ᐅ Single-family house floor plan ~170 m² – just at the very beginning
Created on: 7 Jul 2022 16:36
K
Klaustal
Hello, let’s start with the list.
Development Plan / Restrictions
There are no restrictions in our development plan that conflict with our wishes.
Typical requirements include a 3m (10 ft) setback from the property boundary and 5m (16 ft) clearance for the garage, with 2 parking spaces required; otherwise, everything is unrestricted.
The plot is just under 400m² (4,300 sq ft), location as shown in the pictures.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, Roof Type, Building Type
Modern / timeless style, no city villa 😎 . For cost and storage reasons, no flat roof either, so we have settled on a pitched roof with little or no overhang.
Basement, Floors
No basement, 2 full stories.
Number of Residents, Ages
We are 47 and 41 plus a 5-year-old living permanently, with children aged 11 and 14 visiting on weekends (blended family).
Space Requirements on Ground Floor and Upper Floor
Ground floor: entrance vestibule (to prevent drafts reaching the dining or living room when the front door opens), living room (rather quiet area), kitchen, dining room (family area), utility/technical room, office/guest room and WC (possibly with shower).
Upper floor: master bedroom (with walk-in closet) and bathroom, 2 children’s bedrooms, second shower bathroom, storage space/room, office.
Office: Family use or home office?
We both work from home a lot.
Guests per Year
Do blended family children count as guests? Otherwise, few visits, 2-3 times per year.
Open or Closed Architecture
Mixed. We don’t want the children to have to walk through the living room when coming home in the evening to get to their rooms. Otherwise, it can be open.
Conservative or Modern Construction
Definitely very modern. We are quite “lazy.” We prefer everything built-in or wall-mounted to make cleaning easier. 🙂
Open Kitchen, Kitchen Island
Preferably an island and very straightforward design.
Number of Dining Seats
3 + 2, with occasional space for a longer table (for birthdays and similar events).
Fireplace
No.
Music / Stereo Wall
No, at least nothing that needs special consideration.
Balcony, Roof Terrace
No.
Garage, Carport
Yes, garage with storage space attached to the house and direct access to the house (if practical).
Utility Garden, Greenhouse
Maybe, but not a top priority.
Other Wishes / Special Features / Daily Routine, including reasons why certain things are included or excluded
House Design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a construction company.
What do you particularly like? Why?
It’s a first draft.
Entrance “from the courtyard” – the vestibule area seems quite small.
Little corridor space, which we actually like, but we’re concerned it might feel cramped or dark.
How would you position the house? Build as wide as possible across the plot or leave more distance to neighbors on the “living side”? We understand there aren’t many options to “do it better” with a small plot.
Our spatial wishes have been taken into account.
What do you not like? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
450,000€ without garage + land (self-build participation).
Personal price limit for the house including equipment:
550,000€.
Preferred heating technology:
Air/water or ground source heat pump?
If you have to give up anything, which details or extras?
- What you could give up:
Straight staircase.
Shower downstairs.
That strange “symmetrical” window arrangement.
- What you cannot give up:
Number of bedrooms, 2 office areas (does not necessarily require 2 completely separate rooms).
It is more important that the interior is nice and airy than that the windows align precisely on the outside.
Why has the design turned out the way it is? For example,
Standard design from the planner with a few wishes we expressed (courtyard entrance, garage position, room layout).
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
It feels somewhat unmodern and not very well thought through for us.
3 windows in the walk-in closet? Swap kitchen and living room? We wanted a kitchen with island and tall cabinets behind it. Corridor upstairs without windows?
As mentioned, it’s a first draft, and maybe the “collective knowledge” here can help us move forward. We haven’t had a really personal planning meeting yet.
Development Plan / Restrictions
There are no restrictions in our development plan that conflict with our wishes.
Typical requirements include a 3m (10 ft) setback from the property boundary and 5m (16 ft) clearance for the garage, with 2 parking spaces required; otherwise, everything is unrestricted.
The plot is just under 400m² (4,300 sq ft), location as shown in the pictures.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, Roof Type, Building Type
Modern / timeless style, no city villa 😎 . For cost and storage reasons, no flat roof either, so we have settled on a pitched roof with little or no overhang.
Basement, Floors
No basement, 2 full stories.
Number of Residents, Ages
We are 47 and 41 plus a 5-year-old living permanently, with children aged 11 and 14 visiting on weekends (blended family).
Space Requirements on Ground Floor and Upper Floor
Ground floor: entrance vestibule (to prevent drafts reaching the dining or living room when the front door opens), living room (rather quiet area), kitchen, dining room (family area), utility/technical room, office/guest room and WC (possibly with shower).
Upper floor: master bedroom (with walk-in closet) and bathroom, 2 children’s bedrooms, second shower bathroom, storage space/room, office.
Office: Family use or home office?
We both work from home a lot.
Guests per Year
Do blended family children count as guests? Otherwise, few visits, 2-3 times per year.
Open or Closed Architecture
Mixed. We don’t want the children to have to walk through the living room when coming home in the evening to get to their rooms. Otherwise, it can be open.
Conservative or Modern Construction
Definitely very modern. We are quite “lazy.” We prefer everything built-in or wall-mounted to make cleaning easier. 🙂
Open Kitchen, Kitchen Island
Preferably an island and very straightforward design.
Number of Dining Seats
3 + 2, with occasional space for a longer table (for birthdays and similar events).
