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abetterway22 Jan 2015 15:27Hello,
after reading a lot here recently and finalizing the purchase of our plot of land – after some complications – ;-)
we have now started thinking about our new “home,” and we will be uploading the first drafts soon. We are looking forward to your opinions.
We (27 + 28) are planning a single-family house for two adults and two children, with additional space for two home offices.
The plot is located in a rural area but with good access to the highway and the city. It is a sloped site with a great view to the south, east, and west. Since a larger house stands to the west, it blocks the sun from early evening (summer, from about 6 pm) onward.
The size is approximately 1800 m² (0.44 acres), with a plot ratio of 0.2–0.4, although this can be lower due to the large size and to fit the landscape. There are no zoning plans or development plans. The municipality only requires that the building fit with the existing houses. So I would say this excludes flat roofs and shed roofs, although those weren’t an option for us anyway.
To the north, a few single-family houses will be built in the near or distant future, but this does not bother us since they will be behind us and won’t block our view.
Regarding our wishes for the house:
Basement:
- Technical room
- Utility room
- Offices
Ground floor:
- Entrance vestibule
- Cloakroom
- Guest toilet
- Half-turned staircase
- Pantry (accessible from the kitchen)
- Kitchen (open to dining area)
- Dining area
- Living area, as spacious as possible
- Terrace accessible from both dining and living areas
- Guest room
Upper floor:
- 2 children’s bedrooms
- Children’s bathroom
- Master bedroom (with access to terrace)
- Bathroom (accessible from master bedroom)
- Walk-in closet (accessible from master bedroom)
- Reading nook (access to terrace)
That’s it for now. The first drafts will follow soon.
Best regards,
abetterway
after reading a lot here recently and finalizing the purchase of our plot of land – after some complications – ;-)
we have now started thinking about our new “home,” and we will be uploading the first drafts soon. We are looking forward to your opinions.
We (27 + 28) are planning a single-family house for two adults and two children, with additional space for two home offices.
The plot is located in a rural area but with good access to the highway and the city. It is a sloped site with a great view to the south, east, and west. Since a larger house stands to the west, it blocks the sun from early evening (summer, from about 6 pm) onward.
The size is approximately 1800 m² (0.44 acres), with a plot ratio of 0.2–0.4, although this can be lower due to the large size and to fit the landscape. There are no zoning plans or development plans. The municipality only requires that the building fit with the existing houses. So I would say this excludes flat roofs and shed roofs, although those weren’t an option for us anyway.
To the north, a few single-family houses will be built in the near or distant future, but this does not bother us since they will be behind us and won’t block our view.
Regarding our wishes for the house:
Basement:
- Technical room
- Utility room
- Offices
Ground floor:
- Entrance vestibule
- Cloakroom
- Guest toilet
- Half-turned staircase
- Pantry (accessible from the kitchen)
- Kitchen (open to dining area)
- Dining area
- Living area, as spacious as possible
- Terrace accessible from both dining and living areas
- Guest room
Upper floor:
- 2 children’s bedrooms
- Children’s bathroom
- Master bedroom (with access to terrace)
- Bathroom (accessible from master bedroom)
- Walk-in closet (accessible from master bedroom)
- Reading nook (access to terrace)
That’s it for now. The first drafts will follow soon.
Best regards,
abetterway
I can’t imagine it.
Ground floor: living completely underground, or why is there a terrace on the upper floor above the ground floor?
The fireplace from the ground floor would then be right in front of the children’s room door on the upper floor, right?
Personally, the bedroom would feel too noisy for me – three doors, one of them an exterior door – I wouldn’t feel comfortable there.
Bathroom door 1 swings against the shower. Bathroom 1 as a kids’ bathroom is very small. Where are the children’s clothes supposed to be stored there? 😉
Ground floor: living completely underground, or why is there a terrace on the upper floor above the ground floor?
The fireplace from the ground floor would then be right in front of the children’s room door on the upper floor, right?
Personally, the bedroom would feel too noisy for me – three doors, one of them an exterior door – I wouldn’t feel comfortable there.
Bathroom door 1 swings against the shower. Bathroom 1 as a kids’ bathroom is very small. Where are the children’s clothes supposed to be stored there? 😉
I actually like the overall concept quite a bit.
However, the pantry feels kind of tacked on. I’m not really happy with that, and if it’s going to be there, it should be flush with the outer wall of the kitchen, without an extra corner.
I also don’t like the bathroom located between the entrance and the stairs. Either swap the bathroom and the entrance or move the stairs to the left, so the entrance leads to the bathroom. That might also make it easier to have a children’s bathroom near the kids’ bedrooms on the upper floor.
The walk-in closet on the upper floor is extremely large. What is all that space for?
Otherwise, having dimensions would be helpful for a sensible assessment.
Where do you do the laundry? In the basement? I would prefer washing either on the ground floor or the upper floor. There should be enough space for a small utility room.
