Hello everyone,
I have been reading here for a while, and now it’s time for us to start planning the floor plan. We had our first appointment with the architect this week and have already shared our ideas with him as preparation. We received a first draft, which we will discuss during our meeting. Additionally, we created some rough sketches ourselves (without considering structural issues, windows, the staircase is drawn way too small, etc. – really just very basic to clarify our ideas, I’m attaching those as well).
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 635 sqm (6,840 sq ft)
House size: 135 sqm (1,450 sq ft)
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof
Maximum heights / limits: Knee wall 1.20 m (4 ft)
(We would have preferred a bungalow or a townhouse, but unfortunately, there are no plots available here. We are happy to have found one at all, even if that means we have to accept 1.5 floors and a knee wall.)
Client requirements
Basement, floors: no basement
Number of occupants, age: 2 persons, 39 years old (children are 90% unlikely to be planned)
Office: Home office about once a week – although I usually work from the living room with my laptop
Guest stays: maybe 2 to 3 times a year, so far managed without a guest room in the apartment
Architecture: open plan
Construction style: modern
Kitchen: an island kitchen probably won’t fit, but it should be an open kitchen, possibly with a breakfast bar
Dining seats: 4 to 6 – for occasional visitors – but that could also work by putting in a dining table as needed and otherwise using a kitchen breakfast bar daily
Fireplace: rather no, due to cost and space reasons
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace
Garage, carport: carport
Desired ground floor layout:
Includes utility room, guest WC, hallway, living area (consisting of living room, kitchen, dining area/other)
Entrance and ancillary rooms:
- small hallway with space for a coat rack
- utility room about 8 sqm (86 sq ft), space for technical equipment, washing machine, dog food & co.
- guest WC max. 3 sqm (32 sq ft); no guest shower needed
Living area:
- quick access from the entrance to the living area, ideally directly to the kitchen
- living/kitchen/dining area as large as possible (ideally approx. 50 sqm (540 sq ft)), minimizing space wasted by other areas/rooms on the ground floor
- kitchen possibly with island/breakfast bar if space allows
- book corner with window seat if space allows (for info: I have about 1,000 books and a piano – these need to be accommodated somewhere)
- space-saving staircase, preferably open/integrated in the living area to save hallway space
Desired upper floor layout:
Includes bathroom, bedroom, dressing room, hobby room, another room (possibly office, guest room)
Bathroom:
- bathroom with walk-in shower + bathtub (freestanding = nice to have)
- possible wall separation for the toilet (if it fits)
Sleeping area and dressing room:
- bedroom with walk-in closet/dressing room, if feasible given house size
- access from bedroom to dressing room and bathroom
Additional rooms:
- hobby room with space for desk, crafting corner, small seating area
- another room as office/sports/guest room or possibly a child’s room after all – alternatively, a larger hallway/gallery with seating area and light well to the floor below
House design
Designed by: planner/architect from a design-build company
What don’t we like? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: $240,000 – that is also the financial plan (excluding kitchen or additional furniture, plot and landscaping – total budget is about $400,000)
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you had to give up something, which features/finishes could you do without? very reluctantly the dressing/walk-in closet
What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
How should we best proceed with the draft? Are there ideas that could help us align better with our wishes for the discussion? Which ideas should we discard?
A few more remarks: Reading other posts here sometimes makes me feel guilty because we are “only” building 135 sqm and everything seems so “small.” Still, I want to get the best possible value for my money. Financially, this size is the most reasonable for now.
(PS: And in case the question arises: Why are children only 90% excluded? There are many reasons – for example, difficulties conceiving, but not completely giving up hope.)
Thank you in advance for your opinions.
I have been reading here for a while, and now it’s time for us to start planning the floor plan. We had our first appointment with the architect this week and have already shared our ideas with him as preparation. We received a first draft, which we will discuss during our meeting. Additionally, we created some rough sketches ourselves (without considering structural issues, windows, the staircase is drawn way too small, etc. – really just very basic to clarify our ideas, I’m attaching those as well).
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 635 sqm (6,840 sq ft)
House size: 135 sqm (1,450 sq ft)
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof
Maximum heights / limits: Knee wall 1.20 m (4 ft)
(We would have preferred a bungalow or a townhouse, but unfortunately, there are no plots available here. We are happy to have found one at all, even if that means we have to accept 1.5 floors and a knee wall.)
