ᐅ Floor plan of a 172 m² bungalow in Brandenburg, south of Berlin

Created on: 14 Jan 2022 15:18

Hello everyone,

I’m new to the forum and have already found some valuable tips here. My wife and I have purchased a plot of land in Brandenburg, south of Berlin. We plan to contact the first construction companies in February, work on the planning, and aim to start the building phase by the end of the year. Our goal is to move into the bungalow by January 1, 2024, at the latest.

Our ideas for our own home are already quite well developed. At the moment, we have two main questions: Is our project feasible, and if so, which local construction companies would be suitable in the area? Perhaps some of you can offer valuable advice. We thank you in advance for your time and support. Below, I would like to present our design while considering the list of questions. The floor plan is also attached, and I hope it uploads at the same quality as the original image file I have.

Development Plan / Restrictions

Approximately 763 m2 (8,210 sq ft) with a 23.41 m (77 ft) frontage and 32.58 m (107 ft) depth, facing northwest.
Construction according to development plan
No slope on the land
Site coverage ratio = 0.4 (may be exceeded by 50% due to garages, parking spaces with access routes, and ancillary structures as per § 14 of the Land Use Ordinance)
Floor area ratio not specified
Building envelope

Building setback 4 m (13 ft) from street boundary line
Building area: 23.41 m (length) x 20 m (depth)
Protrusions up to 1.5 m (5 ft) allowed beyond building boundaries (pillars, cornices, roof overhangs, balconies, loggias, terraces, entrance steps and their coverings)

Boundary construction

Buildings allowed with side boundary setback and maximum length of 20 m (66 ft)
Setbacks and distances according to § 6 of Brandenburg Building Regulations (BbgBO)

Parking spaces, garages, and ancillary structures as per § 14 of the Land Use Ordinance are not allowed on non-buildable areas of the plot within 5.0 m (16 ft) measured from the street boundary line. For more than one parking space, an uncovered space may be located on the access area at a minimum distance of 3.0 m (10 ft) from the street boundary.
Number of permitted full stories = I-II
Construction method: variant "a"
Maximum roof pitch 30°
Roof covering

Tiles and roof slates, flat and shaped metal sheets and strips, flat slate shingles, and green roofs
Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems permitted
Permanently shiny and glazed roof surfaces are not allowed

Landscaping requirements

Driveways, parking spaces, and other ancillary areas must be constructed with water- and air-permeable surfaces
Rainwater must infiltrate on-site
At least one nesting aid must be installed on each residential building
At least one tree with a minimum trunk circumference of 10 m (33 ft) must be planted every 18 m (59 ft) of plot frontage within 5 m (16 ft) of the street boundary
An additional tree with a trunk circumference of 10 to 12 m (33 to 39 ft) must be planted on each plot

Homeowner Requirements

A single-story, nearly square bungalow without a basement, with a hipped roof
Construction method

Solid and monolithic
Stone: Sandstone for sound insulation, but since we definitely do not want external insulation (ETICS), this is not possible; we will use the stone type that the builder is most experienced with; based on research, we prefer perlite-filled bricks, but expanded clay types are also acceptable
Exterior plaster: Whatever the builder has the best experience with, painted in a light smoky blue; no brick cladding
Roof: Cold roof (no attic use), so the ceiling must be insulated

Two people in their mid-30s, planning to remain childfree
Guests per year: so far none, as this is just being made possible now
Currently planned living area approximately 172 m2 (1,850 sq ft)

An open living area including

Kitchen with island
Two dining areas (breakfast table for two and dining table for up to eight people)
Fireplace area with seating, wine fridge, and storage for fine beverages

A home cinema area with surround sound system, TV, large couch, and storage furniture
A bedroom with a 2 m x 2 m (6.6 ft x 6.6 ft) bed, two nightstands, and a dresser
A walk-in closet and dressing room
A bathroom with bathtub and T-wall for a large sink, shower, toilet, and two entrances
No guest bathroom, since we have no children, do not build for guests, our planned main bathroom will be nice, and guest visits will be rare and orderly; we consider a guest bathroom unnecessary for all these reasons
A multi-purpose room for mobile work, hobbies, and a pull-out sofa bed for up to two guests
A technical room with heating system, electrical connection, water connection, main utility connection box, and possibly a water softener
A utility room for washing machine, dryer, chest freezer, shelves, and work surface for small DIY tasks
Entrance area with built-in closet for shoes and clothing

