I’m not quite sure how to start this thread properly. I hope I’m in the right section. I’ll just begin.
I’m still quite young, but I have always decided that only a prefabricated house is an option for me. My interest is not just for a few months, but rather spans several years, as I am planning my future with a long-term perspective. I want to build early because I want to pay off the house as soon as possible. I have already visited several well-known prefab house companies and have been really impressed. Since we don’t live far from a company headquarters (Frankenberg), I have also visited model homes several times.
Having a steady job with a regular income is, of course, a requirement that I meet.
I already have a plot of land, so I don’t have to worry about that.
Equity will also be available.
My question is simply whether there are other young homebuilders here who might share their experiences with me. Perhaps there are also recommendations on whether my decision to take on such a commitment so early is the right one or not.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Greetings from Hesse!
I’m still quite young, but I have always decided that only a prefabricated house is an option for me. My interest is not just for a few months, but rather spans several years, as I am planning my future with a long-term perspective. I want to build early because I want to pay off the house as soon as possible. I have already visited several well-known prefab house companies and have been really impressed. Since we don’t live far from a company headquarters (Frankenberg), I have also visited model homes several times.
Having a steady job with a regular income is, of course, a requirement that I meet.
I already have a plot of land, so I don’t have to worry about that.
Equity will also be available.
My question is simply whether there are other young homebuilders here who might share their experiences with me. Perhaps there are also recommendations on whether my decision to take on such a commitment so early is the right one or not.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Greetings from Hesse!
Hello Daniel, I quite like it.
I assume the bay window is on the south side.
It seems there is no basement planned either.
I do have a few comments:
I can’t judge whether the load-bearing walls are correctly positioned.
If you make the bathroom on the upper floor smaller, there would be space for a storage room for the washer, dryer, etc.
A pass-through for dirty laundry from the bathroom is also very practical.
I would prefer to enter the bedroom through the walk-in closet and arrange the closet rows parallel to the north/south axis.
On the ground floor, I really like the WC with the shower, but unfortunately, I don’t see any space for a coat rack, shoe cabinet, etc.
If the washer, dryer, etc. are on the upper floor, you could take a strip from the technical room to the left of the stairs for a coat area. The small window could remain for the coat area, and the technical room would get a suitably sized window on the east side.
I would make the pantry under the stairs with a sliding door.
I’m generally a big fan of sliding doors.
The kitchen layout seems to have too much distance between the stove, sink, and breakfast bar.
If your girlfriend also wants to build at a relatively young age, then go ahead together.
My future daughter-in-law mentioned that building a house with a lot of personal involvement (fortunately without kids yet) has strengthened their relationship even more, although it is often said that building a house can also put a lot of strain on a relationship.
I assume the bay window is on the south side.
It seems there is no basement planned either.
I do have a few comments:
I can’t judge whether the load-bearing walls are correctly positioned.
If you make the bathroom on the upper floor smaller, there would be space for a storage room for the washer, dryer, etc.
A pass-through for dirty laundry from the bathroom is also very practical.
I would prefer to enter the bedroom through the walk-in closet and arrange the closet rows parallel to the north/south axis.
On the ground floor, I really like the WC with the shower, but unfortunately, I don’t see any space for a coat rack, shoe cabinet, etc.
If the washer, dryer, etc. are on the upper floor, you could take a strip from the technical room to the left of the stairs for a coat area. The small window could remain for the coat area, and the technical room would get a suitably sized window on the east side.
I would make the pantry under the stairs with a sliding door.
I’m generally a big fan of sliding doors.
The kitchen layout seems to have too much distance between the stove, sink, and breakfast bar.
If your girlfriend also wants to build at a relatively young age, then go ahead together.
My future daughter-in-law mentioned that building a house with a lot of personal involvement (fortunately without kids yet) has strengthened their relationship even more, although it is often said that building a house can also put a lot of strain on a relationship.
Garten2 schrieb:
I am really enthusiastic about sliding doors."Because they are so easy to use?"No irony intended!
