ᐅ Preliminary floor plan design for a 220 m² single-family house
Created on: 20 Jun 2017 22:41
R
R.Hotzenplotz
Hello!
We have already gone through several plans with our architect and I think we are almost there, about to start the detailed planning phase. Before that, I’m looking forward to getting feedback from other users.
Development plan/restrictions: §34 – two full stories
Plot size: 1,085m² (1,1679 yd²)
Basement, floors – 2 full stories plus partial basement
Number of people, ages – 3 people (37, 34, 1, second child planned)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor – the requirement was that bedrooms and the study should be about 17m² (183 ft²) each; the entire house should be approximately 220m² (2,368 ft²)
Office: family use
Guests per year: 1
Open or closed architecture: closed
Traditional or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – no open kitchen, but yes to a kitchen island
Number of dining seats – 6
Fireplace – yes
Music/stereo wall – TV wall
Balcony, roof terrace – balcony
Garage, carport – large garage
Additional wishes/special features/daily routines, preferably with reasons why certain things should or should not be included – everyone should be able to sleep as undisturbed as possible in their bedrooms, even if other family members are awake. The husband is sometimes up as early as 4 a.m. Otherwise, watching TV in the evening should be possible without disturbing those sleeping upstairs.
House design
Who created the design:
- Architect (freelancer for a general contractor)
What do you like most? Why?
The upper floor with well-sized rooms and the location of the rooms exactly where they should be (only the washroom area we would still like to move to the outer right corner so that you don’t have to pass it every time you use the toilet). On the ground floor, the access through an airlock, the kitchen, and the dining area with the study next to it are especially liked.
Also appreciated is that after adjustments, the study now faces the garden instead of the street.
What don’t you like? Why?
We originally wanted the distance from wall to wall where the sofa and TV stand is to be about 6.40m (21 ft) (large screen & surround system), but so far only 5.69m (19 ft) has been realized.
Laundry room as described.
Kitchen larger in square meters than needed; the approx. 3m² (32 ft²) could theoretically be used well in the living area.
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
720,000 euros (including construction incidentals)
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment:
800,000 euros
Preferred heating technology:
Gas
If you have to give up on something, which details/features can you do without?
- Can do without:
Technical systems like controlled residential ventilation
- Cannot do without:
Space (except for the kitchen)
Why is the design the way it is now? For example:
Is this a standard design from the planner?
The architect has largely implemented our wishes; the only issue is the living room situation.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
Patient, quick to implement, has already gotten to know us well.
No negative points.
Do you notice any other points that might not fit or that we should consider, which we might have overlooked?
In the basement, the room currently labeled as home cinema might possibly be used as one medium- to long-term. For the foreseeable future, it will be a storage room.
We have already gone through several plans with our architect and I think we are almost there, about to start the detailed planning phase. Before that, I’m looking forward to getting feedback from other users.
Development plan/restrictions: §34 – two full stories
Plot size: 1,085m² (1,1679 yd²)
Basement, floors – 2 full stories plus partial basement
Number of people, ages – 3 people (37, 34, 1, second child planned)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor – the requirement was that bedrooms and the study should be about 17m² (183 ft²) each; the entire house should be approximately 220m² (2,368 ft²)
Office: family use
Guests per year: 1
Open or closed architecture: closed
Traditional or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – no open kitchen, but yes to a kitchen island
Number of dining seats – 6
Fireplace – yes
Music/stereo wall – TV wall
Balcony, roof terrace – balcony
Garage, carport – large garage
Additional wishes/special features/daily routines, preferably with reasons why certain things should or should not be included – everyone should be able to sleep as undisturbed as possible in their bedrooms, even if other family members are awake. The husband is sometimes up as early as 4 a.m. Otherwise, watching TV in the evening should be possible without disturbing those sleeping upstairs.
House design
Who created the design:
- Architect (freelancer for a general contractor)
What do you like most? Why?
The upper floor with well-sized rooms and the location of the rooms exactly where they should be (only the washroom area we would still like to move to the outer right corner so that you don’t have to pass it every time you use the toilet). On the ground floor, the access through an airlock, the kitchen, and the dining area with the study next to it are especially liked.
Also appreciated is that after adjustments, the study now faces the garden instead of the street.
What don’t you like? Why?
We originally wanted the distance from wall to wall where the sofa and TV stand is to be about 6.40m (21 ft) (large screen & surround system), but so far only 5.69m (19 ft) has been realized.
Laundry room as described.
Kitchen larger in square meters than needed; the approx. 3m² (32 ft²) could theoretically be used well in the living area.
