Hello everyone,
First of all, compliments to this great forum. I haven’t been here long but have already found a lot of useful information. 😉
We have been planning our single-family house for some time now and are quite far along with the design. Since we are relatively young and inexperienced, we have to rely heavily on our architect. Therefore, we would like to hear another opinion and appreciate any suggestions for improvement.
Here are some details our planning is based on.
• The garage or shed should have direct access to the house/laundry room. For groceries, to have another entrance to the yard, etc.
• The living room was designed as an open space with a mezzanine above. The freestanding fireplace is intended to become the focal point in the house.
• The staircase should be enclosed, creating a storage room underneath.
• Upstairs there should be a separate parents’ bathroom and a walk-in closet.
• We are considering the option to convert the attic or to add another level for the children.
What we are not satisfied with so far is the positioning of the garage/shed. We are working on alternative options.
Either separating the driveway and garden with an additional fence or moving the garage entrance to the side street.
We would be grateful for any further ideas and advice.
First of all, compliments to this great forum. I haven’t been here long but have already found a lot of useful information. 😉
We have been planning our single-family house for some time now and are quite far along with the design. Since we are relatively young and inexperienced, we have to rely heavily on our architect. Therefore, we would like to hear another opinion and appreciate any suggestions for improvement.
Here are some details our planning is based on.
• The garage or shed should have direct access to the house/laundry room. For groceries, to have another entrance to the yard, etc.
• The living room was designed as an open space with a mezzanine above. The freestanding fireplace is intended to become the focal point in the house.
• The staircase should be enclosed, creating a storage room underneath.
• Upstairs there should be a separate parents’ bathroom and a walk-in closet.
• We are considering the option to convert the attic or to add another level for the children.
What we are not satisfied with so far is the positioning of the garage/shed. We are working on alternative options.
Either separating the driveway and garden with an additional fence or moving the garage entrance to the side street.
We would be grateful for any further ideas and advice.
Hello,
would it be possible to turn the garage towards the side street? That way, you could save on the extensive paving 😉
I would place the access to the bathroom or dressing room towards the front, so the paths aren’t too long and you don’t have to walk through the entire bedroom. You might want to rearrange the shower and toilet accordingly (do you have two toilets in one bathroom?).
For the cloakroom on the ground floor, make sure the depth is generous enough; otherwise, you will always brush past your coats when going to the toilet.
I find the hallway a bit too spacious. Otherwise, it’s a very appealing floor plan (I think I would feel comfortable 🙂 ).
Maybe open the kitchen a bit more towards the hallway?
would it be possible to turn the garage towards the side street? That way, you could save on the extensive paving 😉
I would place the access to the bathroom or dressing room towards the front, so the paths aren’t too long and you don’t have to walk through the entire bedroom. You might want to rearrange the shower and toilet accordingly (do you have two toilets in one bathroom?).
For the cloakroom on the ground floor, make sure the depth is generous enough; otherwise, you will always brush past your coats when going to the toilet.
I find the hallway a bit too spacious. Otherwise, it’s a very appealing floor plan (I think I would feel comfortable 🙂 ).
Maybe open the kitchen a bit more towards the hallway?
Something different. I don’t think it’s that bad, but the entrance to the office through/in the cloakroom could be problematic. Does the visitor park on the north side? If they park in the yard, they have to go all the way around the garage to get to the house. Maybe a passageway or spiral walkway could be planned next to the shed?
In my opinion, the living room is too large and the dining room too small, but of course, that’s a matter of personal taste... Overall, I find the ground floor layout acceptable, but is the cloakroom really sufficient for four people? Coats, shoes, hats, scarves, etc. in multiple sets? We would not have enough space there. And the office is seriously planned to be 16sqm (172 sqft)? What is intended to be used in there?
On the upper floor, I find the master bathroom at the back very inconvenient. If the children want to bathe—and small children almost exclusively bathe—then you have to go all the way to the back. And isn’t there too little space between the bathtub and the sink?
Do you have two toilets in the bathroom?
The walk-in closet will be too tight to place wardrobes on both sides. Sharing that space would be a nightmare.
And the open void: well, if you like it. But this big? In my opinion, it’s wasted space, but if that’s what you want...
Just remember, when the children need to sleep, everyone has to be quiet. For us, with our children, that wouldn’t work. They are not noise sensitive, but I think about myself: it would bother me if I couldn’t have peace and quiet in bed. But as I said, when it comes to the open void, to each their own.
On the upper floor, I find the master bathroom at the back very inconvenient. If the children want to bathe—and small children almost exclusively bathe—then you have to go all the way to the back. And isn’t there too little space between the bathtub and the sink?
Do you have two toilets in the bathroom?
The walk-in closet will be too tight to place wardrobes on both sides. Sharing that space would be a nightmare.
And the open void: well, if you like it. But this big? In my opinion, it’s wasted space, but if that’s what you want...
Just remember, when the children need to sleep, everyone has to be quiet. For us, with our children, that wouldn’t work. They are not noise sensitive, but I think about myself: it would bother me if I couldn’t have peace and quiet in bed. But as I said, when it comes to the open void, to each their own.
Checked again:
The living room could benefit from shifting the office slightly to enlarge the cloakroom area.
Upstairs, I would expand the children's bathroom to include the space above the staircase. That seems to be a dead corner in the master bathroom. Possibly place the washing machine and dryer in the children's bathroom, since most laundry is generated upstairs.
The panoramic window upstairs will bring a lot of heat inside; although it looks elegant, you should consider whether the sun exposure might cause overheating.
The dining area also seems small compared to the kitchen; perhaps consider opening the partition wall.
As mentioned earlier, the gallery could be a distraction for the children.
The living room could benefit from shifting the office slightly to enlarge the cloakroom area.
Upstairs, I would expand the children's bathroom to include the space above the staircase. That seems to be a dead corner in the master bathroom. Possibly place the washing machine and dryer in the children's bathroom, since most laundry is generated upstairs.
The panoramic window upstairs will bring a lot of heat inside; although it looks elegant, you should consider whether the sun exposure might cause overheating.
The dining area also seems small compared to the kitchen; perhaps consider opening the partition wall.
As mentioned earlier, the gallery could be a distraction for the children.
B
backbone2327 Jul 2013 18:09I find this open space completely pointless. It might look great from the outside, but it has no practical use. Additionally, it comes at a high cost due to the large window area and the corner gable (the "L" shape of the house).
How is this window area supposed to be cleaned?
If you are already considering converting the attic into an additional room (which is questionable anyway), I would prefer to plan an extra room on the upper floor instead of wasting space with this open area.
How is this window area supposed to be cleaned?
If you are already considering converting the attic into an additional room (which is questionable anyway), I would prefer to plan an extra room on the upper floor instead of wasting space with this open area.
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