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)
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)
modder schrieb:
And what was the advantage compared to a separate dressing room? I think I don’t quite understand.
Good to know Modder, the advantage is that you can place a bed and make use of the sloping roof. Unfortunately, I don’t have any measurements... Even if you currently have a low-profile bed, that might change. A box spring bed or something similar with a good mattress already has a sleeping surface height of about 50/55cm (20/22 inches). A headboard might be around 120/150cm (47/59 inches) high. So where would you put the bed now? On the other wall! And how would you make use of the sloping roof there? You can’t really stand under it. So it makes more sense to use the space provided by the roof efficiently, namely as a walk-in closet.
Katja implemented this well: there is still space for dressing at the front in the dormer.
Honestly, your dressing room is almost a dead zone. One closet on the left, then a narrow passage, then another closet on the right... plus the sloping roof.
By the way, what about the question regarding the two full stories? Did I miss the answer?
Edit: I found the measurements. Not great and absolutely suboptimal.
A storage space next to the basement doesn’t make sense.
ypg schrieb:
Your walk-in closet is – to be honest – almost a dead space. A wardrobe on the left, then a bottleneck, then a wardrobe on the right... Plus the sloping ceiling.
If I understand correctly, the third gable will be built there. So no sloping ceiling. I think that should work.ypg schrieb:
Your walk-in closet is – honestly – almost a wasted space. A wardrobe on the left, then a bottleneck, then a wardrobe on the right... Plus the sloping roof. Okay, I understand now.
But the issue with "only half the room" under the gable was already clarified and is clearly a planning mistake. Now the entire walk-in closet has a gable with a straight wall height of at least 2m (6.6 ft). Our bed’s headboard, well, Katja would probably take a look and just say
It’s a solid wood bed with a 1m (3.3 ft) high headboard and an 80cm (32 inches) footboard. We’re already lying on 50cm (20 inches).
Therefore: for the bed, extend the kneewall with a dwarf wall frame until the bed fits. The external dimensions are 2.20m x 2.20m (7.2 ft x 7.2 ft).
We don’t need a storage room in the bedroom, and that would only make the space smaller anyway. Although the bathroom is already like a small hall in the last draft.
Has the issue with the 2 full stories been resolved? It’s just the wording in the building plan / planning permission.
kaho674 schrieb:
Of course, one could also try something completely different. Large rooms for everyone. However, without a walk-in closet.

The gable is great! Unfortunately, it doesn’t help us if optimal space usage causes household tensions. In the mornings, my partner is really a very light sleeper.
The main entrance is a slight problem here because we have to walk all the way around the building to get inside.
green = this is how the house should be entered:
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