ᐅ Urban villa approximately 200 sqm with spacious double garage planned in Saarland

Hello everyone,

We are planning to build a new townhouse in the Homburg/Saar district.
We have been working with an independent architect for about six weeks and are slowly approaching the final stages of the planning, as the design meets our expectations except for the kitchen.
There is no zoning plan, so we need to align with the neighborhood.
All nearby houses have two full floors plus an attic.
The municipality was open to exceptions because behind our property there is a flat-roof bungalow, which is quite unusual for the area.

Zoning Plan / Restrictions

• Plot size: 504 sqm (6083 sq ft)
• Slope: yes (from west to east)
• Number of parking spaces: 2 in front of the garage
• Roof type: pyramid roof
• Architectural style: townhouse / city villa

Homeowner Requirements

• Style, roof type, building type: city villa with pyramid roof
• Basement, floors: no basement
• Number of people, age: two people, 28 years old, planning for one or two children
• Office: family use or home office? Family use
• Overnight guests per year: none so far
• Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen with island
• Number of dining seats: 6
• Garage, carport: double garage for two cars, workbench, two motorcycles

House Design

• Planning by: independent architect
• What do you dislike and why? Kitchen will be open with a glass door leading to the backyard
• Personal price limit for house including equipment: 400,000
• Preferred heating technology: gas or air-source heat pump

We would appreciate your feedback.
We are happy to answer any questions – don’t hesitate to ask.
The site plan is not fully up to date and is not oriented to the north – north is in the upper right corner.

Best regards
Kevin

What don’t you like about the kitchen? Did I understand correctly that the walls to the living area will be removed? I can definitely imagine having a kitchen island.
Upstairs: you have to go all the way around the bed to get to the walk-in closet, which disturbs the other person who might still want to sleep. Also, the path from the bathroom to the walk-in closet is very long.
Where will the wardrobe be located?
Do you really need a separate office and guest room?
Have you planned the living room with furniture in mind?
Where will the terrace be placed?

When I think about how often I go from the dressing room to the bathroom and back, that would be too far for me in your layout. Additionally, the person who sleeps longer would constantly be disturbed. I also don’t see any space for a wardrobe, shoe cabinets, etc. In the kitchen, if the wall is removed, I would plan a freestanding kitchen island instead of the U-shaped layout of the wall cabinets.

Best regards,
Sabine

Once again, I’m the party pooper—the house probably won’t work within the budget. When including the fixtures and fittings, it likely also means including additional construction costs.

Regarding what has already been mentioned:
A second bedroom smaller than the hallway/gallery is not acceptable.

Niloa schrieb:
What don’t you like about the kitchen? Did I understand correctly that the walls to the living area will be removed? I can easily imagine a kitchen island.
Upstairs: to get to the walk-in closet, you have to walk all around the bed and disturb someone who might still be sleeping. Also, the route from the bathroom to the walk-in closet is very long.
Where will the coat storage go?
Do you really need a separate office and guest room?
Have you planned the living room with furniture?
Where will the terrace be located?

A passage from the walk-in closet to the bathroom would definitely be desirable, that’s true. A large wardrobe is actually planned along that wall in the walk-in closet. We will have to come up with a solution for this—it's been on our minds as well.
It’s not that we are too lazy, but it would indeed be disruptive. You’re right about that.

The kitchen will be in a straight (I-shaped) layout along the garage wall (left side). There will be a freestanding island aligned with it. We have already ruled out U-shaped or L-shaped kitchens.

The coat storage will be placed in the utility room and/or office, since that will be the main entrance and exit (through the garage).

The office will definitely be on the ground floor, as we might also use it “someday” as a bedroom or additional coat storage.

The living room will be fairly minimalistic. The TV wall will be on the upper right side, and opposite it (toward the office) the sofa will be placed. A small table will go in front of it.

The terrace will wrap around the corner, as shown in this site plan.

Best regards
Kevin

I can only agree with @Curly:
Is it really necessary to have so much wardrobe space that the walk-in closet can’t have a door leading to the hallway, and that the west-facing bedroom occupant has to pass by the east-facing bedroom like an exodus from Egypt?
Also, I can hardly imagine meal preparation in a kitchen with an “island as a peninsula” positioned between a U-shape on the north side and a U-shape on the south side. A housewife definitely didn’t design that.

Kevinius schrieb:
The office is definitely going on the ground floor because we might want to use it as a bedroom or dressing room “someday.”

Your generation will mostly be rebuilding close to retirement age. The idea of having bedrooms for older adults on the ground floor is outdated. Offices only need to be near the entrance if they involve public access.

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