ᐅ Terraced Corner House Floor Plan in Development – Any Suggestions for Changes?
Created on: 20 Aug 2022 21:05
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Bauherrin123
Hello dear forum members,
we are building an end-terrace house measuring 7 by 10 m (23 by 33 ft) without a basement. It will have 2 full floors and an attic above. Now the question is which roof we should have. I was shown a house with a 38-degree gable roof without a knee wall, which I found very nice in terms of the feeling of space. Now we have been informed that only a 35-degree gable roof is allowed for us, but with a 30 cm (12 inches) knee wall. What I didn’t realize was that our attic has a maximum height of only 63 cm (25 inches). So the attic space is very low. Now I have no basement and hardly any storage space and I’m a bit frustrated because the building permit application is now in front of me. I initially agreed that this was okay, but I would prefer a 1 m (3 ft) knee wall. The development plan only allows a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches). I’m really unsure what to choose... I don’t want to spend unnecessary money if it doesn’t make a big difference since we have a very large plot and can build storage in the garage, barn, or garden house...
What would you do?
A. 38-degree gable roof or
B. 35-degree gable roof with 30 cm (12 inches) knee wall or
C. 35-degree gable roof with 1 m (3 ft) knee wall, applying to the city office...
We would need to submit a request to the building authority to increase the knee wall to 1 m (3 ft), which would mean more effort, bureaucracy, and delays... I don’t know what it would cost or if it’s even possible, but it’s weighing on my mind because I only read online about people who built houses with a knee wall on the attic. The extra cost of $3,000–$5,000, if that’s roughly the amount, would be worth it to me if it creates nicer rooms and I get a higher attic for storage.
The second problem is that the plot is much lower than street level. We are paying an extra €10,000 to fill the plot with gravel up to street level. Now the house will be built just slightly above street level, so there will be a step at the entrance. There will be a total of 3 terraced houses, and we have the end house. In our row, two finished terraced houses from other builders are already standing next to ours. However, these are built 1 m (3 ft) above street level with 3 or 4 steps higher, so they probably look taller overall. I find this visually unappealing and also, personally, I want our house to be higher.
What are your thoughts on this?
I’m also uploading my floor plan, which I think is finished. I don’t understand how high the ceilings are; can someone tell from the plans? Inside the rooms, how high are they? And generally, do you notice anything about the floor plan?
My building permit application is ready, but I want to change it after all. It doesn’t suit me, and I’m sure it will cause trouble with the company if they have to make changes for us, but I want to be able to decide again and just need some feedback here.
Looking forward to your support!
Best regards
we are building an end-terrace house measuring 7 by 10 m (23 by 33 ft) without a basement. It will have 2 full floors and an attic above. Now the question is which roof we should have. I was shown a house with a 38-degree gable roof without a knee wall, which I found very nice in terms of the feeling of space. Now we have been informed that only a 35-degree gable roof is allowed for us, but with a 30 cm (12 inches) knee wall. What I didn’t realize was that our attic has a maximum height of only 63 cm (25 inches). So the attic space is very low. Now I have no basement and hardly any storage space and I’m a bit frustrated because the building permit application is now in front of me. I initially agreed that this was okay, but I would prefer a 1 m (3 ft) knee wall. The development plan only allows a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches). I’m really unsure what to choose... I don’t want to spend unnecessary money if it doesn’t make a big difference since we have a very large plot and can build storage in the garage, barn, or garden house...
What would you do?
A. 38-degree gable roof or
B. 35-degree gable roof with 30 cm (12 inches) knee wall or
C. 35-degree gable roof with 1 m (3 ft) knee wall, applying to the city office...
We would need to submit a request to the building authority to increase the knee wall to 1 m (3 ft), which would mean more effort, bureaucracy, and delays... I don’t know what it would cost or if it’s even possible, but it’s weighing on my mind because I only read online about people who built houses with a knee wall on the attic. The extra cost of $3,000–$5,000, if that’s roughly the amount, would be worth it to me if it creates nicer rooms and I get a higher attic for storage.
The second problem is that the plot is much lower than street level. We are paying an extra €10,000 to fill the plot with gravel up to street level. Now the house will be built just slightly above street level, so there will be a step at the entrance. There will be a total of 3 terraced houses, and we have the end house. In our row, two finished terraced houses from other builders are already standing next to ours. However, these are built 1 m (3 ft) above street level with 3 or 4 steps higher, so they probably look taller overall. I find this visually unappealing and also, personally, I want our house to be higher.
What are your thoughts on this?
I’m also uploading my floor plan, which I think is finished. I don’t understand how high the ceilings are; can someone tell from the plans? Inside the rooms, how high are they? And generally, do you notice anything about the floor plan?
My building permit application is ready, but I want to change it after all. It doesn’t suit me, and I’m sure it will cause trouble with the company if they have to make changes for us, but I want to be able to decide again and just need some feedback here.
