ᐅ Floor plan design for 4 people, building volume predetermined
Created on: 20 Feb 2023 14:20
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Sumi2188
Hello everyone,
We are a family of four (children aged 4 and 13) and have been trying since 2017 to obtain a building permit for a plot of land owned by my parents, located south of Potsdam.
The main challenge is the location of the property. Since my parents’ house is the last house on the street, the residential area also ends there, and despite having 10 hectares (25 acres) of land, our building options are extremely limited. After a long legal dispute, we have at least secured a preliminary approval for a building permit. However, this comes with the compromise that the new building must be constructed on the current site of an old barn (key point: model effect when building in rural areas) and must adhere to the barn’s existing volume. We need to demolish the barn and then build our new home on that spot, which means we have very strict requirements for the floor plan.
We have had an official site plan prepared. Since our original plan (an L-shaped bungalow) was basically the opposite of the current planning, I would be very grateful for any advice on room layout and orientation, as I have not found a good approach so far. The barn’s footprint can only be shifted along the axis to the extent that the property boundaries do not overlap. According to the building authority, a wall thickness of 25 cm (10 inches) is allowed as an increase in volume, but any further enlargement (bay windows, altered roof pitch, etc.) is not permitted. Our equity amounts to around 250,000 €.
We already have a planning meeting scheduled with an architect (March 1, 2023), but it would be great to get some ideas here on what we should consider beforehand. Perhaps someone has similar dimensions and ideas on how to create a nice floor plan.
Zoning/Restrictions
Plot size: Currently not fixed. Between 2,000 and 3,000 m² (22,000 and 32,000 sq ft), but the buildable area is fixed.
Slope: No
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Predefined
Basement, floors: No basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4, two adults and two children (4 and 13 years)
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Predefined
Office: Family use or home office? Originally planned to include an office (husband is a teacher), but there is currently an alternative that can still be used. An office would be nice but only if it does not significantly reduce space for other rooms.
Guest bedrooms per year: Not relevant
Open or closed architecture: Open-plan living/kitchen, otherwise closed
Conventional or modern style: Rather conventional
Open kitchen, island: Open-plan living/kitchen, an island would be great.
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: Yes
Music/stereo wall: Not relevant
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Already available
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: Not relevant
Other wishes / special features / daily routines, including reasons why certain things should or should not be included
Thank you very much
Sumi
We are a family of four (children aged 4 and 13) and have been trying since 2017 to obtain a building permit for a plot of land owned by my parents, located south of Potsdam.
The main challenge is the location of the property. Since my parents’ house is the last house on the street, the residential area also ends there, and despite having 10 hectares (25 acres) of land, our building options are extremely limited. After a long legal dispute, we have at least secured a preliminary approval for a building permit. However, this comes with the compromise that the new building must be constructed on the current site of an old barn (key point: model effect when building in rural areas) and must adhere to the barn’s existing volume. We need to demolish the barn and then build our new home on that spot, which means we have very strict requirements for the floor plan.
We have had an official site plan prepared. Since our original plan (an L-shaped bungalow) was basically the opposite of the current planning, I would be very grateful for any advice on room layout and orientation, as I have not found a good approach so far. The barn’s footprint can only be shifted along the axis to the extent that the property boundaries do not overlap. According to the building authority, a wall thickness of 25 cm (10 inches) is allowed as an increase in volume, but any further enlargement (bay windows, altered roof pitch, etc.) is not permitted. Our equity amounts to around 250,000 €.
We already have a planning meeting scheduled with an architect (March 1, 2023), but it would be great to get some ideas here on what we should consider beforehand. Perhaps someone has similar dimensions and ideas on how to create a nice floor plan.
Zoning/Restrictions
Plot size: Currently not fixed. Between 2,000 and 3,000 m² (22,000 and 32,000 sq ft), but the buildable area is fixed.
Slope: No
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Predefined
Basement, floors: No basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4, two adults and two children (4 and 13 years)
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor: Predefined
Office: Family use or home office? Originally planned to include an office (husband is a teacher), but there is currently an alternative that can still be used. An office would be nice but only if it does not significantly reduce space for other rooms.
Guest bedrooms per year: Not relevant
Open or closed architecture: Open-plan living/kitchen, otherwise closed
Conventional or modern style: Rather conventional
Open kitchen, island: Open-plan living/kitchen, an island would be great.
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: Yes
Music/stereo wall: Not relevant
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Already available
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: Not relevant
Other wishes / special features / daily routines, including reasons why certain things should or should not be included
Thank you very much
Sumi
K a t j a schrieb:
It would be helpful to know the reasons behind this layout. How is the house supposed to be positioned on the plot? Where are the parking spaces and driveway?
It doesn’t really impress me, but maybe it fits your needs perfectly.The overall volume is predetermined for us. There is a residential building to the north (top) and another one to the south. To the east, we have an unobstructed view of a field and forest. Since this is our property, that will remain unchanged.
We wanted a gable entrance because we didn’t want to "split up" the rather limited living space on the ground floor. After that, there aren’t many options left 🙂
Since we cannot change the position or orientation of the house, I would like to focus only on the floor plan here.
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Schorsch_baut23 Mar 2023 08:35Given the requirements, I don't think it's bad. I might consider how to bring some natural light into the hallway on the upper floor, for example through clerestory windows above the doors. And I would actually skip having a fully enclosed walk-in closet and rather use room dividers. Who would want to spend time in a small, windowless space?
Schorsch_baut schrieb:
Given the requirements, I think it’s not bad. I might try to find a way to bring some light into the upstairs hallway, for example, with skylights above the doors. And I would actually forgo a fully enclosed walk-in closet, preferring to use room dividers instead. Who wants to stay in a small, windowless room? Yes, I wanted a roof window above the gallery as well as in the bedroom, but my husband sees it as lost space for photovoltaic panels and isn’t fully convinced yet :p
You’re probably right about the walk-in closet, but for us it’s basically just an enlarged wardrobe since we won’t have much storage space for seasonal clothes and so on.
I find the ground floor of the first option (without a fireplace) really bad: no cozy living area, dining table cramped, and furniture blocking the patio doors overall… the highlight is the view of the coat rack from the sofa and the toilet, where every guest can be seen tidying up their clothes after using the restroom. There’s also no real way to let off steam there 😉
Choose the version with the fireplace—whether with or without the fireplace itself.
Choose the version with the fireplace—whether with or without the fireplace itself.
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Schorsch_baut23 Mar 2023 09:14Friends of ours solved it by building a wall only 1.70 meters (5 feet 7 inches) high, and they placed the bed against this room divider. This allowed light to enter the dressing area while still being able to get dressed without disturbing the other person.
ypg schrieb:
I find the ground floor layout of the first option (without a fireplace) really problematic: no cozy living area, the dining table is cramped, and overall furniture blocks the patio doors… the highlight is the view of the coat rack from the sofa and the bathroom, where every guest can be seen tidying up their clothes after using the toilet. There’s also no real way to ventilate the room 😉
Go with the version that has the fireplace – whether with or without the actual fireplace.I had roughly recreated this myself and found the version with the sofa in the middle to feel more "organized" and calm when entering the living area. I hadn’t even considered the bathroom situation yet 😀
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