ᐅ Floor plan for a 190 m² single-family house with basement – any feedback?
Created on: 2 Oct 2022 22:26
B
BastianP
Dear community,
We are currently in the process of planning our house. The notary appointment for the plot is on October 7th, and after that, we want to decide as quickly as possible between one of the three potential builders. The plot is located in 95326 Kulmbach, and we aim to move in by May 2024 at the latest to enroll our son directly in the appropriate school.
Based on existing floor plans and various iterations and feedback rounds, we have developed this floor plan. Since we lack experience and the construction companies no longer provide useful suggestions for improvement, I hope for the collective feedback from this forum.
This is my first time collecting feedback – please be understanding if I have overlooked anything.
Zoning plan/restrictions
Plot size: 996 m2 (10,719 sq ft)
Slope: Yes – 5m (16 ft) height difference over 40m (131 ft) plot length, sloping down from the street (north) towards the south
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: 5m (16 ft) from the street
Adjacent buildings: west, east, south
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style: two-story
Orientation: west <-> east
Maximum height/limits: 9m (30 ft)
Other requirements
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: two-story, gable roof
Basement, floors: basement + 2 full floors
Number of occupants, ages: 39 y, 45 y, 4 y, newborn
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
* Ground floor: large room for living, dining, and cooking, plus office and shower bathroom
* Upper floor: 3 children’s bedrooms, 1 master bedroom, large family bathroom
* Basement: utility room, workshop, guest room, storage
Office use: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year: 12 times per year
Open or closed architecture: open living areas, closed sleeping rooms
Conservative or modern construction style: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: see-through fireplace between living and dining rooms
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 2 parking spaces, undecided between garage or carport + bike shed
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for or against certain features
House design
Origin of the design:
- Planner from a building company: initial idea
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself: significant modifications
What do you particularly like? Why? The room layout on the ground floor suits us very well
What do you not like? Why? Some rooms on the upper floor feel awkwardly arranged, bathroom is very elongated
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 650,000 €
Personal price limit for house, including equipment: 700,000 €
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you have to skip anything, which details/extensions
- can you do without:
- cannot do without: straight staircase, high ceilings, symmetrical façade, large living/dining/kitchen area
Why did the design turn out the way it is now? For example:
Standard design from the planner?
Which specific requests were implemented by the architect?
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it, in your opinion, particularly good or bad?
What is the most important/key question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Feedback for refinement, critical questions, avoiding major mistakes
We are currently in the process of planning our house. The notary appointment for the plot is on October 7th, and after that, we want to decide as quickly as possible between one of the three potential builders. The plot is located in 95326 Kulmbach, and we aim to move in by May 2024 at the latest to enroll our son directly in the appropriate school.
Based on existing floor plans and various iterations and feedback rounds, we have developed this floor plan. Since we lack experience and the construction companies no longer provide useful suggestions for improvement, I hope for the collective feedback from this forum.
This is my first time collecting feedback – please be understanding if I have overlooked anything.
Zoning plan/restrictions
Plot size: 996 m2 (10,719 sq ft)
Slope: Yes – 5m (16 ft) height difference over 40m (131 ft) plot length, sloping down from the street (north) towards the south
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: 5m (16 ft) from the street
Adjacent buildings: west, east, south
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style: two-story
Orientation: west <-> east
Maximum height/limits: 9m (30 ft)
Other requirements
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: two-story, gable roof
Basement, floors: basement + 2 full floors
Number of occupants, ages: 39 y, 45 y, 4 y, newborn
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
* Ground floor: large room for living, dining, and cooking, plus office and shower bathroom
* Upper floor: 3 children’s bedrooms, 1 master bedroom, large family bathroom
* Basement: utility room, workshop, guest room, storage
Office use: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year: 12 times per year
Open or closed architecture: open living areas, closed sleeping rooms
Conservative or modern construction style: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: see-through fireplace between living and dining rooms
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 2 parking spaces, undecided between garage or carport + bike shed
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for or against certain features
House design
Origin of the design:
- Planner from a building company: initial idea
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself: significant modifications
What do you particularly like? Why? The room layout on the ground floor suits us very well
What do you not like? Why? Some rooms on the upper floor feel awkwardly arranged, bathroom is very elongated
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 650,000 €
Personal price limit for house, including equipment: 700,000 €
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you have to skip anything, which details/extensions
- can you do without:
- cannot do without: straight staircase, high ceilings, symmetrical façade, large living/dining/kitchen area
Why did the design turn out the way it is now? For example:
Standard design from the planner?
Which specific requests were implemented by the architect?
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it, in your opinion, particularly good or bad?
What is the most important/key question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Feedback for refinement, critical questions, avoiding major mistakes
Do you have a site plan with an elevation profile?
Your budget does not include the exterior landscaping and the basement.
Otherwise, I can only agree with the others.