Client requirements
Basement, floors: no basement
Number of occupants, age: 2 persons, 39 years old (children are 90% unlikely to be planned)
Office: Home office about once a week – although I usually work from the living room with my laptop
Guest stays: maybe 2 to 3 times a year, so far managed without a guest room in the apartment
Architecture: open plan
Construction style: modern
Kitchen: an island kitchen probably won’t fit, but it should be an open kitchen, possibly with a breakfast bar
Dining seats: 4 to 6 – for occasional visitors – but that could also work by putting in a dining table as needed and otherwise using a kitchen breakfast bar daily
Fireplace: rather no, due to cost and space reasons
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace
Garage, carport: carport
Desired ground floor layout:
Includes utility room, guest WC, hallway, living area (consisting of living room, kitchen, dining area/other)
Entrance and ancillary rooms:
- small hallway with space for a coat rack
- utility room about 8 sqm (86 sq ft), space for technical equipment, washing machine, dog food & co.
- guest WC max. 3 sqm (32 sq ft); no guest shower needed
Living area:
- quick access from the entrance to the living area, ideally directly to the kitchen
- living/kitchen/dining area as large as possible (ideally approx. 50 sqm (540 sq ft)), minimizing space wasted by other areas/rooms on the ground floor
- kitchen possibly with island/breakfast bar if space allows
- book corner with window seat if space allows (for info: I have about 1,000 books and a piano – these need to be accommodated somewhere)
- space-saving staircase, preferably open/integrated in the living area to save hallway space
Desired upper floor layout:
Includes bathroom, bedroom, dressing room, hobby room, another room (possibly office, guest room)
Bathroom:
- bathroom with walk-in shower + bathtub (freestanding = nice to have)
- possible wall separation for the toilet (if it fits)
Sleeping area and dressing room:
- bedroom with walk-in closet/dressing room, if feasible given house size
- access from bedroom to dressing room and bathroom
Additional rooms:
- hobby room with space for desk, crafting corner, small seating area
- another room as office/sports/guest room or possibly a child’s room after all – alternatively, a larger hallway/gallery with seating area and light well to the floor below
House design
Designed by: planner/architect from a design-build company
What don’t we like? Why?
- Narrow galley kitchen. I already have this in my apartment and don’t want it anymore. Is it really not possible to do it differently? Structural or other reasons?
- Staircase located in the dirty area. Shoes, dirt, etc. I don’t want to walk through that every time I go upstairs.
- Dressing room under a sloped ceiling. Not much space left for wardrobes...
- Office only 7 sqm (75 sq ft). Does that make sense? If, against expectations, a child arrives, this would be the hobby room, which would then be much too small.
- Bathrooms. Does the layout make sense? I always thought they should be arranged above/below each other.
- Technical equipment. Could it also be located in the attic?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: $240,000 – that is also the financial plan (excluding kitchen or additional furniture, plot and landscaping – total budget is about $400,000)
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you had to give up something, which features/finishes could you do without? very reluctantly the dressing/walk-in closet
What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
How should we best proceed with the draft? Are there ideas that could help us align better with our wishes for the discussion? Which ideas should we discard?
A few more remarks: Reading other posts here sometimes makes me feel guilty because we are “only” building 135 sqm and everything seems so “small.” Still, I want to get the best possible value for my money. Financially, this size is the most reasonable for now.
(PS: And in case the question arises: Why are children only 90% excluded? There are many reasons – for example, difficulties conceiving, but not completely giving up hope.)
Thank you in advance for your opinions.
Reluctance schrieb:
Maximum Heights/Restrictions: Knee wall 1.20m (4 feet)
(We would have preferred to build a bungalow or a townhouse - unfortunately, that is not possible here)The basic dimensions of the plot are still missing.
And then I wonder why the knee wall of 1.20m (4 feet) is viewed so negatively when there was also a wish for a bungalow.
In that respect, I would fully utilize the maximum footprint of the house, plan a nice open living area with a separate library on the west side, and possibly also a hobby room if there is enough space. Upstairs under the roof (35-45-degree pitch), I would place the bedrooms, bathroom, storage room, and utility room. The dog has space downstairs, the library gets enough evening sun for reading, and if a child arrives, either the hobby room (if sufficiently large), the library, or the utility room upstairs can be used.