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
720,000 euros (including construction incidentals)
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment:
800,000 euros
Preferred heating technology:
Gas
If you have to give up on something, which details/features can you do without?
- Can do without:
Technical systems like controlled residential ventilation
- Cannot do without:
Space (except for the kitchen)
Why is the design the way it is now? For example:
Is this a standard design from the planner?
The architect has largely implemented our wishes; the only issue is the living room situation.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
Patient, quick to implement, has already gotten to know us well.
No negative points.
Do you notice any other points that might not fit or that we should consider, which we might have overlooked?
In the basement, the room currently labeled as home cinema might possibly be used as one medium- to long-term. For the foreseeable future, it will be a storage room.
R
R.Hotzenplotz21 Jul 2017 12:09RobsonMKK schrieb:
Would anyone really stand in this heated room to do ironing?Where else would you iron? Run to the parents’ bathroom with the laundry? No way
There are so many aspects of the design that just seem unfinished, sorry. I keep running into one issue after another...
Ironing in the utility room upstairs: first of all, there definitely should be at least a small sink installed there. The dryer will be a condenser dryer, and having to carry the full water container into the kids’ bathroom each time is unnecessary (if planned ahead). Also, there are always items that need to be hand-washed occasionally. It would make sense to be able to do that in the utility room as well.
If I’m following this, then maybe add a small shelf, cabinet, or base kitchen cabinets (where else should the detergents go??), some space for laundry baskets or sorters (the point of the utility room is to keep laundry in all its stages there and not spread around everywhere). Then the concern about the ironing board is valid (which also needs a place when folded, just like the iron, sleeve board, drying rack, etc.). With two doors, there is hardly any space left even for the essentials, so the utility room as planned doesn’t really serve its purpose.
I really advise you to sit down and mentally go through all everyday scenarios. Does everything work as you imagine? Of course, you rarely get the perfect all-in-one solution, compromises are always necessary, but fundamentally all rooms should be functional.
For me, the utility room here is not.
The entire upper floor feels “odd” to me. I will NEVER understand why you would need access to the balcony from the dressing room. Even bedroom balconies are usually hardly ever used. The balcony here only really makes sense for the utility room, where you could put laundry out to dry (if you have found a place for the laundry drying rack required for this in the utility room...). But okay, if you really want it...
Ironing in the utility room upstairs: first of all, there definitely should be at least a small sink installed there. The dryer will be a condenser dryer, and having to carry the full water container into the kids’ bathroom each time is unnecessary (if planned ahead). Also, there are always items that need to be hand-washed occasionally. It would make sense to be able to do that in the utility room as well.
If I’m following this, then maybe add a small shelf, cabinet, or base kitchen cabinets (where else should the detergents go??), some space for laundry baskets or sorters (the point of the utility room is to keep laundry in all its stages there and not spread around everywhere). Then the concern about the ironing board is valid (which also needs a place when folded, just like the iron, sleeve board, drying rack, etc.). With two doors, there is hardly any space left even for the essentials, so the utility room as planned doesn’t really serve its purpose.
I really advise you to sit down and mentally go through all everyday scenarios. Does everything work as you imagine? Of course, you rarely get the perfect all-in-one solution, compromises are always necessary, but fundamentally all rooms should be functional.
For me, the utility room here is not.
The entire upper floor feels “odd” to me. I will NEVER understand why you would need access to the balcony from the dressing room. Even bedroom balconies are usually hardly ever used. The balcony here only really makes sense for the utility room, where you could put laundry out to dry (if you have found a place for the laundry drying rack required for this in the utility room...). But okay, if you really want it...
R
R.Hotzenplotz21 Jul 2017 14:25Climbee schrieb:
There are so many aspects where the design simply feels unfinished, sorry. I keep stumbling over one thing after another...I feel the same way, that even after adjustments, I keep encountering issues that don’t work.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t say the entire design is unfinished. Before the structural problems arose, several members here liked the design, and any disagreements were mostly a matter of personal taste.
The problems have only come up now due to the structural issues.
Climbee schrieb:
Ironing in the upstairs utility room: first of all, there definitely needs to be at least a small sink. The dryer will be a condenser type, and having to carry the full water tank into the children’s bathroom every time is avoidable with proper planning. Also, there’s always the occasional item that you want to hand-wash. It would be practical if that could happen in the utility room too.
