ᐅ Floor plan of a semi-detached house, 7 by 16 meters, on a 390-square-meter plot in a residential development
Created on: 8 Oct 2021 10:28
M
Marc1990
Hello everyone,
we are currently in the middle of planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, I don’t have the architect’s drawing yet, but I wanted to get your opinions already. I’m afraid the house might be too dark because of the north-facing side, so I actually want to include as many windows as possible.
Thanks in advance!
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 390
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary fully utilized
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: gable roof 38 degrees
Requirements of the builders
Style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, floors: ground floor, first floor, attic
Number of occupants, age: 4 (2 adults + 2 children aged 4 & 3), but more children are planned
Office: family use or home office?
Guest bedrooms per year: 5-10
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open & island
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Carport later: yes
Utility garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are desired or not: I would like everything open on the ground floor. Since we have the north side, I’m worried it will be too dark, so I try to plan windows everywhere or doors with side panels. The utility/technical room must be behind the kitchen. First floor: knee wall at 50cm (20 inches). 2 children’s bedrooms & 1 bedroom with walk-in closet. If more children come, the parents will move to the attic. I also want a laundry/utility room upstairs.
Attic: to be finished later.
House design
Planning by: self-planned
What do you particularly like? Why? Open, spacious living area
What do you not like? Why? Bathroom and toilet arrangement bothers me
Preferred heating system: not decided yet, probably heat pump
If you have to give up any details or additions
- can give up: upstairs utility room, freestanding bathtub
- cannot give up: kitchen layout, windows
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can I plan the windows better so it stays nice and bright? And I don’t like the bathroom 100%, would appreciate tips.
we are currently in the middle of planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, I don’t have the architect’s drawing yet, but I wanted to get your opinions already. I’m afraid the house might be too dark because of the north-facing side, so I actually want to include as many windows as possible.
Thanks in advance!
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 390
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary fully utilized
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: gable roof 38 degrees
Requirements of the builders
Style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, floors: ground floor, first floor, attic
Number of occupants, age: 4 (2 adults + 2 children aged 4 & 3), but more children are planned
Office: family use or home office?
Guest bedrooms per year: 5-10
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open & island
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Carport later: yes
Utility garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are desired or not: I would like everything open on the ground floor. Since we have the north side, I’m worried it will be too dark, so I try to plan windows everywhere or doors with side panels. The utility/technical room must be behind the kitchen. First floor: knee wall at 50cm (20 inches). 2 children’s bedrooms & 1 bedroom with walk-in closet. If more children come, the parents will move to the attic. I also want a laundry/utility room upstairs.
Attic: to be finished later.
House design
Planning by: self-planned
What do you particularly like? Why? Open, spacious living area
What do you not like? Why? Bathroom and toilet arrangement bothers me
Preferred heating system: not decided yet, probably heat pump
If you have to give up any details or additions
- can give up: upstairs utility room, freestanding bathtub
- cannot give up: kitchen layout, windows
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can I plan the windows better so it stays nice and bright? And I don’t like the bathroom 100%, would appreciate tips.
ypg schrieb:
Yes, it does feel a bit like a maze… however, an open hallway with a window reduces the feeling of confinement. I would rather give up some square meters in one room to ease the general sense of discomfort when going upstairs.
Otherwise, it also feels a lot like a showroom: downstairs it’s like Pinterest for the guests, and upstairs it’s a shoe box that’s hard to bear. Yes, that’s true; there still needs to be a solution for upstairs. I’ve added pictures downstairs… maybe this works better?
ypg schrieb:
Not at all, since everything is just meant to serve as a sketch.
Here is a more family-friendly version... planned from top to bottom:
[ATTACH alt="grundriss-Doppelhaushälfte-7x16m-auf-390qm-in-einer-siedlung-533009-1.png"]66022[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="grundriss-Doppelhaushälfte-7x16m-auf-390qm-in-einer-siedlung-533009-2.png"]66023[/ATTACH] Hmm, yes, it definitely looks better at the top now. How are the plans? See attachments.
