Hello everyone,
After purchasing the plot in 2012 and going through a very long information and planning phase (with a lot of input from this forum), our family of four has now received a solid preliminary floor plan from our independent architect. We provided this last autumn with a 100-page specification (including an analysis of our current living situation, room program, energy concept, numerous example images, etc.).
We are now moving forward with the cost estimate to start financing discussions. For the upcoming further commissioning, we have received his approval to share the floor plan here for feedback.
I would really appreciate any feedback and want to sincerely thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.
Fred
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Brief Summary of the Desired House Concept
Plot located in a small village in Lower Franconia / Bavaria, 679m² (7300 sq ft), unobstructed edge location on a hill, at the end of a dead-end street, open views all around to the horizon, road to the north, garden to the south.
Detached single-family home for 4 occupants, living area approx. 180m² to 200m² (1900 to 2150 sq ft) plus basement with partial living quality, two full floors – no sloped ceilings. Optimal south orientation with large roof areas and bright interior design; no specific preferred architectural style – simple and clear forms – no extravagances.
Preferably a solid, massive construction throughout – substantial, durable, sustainable, low maintenance
Wall facade: clinker brick, natural stone, or white plaster
Spacious room layout and bright rooms, largely closed floor plan, no unnecessary wall jumps, bay windows, or slants
Plus-energy house, ideally KfW 40 Plus standard – aiming for a high degree of autonomy, modern building technology including heat pump and central controlled mechanical ventilation, large wind-protected southwest terrace, large garage and carport
Functionality takes priority over aesthetics – especially the interior over exterior appearance.
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Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 679m² (7300 sq ft)
Slope: slight, 1.8m (6 ft) decline towards west
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: yes, marked blue – can be exceeded on the northwest side according to architect
Boundary setback: 9m (30 ft) allowed for garage
Number of parking spaces: 2 per dwelling unit
Number of floors: 2
Roof types: gable roof 30–50°, clipped gable from 40°, shed roof 10–20°, hipped roof 15–45°, green flat roof
Architectural style: no specifications
Ridge orientation: east-west
Maximum height/limits: wall height max. 7m (23 ft) above ground
Other requirements: none
Owners' Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: detached single-family home, modern style, gable roof with overhang, rectangular footprint with long side facing south
Basement, floors: basement with living quality and external access, two full floors without sloped ceilings
Number of occupants: currently 4 (ages 37, 36, 2, 1 years)
Space requirement on ground and upper floors: approx. 90m² (970 sq ft) each
Office: family or home office? Regular home office use by both
Guests per year: twice yearly
Open or closed architecture: semi-open – kitchen and dining room together, living room separate
Conservative or modern construction: modern construction with classic elements
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with dining room, kitchen island and extensive kitchen facilities
Number of dining seats: permanent 8, expandable to 12
Fireplace: no, low-energy house with heat pump
Music/sound installation: no, just small TV stand in living room, possibly a projection screen in hobby room
Balcony, roof terrace: no, never used – focus on the large south terrace in the garden
Garage, carport: large garage on side making full use of the 9m (30 ft) boundary, carport integrated in house style in front of house, garden area to be used efficiently without waste
Utility garden, greenhouse: desired
House Design
Designed by: independent architectural firm with 3 architects
What do you particularly like? Why?
The room program and our extensively described daily routines were implemented, as well as key furniture with accurate measurements, minimal hallway space, basement with living-quality space especially a large office with outside view, and utility room with laundry chute. Feasibility of our energy concept with many large south-facing windows and a large roof area for photovoltaic.
On the ground floor, a large kitchen with access to storage and backup kitchen – we love cooking extensively. Direct access from garage to pantry, stair platform as desired, large west-facing bay windows.
On the upper floor, a good layout for the children’s rooms and the parents’ area with good sound insulation, single bedroom to the east and bathroom to the west with freestanding bathtub in front of the window.
What do you dislike? Why?
