Hello everyone,
We are currently reviewing whether to make any changes to the standard floor plan from our home builder for our end-of-terrace house. There are stricter guidelines that I’m already sure will disappoint some forum members. Roughly, we’ve been told that exterior walls and the façade, including windows and exterior doors, cannot be altered, and load-bearing walls cannot be moved. This mainly concerns the staircase and stair wall. Most other interior walls, as far as we know, are movable. In principle, we could also move in with the unmodified standard layout, but we do see 1-2 points with potential for improvement (though maybe in the end this just fuels the Spec House Building - Small Changes, Unintended Consequences thread).
I will still fill out the questionnaire, even though most of it cannot be changed for us (in particular Section 1 on the development plan is more the home builder’s area).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 207 m² (2,230 sq ft)
Slope – slight incline, I don’t have exact survey data, but we can’t change anything at the house entrances anyway.
Site coverage ratio – 0.4
Floor area ratio – 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and setback – not relevant since we cannot change the external shell
Edge development – not relevant since we cannot change the external shell
Number of parking spaces (already included) – garage plus parking space in front
Number of storeys – 2
Roof type – gable roof
Architectural style –
Orientation – north/south
Maximum heights / limits – not relevant
Other conditions: Hornbeam hedge along the cul-de-sac on our property (on the west side; in the floor plans it appears on the right because they are not north-oriented)
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: fixed by the home builder
Basement, floors: usable basement + 2 full stories + converted attic (already determined by the builder)
Number of occupants, ages: currently 2 (31 and 32); planning for 1-2 children
Space needs on ground and upper floors:
Office: family use or home office? Home office, both partly working remotely. Ideally, a separate space for each would be great, but if that’s not possible with potentially 2 children, it’s manageable.
Guest bedrooms per year: about 3-4 times a year
Open or closed layout: medium? Open transition between kitchen and living area is a must, but overall, some walls are okay.
Conservative or modern building style: –
Open kitchen, kitchen island: tends to “not fully closed” (see above), but we don’t necessarily need an island if something else is more practical or cost-effective.
Number of dining seats: for 4 people
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony / roof terrace: no
Garage / carport: garage included
Utility garden / greenhouse: no (maybe a small bed later we’d do ourselves)
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be included:
We are both partly working remotely. Currently, we have an office and a desk in the living room. If possible, I’d prefer not to keep working in the living room. If two adults move in, it’s absolutely no problem; with one child it’s probably still fine, with two children… well, by then things might have changed anyway. I feel we’ll find a solution, and if someone locks themselves away in the 4 m² (43 sq ft) closet on the first floor (where the walls are still adjustable) or gets a desk in the bedroom, that might work.
House Design
Surroundings: To the south are garages for neighboring terrace houses, then a turning area (end of the cul-de-sac), followed by some individual trees and other detached houses. To the east is our block. Then a few small trees and a railway line (several meters lower). To the west, on our property, there is a city-required hornbeam hedge. We will try to negotiate a passage to the street (for bikes and so on). Since the second escape route on the ground floor is via the terrace, I see some chances, but city officials aren’t always easy.
Planning by:
- Home builder
What do you like especially? Why?
- I see the plan working for us both if the family plan doesn’t happen (then it’s very generous) and with 1-2 children as well.
What don’t you like? Why?
- Ground floor: (main pain point) Entrance is relatively narrow with little cloakroom space. The peninsula kitchen feels too small to work well (and probably requires an expensive extractor in the peninsula). The distance from the sofa to the TV is huge. The basement access is in the living room. We’ll probably manage some kind of furnishing on the ground floor, but right now it doesn’t exactly feel “yes, this is perfect.”
- Upper floor: We’ve debated whether to enlarge the 4 m² (43 sq ft) closet slightly to potentially use it later as an overflow office, but actually we find it as planned not bad at all (and initially more practical).
- Attic: The “landing” could be another possible office space if children come; we considered whether to separate it right away with a wall and door or leave it as shown.
So actually: except for the ground floor, we are quite satisfied; everything else is in the range of “if we want the jack-of-all-trades, maybe some changes could be made – or we keep it as is and see if the need arises.”
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions:
- We can give up: changes to the upper floor and attic
- We cannot give up: at least 1 office
Why is the design as it is now? e.g.
Standard plan from the home builder
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
I think it’s a solid floor plan for young families, but the ground floor worries me a bit. I feel maybe a different staircase shape would have helped, but as far as I’ve been told, that cannot be changed.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How do we best arrange the ground floor? Should we still make some changes here?
Ideas for potential changes to the ground floor
Maybe reduce the kitchen size and straighten the hallway wall? (We’ve discussed this idea in the kitchen forum but haven’t talked to the planner yet.) The scale is off here (I think my cabinets are too large). The rough structural width in the kitchen at the narrowest point is 248 cm (98 inches), so roughly 240 cm (94 inches) minus about 130 cm (51 inches) for both kitchen sides would leave 110 cm (43 inches) aisle width. Also, the window would be moved to the corner. In return, there would be more cloakroom space in the hallway. Bad idea? Opinions?
