ᐅ Feedback on Single-Family Home Floor Plan, 222 sqm Requested
Created on: 6 Jun 2021 22:25
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*Sterntaler*
Hello everyone,
After you helped us so much with planning our bathroom, we would now appreciate your feedback on the overall floor plan of our house. We have to mention that with this version (except for the layout of the bathroom on the upper floor and the corner windows in the office and the bedroom above, which will each be replaced by two regular windows), we have almost reached the final version. This means a complete redesign is no longer possible and also not something we want.
Building Regulations / Restrictions
Plot size: 5 ares
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: ?
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: Building envelope has already been exceeded and approved. Building boundaries were fully used except for the boundary to the neighbor in the southwest (max 3 meters (10 feet)).
Edge development: Garage on the boundary
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: hipped roof
Style: urban villa
Orientation: living rooms facing south, front door in the northeast
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements: /
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors: classic-modern, preferably simple/symmetrical roof shape, urban villa, 2 full stories, no basement
Number of occupants, age: 3 persons (adults in mid-30s, 1-year-old child)
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor: see plan
Office: home office
Guests per year (estimated): about 10
Open or closed architecture: partly open, partly closed
Conservative or modern construction: rather modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes, U-shaped kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be: /
House Design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
The floor plan is very practical (for example, the pantry is close to the kitchen and garage, utility room on the upper floor where most laundry accumulates), our corner windows in the "garage gap," which provide a great view over the fields, our light-filled dining area overlooking the garden, the parents’ area because we find the bathroom-dressing-bedroom layout very nice and practical, location of the coat closet: hidden but easily accessible from both the front door and the garage
What do you dislike? Why?
The roof shape, which unfortunately cannot be designed differently. Due to the “garage gap” (our basement replacement that was added later, making optimal use of the building envelope and taking up little garden space), the roof is not symmetrical but somewhat "bumpy."
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: still in progress
Personal cost limit for the house, including fixtures: should be within budget
Preferred heating technology: air/water heat pump + fireplace in the living room
If you had to do without certain details or expansions
- Can you do without: possibly the fireplace
- Cannot do without: garage gap, office, garage, 3 children’s rooms, photovoltaic panels on the roof
Why is the design the way it is now? Many of our own considerations, discussions with others, gathering inspiration from the internet and prefab house centers, personal living experience, restrictions due to the shape of the plot and soil conditions
Is this a standard design from the planner? No
Which requests were implemented by the architect? Basically all (except for the complicated roof shape)
What do you consider particularly good or bad? See above.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you like about our floor plan? Do you see any potential problems or disadvantages we have not considered? Do you have ideas for a different roof design with minimal changes to the floor plan?
After you helped us so much with planning our bathroom, we would now appreciate your feedback on the overall floor plan of our house. We have to mention that with this version (except for the layout of the bathroom on the upper floor and the corner windows in the office and the bedroom above, which will each be replaced by two regular windows), we have almost reached the final version. This means a complete redesign is no longer possible and also not something we want.
Building Regulations / Restrictions
Plot size: 5 ares
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: ?
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: Building envelope has already been exceeded and approved. Building boundaries were fully used except for the boundary to the neighbor in the southwest (max 3 meters (10 feet)).
Edge development: Garage on the boundary
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: hipped roof
Style: urban villa
Orientation: living rooms facing south, front door in the northeast
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements: /
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors: classic-modern, preferably simple/symmetrical roof shape, urban villa, 2 full stories, no basement
Number of occupants, age: 3 persons (adults in mid-30s, 1-year-old child)
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor: see plan
Office: home office
Guests per year (estimated): about 10
Open or closed architecture: partly open, partly closed
Conservative or modern construction: rather modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes, U-shaped kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be: /
House Design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
The floor plan is very practical (for example, the pantry is close to the kitchen and garage, utility room on the upper floor where most laundry accumulates), our corner windows in the "garage gap," which provide a great view over the fields, our light-filled dining area overlooking the garden, the parents’ area because we find the bathroom-dressing-bedroom layout very nice and practical, location of the coat closet: hidden but easily accessible from both the front door and the garage
What do you dislike? Why?
The roof shape, which unfortunately cannot be designed differently. Due to the “garage gap” (our basement replacement that was added later, making optimal use of the building envelope and taking up little garden space), the roof is not symmetrical but somewhat "bumpy."
