Hello fellow home builders,
after quietly following along, things are finally getting serious for us! We have purchased a building plot and are now busy planning. There is already a draft from an architect as well as our own design. I’m attaching both, with the architect’s draft mainly showing the plot view and garage planning.
In our own design, we have made several changes, mainly enlarging the open kitchen-dining-living area since we have a large open field to the north upstairs and want to enjoy the view also on the ground floor. The planned construction method is solid brick masonry.
We are quite satisfied with the upper floor, but we are not sure if everything works well on the ground floor! I would really appreciate some tips from experienced builders here. I hope the plans are clear ;-)
Thanks in advance and best regards from Bavaria!
Here are the key facts for the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size -> 595 sqm (6,401 sq ft)
Slope -> No
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) -> 0.4
Floor Space Index (FSI) -> ?
Building envelope / building line and boundary -> blue line limits the building envelope, see plot plan
Edge development -> garage only
Number of parking spaces -> minimum 2
Number of stories -> 2
Roof style -> gable roof
Style -> modern
Orientation -> see plan
Maximum height / limits -> max eaves wall height 6.40 m (21 ft)
Additional requirements -
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors -> basement, ground floor and upper floor with open roof structure
Number of people, age -> 4 (2 adults + 2 young children)
Space requirements on ground and upper floor -> see plan
Office: family use or home office? -> family use only
Guests per year -> none planned
Open or closed layout -> open
Conservative or modern construction -> modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island -> open
Number of dining seats -> minimum 6 people
Fireplace -> yes
Music / stereo wall -> not required
Balcony, roof terrace -> no
Garage, carport -> minimum single garage with attached storage space for bicycle
Utility garden, greenhouse -> possibly a small utility garden
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine
House Design
Who created the design:
- Builder company planner -> no
- Architect -> first draft
- Do-it-yourself -> second draft
What do you like most? -> layout of upper floor
What do you not like? -> unsure if the entrance area and staircase are too narrow or oppressive?!
Price estimate by architect/planner: -> not yet available
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings: -> 400,000 €
Preferred heating technology: -> air-source heat pump with indoor unit
If you have to give up anything, which details/upgrades
- can you do without: -
- cannot do without: -
after quietly following along, things are finally getting serious for us! We have purchased a building plot and are now busy planning. There is already a draft from an architect as well as our own design. I’m attaching both, with the architect’s draft mainly showing the plot view and garage planning.
In our own design, we have made several changes, mainly enlarging the open kitchen-dining-living area since we have a large open field to the north upstairs and want to enjoy the view also on the ground floor. The planned construction method is solid brick masonry.
We are quite satisfied with the upper floor, but we are not sure if everything works well on the ground floor! I would really appreciate some tips from experienced builders here. I hope the plans are clear ;-)
Thanks in advance and best regards from Bavaria!
Here are the key facts for the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size -> 595 sqm (6,401 sq ft)
Slope -> No
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) -> 0.4
Floor Space Index (FSI) -> ?
Building envelope / building line and boundary -> blue line limits the building envelope, see plot plan
Edge development -> garage only
Number of parking spaces -> minimum 2
Number of stories -> 2
Roof style -> gable roof
Style -> modern
Orientation -> see plan
Maximum height / limits -> max eaves wall height 6.40 m (21 ft)
Additional requirements -
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors -> basement, ground floor and upper floor with open roof structure
Number of people, age -> 4 (2 adults + 2 young children)
Space requirements on ground and upper floor -> see plan
Office: family use or home office? -> family use only
Guests per year -> none planned
Open or closed layout -> open
Conservative or modern construction -> modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island -> open
Number of dining seats -> minimum 6 people
Fireplace -> yes
Music / stereo wall -> not required
Balcony, roof terrace -> no
Garage, carport -> minimum single garage with attached storage space for bicycle
Utility garden, greenhouse -> possibly a small utility garden
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine
House Design
Who created the design:
- Builder company planner -> no
- Architect -> first draft
- Do-it-yourself -> second draft
What do you like most? -> layout of upper floor
What do you not like? -> unsure if the entrance area and staircase are too narrow or oppressive?!
Price estimate by architect/planner: -> not yet available
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings: -> 400,000 €
Preferred heating technology: -> air-source heat pump with indoor unit
If you have to give up anything, which details/upgrades
- can you do without: -
- cannot do without: -
Your living room with dining area is about 11 m (36 feet) long, which will create quite an echo... just kidding 🙂 But it’s not very cozy.
What does the structural engineer say about having several walls and the bathroom above? By the way, where exactly do the drains run?
I find the ground floor toilet too small. Even if you don’t need a shower there yet, there should be room to add one in the future.
What does the structural engineer say about having several walls and the bathroom above? By the way, where exactly do the drains run?
I find the ground floor toilet too small. Even if you don’t need a shower there yet, there should be room to add one in the future.
Kids are in bed now, so I finally have time to reply ;-)
First of all, thank you very much for your comments and assessments!!!
Yes, there is still a lot to do... but we are just at the beginning!
Regarding your assessments...
We are aware that the ground floor area is somewhat elongated or very large; we wanted to create a kind of “all-in-one” space, namely:
- Capture the morning sun over the kitchen and have a view of who is coming
- On the south side, capture as much light and warmth as possible; the windows here still need to be optimized
- On the north side, include the open view. As seen in the first architect’s draft, there was an office there, but we thought that would be a shame—instead, if there is a view, we want to take advantage of it.
Regarding the kids’ bathroom, the size is sufficient for us; we have seen it “live” and it is actually larger than what we had before :-)
- We should definitely move the stove a bit! Thanks for that!
- The draft has not yet been reviewed by a structural engineer, but we have already seen a house with these dimensions standing solidly ;-) However, we should check anyway before getting too fixed on it! Thanks for the reminder!
- The drain for the children’s bathroom could run as a small shaft inside the outer wall downward or be slightly attached to the interior wall.
I will post a few more drafts when I get the chance!
Best regards from Bavaria
sr1234
First of all, thank you very much for your comments and assessments!!!
Yes, there is still a lot to do... but we are just at the beginning!
Regarding your assessments...
We are aware that the ground floor area is somewhat elongated or very large; we wanted to create a kind of “all-in-one” space, namely:
- Capture the morning sun over the kitchen and have a view of who is coming
- On the south side, capture as much light and warmth as possible; the windows here still need to be optimized
- On the north side, include the open view. As seen in the first architect’s draft, there was an office there, but we thought that would be a shame—instead, if there is a view, we want to take advantage of it.
Regarding the kids’ bathroom, the size is sufficient for us; we have seen it “live” and it is actually larger than what we had before :-)
- We should definitely move the stove a bit! Thanks for that!
- The draft has not yet been reviewed by a structural engineer, but we have already seen a house with these dimensions standing solidly ;-) However, we should check anyway before getting too fixed on it! Thanks for the reminder!
- The drain for the children’s bathroom could run as a small shaft inside the outer wall downward or be slightly attached to the interior wall.
I will post a few more drafts when I get the chance!
Best regards from Bavaria
sr1234
The all-in-one solution is always a compromise. The narrow main room is far from ideal. The question is also whether the panoramic window at the end of the narrow space is well positioned. In my opinion, not at all: a narrow room feels more spacious if the shorter walls are kept darker. Consider whether you will actually spend much time by the window to enjoy the view.
Otherwise, there is still the option to rotate the house or to have a different design created.
Otherwise, there is still the option to rotate the house or to have a different design created.
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