Is the basement purely for storage and utility purposes?
How big is the house, actually?
I would remove the door from the bedroom directly into the bathroom. Access through the dressing room is more than enough, and it allows better use and furnishing of the bathroom.
However, the pantry feels kind of tacked on. I’m not really happy with that, and if it’s going to be there, it should be flush with the outer wall of the kitchen, without an extra corner.
I also don’t like the bathroom located between the entrance and the stairs. Either swap the bathroom and the entrance or move the stairs to the left, so the entrance leads to the bathroom. That might also make it easier to have a children’s bathroom near the kids’ bedrooms on the upper floor.
The walk-in closet on the upper floor is extremely large. What is all that space for?
Otherwise, having dimensions would be helpful for a sensible assessment.
Where do you do the laundry? In the basement? I would prefer washing either on the ground floor or the upper floor. There should be enough space for a small utility room.
Is the basement purely for storage and utility purposes?
How big is the house, actually?
I would remove the door from the bedroom directly into the bathroom. Access through the dressing room is more than enough, and it allows better use and furnishing of the bathroom.
Since this is only a room layout plan, it is workable. However, I would not go into too much detail in a sketch but rather just position the required rooms.
After that, walls obviously need to follow the lines. Details are otherwise omitted when creating a roughly to-scale sketch.
I notice the utility room or freezer room is missing.
And a tip: fundamentally reconsider any steps inside the building. Combined with a (sliding) door, they form a dangerous threshold (which is probably not even permitted).
A balcony accessible from both the bedroom and public areas is allowed, but equally risky—though only in terms of privacy.
Regards, Yvonne
After that, walls obviously need to follow the lines. Details are otherwise omitted when creating a roughly to-scale sketch.
I notice the utility room or freezer room is missing.
And a tip: fundamentally reconsider any steps inside the building. Combined with a (sliding) door, they form a dangerous threshold (which is probably not even permitted).
A balcony accessible from both the bedroom and public areas is allowed, but equally risky—though only in terms of privacy.
Regards, Yvonne
A
abetterway28 Jan 2015 09:06Hello,
first of all, thanks for the feedback.
No, the living area is not underground. The terrace is the flat roof above the living area.
Hmm... yes, flush was also our consideration, let’s see. Between the pantry and storage room there will be a covered area, creating a sheltered entrance.
I’ll sketch that again and think it through. The idea was that when I need to use the toilet, I don’t have to go through the cloakroom. But I will try swapping the toilet and stairs; however, then the kids’ bathroom upstairs doesn’t quite work out either.
The basement is not yet drafted, but it will include a technical room, a utility room, storage, and the office spaces. Since the basement is partly exposed on the east side due to the slope, it will receive full natural daylight there.
The house is planned to have about 200–250 m2 (2,150–2,690 ft2) of living space.
You’re right, I’ll look into that. The idea was to lower the living area to achieve a higher ceiling height, since a large open gallery as originally planned isn’t feasible.
I wanted a way to get from the entrance area to the living room while being able to separate the two.
Next, I will have a plan made with walls included, so it’s easier to estimate the room sizes.
Best regards
abetterway
first of all, thanks for the feedback.
Wastl schrieb:
Ground floor: Living completely underground, or why is there a terrace on the upper floor above the ground floor?
No, the living area is not underground. The terrace is the flat roof above the living area.
milkie schrieb:
Only the pantry seems a bit awkwardly placed. I don’t really like that, and if so, it should be flush with the outer wall of the kitchen, without an extra corner.
Hmm... yes, flush was also our consideration, let’s see. Between the pantry and storage room there will be a covered area, creating a sheltered entrance.
milkie schrieb:
I also don’t like the toilet between the entrance and the stairs. Either swap the toilet and entrance or move the stairs to the left, then the entrance can be where the toilet is. That might also work better with the kids’ bathroom near the children’s rooms on the upper floor.
I’ll sketch that again and think it through. The idea was that when I need to use the toilet, I don’t have to go through the cloakroom. But I will try swapping the toilet and stairs; however, then the kids’ bathroom upstairs doesn’t quite work out either.
The basement is not yet drafted, but it will include a technical room, a utility room, storage, and the office spaces. Since the basement is partly exposed on the east side due to the slope, it will receive full natural daylight there.
The house is planned to have about 200–250 m2 (2,150–2,690 ft2) of living space.
ypg schrieb:
And a tip: reconsider level changes inside the house in general. Combined with a (sliding) door, it’s just a dangerous threshold (and probably not even allowed).
You’re right, I’ll look into that. The idea was to lower the living area to achieve a higher ceiling height, since a large open gallery as originally planned isn’t feasible.
I wanted a way to get from the entrance area to the living room while being able to separate the two.
Next, I will have a plan made with walls included, so it’s easier to estimate the room sizes.
Best regards
abetterway
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