Outdoor area with

Terrace with a maximum depth of 3 m (10 ft) wrapping around the left corner of the house, facing northwest and southwest
One parking space for one car, probably as a carport on the left; two spaces would be ideal if a second car is acquired, but this would likely require building on the boundary line on the right side, which we want to avoid; tips on enabling two parking spaces are welcome
Entrance: gentle ramp to the front door with no steps and no canopy

Window design

Floor-to-ceiling windows with black plastic frames in the open living area and bedroom, 35 cm (14 in) below the ceiling
Terrace door without threshold
Windows with black plastic frames in every room with a sill height of 87.5 cm (34 in) and 35 cm (14 in) below the ceiling; we would appreciate advice on whether this is suitable for the bathroom, dressing room, utility room, and technical room or if other heights would be better
All windows with external blinds (raffstores), with very good burglary protection and sound insulation
No aluminum window sills on the outside (they make noise in rain); materials are not yet decided

Front door without threshold, simple design with frosted side glass, very good sound insulation and burglary protection
Interior finishing

Room height after all construction work should be 2.60 to 2.70 m (8.5 to 8.9 ft)
Interior plaster: lime plaster, no lime-cement or gypsum plaster
Kitchen and bathroom tiled, all other rooms with light parquet (parquet to be installed by us)
Hi-fi room painted matte black, all other rooms painted white; no wallpaper in any room
Utility room initially concrete, will be tiled later
Technical room concrete floor

Technical systems

Heating systems

Ground heat collectors or ground source heat pump
Underfloor heating

Ventilation: manual
Water softener: probably yes, but we need more information before confirming
Photovoltaic/solar thermal: desirable if at no extra cost, but we are skeptical about payback; if someone can convince us otherwise, we’re open
Hot water storage tank: yes, since we prefer bathing over showering
No KfW (energy efficiency) subsidy, as we’re not convinced, but would like to know what we can achieve with our house

House Design

Own design made using HomeByMe
We particularly like:

That we were able to create a design at all
Separation of technical and living areas
Open large living area with kitchen, fireplace, and big dining table
Floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area
Barrier-free entry and exit with no thresholds
Separation of technical room and utility room
Living on one level (we are fit but want comfort and consider aging)

We do not like:

That prices and interest rates are rising and materials are in short supply, and we probably should have started building two years earlier
Our needs resulted in such a large living area
Two cars probably cannot fit side by side into a carport
Our ideas will probably lead to significant additional costs

We have not yet obtained a price estimate from an expert
Price limit for the house excluding land: 400,000 €
The plot was purchased recently and is being paid off with a variable loan that will be converted to a fixed construction loan

What can we give up?

We can give up

Living space, if a few centimeters can be saved here and there to reduce costs
Separation of utility room and technical room, if necessary
A poor-quality construction company

We cannot give up

Monolithic construction method
Separation of home cinema and living area
Open kitchen with island
Floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area and barrier-free house entry
Bathroom design
Dressing room
Fireplace
Excellent burglary protection

What can we give up?

Living space, if a few centimeters can be saved
Separation of utility room and technical room, if not feasible
Poor-quality construction company

Why is our design like this?

We thought carefully about what we absolutely want and then started planning accordingly
The design feels very right to us

Main question

Is our building project feasible according to the development plan, our specifications and wishes, and within our budget? If yes, with whom?

We look forward to your feedback and are open to honest criticism because only that will help us move forward and open opportunities we may not currently consider due to being perhaps too convinced of our floor plan.

We are currently looking for both local and larger construction companies for a project south of Berlin. We would appreciate any tips on companies that can realize such a project (especially a bungalow). If necessary, private messages are also welcome.

Thank you in advance for all your efforts.

Floor plan of a house with living room, fireplace, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and hallway.

Floor plan of a house with fireplace, dining, sleeping, kitchen, bathroom, terrace and parking space

Myrna_Loy17 Jan 2022 13:23

#49

Sorrow87 schrieb:

Thanks for the tip. We might consider it.

However, we don’t plan to sell the house but to live there for the rest of our lives.

You both want to be carried out of the house on a stretcher at the same time when you die, but you strictly exclude the possibility of life events that might make a second bathroom necessary. That’s kind of funny.

Sorrow8717 Jan 2022 13:25

#50

ypg schrieb:

I don’t want to dwell on it either. :p
Funny to read:

...

The latter sounds like you’re skipping a guest toilet because you wouldn’t be able to show off your “nice bathroom” 😉

That is definitely not what we meant. We are far from being boastful people. It was simply a cost item we want to save and consider a luxury. My wife and I are used to things differently. Other things are more important to us.

11ant17 Jan 2022 13:33

#51

Sorrow87 schrieb:

You might like the separation, or not. We want it that way and are now focusing on feasibility.

