ᐅ Collect floor plans for a 150 m² house

kaho674 schrieb:
Is it still acceptable today to plan for a washing machine in a large bathroom, or is that completely inappropriate?

If you want to deal with piles of laundry and the noise from a running washing machine in the bathroom, you are free to do so.
Whether your niece minds it, we do not know.

kaho674 schrieb:
I think that’s nonsense. I only spoke with the newbies for about half an hour about the house. Haven’t talked to them since. Apparently, it’s being seen as if I’m constantly pressuring and lecturing them. I’m not talking to them at all. Zero. Not a single word since then.

I find that attitude quite disrespectful, sorry. To me, it sounds like you think you know it all and that the two of them can only do everything wrong.

I cringe at the mansard roof as well as at the cottage (which fits the English countryside, but in a German new development area???? Yikes... just like those beautiful Tuscan-style villas *shudder*). I’m definitely not on the same page as the two "newbies," but they are adults, they have their own ideas, and they have the right to pursue them. Since the budget is limited, I’ll bet my head on it that it will boil down to some standard floor plan from a common home builder. But they are allowed to dream of something else for now. Reality will bring them down to earth soon enough.

Overall, I find it a bit intrusive to already be making floor plan drafts after only having talked with the “newbies” for half an hour. (Why do experienced architects always need way more time for that???)

Do they even want this? Will your suggestions be welcomed? Personally, I would rather forbid my uncle from interfering unless I knew he really knows his stuff or I really liked his house and ASKED for help. Then it would be legitimate.

You say you’re doing this for fun. That’s fine. Do it because YOU enjoy designing. But then there’s this next sentence that personally rubs me the wrong way:

kaho674 schrieb:
What they end up doing will be a surprise, then we’ll put everything on the table and mix it all up thoroughly.

Uh, WE’re going to put everything on the table and mix it up? Are you sure you’re part of the decision-making process? Were you told that or asked? To me, that sounds pretty intrusive again (maybe I’m just a bit sensitive about this).

From your previous posts, I keep sensing a certain arrogance implying that “the newbies” know nothing and that you want to present them with the ultimate solution.

My personal opinion: Let them do it; reality will soon enough painfully clip their wings. If they don’t explicitly ask for your help with the planning, I would keep a low profile and wait to see what they come up with. If they appreciate your expertise, they will ask you.

If you really feel the urge to design something, then just ask them if you MAY support them (!!!), but accept if the answer is “no.”

They are adults, they are building THEIR house, and they have a right to their own mistakes and ideas. If they ask for help, great. But this is turning into a farce for me (half an hour of talking, no one has asked you yet for support, but you’re already planning the niece’s house quite specifically because you think you know better than the future homeowners – that really has potential for a comedy show, sorry!).

I think if you’re so eager, first ask whether your support is wanted. Then there should be a proper, detailed discussion about their ideas, budget, what’s absolutely necessary, what’s not, etc. Listen without prejudice, and then you can make your (surely well-intentioned) suggestions.

Oh, and one more thing:

kaho674 schrieb:

My dad, for example, built his first house at 18. One corner wasn’t quite 90 degrees when he did the masonry. He still has nightmares about it and it reduces the house’s value. That’s unfortunate. It shouldn’t be that way.

There is a difference between planning errors and execution errors.

kaho674 schrieb:
I think that’s nonsense. I only talked to the novices about the house for about half an hour. Since then, no more contact. Apparently, there’s an impression that I’m constantly pressuring and lecturing them. I don’t talk to them at all. Not a single word since then.

I’m doing this just for fun. What they do will be a surprise, and then we’ll lay everything out on the table and mix things up thoroughly.

Besides that, we probably can’t afford more than one house. Let’s be honest, how many of us here actually build two or three houses just like that? I think very few! So, we’re happy if we manage to build one, and we don’t even consider ourselves the poorest.

Hello Kaho, I find this constant use of “we” quite surprising. “We’re pooling money, we’re glad if the funds are enough for one house, and we don’t see ourselves as the poorest.” I also remember something like “We are three builder families, we’ll sort it out,” and I had the impression that the ACTUAL builders weren’t included in those three families, just three others who have already finished building.

That makes me wonder if you are partly financing the young ones’ house and possibly moving in with them as well.

Maria16 schrieb:
Hello Kaho, I do find this constant use of "we" quite surprising.

Yes, we are a different family from most others. That’s probably certain. We do a lot together. For example, we all go on vacation together. Almost every weekend, we all meet for lunch. If there’s a problem, we come together and look for solutions.
And yes, when the decision about the house was made, my niece announced to the group that this was a project we now had together and that everyone should help.

Of course, in the end, the two of them make all the decisions individually. That’s clear. But we all share in the excitement with the three of them, and they don’t seem controlled at all—in fact, quite the opposite. My niece is not easily talked over.

So please, stop complaining about me controlling my niece or bothering her with suggestions or nagging. That’s just not true—really. Especially since I’m only doing the floor plans for my own enjoyment, as I’ve mentioned several times.

Nice if that's the case. It just comes across completely differently here.

kaho674 schrieb:
Is it still acceptable to plan for a washing machine in a large bathroom today, or is that completely inappropriate?

I would even try to avoid that in a rental apartment... even worse, though, is having the washing machine in the kitchen.