ᐅ House Floor Plan with a Separate Apartment – Suggestions for Improvement?
Created on: 31 Aug 2022 12:31
M
MarlenP
Hello everyone,
we plan to build a house with two residential units on a 472m2 (5,079 sq ft) plot of land (Unit 1: 143.39m2 (1,543 sq ft) / Unit 2: 69.57m2 (749 sq ft)).
The second unit is intended for my parents, while the main unit is for my family, which includes my spouse and three children (ages 7, 13, and 17).
Since our plot is relatively small, we want to build a compact house to maximize the garden space.
We are currently in the final planning stage and would appreciate your feedback on our project.
We have a feeling that we might have overlooked some important aspects or not paid enough attention to certain details because our planning focus was mainly on the compactness of the house.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 472m2 (5,079 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Perimeter development: south and east
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hipped roof
Architectural style:
Orientation: south/west
Maximum heights / limits: 10m (33 ft)
Additional requirements
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: urban villa
Basement, number of storeys: no basement
Number of occupants and ages: Unit 1 – 5 people (ages 43, 38, 17, 13, 7); Unit 2 – 2 people, both over 60
Space needs on ground floor / upper floor:
Office: family use or home office? -
Number of guest stays per year: 2-3 times per year
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern build style: modern
Open kitchen, with or without island: open kitchen, no island
Number of dining seats: 5
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony or roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routines, also reasons why certain features are included or excluded
The house should be compact but still feel spacious.
House Design
Planning by:
- planner from a construction company
- architect: by the architect
- do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? It is a relatively small house with two residential units.
What do you dislike? Why? Maybe some rooms (children’s rooms and the rooms in the secondary unit) are too small?
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 600,000€
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: 650,000€
Preferred heating system: district heating
If you had to give up something, which details or expansions
- could you do without: basically nothing – we have already minimized everything.
- could you not do without: the planned number of rooms
Why did the design end up like it is? For example:
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Yes
A mix of many examples from various magazines…
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We wanted the house to be as compact as possible. Maybe we focused too much on compactness and neglected other important aspects.
What do you like about the house, what do you not like so much, and what would be unacceptable?
we plan to build a house with two residential units on a 472m2 (5,079 sq ft) plot of land (Unit 1: 143.39m2 (1,543 sq ft) / Unit 2: 69.57m2 (749 sq ft)).
The second unit is intended for my parents, while the main unit is for my family, which includes my spouse and three children (ages 7, 13, and 17).
Since our plot is relatively small, we want to build a compact house to maximize the garden space.
We are currently in the final planning stage and would appreciate your feedback on our project.
We have a feeling that we might have overlooked some important aspects or not paid enough attention to certain details because our planning focus was mainly on the compactness of the house.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 472m2 (5,079 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Perimeter development: south and east
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hipped roof
Architectural style:
Orientation: south/west
Maximum heights / limits: 10m (33 ft)
Additional requirements
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: urban villa
Basement, number of storeys: no basement
Number of occupants and ages: Unit 1 – 5 people (ages 43, 38, 17, 13, 7); Unit 2 – 2 people, both over 60
Space needs on ground floor / upper floor:
Office: family use or home office? -
Number of guest stays per year: 2-3 times per year
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern build style: modern
Open kitchen, with or without island: open kitchen, no island
Number of dining seats: 5
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony or roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routines, also reasons why certain features are included or excluded
The house should be compact but still feel spacious.
House Design
Planning by:
- planner from a construction company
- architect: by the architect
- do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? It is a relatively small house with two residential units.
What do you dislike? Why? Maybe some rooms (children’s rooms and the rooms in the secondary unit) are too small?
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 600,000€
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: 650,000€
Preferred heating system: district heating
If you had to give up something, which details or expansions
- could you do without: basically nothing – we have already minimized everything.
- could you not do without: the planned number of rooms
Why did the design end up like it is? For example:
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Yes
A mix of many examples from various magazines…
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We wanted the house to be as compact as possible. Maybe we focused too much on compactness and neglected other important aspects.
What do you like about the house, what do you not like so much, and what would be unacceptable?
kbt09 schrieb:
And, it’s just the case that each stair with its landing per floor costs around 4 to 5 square meters (43 to 54 square feet).