They are absolutely difficult to handle. Opening the door with your elbow, foot, or knee is not possible.
I don’t think it’s that bad. Not ideal, but there have definitely been much worse floor plans. It’s clear that you’re still younger and focused on things you might regret later because many aspects are not practical but just “look nice.” We’re also young, but we have different priorities.
- Since you only have 140m² (1,507 sq ft) and the living/dining/kitchen area is only about 40m² (430 sq ft), I believe it will feel very cramped. The table placed in the middle of the room, quite close to the window (and it’s just a small table)… it’s going to be tight. The seating area by the kitchen—I’m not sure if you really need that or if it will also feel cramped. The narrow hallway from the entrance hall into the living area doesn’t feel open or welcoming but rather quite confined. I feel like something is missing in the living space… Everything seems squeezed together. I also find the pantry with the sliding door pretty impractical; I don’t think you’ll be happy with it. The kitchen isn’t very large either. Since I know how young people think, I imagine the kitchen will feel too small for you. I would rather forego the seating area and plan everything a bit differently. The bay window itself isn’t that great either. It pushes everything further out in the bay area, giving you more floor space, similar costs, and much more room.
- There is hardly any surface area for placing furniture in the living/dining area. You can barely put anything against those narrow “bay window walls.” Any space is somehow “blocked.” I really think this is not well planned.
- The office/guest room is also quite small, with a narrow niche tucked away behind the door… I don’t know, it doesn’t really appeal to me.
- Do you really need a shower downstairs? I would rather skip that and create more space elsewhere. I would prioritize adding a nice wardrobe area in the entrance hall, which is completely missing!
- A 5m² (54 sq ft) entrance hall? Wow, that will be very narrow, trust me. There won’t be any space at all; you won’t even be able to properly place a shoe cabinet, a coat rack, or a mirror that actually serves its purpose. This needs a major revision. The straight staircase also takes up unnecessary space, I wouldn’t do that. Go for a spiral or curved staircase instead to save space in the entrance hall.
- Utility room… sure, you need one, that’s fine since you don’t have a basement.
- Tiny kids’ rooms but a master bedroom with a walk-in closet. Think carefully about that. Do you really need it? What’s really important to you?
- If the shower downstairs is used, then I wouldn’t make the bathroom upstairs too large. If the downstairs shower won’t be used, then I’d keep it as is, that’s fine.
All in all, this isn’t easy to implement if you like my suggestions. You would have to plan it completely anew. But I claim that the floor plan for 140m² (which is not small at all) is not well designed.
- Since you only have 140m² (1,507 sq ft) and the living/dining/kitchen area is only about 40m² (430 sq ft), I believe it will feel very cramped. The table placed in the middle of the room, quite close to the window (and it’s just a small table)… it’s going to be tight. The seating area by the kitchen—I’m not sure if you really need that or if it will also feel cramped. The narrow hallway from the entrance hall into the living area doesn’t feel open or welcoming but rather quite confined. I feel like something is missing in the living space… Everything seems squeezed together. I also find the pantry with the sliding door pretty impractical; I don’t think you’ll be happy with it. The kitchen isn’t very large either. Since I know how young people think, I imagine the kitchen will feel too small for you. I would rather forego the seating area and plan everything a bit differently. The bay window itself isn’t that great either. It pushes everything further out in the bay area, giving you more floor space, similar costs, and much more room.
- There is hardly any surface area for placing furniture in the living/dining area. You can barely put anything against those narrow “bay window walls.” Any space is somehow “blocked.” I really think this is not well planned.
- The office/guest room is also quite small, with a narrow niche tucked away behind the door… I don’t know, it doesn’t really appeal to me.
- Do you really need a shower downstairs? I would rather skip that and create more space elsewhere. I would prioritize adding a nice wardrobe area in the entrance hall, which is completely missing!
