Hello, I have been following this forum for a long time and find it always interesting. I thought I might share our planning here. We started planning at the end of 2018, began construction in 03/2019, and moved in by 12/2019.
We planned the floor plans, dimensions, materials, etc., ourselves and then hired a retired architect to create the construction drawings and structural engineering, as well as to submit the building permit / planning permission application. He also handled the approvals and insurance.
Since we live in a historic preservation area with classical architecture, we wanted to reflect this style in our house and I did a lot of research. I know nothing is perfect and it is a series of compromises (size, budget, historic style). We wanted about 120sqm (1292 sqft) of living space, aimed not to exceed a certain budget, and wanted to choose and plan all the trades ourselves (this really saves a lot of money!). I have almost no craftsmanship skills, yet we still did or helped with many tasks ourselves (preparations for the electrician, applying window and facade plaster molding ourselves, ceiling molding, wooden baseboards, cladding the carport, assembling the garden shed, distributing 55t (60 US tons) of soil, planting, manually drilling a garden well, etc.). Ok, my father-in-law helped a lot because he is handy.
We wanted to keep as much symmetry as possible and had a rough idea inspired by a Georgian house. Wooden sash windows and front door made by the local carpenter, facade plaster molding, ceiling height of 2.75m (9 ft) on the ground floor, and a hipped roof with clay tiles.
The staircase was a bit challenging because the hallway is central and the dimensions we set (somewhat arbitrarily) limited a straight staircase. The stair builder managed it nevertheless using some tricks (a bit steeper and with a longer tread or something like that).
Since I talked a lot with energy consultants and wanted a reasonable price-performance/use balance, we made the following decisions:
* Energy standard just enough to meet requirements (saves construction costs)
* Therefore, deliberately only double-glazed windows
* Gas condensing boiler with underfloor heating and gas fireplace
* Solar thermal system for hot water (I would have preferred to skip this as a cost driver; in summer you don’t need 270l (71 gallons) of hot water and in winter the sun usually isn’t sufficient despite the south-facing side)
* No electric window openers (but conduits were installed)
* 36.5cm (14.4 inches) aerated concrete walls on the outside and 17.5/11.5cm (6.9/4.5 inches) limestone interior walls
* Interior walls plastered with cement plaster to Q3 level (relatively smooth)
* Plumbing and heating company installed everything. Toilets, sinks, faucets were bought by us (all Villeroy & Boch and GROHE, mostly via eBay)
* Floor tiles and parquet also bought by us and then installed by professionals
The total cost excluding the land was €297,000 (about USD 320,000) including connections and exterior works, garden planting (partly €500 (about USD 540) per tree), double carport, 12sqm (129 sqft) garden shed, 150sqm (1615 sqft) paving, 24sqm (258 sqft) travertine terrace, insurance, surveying, 55t (60 US tons) of topsoil (we added about 20-30cm (8-12 inches) of soil), kitchen and appliances, electric garden gate, and masonry gate pillars (including historically accurate pillar caps) etc.
Land size: 680sqm (7320 sqft)
Living space: 122sqm (1313 sqft)
* 29sqm (312 sqft) living room
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) kitchen
* 7.5sqm (81 sqft) utility room (laundry hangs from the ceiling with Foxydry)
* approx. 9.5sqm (102 sqft) hallway downstairs
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) children’s room
* 9sqm (97 sqft) guest room/library/study
* approx. 9.3sqm (100 sqft) bathroom with shower, freestanding bathtub, toilet, bidet, washbasin
* approx. 20sqm (215 sqft) bedroom with walk-in closet/wardrobe
* The attic is currently an unheated storage room but could still be developed.
The space is sufficient, sometimes missing 0.5-1m (1.6-3.3 ft) here and there, but more space would have come at significantly higher construction costs.
What do you think of the floor plan? Any questions?
I’ve attached some pictures to give you a rough idea.
We planned the floor plans, dimensions, materials, etc., ourselves and then hired a retired architect to create the construction drawings and structural engineering, as well as to submit the building permit / planning permission application. He also handled the approvals and insurance.
Since we live in a historic preservation area with classical architecture, we wanted to reflect this style in our house and I did a lot of research. I know nothing is perfect and it is a series of compromises (size, budget, historic style). We wanted about 120sqm (1292 sqft) of living space, aimed not to exceed a certain budget, and wanted to choose and plan all the trades ourselves (this really saves a lot of money!). I have almost no craftsmanship skills, yet we still did or helped with many tasks ourselves (preparations for the electrician, applying window and facade plaster molding ourselves, ceiling molding, wooden baseboards, cladding the carport, assembling the garden shed, distributing 55t (60 US tons) of soil, planting, manually drilling a garden well, etc.). Ok, my father-in-law helped a lot because he is handy.
We wanted to keep as much symmetry as possible and had a rough idea inspired by a Georgian house. Wooden sash windows and front door made by the local carpenter, facade plaster molding, ceiling height of 2.75m (9 ft) on the ground floor, and a hipped roof with clay tiles.
The staircase was a bit challenging because the hallway is central and the dimensions we set (somewhat arbitrarily) limited a straight staircase. The stair builder managed it nevertheless using some tricks (a bit steeper and with a longer tread or something like that).
