Hello everyone,
My girlfriend and I are planning to start building a house next year. Three weeks ago, we reserved and made a down payment on a plot of land. Once the municipality has developed the area, we will have 5 years to realize our dream home. The area will be located in the Simmern district.
We have spent the last few weekends having many discussions with prefab house manufacturers, and there are still many more appointments planned. Since we are not under time pressure, on my father’s advice I also want to get some quotes for a solid masonry house. But first, here are our ideas...
About the plot:
650 sqm (approximately 7,000 sq ft), roughly 20 x 30 m (65 x 98 ft). We will get the exact dimensions once the area is developed.
The plot is flat with no slope.
The street is located north of the plot; our garden will face south.
Development plan:
Ridge height 10 m (33 ft)
Eaves height 6 m (20 ft)
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
About the house:
Size: 160-180 sqm (1,720-1,940 sq ft)
Children’s rooms: 2 rooms of about 18 sqm (194 sq ft) each
Office: at least 14 sqm (150 sq ft) so it can be converted into a children’s room if needed
Master bedroom: without a separate dressing area, rather a larger floor space
Bathrooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, both with showers, upstairs also with a corner bathtub
Basement: none
Garage: double garage with additional storage space
Roof: preferably a hip roof but we could also imagine a gable roof
A fireplace is shown in the living room on the plans.
Heating:
Gas condensing boiler with heat recovery
About the floor plan:
186 sqm (2,000 sq ft)
The cost for the floor plan would be around €280,000, almost turnkey except for floor coverings and wallpapering.
Without the extra bay window, it would be about €30,000 cheaper. The question is whether it’s worth it? It makes the house bigger and provides a south/west-facing balcony.
Equity:
Currently about €80,000
About us:
We are both just turned 30.
Children: none yet, but two are planned.
Since I have only received this one offer with a floor plan from a manufacturer so far, I don’t have real comparison options yet. I hope this will change soon.
What would you do differently or improve?
Would you recommend building such a house as a prefab or a masonry house?
Can anyone recommend a particular provider?
I have already spent several nights searching the internet for answers to these questions and keep coming back to them.
Thank you for your constructive opinions.
Best regards,
Invi85
My girlfriend and I are planning to start building a house next year. Three weeks ago, we reserved and made a down payment on a plot of land. Once the municipality has developed the area, we will have 5 years to realize our dream home. The area will be located in the Simmern district.
We have spent the last few weekends having many discussions with prefab house manufacturers, and there are still many more appointments planned. Since we are not under time pressure, on my father’s advice I also want to get some quotes for a solid masonry house. But first, here are our ideas...
About the plot:
650 sqm (approximately 7,000 sq ft), roughly 20 x 30 m (65 x 98 ft). We will get the exact dimensions once the area is developed.
The plot is flat with no slope.
The street is located north of the plot; our garden will face south.
Development plan:
Ridge height 10 m (33 ft)
Eaves height 6 m (20 ft)
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
About the house:
Size: 160-180 sqm (1,720-1,940 sq ft)
Children’s rooms: 2 rooms of about 18 sqm (194 sq ft) each
Office: at least 14 sqm (150 sq ft) so it can be converted into a children’s room if needed
Master bedroom: without a separate dressing area, rather a larger floor space
Bathrooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, both with showers, upstairs also with a corner bathtub
Basement: none
Garage: double garage with additional storage space
Roof: preferably a hip roof but we could also imagine a gable roof
A fireplace is shown in the living room on the plans.
Heating:
Gas condensing boiler with heat recovery
About the floor plan:
186 sqm (2,000 sq ft)
The cost for the floor plan would be around €280,000, almost turnkey except for floor coverings and wallpapering.
Without the extra bay window, it would be about €30,000 cheaper. The question is whether it’s worth it? It makes the house bigger and provides a south/west-facing balcony.
Equity:
Currently about €80,000
About us:
We are both just turned 30.