- A 5m² (54 sq ft) entrance hall? Wow, that will be very narrow, trust me. There won’t be any space at all; you won’t even be able to properly place a shoe cabinet, a coat rack, or a mirror that actually serves its purpose. This needs a major revision. The straight staircase also takes up unnecessary space, I wouldn’t do that. Go for a spiral or curved staircase instead to save space in the entrance hall.
- Utility room… sure, you need one, that’s fine since you don’t have a basement.
- Tiny kids’ rooms but a master bedroom with a walk-in closet. Think carefully about that. Do you really need it? What’s really important to you?
- If the shower downstairs is used, then I wouldn’t make the bathroom upstairs too large. If the downstairs shower won’t be used, then I’d keep it as is, that’s fine.
All in all, this isn’t easy to implement if you like my suggestions. You would have to plan it completely anew. But I claim that the floor plan for 140m² (which is not small at all) is not well designed.
Common points of criticism:
A walk-in closet without windows isn’t necessarily ideal, and the children’s rooms are likely on the shaded side, while the dressing room faces south (assuming the terrace is on the south side) – but that’s where you need the sun the least.
The bay window adds cost and is just slightly stylish! All alternative house designs have one. Usually, however, it’s an unnecessary money drain. I would rather increase the floor area of the two side sections that are currently “cut out.” The overall price difference probably wouldn’t be significant, but those few extra square meters would be more valuable to me than the bay window, which is just trendy right now. Move away from what’s currently fashionable and instead think about what makes sense.
On the upper floor, I would place both children’s rooms facing south. Since the bay window is removed, the bathroom can be slightly enlarged (or you could consider creating a small utility room for the washer and dryer). The master bedroom could be moved to where the northernmost child’s room is now. The room will also be slightly expanded toward the top of the floor plan; you would enter through a dressing or closet area first, then into the bedroom (assuming the staircase remains as planned).
The kitchen layout in the plan is an ergonomic disaster; it can be done better, and there is enough space to do so. The best workflow is always a kitchen with two parallel work lines.
Overall: consider an alternative staircase design, as a straight staircase looks nice but takes up a lot of floor space. At about 140m² (1506 ft²), a different stair design might gain a few square meters that could be better used elsewhere.
For example, for a cloakroom – you definitely lack space there, especially once you have your first child. Where is the stroller supposed to be parked? Should it stay outside the door? As it is now, it will be quite tight even if you move it into the guest room. I also don’t see any space for coats, shoes, gym bags, or other items for a family of four. You really need to rethink this!
A walk-in closet without windows isn’t necessarily ideal, and the children’s rooms are likely on the shaded side, while the dressing room faces south (assuming the terrace is on the south side) – but that’s where you need the sun the least.
The bay window adds cost and is just slightly stylish! All alternative house designs have one. Usually, however, it’s an unnecessary money drain. I would rather increase the floor area of the two side sections that are currently “cut out.” The overall price difference probably wouldn’t be significant, but those few extra square meters would be more valuable to me than the bay window, which is just trendy right now. Move away from what’s currently fashionable and instead think about what makes sense.
On the upper floor, I would place both children’s rooms facing south. Since the bay window is removed, the bathroom can be slightly enlarged (or you could consider creating a small utility room for the washer and dryer). The master bedroom could be moved to where the northernmost child’s room is now. The room will also be slightly expanded toward the top of the floor plan; you would enter through a dressing or closet area first, then into the bedroom (assuming the staircase remains as planned).
The kitchen layout in the plan is an ergonomic disaster; it can be done better, and there is enough space to do so. The best workflow is always a kitchen with two parallel work lines.
Overall: consider an alternative staircase design, as a straight staircase looks nice but takes up a lot of floor space. At about 140m² (1506 ft²), a different stair design might gain a few square meters that could be better used elsewhere.
For example, for a cloakroom – you definitely lack space there, especially once you have your first child. Where is the stroller supposed to be parked? Should it stay outside the door? As it is now, it will be quite tight even if you move it into the guest room. I also don’t see any space for coats, shoes, gym bags, or other items for a family of four. You really need to rethink this!
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