Another question is a bit… can we reduce the distance between sofa and TV? I’ve just sketched in our current furniture; it would look roughly like this (sofa 275 x 220 cm (108 x 87 inches)).
Ideas so far include putting a shelf behind the sofa (but that blocks the terrace door more). Any other ideas?
Best regards
We are currently reviewing whether to make any changes to the standard floor plan from our home builder for our end-of-terrace house. There are stricter guidelines that I’m already sure will disappoint some forum members. Roughly, we’ve been told that exterior walls and the façade, including windows and exterior doors, cannot be altered, and load-bearing walls cannot be moved. This mainly concerns the staircase and stair wall. Most other interior walls, as far as we know, are movable. In principle, we could also move in with the unmodified standard layout, but we do see 1-2 points with potential for improvement (though maybe in the end this just fuels the Spec House Building - Small Changes, Unintended Consequences thread).
I will still fill out the questionnaire, even though most of it cannot be changed for us (in particular Section 1 on the development plan is more the home builder’s area).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 207 m² (2,230 sq ft)
Slope – slight incline, I don’t have exact survey data, but we can’t change anything at the house entrances anyway.
Site coverage ratio – 0.4
Floor area ratio – 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and setback – not relevant since we cannot change the external shell
Edge development – not relevant since we cannot change the external shell
Number of parking spaces (already included) – garage plus parking space in front
Number of storeys – 2
Roof type – gable roof
Architectural style –
Orientation – north/south
Maximum heights / limits – not relevant
Other conditions: Hornbeam hedge along the cul-de-sac on our property (on the west side; in the floor plans it appears on the right because they are not north-oriented)
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: fixed by the home builder
Basement, floors: usable basement + 2 full stories + converted attic (already determined by the builder)
Number of occupants, ages: currently 2 (31 and 32); planning for 1-2 children
Space needs on ground and upper floors:
Office: family use or home office? Home office, both partly working remotely. Ideally, a separate space for each would be great, but if that’s not possible with potentially 2 children, it’s manageable.
Guest bedrooms per year: about 3-4 times a year
Open or closed layout: medium? Open transition between kitchen and living area is a must, but overall, some walls are okay.
Conservative or modern building style: –
Open kitchen, kitchen island: tends to “not fully closed” (see above), but we don’t necessarily need an island if something else is more practical or cost-effective.
Number of dining seats: for 4 people
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony / roof terrace: no
Garage / carport: garage included
Utility garden / greenhouse: no (maybe a small bed later we’d do ourselves)
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be included:
We are both partly working remotely. Currently, we have an office and a desk in the living room. If possible, I’d prefer not to keep working in the living room. If two adults move in, it’s absolutely no problem; with one child it’s probably still fine, with two children… well, by then things might have changed anyway. I feel we’ll find a solution, and if someone locks themselves away in the 4 m² (43 sq ft) closet on the first floor (where the walls are still adjustable) or gets a desk in the bedroom, that might work.
House Design
Surroundings: To the south are garages for neighboring terrace houses, then a turning area (end of the cul-de-sac), followed by some individual trees and other detached houses. To the east is our block. Then a few small trees and a railway line (several meters lower). To the west, on our property, there is a city-required hornbeam hedge. We will try to negotiate a passage to the street (for bikes and so on). Since the second escape route on the ground floor is via the terrace, I see some chances, but city officials aren’t always easy.
Planning by:
- Home builder
What do you like especially? Why?
- I see the plan working for us both if the family plan doesn’t happen (then it’s very generous) and with 1-2 children as well.
What don’t you like? Why?
- Ground floor: (main pain point) Entrance is relatively narrow with little cloakroom space. The peninsula kitchen feels too small to work well (and probably requires an expensive extractor in the peninsula). The distance from the sofa to the TV is huge. The basement access is in the living room. We’ll probably manage some kind of furnishing on the ground floor, but right now it doesn’t exactly feel “yes, this is perfect.”
- Upper floor: We’ve debated whether to enlarge the 4 m² (43 sq ft) closet slightly to potentially use it later as an overflow office, but actually we find it as planned not bad at all (and initially more practical).
- Attic: The “landing” could be another possible office space if children come; we considered whether to separate it right away with a wall and door or leave it as shown.
So actually: except for the ground floor, we are quite satisfied; everything else is in the range of “if we want the jack-of-all-trades, maybe some changes could be made – or we keep it as is and see if the need arises.”
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions:
- We can give up: changes to the upper floor and attic
- We cannot give up: at least 1 office
Why is the design as it is now? e.g.
