ᐅ Charming single-family home with 1,500 sq ft over two full stories
Created on: 8 Mar 2018 15:10
R
rhönschaf
Hello everyone,
We are now close to submitting the building permit / planning permission and would like to hear opinions from experienced homebuilders. We have already shared the design with friends and family, but we want to benefit from your experience and knowledge.
Thank you in advance!
Since the design comes from an architect, all legal requirements have been met. The attached PDFs are rotated. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save them differently.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 386m² (4,155 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio
Building setback line, building line, and boundary: 3m (10 ft), no other regulations
Edge development: permitted
Number of parking spaces: 2, garage and driveway each count as 1 parking space
Number of floors: Max. 2 full stories
Roof type: No restrictions
Architectural style: --
Orientation: --
Maximum height / limits: 11m (36 ft)
Other requirements
Owners’ requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Gable roof
Basement, number of floors: 2 full stories
Number of occupants, age: 2, ages 34 and 27
Space requirements on ground / upper floor: No special needs
Office: family use or home office? Family use
Occasional overnight guests per year: Rare
Open or closed architecture: partly/partly
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, with a bar counter
Number of dining seats: at least 4
Fireplace: desired
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special requests / daily routines, also reasons why or why not
Nothing special, a nice home to grow old in. We like to spend time outdoors but are not interested in gardening (hence a small plot).
We also have a dog, which is low-maintenance. That is why there is a shower on the ground floor instead of a standard guest toilet.
House design
Designer: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Ground floor:
Upper floor:
What do you dislike? Why?
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approx. 300,000 (currency not specified)
Personal budget limit for house including fixtures: acceptable as is
Preferred heating system: air-to-air heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details or expansions
Why does the design look like it does now?
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
We do not need additional rooms on the ground floor (office/guest room, etc.). The two additional rooms upstairs are sufficient for guests or possibly children in our view.
At the beginning, we had a hard time and many ideas in mind, such as a straight staircase as a small room divider between living and dining. Over time, this design emerged, which we are very happy with.
Our first floor plan initially had exterior dimensions of about 8.1m x 10.6m (27 ft x 35 ft), but we quickly realized this was too narrow and changed it to 8.7m x 10.0m (29 ft x 33 ft).
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We have finalized the floor plan and window placement. As laypersons, we don’t see any details we’ve forgotten. We have little storage space, which we know, but we can live with it (the garage will be a storage room for winter tires, bicycles, and everything frost-resistant).
We have elevated windows in the living room and bedroom (rooms are one above the other). What do you think about this? We want no direct view into these rooms. Neighbors surround us on three sides.
Edit: I deleted the PDFs and attached JPGs, which should now be easier.
We are now close to submitting the building permit / planning permission and would like to hear opinions from experienced homebuilders. We have already shared the design with friends and family, but we want to benefit from your experience and knowledge.
Thank you in advance!
Since the design comes from an architect, all legal requirements have been met. The attached PDFs are rotated. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save them differently.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 386m² (4,155 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio
Building setback line, building line, and boundary: 3m (10 ft), no other regulations
Edge development: permitted
Number of parking spaces: 2, garage and driveway each count as 1 parking space
Number of floors: Max. 2 full stories
Roof type: No restrictions
Architectural style: --
Orientation: --
Maximum height / limits: 11m (36 ft)
Other requirements
Owners’ requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Gable roof
Basement, number of floors: 2 full stories
Number of occupants, age: 2, ages 34 and 27
Space requirements on ground / upper floor: No special needs
Office: family use or home office? Family use
Occasional overnight guests per year: Rare
Open or closed architecture: partly/partly
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, with a bar counter
Number of dining seats: at least 4
Fireplace: desired
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special requests / daily routines, also reasons why or why not
Nothing special, a nice home to grow old in. We like to spend time outdoors but are not interested in gardening (hence a small plot).
We also have a dog, which is low-maintenance. That is why there is a shower on the ground floor instead of a standard guest toilet.
House design
Designer: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Ground floor:
- Wide straight hallway: welcoming, enough space for coats and shoes
- Living/dining area and kitchen in L-shape: we prefer this to everything on one level
- No direct view from neighbors into the living room (windows placed higher)
Upper floor:
- Wide, naturally lit corridor
- T-shaped bathroom
- Walk-in closet adjoining the bedroom
What do you dislike? Why?
- We would have liked a half-landing staircase, but it was too expensive
- An additional storage room on the ground floor would be great, but we probably have to make do with the utility room and a storage closet under the stairs
- Currently, similar storage options suffice in our rented apartment as well
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approx. 300,000 (currency not specified)
Personal budget limit for house including fixtures: acceptable as is
Preferred heating system: air-to-air heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details or expansions
- Could give up: fireplace
- Cannot give up: nothing else can be cut anymore
Why does the design look like it does now?
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
We do not need additional rooms on the ground floor (office/guest room, etc.). The two additional rooms upstairs are sufficient for guests or possibly children in our view.
At the beginning, we had a hard time and many ideas in mind, such as a straight staircase as a small room divider between living and dining. Over time, this design emerged, which we are very happy with.
