ᐅ Existing Attic Floor Plan

This is the current idea, with the bathroom near the door (not properly dimensioned, just a concept 😉)

would give the child more light

haydee schrieb:

would give the child more light

Even with a room facing south? I’m still reconsidering that. So far, I haven’t felt that the room is dark, and if the recommended 12% refers to window area rather than glass area, then that actually makes sense. I do have some concerns about heat with skylights. But I’ll try to observe the current lighting situation more often in the coming days.

There's a difference between just quickly fetching something and wanting to read and write.

Do you know how many windows with the strangest drawings from this thread I have open on my phone right now? 😱 But I managed to get through it :p
I have to laugh... I was actually just looking for the north arrow, and the mystery with the “hip roof windows” has also been solved... 🙂
A lot of things are actually quite obvious...

Erlkönig schrieb:

The roof was measured with a set square at exactly 40 degrees. The 2-meter (6 ft 7 in) line is measured in relation to the window in practice, and the current knee wall in the bathroom is 1.10 meters (3 ft 7 in), so the 1-meter (3 ft 3 in) line should be about right as well.

Is it really 40 degrees or is it more like 38 degrees? I don’t know any house built with a 40-degree roof pitch... usually it’s 38 or 42 degrees.
Basically, the 10-centimeter (4 inch) difference on the 2-meter (6 ft 7 in) line isn’t that important, since the attic space/roof area is quite large enough for the desired rooms.
Without a sketchbook, I basically only see one or two ways to fit 2 kids’ rooms and a bedroom if nothing is changed about the windows.
However, I stumble over “one or two kids’ rooms?”
That really makes a difference!

Erlkönig schrieb:

I didn’t know about the bedroom.

Living spaces need a second means of escape—on the same floor... that would have to be a vertical window.

Erlkönig schrieb:

I have to say, the windows currently present on the gable sides for those rooms are more than sufficient (if you’re not thinking about a new build?).

Windows provide lighting, ventilation, and a view—whether it’s new construction or a renovation. Every family member should have the right to look outside from their room and have enough natural light. If a room is used as a living space, lighting and ventilation must be ensured.
If you don’t consider that important, then you might as well remove something fundamentally unimportant as a lesson, like the walk-in closet 😉

Erlkönig schrieb:

In my opinion, the disadvantage would be that the bathroom becomes narrower and only has a skylight.

Since a bathroom is not a living space, a double casement window is enough.

A simple idea without a sketch:
Bathroom left next to the stairs (east side).
The two south-facing windows are split between two kids’ rooms. The parents can have the north side. The extension is used as storage, and the area between the extension and the stairs becomes a living corridor.
Double casement windows for the bathroom, both kids’ rooms, and the living corridor. If the budget allows, better to have two or three double casement windows in the living corridor. If necessary, you can later divide that area into another room.
And all of this nicely, simply, and without sloped walls, otherwise it becomes cramped.

ypg schrieb:


A simple idea without a sketch:
Bathroom on the left side next to the stairs (east side).
The two south-facing windows are divided between two children’s rooms. The parents can have the north side to themselves. Use the extension as storage, and the area between the extension and the stairs becomes a living corridor.
Double casement windows for the bathroom, both children’s rooms, and the living corridor. If there’s still budget left, preferably install two or three double casement windows in the living corridor. If needed, you could separate another room here later. All this done nicely, simply, and without sloping walls; otherwise, it gets cluttered.

Thanks to you as well. This is basically similar to my last version, just without the sloped walls and without the “storage” area?

Regarding the children’s rooms, I’m still not sure if a second one will actually be needed. The initial idea was to design a room so that a wall could later be added in the middle to create two rooms. I only realized during the planning process that this doesn’t really work with this floor plan, or at least not with two identical children’s rooms. Currently, only one room is needed. In an emergency, there’s still the plan for both children to share one room at first, and later use the attic only for the children while the parents move downstairs again.

About the windows: I don’t want it to sound like I’m against windows, light, or sun 🙂. My impression is just that nowadays with new builds, an enormous amount of glass area (especially floor-to-ceiling) is used, and later one realizes that if the house and plot are not sized accordingly, it isn’t always ideal, and suddenly the windows get covered or blocked. Houses from the 1990s, for example, are not necessarily dark without floor-to-ceiling windows (although such a glass façade is great if you have the space). For us, space under the window is practical for a radiator, for example. Also, as I said, since our house is existing stock and not hermetically sealed, I have concerns about heat build-up (although I’ll check if that’s still a problem with newer windows; this is just something I’m familiar with from my childhood home).

But don’t get me wrong—I’m definitely taking everything in and considering it. Personally, I would prefer to have a large window in the bathroom rather than in the bedroom (of course, it’s different for the children’s rooms). The argument about escape routes does make sense, as you’ve pointed out. Especially if a second children’s room does come into consideration, that makes even more sense.