ᐅ Floor plan for a 200 m² gable roof house on a 780 m² plot

Created on: 28 Oct 2022 12:33

Hello! We are currently on the third iteration of the plans for our house together with an architect. The two images below are based 90% on the architect’s proposals for the ground floor, while I have currently designed the upper floor myself. The orientation on the plot is fixed, meaning we get evening sun from the left side of the plan. At the moment, our terrace faces south, which is unbearable during summer, so we have moved the seating area to the northeast. That doesn’t bother us since we plan to have outdoor heaters anyway. The garage must remain on the left side of the plan because all utility connections are located there. The house will have an asymmetrical gable roof with a 35° pitch facing the street (southwest, for photovoltaic panels) and 25° facing the garden. The ridge runs parallel to the street. As a result, the garden side has almost no knee wall, while the street side is about 1.80 m (6 feet) high.

Here are the parameters first:

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 780 m² (approximately 8,400 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, setback line, and boundary: 5.5 meters (approximately 18 feet) to the street (especially in front of the garage, though currently not quite enough in the plan), 3 meters (approximately 10 feet) on the right side of the plan
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 2
Roof type: gable roof, pitch 25-35°
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: entrance 31° southwest
Maximum height / restrictions: two full storeys
Other requirements: none

Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, storeys: no basement, slightly less than two full storeys
Number of residents, age: 1x 38, 1x 31, 1x dog, possibly 1x child
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: based on individual rooms, total just under 200 m² (about 2,150 sq ft)
Office: space for two persons needed
Guest bedrooms per year: 2-3
Open or closed architecture: rather closed, kitchen to be separable, possibly with sliding door
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: “semi-open,” cooking island integrated in a U-shape
Number of dining seats: 8 in dining area, 3 in kitchen
Fireplace: at least pre-installed
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage on left side of plan, carport on right
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: maybe, garden is large enough
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things are wanted or not: direct access from garage to house

House Design
Who designed the plans? Architect + own modifications
What do you like most? Why? Entry area, access through the garage (dog cleaning area), lots of glass in the living room, covered seating area outside
What do you dislike? Why? Upper floor, rooms possibly too small, guest WC on ground floor actually too big due to recessed front door
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 700,000 € without land (land already owned)
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 700,000 €
Preferred heating technology: heat pump + photovoltaic

If you have to give up on which details / expansions
-can give up: living room size, bedroom size, possibly a child’s room (we only want one child anyway, but life happens…)
-can’t give up: pantry

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is this a coherent and well-functioning plan?

Here are the images

Floor plan of a house: bedroom, child 1, child 2/home office, dressing room, bathroom.

Kalimba28 Oct 2022 22:22

#13

Okay, I think it’s better to approach this differently than trying to adjust everything here and there. For clarity, here is a screenshot from Google Maps, the red area is ours. Unfortunately, I can’t zoom in any further.

Aerial view of a residential area with a red building footprint on the property

ypg schrieb:

…. Who here really thinks they are so interesting that passersby will stop?

🙄 Of course, I’m not expecting to become a tourist attraction. But I know from neighbors with living rooms facing the street and windows at about chest height that literally EVERYONE who walks by just stares inside. If I always have to keep the blinds down, then I don’t really need windows at all.

kbt0928 Oct 2022 22:53

#14

Kalimba schrieb:

Having the living room facing the street isn’t really an option, is it?

ypg schrieb:

Why not? Privacy can be provided by hedges or other landscaping; there are windows where you can’t easily see inside, and the simplest solution is just building further away from the property boundary. There are many practical options that haven’t been applied here. And…

What’s still missing is an accurate site plan showing the building envelope and its dimensions. Having all this scattered in various posts is very inconvenient, which is why it was recommended already in the opening post of the thread.

Now with a view from Google:

Kalimba schrieb:

because there’s a garage to the right of the plan and next to it a 2.5-story building.

Why not place your garage on the right side of the plan, where the taller building is anyway? And why is your garage designed to be 11.80 meters (39 feet) long? That shouldn’t be right on the property boundary. What is the reasoning behind the internal width of 4.4 meters (14.4 feet)?

The plot is about 20 meters (66 feet) wide and 35 meters (115 feet) deep. Why this rather square house shape instead of a longer one? For photovoltaic panels… an east-west orientation could also be considered and definitely should be evaluated.

K a t j a28 Oct 2022 22:53

#15

In the end, it seems that almost nothing remains of the architect’s original design. And, unsurprisingly, it’s exactly the changes you made that stand out to us. Maybe it’s better to leave this to a professional?
How wide is the plot of land at the street?

Kalimba28 Oct 2022 22:59

#16