Hello everyone,
we are currently considering the optimal orientation of the rooms on the ground floor for our plot.
The situation is as follows: the property has its large garden facing northeast with a slope. The ground floor will have a balcony facing northeast, with the basement underneath. The beautiful view clearly faces northeast. There are no houses nearby and the view extends far. On the southwest side, facing the street, a small terrace is planned for the evening.
Now the question is whether to orient the living area (living room) towards the back combined with the dining area to enjoy the nice view, or to plan the living area towards the front southwest side, so that a large window on the southwest side lets in light and sun. I’m sharing two floor plan ideas (11x9 m (36x30 ft) and 9x11 m (30x36 ft) – plot width 20 m (66 ft)) and the room layouts. I would appreciate your tips and suggestions on orientation. Personally, I find the living and dining area at the back more appealing, but I’m worried it might get too little light.
we are currently considering the optimal orientation of the rooms on the ground floor for our plot.
The situation is as follows: the property has its large garden facing northeast with a slope. The ground floor will have a balcony facing northeast, with the basement underneath. The beautiful view clearly faces northeast. There are no houses nearby and the view extends far. On the southwest side, facing the street, a small terrace is planned for the evening.
Now the question is whether to orient the living area (living room) towards the back combined with the dining area to enjoy the nice view, or to plan the living area towards the front southwest side, so that a large window on the southwest side lets in light and sun. I’m sharing two floor plan ideas (11x9 m (36x30 ft) and 9x11 m (30x36 ft) – plot width 20 m (66 ft)) and the room layouts. I would appreciate your tips and suggestions on orientation. Personally, I find the living and dining area at the back more appealing, but I’m worried it might get too little light.
Maybe I should reconsider the house design... a more elongated floor plan with the living room at the end – so a northeast-facing window front and possibly horizontal clerestory windows facing southeast and northwest. An elongated staircase. Something along the lines of the Edition-style City 1000 by V-Brock.
But just a quick idea.
Alternatively, maybe a separate conservatory with windows on three sides.
But just a quick idea.
Alternatively, maybe a separate conservatory with windows on three sides.
W
Watcher7823 Aug 2015 16:22Okay, thanks, now I’m even more uncertain. Does anyone else have any opinions?
Hmm, I find it quite difficult to be honest. Do you know how much light you get in the garden or at the back of the house? Our garden faces almost completely north, yet it gets sun all day. The house itself only casts a shadow about three meters (10 feet) into the garden, and the rest is sunny... On the east side, on the other hand, we only get a few hours of sun in the morning, but we also have a house directly adjacent there... Hmm, I’m not sure... If I were you, I might try to make the house narrower and longer so it opens more toward the southwest. Especially, I would probably position the garage on the right side of the house. Our kitchen faces northwest and is bright, while the storage room faces northeast and is quite dark...
And I also think the idea of having the entrance on the side is a very good option, honestly. If a double garage is possible, you should be able to make it smaller and plan the entrance between the garage and the house, right?
Then I would place the living room completely in the southwest at the front, the kitchen in the back right in the southeast corner, and the northeast corner at the back left would get the cloakroom, stairs, and guest bathroom as usual.
And I also think the idea of having the entrance on the side is a very good option, honestly. If a double garage is possible, you should be able to make it smaller and plan the entrance between the garage and the house, right?
Then I would place the living room completely in the southwest at the front, the kitchen in the back right in the southeast corner, and the northeast corner at the back left would get the cloakroom, stairs, and guest bathroom as usual.
I prefer the first draft. However, instead of the narrow window in the middle of the room, I would add another patio door similar to the ones in front of the couch and the dining area.
Friends of ours have their living room completely on the north side, their open kitchen on the south side, and the dining area in the northwest. They have relatively large window areas, and even in winter, the living room is bright. Additionally, the south-facing kitchen window and the west-facing dining area window bring in a lot of light.
Personally, I’m not an advocate of having the living room on the south side. For ME, it has too many disadvantages. Our previous house had west-facing windows at the dining table, and in the evenings (often even by coffee time), we always had to close the roller shutters because of the low sun glare. On our new plot, we had the choice where to put our living room. Our living room now spans across the long side of the house (from the street to the garden) covering northeast to south. On the south side, we only have a sliding door, which is covered. Most of our windows face east, where the main garden is located. We like it this way. Our kitchen on the south side works well, too.
Friends of ours have their living room completely on the north side, their open kitchen on the south side, and the dining area in the northwest. They have relatively large window areas, and even in winter, the living room is bright. Additionally, the south-facing kitchen window and the west-facing dining area window bring in a lot of light.
Personally, I’m not an advocate of having the living room on the south side. For ME, it has too many disadvantages. Our previous house had west-facing windows at the dining table, and in the evenings (often even by coffee time), we always had to close the roller shutters because of the low sun glare. On our new plot, we had the choice where to put our living room. Our living room now spans across the long side of the house (from the street to the garden) covering northeast to south. On the south side, we only have a sliding door, which is covered. Most of our windows face east, where the main garden is located. We like it this way. Our kitchen on the south side works well, too.
Basically, you can also have natural light in rooms facing north – but the windows need to be larger. This would result in more diffuse light rather than direct sunlight.
If there is a nice panoramic view to the northeast, a terrace door only one meter (3.3 feet) wide would be too narrow for me.
If there is a nice panoramic view to the northeast, a terrace door only one meter (3.3 feet) wide would be too narrow for me.
W
Watcher7824 Aug 2015 09:57Good morning, thank you for the suggestions. It’s really difficult; you can see everyone has their own opinions. We are truly torn. Personally, I prefer the floor plan of 11 x 9 meters (36 x 30 feet) with a nice window front facing northeast towards our garden. The thing is, we only get direct sunlight there in the morning, and we are concerned that it might feel too dark.
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