Our first floor plan initially had exterior dimensions of about 8.1m x 10.6m (27 ft x 35 ft), but we quickly realized this was too narrow and changed it to 8.7m x 10.0m (29 ft x 33 ft).
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We have finalized the floor plan and window placement. As laypersons, we don’t see any details we’ve forgotten. We have little storage space, which we know, but we can live with it (the garage will be a storage room for winter tires, bicycles, and everything frost-resistant).
We have elevated windows in the living room and bedroom (rooms are one above the other). What do you think about this? We want no direct view into these rooms. Neighbors surround us on three sides.
Edit: I deleted the PDFs and attached JPGs, which should now be easier.
I understand the arguments regarding room size distribution. I find the window layouts quite unusual. For the rooms facing southwest with floor-to-ceiling windows, I would prefer wider windows with a sill height of about 85 cm (33 inches). This allows for better furniture arrangement and generally provides more light.
rhönschaf schrieb:
Since the design comes from an architect, the legal requirements have been met.Don’t be too sure about that... Our first architect designed a serious infringement of the setback regulations...
I’m not sure if I would really like the front door to be completely open like that. Maybe consider a large sliding glass door. It lets in plenty of light, can be left open if you want, but can also be closed.
What’s the purpose of that random half-wall in the middle of the ground floor with just one kitchen cabinet? Be consistent and push it toward the kitchen. That way the kitchen doesn’t need a separate entrance, you can just walk the extra three steps around the corner.
Regarding the kitchen: I’m generally not a fan of U-shaped or L-shaped kitchens because there’s always one awkward corner. Corner solutions usually don’t work well. As I said, I would remove the half-wall toward the hallway and go for a galley kitchen instead: one row along the back wall (which is already there) and a second row as a (half) island, placed 120cm (47 inches) apart. Much more ergonomic and without those corners.
On the upper floor, I agree with the previous comments. It would be interesting to know if there are plans for children.
The house has no basement, right? Overall, I find there is too little storage space here. Think about where you will put all your stuff. Of course, that depends on your hobbies, but with us (various mountain sports, diving, cycling, etc.) quite a lot accumulates. If there are no children planned, you could use the small spare room upstairs as storage.
I’m not particularly fond of the exterior views overall, but I always believe that design should follow function. Still...
Climbee schrieb:
Overall, I’m not very fond of the exterior views, I agree with that. Especially the chimney hanging like a sword of Damocles right in front looks very odd.
In front of the sliding door, it looks like there is a drainage channel (the resolution of the drawings leaves much to be desired). But by the double-leaf patio door around the corner, there isn’t one, and both exits also seem to be significantly (>1 step) above the finished ground level / terrace (?)
The bathroom feels to me like an overly simple hall.
rhönschaf schrieb:
We have already shown the design to friends and family, What percentage of them have experience with building a house?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
R
rhönschaf8 Mar 2018 22:39Hello,
thank you very much for the responses and suggestions! It’s clear that different viewpoints and perspectives can lead to new ideas. I would like to briefly address some tips and questions in the order of the posts:
1. Maria16
- Currently, we have 3.90 m (13 feet) between the TV and the back of the couch, 3.75 m (12 feet) would also work.
- Room 1 will be an office; so a desk and otherwise filing space. We both have jobs that can’t be done from home. Room 2 will initially be a guest room or storage.
- We are still reconsidering the argument about the doors.
- A walk-in closet is a must, including the size. Narrower is not possible because then we could only put wardrobes on one side.
2. apokolok
- Interesting idea. We will think it over. Possibly the bathroom would then become too small.
3. kaho674
- A shower has to be included. Our dog is quite messy!
- This is not possible for various reasons. Lack of space (the bedroom is already minimal and the walk-in closet should be that size) and we want the hallway to have a window. Because it is a full upper floor, roof windows are not an option.
4. Müllerin
- I think the dog will also be washed outside in summer. Then cold water is enough. She doesn’t like warm water... As a fellow dog owner, one has a different perspective.
- Smaller probably due to the unusually large hallway and the walk-in closet with over 6 m (20 feet) of wall length.
5. kbt09
- That is my concession to my wife. At least in the rooms; we both want the hallway that way. We have already reduced some things; originally there were three floor-to-ceiling double windows upstairs.
6. Climbee
- We hope (and trust) that he has thought of everything.
- This door was originally planned but was removed because it would always remain open anyway.
- Unfortunately, this stub wall has to stay. We need a support at that spot and connected it with a section of the wall, a light switch, a picture, something like that... No kitchen cabinet will be placed there.
- We want the small passageway from the hallway to the kitchen so you don’t always have to go around the corner. The kitchen layout will be quite different from what is shown here.
- Storage space is tight; the garage will have to serve this purpose and cars will be parked in front of and to the right of the house. We are aware of that; a basement is not possible.
7. 11ant
- The chimney runs outside to save interior space. This would be acceptable on the ground floor, but not upstairs. For this reason, and honestly, we don’t mind these external stainless steel chimneys.
- A drainage channel must be installed in front of the sliding door. I don’t know why there isn’t one shown at the other door; I need to clarify that, thanks.
