ᐅ Floor Plan for a 150 m² Urban Villa – Looking Forward to Your Opinions :-)

Created on: 8 Jan 2019 16:32
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Gini_86
Hello homebuilding friends,

I would like to hear your opinions.

We plan to build an urban villa with 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft). It is planned in a small new development area that will be developed by mid-February.

We are building with a developer who is also providing the architect.

The notarized contract has not yet been signed.

Below, I am attaching the current floor plan from the architect and another version with my requested changes (and a few explanations). These changes have not yet been discussed with the architect. Maybe you will say some are not feasible or maybe you will have additional suggestions for modifications.

Since we are approaching the final phase, I’m very interested in your feedback. Perhaps some of you will notice something we haven’t thought of yet. I appreciate every opinion and suggestion from you.

The furniture placement was done freely by the architect and does not reflect our preferences.

Further down in the list of questions, I’ve included two points (hidden door to the pantry/laundry room / optimal placement of the fireplace), just in case they aren’t read until the end.

One more thing: Neither my husband nor I come from the construction industry (probably obvious due to the changes I’m suggesting), and we are not handy :-(). Therefore, we want a turnkey build.

I hope I haven’t forgotten anything, but feel free to ask if I have.

So, here is the list of questions:

Zoning/building restrictions: None

Plot size: 529 sqm (5,693 sq ft)

Slope: No

Adjacent buildings: Possibly a garage

Number of parking spaces: 1–2

Number of floors: 2 full stories

Roof type: Hip roof

Client requirements

Style: open living/dining area, lots of natural light, clean design

Roof type: Hip roof

Building type: Urban villa

Basement: No

Number of floors: 2 full stories

Number of residents: 4

Ages: 36, 32, 4 years, 4 months

Space requirements on ground floor: guest WC with built-in shower, small guest/office room, utility room, storage under the stairs, open kitchen with island, dining area for at least 6 people, living room

Upper floor: 2 equally sized children's rooms, small storage room, master bedroom, storage room

Office: family use

Modern construction style

Open kitchen with island

Number of dining seats: 6

Fireplace: initially not wanted, now yes!

Balcony: No

Garage: planned for later

Garden for cultivation

House design

Who designed the plan: architect from the building company

What do you particularly like? open living/dining area, storage room on upper floor, now 2 equally sized children's rooms

What do you dislike? unsure about my requested changes, the entrance area (wardrobe), bedroom layout, sufficient space?

Preferred heating system: exhaust air heat pump including underfloor heating

Must-have: floor-to-ceiling windows in the kitchen

Why is the design as it is now?

The floor plan was based on our wishes/information.

Which of our wishes have been implemented by the architect?

Floor-to-ceiling windows in the children's rooms, overall window planning, half-turn staircase, large window in the stairwell, closed staircase with storage

Unfortunately not yet implemented: hidden door (tall cabinets) in the kitchen leading to utility/pantry room—perhaps this is up to the kitchen planner? The kitchen planning appointment is Friday.

Since the fireplace was only considered later, I would be interested if you have a better suggestion for its location?

Brief explanation of the requested changes to the floor plan:

Ground floor:

Entrance area: I would prefer not to place the wardrobe as originally planned in front of the glass front door element, but to move the niche further back. I thought about a narrow cabinet and a bench (both IKEA Stuva series). They are quite narrow, but this will make the guest room a bit smaller. Do you see another option for the wardrobe?

Then I somehow found the corridor space wasted and thought we could shift the wall with the planned tall cabinets in the kitchen a bit further into the hallway…

The cabinets should be built into a drywall partition. At the back, there should be only a kitchen counter without tall cabinets, and opposite that, the kitchen island.

Do you maybe have other ideas for a hidden door to the utility room, or is that not very practical?

Of course, the windows would no longer fit with these changes.

Upper floor:

Children's rooms now both equally sized

Storage room consequently a bit larger

Bedroom currently just enough space for what is needed

Bathroom no longer has a T-wall; only the shower is behind the double washbasin now.

Thank you very much for reading this far.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Best regards

Gini_86

Lageplan eines Baugrundstücks mit Grünfläche, Treppenhaus und angrenzenden Parzellen


Grundriss eines Hauses mit Wohnen/Essen, Küche, Gastzimmer, Flur, WC, HWR/Vorrat


Grundriss Obergeschoss: Flur, Bad, Abstellraum, Schlafen, Kind 1, Kind 2.


Schnittansicht eines zweistöckigen Hauses (A-A) mit Dach, Treppe, Türen, Bodenaufbau und Maßlinien.


Grundriss eines Hauses: offenes Wohnen/Essen, Küche, Gastzimmer, Flur, HWR, Treppe


Grundriss eines Wohnhauses: Flur, Bad, AR, Kind 1, Kind 2, 2. Rettungsweg.


Modernes Wohnzimmer mit Kamin, rundem Holztisch, Kerzen und Holzstapeln neben dem Sofa.
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ypg
9 Jan 2019 07:17
montessalet schrieb:
Or as the saying goes: Thinking out of the box.

When building with concrete block construction, the "box" often refers to the budget limit.
montessalet9 Jan 2019 07:43
ypg schrieb:
The budget is often the price limit when building with a timber frame.

Alright. Of course. Or you simply have unlimited funds – but that’s rather the exception...

Even with limited resources, you can think "outside the box": at least without a predefined house design. The other framework conditions and restrictions clearly limit the solution options anyway (at least in this case). But that’s exactly what the original poster is doing. And I don’t see it as a negative thing if the builders have two different opinions. Which one leads to a better result will only become clear once priorities are established. I’m curious to see what the final outcome will be.
W
Wickie
9 Jan 2019 08:14
My favorite topic: storage space
Think carefully about where things should be stored. There’s quite a lot for four people...

I would definitely remove the washing machine and dryer from the utility room downstairs and move them to the upper floor. The room downstairs will already be packed with connections and everything else!
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Gini_86
9 Jan 2019 09:02
11ant schrieb:
Yes, that’s how it looks too :-(
Square and uninspired.

Try to move away from the square floor plan, as it’s an unfortunate choice at this size, as you can already see from the extent of your requested changes*. Achieving a well-designed layout under a square roof requires an edge length of about 11 to 12 meters (36 to 39 feet) — below that, imperfections become too noticeable.

*) By the way, some of your requests don’t really work: compare your doors in size 34 with the ones originally drawn in.

I don’t see the plot or building area forcing a square shape anywhere, and it’s not mandatory for the “townhouse” style either. But keep the economical staircase design.

Our wish is for a townhouse, and it was also said that it would fit well on the plot.

Yes, you are absolutely right about the doors.
Thank you for your opinion. ☺️
G
Gini_86
9 Jan 2019 09:03
ypg schrieb:
@11ant maybe Gini_86 wants a townhouse?
The plot is suitable for that, more so than for an elongated gable roof house.
And a long staircase is not wanted.
So, everything fits except for what was mentioned

Yes, that's exactly it! A townhouse is desired.
G
Gini_86
9 Jan 2019 09:14
Wickie schrieb:
My favorite topic: storage
Think carefully about where items will be stored. With four people, a lot of stuff adds up...

I would definitely ease the utility room downstairs by moving the washing machine and dryer upstairs. The room downstairs will already be packed full with connections and everything else!

Thank you very much for your opinion.
I’m actually starting to lean towards placing the washing machine and dryer upstairs. ☺️