ᐅ Floor Plan and Orientation of a Gable Roof House: Experiences?
Created on: 22 Aug 2021 15:29
B
BernieBHello, I’m interested in your opinions on our project described below:
1. About us:
2 adults (30 years old). No children planned.
2. Our space requirements:
- Living/dining area
- Separate, closed kitchen
- Bedroom
- Bathroom
- 2 offices (one used as home office)
- Guest WC
- Utility/technical room (HTR)
- Storage space within the house as a basement alternative & usable crawl space
- 1.5- to double garage with a small workshop
- Covered main terrace on the southeast side & secondary terrace on the southwest side
3. Preferred house style:
- Approximately 125-130 m² (1,345-1,400 sq ft)
- 1.5 stories (max. 1 full story allowed by the building regulations / planning permission)
- Traditional rectangular shape with a pitched roof, ridge oriented southeast-northwest for photovoltaic panels on the southwest side
- Timber frame construction or solid (masonry), depending on price; cost estimates are still pending. Do you have experience including the current steep increase in building material prices?
4. Desired additional features:
- Roofed terrace on the southeast side
- Barrier-reduced / accessible design
5. Building regulations / constraints:
- Building gap (vacant lot)
- Plot size: 660 m² (7,100 sq ft)
- Approx. 4% slope, descending from southwest to northeast → about 0.5 m (1.6 ft) height difference on a 10x10 m (33x33 ft) footprint
Building regulations / planning:
- 1 full story, floor area ratio 0.3, floor space index 0.3, open building form
- Building setback: 3 m (10 ft) from the street on the east, 5 m (16 ft) from the street on the south
No other restrictions
6. Planned building services:
- KfW 55 energy standard if the additional investment costs are covered by subsidies
We are still undecided about the actual technical systems. Preferably as cost-effective in initial purchase as possible, but also economically viable over 20 years.
Considerations:
- Air-to-water heat pump with underfloor heating featuring a low flow temperature and photovoltaic readiness (to be implemented later after 5 years with government funding, if the house is then considered existing property)
We would like to use the popular J-Geisha Panasonic Aquarea WH-MDC05J3E5, but it’s uncertain if the general contractor (GC) will accommodate individual requests.
- Undecided whether to include a controlled ventilation system or not
Recommendation from the GC:
- Air heating with controlled ventilation
Ideas on this topic are very welcome.
7. House design:
DIY, but strongly based on a general contractor’s floor plan (at least on the ground floor)
8. Cost estimate:
300,000 euros (approximately) for the house only (excluding landscaping, garage, and kitchen) in the Lower Saxony region
Is this roughly at the lower end given current price developments? We want to build cost-conscious without much extra.
9. Questions:
- Is a kitchen door under the stairs practical? We want to create storage space under the stairs (for example, as a pantry).
- Is the layout of the utility/technical room (HTR) unfavorable for the technical requirements?
- Is the bathroom layout sensible? (We do not want a bathtub, but a large walk-in shower approx. 1 x 1.4 m (3.3 x 4.6 ft))
- Are the positions of the doors practical? Are the doors on the first floor too cramped, or is the space generally sufficient?
- Are windows in the crawl space useful to prevent mold and reduce moisture? Or how would you solve this?
- We would be interested to hear your overall opinion of the floor plan and which orientation on the plot you would prefer (and why). We have two possible orientations in mind: parallel to the street or parallel to the neighbor.
Advantages from our point of view for orientation parallel to the street:
- From the living area, the garden is visible through the large window front in the center
- Easier to comply with setback distances (with the other option, the eaves side would be 3 m (10 ft) from the western neighbor and the street. If the eaves height exceeds 6 meters (about 20 ft) (which is likely), the 3 m setback to the west neighbor would not be sufficient)
Advantages from our point of view for orientation parallel to the neighbor:
- Garage is easier to realize (otherwise oblique angles = more expensive, or an unused triangular area towards the north neighbor)
1. About us:
2 adults (30 years old). No children planned.
2. Our space requirements:
- Living/dining area
- Separate, closed kitchen
- Bedroom
- Bathroom
- 2 offices (one used as home office)
- Guest WC
- Utility/technical room (HTR)
- Storage space within the house as a basement alternative & usable crawl space
- 1.5- to double garage with a small workshop
- Covered main terrace on the southeast side & secondary terrace on the southwest side
3. Preferred house style:
- Approximately 125-130 m² (1,345-1,400 sq ft)
- 1.5 stories (max. 1 full story allowed by the building regulations / planning permission)
- Traditional rectangular shape with a pitched roof, ridge oriented southeast-northwest for photovoltaic panels on the southwest side
- Timber frame construction or solid (masonry), depending on price; cost estimates are still pending. Do you have experience including the current steep increase in building material prices?