The cloakroom with two children on the ground floor – was at one point even planned as a separate room. Entry area too dark but wind-protected? Lighting in the dining area from the east is sufficient.
What to do with the attic space? Extend the children’s rooms with stairs there?
Possibly the special highlight in the design…
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 500,000 to 600,000 €
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: 550,000 €
Preferred heating technology: ground source heat pump, controlled mechanical ventilation, photovoltaic, battery storage
If you have to give up certain details/extra features, which ones are they?
Carport, smaller garage, terrace too large, house depth max. 1m (3 ft) less, KfW 40 Plus equipment, hobby room, oversized utility room, sauna in master bathroom
What can you not give up?
Large kitchen, dedicated office, 2 bathrooms, dining space for 12 people
Why did the design develop as it is now?
A 128-page specification with room program and daily routine descriptions including many images was handed over to the architect. There were eight versions from the architectural team – the last four iterations involved only minor adjustments leading to the current concept.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Where do you see need for adjustments to comfortably live in this house with a family of four? What key feature is missing?
After purchasing the plot in 2012 and going through a very long information and planning phase (with a lot of input from this forum), our family of four has now received a solid preliminary floor plan from our independent architect. We provided this last autumn with a 100-page specification (including an analysis of our current living situation, room program, energy concept, numerous example images, etc.).
We are now moving forward with the cost estimate to start financing discussions. For the upcoming further commissioning, we have received his approval to share the floor plan here for feedback.
I would really appreciate any feedback and want to sincerely thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.
Fred
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brief Summary of the Desired House Concept
Plot located in a small village in Lower Franconia / Bavaria, 679m² (7300 sq ft), unobstructed edge location on a hill, at the end of a dead-end street, open views all around to the horizon, road to the north, garden to the south.
Detached single-family home for 4 occupants, living area approx. 180m² to 200m² (1900 to 2150 sq ft) plus basement with partial living quality, two full floors – no sloped ceilings. Optimal south orientation with large roof areas and bright interior design; no specific preferred architectural style – simple and clear forms – no extravagances.
Preferably a solid, massive construction throughout – substantial, durable, sustainable, low maintenance
Wall facade: clinker brick, natural stone, or white plaster
Spacious room layout and bright rooms, largely closed floor plan, no unnecessary wall jumps, bay windows, or slants
Plus-energy house, ideally KfW 40 Plus standard – aiming for a high degree of autonomy, modern building technology including heat pump and central controlled mechanical ventilation, large wind-protected southwest terrace, large garage and carport
Functionality takes priority over aesthetics – especially the interior over exterior appearance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 679m² (7300 sq ft)
Slope: slight, 1.8m (6 ft) decline towards west
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: yes, marked blue – can be exceeded on the northwest side according to architect
Boundary setback: 9m (30 ft) allowed for garage
Number of parking spaces: 2 per dwelling unit
Number of floors: 2
Roof types: gable roof 30–50°, clipped gable from 40°, shed roof 10–20°, hipped roof 15–45°, green flat roof
Architectural style: no specifications
Ridge orientation: east-west
Maximum height/limits: wall height max. 7m (23 ft) above ground
Other requirements: none
Owners' Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: detached single-family home, modern style, gable roof with overhang, rectangular footprint with long side facing south
Basement, floors: basement with living quality and external access, two full floors without sloped ceilings
Number of occupants: currently 4 (ages 37, 36, 2, 1 years)
Space requirement on ground and upper floors: approx. 90m² (970 sq ft) each
Office: family or home office? Regular home office use by both
Guests per year: twice yearly
Open or closed architecture: semi-open – kitchen and dining room together, living room separate
Conservative or modern construction: modern construction with classic elements
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with dining room, kitchen island and extensive kitchen facilities
Number of dining seats: permanent 8, expandable to 12
Fireplace: no, low-energy house with heat pump
Music/sound installation: no, just small TV stand in living room, possibly a projection screen in hobby room
Balcony, roof terrace: no, never used – focus on the large south terrace in the garden
Garage, carport: large garage on side making full use of the 9m (30 ft) boundary, carport integrated in house style in front of house, garden area to be used efficiently without waste
Utility garden, greenhouse: desired
House Design
Designed by: independent architectural firm with 3 architects
What do you particularly like? Why?
