ᐅ Final stage floor plan: Is there still potential for improvement?

Created on: 16 Apr 2018 22:14
M
modder
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 606m² (6519 sq ft)
Slope: slight north-facing slope (3m (10 ft) over 34m (112 ft) length)
House: south-north = 1m (3 ft) height difference
Site occupancy index: 0.35 (212m² (2282 sq ft))
Floor area ratio: 0.40 (242m² (2605 sq ft))
Building envelope: marked in blue (approx. 11.8 x 14.5m (39 x 48 ft))
Boundary construction allowed: no
Parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: two full stories: ground floor + upper floor
Roof type: 38–42° (degrees) gable roof
Architectural style: traditional
Ridge orientation: south-north
Maximum heights / limits: northern eave-side wall height above natural ground level: 3.80m (12 ft 6 in)
Additional requirements: knee wall height from top of raw floor slab to bottom of wall plate 0.50m (70cm / 1 ft 8 in approx. inside)

Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: all according to development plan
Basement, floors: basement + ground floor + upper floor
Number of occupants, ages: 28 (female), 30 (male), plus at least 1 planned child
Space needs in basement: hobby room, utility room, pantry/storage, sauna planned later
Space needs on ground floor: living room, dining + kitchen, WC, hallway
Space needs on upper floor: master bedroom, dressing room, child 1 + child 2, hallway, bathroom
Office: home office!
Overnight guests per year: 3 guests at Easter and Christmas
Closed architecture
Conservative construction style
Open kitchen connected to dining room
Number of dining seats: 5
Living room fireplace: wall-mounted ethanol fireplace
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: single or double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other: hallway large enough to bring in and temporarily park a stroller, e.g., when it’s raining outside; staircase with 1m (3 ft 3 in) wide steps and easy to walk on (hence double landings); living room at least 4.5m (15 ft) wide; no direct connection between parents’ and children’s bedrooms; stairway not located in entryway dirt area; all interior doors with 985mm (39 in) clear opening; dining room: lift-and-slide door with 3m (10 ft) width

House Design
- Designer: do-it-yourself
- What do you particularly like about it? Why?
Double-landing staircase, kitchen and dining area facing south, circulation area on the north-east side; large glass window in dining room facing garden, G-shaped kitchen, enlargement of children’s rooms with dormer windows; hallway hopefully spacious-looking even though it could be a little wider
- What do you dislike? Why?
No room for a urinal in the ground floor bathroom
Basement not yet well planned, unsure how to properly separate a future sauna room
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: €425,000
- Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump / ground loop collector + mechanical ventilation with heat recovery + underfloor heating

If You Have to Give Up Anything, on which details / features
- Could give up: exposed roof structure
- Cannot give up: shower in ground floor WC; staircase with straight steps; stairway outside the dirt zone; wardrobe

Why is the Design Like It Is?
Lots of reading layout reviews here, input from builder friends; about 100 hours of drawing floor plans
- What makes it especially good or bad in your view?
In our opinion, very efficient use of space in a relatively small house, pleasant hallway layout

What Is the Most Important / Basic Question About the Floor Plan Summarized in 130 Characters?

Is this floor plan practical?
Are there any major issues or deal-breakers we might have overlooked?

Attached are our own drawings from SketchUp / site plan from the development plan
Our plot is number [9]

Note: Unfortunately, windows are missing on the upper floor. There are planned windows on the gable ends sized 150 x 138cm (59 x 54 in), dormer windows each approx. 200 x 138cm (79 x 54 in), and in the stairwell, master bedroom, and bathroom an additional double casement window sized 78 x 160cm (31 x 63 in)

Lageplan eines Neubaugebiets mit Grundstücken, Straßen und Bäumen


3D-Modell: Weißes Haus mit rotem Ziegeldach, Gaube, Dachfenstern, Zufahrt und grünem Hang.


3D-Modell eines weißen Hauses mit rotem Ziegeldach, großen Glasfronten, Hof und Garten.


3D-Modell eines Einfamilienhauses mit rotem Ziegeldach, weißen Wänden und Terrasse.


Weiße Einfamilienhaus mit rotem Ziegeldach, Dachfenstern und grünem Garten.
M
modder
23 Apr 2018 08:10
Hi Katja
We were planning to simply extend the main roof if it works out. The 3D model will show that later.
The bay window is less than one-third of the house width and only 1m (3.3 ft) deep. This means we could place it outside the building line. A slight angle would visually soften the entrance area from the outside, since you have to pass half the house when coming from the street. Another idea was to be able to fully open the door while still having access to the coat storage. The angle also creates a bit more space near the first stair step.

I want to say a big thank you to all of you again. Thanks to your suggestions, I believe we were able to make some really good improvements (e.g., more space on the upper floor, bright living room).
kaho67423 Apr 2018 08:21
I just noticed, is the TV placed in front of the window? Or is that just a small music system?
M
modder
23 Apr 2018 08:30
This is currently still the TV, but a projector with a motorized screen has been planned for a long time. I really don’t like having the window behind the TV at all. We have that arrangement in our current apartment, and it’s quite inconvenient. However, we didn’t want to give up the south side. If necessary, in the beginning, the couch would be placed on the side where the window is now.
kaho67423 Apr 2018 08:41
Yes, this wooden privacy screen would be removed in my case (it just feels cramped), and the sofa would switch places with the TV.
M
modder
23 Apr 2018 09:04
This wall is a low stone wall about 1m (3 feet) high, simply to make the seating area/sofa a bit cozier and to slightly separate it from the rest of the room.
kaho67423 Apr 2018 10:52
I had a feeling this would be the case. At first, you might find it cozy, but after two weeks, it just becomes annoying.