Hello dear forum community,
So far, I have mainly been reading diligently, but now I want to be a bit more active.
We plan to build a house this year and have already had initial discussions with developers, who are currently taking their time developing ideas. However, it is understandable that only one will ultimately be awarded the contract and the others cannot recoup their preliminary efforts if you go the developer route. Therefore, we have recently spent a lot of time working on various floor plans and have assembled our "ideal" house ourselves. Since developers often just copy our ideas 1:1, we are not sure if there are any logical or practical errors in our design. So I would like to share our floor plan here for discussion.
Since I only worked with tracing paper and handwritten notes, please excuse if the usual quality standards are not met.
The plot is a total of 970m2 (about 0.24 acres) with a slight slope (approximately 1.50m (5 feet) height difference from east to west over about 24m (79 feet) width, meaning the west side is lower).
We have been tentatively granted an exemption from the zoning plan / building permit regulations to build the garage on the north side instead of the south, provided we maintain the 3m (10 feet) setback from the boundary (or possibly build on the boundary line with the neighbor’s signature). Although we are aware there is a difference between “tentatively granted” and official approval, we want to proceed with this plan.
On the site plan, I have marked the desired placement of our house including the double garage. In the floor plans provided in the PDF, south is at the top and north at the bottom.
Our thoughts on the plan:
We currently have no children, but if everything goes as planned, we expect to live in the house with 2-3 children. Since we want the parents’ area to be separated at least during the “teenage” years from the children’s area, we would like to plan two children’s rooms in the basement. Of course, adequate ceiling height and large basement windows that provide enough light (not just light wells) are important. We currently think that, due to the slight slope and west-facing windows, this should be feasible (Alternative A basement). Although we lose the west terrace, we would like to offer our children a separated area if they want one. A bathroom with a shower would initially only be on the ground floor but could be retrofitted in the basement if needed.
I would not consider basement alternative B for now.
The office/workroom on the ground floor is a room that could also be used as a bedroom for a child or for elderly residents later on.
As you can see in the plans, we have planned a small gallery in the entrance area, because personally we do not like layouts where the upper floor is almost just a small corridor with four doors. We prefer a somewhat more open atmosphere.
The room sizes may vary slightly. We definitely want a large kitchen with a pantry and a small dining area, as well as a spacious living and dining room. A separation between dining room and kitchen is also very important to us.
I currently cannot provide an exterior view, but this is only important to us at a later stage.
We would place the air-source heat pump on the northeast side, away from the parents’ and children’s bedrooms.
Whether we create a direct access to the garage on the north side (such as a mudroom) will ultimately depend on the price, but this is of minor importance to us.
These are the main points that came to mind regarding our plans. I would be happy to answer further questions and now look forward to your open feedback.
Best regards,
Axellent
So far, I have mainly been reading diligently, but now I want to be a bit more active.
We plan to build a house this year and have already had initial discussions with developers, who are currently taking their time developing ideas. However, it is understandable that only one will ultimately be awarded the contract and the others cannot recoup their preliminary efforts if you go the developer route. Therefore, we have recently spent a lot of time working on various floor plans and have assembled our "ideal" house ourselves. Since developers often just copy our ideas 1:1, we are not sure if there are any logical or practical errors in our design. So I would like to share our floor plan here for discussion.
Since I only worked with tracing paper and handwritten notes, please excuse if the usual quality standards are not met.
The plot is a total of 970m2 (about 0.24 acres) with a slight slope (approximately 1.50m (5 feet) height difference from east to west over about 24m (79 feet) width, meaning the west side is lower).
We have been tentatively granted an exemption from the zoning plan / building permit regulations to build the garage on the north side instead of the south, provided we maintain the 3m (10 feet) setback from the boundary (or possibly build on the boundary line with the neighbor’s signature). Although we are aware there is a difference between “tentatively granted” and official approval, we want to proceed with this plan.
On the site plan, I have marked the desired placement of our house including the double garage. In the floor plans provided in the PDF, south is at the top and north at the bottom.
Our thoughts on the plan:
We currently have no children, but if everything goes as planned, we expect to live in the house with 2-3 children. Since we want the parents’ area to be separated at least during the “teenage” years from the children’s area, we would like to plan two children’s rooms in the basement. Of course, adequate ceiling height and large basement windows that provide enough light (not just light wells) are important. We currently think that, due to the slight slope and west-facing windows, this should be feasible (Alternative A basement). Although we lose the west terrace, we would like to offer our children a separated area if they want one. A bathroom with a shower would initially only be on the ground floor but could be retrofitted in the basement if needed.
I would not consider basement alternative B for now.
The office/workroom on the ground floor is a room that could also be used as a bedroom for a child or for elderly residents later on.
