Hello,
we have already had several discussions with construction companies and have now arrived at a floor plan we are quite satisfied with. However, we are finding it difficult to choose the right builder and are not entirely sure if the floor plan is truly optimal. Also, we have not yet decided whether to build a prefabricated house or a solid (conventional) house.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 765 sqm (8,236 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.5
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 9.5 x 20 m (31 x 66 ft). The plot is 15.5 m (51 ft) wide and a setback of half the eave height (at least 3 m (10 ft)) must be maintained.
Boundary construction: possible for the garage
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories (or a high knee wall > 2 m (6.5 ft) to keep the eave height under 6 m (20 ft))
Roof type: no specification known
Architectural style: no specification known
Orientation: see site plan
Maximum heights / limits: eave height max. 6 m (20 ft) or accordingly higher setback distance
Other requirements: none
Builders’ Requirements
Architectural style: modern
Roof shape: gable or hip roof
Building type: urban villa
Basement: no
Number of floors: 2 full stories (or a high knee wall > 2 m (6.5 ft) to keep the eave height under 6 m (20 ft))
Number of occupants, age: two people (28), potentially two children in the future
Space requirement for ground floor and upper floor: approx. 180 sqm (1,938 sq ft) total
Office: two offices (both for home office use); one of them also as a guest room
Overnight guests per year: unclear
Open or closed architecture: neither – a compromise
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen: no, but with a sliding door that is mostly left open
Kitchen island: yes, at least a peninsula
Number of dining seats: 6 to 10
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: 5.1 sound system with TV, so space needed behind the sofa
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage 6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
Who designed it: do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
All the required rooms were included; minimal circulation areas; no wasted space; utility room directly next to the bathroom on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?
We don’t like the bathroom layout because there is little natural light in the room
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: about €450,000 - 500,000 (about $490,000 - 545,000) according to various offers
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: €500,000 (about $545,000)
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump + underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details/expansions
-can you do without:
-cannot do without:
all rooms (especially the two offices) are important and must be retained
Why did the design turn out as it is now?
A mix of many examples from various magazines, own ideas, and drawings from different sales consultants/building advisors
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
- Do you see any fundamental issues with the floor plan? Do you have better ideas?
- Can the desired rooms be arranged more efficiently on less space?
- How do we find the right builder for our project? We have already had many discussions and received offers but are struggling to decide.
- Prefabricated house or solid house?
Thank you very much and best regards
Rapha811
we have already had several discussions with construction companies and have now arrived at a floor plan we are quite satisfied with. However, we are finding it difficult to choose the right builder and are not entirely sure if the floor plan is truly optimal. Also, we have not yet decided whether to build a prefabricated house or a solid (conventional) house.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 765 sqm (8,236 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.5
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 9.5 x 20 m (31 x 66 ft). The plot is 15.5 m (51 ft) wide and a setback of half the eave height (at least 3 m (10 ft)) must be maintained.
Boundary construction: possible for the garage
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories (or a high knee wall > 2 m (6.5 ft) to keep the eave height under 6 m (20 ft))
Roof type: no specification known
Architectural style: no specification known
Orientation: see site plan
Maximum heights / limits: eave height max. 6 m (20 ft) or accordingly higher setback distance
Other requirements: none
Builders’ Requirements
Architectural style: modern
Roof shape: gable or hip roof
Building type: urban villa
Basement: no
Number of floors: 2 full stories (or a high knee wall > 2 m (6.5 ft) to keep the eave height under 6 m (20 ft))
Number of occupants, age: two people (28), potentially two children in the future
Space requirement for ground floor and upper floor: approx. 180 sqm (1,938 sq ft) total
Office: two offices (both for home office use); one of them also as a guest room
Overnight guests per year: unclear
Open or closed architecture: neither – a compromise
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen: no, but with a sliding door that is mostly left open
Kitchen island: yes, at least a peninsula
Number of dining seats: 6 to 10
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: 5.1 sound system with TV, so space needed behind the sofa
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage 6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
Who designed it: do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
All the required rooms were included; minimal circulation areas; no wasted space; utility room directly next to the bathroom on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?