So I would avoid building upwards and instead make full use of the width.
Place the carport in the front north corner, which gives an entrance from the street, with the southeast side (terrace/garden side) featuring kitchen and living areas, and the library in the west corner. The staircase approximately in the middle on the street side.
Save costs on dormers and structural elements by placing the load-bearing wall in the center, using it as a grid for rooms. Simple double-glazed windows, but more of them. Possibly on the upper floor, opposite the staircase, open the gable and use the walls there as shelves.
ypg schrieb:
And then I wonder why the knee wall height of 1.20 meters (4 feet) is viewed so negatively, especially since there was also a desire for a bungalow. A knee wall of this size fully replaces a standard knee wall and is, in my opinion, therefore very well suited; regarding avoiding a full floor, I think only after doing the calculations that a 45° roof pitch may not already be just a little too much.
Reluctance schrieb:
I find the floor plan extremely (really, really) good [referring to the floor plan in post #10 by @Zaba12]
Yes, then why don’t you say something about
ypg schrieb:
The base dimensions of the plot are still missing. or about whether the mentioned ground floor layout would be correct in its “original dimensions” to consider a new attic floor plan on top.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
R
Reluctance23 Feb 2019 22:28ypg schrieb:
And then I wonder why the knee wall of 1.20 meters (4 feet) is rated so negatively, when there was also a wish for a bungalow.I’m slowly getting used to it.
ypg schrieb:
In that respect, I would try to fully utilize the maximum footprint of the house, (...)I’m not sure if I understand this correctly. As it currently looks, we have about 68 square meters (730 square feet) available on the ground floor and less on the upper floor if we only consider the living area. It’s calculated according to net living area (basically the floor area – which together adds up to 135 square meters (1450 square feet)). It doesn’t matter if the upper floor (and therefore the total) has less living space. Making the ground floor generally bigger and having a smaller upper “structure” won’t be possible, as it would not comply with the usual local building style.
ypg schrieb:
The carport in the front north corner, which results in an entrance facing the street; the southeast side (terrace/garden side) with kitchen and living room; then a library in the west corner. Staircase roughly centered on the street side. Save costs on dormers and statics, place the load-bearing wall in the middle as a grid for the rooms. Simple double windows, but more of them. Possibly open the gable in the attic opposite the stairs and use the walls there as shelves.I tried to roughly sketch that out – but I’m not sure if I got it right. Ultimately, the entrance on the street side gives me trouble – I can’t arrange it properly without having the sofa almost right next to the TV, etc. I feel it would be easier to divide if the entrance was on the gable end. But that might look odd from outside and possibly not fit structurally... better let the architect figure that out.
11ant schrieb:
or regarding whether the mentioned ground floor layout in its “original dimensions” would be correct, thinking of a new attic layout to go with it.To be honest, I don’t fully understand the overall dimensions of the mentioned ground floor layout (11 x 8.25 meters (36 x 27 feet)) – I’m too much of a layperson (is that just the gross floor area?). But if I take the square meters of each room, at least on the ground floor it comes to about the size we have available. I tried to roughly replicate that in the drawings, with a slightly different furniture arrangement... and distributed according to the house orientation.
R
Reluctance23 Feb 2019 22:49Reluctance schrieb:
I tried to roughly draw it out by the way: I was too tired for the upper floor (first floor/second storey) now
Reluctance schrieb:
The calculation is based on net living area (roughly speaking, the floor area) That wouldn’t really be an original "method"—it’s a prime example of trying to lure buyers with the price per square meter.
Reluctance schrieb:
Making the ground floor generally larger and having a smaller "upper structure" won’t work because it doesn’t match the local typical building style. You mean some kind of "stepped storey," but not with a flat roof? I agree, that probably wouldn’t be allowed here.
Reluctance schrieb:
and possibly doesn’t quite fit structurally... I don’t quite follow that: where should there be a structural problem with an entrance on the gable side?
Reluctance schrieb:
To be honest, I don’t fully understand the overall dimensions of the mentioned ground floor plan (11x8.25) Those are external dimensions.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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