- The images were heavily compressed, that’s true. But that happened during upload; I will try to provide a better version.
- The surveyor measured everything; we might need to raise the levels. I will ask the architect why the house is planned exactly at this height.
- The bathroom will of course have a towel warmer, bathroom furniture, etc. There is nothing worse than an uncomfortable bathroom.
- The share (proportion) is very small, which is why I’m turning to you.
General:
- We wanted a straight hallway upstairs with a large window area. It should not be just a functional corridor with only doors off it, but have a living space character.
- Regarding children’s rooms: One could still add a drywall at the end of the upper floor hallway to connect this gallery with the small room (then possibly remove the partition wall). This creates a room of 12–13 m² (130–140 ft²) and gives two children’s rooms. I just came up with the idea, but there should be no objection.
thank you very much for the responses and suggestions! It’s clear that different viewpoints and perspectives can lead to new ideas. I would like to briefly address some tips and questions in the order of the posts:
1. Maria16
- Currently, we have 3.90 m (13 feet) between the TV and the back of the couch, 3.75 m (12 feet) would also work.
- Room 1 will be an office; so a desk and otherwise filing space. We both have jobs that can’t be done from home. Room 2 will initially be a guest room or storage.
- We are still reconsidering the argument about the doors.
- A walk-in closet is a must, including the size. Narrower is not possible because then we could only put wardrobes on one side.
2. apokolok
- Interesting idea. We will think it over. Possibly the bathroom would then become too small.
3. kaho674
- A shower has to be included. Our dog is quite messy!
- This is not possible for various reasons. Lack of space (the bedroom is already minimal and the walk-in closet should be that size) and we want the hallway to have a window. Because it is a full upper floor, roof windows are not an option.
4. Müllerin
- I think the dog will also be washed outside in summer. Then cold water is enough. She doesn’t like warm water... As a fellow dog owner, one has a different perspective.
- Smaller probably due to the unusually large hallway and the walk-in closet with over 6 m (20 feet) of wall length.
5. kbt09
- That is my concession to my wife. At least in the rooms; we both want the hallway that way. We have already reduced some things; originally there were three floor-to-ceiling double windows upstairs.
6. Climbee
- We hope (and trust) that he has thought of everything.
- This door was originally planned but was removed because it would always remain open anyway.
- Unfortunately, this stub wall has to stay. We need a support at that spot and connected it with a section of the wall, a light switch, a picture, something like that... No kitchen cabinet will be placed there.
- We want the small passageway from the hallway to the kitchen so you don’t always have to go around the corner. The kitchen layout will be quite different from what is shown here.
- Storage space is tight; the garage will have to serve this purpose and cars will be parked in front of and to the right of the house. We are aware of that; a basement is not possible.
7. 11ant
- The chimney runs outside to save interior space. This would be acceptable on the ground floor, but not upstairs. For this reason, and honestly, we don’t mind these external stainless steel chimneys.
- A drainage channel must be installed in front of the sliding door. I don’t know why there isn’t one shown at the other door; I need to clarify that, thanks.
- The images were heavily compressed, that’s true. But that happened during upload; I will try to provide a better version.
- The surveyor measured everything; we might need to raise the levels. I will ask the architect why the house is planned exactly at this height.
- The bathroom will of course have a towel warmer, bathroom furniture, etc. There is nothing worse than an uncomfortable bathroom.
- The share (proportion) is very small, which is why I’m turning to you.
General:
- We wanted a straight hallway upstairs with a large window area. It should not be just a functional corridor with only doors off it, but have a living space character.
- Regarding children’s rooms: One could still add a drywall at the end of the upper floor hallway to connect this gallery with the small room (then possibly remove the partition wall). This creates a room of 12–13 m² (130–140 ft²) and gives two children’s rooms. I just came up with the idea, but there should be no objection.
At the top floor, I would avoid installing floor-level windows and instead opt for the “bathroom window version” throughout. A disadvantage can be easily noticed in the hallway/office area (viewing cables and the lower body).
In the bathroom: swap the toilet and shower positions (also to avoid visibility after showering, similar to how light affects visibility when using the toilet).
On the ground floor, skip the fixed window in the living room and instead have one facing east: this allows for better placement of the sofa and TV.
I prefer it to be this open... it looks similar to our ground floor [emoji4].
The upper floor probably has more potential if the bathroom is made smaller.
In the bathroom: swap the toilet and shower positions (also to avoid visibility after showering, similar to how light affects visibility when using the toilet).
On the ground floor, skip the fixed window in the living room and instead have one facing east: this allows for better placement of the sofa and TV.
I prefer it to be this open... it looks similar to our ground floor [emoji4].
The upper floor probably has more potential if the bathroom is made smaller.
rhönschaf schrieb:
That’s why, and honestly, we don’t mind these external stainless steel chimneys at all. I don’t either, but I would at least support it on the ground. Hanging it freestanding on the roof or gable looks a bit odd.
rhönschaf schrieb:
Unfortunately, this stub has to be there. We need a support at that point and have connected it with a section of wall, In my opinion, it also fits there from a design perspective.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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