We don’t like the bathroom layout because there is little natural light in the room
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: about €450,000 - 500,000 (about $490,000 - 545,000) according to various offers
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: €500,000 (about $545,000)
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump + underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details/expansions
-can you do without:
-cannot do without:
all rooms (especially the two offices) are important and must be retained
Why did the design turn out as it is now?
A mix of many examples from various magazines, own ideas, and drawings from different sales consultants/building advisors
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
- Do you see any fundamental issues with the floor plan? Do you have better ideas?
- Can the desired rooms be arranged more efficiently on less space?
- How do we find the right builder for our project? We have already had many discussions and received offers but are struggling to decide.
- Prefabricated house or solid house?
Thank you very much and best regards
Rapha811
And how are the speakers going to be installed there?
To me, this kind of room layout feels a bit like the furniture displays in furniture stores, where every 4 meters (13 feet) there is a different setup. It’s like a separation of units.
Have you considered having the living room with TV/home theater as one space and the kitchen/dining area as another separate room?
This also has the advantage that when you have guests visiting separately, you have two distinct living areas.
To me, this kind of room layout feels a bit like the furniture displays in furniture stores, where every 4 meters (13 feet) there is a different setup. It’s like a separation of units.
Have you considered having the living room with TV/home theater as one space and the kitchen/dining area as another separate room?
This also has the advantage that when you have guests visiting separately, you have two distinct living areas.
A thoughtful response from you. That’s rare to see 🙂
Regarding your comments:
I remind you that you’re planning for two! children. Families usually sit together in front of the TV 😉
Let me put it this way: if the speaker setup is that important to you, it should be properly integrated into the design.
I can’t contribute much on that... I used to have those wired setups (3D effect, stereo) and didn’t really like the audio or the look.
If you like that, then keep working on it. I don’t see speakers in the middle of the room as user-friendly. Can’t they be installed on or recessed into the ceiling somehow?
I built specifically to avoid a standard kitchen unit :p
No, I do stand at the sink multiple times, but only for very short periods, while most of my work happens next to the stove. From my island, I can look out into the garden and the greenery. My greenhouse is about 20 meters (65 feet) away, so I can see that <3 Between those is my amazing dining table, which I never get tired of looking at. Of course, you want the terrace connected visually when eating or grilling outside.
Planning windows by the sink originally comes from the need for daylight so you don’t have to turn on lights during the day. Nowadays, hardly anyone washes dishes by hand thanks to dishwashers 😉
Well, it’s about how you see your house while living in it.
It often concerns sightlines from a frequently used spot looking in one direction, leading to a view stretching into the garden. This opens up the space; nobody wants to look at a wall. (Not even from the bathroom!) Ideally, from the front door to the back of the garden, with a beautiful door and decoration in the hallway... or the cooking area with dining space, then a terrace door, a nicely decorated terrace, and in the background a lovely flower bed...
You create a visual picture that you will see daily and that is aesthetically pleasing. That’s how architecture works 🙂
There are plenty... I think you’re missing the visual aspect of seeing rooms flexibly. For you, everything has to have a fixed function with doors that can be closed. But a home office can also be integrated with other functions; the trend for flexible room usage started over 20 years ago.
A kitchen is not just for cooking but part of the living concept; one of two offices could be open in a living corridor accessible to everyone, and so on.
... it’s also worth thinking about if you realize you have too many rooms, some of which might be unnecessary, or if your plan is strained by a long corridor without additional use. Then I would at least consider whether a slightly more open corridor with multiple uses could add more value.
Regarding your comments:
Rapha811 schrieb:
Our standard sitting/lying spot is on the short side of the sofa. It comfortably fits two of us there.
I remind you that you’re planning for two! children. Families usually sit together in front of the TV 😉
Rapha811 schrieb:
Is that meant as criticism, or do you think the design is on a pretty good track?
Let me put it this way: if the speaker setup is that important to you, it should be properly integrated into the design.
I can’t contribute much on that... I used to have those wired setups (3D effect, stereo) and didn’t really like the audio or the look.
Rapha811 schrieb:
Please only consider the living room; I haven’t adjusted the rest yet. We actually like using the sofa as a room divider.
If you like that, then keep working on it. I don’t see speakers in the middle of the room as user-friendly. Can’t they be installed on or recessed into the ceiling somehow?