Children: none yet, but two are planned.
Since I have only received this one offer with a floor plan from a manufacturer so far, I don’t have real comparison options yet. I hope this will change soon.
What would you do differently or improve?
Would you recommend building such a house as a prefab or a masonry house?
Can anyone recommend a particular provider?
I have already spent several nights searching the internet for answers to these questions and keep coming back to them.
Thank you for your constructive opinions.
Best regards,
Invi85
Doc.Schnaggls schrieb:
I also doubt that the bathroom layout will work – unfortunately, there are no 2 meter (6 ft 7 in) lines marked on the plan. In my opinion, the head clearance on the way to the WC in the main bathroom in the attic will be very tight.As I see it, there is no 2 meter (6 ft 7 in) line because it is a townhouse; otherwise, there wouldn’t be windows on all sides. So, the bathrooms should be functional.
Ground floor:
I keep noticing this partition wall. I don’t know if it’s considered modern, but it really limits space in the dining area. Extending the table is not possible.
The door from the dining area to the hallway has already been mentioned. The same issue applies to the patio door. In both cases, I would recommend sliding doors, because sitting and opening the door at the same time is not possible.
I would skip the bay window. It’s not worth the money to me as it is now. The balcony won’t be used anyway. Instead, I would consider whether it makes more sense to add a bay window in the dining area. That way, at least child 1 could also use the balcony.
- There is a complete lack of storage space. A storage room under the stairs is not possible because the door to the office is located there. Open staircases have the risk that the space underneath quickly gets cluttered, since there is no space for a coat rack, so shoes are usually stored there. The space under the first 3–5 steps is practically unusable anyway.
- Utility room is too small.
- A 77 cm (30 inch) door to the utility room is too narrow for me. I’m just thinking: “laundry basket.”
- I personally find the staircase too close to the entrance door. When someone wants to come in or out, it quickly gets cramped. I prefer internal staircases because you don’t always track dirt upstairs. I hate having to walk over a dirty doormat in socks in winter.
- The kitchen layout doesn’t make sense to me. You always have to walk around this island, and if the patio door is open on top of that...
Upper floor:
- What do you want to use the gallery upstairs for? I would skip the gallery and instead plan for another storage room.
- I don’t like having the shower right by the bathroom entrance. If the shower door is open and someone wants to get in or out, they’ll bump into it. Also, someone has to always step over the bath mat when the shower is in use. I would place the shower on the opposite side.
- The toilet is hidden, but not the bidet? Either both should be side by side in a niche, or skip the bidet altogether.
- Also, regarding child’s bedroom 2, the child should be very sure-footed from the start. Because one wrong step—half-asleep at night—and the child could fall down the stairs.
- Why so many small windows anyway?
D
Doc.Schnaggls29 May 2015 10:09Manu1976 schrieb:
As I see it, there is no 2-meter (6.6 feet) setback line, since it is an urban villa; otherwise, there wouldn’t be windows on all sides. The bathrooms should therefore be functional.You might be right – I wasn’t entirely sure, as it isn’t explicitly mentioned anywhere.
Regards,
Dirk
I would sacrifice the pantry in order to properly furnish the kitchen (that counter, which seems out of place and unclear in its function, should be changed) and use the space to enlarge the utility room. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s bad as it is.
Get rid of the bay window – it’s expensive and unnecessary. You tend to use a balcony less if you have a garden anyway – especially since a site plan with a view of the Alps would be great here, from my point of view.
Get rid of the bay window – it’s expensive and unnecessary. You tend to use a balcony less if you have a garden anyway – especially since a site plan with a view of the Alps would be great here, from my point of view.
Thank you for the suggestions so far.
Yes, this is the floor plan of an urban villa—I forgot to mention that earlier, sorry.
This is only a rough draft at the moment, but your comments are already very helpful for me to focus on these aspects in the upcoming discussions and planning.
