Hello dear forum community,
after quietly reading along for a long time, we have now registered here and want to share our house plans with you.
First of all, we would like to say a big THANK YOU – the information you get here is truly invaluable.
Now a bit about us: we are both around 50, and our two grown children have moved out. Currently, we live in my parents’ house, but we want to realize our own dream of building a house. We are very fortunate to be able to afford the construction without any problems. The building plot belongs to us, and the local building authority has given us a verbal go-ahead so far (there is no zoning plan as it is currently farmland). We only have to contribute proportionally to the development costs, which is fine for us.
Our children and guests enjoy visiting, so we want to set up a guest apartment in the basement. For old age, our design allows us to convert the ground floor barrier-free at any time with minor modifications, including an elevator if needed. In case of emergency, the guest apartment could also be used for a carer, although hopefully this will never be necessary.
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 2,100m² (0.52 acres)
Slope: Yes, see elevations
Floor area ratio: no zoning plan
Floor space index: no zoning plan
Building envelope, building line and boundary: no zoning plan, we keep at least 6.0m (20 feet) clearance all around
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1 story, basement
Roof style: hinted “shed roof”
Architectural style: ???
Orientation: North/South
Maximum height / limitations: No specifications
Further requirements: No valid zoning plan, planning permission granted for usual residential construction
Owner’s Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: one-story bungalow with basement (prepared for barrier-free access)
Basement, floors: basement yes, single-story with open roof structure
Number of people, age: 2, me 50, her 48, 1 dog
Space requirements ground floor / upper floor: see floor plan
Office: family use or home office? Occasional home office for me
Overnight guests per year: many
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: special
Open kitchen, kitchen island: definitely yes
Number of dining seats: minimum 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: integrated in the house
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included
House Design
Who created the design?
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-Yourself (DIY)
The planning was done by us ourselves.
What do you particularly like? Why?
Optimized for our personal wishes— we have incorporated all our requirements.
What do you dislike? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for house including fittings: We estimate construction costs around €700,000–800,000 (about $750,000–860,000), but financing is secured and this is not the main focus here.
Preferred heating technology: not finalized yet, definitely photovoltaic and solar panels on the roof, air-to-water heat pump or geothermal energy.
If you had to give up something, on which details / additional features could you do without?
Good question, probably the pool if it meant we could get a hot tub instead...
What can you absolutely not do without?
The large open space and the guest apartment.
Why did the design turn out the way it is? For example:
Standard planter’s template? No, we simply planned according to our preferences, open roof structure, large open space because we like to entertain guests, wellness area is a must.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
What is the most important fundamental question regarding the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
after quietly reading along for a long time, we have now registered here and want to share our house plans with you.
First of all, we would like to say a big THANK YOU – the information you get here is truly invaluable.
Now a bit about us: we are both around 50, and our two grown children have moved out. Currently, we live in my parents’ house, but we want to realize our own dream of building a house. We are very fortunate to be able to afford the construction without any problems. The building plot belongs to us, and the local building authority has given us a verbal go-ahead so far (there is no zoning plan as it is currently farmland). We only have to contribute proportionally to the development costs, which is fine for us.
Our children and guests enjoy visiting, so we want to set up a guest apartment in the basement. For old age, our design allows us to convert the ground floor barrier-free at any time with minor modifications, including an elevator if needed. In case of emergency, the guest apartment could also be used for a carer, although hopefully this will never be necessary.
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 2,100m² (0.52 acres)
Slope: Yes, see elevations
Floor area ratio: no zoning plan
Floor space index: no zoning plan
Building envelope, building line and boundary: no zoning plan, we keep at least 6.0m (20 feet) clearance all around
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1 story, basement
Roof style: hinted “shed roof”
Architectural style: ???
Orientation: North/South
Maximum height / limitations: No specifications
Further requirements: No valid zoning plan, planning permission granted for usual residential construction
Owner’s Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: one-story bungalow with basement (prepared for barrier-free access)
Basement, floors: basement yes, single-story with open roof structure
Number of people, age: 2, me 50, her 48, 1 dog
Space requirements ground floor / upper floor: see floor plan
Office: family use or home office? Occasional home office for me
Overnight guests per year: many
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: special
Open kitchen, kitchen island: definitely yes
Number of dining seats: minimum 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: integrated in the house
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included
House Design
Who created the design?
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-Yourself (DIY)
The planning was done by us ourselves.
What do you particularly like? Why?
Optimized for our personal wishes— we have incorporated all our requirements.
What do you dislike? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for house including fittings: We estimate construction costs around €700,000–800,000 (about $750,000–860,000), but financing is secured and this is not the main focus here.
Preferred heating technology: not finalized yet, definitely photovoltaic and solar panels on the roof, air-to-water heat pump or geothermal energy.
If you had to give up something, on which details / additional features could you do without?
