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Lein.Manor31 Jul 2015 22:59Hello everyone,
We are currently planning our house and I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
I have already looked at several hundred floor plans and visited quite a few show homes, all of which I found somewhat impractical—until I came across the Jette Joop life L show home by Viebrockhaus, which I thought was fantastic. (Unfortunately, it’s a bit too large and expensive for us.)
Then I found the Citylife 148 by Favorit, which is very similar to the Jette house but slightly smaller and more affordable.
Neither option was perfect, so I’ve developed my own version, which Favorit has already done a preliminary cost estimate for.
We have a meeting with a building planner next week, so I would really appreciate some feedback on our current design.
A few background details on why we made certain choices—although we might be wrong and some of it might not make much sense?
Ground Floor:
Wardrobe area:
We definitely want the wardrobe immediately near the entrance because I don’t want everyone walking through the hallway in their outdoor shoes or taking them off at the door only to leave them lying around.
Guest toilet:
This should definitely have a walk-in shower with a tiled, curbless base (no shower tray) and no glass enclosure.
Kitchen:
The kitchen should be directly connected to the living/dining area but separable. We’re not exactly sure how to achieve this yet. Currently, there are two options:
a) a glass sliding door system about 3 meters (10 feet) wide
b) a half wall up to countertop height, topped with a large fixed glass panel, and a regular clear-glass door as entry.
--> The goal is for the space to feel open but closeable. Any better design suggestions would be very welcome!
Living/Dining Room:
For the dining area, we are considering replacing the middle door to the outside with a large fixed window. We want the dining space exactly where the middle door currently is, and I think a big panoramic window would look nicer than a double door. The doors probably wouldn’t be used much anyway and tend to get in the way. I’ve also often seen couches placed in front of terrace doors, which looks odd to me.
Hallway:
We want a closed concrete staircase going upstairs. This allows us to create a pantry underneath the stairs.
Because the stairwell is completely internal, we want to install a Solatube or similar daylight system to bring natural light into the stairwell without windows.
Upper Floor:
We are a family of four and have decided against a large shared bathroom upstairs. Instead, we are planning a kids’ bathroom and an en suite master bathroom. Since we are not “wellness” types who need a spa-like bathroom, our bathrooms should be functional but not large.
We have designed the master suite as a small, separate unit so it can be used later as a more private guest area when the kids move out or if grandma moves in.
Basically, we wanted to have other rooms serve as noise buffers between our bedroom and the kids’ rooms. Not sure if this is really necessary, but thinking back to my own childhood and teenage years, my parents would certainly have lost their minds if they had to endure loud music playing next door all night.
The garage with storage room is currently planned but not yet finalized.
Many thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best of luck, Leini
We are currently planning our house and I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
I have already looked at several hundred floor plans and visited quite a few show homes, all of which I found somewhat impractical—until I came across the Jette Joop life L show home by Viebrockhaus, which I thought was fantastic. (Unfortunately, it’s a bit too large and expensive for us.)
Then I found the Citylife 148 by Favorit, which is very similar to the Jette house but slightly smaller and more affordable.
Neither option was perfect, so I’ve developed my own version, which Favorit has already done a preliminary cost estimate for.
We have a meeting with a building planner next week, so I would really appreciate some feedback on our current design.
A few background details on why we made certain choices—although we might be wrong and some of it might not make much sense?
Ground Floor:
Wardrobe area:
We definitely want the wardrobe immediately near the entrance because I don’t want everyone walking through the hallway in their outdoor shoes or taking them off at the door only to leave them lying around.
Guest toilet:
This should definitely have a walk-in shower with a tiled, curbless base (no shower tray) and no glass enclosure.
Kitchen:
The kitchen should be directly connected to the living/dining area but separable. We’re not exactly sure how to achieve this yet. Currently, there are two options:
a) a glass sliding door system about 3 meters (10 feet) wide
b) a half wall up to countertop height, topped with a large fixed glass panel, and a regular clear-glass door as entry.
--> The goal is for the space to feel open but closeable. Any better design suggestions would be very welcome!
Living/Dining Room:
For the dining area, we are considering replacing the middle door to the outside with a large fixed window. We want the dining space exactly where the middle door currently is, and I think a big panoramic window would look nicer than a double door. The doors probably wouldn’t be used much anyway and tend to get in the way. I’ve also often seen couches placed in front of terrace doors, which looks odd to me.
Hallway:
We want a closed concrete staircase going upstairs. This allows us to create a pantry underneath the stairs.
Because the stairwell is completely internal, we want to install a Solatube or similar daylight system to bring natural light into the stairwell without windows.
Upper Floor:
We are a family of four and have decided against a large shared bathroom upstairs. Instead, we are planning a kids’ bathroom and an en suite master bathroom. Since we are not “wellness” types who need a spa-like bathroom, our bathrooms should be functional but not large.
We have designed the master suite as a small, separate unit so it can be used later as a more private guest area when the kids move out or if grandma moves in.
Basically, we wanted to have other rooms serve as noise buffers between our bedroom and the kids’ rooms. Not sure if this is really necessary, but thinking back to my own childhood and teenage years, my parents would certainly have lost their minds if they had to endure loud music playing next door all night.
