Hello,
we have given it some further thought, and attached is the preliminary draft. It was inspired, among other things, by the Viebrockhaus 425. We have a specified height requirement from the OKEGFF and therefore need to build significantly above the natural terrain. A basement makes sense, also visually, so there isn’t a huge embankment. Mainly, we are considering whether the office is large enough (enough space to move around comfortably and not feel cramped) and whether the living area is spacious enough (to accommodate more than 2–3 people or, for example, currently so that friends can gather to watch football matches).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 600 sqm (about 6458 sq ft)
Slope: North-South about 2–3% (south side higher); East-West about 7% (west side higher); North-South will be leveled by earthworks; East-West needs to be balanced because building height is fixed
Site occupancy factor: 0.35
Number of parking spaces: 2 spaces (for now, some gravel will be added, possibly a garage later)
Number of floors: 2 full floors
Roof type: gable roof or hipped roof with ridge (in our case: hipped roof)
Orientation: garden facing south/southwest
Maximum heights / limits: 6.30 m (20.7 ft) eave height from OKEGFF
Owner Requirements
Number of people, age: 2 adults + 2 children
Room needs on ground floor and upper floor: office on the ground floor
Office: space for PC and documents; used often but not always for productive work
Overnight guests per year: a few, possibly
Fireplace: undecided; visually, it would fit well in the upper right corner of the plan
Other wishes: office connected to living room
House Design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-Yourself
What do you especially like?: The kitchen is great, dining area with a large window and garden view is excellent; two large, equally sized children’s rooms; sufficient wardrobe space, pantry, lots of storage space in the basement for our stuff, bathroom is spacious, bedroom big with about 4 meters (13 ft) space for built-in wardrobes; second shower
What don’t you like?: Half-turned staircase instead of a straight or landing staircase; office possibly a bit small; living room possibly a bit small, and from the seats further right on the sofa, the kitchen is visible
If you have to give up details or features:
- can give up: pantry; size of children’s rooms; open space above the entrance
- cannot give up: everything else
Floor plan:
View without basement:
we have given it some further thought, and attached is the preliminary draft. It was inspired, among other things, by the Viebrockhaus 425. We have a specified height requirement from the OKEGFF and therefore need to build significantly above the natural terrain. A basement makes sense, also visually, so there isn’t a huge embankment. Mainly, we are considering whether the office is large enough (enough space to move around comfortably and not feel cramped) and whether the living area is spacious enough (to accommodate more than 2–3 people or, for example, currently so that friends can gather to watch football matches).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 600 sqm (about 6458 sq ft)
Slope: North-South about 2–3% (south side higher); East-West about 7% (west side higher); North-South will be leveled by earthworks; East-West needs to be balanced because building height is fixed
Site occupancy factor: 0.35
Number of parking spaces: 2 spaces (for now, some gravel will be added, possibly a garage later)
Number of floors: 2 full floors
Roof type: gable roof or hipped roof with ridge (in our case: hipped roof)
Orientation: garden facing south/southwest
Maximum heights / limits: 6.30 m (20.7 ft) eave height from OKEGFF
Owner Requirements
Number of people, age: 2 adults + 2 children
Room needs on ground floor and upper floor: office on the ground floor
Office: space for PC and documents; used often but not always for productive work
Overnight guests per year: a few, possibly
Fireplace: undecided; visually, it would fit well in the upper right corner of the plan
Other wishes: office connected to living room
House Design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-Yourself
What do you especially like?: The kitchen is great, dining area with a large window and garden view is excellent; two large, equally sized children’s rooms; sufficient wardrobe space, pantry, lots of storage space in the basement for our stuff, bathroom is spacious, bedroom big with about 4 meters (13 ft) space for built-in wardrobes; second shower
What don’t you like?: Half-turned staircase instead of a straight or landing staircase; office possibly a bit small; living room possibly a bit small, and from the seats further right on the sofa, the kitchen is visible
If you have to give up details or features:
- can give up: pantry; size of children’s rooms; open space above the entrance
- cannot give up: everything else
Floor plan:
View without basement:
Hello,
I wouldn’t like the living corner. The TV wall is short, and when sitting on the couch at the side, you can only see the TV at an angle. If someone frequently goes to the study, they always have to walk in front of the TV, which might disturb others watching. On the other hand, the space above the sofa is quite underutilized.
Best regards
Sabine
I wouldn’t like the living corner. The TV wall is short, and when sitting on the couch at the side, you can only see the TV at an angle. If someone frequently goes to the study, they always have to walk in front of the TV, which might disturb others watching. On the other hand, the space above the sofa is quite underutilized.
Best regards
Sabine
Still not building yet?!
Before construction, I would definitely think carefully about how you want to design the staircase – that was a major headache for us (but it turned out nice in the end).
Otherwise, the windows are still a bit uneven – but I like it (except maybe that little corner in the living room).
Before construction, I would definitely think carefully about how you want to design the staircase – that was a major headache for us (but it turned out nice in the end).
Otherwise, the windows are still a bit uneven – but I like it (except maybe that little corner in the living room).
So, the TV wall is not that short at just over 2 meters (about 6.5 feet). For comparison, the TV shown there is about 70 to 75 inches. There would be enough space for a TV around 90 inches.
To be honest, we watch very little TV. From the time we get up in the morning until our little one goes to sleep (8 p.m. or sometimes later), it’s off anyway. Even in the evening, not every day, usually just one episode (Game of Thrones) like today, and that’s it. The European Championship is an exception, but even then only the Germany games and some late-night matches are shown. Occasionally a good movie or a good series, but it’s not a priority.
