ᐅ Corner Lot Townhouse 150 sqm + Conservatory, East-West Orientation
Created on: 15 Nov 2021 04:12
E
Ella123
Hello,
we are planning to build a city villa of about 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) plus a 12 sqm (130 sq ft) conservatory on an east-west oriented plot. Unfortunately, the purchase of the plot was delayed by a full year, which has caused our construction costs for the same scope of work to increase significantly. I hope you might be able to help us save a few square meters on the floor plan. Another option would be to build a carport instead of a solid garage, but then we would lose a storage room. A further option would be to do without the conservatory entirely, but I would regret that later because, without meaning to offend anyone, I am not a fan of a modern "city villa cube" look and prefer a more classic style. According to the construction company, reducing the size of the conservatory would only lead to higher costs per square meter, so that is not feasible.
I hope you can help.
Many thanks!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 705 sqm (7,590 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor space ratio: 0.4
Plot ratio: II
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 12 m x 33 m (39 ft x 108 ft)
Edge development: possible on the western street side and eastern neighboring plot
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2 full floors
Roof type: hipped roof (max 25° pitch)
Style: classic
Orientation: east-west
Maximum heights / limits:
Other requirements:
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: city villa with hipped roof
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 2 children (3 years)
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: ground floor – 80 sqm (860 sq ft), upper floor – 60 sqm (645 sq ft)
Office, family use or home office: 1 office / guest room
Number of overnight guests per year: 1-2 (possible in office)
Open or closed architecture: open layout
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen with island: closed kitchen-dining room
Number of dining seats: 4
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 single garage with storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: Garden with terrace in the northeast, as better privacy from the two adjoining streets (to the south and west) and to avoid higher connection costs since the house connections are on the west side
House Design
Who planned it: architect provided by construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? Closed kitchen and terrace to the northeast garden (due to privacy), entrance on the west side, overall room layout on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why? Difficult building window with street exposure, so a compromise on the location of the bathroom and office windows on the ground floor to maintain a symmetrical exterior appearance. Also, about 5 sqm (54 sq ft) smaller would help reduce costs, but the architect says smaller is not possible because of the staircase (note the floor height requiring 16 steps). Floor-to-ceiling window in the living room is unnecessary and better replaced by a double terrace door from the kitchen and a double instead of single door between kitchen and living room.
Cost estimate according to the architect/planner: 400,000 including conservatory, solid garage, and special features
Personal budget limit for house including features: 400,000
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you have to give up something, which details / expansions
- can you give up: carport instead of solid garage, walk-in closets in bedroom and children’s rooms
- cannot give up: 2 children’s rooms, office on ground floor, closed kitchen
Why does the design look like it does now?
We have been planning with the architect for almost a year (with breaks of several months because the plot was only reserved and could only be purchased recently). The delay in purchasing the plot was not clear at the beginning and was repeatedly postponed by the city. Now it is one year later, and the construction company charges significantly more for the same offer due to the 1-year delay. We now hope to save some floor space because we have no financial buffer left.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can we save about 5 sqm (54 sq ft) on the floor plan (excluding garage and conservatory) without giving up the conservatory? I know the conservatory is a luxury, but I’ve always dreamed of it and would prefer not to let that dream go. To avoid making the upper floor rooms too small, I would like to remove the walk-in closets.
Thank you very much in advance for your help and suggestions!
we are planning to build a city villa of about 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) plus a 12 sqm (130 sq ft) conservatory on an east-west oriented plot. Unfortunately, the purchase of the plot was delayed by a full year, which has caused our construction costs for the same scope of work to increase significantly. I hope you might be able to help us save a few square meters on the floor plan. Another option would be to build a carport instead of a solid garage, but then we would lose a storage room. A further option would be to do without the conservatory entirely, but I would regret that later because, without meaning to offend anyone, I am not a fan of a modern "city villa cube" look and prefer a more classic style. According to the construction company, reducing the size of the conservatory would only lead to higher costs per square meter, so that is not feasible.
I hope you can help.
Many thanks!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 705 sqm (7,590 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor space ratio: 0.4
Plot ratio: II
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 12 m x 33 m (39 ft x 108 ft)
Edge development: possible on the western street side and eastern neighboring plot
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2 full floors
Roof type: hipped roof (max 25° pitch)
Style: classic
Orientation: east-west
Maximum heights / limits:
Other requirements:
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: city villa with hipped roof
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 2 children (3 years)
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: ground floor – 80 sqm (860 sq ft), upper floor – 60 sqm (645 sq ft)
Office, family use or home office: 1 office / guest room
Number of overnight guests per year: 1-2 (possible in office)
Open or closed architecture: open layout
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen with island: closed kitchen-dining room
Number of dining seats: 4
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 single garage with storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: Garden with terrace in the northeast, as better privacy from the two adjoining streets (to the south and west) and to avoid higher connection costs since the house connections are on the west side
House Design
Who planned it: architect provided by construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? Closed kitchen and terrace to the northeast garden (due to privacy), entrance on the west side, overall room layout on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why? Difficult building window with street exposure, so a compromise on the location of the bathroom and office windows on the ground floor to maintain a symmetrical exterior appearance. Also, about 5 sqm (54 sq ft) smaller would help reduce costs, but the architect says smaller is not possible because of the staircase (note the floor height requiring 16 steps). Floor-to-ceiling window in the living room is unnecessary and better replaced by a double terrace door from the kitchen and a double instead of single door between kitchen and living room.
