Good morning everyone,
after the great advice on the topic of "terrace house" in the general forum, we have now purchased the small plot and will soon have the first more detailed discussions with general contractors (and possibly architects), from whom we would like to have the house built "turnkey."
Since I would like to be well prepared for the discussions and ask the right questions straight away, I would really appreciate any feedback, suggestions, or criticism on the first amateur floor plan draft.
The design and interior layout are not meant to be exact to the centimeter but rather to show what is basically possible within the building envelope. Since it is a terrace house, no windows are allowed on the east-facing wall. We are initially planning with a basement. Compared to many other examples here, this is probably a fairly classic or rather plain design for most, but I’m afraid not much else is possible.
Many thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 240 sqm (2,583 sq ft)
Slope – none
Floor area ratio 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary – 8.5 x 11 m (28 x 36 ft)
Border development – terrace house, meaning direct boundary development on the left (still vacant) and right (already developed)
Roof type – gable roof 35°-40°
Maximum heights / limits – ridge height max. 9.5 m (31 ft); eaves height max. 6.0 m (20 ft)
Client Requirements
Basement, floors – basement yes, 2 full floors, attic as potential conversion space
Number of people, ages – 3 persons (32, 34, 4)
House design
Planning source: do-it-yourself
Personal budget for the house: €300,000 + €50,000 basement + €50,000 ancillary building costs
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Does the floor plan make sense as is, or could a small separate office be included through a smarter layout? Should certain rooms be bigger or smaller?
after the great advice on the topic of "terrace house" in the general forum, we have now purchased the small plot and will soon have the first more detailed discussions with general contractors (and possibly architects), from whom we would like to have the house built "turnkey."
Since I would like to be well prepared for the discussions and ask the right questions straight away, I would really appreciate any feedback, suggestions, or criticism on the first amateur floor plan draft.
The design and interior layout are not meant to be exact to the centimeter but rather to show what is basically possible within the building envelope. Since it is a terrace house, no windows are allowed on the east-facing wall. We are initially planning with a basement. Compared to many other examples here, this is probably a fairly classic or rather plain design for most, but I’m afraid not much else is possible.
Many thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 240 sqm (2,583 sq ft)
Slope – none
Floor area ratio 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary – 8.5 x 11 m (28 x 36 ft)
Border development – terrace house, meaning direct boundary development on the left (still vacant) and right (already developed)
Roof type – gable roof 35°-40°
Maximum heights / limits – ridge height max. 9.5 m (31 ft); eaves height max. 6.0 m (20 ft)
Client Requirements
Basement, floors – basement yes, 2 full floors, attic as potential conversion space
Number of people, ages – 3 persons (32, 34, 4)
House design
Planning source: do-it-yourself
Personal budget for the house: €300,000 + €50,000 basement + €50,000 ancillary building costs
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Does the floor plan make sense as is, or could a small separate office be included through a smarter layout? Should certain rooms be bigger or smaller?
Thanks for the quick feedback!
This was really just about the staircase and whether there might be any issues with it. The rest of this floor plan is currently being revised, with several changes planned. I will, of course, upload the updated plan once it’s ready. There will also be some adjustments on the upper floor.
The stair landing here is currently 85cm (33 inches). Is that too narrow?
P.S. The counter isn’t meant to be a counter—that was just an old placeholder. We also plan to make the kitchen generally a bit wider, at the expense of what I consider to be the currently quite wide hallway. The storage room layout will also be changed.
This was really just about the staircase and whether there might be any issues with it. The rest of this floor plan is currently being revised, with several changes planned. I will, of course, upload the updated plan once it’s ready. There will also be some adjustments on the upper floor.
The stair landing here is currently 85cm (33 inches). Is that too narrow?
P.S. The counter isn’t meant to be a counter—that was just an old placeholder. We also plan to make the kitchen generally a bit wider, at the expense of what I consider to be the currently quite wide hallway. The storage room layout will also be changed.
Mbk84 schrieb:
One more question regarding the "half-landing staircase". We have now received a design from a general contractor that, from our point of view, seems to work well with a half-landing staircase (although the house is widened to 8.5m (28 feet))?!
Are we missing something fundamental here, or where is the catch? Because it was said that a half-landing staircase is practically impossible.The catch is the very narrow kitchen.
Mbk84 schrieb:
In general, we would also design the kitchen a bit wider, at the expense of what I currently consider a fairly wide hallway.The kitchen still remains narrow, the hallway is now 1.50m (5 feet) wide with the closet...
You are planning a too narrow landing, a too narrow hallway, and a relatively narrow kitchen just to be able to have a half-landing staircase at all.
To be honest, I would not want to see the upper floor like that.
Mbk84 schrieb:
Because it was said that a landing staircase would be practically impossible. I see it differently: in terms of space efficiency, this option is the most cost-effective if you don’t want a spiral design. Apart from that, I do agree that you shouldn’t deceive yourself with impractical tread widths.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Thank you for the critical and honest opinions, a good counterbalance to the "everything is possible" statements from almost all general contractors.
The clear width is currently planned at 90 cm (35 inches), but we will put additional emphasis on this now. According to online research, this still seemed acceptable to us.
kbt09 schrieb:
85 cm ... is quite narrow for a staircase. What is the actual clear width planned? I mean the usable width, plus the handrail.
The clear width is currently planned at 90 cm (35 inches), but we will put additional emphasis on this now. According to online research, this still seemed acceptable to us.
So, we have received a new draft that we are mostly happy with, except for a few minor details (marked in red or commented on). Please feel free to give critical feedback, THANK YOU very much!
We are very curious about your assessments, also critical feedback welcome. Thank you!
P.S. There will now also be a finished/heated room in the basement, possibly for an office or guest room later on
- Kitchen width of 2.8m (9 feet 2 inches) works for us; we have seen similar kitchens at friends’ houses and did not find it too narrow at all
- I have separately added the dimensions of the landing stairs, but we still need to "test walk" them. Our initial impression is that the size is sufficient (though probably not perfect); otherwise, the spiral staircase would be Plan B
- A new shower has been added on the ground floor. We deliberately positioned it offset from the guest toilet because we like it better when the shower is not centered in the guest WC but somewhat "off to the side." Or is that a completely bad idea?
- Sofa and TV have been swapped; according to our taste, the corner for the TV lowboard could be a bit narrower, allowing for a wider window → more natural light
- The garage/carport should align flush with the house on the bottom side of the plan
- The storage room still needs to be adjusted; in my opinion, the 30cm (12 inches) corner is "dead space." Possibly have the door open outwards
- We still need to figure out how to integrate the walk-in shower in the upper floor bathroom, but otherwise, we currently like the upper floor quite a bit
We are very curious about your assessments, also critical feedback welcome. Thank you!
P.S. There will now also be a finished/heated room in the basement, possibly for an office or guest room later on
Similar topics