If I meet these needs, then maybe a small shelf, cabinet, or base kitchen cabinets should be added — where else should the detergents go? Some space for laundry baskets or storage is also necessary (since the point of the utility room is to manage laundry in all its stages without it being scattered everywhere). With this, the comment about needing space for the ironing board is valid (which also needs a place when folded up, just like the iron, sleeve ironing board, drying rack, etc.). Having two doors leaves barely any space even for the bare minimum, so the utility room as designed really doesn’t make sense.
For me, this utility room just doesn’t work.We completely agree here — even though I didn’t fully consider issues like the condensate water. It just doesn’t work! And it can’t be left as is. Reducing the size is out of the question.
Valuable points that I will make sure to note for the next conversation.
Climbee schrieb:
I really advise you to sit down and run through all daily scenarios. Does everything work as you imagine? Of course, a perfect all-in-one solution is rare, compromises are always necessary, but fundamentally all rooms should function properly.The other aspects seem reasonable to us. We’ve been working on this for months and have already eliminated many suggestions and ideas that didn’t make sense.
Climbee schrieb:
The entire upper floor feels “odd” to me. I will NEVER understand why there needs to be access to the balcony from the walk-in closet. Bedroom balconies are generally hardly ever used. This balcony really only makes sense from the utility room, where you could hang laundry out to dry (assuming you have a spot for the required drying rack or dryer in the utility room…). But okay, if someone really wants it…I brought this up as well. In the beginning, it was supposed to be a small balcony just to put out laundry. Then it kept getting bigger until the last unplanned change turned it into a full rooftop terrace.
You’re right. No one needs a door from the dressing room to the balcony. I also mentioned that, but later the architect argued that different windows or doors would disrupt the uniform look. Still, something definitely needs to change upstairs when looking at the current status.
What a mess. We thought we were almost done, and now we don’t even know if the design can still serve as a basis. On the other hand, I wouldn’t know how to approach starting a completely new design. We’re no longer interested in having someone tackle the room layout completely openly and creatively from scratch. Something purposeful needs to happen now.
At least we’ll control costs by giving up the basement hobby room, making the rooms down there smaller, and building only a partial basement. After all, people don’t live in the basement but upstairs. That’s where the compromises should be made.
Still, to reiterate: other consultants we approached clearly indicated that the requirements and budget would definitely require compromises in the end. That’s why I don’t want to criticize the contractor here. I just wish his architect had addressed the structural and budgetary issues earlier, instead of me spending almost three weeks only on final details of a design that clearly can’t stand as it is. The time lost is the most frustrating part.
R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:
I have an architect contract with the company.
The costs are settled if I build with them. In my view, this does not justify getting a mediocre architect – the overall price of the house simply rules that out. Looking at it from another angle, you are paying for an architect here – with the “argument” that if you go through with the less-than-ideal house, at least the planning doesn’t cost you anything. Secondly, I couldn’t sugarcoat that enough to make it feel okay. And first of all, I don’t understand how you can simply discard a building that is very likely valuable in its core condition, yet be willing to waste the so-called “building plot” gained in this way on a planning mistake. This young old building can hardly be worse than a second-rate new one.
It seems to me the problem here is that you approached a construction company that apparently prefers new builds over renovations. This has triple appeal for them: more project volume (at least if they don’t handle demolition themselves); simpler joint details than with conversion and additions; and it “can” also be done by a cost-effective young graduate fresh out of university. “All inclusive” also must pay off in procurement. An experienced independent architect would have thought more from the client’s perspective, and you would have seen that in the result. Avoidable support beams impact the budget more strongly than the questionable extra 20 square meters.
A good architect is not recognized by a “cool” plan simulation.
Climbee schrieb:
Bedroom balconies are generally never used. Balconies are needed to declare republics. Otherwise, they are just substitutes for terraces – and what you have there does not need replacing.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant, well, if I remember correctly, the existing building has a crawl space... I wouldn’t be interested in that either. So, I would probably just demolish it and build new, exactly according to my ideas, the latest energy standards, and overall using the newest technology, rather than renovating an existing property that I might not really like.
If I’m going to invest that much money, I would definitely keep a close eye on the construction company if they only offer me a budget architect.
Hotzenplotz, maybe you can make a deal with the company: hey, they’re getting a good million from you, so they should be willing to negotiate. Ask if something can be changed regarding the architect, as you’re not really satisfied with what this architect is delivering.
YOU have the money, YOU call the shots!
If I’m going to invest that much money, I would definitely keep a close eye on the construction company if they only offer me a budget architect.
Hotzenplotz, maybe you can make a deal with the company: hey, they’re getting a good million from you, so they should be willing to negotiate. Ask if something can be changed regarding the architect, as you’re not really satisfied with what this architect is delivering.
YOU have the money, YOU call the shots!
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