4. Desired additional features:
- Roofed terrace on the southeast side
- Barrier-reduced / accessible design
5. Building regulations / constraints:
- Building gap (vacant lot)
- Plot size: 660 m² (7,100 sq ft)
- Approx. 4% slope, descending from southwest to northeast → about 0.5 m (1.6 ft) height difference on a 10x10 m (33x33 ft) footprint
Building regulations / planning:
- 1 full story, floor area ratio 0.3, floor space index 0.3, open building form
- Building setback: 3 m (10 ft) from the street on the east, 5 m (16 ft) from the street on the south
No other restrictions
6. Planned building services:
- KfW 55 energy standard if the additional investment costs are covered by subsidies
We are still undecided about the actual technical systems. Preferably as cost-effective in initial purchase as possible, but also economically viable over 20 years.
Considerations:
- Air-to-water heat pump with underfloor heating featuring a low flow temperature and photovoltaic readiness (to be implemented later after 5 years with government funding, if the house is then considered existing property)
We would like to use the popular J-Geisha Panasonic Aquarea WH-MDC05J3E5, but it’s uncertain if the general contractor (GC) will accommodate individual requests.
- Undecided whether to include a controlled ventilation system or not
Recommendation from the GC:
- Air heating with controlled ventilation
Ideas on this topic are very welcome.
7. House design:
DIY, but strongly based on a general contractor’s floor plan (at least on the ground floor)
8. Cost estimate:
300,000 euros (approximately) for the house only (excluding landscaping, garage, and kitchen) in the Lower Saxony region
Is this roughly at the lower end given current price developments? We want to build cost-conscious without much extra.
9. Questions:
- Is a kitchen door under the stairs practical? We want to create storage space under the stairs (for example, as a pantry).
- Is the layout of the utility/technical room (HTR) unfavorable for the technical requirements?
- Is the bathroom layout sensible? (We do not want a bathtub, but a large walk-in shower approx. 1 x 1.4 m (3.3 x 4.6 ft))
- Are the positions of the doors practical? Are the doors on the first floor too cramped, or is the space generally sufficient?
- Are windows in the crawl space useful to prevent mold and reduce moisture? Or how would you solve this?
- We would be interested to hear your overall opinion of the floor plan and which orientation on the plot you would prefer (and why). We have two possible orientations in mind: parallel to the street or parallel to the neighbor.
Advantages from our point of view for orientation parallel to the street:
- From the living area, the garden is visible through the large window front in the center
- Easier to comply with setback distances (with the other option, the eaves side would be 3 m (10 ft) from the western neighbor and the street. If the eaves height exceeds 6 meters (about 20 ft) (which is likely), the 3 m setback to the west neighbor would not be sufficient)
Advantages from our point of view for orientation parallel to the neighbor:
- Garage is easier to realize (otherwise oblique angles = more expensive, or an unused triangular area towards the north neighbor)
BernieB schrieb:
8. Cost Estimate:
300,000 EUR, house only (excluding landscaping, garage, and kitchen) Price range Lower SaxonyWith or without a full basement?
With a basement (over 50,000 EUR), it might get tight, depending on size and ground conditions
I forgot to mention the knee wall should be at least 1 meter (3 feet).
Without a basement, due to the cost. We want to create storage space inside the house (part of the staircase with storage space, shelves in the utility room, 4m² (43 sq ft) of storage space on the upper floor, walk-in crawl space).
konibar schrieb:
with/without full basement?
with a basement (>50k€) it can get tight,
depending on size and soil
Without a basement, due to the cost. We want to create storage space inside the house (part of the staircase with storage space, shelves in the utility room, 4m² (43 sq ft) of storage space on the upper floor, walk-in crawl space).
BernieB schrieb:
DIY, but strongly based on a general contractor’s floor plan (at least on the ground floor)Not even general contractors draw such poor floor plans. You can clearly see that the couch won’t fit in that 3.5m (11.5 ft) long narrow living area.
Are you afraid of light? Hardly any windows.
The hallway on the upper floor is dark. Bathroom is large but without a bathtub. Bedroom only has a 1 x 3m (3 x 10 ft) wardrobe.
