Hello everyone,
After 10 months, we (my wife, daughter, and I) are now focusing more intensively on our building project.
We have received several offers by now. Since the floor plan I created myself had to be slightly adjusted by the architect due to structural requirements, I would like to get some suggestions from you.
It is very important to us to build naturally. Therefore, we have been in contact with several local timber construction companies. We plan a single-family wooden house with natural insulation materials (KfW 70 standard, preferably better), a basement with a separate entrance, pellet heating system, and a photovoltaic system. Approximately 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) of living space (we plan 3 children, one is already here at a proud 2.5 years old).
Half of the attic (up to the middle wall) will be available as an attic storage area, accessible via a retractable staircase in the hallway. The other half (above the children’s bedrooms) will partly have an exposed roof structure and partly a ceiling. The covered part will be accessible with the help of a step ladder and serve as a play and storage area.
Now to my main questions:
Basement utility room:
- Should the washing machine/dryer remain in the utility room, or as originally planned, be located in the shower/toilet room on the ground floor?
I need about 6-7 m³ (212-247 cubic feet) of space for pellet storage (this volume was sufficient for about 16 months in the house of my father). The rest of the room should be free for the heating system (so approximately 13.5 m² / 145 sq ft remain).
Living/dining room on the ground floor:
- Should the door to the hallway be moved about 1 meter (3 feet)? The idea is that moving it would give me more space for the TV wall/bookshelf.
- Should the wall next to the fireplace be aligned flush with the upper wall, meaning moved 30 cm (12 inches) to the left and shortened by 60 cm (24 inches) at the same time? According to the architect, this is doable and would open up the space.
- Should the kitchen be shortened by one unit (60 cm / 24 inches)? This would make room for, for example, 2 bar stools for a quick breakfast (a wish from my wife). There would still be enough space for the dining table, which would be moved into the corner with a corner bench.
- Large window area: double French doors or sliding doors? (In my opinion, double French doors would be more practical and cost-effective.)
Children’s rooms upstairs:
- Where should the ladder to the play area be placed? Fixed or movable?
Outside:
- Should the entire corner be clad with rusticated cladding or only the upper half? We are completely undecided.
- Windows made of larch wood or colored uPVC? (Clear wood would cost me almost 5,000 more, but we are still unsure.)
If anyone has questions or suggestions, please feel free to share.
Best regards,
Zeiti
After 10 months, we (my wife, daughter, and I) are now focusing more intensively on our building project.
We have received several offers by now. Since the floor plan I created myself had to be slightly adjusted by the architect due to structural requirements, I would like to get some suggestions from you.
It is very important to us to build naturally. Therefore, we have been in contact with several local timber construction companies. We plan a single-family wooden house with natural insulation materials (KfW 70 standard, preferably better), a basement with a separate entrance, pellet heating system, and a photovoltaic system. Approximately 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) of living space (we plan 3 children, one is already here at a proud 2.5 years old).
Half of the attic (up to the middle wall) will be available as an attic storage area, accessible via a retractable staircase in the hallway. The other half (above the children’s bedrooms) will partly have an exposed roof structure and partly a ceiling. The covered part will be accessible with the help of a step ladder and serve as a play and storage area.
Now to my main questions:
Basement utility room:
- Should the washing machine/dryer remain in the utility room, or as originally planned, be located in the shower/toilet room on the ground floor?
I need about 6-7 m³ (212-247 cubic feet) of space for pellet storage (this volume was sufficient for about 16 months in the house of my father). The rest of the room should be free for the heating system (so approximately 13.5 m² / 145 sq ft remain).
Living/dining room on the ground floor:
- Should the door to the hallway be moved about 1 meter (3 feet)? The idea is that moving it would give me more space for the TV wall/bookshelf.
- Should the wall next to the fireplace be aligned flush with the upper wall, meaning moved 30 cm (12 inches) to the left and shortened by 60 cm (24 inches) at the same time? According to the architect, this is doable and would open up the space.
- Should the kitchen be shortened by one unit (60 cm / 24 inches)? This would make room for, for example, 2 bar stools for a quick breakfast (a wish from my wife). There would still be enough space for the dining table, which would be moved into the corner with a corner bench.
- Large window area: double French doors or sliding doors? (In my opinion, double French doors would be more practical and cost-effective.)
Children’s rooms upstairs:
- Where should the ladder to the play area be placed? Fixed or movable?
Outside:
- Should the entire corner be clad with rusticated cladding or only the upper half? We are completely undecided.
- Windows made of larch wood or colored uPVC? (Clear wood would cost me almost 5,000 more, but we are still unsure.)
If anyone has questions or suggestions, please feel free to share.
Best regards,
Zeiti
Oh yes: regarding the fireplace --> we are undecided whether to keep the pellet heating fully automated in the basement or to have a small visible fireplace (freestanding unit about 0.6 x 0.7 m (2 x 2.3 ft)) in the living room. In the living room, the waste heat would contribute to heating most of the space...
Is this an either-or situation, or is it an addition? Since you rarely need direct heating (new houses are so well insulated that you hardly need heating), it’s mostly just for appearance. You still need to provide hot water, even in summer. But there shouldn’t be anything running in the living room then, right?
Wastl schrieb:
Is it one or the other — or an additional option? Since direct heating is rarely needed (new houses are so well insulated that you hardly need heat), it’s mainly for aesthetics. You still need to provide hot water, even in summer. But nothing should be running in the living room then, right? Sorry, I actually wanted to stop the post because there were too many general statements. What stuck with me about our house is this: we don’t need it for heating, almost all stoves have more power than our heating demand requires, for us it’s purely an aesthetic, cozy feeling factor. In other words: a decision of the heart, not the head.
That’s why on the ground floor there is still an office/guest room/children’s room. 🙂
It takes quite a while until the kids are old enough to need their own rooms. And then I’ll just give up my “office” for 2–3 years.
It worked perfectly with my parents who had 3 boys. I myself shared a room with my brother until I was 12 years old. No problems at all. 🙂
It takes quite a while until the kids are old enough to need their own rooms. And then I’ll just give up my “office” for 2–3 years.
It worked perfectly with my parents who had 3 boys. I myself shared a room with my brother until I was 12 years old. No problems at all. 🙂
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