The small wall in the living room is there because my partner wanted the living area somewhat separated from the dining area, but I think it might be better if it were more open.
For the staircase, I will probably do what my parents did and install a lockable half-height gate at the top of the stairs for the initial period.
So far, I haven’t found the upstairs gallery very practical. More storage space or enlarging the bathroom would be better there.
- Staircase not located right by the main entrance.
- More storage space.
- Sliding door instead of a regular door to the living area.
- Somehow create more space for the bathroom on the ground floor.
- Rethink the pantry.
- Strongly reconsider the bay window.
I’m open to further suggestions and look forward to your constructive feedback!
Best regards,
Invi
Yes, this is the floor plan of an urban villa—I forgot to mention that earlier, sorry.
This is only a rough draft at the moment, but your comments are already very helpful for me to focus on these aspects in the upcoming discussions and planning.
The small wall in the living room is there because my partner wanted the living area somewhat separated from the dining area, but I think it might be better if it were more open.
For the staircase, I will probably do what my parents did and install a lockable half-height gate at the top of the stairs for the initial period.
So far, I haven’t found the upstairs gallery very practical. More storage space or enlarging the bathroom would be better there.
- Staircase not located right by the main entrance.
- More storage space.
- Sliding door instead of a regular door to the living area.
- Somehow create more space for the bathroom on the ground floor.
- Rethink the pantry.
- Strongly reconsider the bay window.
I’m open to further suggestions and look forward to your constructive feedback!
Best regards,
Invi
Hello,
a few thoughts on the topic of prefabricated houses versus solid houses.
- We chose a solid house and are currently going step by step through the selection process with the individual companies. With a prefabricated house, you usually make all your selections within 1-3 days at the factory, after which (as far as I know) you have limited options to make changes. We plan gradually according to construction progress and can therefore make our selections calmly and at our own pace. For example, we decide on the electrical connections on site during the shell construction phase, meaning we can determine the exact position of each socket directly at the construction site. It would have been difficult for me to finalize this purely on paper or in a 3D model beforehand.
- During the shell construction phase, we decided to move a non-load-bearing wall. Try doing that with a prefabricated house...
- We compared many options. No (major, German) prefabricated house manufacturer could offer us the price-performance ratio of our local general contractor for a solid house.
Best regards and enjoy the planning!
a few thoughts on the topic of prefabricated houses versus solid houses.
- We chose a solid house and are currently going step by step through the selection process with the individual companies. With a prefabricated house, you usually make all your selections within 1-3 days at the factory, after which (as far as I know) you have limited options to make changes. We plan gradually according to construction progress and can therefore make our selections calmly and at our own pace. For example, we decide on the electrical connections on site during the shell construction phase, meaning we can determine the exact position of each socket directly at the construction site. It would have been difficult for me to finalize this purely on paper or in a 3D model beforehand.
- During the shell construction phase, we decided to move a non-load-bearing wall. Try doing that with a prefabricated house...
- We compared many options. No (major, German) prefabricated house manufacturer could offer us the price-performance ratio of our local general contractor for a solid house.
Best regards and enjoy the planning!
I like these partition walls (dining/living area)! However, you need to have enough space in both areas so that this wall doesn't end up being a nuisance.
Idea: Remove the extension and instead invest the money in enlarging the main house.
Consider whether the office needs to be that large. Otherwise, relocate the toilet and enlarge the utility room (remove the pantry). Make sure to include space for a proper coat closet. In the current layout, the depth only allows for a guest cloakroom.
Take up the idea from @Manu1976 regarding the staircase!
Idea: Remove the extension and instead invest the money in enlarging the main house.
Consider whether the office needs to be that large. Otherwise, relocate the toilet and enlarge the utility room (remove the pantry). Make sure to include space for a proper coat closet. In the current layout, the depth only allows for a guest cloakroom.
Take up the idea from @Manu1976 regarding the staircase!
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