Hello,
I would like to introduce you to a project that has been developing in my mind for several years now. I look forward to your constructive feedback! First of all: the two views are not entirely up to date. Some windows have different sizes, for example, they are not all floor-to-ceiling. Also, the canopy does not extend to the bay window but ends at the “main facade.”
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: approx. 1250m² (square)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio
Plot ratio
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Boundary construction: the requirement is at least 3m (10 feet) distance from the neighbor’s property line, which we are complying with
Number of parking spaces: 2 mandatory parking spaces; planned are 2 either inside the garage or in front
Roof type: I’m not sure what it’s called, but it is definitely not a flat roof.
Orientation: the garage is on the north side, and the kitchen faces south. The street is a very quiet cul-de-sac running parallel to the house’s front.
Additional requirements: the distance from the property line at the street to the building must be 4m (13 feet); in the area of the office, it may be 3m (10 feet). Building is allowed up to 20m (66 feet) from the street into the property (minus the first 4m, so 16m). Sorry for the missing technical terms and the amateurish description!
Homeowner requirements
Basement, floors: two floors plus basement
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults (40), two children aged 3 and 6
Office: the upstairs office should also serve as a PC workstation. The ground floor office is primarily planned as a storage room but possibly also as a PC workstation.
Guest stays per year: currently none, but probably later when the children are older. They would sleep on extra beds in the children’s rooms. We do not want a separate guest room or guest bathroom/WC.
Open or closed architecture: rather closed. Originally, we thought about an open connection between dining and living room but decided against it, even though the door will mostly remain open. The same applies to the dining room – hallway passage.
Traditional or modern construction: I would describe it as rather traditional. Function over form.
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen facing the dining area, but intentionally no cooking island, rather a standing desk/bar with stools to allow for interaction.
Number of dining seats: at least 4, with the option to extend the table for family gatherings and similar occasions
Fireplace: yes, in the living room on the wall next to the stairs (plus another fireplace in the basement)
Music / stereo wall: no dedicated setup, only a TV in the living room with space for speakers on each side. In the bedroom, a place for a TV is planned in case we want to install one later. Each of the children’s rooms will have a TV.
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage yes; a carport possibly later.
Utility garden, greenhouse: regular garden with a pool adjacent to the living room/terrace
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions:
- Main terrace faces the garden and a small secondary terrace facing the street to enjoy the morning sun or to escape the hot afternoon sun in summer
- Second stairway leading to the basement (not to the upper floor!) to have quicker access from the garden to the workshop
- The WC behind the garage was an idea after removing the WC in the basement. It should also serve as a kind of mudroom after gardening or for the kids. The WC and stairway design are still a work in progress; this is just a snapshot.
- I couldn’t properly represent the wall thickness in my design program. The exterior walls are all 50cm (20 inches) brick; the interior walls are not yet defined individually.
House design
Who created the design: basically by us, now revised with an architect (and still in progress)
What do you like most? Why? The L-shape of the building, because it creates a nice, sheltered terrace and partially screens the garden from the street view.
What do you dislike? Why? The limited daylight in the hallway, especially on the ground floor. I plan to ease this by using glass panels in the doors. There is a window next to the elevator on the upper floor. I am also concerned about the relatively narrow children’s rooms and would appreciate your opinions about whether they are too “thin.”
If you have to give up certain details / add-ons
- can you give up: the WC behind the garage
- can you not give up: hmm…
Why is the design the way it is now?
As mentioned, I wanted an L-shape. The garage location on the north side was non-negotiable for me. The main entrance should also face north, sheltered from wind and rain. The WCs should be ventilated by windows, so not located in interior spaces. I had originally placed the kitchen near the living room to shorten the walk from the car to the kitchen but quickly abandoned that design. It is important for us to access both terraces quickly from the kitchen.
Regarding the upper floor: my wife wanted a small walk-in closet/dressing room, which resulted from the short corridor leading to the bedroom.
We wanted a parent and a children’s bathroom as well as separate toilets, but with the requirement that no toilet is directly inside a bathroom. I am personally not a fan of that due to odor reasons! Since both bathroom and WC should have windows, this was the compromise.
I would like the door from the hallway to the walk-in closet to open outward, but I fear this might cause conflicts with people and the stairs... Removing the door entirely is not an option since we do walk around naked here, and when friends of the children come over and pass by...
The door from the walk-in closet to the bedroom is not a must. It is more of a comfort factor, giving a sense that there is no dark corner in the room when sleeping, if you know what I mean.
I would like to introduce you to a project that has been developing in my mind for several years now. I look forward to your constructive feedback! First of all: the two views are not entirely up to date. Some windows have different sizes, for example, they are not all floor-to-ceiling. Also, the canopy does not extend to the bay window but ends at the “main facade.”