Then I wish you success with the feasibility. You can wish for anything to be off limits, but the budget says otherwise here—that you’ll have to save elsewhere. Just giving up sanitary redundancy alone won’t quite be enough.

Sorrow87 schrieb:

But we don’t want to sell the house; we want to spend our whole lives there.

Of course. You’ve got to leave something for people who collect divorce and other distressed-sale homes like pensioners collecting deposit bottles. They’re happy about every thousand dollars saved because someone planned without considering resale value.

Myrna_Loy schrieb:

You both want to be carried out dead on a stretcher from the house at the same time,

I’m just imagining someone in their home theater watching all the movies where the story involves someone building a house as a humorous idea about their funeral guests lining up for the one and only toilet. At least I can imagine Finnish film professors seriously establishing that as a distinct genre at their art universities *LOL*

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Sorrow8717 Jan 2022 13:38

#52

Myrna_Loy schrieb:

You both apparently want to be carried out of the house on a stretcher at the same time, but you rigidly exclude the idea of life events that might make a second bathroom necessary. That’s a bit funny.

Previous generations lived with just one toilet. Rumor has it they managed to survive.

Yes, we are living in 2022. But do I have to do something just because it’s common practice today? It’s not important to us. I understand the point about a second bathroom and acknowledge that it can increase resale value and add some convenience. We don’t need it, so I would like to close the discussion about the second bathroom.

We are now focusing on reducing the floor area and optimizing the layout of the rooms. We have already received very good input on this, which we are now trying to implement.

Thanks for the feedback regardless. My counterarguments are not meant to be offensive.

Sorrow8717 Jan 2022 13:57

#53

ypg schrieb:

Yes, why not? Before I read the text, I’d like to see a drawing. It can also be a rough sketch in a notebook.

That will be included in the second draft.

ypg schrieb:

It’s not about taste, but I’m not a fan either. The whole thing, including the chimney and structural requirements for the wood ceiling, will probably cost you around €20,000-25,000 (if the fireplace costs €15,000). Are you aware that you won’t be allowed to use it often?

We are aware of that.

ypg schrieb:

Who told you that story?

That’s what you read on some building-related websites.

ypg schrieb:

Completely wrong approach: crossing out wishes is destructive and makes you sad. Deleting a floor plan on the computer does too 😉

ypg schrieb:

Why?

Give us the reasons why a bedroom facing east is nice? I don’t know your daily routine, but if you get up in the summer morning, you won’t be interested then. On weekends, the sun is already more towards the south. In winter, east doesn’t matter, just like west, when it comes to sun position. East is perfect for bedridden people, but as you said, that’s not your case.

Because the morning sunlight welcomes you there, and the southwest side, as suggested in your new design, now fills the entire living area.

ypg schrieb:

I considered that in the simulation. But honestly: where do the 35cm (14 inches) come from? 😉

I found that through the forum’s search function. We want a finished ceiling height of 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in). The windows should be as high as possible for good daylight. Since we want roller shutters, we also need some space for those. Around 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) seemed reasonable, so 35 cm (14 inches) was the middle ground. If we go higher, that’s fine too.

ypg schrieb:

Honestly? Since you’re sticking with the scaffolding from the 15x15 villa anyway, why should I bother. But I quickly sketched a house with your room layout and orientation... that would be my starting point.

We’re trying to move away from that and are working on the new design. Thanks for the sketch, by the way. It looks very sensible there.

ypg schrieb:

Welcome to the neighborhood. You’ll be one too 🙂

Is that so bad? You choose the hedge yourself...

More open space is always nicer, since it’s a quiet area and the northwest side offers a view. But the sun from the south is definitely an advantage 🙂

11ant17 Jan 2022 14:09

#54

Sorrow87 schrieb:

Thanks anyway for the feedback. My counterargument is not meant to be offensive.

Neither is our insistence. Keep in mind that this is not a self-help group for exchanging personal tastes among people who have not yet built, but that you are also dealing with several experienced builders here. For example, I am a passionate renter myself, but I have four decades of experience in construction planning (and am not retired yet). Many regular participants have already built, and some are even on their second project. There are also building financiers and others with knowledge about slow-selling properties on the housing market here. So this is by no means a discussion about philosophical conversion, but about the harsh reality of financial suicide through the construction of houses built solely to please one’s own taste. At the latest, when you as retirees apply for a loan, a *ahem* "special" property will count against your creditworthiness; adding an extra home theater living room won't help with that ;-)

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

ᐅ Floor plan of a 172 m² bungalow in Brandenburg, south of Berlin

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