The sofa is 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) long—just for comparison. It’s a bit bigger than a standard sofa, roughly the size of our current one, and realistically provides seating for 8 people. Our layout is a bit different. Basically, there is enough space for 3–4 people to watch straight on, and 4–5 people can watch from the side.
The space above also bothers me a little. On the one hand, we could put a fireplace or piano there, on the other hand, it could serve as a general play area for the kids and seasonally for the Christmas tree.
Regarding our timeline: since October/November last year, we have not only been married but also landowners. At least officially, as per the notarized contract. The zoning plan has also been finalized by now. It is a building notification process (building permit/planning permission) by the way. But everything just drags on endlessly. Right now, the infrastructure work is underway. I think according to the initial schedule (from the infrastructure company/landowner), we would almost be living there now, but okay. It looks like the infrastructure will continue until October/November and then we are allowed to start building. Yes, unfortunate—winter.
But this is how it works everywhere here, dragging on for years. We had also been interested in a developer-bound project here. It was announced for Easter 2015, and still nothing has happened. The municipal company is selling lots that were actually announced a few years ago.
BeHaElJa: I really like your staircase design, and it’s similar to what we want to build. A closed staircase with a door leading downstairs. We also saw that in a model home once. My wife wants a closed staircase for safety reasons anyway, and from an aesthetic point of view, it is definitely the more modern option compared to an open wooden staircase.
To be honest, we watch very little TV. From the time we get up in the morning until our little one goes to sleep (8 p.m. or sometimes later), it’s off anyway. Even in the evening, not every day, usually just one episode (Game of Thrones) like today, and that’s it. The European Championship is an exception, but even then only the Germany games and some late-night matches are shown. Occasionally a good movie or a good series, but it’s not a priority.
The sofa is 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) long—just for comparison. It’s a bit bigger than a standard sofa, roughly the size of our current one, and realistically provides seating for 8 people. Our layout is a bit different. Basically, there is enough space for 3–4 people to watch straight on, and 4–5 people can watch from the side.
The space above also bothers me a little. On the one hand, we could put a fireplace or piano there, on the other hand, it could serve as a general play area for the kids and seasonally for the Christmas tree.
Regarding our timeline: since October/November last year, we have not only been married but also landowners. At least officially, as per the notarized contract. The zoning plan has also been finalized by now. It is a building notification process (building permit/planning permission) by the way. But everything just drags on endlessly. Right now, the infrastructure work is underway. I think according to the initial schedule (from the infrastructure company/landowner), we would almost be living there now, but okay. It looks like the infrastructure will continue until October/November and then we are allowed to start building. Yes, unfortunate—winter.
But this is how it works everywhere here, dragging on for years. We had also been interested in a developer-bound project here. It was announced for Easter 2015, and still nothing has happened. The municipal company is selling lots that were actually announced a few years ago.
BeHaElJa: I really like your staircase design, and it’s similar to what we want to build. A closed staircase with a door leading downstairs. We also saw that in a model home once. My wife wants a closed staircase for safety reasons anyway, and from an aesthetic point of view, it is definitely the more modern option compared to an open wooden staircase.
Definitely an improvement compared to the initial drafts.
However, everything is still quite large.
What I find missing regarding the size is, for example, a proper storage room on the upper floor for vacuum cleaners, mops, etc. Additionally, a central storage area there for bed linens, towels, toilet paper stock, and so on. And considering the size, you should also think about creating at least a possible space on the upper floor for a washer and dryer. Because constantly carrying everything from the top floor to the bottom (especially with very small children) might be somewhat impractical.
The children’s bedroom windows should also be reconsidered.
Bathroom on the upper floor: rethink the window to allow for a slightly larger shower.
Guest bathroom on the ground floor: I would probably just install a toilet there and instead put a small guest bathroom with a shower in the basement to suit guests/fitness area.
For the living room, possibly integrate the workspace in the upper right area of the plan into the “semi-public” zone, dissolve the current living room arrangement, and place the couch area fully in the lower right corner of the plan. This would allow for potentially more or larger windows facing west.
The kitchen is spacious, although a row spacing of 130 cm (51 inches) is probably too wide. From a workflow perspective, about 110 cm (43 inches) would be sufficient.
Please also share the site plan, ideally including neighboring properties and street layout. Are parking spaces/garages planned to be located on the west side?
However, everything is still quite large.
What I find missing regarding the size is, for example, a proper storage room on the upper floor for vacuum cleaners, mops, etc. Additionally, a central storage area there for bed linens, towels, toilet paper stock, and so on. And considering the size, you should also think about creating at least a possible space on the upper floor for a washer and dryer. Because constantly carrying everything from the top floor to the bottom (especially with very small children) might be somewhat impractical.
The children’s bedroom windows should also be reconsidered.
Bathroom on the upper floor: rethink the window to allow for a slightly larger shower.
Guest bathroom on the ground floor: I would probably just install a toilet there and instead put a small guest bathroom with a shower in the basement to suit guests/fitness area.
For the living room, possibly integrate the workspace in the upper right area of the plan into the “semi-public” zone, dissolve the current living room arrangement, and place the couch area fully in the lower right corner of the plan. This would allow for potentially more or larger windows facing west.
The kitchen is spacious, although a row spacing of 130 cm (51 inches) is probably too wide. From a workflow perspective, about 110 cm (43 inches) would be sufficient.
Please also share the site plan, ideally including neighboring properties and street layout. Are parking spaces/garages planned to be located on the west side?
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