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: approx. 1250m² (square)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio
Plot ratio
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Boundary construction: the requirement is at least 3m (10 feet) distance from the neighbor’s property line, which we are complying with
Number of parking spaces: 2 mandatory parking spaces; planned are 2 either inside the garage or in front
Roof type: I’m not sure what it’s called, but it is definitely not a flat roof.
Orientation: the garage is on the north side, and the kitchen faces south. The street is a very quiet cul-de-sac running parallel to the house’s front.
Additional requirements: the distance from the property line at the street to the building must be 4m (13 feet); in the area of the office, it may be 3m (10 feet). Building is allowed up to 20m (66 feet) from the street into the property (minus the first 4m, so 16m). Sorry for the missing technical terms and the amateurish description!
Homeowner requirements
Basement, floors: two floors plus basement
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults (40), two children aged 3 and 6
Office: the upstairs office should also serve as a PC workstation. The ground floor office is primarily planned as a storage room but possibly also as a PC workstation.
Guest stays per year: currently none, but probably later when the children are older. They would sleep on extra beds in the children’s rooms. We do not want a separate guest room or guest bathroom/WC.
Open or closed architecture: rather closed. Originally, we thought about an open connection between dining and living room but decided against it, even though the door will mostly remain open. The same applies to the dining room – hallway passage.
Traditional or modern construction: I would describe it as rather traditional. Function over form.
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen facing the dining area, but intentionally no cooking island, rather a standing desk/bar with stools to allow for interaction.
Number of dining seats: at least 4, with the option to extend the table for family gatherings and similar occasions
Fireplace: yes, in the living room on the wall next to the stairs (plus another fireplace in the basement)
Music / stereo wall: no dedicated setup, only a TV in the living room with space for speakers on each side. In the bedroom, a place for a TV is planned in case we want to install one later. Each of the children’s rooms will have a TV.
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage yes; a carport possibly later.
Utility garden, greenhouse: regular garden with a pool adjacent to the living room/terrace
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions:
- Main terrace faces the garden and a small secondary terrace facing the street to enjoy the morning sun or to escape the hot afternoon sun in summer
- Second stairway leading to the basement (not to the upper floor!) to have quicker access from the garden to the workshop
- The WC behind the garage was an idea after removing the WC in the basement. It should also serve as a kind of mudroom after gardening or for the kids. The WC and stairway design are still a work in progress; this is just a snapshot.
- I couldn’t properly represent the wall thickness in my design program. The exterior walls are all 50cm (20 inches) brick; the interior walls are not yet defined individually.
House design
Who created the design: basically by us, now revised with an architect (and still in progress)
What do you like most? Why? The L-shape of the building, because it creates a nice, sheltered terrace and partially screens the garden from the street view.
What do you dislike? Why? The limited daylight in the hallway, especially on the ground floor. I plan to ease this by using glass panels in the doors. There is a window next to the elevator on the upper floor. I am also concerned about the relatively narrow children’s rooms and would appreciate your opinions about whether they are too “thin.”
If you have to give up certain details / add-ons
- can you give up: the WC behind the garage
- can you not give up: hmm…
Why is the design the way it is now?
As mentioned, I wanted an L-shape. The garage location on the north side was non-negotiable for me. The main entrance should also face north, sheltered from wind and rain. The WCs should be ventilated by windows, so not located in interior spaces. I had originally placed the kitchen near the living room to shorten the walk from the car to the kitchen but quickly abandoned that design. It is important for us to access both terraces quickly from the kitchen.
Regarding the upper floor: my wife wanted a small walk-in closet/dressing room, which resulted from the short corridor leading to the bedroom.
We wanted a parent and a children’s bathroom as well as separate toilets, but with the requirement that no toilet is directly inside a bathroom. I am personally not a fan of that due to odor reasons! Since both bathroom and WC should have windows, this was the compromise.
I would like the door from the hallway to the walk-in closet to open outward, but I fear this might cause conflicts with people and the stairs... Removing the door entirely is not an option since we do walk around naked here, and when friends of the children come over and pass by...
The door from the walk-in closet to the bedroom is not a must. It is more of a comfort factor, giving a sense that there is no dark corner in the room when sleeping, if you know what I mean.
This is one of those threads where I wonder why the profession of architects is so often doubted in terms of their expertise. No one would try to drill their own teeth, after all. So why do so many people consider themselves draftsmen?
I don’t mean this as mockery, even though it might sound that way, but as others have already suggested here: Make a very detailed written list of what you want for your house. If you have the budget to build a house costing seven figures, the planning stage shouldn’t fail because of the lack of an architect. You would be surprised by the ideas an architect comes up with that you would never have thought of yourself. That could save you square meters (square feet), and therefore money, and in addition, they think of things that you might not even realize you need yet.
I don’t mean this as mockery, even though it might sound that way, but as others have already suggested here: Make a very detailed written list of what you want for your house. If you have the budget to build a house costing seven figures, the planning stage shouldn’t fail because of the lack of an architect. You would be surprised by the ideas an architect comes up with that you would never have thought of yourself. That could save you square meters (square feet), and therefore money, and in addition, they think of things that you might not even realize you need yet.
