Hello everyone,
I am currently planning a two-story single-family house with a basement together with an architect. The basic floor plan is set, but I haven’t yet reached a decision regarding the staircase and entrance area.
Two options are shown in the attachments.
Option 1: Straight Staircase:
I like the look of this option, but what bothers me is that you always have to pass through the “dirty zone” by the front door. I would extend the stair treads further into the hallway so you can enter from the side, but it’s still not ideal.
Option 2: Quarter-Turn Staircase:
The advantage here is that the entrance area is somewhat separated. The drawback is that the front door with its side glass panel becomes about 14cm (6 inches) narrower. Also, the ceiling should probably be recessed by about 1.40m (4 ft 7 in) around the staircase to allow enough headroom.
Instead of a shower in the WC, I would plan a small wardrobe for everyday clothes and shoes.
What do you think is the better solution? Or do you have other ideas?
Best regards
Tobias
I am currently planning a two-story single-family house with a basement together with an architect. The basic floor plan is set, but I haven’t yet reached a decision regarding the staircase and entrance area.
Two options are shown in the attachments.
Option 1: Straight Staircase:
I like the look of this option, but what bothers me is that you always have to pass through the “dirty zone” by the front door. I would extend the stair treads further into the hallway so you can enter from the side, but it’s still not ideal.
Option 2: Quarter-Turn Staircase:
The advantage here is that the entrance area is somewhat separated. The drawback is that the front door with its side glass panel becomes about 14cm (6 inches) narrower. Also, the ceiling should probably be recessed by about 1.40m (4 ft 7 in) around the staircase to allow enough headroom.
Instead of a shower in the WC, I would plan a small wardrobe for everyday clothes and shoes.
What do you think is the better solution? Or do you have other ideas?
Best regards
Tobias
enfield schrieb:
I could upload the entire floor plan later this evening if that would be helpful. If you’re up for it, sure. But don’t complain afterwards.
I'll give it a try. Attached are the color plans, which might be a bit clearer this way. Only the bathroom on the ground floor had a small change, as shown in the first post.
General:
Single-family house on a south-facing slope
Entrance on the north side
Unobstructed views of the landscape to the south and west
Buildings to the north and east
Therefore, the living spaces, bedrooms, etc., are all oriented towards the south or west. I like it that way.
Considering our age, the shower on the ground floor will probably be too small anyway, so I’m fine with leaving it out. However, something like a stairlift should be easy to integrate.
The living room could optionally be separated with a sliding door or a fireplace as a room divider, etc.
A laundry chute and built-in closet/wardrobe are planned at the straight staircase.
As mentioned, the entrance area is not quite ideal for me yet. I would prefer not to have to walk through the mudroom and would like a dedicated space there for storing outdoor shoes.
The bedroom could be a bit smaller, but I want the bed positioned along the north-south axis. I would move the wall to the dressing room slightly downwards to reduce the size of the bedroom.
So, now I’m curious about your opinions. Please provide constructive feedback on what could be improved.
General:
Single-family house on a south-facing slope
Entrance on the north side
Unobstructed views of the landscape to the south and west
Buildings to the north and east
Therefore, the living spaces, bedrooms, etc., are all oriented towards the south or west. I like it that way.
Considering our age, the shower on the ground floor will probably be too small anyway, so I’m fine with leaving it out. However, something like a stairlift should be easy to integrate.
The living room could optionally be separated with a sliding door or a fireplace as a room divider, etc.
A laundry chute and built-in closet/wardrobe are planned at the straight staircase.
As mentioned, the entrance area is not quite ideal for me yet. I would prefer not to have to walk through the mudroom and would like a dedicated space there for storing outdoor shoes.
The bedroom could be a bit smaller, but I want the bed positioned along the north-south axis. I would move the wall to the dressing room slightly downwards to reduce the size of the bedroom.
So, now I’m curious about your opinions. Please provide constructive feedback on what could be improved.
Parents’ walk-in closet: The small window should be placed far enough from the partition wall to the bedroom so that there is about 70 cm (28 inches) left for a wardrobe with sliding doors.
The same applies to the partition wall between the children’s rooms: there should be about 70 cm (28 inches) on each side up to the window.
Parents’ bedroom: as usual, I find it unfavorable if the entrance area to the bedroom is right next to the head of the bed.
Possibly remove the window on the lower plan side or replace it with a smaller one slightly to the left, then position the headboard toward the bottom.
The window on the right side should also be about 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 inches) away from the partition wall to the walk-in closet.
EDIT:
The staircase is relatively short at 369 cm (12 feet). Have you tried walking such a staircase as a test?
Upper floor WC: having the toilet next to the washbasin could make the space quite tight.
The same applies to the partition wall between the children’s rooms: there should be about 70 cm (28 inches) on each side up to the window.
Parents’ bedroom: as usual, I find it unfavorable if the entrance area to the bedroom is right next to the head of the bed.
Possibly remove the window on the lower plan side or replace it with a smaller one slightly to the left, then position the headboard toward the bottom.
The window on the right side should also be about 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 inches) away from the partition wall to the walk-in closet.
EDIT:
The staircase is relatively short at 369 cm (12 feet). Have you tried walking such a staircase as a test?
Upper floor WC: having the toilet next to the washbasin could make the space quite tight.
@kbt09: Thanks for the input!
Since we have a nice view through the windows facing south, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I might also turn it into a bay window. Removing or moving the south-facing windows would mean they no longer align with the lower floors, which usually looks odd.
I’m not really worried about the staircase; it was recommended by our architect, and the steps are almost identical to those in our current house.
@ypg: I haven’t really looked into Feng Shui much so far. But out of curiosity, what shouldn’t be there or could be changed? Different window positions?
I’ve created a new version for the entrance. What do you think? I like it quite a bit. A small coat area for everyday items right next to the door. Front door rotated for this, and a quarter-turn staircase.
Since we have a nice view through the windows facing south, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I might also turn it into a bay window. Removing or moving the south-facing windows would mean they no longer align with the lower floors, which usually looks odd.
I’m not really worried about the staircase; it was recommended by our architect, and the steps are almost identical to those in our current house.
@ypg: I haven’t really looked into Feng Shui much so far. But out of curiosity, what shouldn’t be there or could be changed? Different window positions?
I’ve created a new version for the entrance. What do you think? I like it quite a bit. A small coat area for everyday items right next to the door. Front door rotated for this, and a quarter-turn staircase.
enfield schrieb:
Removing or relocating the windows on the south side would mean they no longer align with the lower floors, which usually looks odd.Symmetry and perfectly aligned facades often appear dull. It can benefit the facade to have some variation.
enfield schrieb:
We have a nice view through the windows on the south side,We do as well. However, the shutters on the south-facing window are mostly closed from May to September because otherwise the bedroom gets too hot.
enfield schrieb:
But out of interest, what exactly shouldn’t be there or could be changed? Different window positions?The door at the head end: you can’t see who’s coming.
Also, the bed is placed between the door and window, so in the energy flow area, which causes restlessness.
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