouldn’t be placed in front of it. Right now, they are in front of it, surrounded by a load of laundry (you can’t put anything on it), then white laundry is also collected there, and now you want to turn the cramped utility room into a hallway. Your plan includes a wide corridor (Neuffert would be pleased), which you presumably don’t want to use daily.
Certainly, you see a lot of nice things in others’ homes, but you have to weigh things realistically and honestly ask whether their existing conditions might be different from your own. Your utility room needs to accommodate many other things—you need space for drinks, brooms, mops, and so forth—and a main traffic area is completely impractical for that.
Considering all these concerns, the utility room is not really what it currently appears to be for you.
Best regards
P.S. Surely some other things aren’t perfect yet (windows, for example), but I’ll leave that to the construction manager.
Nevertheless, I need to point out something you should really reconsider, which will probably lead to another change:
Grym schrieb:
The rest of the cloakroom, idea again based on a real, inhabited private house, preferably more like a utility room than a passage room to the car (and even as a passage to the bike).
According to your plan, your utility room is 9 sqm (approx. 97 sq ft), but not all of that space is truly usable.
For one, it’s an expensive and major construction task to have a (possibly load-bearing) wall next to the stairs appear to float. Well, let’s assume that works. The heating system should have a control panel that you need to be able to see and adjust from time to time. Any plumber would shake their head (ours would simply move the heating unit elsewhere). The washing machine shouldn’t be placed in front of it. Right now, they are in front of it, surrounded by a load of laundry (you can’t put anything on it), then white laundry is also collected there, and now you want to turn the cramped utility room into a hallway. Your plan includes a wide corridor (Neuffert would be pleased), which you presumably don’t want to use daily.
Certainly, you see a lot of nice things in others’ homes, but you have to weigh things realistically and honestly ask whether their existing conditions might be different from your own. Your utility room needs to accommodate many other things—you need space for drinks, brooms, mops, and so forth—and a main traffic area is completely impractical for that.
Considering all these concerns, the utility room is not really what it currently appears to be for you.
Best regards
P.S. Surely some other things aren’t perfect yet (windows, for example), but I’ll leave that to the construction manager.
Yes, this is even planned as a sliding door. It’s shown in the plan, probably too small.
The wall above the staircase over the utility room should definitely not be load-bearing; that would never work. To the best of my knowledge, it is a drywall partition, which, if properly constructed, actually offers better sound insulation than a solid wall. It definitely works—I have seen it in person, and it was also the idea of two construction companies (more or less simultaneously and independently, without my input).
If you want a home office on the ground floor, everything either becomes very large or you have to use space-saving solutions around the utility room, which were likely their considerations.
Beverage crates find space in front of the connection niche, possibly also simply in the garage. 2.1 linear meters (7 feet) of floor-to-ceiling cabinet space would theoretically still be available for cleaning supplies, brooms, etc.
The staircase, hmm...
A staircase considered very comfortable has a rise of 19cm (7.5 inches) with a tread depth of 27cm (11 inches). If instead of 9 steps at the bottom there are 10 steps, then the landing is the 11th rise, resulting in a height at the top of 2.09m (6 ft 10 in). You should be able to fit under there without ducking, and this area could even be used for other purposes, including a bit of storage space under the lower stairs below the landing. The washing machine and dryer would naturally be pushed slightly to the side.
The wall above the staircase over the utility room should definitely not be load-bearing; that would never work. To the best of my knowledge, it is a drywall partition, which, if properly constructed, actually offers better sound insulation than a solid wall. It definitely works—I have seen it in person, and it was also the idea of two construction companies (more or less simultaneously and independently, without my input).
If you want a home office on the ground floor, everything either becomes very large or you have to use space-saving solutions around the utility room, which were likely their considerations.
Beverage crates find space in front of the connection niche, possibly also simply in the garage. 2.1 linear meters (7 feet) of floor-to-ceiling cabinet space would theoretically still be available for cleaning supplies, brooms, etc.
The staircase, hmm...
A staircase considered very comfortable has a rise of 19cm (7.5 inches) with a tread depth of 27cm (11 inches). If instead of 9 steps at the bottom there are 10 steps, then the landing is the 11th rise, resulting in a height at the top of 2.09m (6 ft 10 in). You should be able to fit under there without ducking, and this area could even be used for other purposes, including a bit of storage space under the lower stairs below the landing. The washing machine and dryer would naturally be pushed slightly to the side.
I fully agree with Yvonne and also have serious concerns about the utility room regarding the building services and the relocation of the wardrobe. You should have the technical installations checked first because if they don’t work, a fundamental redesign will be necessary.
Regarding the wardrobe... you still seem to be planning only for two people. It becomes critical as the children grow. Also, consider space for a stroller.
A side-by-side refrigerator cannot be placed directly next to the wall like that, as the door opening angle won’t fit.
Regarding the wardrobe... you still seem to be planning only for two people. It becomes critical as the children grow. Also, consider space for a stroller.
A side-by-side refrigerator cannot be placed directly next to the wall like that, as the door opening angle won’t fit.
Hello Grym,
My floor plan isn’t that different from yours. I’m still in the planning stage and will have my first meeting with the architect in a few weeks to find out where we can still make improvements. I think especially the hallway area with the cloakroom could be designed a lot more elegantly.
I’m uploading our current rough draft here. I think the bay window we have would solve your problem with the lack of space downstairs.
Best regards,
Michael
My floor plan isn’t that different from yours. I’m still in the planning stage and will have my first meeting with the architect in a few weeks to find out where we can still make improvements. I think especially the hallway area with the cloakroom could be designed a lot more elegantly.
I’m uploading our current rough draft here. I think the bay window we have would solve your problem with the lack of space downstairs.
Best regards,
Michael
We wanted the living room, dining area, and kitchen not to be aligned in a straight line, meaning they are open but without a direct line of sight from the living area into the kitchen. This makes the layout a bit more complicated. Attached are the latest drawings again:
There is now a proper coat nook measuring 1.60 m (5 feet 3 inches) long and 40 cm (16 inches) deep. Coat closets are usually not that deep (ours, to my knowledge, is only 35 cm (14 inches)). Shoes can be placed in front of and underneath it. The entrance area remains 1.80 m (6 feet) wide. Further inside, a half-height cabinet (sideboard) could be positioned for additional clothing items like scarves and umbrellas, and on top of which, for example, keys, mail, and other small items can be placed.
The refrigerator has gotten a bit more space; I have now planned for 90 cm (35 inches) to fit a side-by-side fridge. There are also models with 120 cm (47 inches) width, but what do we really need? We’ll probably have to look at refrigerators again…
There is now a proper coat nook measuring 1.60 m (5 feet 3 inches) long and 40 cm (16 inches) deep. Coat closets are usually not that deep (ours, to my knowledge, is only 35 cm (14 inches)). Shoes can be placed in front of and underneath it. The entrance area remains 1.80 m (6 feet) wide. Further inside, a half-height cabinet (sideboard) could be positioned for additional clothing items like scarves and umbrellas, and on top of which, for example, keys, mail, and other small items can be placed.
The refrigerator has gotten a bit more space; I have now planned for 90 cm (35 inches) to fit a side-by-side fridge. There are also models with 120 cm (47 inches) width, but what do we really need? We’ll probably have to look at refrigerators again…
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