Hello,
I have been following this forum for a while, and now we have purchased a plot of land and are planning to build a house on it.
Questionnaire:
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size = 525 m2 (5650 sq ft)
Slope – 1 m (3 ft) elevation difference downward towards the south
Site coverage ratio = 0.4
Floor area ratio unknown
Building envelope, building line and boundary = Plot 18.2 x 29 m (60 x 95 ft), building envelope 12.2 x 20 m (40 x 66 ft). Similar plots on the left and right (new development area)
Edge development = No
Number of parking spaces = 2
Number of floors = 2
Roof pitch = 25–45 degrees
Style = Modern, timeless
Orientation = unknown
Maximum heights / limits = Eaves height 4.5 m (15 ft), ridge height 8.5 m (28 ft). Since eaves height is measured from the base reference height, which is 1.5 m (5 ft) above ground level, we can build two full stories.
Homeowner requirements
Style, roof type, building type = Modern, straight and practical. Gable roof oriented east–west (with photovoltaic panels).
Basement, floors = No basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age = 2 adults (around 50), 2 teenagers
Space requirements ground floor (GF), upper floor (UF)
Office: family use or home office? = Home office 4 days a week, requires a dedicated room.
Guests per year = Several, family lives far away and often stays for 1–3 weeks at a time.
Open or closed architecture = Open
Conservative or modern design = Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island = Yes!
Number of dining seats = About 6
Fireplace = Yes, small masonry stove
Music / stereo wall = No, no TV on the ground floor either
Balcony, roof terrace = Yes
Garage, carport = Yes
Utility garden, greenhouse = No, rather flowers and nature, small but nice.
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something is or isn’t wanted
We enjoy cooking; the kitchen should be the centerpiece. Inside and outside should feel connected. Lots of natural light, no roller shutters.
The ground floor should be accessible and age-appropriate, not just for us but also so that a grandparent could live there someday (then we could use the upper floor). Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
A southern view (fields and forest) is important.
The upper “chill room” should be designed so that a kitchen can be installed later if a child or grandparent wants/needs to live there independently.
We want to build the house from solid wood, though the exact type is not decided yet.
Possibly a polished concrete floor on the ground floor, parquet or similar upstairs. Ground floor ceiling height 2.7 m (9 ft) – is that sufficient? For the ceiling thickness, I have currently planned 40 cm (16 in) using glued solid wood panels (no beams). The upper floor ceiling height can be lower since these rooms are smaller.
Garage is less for a car and more intended as a double carport.
House design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why? Ground floor with easy access to the terrace and garden and a private southern view, covered terrace (usable even in rain). Kitchen near the west terrace with its own access.
What do you dislike? Why? The upper floor feels a bit too large, but this results from the ground floor layout (compromise). Also, I think the staircase doesn’t have enough space.
Cost estimate from architect/planner: We haven’t reached that stage yet, I currently estimate about 2500–3000 Euros/sqm (230–280 USD/sq ft).
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: less than 600K (plot already paid for, terrace and carport I can do myself)
Preferred heating system: Air-source heat pump with underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, what would it be?
- Can give up: Living space, kitchen island
- Cannot give up: Barrier-free accessibility on the ground floor
Why is the design like it is now?
Days of careful planning and adjustments.
What is the most important basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we reduce the house size or cost without losing ground floor functionality (barrier-free)? We worry about costs (maybe unnecessarily). Any other cost drivers you see? (Apart from masonry stove and too much glazing). General feedback is welcome.
(I’m not a native speaker, please excuse any spelling mistakes.)
Thanks to all!
I have been following this forum for a while, and now we have purchased a plot of land and are planning to build a house on it.
Questionnaire:
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size = 525 m2 (5650 sq ft)
Slope – 1 m (3 ft) elevation difference downward towards the south
Site coverage ratio = 0.4
Floor area ratio unknown
Building envelope, building line and boundary = Plot 18.2 x 29 m (60 x 95 ft), building envelope 12.2 x 20 m (40 x 66 ft). Similar plots on the left and right (new development area)
Edge development = No
Number of parking spaces = 2
Number of floors = 2
Roof pitch = 25–45 degrees
Style = Modern, timeless
Orientation = unknown
Maximum heights / limits = Eaves height 4.5 m (15 ft), ridge height 8.5 m (28 ft). Since eaves height is measured from the base reference height, which is 1.5 m (5 ft) above ground level, we can build two full stories.
Homeowner requirements
Style, roof type, building type = Modern, straight and practical. Gable roof oriented east–west (with photovoltaic panels).
Basement, floors = No basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age = 2 adults (around 50), 2 teenagers
Space requirements ground floor (GF), upper floor (UF)
Office: family use or home office? = Home office 4 days a week, requires a dedicated room.
Guests per year = Several, family lives far away and often stays for 1–3 weeks at a time.
Open or closed architecture = Open
Conservative or modern design = Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island = Yes!
Number of dining seats = About 6
Fireplace = Yes, small masonry stove
Music / stereo wall = No, no TV on the ground floor either
Balcony, roof terrace = Yes
Garage, carport = Yes
Utility garden, greenhouse = No, rather flowers and nature, small but nice.
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something is or isn’t wanted
We enjoy cooking; the kitchen should be the centerpiece. Inside and outside should feel connected. Lots of natural light, no roller shutters.
The ground floor should be accessible and age-appropriate, not just for us but also so that a grandparent could live there someday (then we could use the upper floor). Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
A southern view (fields and forest) is important.