Fireplace
No.
Music / Stereo Wall
No, at least nothing that needs special consideration.
Balcony, Roof Terrace
No.
Garage, Carport
Yes, garage with storage space attached to the house and direct access to the house (if practical).
Utility Garden, Greenhouse
Maybe, but not a top priority.
Other Wishes / Special Features / Daily Routine, including reasons why certain things are included or excluded
House Design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a construction company.
What do you particularly like? Why?
It’s a first draft.
Entrance “from the courtyard” – the vestibule area seems quite small.
Little corridor space, which we actually like, but we’re concerned it might feel cramped or dark.
How would you position the house? Build as wide as possible across the plot or leave more distance to neighbors on the “living side”? We understand there aren’t many options to “do it better” with a small plot.
Our spatial wishes have been taken into account.
What do you not like? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
450,000€ without garage + land (self-build participation).
Personal price limit for the house including equipment:
550,000€.
Preferred heating technology:
Air/water or ground source heat pump?
If you have to give up anything, which details or extras?
- What you could give up:
Straight staircase.
Shower downstairs.
That strange “symmetrical” window arrangement.
- What you cannot give up:
Number of bedrooms, 2 office areas (does not necessarily require 2 completely separate rooms).
It is more important that the interior is nice and airy than that the windows align precisely on the outside.
Why has the design turned out the way it is? For example,
Standard design from the planner with a few wishes we expressed (courtyard entrance, garage position, room layout).
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
It feels somewhat unmodern and not very well thought through for us.
3 windows in the walk-in closet? Swap kitchen and living room? We wanted a kitchen with island and tall cabinets behind it. Corridor upstairs without windows?
As mentioned, it’s a first draft, and maybe the “collective knowledge” here can help us move forward. We haven’t had a really personal planning meeting yet.
Klaustal schrieb:
The kitchen will stay at the front. This roughly keeps the layout we have now. But why, exactly?
I once asked about the dimensions of the plot and the building envelope. Has that question already been answered?
It's also somewhat ironic that now every resident is extending their garage far into the building envelope, shading each neighbor’s property to the left. How ridiculous. But everyone only thinks about themselves, and in the end, everyone suffers the same consequences.
Klaustal schrieb:
The bathroom facing the terrace is our "mudroom," as mentioned before. We couldn’t think of another solution. And does an invited guest also get to use your mudroom’s bathroom? That must be especially cozy when everyone is having coffee on the terrace, and one after another uses the guest restroom. It has a bit of a gas station vibe.
If the kids are so dirty that they need a mudroom, they can walk around the house sometimes. Aside from that, the terrace is the mudroom where boots and muddy gear can be cleaned off. But the guest restroom? I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Klaustal schrieb:
We don’t see our garage driveway as a highway, so no safety concerns. My old house had the same setup. Ah, the classic “we’ve always done it this way” argument. Well then, it’s not my kids.
Klaustal schrieb:
The second kid’s bedroom will only be used occasionally. Noise probably isn’t a problem (we think). Up there, the rooms are stacked, dark, and cramped, but you only really need them sporadically. Has that been fully thought through?
Klaustal schrieb:
The bathroom will have the shower and toilet switched. What difference will that make? None.
K a t j a schrieb:
I once asked about the dimensions of the plot and the building area. Has that question already been answered?18x22m (59x72 feet), which results in a building area of about 12x15m (39x49 feet). The narrow side faces the street.
And is the visiting guest allowed to use the toilet in your mudroom? That’s especially cozy when everyone is drinking coffee on the terrace, and one after another uses the guest bathroom. It’s got a bit of a gas station vibe.Could be practical—my wife’s idea. Because you can enter the terrace toilet directly through the terrace door without having to go through the house.If the kids are dirty enough to need a mudroom, they can just walk around the house. Besides, the terrace is the mudroom, where boots and muddy gear can be cleaned off. But the guest bathroom? I wouldn’t think to use it for that.Yes, my idea was also to install the shower in the utility room and have it open onto the terrace.Upstairs the rooms are stacked, it’s dark and cramped, but you actually only need the rooms occasionally. Has this been fully thought through?Better ideas are welcome. “Weekend children” unfortunately are not an easy issue.How would you design the guest bathroom if the living room, kitchen, and dining room are arranged like this? Just swap them?
K a t j a schrieb:
It’s kind of funny how now every neighbor extends their garage deep into the building setback area, shading the property to their left. How foolish. But everyone is only looking out for themselves, so everyone ends up with the same problem.Well, as an old ’68er, I’ll probably never understand this generation’s obsession with privacy screens.K a t j a schrieb:
Stiefelchen and KompasskalleHow cute, I didn’t know those before, thanks! (I may be from the former East Germany, but in that sense we seem to have moved over too early).K a t j a schrieb:
The rooms stack up there; it’s dark and cramped, but you actually only need the rooms occasionally. Was this really thought through completely?Apparently not. I say for good reason that hiring a self-chosen architect is worth it.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
K a t j a schrieb:
The kitchen should stay at the front....
But why, exactly?The view from the couch into the garden is more important to us than carrying a few items to the garden a few times a year.
11ant schrieb:
That obviously was not the case. I don’t say without reason that choosing your own architect pays off. Yes, that’s 100% true.
Unfortunately, we have a construction deadline and could no longer get an architect.
That’s why we chose a building company.
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