Create your room program. Not just cooking, dining, sleeping, but bedrooms with bed dimensions XYZ, wardrobe x m (yards). Your personal requirements must be included. From the inherited farmhouse cabinet to the 800 books and up to the 400 shoes. Plus the desired XXL sofa. All of this needs to fit into the floor plan.
Your budget does not include the exterior landscaping and the basement.
Otherwise, I can only agree with the others.
Create your room program. Not just cooking, dining, sleeping, but bedrooms with bed dimensions XYZ, wardrobe x m (yards). Your personal requirements must be included. From the inherited farmhouse cabinet to the 800 books and up to the 400 shoes. Plus the desired XXL sofa. All of this needs to fit into the floor plan.
BastianP schrieb:
... and the construction companies no longer provide any useful suggestions for improvement... What? Why is that? What did they say or not say? Who is supposed to create the plan?
BastianP schrieb:
Slope: Yes – 5m (16 ft) height difference over 40m (131 ft) plot length, slope downward from the street (north) towards the south Wow, and they’re leaving you to handle this on your own? Even experienced planners find slopes challenging. Trying to solve this as a layperson will, in my opinion, lead to poor results. Thinking that a basement can solve all the landscape’s inclines is a misconception. Besides that, there is the financial aspect and the question of garden design. Let me ask plainly: What will your terrace be built on? Is it floating in the air? Or do you really plan to pile up huge amounts of material against the slope just to get this massive terrace connected to the living room? How will the slope from the terrace to the garden be designed?
You have about 1m (3 ft) height difference over 8m (26 ft). Plus 5m (16 ft) distance from the street – the parking spaces would already have to be partly underbuilt if you want to avoid a sloped driveway. Your neighbor on the left side has already done something similar, if the section is correct. How did they solve it? I’d recommend ringing their doorbell and inviting yourself for coffee. A great way to see what you like and don’t like firsthand. Where is their terrace located? How does the garden connection work? Did they level their plot within the building area or also build a basement underneath?
BastianP schrieb:
Maximum height restrictions: 9m (30 ft) From where? From the street?
BastianP schrieb:
Number of people, ages: 39 years, 45 years, 4 years, newborn
Space requirements on ground floor (GF), upper floor (UF):
* GF: Large open area for living, dining, and kitchen, plus a study and a shower bathroom
* UF: 3 children’s rooms, 1 master bedroom, large family bathroom
…
Guests per year: 12 times per year Who is each room intended for? Why three children’s rooms when I only count two children? Is the office also meant to serve as a guest room? I don’t see a guest room in the basement. But there is an unnecessary light well to illuminate the room on the slope side. That seems like putting the cart before the horse.
Or did I misread?
BastianP schrieb:
Slope downward from the street (north) towards the south So the street is at the top and the house sits below, correct?
BastianP schrieb:
Price estimate according to architect/planner: €650,000
Personal price limit for the house, including features: €700,000 That’s going to be the critical point. The 650K is probably just the house with a standard basement from the manufacturer. But you’re building on a slope and want to use the basement as a hobby room, etc. Then there are the landscaping costs that will probably shock you: terrace, pathways, stairs, and retaining walls—all these will require a considerable budget. This leads to the next question: how do you use and organize the rooms in the basement efficiently? Can you really afford to build 50sqm (540 sq ft) of storage space without a specific purpose? What hobby justifies such a large dedicated room?
What exactly are these retaining walls supporting? Especially the wall on the south side seems to me to have no real function.
I won’t comment on the floor plan itself yet – it’s not meaningful without fully integrating the plan into the slope. Show the exterior views, including the slope, paths, terrace, and retaining walls.
F
fromthisplace3 Oct 2022 10:00We are also building on a slope. The budget will not be sufficient for a turnkey project including slope stabilization.
The problem is: if you present professionals with a design in advance, they will build the thing with all its flaws. Because the client’s wishes are what count. And apparently, the client does not want advice and believes they know how things should be done.
As already mentioned: the slope is not considered at all in the design. Terraces are left hanging in the air or need to be built up with fill. This makes the landscaping of the site much more expensive and must be factored in.
The fundamental mistake I see, besides not accounting for the slope, is the placement of the staircase, which leaves only a small leftover space at the top of the plan.
This results in a confusing jumble of rooms upstairs.
Thanks to Pinterest, designing a house based only on photos.
PS: A fireplace should not appear as an alien element in a house and must have a chimney that is also present on the upper floor.
As already mentioned: the slope is not considered at all in the design. Terraces are left hanging in the air or need to be built up with fill. This makes the landscaping of the site much more expensive and must be factored in.
The fundamental mistake I see, besides not accounting for the slope, is the placement of the staircase, which leaves only a small leftover space at the top of the plan.
This results in a confusing jumble of rooms upstairs.
Thanks to Pinterest, designing a house based only on photos.
PS: A fireplace should not appear as an alien element in a house and must have a chimney that is also present on the upper floor.
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