The garage with storage room is currently planned but not yet finalized.
Many thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best of luck, Leini
Hello Leini,
Try drawing your furniture inside the house – I’m curious whether the double bed will fit comfortably or if it might turn into a bit of an obstacle course.
Then the kids’ bathroom naturally catches my eye, which will surely be equipped with a toilet... it doesn’t necessarily have to be noisy, but there will definitely be a waste outlet next to your fixed panoramic window.
Where is north, and what does the plot look like?
Regards, Yvonne
Try drawing your furniture inside the house – I’m curious whether the double bed will fit comfortably or if it might turn into a bit of an obstacle course.
Then the kids’ bathroom naturally catches my eye, which will surely be equipped with a toilet... it doesn’t necessarily have to be noisy, but there will definitely be a waste outlet next to your fixed panoramic window.
Where is north, and what does the plot look like?
Regards, Yvonne
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Lein.Manor31 Jul 2015 23:40Hello Yvonne,
yes, the bedroom is definitely quite tight - that’s true.
We would place the bed so that the headboard is against the wall where the staircase is marked. On the left side, there would be about 60 cm (24 inches) and on the right side about 1 m (39 inches) (the bedroom hallway), and at the foot of the bed also about 60 cm (24 inches).
We wanted to make the main living spaces like the study and children's rooms as large as possible in this relatively small house.
The issue with the wastewater was also mentioned by the construction company. There should be a drywall suspended ceiling so that the wastewater can go down into the storage room under the stairs and then be led away below the ground slab. I’m not sure if that is a good solution?
We currently have two plots of land under consideration. The decision should be made within the next 14 days.
On one (922 square meters (9,922 square feet)), north would be where the kitchen is.
On the other (794 square meters (8,551 square feet)), north would be exactly at the corner of children's room 2.
Good luck,
Leini
yes, the bedroom is definitely quite tight - that’s true.
We would place the bed so that the headboard is against the wall where the staircase is marked. On the left side, there would be about 60 cm (24 inches) and on the right side about 1 m (39 inches) (the bedroom hallway), and at the foot of the bed also about 60 cm (24 inches).
We wanted to make the main living spaces like the study and children's rooms as large as possible in this relatively small house.
The issue with the wastewater was also mentioned by the construction company. There should be a drywall suspended ceiling so that the wastewater can go down into the storage room under the stairs and then be led away below the ground slab. I’m not sure if that is a good solution?
We currently have two plots of land under consideration. The decision should be made within the next 14 days.
On one (922 square meters (9,922 square feet)), north would be where the kitchen is.
On the other (794 square meters (8,551 square feet)), north would be exactly at the corner of children's room 2.
Good luck,
Leini
I agree with Yvonne. Please also furnish the kitchen as originally planned. I am very skeptical about the bedroom. Keep in mind that all measurements are structural dimensions, and a bed with a 200 cm long mattress (78.7 inches) plus frame/headboard is usually at least 210 cm long (82.7 inches).
Also, why is there supposed to be a partition wall near the dining area? The space isn’t very generous as it is.
What’s really practical is having a direct exit from the kitchen to the terrace. Situations like summer barbecues, relaxing on the terrace with easy access to drinks, children playing in the garden who want a quick drink, and so on all support this idea.
Also, why is there supposed to be a partition wall near the dining area? The space isn’t very generous as it is.
What’s really practical is having a direct exit from the kitchen to the terrace. Situations like summer barbecues, relaxing on the terrace with easy access to drinks, children playing in the garden who want a quick drink, and so on all support this idea.
That won’t work with the bedroom. If I calculate the depth proportionally, the room is at most 255 cm (100 inches) deep. This means you won’t have 50 cm (20 inches) of clearance at the bottom of the plan.
EDIT .. and then check the walk-in closet and the position of its door. It actually takes away 100 cm (40 inches) of wardrobe width.
EDIT .. and then check the walk-in closet and the position of its door. It actually takes away 100 cm (40 inches) of wardrobe width.
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backbone2331 Jul 2015 23:55Here, the providers offered a centrally located, straight staircase, which was considered great... then the floor plans were somehow designed around the staircase. That’s how it was, right? As a result, the upper floor is a mess... very awkwardly laid out. The drainage for the kids’ bathroom and the walk-in closet have already been mentioned. The bedroom is also problematic. From what I can see, based on how you want to position the bed, a nightstand can’t or shouldn’t be placed on one side.
I also find the idea of separating the kitchen strange. The dining area is too small, even though the dining and living rooms together with the kitchen are quite spacious. Try placing a dining table with chairs there and imagine opening the windows. You can see that this won’t work even with the preferred option.
The entrance hall is unnecessarily large, and the living room is difficult to furnish.
With the "small" plot, you never get sunlight in the living area, if I understood correctly.
I also find the idea of separating the kitchen strange. The dining area is too small, even though the dining and living rooms together with the kitchen are quite spacious. Try placing a dining table with chairs there and imagine opening the windows. You can see that this won’t work even with the preferred option.
The entrance hall is unnecessarily large, and the living room is difficult to furnish.
With the "small" plot, you never get sunlight in the living area, if I understood correctly.
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