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
What a disaster!
I didn’t sit down and draw it myself, but according to my suggestion and thinking, the design should have come out without any angled walls.
And I am sure that NO ONE meant that.
Sparfuchs_ schrieb:Take a look for yourself: everything is distorted. What did you do there???
If you could also explain why it’s useless, I would know where to start.
I didn’t sit down and draw it myself, but according to my suggestion and thinking, the design should have come out without any angled walls.
And I am sure that NO ONE meant that.
S
Sparfuchs7724 Jul 2019 07:21Yes, I see it. My first change, where I swapped the kitchen and living room, had straight walls. But that version didn’t work for my wife.
Well, now we have an example of how not to do it. ^^ That’s something at least.
I’m scheduling an appointment with the architect today. I’ll bring up all the points:
- straight staircase
- possibility to access the kitchen from the hallway
- children’s room facing south
- raised knee wall
Then he can get creative. I’m probably not creative enough or just don’t have a good sense for it. Or I rushed it.
Well, now we have an example of how not to do it. ^^ That’s something at least.
I’m scheduling an appointment with the architect today. I’ll bring up all the points:
- straight staircase
- possibility to access the kitchen from the hallway
- children’s room facing south
- raised knee wall
Then he can get creative. I’m probably not creative enough or just don’t have a good sense for it. Or I rushed it.
With a knee wall height of 130cm (51 inches), placing a window in the middle of the children's room is not very practical, or alternatively, a roof window in the knee wall could be installed.
Why does the kitchen have to be on the left side of the plan? Maybe your wife could try explaining the reasons in words. I find it helpful when I have to do something like this because it often makes me realize that my reasons are somewhat superficial or don’t really fit.
I like to compare options when a better basis is already available.
The kitchen with dining table in your version works mainly because the peninsula is only 60cm (24 inches) deep. The entire area around the two doors leading to the open space near the fireplace is now mainly circulation space.
In Kahos’ solution, one could consider placing the fireplace more centrally, although this would result in the bathroom being located above it on the upper floor. Since originally no half-landing staircase was planned (and in the current design there isn’t enough space either), Kahos’ 250cm (98 inches) long stair run could be shortened, which would give some flexibility with the door to children’s room 1, and the fireplace chimney could possibly be placed behind that door.
Kahos’ kitchen layout also works well with a 250cm (98 inches) long dining table, but rotated, with a bench at the island.
Katja’s angled corner towards the office could still be removed or left in to maintain the originally desired effect of “being part of it.” In your plan, the office could just as well have a door.
Definitely better … closet solution and sleeping area, since you can get from the bed to the closet and then out. Also, all children’s rooms have the option to have a standard window, even without dormers, bay windows, etc.
One important consideration with Katja’s bathroom is the wastewater drainage layout. However, with good planning, it should be possible to route it towards the dining area corner at the bottom left, and if well insulated, noise shouldn’t be an issue.
Why does the kitchen have to be on the left side of the plan? Maybe your wife could try explaining the reasons in words. I find it helpful when I have to do something like this because it often makes me realize that my reasons are somewhat superficial or don’t really fit.
I like to compare options when a better basis is already available.
The kitchen with dining table in your version works mainly because the peninsula is only 60cm (24 inches) deep. The entire area around the two doors leading to the open space near the fireplace is now mainly circulation space.
In Kahos’ solution, one could consider placing the fireplace more centrally, although this would result in the bathroom being located above it on the upper floor. Since originally no half-landing staircase was planned (and in the current design there isn’t enough space either), Kahos’ 250cm (98 inches) long stair run could be shortened, which would give some flexibility with the door to children’s room 1, and the fireplace chimney could possibly be placed behind that door.
Kahos’ kitchen layout also works well with a 250cm (98 inches) long dining table, but rotated, with a bench at the island.
Katja’s angled corner towards the office could still be removed or left in to maintain the originally desired effect of “being part of it.” In your plan, the office could just as well have a door.
Definitely better … closet solution and sleeping area, since you can get from the bed to the closet and then out. Also, all children’s rooms have the option to have a standard window, even without dormers, bay windows, etc.
One important consideration with Katja’s bathroom is the wastewater drainage layout. However, with good planning, it should be possible to route it towards the dining area corner at the bottom left, and if well insulated, noise shouldn’t be an issue.
S
Sparfuchs7724 Jul 2019 07:33kaho674 schrieb:
*relieved*
And now this too? By straight staircase, I meant that you walk straight into the hallway at the top instead of running into the sloped wall. I expressed that poorly.
@kbt09 I have a meeting now, so I can only respond to your post later once I've read everything.
Thank you very much for the detailed answer!
Sorry if I made things worse than before. No idea what was going through my mind. We were just frustrated in the evening. I can see the mentioned problems now too ^^
S
Sparfuchs7724 Jul 2019 08:45kbt09 schrieb:
With a knee wall height of 130cm (51 inches), there would be a window for the children’s room in the middle, but it’s not very practical, or it would have to be a roof window in the knee wall area. If we move the extension so that at least one window ends up in the middle children’s room, that would be acceptable.
kbt09 schrieb:
Why does the kitchen have to be on the left side of the plan? Maybe your wife can try to explain that in words. I always find that helpful when I have to do something like this because it often helps me realize that my reasons are somehow weak or don’t really fit. That’s probably the case and I think it’s just a feeling. I’ll bring it up again today.
kbt09 schrieb:
The kitchen in your layout with the dining table only works because the peninsula is just 60cm (24 inches) deep. I personally like the design by @kaho674 very much, but my wife is skeptical. She thinks the dining table should be in the extension.
Maybe like this?
Under the sloping ceiling of the staircase (clad) you could nicely place the fireplace. There would be room in the kitchen to position the table lengthwise. There would be no more sloping ceilings. The smaller office space would be sufficient for us. That way the living area would be a bit larger. Instead of the wall where the TV is located, we could also put a large bookshelf.
I just quickly used Excel for this, using the old floor plan as a background and tracing over it. The proportions should be about right.
Do you think this could be developed further or is it a disaster?
I’ll think about the upper floor after breakfast and reply separately.
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