Wouldn’t it be possible to accommodate the brother from your apartment and completely avoid the second staircase? Then the multipurpose room in the secondary apartment could be extended by the entire hallway area. @Würfel* ... thanks for illustrating
Würfel* schrieb:
I’d like to add an idea where there is only one staircase serving two residential units on the upper floor. The brother’s room and bathroom could be used by family members or guests when the brother is not there. However, since the brother will also need to eat somewhere, he will probably always join the parents at the dining table, so the 70cm (28 inches) table and the 200cm (79 inches) kitchen counter wouldn’t really work. There would be significantly more space in the granny flat here:
[ATTACH alt="grundriss-haus-mit-elw-verbesserungsvorschlaege-594201-1.png"]74618[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="1662549485650.png"]74616[/ATTACH]Thanks, "Würfel," for this drawing. It clearly shows that if the staircase inside the granny flat is removed, there is considerably more space in the living room (which several people here have mentioned multiple times). Unfortunately, having my brother live with us when he visits is not an option. Our apartment is already quite full with three children and two adults, and having one more person in the house would increase the stress factor. However, my parents want the brother to live with them.
Speaking of my parents, they have been involved in the planning from the very beginning. Yes, it is true that they would have preferred a slightly larger living room—around 24m² (258 sq ft)—but they accepted the final plan. We all would have liked a bigger house, but unfortunately, the budget doesn’t allow for it. Maintaining the family bond as it currently is very important to my parents.
K a t j a schrieb:
To sum it up: everyone wants to live, cook, and eat on the lower level; the floors/units should be separable later; the granny flat needs at least 3 rooms; the other family requires a minimum of 4 bedrooms; there must be at least 2 parking spaces with a 5m (16 feet) distance from the street; the utility room (HAR) has to be accessible from the street on the ground floor. The terraces also need to be accommodated somewhere—please mark them on your plan with a 3m (10 feet) setback from the property boundary! (This is often overlooked and goes uncommented.) All this on this poorly shaped, tiny lot.
My sincere advice to you: sell the plot and look for one that offers the possibilities you want. Thank you, Katja, that is very well summarized. Since it has been asked a few times how old the seniors are—my mother is 68 and my father is 72. Both are healthy, lively, and fairly active; therefore, they would like to have a small part of the garden to plant something and have a little activity. We will separate the garden area for them.
K a t j a schrieb:
My sincere advice to you: sell the plot and look for one that offers the possibilities you want. Unfortunately, that is no longer an option because we simply won’t be able to find another plot.
Nemesis schrieb:
You’re avoiding the question.
This does not answer the question that has been asked here repeatedly and just as often ignored by you:
What do your parents think about this floor plan, about having to “live” on 20m2 (215 sq ft) for the next 20 years? Can they imagine what an open-plan space combining kitchen and living room of 20m2 (215 sq ft) means, and do they know they’ll have to eat at the TV table? K a t j a schrieb:
We’re adding an external spiral staircase to the balcony (-> google). 🙂
And I rotated the whole layout again—the terrace orientation on the ground floor was wrong:
[ATTACH alt="2-family-house-ground-floor.jpg"]74606[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="2-family-house-upper-floor.jpg"]74607[/ATTACH] I quite like this design—especially because the house is fairly compact, which leaves some garden space. I also like the idea of a staircase leading directly from the living room into the garden. It’s good that there is only one main entrance, which saves space and also means a shorter route from the garage into the house. What I do miss, however, is a small storage room on the upper floor. Could you please provide the dimensions of the individual rooms?
By the way, are you an architect?
MarlenP schrieb:
Unfortunately, having my brother live with us when he’s here is not an option for us.He doesn’t actually live with you. He uses the staircase, which is outside your living area, goes up to the small hallway, and then immediately turns into his "granny flat." Your area upstairs would also be separated from your brother’s by a door. You were willing to share the entrance area downstairs with your parents and your brother, right? So you’re just sharing it with your brother? But if you’re already okay with living only on the upper floor, then that’s fine. Although I think it’s pretty tight for five people. In contrast, your parents would have plenty of space 😀Würfel* schrieb:
He doesn't live with you. He goes up the stairs, which are outside your living area, into the small hallway and then directly into his "granny flat" (or secondary suite). Your area upstairs would also be separated from your brother’s by a door. You were willing to share the entrance area downstairs with your parents and brother, right? So now you only share it with your brother? 😀That’s a clever solution—I hadn’t noticed it that way. I’ll discuss it with my husband tonight. Unfortunately, like always, there are a few disadvantages with this layout: 1. We don’t have a utility room upstairs, and 2. The brother’s bathroom is internal (without a window).
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