As you can see in the plans, we have planned a small gallery in the entrance area, because personally we do not like layouts where the upper floor is almost just a small corridor with four doors. We prefer a somewhat more open atmosphere.
The room sizes may vary slightly. We definitely want a large kitchen with a pantry and a small dining area, as well as a spacious living and dining room. A separation between dining room and kitchen is also very important to us.
I currently cannot provide an exterior view, but this is only important to us at a later stage.
We would place the air-source heat pump on the northeast side, away from the parents’ and children’s bedrooms.
Whether we create a direct access to the garage on the north side (such as a mudroom) will ultimately depend on the price, but this is of minor importance to us.
These are the main points that came to mind regarding our plans. I would be happy to answer further questions and now look forward to your open feedback.
Best regards,
Axellent
Is this due to the drawing style, or does the walk-in closet have a 20cm (8 inches) clearance in front of the wardrobes?
Dimensions in general would be helpful...
It is unclear whether the other door will cause a lot of maneuvering when you have guests.
What is the distance between the shower and the washbasin in the bathroom?
Views would be interesting.
Dimensions in general would be helpful...
It is unclear whether the other door will cause a lot of maneuvering when you have guests.
What is the distance between the shower and the washbasin in the bathroom?
Views would be interesting.
And in general, it is always helpful to ideally align the floor plans and site plan the same way; if that is not possible, at least include a north arrow on the floor plans.
Otherwise, it is always difficult without any dimensions.
I completely agree with the points made by @BeHaElJa.
Otherwise, it is always difficult without any dimensions.
I completely agree with the points made by @BeHaElJa.
Hello,
Regarding the exact dimensions, I am currently trying to create more precise plans using a planning tool. I have already included the exterior dimensions for the ground floor. I understand that it is still difficult to make an exact assessment this way. At this stage, I am mainly focused on a rough plan to check the "everyday practicality." Unfortunately, I do not have any elevations yet, but I hope my planning tool will help with that. Thank you very much for the quick responses.
The passage in the walk-in closet looking like it is only 20 cm (8 inches) wide is indeed due to the drawing style. According to my scale, the total width of the walk-in closet is about 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in). Assuming a shelf depth of 60 cm (24 inches), only about half a meter (20 inches) remains for the walkway. How wide should such a passage be? I do have some flexibility on the side towards the children's room. Thanks very much for the tip.
The distance between the shower and the sink is currently about 50 cm (20 inches). I am still completely flexible regarding the exact arrangement of the bathroom fixtures. Is it realistic to fit a toilet with a shower practically within approximately 3 square meters (32 square feet)?
What exactly do you mean by "maneuvering" in the second point?
Regarding the exact dimensions, I am currently trying to create more precise plans using a planning tool. I have already included the exterior dimensions for the ground floor. I understand that it is still difficult to make an exact assessment this way. At this stage, I am mainly focused on a rough plan to check the "everyday practicality." Unfortunately, I do not have any elevations yet, but I hope my planning tool will help with that. Thank you very much for the quick responses.
The passage in the walk-in closet looking like it is only 20 cm (8 inches) wide is indeed due to the drawing style. According to my scale, the total width of the walk-in closet is about 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in). Assuming a shelf depth of 60 cm (24 inches), only about half a meter (20 inches) remains for the walkway. How wide should such a passage be? I do have some flexibility on the side towards the children's room. Thanks very much for the tip.
The distance between the shower and the sink is currently about 50 cm (20 inches). I am still completely flexible regarding the exact arrangement of the bathroom fixtures. Is it realistic to fit a toilet with a shower practically within approximately 3 square meters (32 square feet)?
What exactly do you mean by "maneuvering" in the second point?
If there is no space for a walk-in closet, it’s better to leave it out… that would be the case here. No one benefits from a tiny dressing area where you can neither see the color nor the clothing itself because you have to hold it 10 cm (4 inches) away from you. A clearance of at least 1.1 m (3.6 ft) is necessary; otherwise, a wall of wardrobes is a better solution. It doesn’t collect any more dust than a walk-in closet.
No. Or rather, 3 square meters (32 square feet) is very, very tight. Imagine the scenario in your mind. The door is 80% open. Four people come home, and all want to hang up their jackets.
No. Or rather, 3 square meters (32 square feet) is very, very tight. Imagine the scenario in your mind. The door is 80% open. Four people come home, and all want to hang up their jackets.
And 3 sqm (32 sq ft) bathrooms with a square layout and a shower do not work well. A better option is approximately 140/150 cm x 200/210 cm (55/59 inches x 79/83 inches), with the entrance on the long side. A shower about 80 cm (31 inches) deep along the full 140 cm (55 inches), with the remaining space for the toilet and sink.
The problem is that without dimensions, it is impossible to assess the practicality of a room layout for everyday use.
The problem is that without dimensions, it is impossible to assess the practicality of a room layout for everyday use.
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