Cost estimate according to the architect/planner: 400,000 including conservatory, solid garage, and special features
Personal budget limit for house including features: 400,000
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you have to give up something, which details / expansions
- can you give up: carport instead of solid garage, walk-in closets in bedroom and children’s rooms
- cannot give up: 2 children’s rooms, office on ground floor, closed kitchen
Why does the design look like it does now?
We have been planning with the architect for almost a year (with breaks of several months because the plot was only reserved and could only be purchased recently). The delay in purchasing the plot was not clear at the beginning and was repeatedly postponed by the city. Now it is one year later, and the construction company charges significantly more for the same offer due to the 1-year delay. We now hope to save some floor space because we have no financial buffer left.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can we save about 5 sqm (54 sq ft) on the floor plan (excluding garage and conservatory) without giving up the conservatory? I know the conservatory is a luxury, but I’ve always dreamed of it and would prefer not to let that dream go. To avoid making the upper floor rooms too small, I would like to remove the walk-in closets.
Thank you very much in advance for your help and suggestions!
A
Alessandro15 Nov 2021 08:07What is the benefit of this walk-in closet shared by both children? It seems like it will inevitably lead to conflicts.
I would install a partition wall in the middle, creating two large niches for the wardrobes.
I would install a partition wall in the middle, creating two large niches for the wardrobes.
Ysop*** schrieb:
May I ask why you planned a cube-style urban villa if you don’t like it? What was the reason against a rectangle with a pitched roof? Rectangles are usually more efficient in terms of space usage. Are the 5 square meters less enough for you? What is the planned level of finish? Maybe you can still save there? Thank you!
The development plan requires an urban villa with a hipped roof. It’s not my first choice, but we’re just glad to have secured a central plot at all.
The extra fixtures are already included in the 400,000 (USD) and this is the turnkey price (from the construction company) including floor coverings, painting, and wallpapering. Additional construction costs and the land are not included here. I just wanted to specify what we actually plan to spend with the builder on the house itself.
Alessandro schrieb:
What’s the benefit of this walk-in closet that both kids share? It seems like a conflict waiting to happen.
I would put a dividing wall in the middle to create two large niches for wardrobes. Thank you very much for the message!
Yes, that will probably be the first thing we cut back on. We have identical twin girls who are very close and will probably want to share a room for a long time.
Ella123 schrieb:
Thank you!
The development plan requires a townhouse with a hipped roof. Not my first choice, but we’re just happy to have secured a central plot at all.
The additional features are already included in the 400,000 (about 490,000) price, which is the turnkey price (from the construction company) including floor coverings as well as painting and wallpapering. Additional construction costs and the land are not included in these expenses. I just wanted to specify what we actually plan to spend with the builder on the house. I hope you have already signed the contract and pay close attention to the price lock period. The price is very low, so make sure the company isn’t relying on the price lock expiring. I’ve heard some stories about that...
First of all, this is, by definition, not a conservatory. It is more like a dining area within an extended recess. (Therefore, it is not as expensive as a conservatory, but still more costly than having no recess at all.)
The overall floor plan is somewhat “awkward,” and this results in the loss of many genuine, usable square meters.
- The kitchen feels too hidden.
- The living area is a walk-through room… with a view of the office door…
- The parents’ walk-in closet is located behind the bedroom (order issue).
- The children’s walk-in closet is dark and just takes up space.
- Why is there a double bed in the children’s room? The door opens outward.
- In the bathroom, I don’t see space for a cabinet or cupboard.
- The position of the toilet has already been mentioned.
- ….
The budget question should be clarified first before attempting to optimize or remove anything…
The overall floor plan is somewhat “awkward,” and this results in the loss of many genuine, usable square meters.
- The kitchen feels too hidden.
- The living area is a walk-through room… with a view of the office door…
- The parents’ walk-in closet is located behind the bedroom (order issue).
- The children’s walk-in closet is dark and just takes up space.
- Why is there a double bed in the children’s room? The door opens outward.
- In the bathroom, I don’t see space for a cabinet or cupboard.
- The position of the toilet has already been mentioned.
- ….
The budget question should be clarified first before attempting to optimize or remove anything…
Tom1978 schrieb:
Let me start with the price and express my surprise about the architect’s cost estimate:
- 150 sqm * €2,500 (rather low) = €375,000
- Garage: €20,000
- Conservatory: €40,000???
- Special features: xxx.
- Additional construction costs: €30,000
We are easily at €500,000.
If your actual budget limit is the architect’s estimate, you have no buffer, which is very risky in house construction. I would suggest:
- Leave out the conservatory
- Skip the garage, you can add a carport later
- One walk-in closet on the upper floor is sufficient. Large wardrobes can be placed in the children’s rooms
- The bathroom is quite small for four people and rather cramped. If the mother-in-law upstairs uses the toilet without locking the door, the view when entering is probably priceless.... I wouldn’t place the toilet there unless it’s made of gold...Thank you very much for the critical inquiry!
As mentioned in another response, the €400,000 for the turnkey house comes directly from the construction company with a number of special requests included. That is basically the maximum we want to spend with the builder. We have also planned for 20% additional costs plus the land.
Thanks also for the other suggested changes!