Rapha811 schrieb:
Well, with a standard kitchen unit, you look at the wall anyway. Most of the time you’re standing at the sink, so it’s important to us to have a view out the window there.
I built specifically to avoid a standard kitchen unit :p
No, I do stand at the sink multiple times, but only for very short periods, while most of my work happens next to the stove. From my island, I can look out into the garden and the greenery. My greenhouse is about 20 meters (65 feet) away, so I can see that <3 Between those is my amazing dining table, which I never get tired of looking at. Of course, you want the terrace connected visually when eating or grilling outside.
Planning windows by the sink originally comes from the need for daylight so you don’t have to turn on lights during the day. Nowadays, hardly anyone washes dishes by hand thanks to dishwashers 😉
Rapha811 schrieb:
Maybe I don’t quite understand what you mean by “generous.”
Well, it’s about how you see your house while living in it.
It often concerns sightlines from a frequently used spot looking in one direction, leading to a view stretching into the garden. This opens up the space; nobody wants to look at a wall. (Not even from the bathroom!) Ideally, from the front door to the back of the garden, with a beautiful door and decoration in the hallway... or the cooking area with dining space, then a terrace door, a nicely decorated terrace, and in the background a lovely flower bed...
You create a visual picture that you will see daily and that is aesthetically pleasing. That’s how architecture works 🙂
Rapha811 schrieb:
Do you have examples of similar floor plans you consider successful?
There are plenty... I think you’re missing the visual aspect of seeing rooms flexibly. For you, everything has to have a fixed function with doors that can be closed. But a home office can also be integrated with other functions; the trend for flexible room usage started over 20 years ago.
A kitchen is not just for cooking but part of the living concept; one of two offices could be open in a living corridor accessible to everyone, and so on.
... it’s also worth thinking about if you realize you have too many rooms, some of which might be unnecessary, or if your plan is strained by a long corridor without additional use. Then I would at least consider whether a slightly more open corridor with multiple uses could add more value.
Rapha811 schrieb:
Our standard seating/lying spot is on the shorter section of the sofa. If you lie there, the desired home theater sound will probably remain wishful thinking. You will be shadowed from two or three sides (if you lie next to each other). For surround sound, you really need to sit upright. Or do your ears sit somewhere different than everyone else’s? 😉
Have you considered using a half-height room divider instead? There are so many great options available nowadays. Possibly combined with a gas fireplace as a visual highlight. Try searching for “freestanding TV room divider.” I personally find it quite uncomfortable to sit with your back to the dining table, staring at a wall instead of looking into the room and/or the garden. Especially if you have children who play or do crafts at the table in the open living-dining area, you want to have the space in view. With kids, the sofa and living room really take on a different meaning! And the TV is likely to lose their attention.
If it were my house, I would probably favor the solution proposed by kbt09, but reposition the windows. A large lift-and-slide door and an additional north-facing window open up the space most beautifully. I don’t understand why the speakers couldn’t be mounted on the wall behind the sofa (at its corners, basically). We have it like that, and the sound is excellent.
If it were my house, I would probably favor the solution proposed by kbt09, but reposition the windows. A large lift-and-slide door and an additional north-facing window open up the space most beautifully. I don’t understand why the speakers couldn’t be mounted on the wall behind the sofa (at its corners, basically). We have it like that, and the sound is excellent.
From an audio perspective, neither option is ideal, but this probably isn’t very important in this case; otherwise, the design would have been different. In any case, placing speakers directly next to the ear on the wall is not recommended.
I don’t see why I would want that. When I’m sitting or lying on the couch, I usually don’t want to be watching the children. For me, that separation is actually welcome.
Würfel* schrieb:
Especially when you have children playing or doing crafts at the dining table in the open living-dining area, you want to keep an eye on the whole room.
I don’t see why I would want that. When I’m sitting or lying on the couch, I usually don’t want to be watching the children. For me, that separation is actually welcome.
I can only recommend moving the couch away from the rear speakers. We implemented it that way, and as a test, I also placed the couch against the wall. The difference is definitely noticeable. Especially the farthest area of the room is prone to buzzing caused by the subwoofer. Our heads are about 1 meter (3 feet) away from the back wall. Due to their positioning, we are about 2 meters (6.5 feet) away from the speakers.
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