Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 1100sqm (1,1840 sq ft)
Slope: Yes (west to east)
Building coverage ratio / Floor area ratio: none
Building envelope, building line and boundary: none
Edge development: Theoretically possible, as neighboring plot belongs to parents
Number of parking spaces: 2 per housing unit (relevant if split into two apartments)
Number of floors: none
Roof type: only gable roof & hip roof (also for garage!)
Architectural style: none
Orientation: none
Maximum heights/restrictions: none
Other requirements: roof overhang of at least 50cm (20 inches)
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: hip roof urban villa
Basement, floors: yes, 2 full floors
Number of people, ages: 36, 35, 4, 0
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor:
Office: family use or home office? Home office once a week
Guest overnight stays per year: 1-2
Open or closed architecture: semi-open
Conservative or modern style: rather modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 4-8
Fireplace: not necessary, also can’t find a suitable place
Music / stereo wall: TV wall yes
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony (only due to possible split into two apartments)
Garage, carport: double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or shouldn’t be: bay window with balcony, even if it gets expensive…
House Design
Who designed it: do-it-yourself with SweetHome3D
What do you like most? Why? Everything. I think I spent so long working on the floor plan that I’m in love with it and probably totally “blind” to its flaws.
What do you dislike? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 750,000€
Preferred heating system: gas
If you had to give up, which details/extensions
- could you do without: somehow nothing
- could you not do without: large entrance/wardrobe; large children’s rooms; master bedroom facing east (I want to watch the sunrise); large aquarium as a highlight in the living area; platform staircase; children’s bathroom; and my wife absolutely wants a gallery.
Why did the design turn out as it is now?
I looked at almost every floor plan from all prefabricated house manufacturers and, annoyed by the “cookie-cutter” designs (keyword: living room/kitchen/dining all in one long corridor and stairs always immediately by the dirty entrance), I started working out my own floor plan. Many thanks to this forum because I have learned a lot from the floor plan discussions here! I even dealt with Feng Shui for the layout.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
The rooms are ideally oriented to the sun: living spaces face south, unoccupied rooms face north. In addition, the slight slope (to the east) allows for nice walk-out basement rooms. The layout can also be easily split into two apartments, making it flexible for a barrier-free future. Technical aspects and piping were also considered: the utility room is on the street side and pipes/water lines don’t run erratically but are kept close together.
The only downside I see is that the kitchen is “far” from the entrance. However, I don’t find this very problematic and only mention it because it would probably be a common criticism.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
I’m grateful for suggestions or optimizations of any kind! Especially tips for the master bathroom. I’m not 100% satisfied yet.
Good luck
Alro
Plot size: 1100sqm (1,1840 sq ft)
Slope: Yes (west to east)
Building coverage ratio / Floor area ratio: none
Building envelope, building line and boundary: none
Edge development: Theoretically possible, as neighboring plot belongs to parents
Number of parking spaces: 2 per housing unit (relevant if split into two apartments)
Number of floors: none
Roof type: only gable roof & hip roof (also for garage!)
Architectural style: none
Orientation: none
Maximum heights/restrictions: none
Other requirements: roof overhang of at least 50cm (20 inches)
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: hip roof urban villa
Basement, floors: yes, 2 full floors
Number of people, ages: 36, 35, 4, 0
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor:
Office: family use or home office? Home office once a week
Guest overnight stays per year: 1-2
Open or closed architecture: semi-open
Conservative or modern style: rather modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 4-8
Fireplace: not necessary, also can’t find a suitable place
Music / stereo wall: TV wall yes
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony (only due to possible split into two apartments)
Garage, carport: double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or shouldn’t be: bay window with balcony, even if it gets expensive…
House Design
Who designed it: do-it-yourself with SweetHome3D
What do you like most? Why? Everything. I think I spent so long working on the floor plan that I’m in love with it and probably totally “blind” to its flaws.
What do you dislike? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 750,000€
Preferred heating system: gas
If you had to give up, which details/extensions
- could you do without: somehow nothing
- could you not do without: large entrance/wardrobe; large children’s rooms; master bedroom facing east (I want to watch the sunrise); large aquarium as a highlight in the living area; platform staircase; children’s bathroom; and my wife absolutely wants a gallery.
Why did the design turn out as it is now?
I looked at almost every floor plan from all prefabricated house manufacturers and, annoyed by the “cookie-cutter” designs (keyword: living room/kitchen/dining all in one long corridor and stairs always immediately by the dirty entrance), I started working out my own floor plan. Many thanks to this forum because I have learned a lot from the floor plan discussions here! I even dealt with Feng Shui for the layout.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
The rooms are ideally oriented to the sun: living spaces face south, unoccupied rooms face north. In addition, the slight slope (to the east) allows for nice walk-out basement rooms. The layout can also be easily split into two apartments, making it flexible for a barrier-free future. Technical aspects and piping were also considered: the utility room is on the street side and pipes/water lines don’t run erratically but are kept close together.
