ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Gable Roof House Measuring 9x13 m with an Attached 6x9 m Loft Extension

Created on: 24 Oct 2024 12:46
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Biker99
Hello,

I came across this interesting forum yesterday and would like to take the opportunity to present my first floor plan draft here in the hope of receiving valuable advice. Often, being too focused on one direction limits ideas, so fresh eyes and new inspiration from others are always very helpful.

The general idea is to have the house built completely turnkey by a prefab house company, without any DIY efforts on our part. So far, no architect has been hired because I first wanted to try putting my own wishes and ideas on paper. I believe that with this DIY preliminary planning, there might be a better basis to go directly to an architect or even several prefab home providers to obtain feasible implementations and corresponding cost estimates.

I look forward to your feedback (and I’m already bracing myself...).

Development Plan / Restrictions

Currently, paragraph 34 applies. However, a design guideline is expected next year. The house has already been initially designed within the preliminary framework of this guideline.

The plot size is about 650 m² (7000 sq ft). It is a flat lot on a road with through traffic. Floor area ratio is 1.5. A detached garage will be attached to an existing building with two full floors plus an attic conversion on the right side, and next to the garage will be the new house.

The existing building is oriented with the eaves side to the street. The new house is planned to be positioned with the gable end facing the street.

The neighboring house on the other side (directly on the street) also has its gable end facing the street. Parking spaces: 2 (in front of the garage) plus a double garage (6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)). Number of floors: 1.5. Roof type: pitched roof, 25 to max 35 degrees. Style: conventional. Orientation: northeast to southwest.

Maximum heights/limits

The planned maximum height is about 8.5 m (28 ft).

The house must be set back 3 m (10 ft) from the front property line. The double garage should/setback 5 m (16 ft) from the front property line (unfortunately, no more was allowed in the planning approval inquiry, so from my view, only a front entrance to the house is currently feasible).

A direct connection from the double garage to the house is desired.

A corresponding positively approved preliminary building permit is available.

Homeowners’ Requirements

We want a modern house with a pitched roof.

A basement (possibly a partial basement) is desired and unfortunately required due to space constraints (not for living purposes; the basement should only serve as storage or a hobby/craft room).

For the knee wall height of the 1.5-story building, we envision 1.60 to 1.80 m (5’3” to 6’0”).

Number of occupants: 2 persons, 60 years old.

The house should be designed to be barrier-free as much as possible and should allow living only on the ground floor at an advanced age.

The total required area on the ground floor and upper floor should be around 180 m² (1937 sq ft).

The office will be used privately only.

We expect about 5 guest stays per year.

The living/dining area should be spacious and as open as possible.

A storage room between the double garage and the house (which also allows access from the garage to the house) is required.

The kitchen should be open with a cooking island or peninsula.

A central fireplace in the living/dining area is planned/desired.

A balcony with access from the gallery and the office is also desired. Alternatively, a loggia (either one-sided or spanning the width of the house) could be considered.

It is important for us to have an open gallery over the dining area where you can stay and where fitness equipment will also be placed.

The double garage measuring 6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft) is fixed, as several vehicles need to be accommodated.

House Design

A first preliminary plan created using a 3D program is available.

What I like about the initial plan are the open sight lines, the gallery, and the large living/dining area facing the garden (southwest).

I especially struggled with the staircase design. Initially, I wanted a straight staircase with access from the living/dining area, but I discarded this for various reasons (also because a cellar staircase is still needed “underneath,” which makes a straight staircase less visually appealing).

After initially planning bathroom access from the sleeping area (which also leads to the dressing room), I eventually decided for an access from the hallway to allow a wider shower, a large double washbasin in front of the window, and a toilet with at least 90 cm (35 inches) clearance to the side.

What I don’t like yet is the gable side area between the open space and the office with the 90-degree angle.

In the (probably too) narrow utility room, the washing machine and dryer are to be accommodated.

Why did the design turn out this way?

For example, only about 18 m (59 ft) of plot width is available, which limits the house width to a maximum of 9 m (30 ft) with a set double garage width of 6 m (20 ft).

Detailed floor plan of a house with kitchen, living and dining room, bedroom, bathroom, garage.


Floor plan of an apartment with multiple rooms, doors, windows, furniture and measurements.


Two-story 3D house with balcony, terrace and large glass windows
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Arauki11
24 Oct 2024 18:32
Biker99 schrieb:

This is what the existing building looks like, to which the double garage is supposed to be attached.
Unfortunately, there are no nice views from the windows facing south or southeast.

We have a similar situation here, and I would have put simple trellises with plants on (in front of) the wall. In our case, the neighbor would even have allowed it, but they decided on a plain gray plastered wall, which is now what you see. I think this wall could still be made more visually appealing.

Honestly, your floor plans confuse me, probably because of my limited understanding; everything is full of numbers and lines. Are the furniture, walls, and so on really drawn to the correct dimensions? Is there a simpler, maybe even just basic, floor plan without all those details and with room labels?
It seems to me that you first decided on the building’s exterior and then placed the desired rooms inside.
Regarding the mentioned storage space, I would consider whether I really want to dedicate so much of this expensive space to "old stuff" in the new home and whether the actual living space should be more economical or slightly less generous. For storage or hobbies, for example, a spacious garden shed could at least partly serve that purpose.
I fully agree with the post of @ypg. First of all, regardless of the upper floor and the exterior appearance, I would focus on planning the ground floor well.
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Biker99
24 Oct 2024 18:36
I have now quickly designed the ground floor a bit more spaciously.
Floor plan of a house: living-dining area, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, stairs, terrace.
11ant24 Oct 2024 19:09
Biker99 schrieb:

This is what the existing property looks like, to which the double garage will be attached.
Unfortunately, there are no pleasant views from the windows facing south or southeast.
So you start the good-neighborly relationship right away with the question: "May I treat you to having the facade whitewashed?"
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Biker99
24 Oct 2024 20:08
11ant schrieb:

Then you start the good neighbor relationship right away with the question: "May I offer to whitewash your facade?"

I think this issue could theoretically be solved; I know the neighbor very well.

I also believe that the living/dining area should receive enough light through the floor-to-ceiling windows without needing additional windows on the south side. Upstairs, the light issue for the rooms not located on the gable ends will have to be addressed with skylights anyway, since it’s quite possible that I won’t be able to install windows wider than they are tall, which means that windows in the knee wall area will likely be ruled out.

I would be interested to know if you generally see other, potentially better, and still easily accessible staircase solutions within the external dimensions of 9 x 13 meters (30 x 43 feet) than the indicated half-landing staircase.
11ant24 Oct 2024 20:30
Biker99 schrieb:

Upstairs, the issue of lighting for the rooms that are not next to the gable side must be addressed with skylights anyway, since it’s quite possible that I won’t be able to install windows that are wider than they are tall, which probably means windows in the knee wall will be out of the question.

Tell us more about what we should understand from that comment.
Biker99 schrieb:

I’m curious if you generally see any other or potentially better stair solutions that are still comfortable to use, considering the external dimensions of 9 x 13 m (30 x 43 feet), than the landing staircase shown in the plan.

I’m not expecting any revolutionary alternatives—I haven’t studied the somewhat confusing and wordy plan closely. A straight flight narrow ladder-type stair is definitely not an option, the gable is too narrow for that.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Biker99
24 Oct 2024 20:37
11ant schrieb:

Tell us more about what we should understand from that comment.
According to the planned design guidelines for the neighborhood, only vertically oriented or at most square windows are permitted; flat windows are not allowed.