The garage, due to its length, would normally not be allowed as a boundary wall construction in Germany, since it is longer than 9m (30 feet). At least, this rule applies in almost all development plans.
The home office on the ground floor is mainly intended for storage, as stated in post 1... wouldn’t the basement with over 60 sqm (645 sq ft) of storage space be sufficient? That is an unimaginable storage size for a typical household. Then there is also the laundry room in the basement... I would recommend installing a laundry chute somewhere in the upper floor for more central access.
If the home office is really going to be used for working from home, etc., I would separate it more from the children’s bedrooms, especially when located on the upper floor.
Also, for a house of this size, the staircase placement should be more deliberate. Regarding the elevator and the potential consequences, I would also increase the corridor widths to 150 cm (59 inches), not only the approximately 120 cm (47 inches) currently planned on the upper floor.
The home office on the ground floor is mainly intended for storage, as stated in post 1... wouldn’t the basement with over 60 sqm (645 sq ft) of storage space be sufficient? That is an unimaginable storage size for a typical household. Then there is also the laundry room in the basement... I would recommend installing a laundry chute somewhere in the upper floor for more central access.
If the home office is really going to be used for working from home, etc., I would separate it more from the children’s bedrooms, especially when located on the upper floor.
Also, for a house of this size, the staircase placement should be more deliberate. Regarding the elevator and the potential consequences, I would also increase the corridor widths to 150 cm (59 inches), not only the approximately 120 cm (47 inches) currently planned on the upper floor.
bwollowb schrieb:There are probably several options if you’re not already so fixed on your current plan.
Also, I wouldn’t know where to position the staircase as a straight run without losing space for the toilet.
W
WilderSueden4 Aug 2023 13:08kati1337 schrieb:
This is one of those threads where I wonder why the professional group of architects so often has their professional competence questioned. No one would start drilling on their own teeth, so why do so many people consider themselves draftsmen? I can understand that. What those outside the building profession usually see from architects are either some wild, star-architect designs (completely irrelevant for single-family homes), awful buildings where too much was overdesigned, or the typical cookie-cutter, characterless multi-family housing project. Maybe you even live in a house where the elevator can only be reached by stairs, and then you think, I could do better. I only learned to appreciate the value of an architect after some time here.
WilderSueden schrieb:
I can understand that. What non-homeowners usually see from architects are either some wild star designs (completely irrelevant for a single-family house), ugly buildings where there was too much unnecessary artistic flair, or the standard bland multilayer apartment building. Maybe you even live in a house where the elevator can only be accessed via stairs, and you think, I can do better. It took me quite some time here to truly appreciate the value of an architect. That is somewhat exaggerated but probably gets to the heart of the matter. For me(!), the classic “architect’s house” is a home completely out of place in its surroundings, maybe with a huge glass facade just to guarantee the wow factor. A soulless glass-and-concrete box that in no way reflects its inhabitants, but only serves as a monument to its creator. Extraordinary but impractical. That is my picture—I repeat: MY picture—of an architect’s house.
@kati1337 However, I don’t want to discredit the profession in general here! In recent times, and not least based on the contributions here, I have realized that it definitely makes sense to use their services. You just have to find the right one and not give up on yourself.
H
HeimatBauer4 Aug 2023 14:00bwollowb schrieb:
The decision to skip the balcony is intentional. We wouldn’t use it anyway, as we are absolute fans of terraces. Tip: You can do both. And even combine them very well. I have a large terrace and a very large balcony above it. There is also a sunshade partially stretched out on the balcony.
bwollowb schrieb:
Yes, I wanted to minimize the corridor areas. Is that wrong? In principle, no, but here it is, in my opinion, quite excessive, and many solutions possible in an 80m² (860 sq ft) house are not used – one area is extremely cramped and dark, while another is huge.
bwollowb schrieb:
In the basement, the passage through the two rooms is not my favorite part of the whole house, but it resulted from the L-shape, the planned use of the rooms, and again the reduction of corridor space. Well, it’s like that because it is drawn that way. That’s what I meant earlier: the reduction of corridor space is so extreme that nothing is left of the large rooms. This didn’t happen by chance; it’s because it was intended that way. If that’s not even your favorite part, why did you plan it that way? Because of those few square meters of corridor space?
For the size of the house, I find many areas incredibly tight.
bwollowb schrieb:
A guest room would be quite unnecessary for us; if needed, the office can be temporarily converted. Sure, when I lived in a 56m² (600 sq ft) apartment, I also occasionally accommodated guests in the office during Carnival. In this house, I see endless (although difficult-to-use) spaces, but the elements are placed rather disconnected from each other.
Sorry for the blunt words, you asked for feedback, here it is.
Again: I really appreciate how much time and energy you have invested in your own planning. If this is exactly how you want it, go ahead and build it that way — maybe it really will be your dream home.
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