Hello House Building Forum
I am new here, and we are currently planning our house with an architect. There are currently 4 of us, but we plan to have a 5th. Therefore, the house will include 3 children's bedrooms.
Here is the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1250 sqm (13455 sq ft) on 25m x 50m (82 ft x 164 ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not sure at the moment
Edge development: allowed but I want to avoid it
Number of parking spaces: double carport + 2 cars in front
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: classic single-family home
Orientation: see drawing
Owners’ Requirements
Open floor plan on the ground floor, 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, attic with enough space for storage and a hobby area
House Design
Who created the design:
- Architect
What do you like most? Why?
Ground floor: open kitchen and living room. Office accessible from the living room. Direct access to the terrace.
Upper floor: accommodate 3 children’s bedrooms, bedroom with walk-in closet area. The large dormer. The stairs to the attic, where the hobby room will be located.
What do you dislike? Why?
Basically only the staircase to the upper floor. I am a bit bothered by having to walk “around the corner” when coming up. I am looking for ideas to improve this. Or is this concern unfounded?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Not determined yet.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings:
350,000 Euro
Preferred heating system:
Gas boiler, solar thermal, and underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details or extensions can you do without:
We have already eliminated everything we could possibly do without.
Why is the design the way it is? For example:
We went to the architect with our preferred design. He used our floor plan as a basis and created a floor plan that we like even better. Only the staircase layout is not yet 100% satisfactory for me.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
As mentioned, the staircase to the upper floor is my biggest concern. I hope to get some ideas on how to improve it and maybe some feedback on the rest.


South is “up” on the drawings
If more information is needed, I am happy to provide it.
Best regards
I am new here, and we are currently planning our house with an architect. There are currently 4 of us, but we plan to have a 5th. Therefore, the house will include 3 children's bedrooms.
Here is the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1250 sqm (13455 sq ft) on 25m x 50m (82 ft x 164 ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not sure at the moment
Edge development: allowed but I want to avoid it
Number of parking spaces: double carport + 2 cars in front
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: classic single-family home
Orientation: see drawing
Owners’ Requirements
Open floor plan on the ground floor, 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, attic with enough space for storage and a hobby area
House Design
Who created the design:
- Architect
What do you like most? Why?
Ground floor: open kitchen and living room. Office accessible from the living room. Direct access to the terrace.
Upper floor: accommodate 3 children’s bedrooms, bedroom with walk-in closet area. The large dormer. The stairs to the attic, where the hobby room will be located.
What do you dislike? Why?
Basically only the staircase to the upper floor. I am a bit bothered by having to walk “around the corner” when coming up. I am looking for ideas to improve this. Or is this concern unfounded?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Not determined yet.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings:
350,000 Euro
Preferred heating system:
Gas boiler, solar thermal, and underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details or extensions can you do without:
We have already eliminated everything we could possibly do without.
Why is the design the way it is? For example:
We went to the architect with our preferred design. He used our floor plan as a basis and created a floor plan that we like even better. Only the staircase layout is not yet 100% satisfactory for me.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
As mentioned, the staircase to the upper floor is my biggest concern. I hope to get some ideas on how to improve it and maybe some feedback on the rest.
South is “up” on the drawings
If more information is needed, I am happy to provide it.
Best regards
Sparfuchs_:P schrieb:
In the end, swapping the kitchen and living room is just a matter of personal preference.No, please read the reasons behind all the recommendations to swap them. The swap is simply an easy way to fix a major issue, namely the poor location of the living room.
S
Sparfuchs7723 Jul 2019 15:14ypg schrieb:
No, read the explanations for all the recommendations regarding the swap. The swap is just a simple way to fix a major flaw here, namely the poor location of the living room. I understand the arguments. I’ve also already revised the floor plans (during my lunch break using Excel). However, I want to post them only after I’ve discussed them with my wife and we agree. Then I will recreate the floor plan using Sweet Home and share it here. I don’t want to present a rough Excel draft for discussion. For now, here’s some information:
In the new floor plan:
- I swapped the living room and kitchen
- I placed the extension in the center, including the dining area
- The staircases are finally aligned on top of each other
- The upstairs hallway is straight at last
- The knee wall is planned at 115–130cm (45–51 inches)
- Because of the higher knee wall, the dormer windows are unnecessary and the roof should be (significantly?) cheaper
- Due to the knee wall, the attic is larger (hobby room *heh heh heh*)
- The stair slants in the utility room and bedroom have disappeared
I adopted a few ideas from @kaho674, but kept some parts of the old floor plan.
I already like the floor plan much better. I still need to present it to my wife—feedback is coming this evening.
I’d like to sincerely thank you all again. You have already helped us a lot!
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
- the knee wall makes the attic bigger (hobby room *HeHeHe*)What kind of hobby actually requires an entire separate room?S
Sparfuchs7723 Jul 2019 16:30kaho674 schrieb:
What kind of hobby actually requires its own room? It’s just going to be a bit of a mancave. A small workshop area to tinker with my laptop / PC / water cooling, soldering, etc., space for my tube TV and retro games, a small PC corner (my wife doesn’t want the 34-inch (86 cm) monitor in the office ^^), and a sofa.Who knows what hobbies I’ll have later on. If I don’t need the room anymore, it will become a chill area for the kids (sorry, teenagers ^^) or storage.
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:
It’s only going to be a small man cave.That won’t happen anymore
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