ᐅ Floor plan of a semi-detached house, 2.5 stories plus usable basement
Created on: 28 Mar 2022 11:37
C
corby_81
Hello everyone,
we are planning to build a semi-detached house with 2.5 stories plus a basement. We have received a first draft from the general contractor and would like to discuss it with you.
The floors are divided as follows:
Basement = utility cellar
Ground floor = living/dining + kitchen + WC + storage
Upper floor = 2 large children's rooms + family bathroom
Attic = bedroom + office + WC/bathroom
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 420 sqm (4521 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not specified
Parking spaces: carport + 1 parking space
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof, 35 degrees
Style: semi-detached house
Orientation: southeast
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height = 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in), overall height = 10 m (32 ft 10 in), max width = 9 m (29 ft 6 in). Due to the overall height limit and the 35-degree roof pitch, the max depth = 10 m (32 ft 10 in).
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Utility basement, 2.5 stories
Number of occupants: 2 adults + 2 children (5 and 7 years old)
Guests per year: negligible
Large kitchen, open but can be closed off with sliding doors; kitchen island for prep work (cooktop not planned on island for now)
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: ethanol fireplace integrated into the living room wall
Carport
Separate floor for the children with large bedrooms
Sauna in the attic
Dormer on the north side
Ceiling height on ground and upper floors: 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) each
Office/guest room in the attic
House design
Design by: general contractor (redrawn by me in Sweet Home 3D with furniture added)
What do we like most and why?: large living room with big windows, spacious kitchen, large children’s rooms
Preferred heating system: air-source heat pump
What is the main/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
- Living room: are the windows chosen too large?
- Children’s rooms: how do you find the layout, especially child 2’s room?
- Family bathroom: is the passage to the toilet and shower too narrow?
- Office: 2 m (6 ft 7 in) depth is reached quickly after the entrance; the dormer exists but I’m unsure how the room will feel. What do you think?
we are planning to build a semi-detached house with 2.5 stories plus a basement. We have received a first draft from the general contractor and would like to discuss it with you.
The floors are divided as follows:
Basement = utility cellar
Ground floor = living/dining + kitchen + WC + storage
Upper floor = 2 large children's rooms + family bathroom
Attic = bedroom + office + WC/bathroom
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 420 sqm (4521 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: not specified
Parking spaces: carport + 1 parking space
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof, 35 degrees
Style: semi-detached house
Orientation: southeast
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height = 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in), overall height = 10 m (32 ft 10 in), max width = 9 m (29 ft 6 in). Due to the overall height limit and the 35-degree roof pitch, the max depth = 10 m (32 ft 10 in).
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Utility basement, 2.5 stories
Number of occupants: 2 adults + 2 children (5 and 7 years old)
Guests per year: negligible
Large kitchen, open but can be closed off with sliding doors; kitchen island for prep work (cooktop not planned on island for now)
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: ethanol fireplace integrated into the living room wall
Carport
Separate floor for the children with large bedrooms
Sauna in the attic
Dormer on the north side
Ceiling height on ground and upper floors: 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) each
Office/guest room in the attic
House design
Design by: general contractor (redrawn by me in Sweet Home 3D with furniture added)
What do we like most and why?: large living room with big windows, spacious kitchen, large children’s rooms
Preferred heating system: air-source heat pump
What is the main/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
- Living room: are the windows chosen too large?
- Children’s rooms: how do you find the layout, especially child 2’s room?
- Family bathroom: is the passage to the toilet and shower too narrow?
- Office: 2 m (6 ft 7 in) depth is reached quickly after the entrance; the dormer exists but I’m unsure how the room will feel. What do you think?
ypg schrieb:
I have sketched it out, and it’s quite close.
I have been drawing floor plans as an amateur for 20 years… some even make it to the point of being built “exactly like that” or something very similar.
A design from amateurs is cleaned up by professionals who lack creative input. Usually, this results in tight spots with realistic dimensions—these are often stairs that don’t meet regulations, the stone sizes or grid mentioned repeatedly by @11ant, doors that can’t be installed properly, or overlooked plaster thicknesses. What I want to say is:
Plan enough space everywhere (including height) for detailed execution planning. Many aspects depend on each other, especially the stairs. If you design too tightly now, it will likely not be feasible to implement later.
Your space-saving kitchen: with a kitchen island 90cm (35 inches) wide, you end up with 80cm (31 inches) aisles (assuming your drawn measurements exclude plaster and built-in components). This won’t be comfortable in everyday use. Opened doors from the pantry, oven, or cabinets will cause blockages. It will feel cramped and you might have to detour more than you want or accidentally bump into others.
The hallway is not large. There is no space for a sideboard. It will probably shift to the living room area, where there is an unnecessary area, basically an anteroom.
The sofa arranged like this will be in the direct sightline of postal workers and others. It does not offer any privacy in that view corridor.
Therefore, I would suggest positioning the staircase more centrally and more slender, and also consider incorporating the carport/parking space into the ground floor with a corner. This would improve the appearance and the window facade on the southeast side. OK, some points to think about, thanks.
I don’t quite understand the carport part; could you explain that in more detail?
corby_81 schrieb:
I don’t quite understand the part about the carport. Could you explain it in more detail?Here is a rough sketch to illustrate it.
ypg schrieb:
Can you provide more details about the orientation? The north arrow differs between the original thread and your latest draft…The orientation is southeast, which is correct in the current version.On closer inspection, I would agree with @K a t j a and leave out this shed-like box. 1. It takes away necessary natural light. 2. It turns a duplex into a terraced house. 3. There is already enough storage space in the basement. I recommended an external staircase days or weeks ago. If it is approved at all due to setback requirements, it could be combined with a light well for a hobby room. If the external staircase is not an option, I would make sure that the basement stairs inside the house are easily accessible from the hallway, so seasonal items like bikes can be securely stored downstairs.
If you are worried about noise from the children's rooms, I would create a small corridor on the upper floor that does not lead directly to the children’s bedrooms, but instead has only the bathroom door and a door to a shared youth room located at the south corner of the house, from which the children’s bedrooms would then branch off.
In addition, I would reconsider the many sliding doors. Too much of a good thing is not always nice. They are expensive, require thick walls, take up wall length (which you don’t have), and are not necessarily easy to use if they are of standard quality. In your case, it might be better to simply close off the living room.
If you are worried about noise from the children's rooms, I would create a small corridor on the upper floor that does not lead directly to the children’s bedrooms, but instead has only the bathroom door and a door to a shared youth room located at the south corner of the house, from which the children’s bedrooms would then branch off.
In addition, I would reconsider the many sliding doors. Too much of a good thing is not always nice. They are expensive, require thick walls, take up wall length (which you don’t have), and are not necessarily easy to use if they are of standard quality. In your case, it might be better to simply close off the living room.
Two general questions:
1. Is operating a photovoltaic system still efficient if the dormer is facing south?
2. I know this is a matter of personal taste, but does a semi-detached house look "odd" if one half has the dormer placed in the center, while the other half has it more to the left or right?
1. Is operating a photovoltaic system still efficient if the dormer is facing south?
2. I know this is a matter of personal taste, but does a semi-detached house look "odd" if one half has the dormer placed in the center, while the other half has it more to the left or right?
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