The room program and our extensively described daily routines were implemented, as well as key furniture with accurate measurements, minimal hallway space, basement with living-quality space especially a large office with outside view, and utility room with laundry chute. Feasibility of our energy concept with many large south-facing windows and a large roof area for photovoltaic.
On the ground floor, a large kitchen with access to storage and backup kitchen – we love cooking extensively. Direct access from garage to pantry, stair platform as desired, large west-facing bay windows.
On the upper floor, a good layout for the children’s rooms and the parents’ area with good sound insulation, single bedroom to the east and bathroom to the west with freestanding bathtub in front of the window.
What do you dislike? Why?
The cloakroom with two children on the ground floor – was at one point even planned as a separate room. Entry area too dark but wind-protected? Lighting in the dining area from the east is sufficient.
What to do with the attic space? Extend the children’s rooms with stairs there?
Possibly the special highlight in the design…
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 500,000 to 600,000 €
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: 550,000 €
Preferred heating technology: ground source heat pump, controlled mechanical ventilation, photovoltaic, battery storage
If you have to give up certain details/extra features, which ones are they?
Carport, smaller garage, terrace too large, house depth max. 1m (3 ft) less, KfW 40 Plus equipment, hobby room, oversized utility room, sauna in master bathroom
What can you not give up?
Large kitchen, dedicated office, 2 bathrooms, dining space for 12 people
Why did the design develop as it is now?
A 128-page specification with room program and daily routine descriptions including many images was handed over to the architect. There were eight versions from the architectural team – the last four iterations involved only minor adjustments leading to the current concept.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Where do you see need for adjustments to comfortably live in this house with a family of four? What key feature is missing?
Frederick76 schrieb:
The general idea that the house design has become more traditional was something we also noticed in the first iteration. No, it is precisely not traditional. When simple basic forms are composed without a sense of proportion, the result is not the expected simplicity but rather something like this ugly, typical contractor-style design shown here.
Frederick76 schrieb:
At first, we focused more on developing the interior layout and less on the exterior appearance. In principle, it is possible to refine a floor plan into an attractive building form at a later stage. However, here I get the impression that the architects skipped all their lectures on architectural aesthetics. Many young architects have grown up with CAD and never practiced sketching to develop a feeling for proportions. What results bears the signature of Frankenstein’s set square.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I completely agree with 11ant. Honestly, I rarely see a more unattractive house design. It makes me cringe. The rooms work, but clever it is not.
To be frank: you could spend half a million better elsewhere.
I strongly suspect the architect was overwhelmed by your list of requirements. Honestly, there’s no way he read and fully absorbed everything. And if he did read it all, he probably forgot the beginning by the time he got to the end. It’s good to think things through carefully! But then please summarize everything clearly, concisely, and in an organized way for the architect. In plain terms: don’t provide the whole thought process, just the results! I kind of feel sorry for the guy...
That said, it doesn’t change the fact that he clearly has no sense of proportion, and apparently no good ideas to include either.
The plot is great! On a hill! Even I, as a non-expert, already have dozens of ideas on how to make use of this location. You can easily block views from outside with minimal effort and enjoy an amazing view yourself. What a wonderful starting point!
Unfortunately, this is not even remotely used here...
I can’t really offer any “improvement” suggestions because I find the house fundamentally so ugly that I would throw the design straight in the bin and find a good (!!!) architect who incorporates the potential of such a plot into their plans.
That said, I generally agree with many of the points made by previous posters:
- I would always want the pantry to be separate and closed off
- The hallway doesn’t have enough space for four people
- Even if the kids NOW are mostly hanging out in the living/dining/kitchen area, that won’t last past puberty. So the kids’ bedrooms should be on the sunny side
- I like large bathrooms, but compared to the kids’ bathroom, this one is a bit excessive...
