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:
There is no formal development plan for the area. There is a local ordinance, which requires construction to follow customary building styles—in other words, similar to neighboring buildings. Some specific requirements are set—for example, a maximum knee wall height of 1.20 m (4 feet), the eaves facing the road must be at the same height as the adjacent houses, and so on. The exterior appearance of the house is also quite strictly defined. If I were a building law expert, I might consider this as effectively a development plan covering the entire community, with the resulting right to challenge unreasonable regulations through the same legal process. Specifying the material for the front door seems rather borderline to me.
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R
Reluctance21 Feb 2019 20:1011ant schrieb:
I find it borderline to prescribe the material of the front door.Hmm, this is my first house. No idea what is common in such regulations. Here are the main points:
- Roofs of main buildings must be symmetrical gable, warm roof (hipped), or half-hipped roofs with a pitch of 35-55 degrees and eaves of equal height.
- Roofs of outbuildings must be symmetrical gable roofs with a pitch of 35-55 degrees and eaves of equal height.
- Main building eaves must have an overhang between 0.20 and 0.40 m (8 and 16 inches); the verge overhang may not exceed 0.20 m (8 inches).
- Knee walls (dwarf walls) are permitted up to a maximum height of 1.20 m (4 feet).
- Roof surfaces with a 35-55 degree pitch may only be covered with natural red to reddish-brown roof tiles or roofing slates. The roofing must not be made of glazed material.
- "Dormers" are only permitted as shed, gable, triangular, or hipped dormers.
- Roof recesses are only allowed on the side away from the road. On the street-facing side, up to 3 roof windows with a maximum size of 1 sqm (11 sq ft) each are allowed.
- Dormers must visually subordinate themselves to the façade and overall area.
- And so on... (not relevant here, as we are not planning dormers)
- Street-facing main buildings must adapt their eaves height to the buildings on the adjacent side properties; changes in eaves height (steps) are only permitted up to a maximum of 1.00 m (3 feet).
- The plinth (base) height of street-facing main buildings must be adapted to the plinth heights of buildings on adjacent side properties and may exceed or be below these by 0.40 m (16 inches), but must not exceed 1.00 m (3 feet) overall.
- Balconies, bay windows, conservatories, and roof terraces are only allowed on street-facing buildings at the eaves side facing away from the street.
- Facade surfaces of street-facing main buildings must be plastered. Only fine to medium-grained plaster with a non-directional surface texture is permitted.
- Cladding or facing made of metal, ceramic, or plastic is not permitted on street-facing facades. Only wooden cladding is permitted on building gables.
- Permitted plaster façade colors are limited to shades of white, yellow, brown, green, and gray with a light reflectance value between 40 and 80.
- Windows and doors must be designed in a vertical format. Windows in knee walls and basements may also be horizontal or square formats.
- Street-facing window openings larger than 1.00 sqm (11 sq ft) must be subdivided. When installing casement windows, mullions and transoms must be designed as separate glass-dividing elements.
- Horizontal ribbons of windows are not permitted on street-facing facades. Window openings must be separated by piers at least 0.24 m (9 inches) wide.
- Glass blocks are not permitted in street-facing facades.
- Front doors must be made of wood only. Glazed areas in front doors may not exceed 0.50 sqm (5 sq ft).
- Entrance porches and canopies must be made of wood. Their coverings must be made of roofing felt, roofing slates, or roof tiles. Awnings may only consist of textile materials.
- Street-facing entrance stairs must be solid freestanding stairs. Steps must be made of concrete blocks or brickwork.
- Open fences around front gardens must be made of wood or metal only. Their height may not exceed 1.20 m (4 feet). Gates, supporting structures, and fence panels must be constructed to the same height and design.
I’m not sure if this is really helpful regarding the floor plan, but this covers most of the local regulations... I’ll skip details about advertising signs and so on here.
Well... it’s just a village road.
They don’t want to alter the village character there.
In that respect, I think it’s fine.
You can fit in there as well as with a nice house. If you don’t want to fit in, you don’t have to buy the plot.
If I were to buy a building gap in our old village center, I would also have to deal with such requirements.
And if you build with an architect, they will find ways to incorporate individual accents.
Better than any suburban villa without restrictions.
They don’t want to alter the village character there.
In that respect, I think it’s fine.
You can fit in there as well as with a nice house. If you don’t want to fit in, you don’t have to buy the plot.
If I were to buy a building gap in our old village center, I would also have to deal with such requirements.
And if you build with an architect, they will find ways to incorporate individual accents.
Better than any suburban villa without restrictions.
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