Hello everyone,
We have a plot of land (see site plan) and have started planning our dream house without an architect. Before we move forward in more detail, it would be great to receive opinions, ideas, and perspectives.
On the floor plan, you can see an electrical transformer to the east. It is quite tall and does not provide a pleasant view. Therefore, the utility room is planned here, separated from the house with access to the "breakfast terrace."
We are planning with the future in mind. This means we want all the essential living spaces on one level. Upstairs is for the children and grandchildren when they visit, as well as hobby rooms, an office, etc. The area above the living room is open. Downstairs, it is important for us to have separate areas. The kitchen/dining and living rooms should not be an open, connected space. We often have guests while others want to watch a movie in peace.
We welcome any extraordinary ideas. The house should be unique. But we also appreciate advice on realistic feasibility.
The house will be built as a timber frame house.
The building plan allows for few restrictions. The building envelope is shown on the drawing.
Thank you and best regards,
Andreas
We have a plot of land (see site plan) and have started planning our dream house without an architect. Before we move forward in more detail, it would be great to receive opinions, ideas, and perspectives.
On the floor plan, you can see an electrical transformer to the east. It is quite tall and does not provide a pleasant view. Therefore, the utility room is planned here, separated from the house with access to the "breakfast terrace."
We are planning with the future in mind. This means we want all the essential living spaces on one level. Upstairs is for the children and grandchildren when they visit, as well as hobby rooms, an office, etc. The area above the living room is open. Downstairs, it is important for us to have separate areas. The kitchen/dining and living rooms should not be an open, connected space. We often have guests while others want to watch a movie in peace.
We welcome any extraordinary ideas. The house should be unique. But we also appreciate advice on realistic feasibility.
The house will be built as a timber frame house.
The building plan allows for few restrictions. The building envelope is shown on the drawing.
Thank you and best regards,
Andreas
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neo-sciliar27 Jul 2020 13:36pagoni2020 schrieb:
No!
You yourself (please re-read what YOU wrote at the beginning) sharply criticized the planning of your first Stommel Haus home; you were not satisfied with the result.
Strangely, after many years you went back to Stommel Haus again and were once more very dissatisfied (please re-read that as well).
Whoever wants to understand that, can; unfortunately, I cannot.
Calling the other home builders basically backwards is a bit arrogant, though, because nowadays, unlike back when we both built our first homes, there are many providers building timber houses in an innovative and modern way.
Recent Google reviews are not only positive about Stommel Haus, even though I personally don’t put much stock in them, but please don’t present it as if Stommel Haus has the sole expertise in proper timber home construction and all competitors are either stupid or incompetent. Let me say again: for me, “home building” is much more than just planning; it also includes execution, quality, comfort of living, support after moving in, transparency in pricing, and much more. Planning is the only aspect I criticize at Stommel Haus.
Which other timber house manufacturers are there? On recommendation from here, I looked into Thoma and found it very interesting. It is difficult to visit a house in person. Baufritz: I think it’s great but unfortunately quite expensive.
Fullwood—I’m waiting for an appointment there.
It will get even more interesting when we discuss Steinhauer... or Frammelsberger.
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neo-sciliar27 Jul 2020 13:41borxx schrieb:
In the current plan, you have a total of three required drainage lines: kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. This is one aspect that will increase effort and costs.
I’ll repeat the question: Are you fixed on a straight staircase, or could it be spiral or similar? That usually saves some space.
I find the hallway in the last proposal to be just long, narrow, and dark, serving only as a passage. On the opposite wall, there is only a second walkway through the kitchen, which takes up as much space as living areas do.
Having the living room entrance right next to the couch feels less cozy because you can’t see who’s coming in.
Windows right beside each other can cause glare when looking out; in my opinion, the version from @Alessandro feels cozier. Hi, no, we’re not fixed on a straight staircase. I like it, but it’s not a must-have. Currently, the plan is to use the space under the stairs as storage.
The long hallways also bother me. I haven’t found a layout (after looking through many floor plans) that avoids them when there are many rooms on the ground floor. Most just have them not connected in a row but scattered elsewhere, resulting in about the same total hallway length. Ideas are very welcome here.
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neo-sciliar27 Jul 2020 13:42Alessandro schrieb:
Yes, approximately 4x5m (13x16 feet).
I would try to position the kitchen differently to make the space feel more open and improve the flow of movement.
In my opinion, those fixed windows don’t add much…
I would also move the door to the living room further to the right on the plan so you have a niche for a sideboard in the living room instead of in the hallway, where such furniture is hardly noticed.
THANK YOU!ypg schrieb:
And that’s why we recommend having a design created by an experienced architect,neo-sciliar schrieb:
That’s exactly what we did. We wrote down all the requirements (!) and sent them to the planners of three different home builders.Huh? I’m advising to use an independent architect, and you say "that’s what we did... planners..."
I mean a freelance architect. Period. And with the paid architectural plans, you then go to the builder you trust.
Think about whether you might be overstretching yourself by trying to design a house when you’re surprised by what 4 x 5 meters (13 x 16 feet) actually means—or what kind of room that creates. Your painters can tell that you struggle with sizes.
neo-sciliar schrieb:
I’ll try it a different way now: what do you think of the attached floor plan, and what suggestions for improvement do you have?I don’t like it for the same reason as a few days ago: the hallway doesn’t invite me into the house because I’m facing a wall (I think that was a door a few days ago, but that doesn’t really matter).
Whether it’s supposed to be a bungalow or a duplex—this hallway design just doesn’t work.
The only way to fix it is to fundamentally rethink this entrance situation (hallway) and “straighten it out.” That can also be done with a more open dining area, or whatever.
The other minor details don’t really matter at this point if you’re going to create a different design anyway.
Your problem is: you haven’t found your reset button.
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neo-sciliar27 Jul 2020 15:06ypg schrieb:
Just spontaneously:THANK YOU. That’s constructive. Are the boxes each 1 sqm (10.8 sq ft)?Similar topics