Looking forward to your support!
Best regards
You don’t have a basement and have no experience with children yet. Your storage room on the ground floor level will also need to accommodate mops, vacuum cleaners, and similar items. Think about drink supplies, etc.
With children, you really have a lot of outerwear.
I would actually consider narrowing the kitchen in favor of a good hallway closet.
Also, these are shell construction dimensions, so it’s probably closer to 320 cm (126 inches) rather than 326 cm (128 inches). With children, you’ll also have Tripp Trapp chairs, and somehow you are having an elaborate floor-to-ceiling bay window built, which might restrict its use.
Sofa placement… definitely keep in mind that the entrance at the top left then has the door that opens first on the left side, not on the right side as currently drawn. Don’t postpone such matters; always have them drawn and documented correctly from the start.
With children, you really have a lot of outerwear.
I would actually consider narrowing the kitchen in favor of a good hallway closet.
Also, these are shell construction dimensions, so it’s probably closer to 320 cm (126 inches) rather than 326 cm (128 inches). With children, you’ll also have Tripp Trapp chairs, and somehow you are having an elaborate floor-to-ceiling bay window built, which might restrict its use.
Sofa placement… definitely keep in mind that the entrance at the top left then has the door that opens first on the left side, not on the right side as currently drawn. Don’t postpone such matters; always have them drawn and documented correctly from the start.
If we keep looking at it for a while, more things will come to mind. 😀
In my case, all the heating circuit manifolds are installed inside the walls, not in front of them. Usually, the mason creates an opening in the wall for this, as long as it doesn’t cause any structural issues. I would definitely follow up on that.
In my case, all the heating circuit manifolds are installed inside the walls, not in front of them. Usually, the mason creates an opening in the wall for this, as long as it doesn’t cause any structural issues. I would definitely follow up on that.
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Bauherrin12321 Aug 2022 19:48K a t j a schrieb:
If we keep looking at it for a while, more things will come to mind. 😀
In my case, all heating manifold panels are installed inside the walls rather than in front of them. The bricklayer usually leaves an opening in the wall for this, as long as it doesn’t affect structural integrity. I would definitely ask about that. That’s good,... I can have everything corrected later, so bring on your feedback :-D
Bauherrin123 schrieb:
That’s good,... I can have everything corrected later,... so bring on your criticism :-DWell, I think the main mistakes have been addressed. If it were mine, I would still change the following:- The kids’ room should get a second window facing southwest.
- The bathroom in the attic should have a window in the gable, arranged something like this:
This might not seem important now since you haven’t placed the walls and sanitary fixtures yet. But when you get to that stage, you might regret not having planned it through and having only a double casement window. Also, the connections might then be in the wrong place.
The exterior views should, of course, remain consistent.
Bauherrin123 schrieb:
I need to have the architect explain that to me, I don’t understand where you can read it and where the step is, basically, at the exit to the balcony?The parapet height is marked as 25cm (10 inches) in your floor plan.
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Bauherrin12321 Aug 2022 23:40K a t j a schrieb:
Well, I think the biggest issues have been addressed. If it were my house, I would still change:
- The children’s room should get a second window on the southwest side
- The bathroom in the attic should have a window in the gable, arranged more like this:
[ATTACH alt="grundriss-reiheneckhaus-in-planung-aenderungsvorschlaege-591372-1.jpg"]74155[/ATTACH]
This might not seem important now since you haven’t positioned the walls and plumbing fixtures yet. But when the time comes, you might regret not having planned ahead and only having a double casement window. Also, the connections might then be in the wrong place.
Of course, the exterior views should remain harmonious. That’s really the question – the furniture in the children’s room is just placed like that for now. Since I don’t have children or furniture yet, I haven’t planned anything for that. However, I had the gable window removed both in the children’s room and in the attic because I thought there wouldn’t be enough wall space left to put anything against. Now I’m not so sure if they should be put back in after all, especially in the children’s room. I saw at a friend’s place that the room got enough light from just that one, fairly large window. I wanted to put a corner cabinet where the gable window was, so I had the window removed. It’s the same in the attic. Maybe I should mention that we had plumbing connections installed for the bathroom in the attic for about 700 euros, but it will actually be my office. My friends only had a gable window there, but I thought that would allow for fewer furnishings. I’m thinking of having a roof window in the sloped ceiling instead, where you can hardly put anything anyway, so I wouldn’t lose any more wall space. The bathroom’s plumbing connections can’t be moved around freely either, because otherwise the architect kept drawing drains and pipes through the children’s room. That’s why I decided on this option. I’m also wondering whether I should even have the plumbing connections installed. We don’t plan to build a bathroom there for ourselves; I just thought it might increase the house’s value with little expense.
Thank you very much to everyone. I’ve already put all your comments into an email for the architect. I’m going to go through the forum again to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything… then I’ll probably send it off tonight, or rather, my husband will :-D
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