Since I talked a lot with energy consultants and wanted a reasonable price-performance/use balance, we made the following decisions:
* Energy standard just enough to meet requirements (saves construction costs)
* Therefore, deliberately only double-glazed windows
* Gas condensing boiler with underfloor heating and gas fireplace
* Solar thermal system for hot water (I would have preferred to skip this as a cost driver; in summer you don’t need 270l (71 gallons) of hot water and in winter the sun usually isn’t sufficient despite the south-facing side)
* No electric window openers (but conduits were installed)
* 36.5cm (14.4 inches) aerated concrete walls on the outside and 17.5/11.5cm (6.9/4.5 inches) limestone interior walls
* Interior walls plastered with cement plaster to Q3 level (relatively smooth)
* Plumbing and heating company installed everything. Toilets, sinks, faucets were bought by us (all Villeroy & Boch and GROHE, mostly via eBay)
* Floor tiles and parquet also bought by us and then installed by professionals
The total cost excluding the land was €297,000 (about USD 320,000) including connections and exterior works, garden planting (partly €500 (about USD 540) per tree), double carport, 12sqm (129 sqft) garden shed, 150sqm (1615 sqft) paving, 24sqm (258 sqft) travertine terrace, insurance, surveying, 55t (60 US tons) of topsoil (we added about 20-30cm (8-12 inches) of soil), kitchen and appliances, electric garden gate, and masonry gate pillars (including historically accurate pillar caps) etc.
Land size: 680sqm (7320 sqft)
Living space: 122sqm (1313 sqft)
* 29sqm (312 sqft) living room
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) kitchen
* 7.5sqm (81 sqft) utility room (laundry hangs from the ceiling with Foxydry)
* approx. 9.5sqm (102 sqft) hallway downstairs
* 11.5sqm (124 sqft) children’s room
* 9sqm (97 sqft) guest room/library/study
* approx. 9.3sqm (100 sqft) bathroom with shower, freestanding bathtub, toilet, bidet, washbasin
* approx. 20sqm (215 sqft) bedroom with walk-in closet/wardrobe
* The attic is currently an unheated storage room but could still be developed.
The space is sufficient, sometimes missing 0.5-1m (1.6-3.3 ft) here and there, but more space would have come at significantly higher construction costs.
What do you think of the floor plan? Any questions?
I’ve attached some pictures to give you a rough idea.
Honestly, I partly like this style seen on HGTV. However, I find the tall cabinets in kitchens terrible. Not even the paneling, just the height or the small cabinet above the refrigerator, which looks out of place. The problem is simply that on 250 m² (2700 sq ft), many things feel different than on 150 m² (1600 sq ft). The nice islands don’t work in 12 m² (130 sq ft) kitchens. On the other hand, bathrooms often look like upgraded (nice, varied color schemes) wet rooms.
@JuliaMünchen I’m really curious to see what compromises you make. Color choices (they can be colorful and varied), furniture selection, outdoor area
@JuliaMünchen I’m really curious to see what compromises you make. Color choices (they can be colorful and varied), furniture selection, outdoor area
J
JuliaMünchen28 Sep 2021 10:55I actually like the tall cabinets, especially because I’m not a big fan of German kitchens in very tall rooms—it can feel more like a dollhouse that’s only half finished. But of course, that’s a matter of taste. When it comes to the refrigerator, I feel the same way as you: my husband was really excited about those huge models, but I thought they looked like a disaster, especially when they stick out further into the room than all the other cabinets.
To be honest, my husband and I have very different ideas of what is “beautiful” when it comes to furniture 🙂 I get to choose most of the interior style, and I want it to be classic or modern-country style, with natural tones, white, light gray, and soft colors. I also like some design classics in furniture (like the Wishbone chairs), but it doesn’t always have to be like that since it tends to get quite expensive overall.
For the outdoor areas, it will be quite natural and calm as well: a wooden deck, driveway paved in a herringbone pattern, a few trees and shrubs, and a vegetable garden. My husband loves gardening and has a real talent for it, and fortunately, we like exactly the same things in this area.
To be honest, my husband and I have very different ideas of what is “beautiful” when it comes to furniture 🙂 I get to choose most of the interior style, and I want it to be classic or modern-country style, with natural tones, white, light gray, and soft colors. I also like some design classics in furniture (like the Wishbone chairs), but it doesn’t always have to be like that since it tends to get quite expensive overall.
For the outdoor areas, it will be quite natural and calm as well: a wooden deck, driveway paved in a herringbone pattern, a few trees and shrubs, and a vegetable garden. My husband loves gardening and has a real talent for it, and fortunately, we like exactly the same things in this area.
G
Georgian20193 Oct 2021 18:35haydee schrieb:
I find the toy kitchens pleasant and the tall, also German-style fitted kitchens, quite bulky. I am so glad no longer to need upper cabinets.
As I said, I’m curious to see how your interior will turn out. We also don’t have any wall cabinets, which in my opinion makes the space feel more homely.
Georgian2019 schrieb:
We also don’t have any wall cabinets; in my opinion, it makes the space feel more homey. And in my opinion, also more practical. Above head height, you mostly store things you don’t really need. When cooking or baking, I don’t want to have to use a step stool for anything.
haydee schrieb:
I find the small kitchens pleasant, while the tall, also German-style fitted kitchens, feel overwhelming. I’m so glad I no longer need wall cabinets. The impressive, step stool–requiring size of fitted kitchens was once considered a feature: massive solidity.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Georgian2019 schrieb:
We also don’t have any wall cabinets, which in my opinion makes the space feel more homely.Do you have a fitted kitchen or more individual furniture pieces, like a traditional table, sink cabinet, shelves, or a sideboard?Similar topics