Good question, probably the pool if it meant we could get a hot tub instead...
What can you absolutely not do without?
The large open space and the guest apartment.
Why did the design turn out the way it is? For example:
Standard planter’s template? No, we simply planned according to our preferences, open roof structure, large open space because we like to entertain guests, wellness area is a must.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
What is the most important fundamental question regarding the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Happy Sunday everyone,
@xMisterDx
There are indeed models where a full-time caregiver or housekeeper lives in the house, but that is not the reason for the basement apartment; it would only be a worst-case option for old age.
The house size has really ballooned – we hadn’t planned for that – I’m also thinking we should go smaller and end up with a maximum of 120–130m² (1300–1400 sq ft), also due to construction costs.
Height information is shown in the original post, there is no survey plan yet; east-west slope about 60cm / 10m (2.0 inches / 33 feet),
south-north slope about 1.0m / 10m (3.3 feet / 33 feet).
@kbt09
I forgot to mention yesterday that I mainly use the workshop not only for everyday tasks but also for my hobby – wooden model building.
Regarding the parapet height, I meant it differently: currently, it is 1.5m (5 feet) rough construction height, so about 1.35m (4.4 feet) finished floor level. In the course of planning the exterior landscaping, we might try to enlarge the windows to get a parapet height of 1.15m (3.8 feet) finished floor level.
We’ll take the other points, including the comments from @ypg, without further comment – there is probably a lot of truth in them – it’s just an amateur design after all.
We should really wait for drafts from a professional first; maybe we will be positively surprised.
What would you consider a reasonable total area for basement and ground floor including a guest apartment, wellness area, and workshop to put in the requirements list – should we set a rough limit? Is a maximum of 250m² (2700 sq ft) realistic?
You can see our other requirements in our plans – and yes, we will keep those to ourselves; the planner will only get rough key data!
@xMisterDx
There are indeed models where a full-time caregiver or housekeeper lives in the house, but that is not the reason for the basement apartment; it would only be a worst-case option for old age.
The house size has really ballooned – we hadn’t planned for that – I’m also thinking we should go smaller and end up with a maximum of 120–130m² (1300–1400 sq ft), also due to construction costs.
Height information is shown in the original post, there is no survey plan yet; east-west slope about 60cm / 10m (2.0 inches / 33 feet),
south-north slope about 1.0m / 10m (3.3 feet / 33 feet).
@kbt09
I forgot to mention yesterday that I mainly use the workshop not only for everyday tasks but also for my hobby – wooden model building.
Regarding the parapet height, I meant it differently: currently, it is 1.5m (5 feet) rough construction height, so about 1.35m (4.4 feet) finished floor level. In the course of planning the exterior landscaping, we might try to enlarge the windows to get a parapet height of 1.15m (3.8 feet) finished floor level.
We’ll take the other points, including the comments from @ypg, without further comment – there is probably a lot of truth in them – it’s just an amateur design after all.
We should really wait for drafts from a professional first; maybe we will be positively surprised.
What would you consider a reasonable total area for basement and ground floor including a guest apartment, wellness area, and workshop to put in the requirements list – should we set a rough limit? Is a maximum of 250m² (2700 sq ft) realistic?
You can see our other requirements in our plans – and yes, we will keep those to ourselves; the planner will only get rough key data!
X
xMisterDx27 Nov 2022 12:38Such models then also cost, all inclusive, 3,000 EUR per month. The pension has to be quite substantial for that.
wolko22 schrieb:
The house size has really expanded beyond what we initially considered—I think we should aim to reduce it and end up with a maximum of 120–130m² (1,290–1,400 sq ft), also because of construction costs. wolko22 schrieb:
Is a maximum of 250m² (2,690 sq ft) realistic? I don’t understand these numbers now. 130m² (1,400 sq ft) is not the same as 250m² (2,690 sq ft). A granny flat—whether you call it a guest apartment or a secondary suite—costs exactly for the area it takes up. Plus the bathroom and kitchen, which means expensive technical installations. Also, it is practically, at least in your dreams, separate from everyday living, so it’s not simply part of the main house for daily use.
As I understand it, your budget is limited. If you deduct roughly €120,000–150,000 for the landscaping and additional building-related costs, you can calculate how much floor area you can realistically afford. This “burning through” of funds also reflects what you can reasonably afford to handle financially each month.
X
xMisterDx27 Nov 2022 13:00haydee schrieb:
The model care home for two is more expensiveIncluding all ongoing costs for the house?
If both have to move into a care home, the house will be sold. With 800,000 EUR (about $870,000), you can pay for the care home for a long time...
Instead, 200,000 EUR (about $217,000) are now being "invested" in a granny flat that will remain empty for the next 25 years. I think that’s pointless.
H
hanghaus202327 Nov 2022 13:26Are there no photos of the plot?
Is there a nice view?
Is there a nice view?
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