Standard plan from the home builder
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
I think it’s a solid floor plan for young families, but the ground floor worries me a bit. I feel maybe a different staircase shape would have helped, but as far as I’ve been told, that cannot be changed.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How do we best arrange the ground floor? Should we still make some changes here?
Ideas for potential changes to the ground floor
Maybe reduce the kitchen size and straighten the hallway wall? (We’ve discussed this idea in the kitchen forum but haven’t talked to the planner yet.) The scale is off here (I think my cabinets are too large). The rough structural width in the kitchen at the narrowest point is 248 cm (98 inches), so roughly 240 cm (94 inches) minus about 130 cm (51 inches) for both kitchen sides would leave 110 cm (43 inches) aisle width. Also, the window would be moved to the corner. In return, there would be more cloakroom space in the hallway. Bad idea? Opinions?
Another question is a bit… can we reduce the distance between sofa and TV? I’ve just sketched in our current furniture; it would look roughly like this (sofa 275 x 220 cm (108 x 87 inches)).
Ideas so far include putting a shelf behind the sofa (but that blocks the terrace door more). Any other ideas?
Best regards
What exactly do you want to achieve with decorative tiles? What kind of tiles are they? The same ones, just in a different color or with a pattern?
If I see that they are darker than the main tiles, then they create a certain effect.
But yes!!! If you have a light color under the vanity, you emphasize it indirectly with the light shade. If you go darker, the area under the vanity visually recedes.
If you keep an inset box in one color, you emphasize that surface or create a 3D effect—sometimes intentionally, in other cases not so much.
When framing an edge, you usually frame the entire element, including the sides of the bathtub, not just a small area at the back. You should consider a bathroom with its built-in walls in 3D, not like an ordinary bare room.
If I see that they are darker than the main tiles, then they create a certain effect.
mayglow schrieb:
Basically, at the sink, if you extend the countertop, the visual difference is probably not that noticeable whether you do just the top row or the entire area.
But yes!!! If you have a light color under the vanity, you emphasize it indirectly with the light shade. If you go darker, the area under the vanity visually recedes.
If you keep an inset box in one color, you emphasize that surface or create a 3D effect—sometimes intentionally, in other cases not so much.
When framing an edge, you usually frame the entire element, including the sides of the bathtub, not just a small area at the back. You should consider a bathroom with its built-in walls in 3D, not like an ordinary bare room.
Actually, the idea for the top row came somewhat from the 3D structure. Kind of creating the illusion on both sides that the setback is at the same height. But maybe that’s just nonsense, or at least on the bathtub side, we should have included the side walls, or something like that. Either way, it was basically intentional to make it look a bit more finished. But amateurs often have silly ideas...
We currently requested two combinations for the wall tiles. I can’t find one of them online at all, and the other looks quite different in color in the online photos compared to real life. And my phone camera is also lousy… but basically, these were the two options:
A)
- Decorative tile: Agrob Buchtal, Tailor, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), "Decoration element Denim"
- Remaining wall tiles: Agrob Buchtal, Tailor, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), stone matte cotton beige
(The photo is not of the 30x60cm (12x24 inch) version and ACTUALLY the decorative tile is a faded denim blue, not gray… my phone really distorted it badly) So uh, the photo is unusable.
B)
- Decorative tile: NIKA, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), Y-NIK94A, decorative blue
- Remaining wall tiles: NIKA, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), Y-NIK90A, white
(Looked somewhat less gray/greenish in real life)
Having the whole bathtub block and the entire washbasin block blue is probably too much for us. As has already been pointed out here, our bathroom is quite small.
We currently requested two combinations for the wall tiles. I can’t find one of them online at all, and the other looks quite different in color in the online photos compared to real life. And my phone camera is also lousy… but basically, these were the two options:
A)
- Decorative tile: Agrob Buchtal, Tailor, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), "Decoration element Denim"
- Remaining wall tiles: Agrob Buchtal, Tailor, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), stone matte cotton beige
(The photo is not of the 30x60cm (12x24 inch) version and ACTUALLY the decorative tile is a faded denim blue, not gray… my phone really distorted it badly) So uh, the photo is unusable.
B)
- Decorative tile: NIKA, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), Y-NIK94A, decorative blue
- Remaining wall tiles: NIKA, 30x60cm (12x24 inches), Y-NIK90A, white
(Looked somewhat less gray/greenish in real life)
Having the whole bathtub block and the entire washbasin block blue is probably too much for us. As has already been pointed out here, our bathroom is quite small.
B
Bertram1006 Dec 2023 08:16The entire shower covered in dark decorative tiles makes the shower area feel quite small and dark when you are inside. I know a shower with medium-gray decorative tiles and find it attractive only from the outside, not while actually showering.