Wow… and this on a well usable 9 x 10m (30 x 33 ft) space…
You could just take a good standard floor plan (2 x office rooms instead of children’s rooms) and you’re almost done.
driver55 schrieb:
You can see that the sofa won’t fit in this 3.5 m (11.5 ft) long living corridor.Hello driver55, thanks for your feedback. We currently have the same dimensions in our rental apartment, but I guess it feels different in such a long room. I hadn’t considered that until now.You’re right about the limited window areas. The hallways will also be dark. We still need to figure something out there.
driver55 schrieb:
Bathroom large without a tub. Sleeping area has only a 1x3 m (3.3x9.8 ft) wardrobe.Do you mean that the bathroom is too large for what’s in it? We’re intentionally leaving out the bathtub since we would never use it. We’re considering making the bathroom smaller and adding the extra space to the bedroom. The wardrobe dimensions in the bedroom match our current one, which we plan to keep.I’ve attached the "original floor plan" we used as a reference. If we wanted an open kitchen, the ground floor would work well for us. (However, the hallway on the ground floor and especially upstairs is too large for my taste.)
This is a typical standard floor plan from Heinz von Heiden or Viebrockhaus... (with minor modifications) that I have seen multiple times in real life 🙂
Just saw #5: that's how I know it, and it works that way. The living room is quite narrow, yes... and somewhat corridor-like. But it works for our neighbors (3-person household). They do complain about the limited headroom in the bedroom bed area.
No, it fits well!
I don’t see that as fully planned, rather just a three-wall arrangement. I wouldn’t go for 1.40 meters (4 ft 7 in), if anything it should be 1.80 meters (5 ft 11 in).
Nobody can really say what they would NEVER use. Personal bathtub use often starts with muscle relaxation baths, even if you don’t need it for hand or wool washing, for washing salads, rinsing dishes, etc.
If you remove the top corner from the office and make it more like the other room, then the upstairs access works too (see floor plan #5).
For the gable windows, I would pay more attention to symmetry, otherwise with a pitched roof it can look a bit off.
There are no measurements for that... the grid is quite tricky to count.
You’ll have a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, which would also serve that area.
You need to keep 5 meters (16 ft 5 in) clear in front of a garage... an “unused” triangle can be well used for trash or garden waste.
As a childless couple, I would build differently. Not so strictly divided with walls to maintain the privacy of multiple family members.
To me, it’s too conservative. There are no child-free options, such as creating a workout room, a wellness bathroom, or some freedom for things you might want to add over the years...
The windows are a bit sparse.
But if the goal is a “no-nonsense” conservative house where you basically only work or watch TV, then it fits.
Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable living there long-term.
Just saw #5: that's how I know it, and it works that way. The living room is quite narrow, yes... and somewhat corridor-like. But it works for our neighbors (3-person household). They do complain about the limited headroom in the bedroom bed area.
BernieB schrieb:
- Is the utility room (HTR) awkwardly designed for technical requirements?
No, it fits well!
BernieB schrieb:
- Is the bathroom layout practical? (We don’t want a bathtub, but a large walk-in shower about 1 x 1.4 meters (3 ft 3 in x 4 ft 7 in))
I don’t see that as fully planned, rather just a three-wall arrangement. I wouldn’t go for 1.40 meters (4 ft 7 in), if anything it should be 1.80 meters (5 ft 11 in).
BernieB schrieb:
We are deliberately leaving out the bathtub, as we would never use it.
Nobody can really say what they would NEVER use. Personal bathtub use often starts with muscle relaxation baths, even if you don’t need it for hand or wool washing, for washing salads, rinsing dishes, etc.
BernieB schrieb:
- Is the door positioning practical? Are doors on the first floor cramped, or is there generally enough space?
If you remove the top corner from the office and make it more like the other room, then the upstairs access works too (see floor plan #5).
For the gable windows, I would pay more attention to symmetry, otherwise with a pitched roof it can look a bit off.
BernieB schrieb:
- Is the kitchen door under the stairs feasible?
There are no measurements for that... the grid is quite tricky to count.
BernieB schrieb:
- Are windows in the crawl space useful to prevent mold or reduce moisture? Or how would you solve that?
You’ll have a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, which would also serve that area.
BernieB schrieb:
- Is the garage more feasible (otherwise angled = more expensive, or unused triangular area towards the north neighbor)
You need to keep 5 meters (16 ft 5 in) clear in front of a garage... an “unused” triangle can be well used for trash or garden waste.
BernieB schrieb:
- We’d be interested in your overall opinion on the floor plan.
As a childless couple, I would build differently. Not so strictly divided with walls to maintain the privacy of multiple family members.
To me, it’s too conservative. There are no child-free options, such as creating a workout room, a wellness bathroom, or some freedom for things you might want to add over the years...
The windows are a bit sparse.
But if the goal is a “no-nonsense” conservative house where you basically only work or watch TV, then it fits.
Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable living there long-term.
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