ᐅ Preliminary Design by the Architect, Single-Family Home

Created on: 14 Oct 2014 20:17
O
odon65
O
odon65
14 Oct 2014 20:17
Hello,

Some time ago, we hired an architect to design a single-family house for us.
We now have a rough preliminary draft that we would like to discuss.

The house has a basement; the basement floor plan is not attached (but it is identical to the upper floor; the extension is not basemented).
Since this is only a preliminary draft, two windows on the ground floor do not match the elevations:
  • The window at the stairs to the upper floor does not exist (it is shown on the ground floor plan but missing in the north elevation).

  • A floor-to-ceiling window is missing in the ground floor plan between the cabinets (it appears in the south elevation).

  • The hallway on the ground floor is slightly smaller than indicated (just under 16 m² (172 sq ft)).

Thank you,
Odon

p.s.: The order of the planning documents on Dropbox is a bit mixed up – sorry.
Jaydee15 Oct 2014 11:53
Hello,

finally a design that is well done and not run-of-the-mill. I really like it.

The only thing I would consider is the staircase right at the entrance. We have the same, and by now I understand the comments from other forum members that this is not ideal. You constantly walk through the dirt.

What is the storage area used for? You still have a basement, right?

The furniture for the kitchen and dining room will stay as is, right? Otherwise, I find 3.27 m (11 feet) for the dining table sufficient, but not really generous. Especially if there is also a patio door there, it might get tight. But if a bench is planned on one side, it should work.

I would end the island in the kitchen with the counter run; otherwise, there is too little clearance. On one side of our island, we have 80 cm (31 inches). It’s enough for a quick pass-through, but too narrow for a main walkway.

The pantry seems wide enough, although I would consider placing the shelves/cabinets in an L-shape (similar to the kitchen).
M
milkie
15 Oct 2014 13:13
I would be afraid that someone might slam the front door right into my head if I’m rushing down the stairs...
I can only agree with Jaydee. I see all the points exactly the same way!
Also, I don’t like T-shaped layouts in the bathroom because they make the space feel smaller than it actually is.
O
odon65
15 Oct 2014 14:42
Hello Jaydee and Milkie,

I'm glad you like the design. Thanks for your comments.
Jaydee schrieb:

The only thing I want to mention is the staircase right at the entrance. We have the same, and over time I understand other forum members’ remarks that it’s not ideal. You end up walking through dirt all the time.
I can relate to that. Do you have doormats inside and outside? It’s planned to install flush-mounted mats both inside and outside. They are quite expensive (costs without installation > 400 €), but supposedly efficient. An alternative would be a spiral staircase – I’m not sure if that would fit in terms of space.
Jaydee schrieb:
Hello,
What is the storage room supposed to be used for? You still have a basement, right?
The term "storage" is confusing; I don’t know why the architect named the room that way, and neither does he. It’s actually intended as a second office or guest room.
Jaydee schrieb:

The kitchen and dining room furniture will stay as planned, right? Otherwise, I find 3.27 m for the dining table sufficient but not generous. Especially if there is also a terrace door from there, it could get tight. But if a bench is planned on one side, it should work.
There will even be a corner bench. So the space should be enough.
Jaydee schrieb:

I would have the kitchen island end at the counter, otherwise the passage space is too small. On one side of our island we have 80 cm, which is enough to quickly pass through, but not as a main walkway.
Between the island and the tall cabinet, there should be just under 1.1 m (3.6 feet). On the window side, it was slightly under 80 cm (31 inches).
Jaydee schrieb:

The pantry seems wide enough, although I would consider placing shelves or cabinets in an L-shape (similar to the kitchen).
Some furniture, like the ones in the pantry and bathroom, are only placeholders.

A brief note on the T-layout in the bathroom:

As mentioned, a placeholder, but the T-layout actually fits quite well in this case.

Thank you.
W
Wanderdüne
15 Oct 2014 23:44
Without knowing the legal framework and requirements:

Ground Floor:
Issues with dirt on the staircase have already been mentioned.
The separation of the master bedroom area and the access to it, including the entrance area, are unsatisfactory. Consider rethinking the L-shaped layout of kitchen-dining-living areas. The pantry has no direct access from the entrance area and is located far away; involve detailed kitchen planning earlier. Bedroom in the southwest, reconsider the wall to the walk-in closet, possibly separate it only with furniture.
The access to the basement is inconvenient and conflicts with zoning.

Upper Floor:
Plan according to the intended furnishing, then both children’s rooms can have windows on two sides.

Other:
Laundry handling is annoying; the utility room in the basement is inconvenient. A consistent further development of the design is advisable.

WD
O
odon65
16 Oct 2014 07:56
The points Wanderdüne mentioned are well known:

Parent area: We had several versions, including different options for basement access. I can understand that concern.

L-shaped layout: This was requested.

Pantry: It was also designed differently twice before – I can understand that point as well.

Bedroom: The location is intentional and there is a reason behind it. We don’t like the wall to the “walk-in closet” (which actually isn’t one), but the advantage would be that the wardrobe could be full height.

Basement access: I’m not sure if the location of the basement access within the house is clear. The correct representation seems to be missing. See #1...

Children’s rooms: So far, both children’s rooms have had windows on two sides. The architect argued that it is already bright enough and that the views suffer otherwise. We also preferred the asymmetrical west facade.

Laundry handling: Yes. 🙂 On the upper floor, however, washing machine and dryer can be accommodated.

Thanks!
I think that covers everything.

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