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: still in progress
Personal cost limit for the house, including fixtures: should be within budget
Preferred heating technology: air/water heat pump + fireplace in the living room
If you had to do without certain details or expansions
- Can you do without: possibly the fireplace
- Cannot do without: garage gap, office, garage, 3 children’s rooms, photovoltaic panels on the roof
Why is the design the way it is now? Many of our own considerations, discussions with others, gathering inspiration from the internet and prefab house centers, personal living experience, restrictions due to the shape of the plot and soil conditions
Is this a standard design from the planner? No
Which requests were implemented by the architect? Basically all (except for the complicated roof shape)
What do you consider particularly good or bad? See above.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you like about our floor plan? Do you see any potential problems or disadvantages we have not considered? Do you have ideas for a different roof design with minimal changes to the floor plan?
Set aside the floor plan and any other documents.
Get a sheet of paper.
Go through the house room by room. What do you want, why, which furniture must or should be included – write down the dimensions next to each item.
What is a must-have, what would be nice to have, and what is an absolute no-go.
Take measurements. What works well now should be kept; what doesn’t fit now probably won’t improve in a new design.
The dining area at a friend’s place might be great—take those measurements; if the guest bathroom is too small, ask politely about it and remember to make it bigger.
Once you have this list, compare it with your plan. Check if everything marked as must-have and everything noted as a no-go are taken into account.
Then you’ll see whether it’s just a matter of moving walls or if you need a complete redesign.
There are lots of house examples on the internet with similar requirements. Be careful—often they use miniature furniture in the drawings.
Get a sheet of paper.
Go through the house room by room. What do you want, why, which furniture must or should be included – write down the dimensions next to each item.
What is a must-have, what would be nice to have, and what is an absolute no-go.
Take measurements. What works well now should be kept; what doesn’t fit now probably won’t improve in a new design.
The dining area at a friend’s place might be great—take those measurements; if the guest bathroom is too small, ask politely about it and remember to make it bigger.
Once you have this list, compare it with your plan. Check if everything marked as must-have and everything noted as a no-go are taken into account.
Then you’ll see whether it’s just a matter of moving walls or if you need a complete redesign.
There are lots of house examples on the internet with similar requirements. Be careful—often they use miniature furniture in the drawings.
H
hampshire7 Jun 2021 16:17*Sterntaler* schrieb:
It was actually the case that we went to the architect with quite specific ideas... I’m curious, how did you proceed from there?Exactly like that: We brought a lot of unorganized ideas with pictures and a description of how we want to live. This happened through three detailed meetings and one visit to the site. The architect asked a lot of questions, and the timber builder was already involved in two of the meetings. There was no fixed requirement for the house shape. A few weeks later, the architect surprised us with a design, which he explained thoroughly. It was a hit.*Sterntaler* schrieb:
After all the comments, we now feel quite unsure about putting this plan into practice.Feeling uncertain is completely normal. There are many decisions to make. If you can live with the points of criticism, there is no reason to be unsettled. If there are aspects you hadn’t considered and that are important to you, bring them up at the next meeting with the architect. We integrated the laundry room into the entrance area. For many, that might seem impossible. For us, it fits perfectly – the same can apply to the unusual details in your plan – you must have had a reason for them. It is your house, and it doesn’t have to please everyone.*Sterntaler* schrieb:
And even though it would be quite a big step to start over, that might be better than stubbornly pushing through the plan and regretting it later when living in it. Or we could revise the current floor plan again...That depends on the importance of your requested changes and the architect’s proposed solutions. Don’t expect the solution to come immediately in one conversation.Myrna_Loy schrieb:
About 80% of prospective builders here have these criteria – there are dozens of example floor plans. They all basically look the same. 😉Isn’t that terribly boring?haydee schrieb:
Warning: Often dollhouse furniture is shown in the layouts.Yes, that’s super important!M
Myrna_Loy7 Jun 2021 16:31hampshire schrieb:
Isn't that terribly dull?
Absolutely! Architects appreciate every project that isn’t generic and doesn’t end up being a house where you can tell what the rest of the rooms look like just by standing at the front door. That’s why I don’t think this design is all wrong. I wouldn’t dismiss it but rather examine it critically, identify what works really well, and what doesn’t.
For example, I really like the solution for the transition between the kitchen and living room—the kitchen opens onto the dining area and isn’t completely separated from the living room either, but you’re not staring from the couch across the dining table directly at the stove and sink. The design creates a sense of intimacy on the ground floor with semi-open rooms. I think this works well, especially considering the dimensional details.
