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
S
Sebastian7924 Aug 2015 20:36Terrible when they are outside – outdated, it couldn’t be worse. He’s concerned about the installation zones, but I would definitely avoid them – as long as the unit is not positioned right next to the bathtub or inside the shower.
By the way, we also have the utility room as a passageway from the garage to the hallway/kitchen (through a hidden corridor) – we were criticized for it back then, being asked why we would want a utility room if we already have a basement, but we wanted it that way – and in reality, we like it even more than on the plan.
By the way, we also have the utility room as a passageway from the garage to the hallway/kitchen (through a hidden corridor) – we were criticized for it back then, being asked why we would want a utility room if we already have a basement, but we wanted it that way – and in reality, we like it even more than on the plan.
@Lexmaul79: We are still considering that as well – we would like to install a fixed shower screen between the switch and the shower and prefer to have the switch inside the bathroom rather than outside. Our electrician would probably do it – do you also think the risk is acceptable now?
S
Sebastian7924 Aug 2015 22:04I can’t give you a clean bill of absolution, but I think that is exaggerated – we don’t have that situation here either. However, it wasn’t consciously "redesigned."
Grym schrieb:
I’m trying my best. That’s not much then :-(
I’m telling you
ypg schrieb:
Sorry, but I really don’t agree with the idea of a small utility room as a passageway and a stair niche as a washing area.and you reply to that with
Grym schrieb:
The passage from the utility room to the garage is downright ingenious. Not to mention that you can also store a lot in the garage, that’s what we’ve seen anyway.Put simply, you are building a workspace in a hallway. Actually, it is the utility room where laundry is supposed to be done, but with your exterior door you have turned the utility room into a second corridor with some storage space. You create a traffic path through the door, which you find ingenious, but because of this, laundry as it normally occurs cannot be done here. At least not in the area between the garage / utility room door and hallway / utility room door.
Grym schrieb:
By the way, the laundry basket is supposed to be in the bathroom. That's where you take clothes off after all. I can definitely imagine having two laundry baskets there, there’s enough space.But you don’t do laundry in the bathroom. Laundry is a process that takes several hours. Even if you are not constantly present, laundry still needs to be sorted and handled accordingly... I’ll spare myself repeating this concerning laundry (it’s somehow pointless to try explaining household tasks to apparently unrealistic minds here).
Then I say
ypg schrieb:
And I have to be honest: I get the feeling that you don’t really manage the household yet. and your answer is
Grym schrieb:
We don’t have a garden yet,A garden is not household management, though.
Ok, later you say
Grym schrieb:
no time or interest for extensive housework ...which puzzles me, because laundry has to be washed somehow, food cooked and cleaning done—after all, you have a child, and as an employee (controller) I assume you have a normal family life with a reasonably organized household.
Grym schrieb:
But I haven’t read any concrete proposals or such.I do not have to make proposals. We can all give you advice on what works and what doesn’t.
Grym schrieb:
We currently don’t have a utility room or even a storage space in the apartment.Then take the advice of others who already have experience!
Grym schrieb:
Maybe the laundry could dry in the study. Or in the dressing room. Or outside or in the dryer or...No... have you ever heard of mold?
And now, on a personal note:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/hausentwuerfe-ich-versteh-euch-zukuenftige-Bauherren-nicht.13296/
To me, you seem to focus only on your own questions. If you had looked around the forum, checked the common problems others have, you could have taken away something, and you would probably already be at the building permit / planning permission stage.
It is quite tiring to discuss with someone who does not address the issues pointed out to them. Advice is ignored or overlooked, sometimes even contradicted. That someone is you. And later you admit that you don’t really understand.
That didn’t work in the other forum, and answers here will also become fewer.
However, threads here are not closed—but I’m now stepping away from this dilemma.
Best regards
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