- I’m personally a fan of open living spaces, but I can accept if someone prefers something different. Still, the passage from the pantry to the living room is too narrow for my taste. I would opt for a wider door, a double door, or a large sliding door. And I bet anything that no matter the door, it’ll usually remain open. But with a bigger door, you at least have the option to connect the two areas when you want to.
To be frank: you could spend half a million better elsewhere.
I strongly suspect the architect was overwhelmed by your list of requirements. Honestly, there’s no way he read and fully absorbed everything. And if he did read it all, he probably forgot the beginning by the time he got to the end. It’s good to think things through carefully! But then please summarize everything clearly, concisely, and in an organized way for the architect. In plain terms: don’t provide the whole thought process, just the results! I kind of feel sorry for the guy...
That said, it doesn’t change the fact that he clearly has no sense of proportion, and apparently no good ideas to include either.
The plot is great! On a hill! Even I, as a non-expert, already have dozens of ideas on how to make use of this location. You can easily block views from outside with minimal effort and enjoy an amazing view yourself. What a wonderful starting point!
Unfortunately, this is not even remotely used here...
I can’t really offer any “improvement” suggestions because I find the house fundamentally so ugly that I would throw the design straight in the bin and find a good (!!!) architect who incorporates the potential of such a plot into their plans.
That said, I generally agree with many of the points made by previous posters:
- I would always want the pantry to be separate and closed off
- The hallway doesn’t have enough space for four people
- Even if the kids NOW are mostly hanging out in the living/dining/kitchen area, that won’t last past puberty. So the kids’ bedrooms should be on the sunny side
- I like large bathrooms, but compared to the kids’ bathroom, this one is a bit excessive...
- I’m personally a fan of open living spaces, but I can accept if someone prefers something different. Still, the passage from the pantry to the living room is too narrow for my taste. I would opt for a wider door, a double door, or a large sliding door. And I bet anything that no matter the door, it’ll usually remain open. But with a bigger door, you at least have the option to connect the two areas when you want to.
Climbee schrieb:
To be honest, I’ve rarely seen a more unattractive house design. To try to explain how the unattractiveness came about: the basic shape of a rectangular block with a moderately pitched gable roof would be a simple form on its own, but it clashes severely with the sloping cutouts for the carport and the light well. Then add the shifted and confusingly divided window arrangements. And just like that, the result is spoiled, even though all the individual elements were actually fresh. A CAD program won’t detect this — the architect originally must have learned this by experience on-site.
Climbee schrieb:
The rooms work like this, but clever they are not. Unfortunately, the rooms only function until you want to adjust their dimensions. What are currently clear wall lines start to create problems everywhere when changed.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Frederick768 Mar 2018 22:35Thanks again to everyone for the feedback—ranging from completely new ideas to specific room arrangements. Some points I find objectively reasonable, such as the comments on the hallway/coatroom or the pantry. Others seem too subjective and vary depending on the individual family setup, like the location of the children’s bedrooms.
I find the approach of deviating from the usual floor layout by placing the parents on the ground floor quite interesting.
I am now trying to separate the feedback regarding the exterior appearance of the house from the room layouts in the floor plan. We are not exactly thrilled...
For us, starting fresh would mean writing off the previous efforts and invested time as sunk costs and doing a reset with a new planner. Alternatively, we could restart from one of the original initial drafts.
Anyway, we are now getting down to business.
So, thanks again for all the contributions.
I find the approach of deviating from the usual floor layout by placing the parents on the ground floor quite interesting.
I am now trying to separate the feedback regarding the exterior appearance of the house from the room layouts in the floor plan. We are not exactly thrilled...
For us, starting fresh would mean writing off the previous efforts and invested time as sunk costs and doing a reset with a new planner. Alternatively, we could restart from one of the original initial drafts.
Anyway, we are now getting down to business.
So, thanks again for all the contributions.
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