The upper “chill room” should be designed so that a kitchen can be installed later if a child or grandparent wants/needs to live there independently.
We want to build the house from solid wood, though the exact type is not decided yet.
Possibly a polished concrete floor on the ground floor, parquet or similar upstairs. Ground floor ceiling height 2.7 m (9 ft) – is that sufficient? For the ceiling thickness, I have currently planned 40 cm (16 in) using glued solid wood panels (no beams). The upper floor ceiling height can be lower since these rooms are smaller.
Garage is less for a car and more intended as a double carport.
House design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why? Ground floor with easy access to the terrace and garden and a private southern view, covered terrace (usable even in rain). Kitchen near the west terrace with its own access.
What do you dislike? Why? The upper floor feels a bit too large, but this results from the ground floor layout (compromise). Also, I think the staircase doesn’t have enough space.
Cost estimate from architect/planner: We haven’t reached that stage yet, I currently estimate about 2500–3000 Euros/sqm (230–280 USD/sq ft).
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: less than 600K (plot already paid for, terrace and carport I can do myself)
Preferred heating system: Air-source heat pump with underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, what would it be?
- Can give up: Living space, kitchen island
- Cannot give up: Barrier-free accessibility on the ground floor
Why is the design like it is now?
Days of careful planning and adjustments.
What is the most important basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we reduce the house size or cost without losing ground floor functionality (barrier-free)? We worry about costs (maybe unnecessarily). Any other cost drivers you see? (Apart from masonry stove and too much glazing). General feedback is welcome.
(I’m not a native speaker, please excuse any spelling mistakes.)
Thanks to all!
O
os24laenger3 Dec 2021 12:1411ant schrieb:
I guess you used a similarly, let’s say, "unusual" calculation model for visualizing the staircase as in the drawing. Yes, the steps/staircase are symbolic; I only calculated the angles (30-35 degrees, about 4 m (13 feet) staircase length) and stretched the whole thing accordingly.
The entrance area works much better this way, but compared to the great open kitchen/living/dining space, it still feels somewhat cramped, sorry. If it is to remain as is, the wall between the hallway and the utility room or bedroom could be moved to the right as planned, aligning with the WC wall. The area where the doors currently open can't really be used, so you could place the WC under the stairs and shift the door to the right. However, I’m not sure if making incremental improvements is enough, or if the first third of the ground floor should be considered together with the upper floor and possibly completely rearranged.
For example, I’m still not a fan of the en-suite bathroom because it takes up a lot of space and limits the flexible use of the bedroom. However, I understand that you don’t want to go through the hallway from the bedroom to the bathroom… so why not have the bedrooms upstairs and a combined guest/workroom downstairs? It’s a common solution, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. It definitely fits better with how the space would be used during the day.
Another bold move would be to relocate the connections and building services to the garage (if possible).
For example, I’m still not a fan of the en-suite bathroom because it takes up a lot of space and limits the flexible use of the bedroom. However, I understand that you don’t want to go through the hallway from the bedroom to the bathroom… so why not have the bedrooms upstairs and a combined guest/workroom downstairs? It’s a common solution, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. It definitely fits better with how the space would be used during the day.
Another bold move would be to relocate the connections and building services to the garage (if possible).
O
os24laenger9 Dec 2021 16:47Hangman schrieb:
For example, I’m still not a fan of the en-suite bathroom because it takes up a lot of space and limits the flexible use of the bedroom. But I understand that you don’t want to go from the bedroom through the hallway to the bathroom... so why not have the sleeping area upstairs and a combined guest/workroom downstairs? It’s common practice, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Yes, that’s how we currently have it. As long as the children are still young (<20 years old), it works well, but that won’t last much longer, and I’m not building for that phase. When they eventually live upstairs with a partner and/or grandchild OR grandma/grandpa, in my opinion, you need separation; otherwise, there will be conflicts at some point.
Combined guest/workroom? > We have that now as well, which currently means that guests (family staying longer) sleep in our bedroom, while we use the study because I have to work, and the guests otherwise have no private space to rest (nap time or similar) or even sleep in late; it’s not ideal.
In the last few days I changed the plan again: I removed the pantry, placed the bathrooms next to each other upstairs, made the kitchen larger, and the overall house is now 75cm (30 inches) shorter (yes, to save costs 🙂. The hallway is still narrow but larger than our current hallway.
O
os24laenger9 Jan 2022 18:07And tuned a bit more: on the ground floor only one toilet left, one less room upstairs, and the house has become slightly smaller overall. Unfortunately, the technical room has also become somewhat smaller again.
O
os24laenger31 Jan 2022 15:22Here is another update to give you something to laugh about again 🙂.
The floor plan has been significantly redesigned; the upper floor’s footprint was reduced by adding an extension on the ground floor. The requirements for the upper floor were further reduced, combining the guest, lounge, and home office into one room. Moving in grandparents is planned only when at least one child has moved out. The garage was removed, replaced by a simple “shed,” and the carport was optimized to reduce the amount of paving needed.
All in all, we are quite satisfied, but maybe someone will still spot a potential problem area.
The floor plan has been significantly redesigned; the upper floor’s footprint was reduced by adding an extension on the ground floor. The requirements for the upper floor were further reduced, combining the guest, lounge, and home office into one room. Moving in grandparents is planned only when at least one child has moved out. The garage was removed, replaced by a simple “shed,” and the carport was optimized to reduce the amount of paving needed.
All in all, we are quite satisfied, but maybe someone will still spot a potential problem area.
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