I wanted to give some feedback, even though I feel a bit silly doing it since we hardly followed your advice (oops). In the end, we left things as described on the previous page. It might seem a little odd around the sink area, but having the whole space colorful was too much for us, and just doing the shelf felt too little—and then we started running out of time. Now, looking back, maybe just doing the shelf would have been nicer, especially since I suddenly see that kind of detail in about every other bathroom, ah. I’m still really grateful for the feedback, even though we didn’t really apply it in the end.
We also went back and forth about the shower but ended up leaving it “all blue.” It was basically the same kind of dilemma: with “just a little,” we weren’t sure what would work best. I’ve often seen something like a strip running vertically behind the shower controls. But that would feel a bit weird for us because I don’t think our controls are on the back wall but rather on the side wall.
I think my main conclusion about the bathroom is that the planning didn’t really go smoothly. It was kind of fragmented in terms of when decisions were made. From the builder’s side, there was just one appointment asking, “Do you like the sanitary fixtures?” (Yes, that’s fine) and another appointment for “Which of the standard tiles do you want?” (Not really any of them…) After that, we got to visit a tile showroom, and the company that’s doing the work for us gave some generally pretty good suggestions. But at that point, it felt like there wasn’t much guidance tailored to OUR bathroom. (Like, a lot of general options but no comments such as “We usually use 120cm (47 inches) high tile backsplashes—does that really make sense here?” or “Our bathroom is quite small, so I don’t think large floor tiles will work well,” things like that came from us, not from them.) Maybe they were able to do that (probably yes), but they definitely didn’t have our plan in mind, and maybe we didn’t ask for enough support, or their understanding was that the builder would handle that... But these things really belong together; it’s hard to choose tiles if you’re not sure whether they’ll even work in your bathroom. Maybe we also should have been more proactive about insisting on that (as my mother-in-law always says, “Only those who speak up can be helped”). So that’s what I’ll take away for “if we ever build again” → to ask earlier and more strongly for support.
So yes, there was quite a bit of back and forth, but in the end, it was kind of a “oh well, it’s fine, we’ll just do it like this.” Well then, we’ve got a somewhat odd bathroom.
Thanks again for all the input here!
We also went back and forth about the shower but ended up leaving it “all blue.” It was basically the same kind of dilemma: with “just a little,” we weren’t sure what would work best. I’ve often seen something like a strip running vertically behind the shower controls. But that would feel a bit weird for us because I don’t think our controls are on the back wall but rather on the side wall.
I think my main conclusion about the bathroom is that the planning didn’t really go smoothly. It was kind of fragmented in terms of when decisions were made. From the builder’s side, there was just one appointment asking, “Do you like the sanitary fixtures?” (Yes, that’s fine) and another appointment for “Which of the standard tiles do you want?” (Not really any of them…) After that, we got to visit a tile showroom, and the company that’s doing the work for us gave some generally pretty good suggestions. But at that point, it felt like there wasn’t much guidance tailored to OUR bathroom. (Like, a lot of general options but no comments such as “We usually use 120cm (47 inches) high tile backsplashes—does that really make sense here?” or “Our bathroom is quite small, so I don’t think large floor tiles will work well,” things like that came from us, not from them.) Maybe they were able to do that (probably yes), but they definitely didn’t have our plan in mind, and maybe we didn’t ask for enough support, or their understanding was that the builder would handle that... But these things really belong together; it’s hard to choose tiles if you’re not sure whether they’ll even work in your bathroom. Maybe we also should have been more proactive about insisting on that (as my mother-in-law always says, “Only those who speak up can be helped”). So that’s what I’ll take away for “if we ever build again” → to ask earlier and more strongly for support.
So yes, there was quite a bit of back and forth, but in the end, it was kind of a “oh well, it’s fine, we’ll just do it like this.” Well then, we’ve got a somewhat odd bathroom.
Thanks again for all the input here!
B
Bertram1005 Jan 2024 14:36mayglow schrieb:
Well, then we’ll just have a bit of a strange bathroom.We’d like to see that.Jokes aside, I think you’ve done a great job. You have to balance time and stress, after all. I believe your bathroom will turn out well! It definitely sounds reasonable. Besides, no one here is claiming the forum could design a nicer bathroom than you.
I have tiles in my bathroom and hallway that would probably be considered outdated here, but I really like them. Just in case that’s reassuring...
P
Pinkiponk5 Jan 2024 20:06Bertram100 schrieb:
I have tiles in the bathroom… that would simply “fail” in this forum, and I really like them. Just in case that’s some kind of reassurance… Plus @mayglow: My tiles wouldn’t just fail in the forum; they actually have failed. However, we have been living with them for about 1.5 years now, and their spring green color produces the desired psychological effect. 🙂 The white push buttons don’t quite match, but we couldn’t find anything better.
(What a lovely pun: Dear mayglow, our bathroom tiles are spring green.)
Similar topics