The only downside I see is that the kitchen is “far” from the entrance. However, I don’t find this very problematic and only mention it because it would probably be a common criticism.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
I’m grateful for suggestions or optimizations of any kind! Especially tips for the master bathroom. I’m not 100% satisfied yet.
Good luck
Alro
haydee schrieb:
What will you do if the plots are not flat?A proper driveway.
But the original poster is already calculating… and honestly, I’d say: build smaller and don’t be afraid of the landscaping costs.
Because with a slope, there's much more involved than just a few permeable pavers.
Traumhaus2020 schrieb:
If the architect doesn’t suggest a good solution for the garage, I now prefer a long, flat driveway over a short, steep one...
How much does a driveway with mid-range stones cost roughly? For example, 10 meters? So I can compare the costs of a long versus a short driveway.
Are permeable stones more expensive? (This is a requirement in the development plan)I checked again: 750,000 for everything… including landscaping, basement, fittings, aquarium technology.
That must be why I’m not participating in the floor plan discussions here. I see this as a bit too overwhelming. Just between us, @haydee
ypg schrieb:
The walk-in closet should be adjusted a bit to fit more cabinets in less space. No, I wouldn’t do that. There are 7 linear meters (about 23 feet) of tall cabinets with a depth of 60cm (24 inches), in case that’s misleading. I also wouldn’t build it any smaller with this budget. The goal was to get the bathroom on the east side. We achieved that, and I’m always happy when the morning sun shines into my bathroom.
ypg schrieb:
That’s probably why I’m not participating in the floor plan discussion here. I see this as too big of a project. Just between us, @haydee Haha.
Tinkering doesn’t seem to bother the original poster. In the end, they want a hipped roof city villa (which I personally don’t understand with this budget). So the 750 (square meters or feet?) aren’t really decisive for the design. The architect will probably be a bit frustrated when they hear that they’re not allowed to freely design a flat-roofed designer villa on the hillside.
By the way, when is the appointment?
T
Traumhaus202018 Feb 2019 09:57I’m probably underestimating (like most prospective builders) the real cost drivers (for example, a sloped site or a hip roof) a bit... That may be true. But as I mentioned before, the $750k budget is not set in stone or calculated with exact precision. I’ve added some buffer to it. The costs for the basement or the driveway won’t be the deciding factor.
Just because I want an idea of the approximate cost for a driveway, it doesn’t mean the project should immediately be considered too large or doomed to fail...
Why exactly? Is a hip roof really that much more expensive than a gable roof? Are we talking 1.5 times or twice as expensive? Or is it about having two full floors?
One option is already shortlisted. But there is no concrete decision or date yet.
Just because I want an idea of the approximate cost for a driveway, it doesn’t mean the project should immediately be considered too large or doomed to fail...
kaho674 schrieb:
In the end, he wants a hip-roofed city villa (which I personally don’t understand with that budget).
Why exactly? Is a hip roof really that much more expensive than a gable roof? Are we talking 1.5 times or twice as expensive? Or is it about having two full floors?
kaho674 schrieb:
When is the date, actually?
One option is already shortlisted. But there is no concrete decision or date yet.
I estimate our short driveway, just under 10 meters (about 33 feet) long and 8 meters (26 feet) wide, costs around 12,000 to 13,000 euros when subcontracted, including filling, compacting, paving (simple eco-friendly pavers), level with the entrance, with a small wall at the entrance and a gutter at the street.
We had the filling and compacting done by a company in December 2017. With up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) of material, some settling of up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) was expected—but it has not happened so far.
Sealing and building the entrance walls will be done by a company (it will be smooth and step-free).
We will help with the paving work or possibly do it ourselves. Both of us know how to pave.
Paving will only be done at the very end, after the garden on the left and right sides is completed. We still need a few cubic meters of topsoil.
There is a steep slope behind the house—there are only two options:
Labor-intensive hand work, which is cheaper because elaborate solutions are not feasible, or
A very expensive option using machinery and building terraces, which would easily cost a six-figure amount.
YPG, driveways cannot be extended indefinitely.
For our house, we would probably have needed blasting work.
My father would have had to buy the land behind the house.
My father-in-law would have had to align the garage doors flush with the sidewalk.
Driveways are not attractive either. It’s nice if one or two cars can park there, but no more is necessary.
We had the filling and compacting done by a company in December 2017. With up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) of material, some settling of up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) was expected—but it has not happened so far.
Sealing and building the entrance walls will be done by a company (it will be smooth and step-free).
We will help with the paving work or possibly do it ourselves. Both of us know how to pave.
Paving will only be done at the very end, after the garden on the left and right sides is completed. We still need a few cubic meters of topsoil.
There is a steep slope behind the house—there are only two options:
Labor-intensive hand work, which is cheaper because elaborate solutions are not feasible, or
A very expensive option using machinery and building terraces, which would easily cost a six-figure amount.
YPG, driveways cannot be extended indefinitely.
For our house, we would probably have needed blasting work.
My father would have had to buy the land behind the house.
My father-in-law would have had to align the garage doors flush with the sidewalk.
Driveways are not attractive either. It’s nice if one or two cars can park there, but no more is necessary.
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