I wouldn’t like the upper floor. Bedrooms are too narrow, and the double casement windows are not operable... If you like it? (The door to the utility room cannot be placed under a sloped ceiling, nor can the window in the gable.)
On the ground floor, I would make sure that you can’t see the car from the open-plan living area. Is the car parked at the front? Is an entrance canopy feasible?
On the ground floor, I would make sure that you can’t see the car from the open-plan living area. Is the car parked at the front? Is an entrance canopy feasible?
ypg schrieb:
I wouldn’t like the upper floor. Bedrooms are too narrow, and the double casement windows can’t be operated...
If you like it? (The door to the utility room can’t be placed under a sloping ceiling, and neither can windows in the gable)
On the ground floor, I would make sure that you don’t see the car from the open-plan area. Is the car parked at the front? Is an entrance canopy feasible? The windows are supposed to represent skylights; unfortunately, the app doesn’t have skylight options.
You could also add an external door to the utility room. But overall, it’s no dream plan. I actually liked the upper floor as it was before… especially because the stairs to the attic probably won’t work either, since they’re under the slope.
That’s why I will probably stick to my original plan and accept the narrow layout, because the upper floor is important too… even though I find the ground floor really perfect.
M
Myrna_Loy11 Oct 2021 15:15All these planning proposals are just shots in the dark, without knowing more about the basic conditions. For example, the possible ceiling heights should be known at such dimensions. When the maximum ceiling height is only 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in), you end up designing spaces reminiscent of subway underpasses. Especially when you have to work with north- and east-facing light. A dark, cool-feeling living area at the end of a long tunnel does not create a pleasant living atmosphere.
And it is clear, at the latest when facing the challenges of planning the upper floor, that this task is not suitable for “homeowner plans their own design” approaches.
I stick to my opinion that a shorter house with a finished attic—planned integrally from the start—offers more living and quality of life than maximizing the building envelope just because it is possible and one thinks that more is always better.
And it is clear, at the latest when facing the challenges of planning the upper floor, that this task is not suitable for “homeowner plans their own design” approaches.
I stick to my opinion that a shorter house with a finished attic—planned integrally from the start—offers more living and quality of life than maximizing the building envelope just because it is possible and one thinks that more is always better.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
All these planning suggestions are just guesses without knowing more about the basics. For example, the possible ceiling heights should also be known with dimensions like these. With a maximum ceiling height of 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in), you end up designing spaces that feel like subway underpasses. Especially if you have to work with north and east light. A dark, cool-feeling living space at the end of a long tunnel does not create a pleasant living atmosphere.
And it’s clear that this planning task is not suitable for “the owner plans it themselves” designs—this becomes obvious at the latest when dealing with the difficulties of planning the upper floor.
I stick to my assessment that a shorter house with a finished attic—planned integrally as part of the design!—offers more living and quality of life than maximizing the building footprint just because you can and think that more is better. What other information is needed?! The ceiling height is planned at 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in). We do not want to make the house shorter because I already barely have enough space for my needs and preferences. A shorter but wider house would of course be ideal. I just don’t have that option. I like the upper and attic floors as they are and would keep them without feeling bad about it. On the ground floor, I like the fully open layout; sure, the narrow corridor feeling bothers me too, but she also doesn’t like separating the living room from the kitchen/dining area. If I had the south side, I wouldn’t even think about it.
My MAIN PROBLEM is not the layout itself but rather that it will be too dark, and that’s why I want to make some changes to be able to plan more windows. But I want a door with a medium glass panel and a glass side panel on the west side so that I get some light there, too. I JUST HOPE that if it stays like this, it won’t be too dark. Somehow all the changes or attempts I started don’t really work.
My neighbor opposite, who has already built (I already had a look inside), has the south side but no windows on the south side at all. None on the north side either. On the west side, there are two large patio doors to the garden. And in the kitchen (which is NOT open) there is a window facing east. And I didn’t find it dark in terms of lighting. So I hope it will be acceptable for me too since I actually have more windows…
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