Basically, many people are bothered by the same thing here. Whether it bothers the original poster or if it is even intentional, they have to decide for themselves.
By the way, we went through 5 different floor plans before it fit. You constantly have to ask yourself if everything that needs to be there is included, and if everything we don’t want is actually left out. During the construction phase, the walk-in closet was removed.
By the way, we went through 5 different floor plans before it fit. You constantly have to ask yourself if everything that needs to be there is included, and if everything we don’t want is actually left out. During the construction phase, the walk-in closet was removed.
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*Sterntaler*7 Jun 2021 16:49Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Absolutely! Architects appreciate every project that is not cookie-cutter and does not end up in a house where you can tell what the rest of the house looks like just by standing at the front door. That’s why I don’t think this design is entirely wrong. I wouldn’t discard it, but rather look at it critically, identifying what you really like and what you don’t.
For example, I really like the solution for the transition between the kitchen and living room – the kitchen is open to the dining area and not completely separated from the living room either, but you don’t have a direct view from the sofa over the dining table to the stove and sink. The design creates a sense of intimacy on the ground floor with partially open rooms. From the details of the dimensions, I think it works well. Thank you for the positive comments! We actually thought it was great too and were proud to have a truly unique floor plan that was entirely based on our own ideas. We invested many hours, built cardboard models, created our own 3D floor plans, and so on. But of course, we overlooked some points, and correcting those now will probably be very difficult. Maybe it’s best to let the architect take over from here without us overthinking everything again beforehand...
The approach is nice and should be maintained.
Without looking and just thinking it through:
The garage remains and will have a roof with a basement replacement room/storage room.
The current storage room will be reduced by half in size and will house the technical room and pantry (two separate rooms). The kitchen will be located in this area, opening to the terrace; the current kitchen will become the dining area with windows facing south and southwest.
The restroom will switch places with the staircase. Additionally, the front door will be moved further up the plan, near the staircase. This way, it will connect to the technical room/pantry with a large hallway and cloakroom space, and provide access to the kitchen and dining area. (The dining area will be semi-open to the staircase?)
The bay window is not necessary but could serve as a design feature, extending half a meter to one meter (about 1.5 to 3 feet) deep and as wide as the bedroom requires. However, it should not divide the already small plot.
The office and living room will remain. Note that the restroom is now also near the guest area/office.
Upstairs, the children’s bathroom and staircase will switch places. However, it should be considered whether a children’s bathroom is necessary. The children’s rooms could stay, perhaps slightly smaller... (one room could be straightened a bit...)
I would place the children’s rooms on the south and west sides, facing the garden.
Where the children’s rooms are now would become the parents’ area. When entering the bedroom, the bed should be visible; no south-facing window.
Adjust the front facade to achieve a simple, straight-lined roof.
Set the garage slightly apart from the main house.
This will save quite a bit of floor area. The storage room counts as part of the garage 😉
Without looking and just thinking it through:
The garage remains and will have a roof with a basement replacement room/storage room.
The current storage room will be reduced by half in size and will house the technical room and pantry (two separate rooms). The kitchen will be located in this area, opening to the terrace; the current kitchen will become the dining area with windows facing south and southwest.
The restroom will switch places with the staircase. Additionally, the front door will be moved further up the plan, near the staircase. This way, it will connect to the technical room/pantry with a large hallway and cloakroom space, and provide access to the kitchen and dining area. (The dining area will be semi-open to the staircase?)
The bay window is not necessary but could serve as a design feature, extending half a meter to one meter (about 1.5 to 3 feet) deep and as wide as the bedroom requires. However, it should not divide the already small plot.
The office and living room will remain. Note that the restroom is now also near the guest area/office.
Upstairs, the children’s bathroom and staircase will switch places. However, it should be considered whether a children’s bathroom is necessary. The children’s rooms could stay, perhaps slightly smaller... (one room could be straightened a bit...)
I would place the children’s rooms on the south and west sides, facing the garden.
Where the children’s rooms are now would become the parents’ area. When entering the bedroom, the bed should be visible; no south-facing window.
Adjust the front facade to achieve a simple, straight-lined roof.
Set the garage slightly apart from the main house.
This will save quite a bit of floor area. The storage room counts as part of the garage 😉
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