ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, 2 full stories, approximately 170 square meters, slight slope site
Created on: 12 Dec 2023 20:04
H
Huhuhu7
Hello,
I would appreciate some feedback on the current status of my architect’s design. The draft is by no means final, and we are supposed to provide the architect with feedback now, so some help would be great...
A few notes:
Here are some answers to the questions (although not complete):
Style, roof shape, building type, basement, number of floors: 2 full stories, pitched roof, no basement
Number of people, age: 2, mid-40s, no children
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: open
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Fireplace: yes, desired
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: single garage, with an option for a second single garage on the south side adjacent to the neighboring plot. A double garage is not preferred by local planning authorities.
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: The house should comfortably fit two adults, allowing them to have some privacy when needed. The first floor is designed accordingly.
House design
Who created the design: architect
What do you like most? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: 600k
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 650k
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you have to compromise, which details / features could you do without: the large window, windows in general. Possibly the entrance area without a canopy, if that helps to stay within budget.
Images:
I would appreciate some feedback on the current status of my architect’s design. The draft is by no means final, and we are supposed to provide the architect with feedback now, so some help would be great...
A few notes:
- Location: a smaller city in northern Bavaria
- The plot is located within a water protection area. The groundwater must not be disturbed and is unfortunately about 2 meters (6.5 feet) below the surface. For this reason, a basement is only possible with disadvantages: the house would have to be raised quite a bit above ground level (there would then be a staircase about 1 meter (3.3 feet) high at the front door, making terrace design difficult). Therefore, no basement. It took some time to reach this conclusion... There was a more detailed previous design with a basement. This is the first new design without a basement.
- In general, there is no formal zoning plan. A preliminary inquiry with the city showed that the house must fit into the neighborhood. Two full stories with a pitched roof would be acceptable.
- Windows: windows are still a very open topic. The large south-facing window is controversial (difficult to clean, etc.). Also, the window in the ground-floor office is far too large. On the first floor, I would prefer somewhat larger windows on the west side and a more uniform look overall.
- What I am still struggling with: the living area is intended to be bright and open. But on the other hand, the sofa should not be placed in front of a (floor-to-ceiling) window as shown in the design. I would be especially interested in ideas for this.
- The living area also has a small split-level, adapting the building somewhat to the slight slope of the land. The drawbacks, such as reduced accessibility, are known and this is not decided yet. I would particularly welcome opinions on this...
- Regarding the entrance area: we told the architect that we would like a covered entrance. I have gotten used to the design now and probably am a bit too accustomed to it.
- The staircase is 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide but feels almost a bit narrow to me.
- In the first-floor plan I inserted a greyed-out area at one point, which somehow felt better to me (this area is definitely going to be changed).
Here are some answers to the questions (although not complete):
Style, roof shape, building type, basement, number of floors: 2 full stories, pitched roof, no basement
Number of people, age: 2, mid-40s, no children
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year: 5
Open or closed architecture: open
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Fireplace: yes, desired
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: single garage, with an option for a second single garage on the south side adjacent to the neighboring plot. A double garage is not preferred by local planning authorities.
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: The house should comfortably fit two adults, allowing them to have some privacy when needed. The first floor is designed accordingly.
House design
Who created the design: architect
What do you like most? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: 600k
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 650k
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you have to compromise, which details / features could you do without: the large window, windows in general. Possibly the entrance area without a canopy, if that helps to stay within budget.
Images:
H
hanghaus202314 Dec 2023 13:45I think the opinion that there is also a small city is good. Please tell us the county.
Are there also elevations for the site plan?
Are there also elevations for the site plan?
H
hanghaus202314 Dec 2023 13:55Is there a site plan showing the house location?
What are the dimensions of the plot?
What are the dimensions of the plot?
N
Nice-Nofret14 Dec 2023 15:24I agree with the previous comments and have the following additional remarks:
For me, the kitchen should be connected to the terrace for easy access during summer. The open space above definitely should not be adjacent to the kitchen, as this would make the upper floor noisier and carry cooking smells more than downstairs. In other words, the kitchen and dining area would be located in the current living room space.
I also find that an open space of about 10 square meters (approximately 108 square feet) is somewhat small for a house of this size; instead, you could create an upper-level hallway/living area, office, hobby room, or storage space (which could potentially be used as a child’s bedroom for future buyers). If there is going to be an open space, it should be placed above the living room.
In my opinion, the storage space planned in the front and back areas of the house is insufficient for a house of this size.
For me, the kitchen should be connected to the terrace for easy access during summer. The open space above definitely should not be adjacent to the kitchen, as this would make the upper floor noisier and carry cooking smells more than downstairs. In other words, the kitchen and dining area would be located in the current living room space.
I also find that an open space of about 10 square meters (approximately 108 square feet) is somewhat small for a house of this size; instead, you could create an upper-level hallway/living area, office, hobby room, or storage space (which could potentially be used as a child’s bedroom for future buyers). If there is going to be an open space, it should be placed above the living room.
In my opinion, the storage space planned in the front and back areas of the house is insufficient for a house of this size.
Hello,
first of all, thank you for the extensive feedback!
A few more general points:
Otherwise, I have already had a conversation with the architect. I have taken on a lot of the feedback, for example:
I did not address the issue of the void space earlier, but now I am quite uncertain. From what I have learned, this is an area where many mistakes can be made. There is a prefabricated house model park nearby where a house has a similarly sized void space, which I will look at on Sunday. Does anyone have any tips on this (better to omit it, or maybe make it larger)?
Otherwise, the architect will prepare a revised design next week. Then there will be time over the Christmas period to consider it quietly and also to gather feedback within the family.
Here is the aerial photo:
first of all, thank you for the extensive feedback!
A few more general points:
- The mini site plan was considered too small in some feedback, so attached is an aerial photo which hopefully is clearer.
- The plot has a slight slope, going downhill towards the east.
- The east side is the nicest side.
- The plot measures 550 square meters (5920 square feet) with an 80 square meter (860 square feet) existing building from the 1950s.
- In front of the large window on the south side, there is a medium-sized tree at the property line (next to the neighbor's garage), which would serve as a privacy screen.
- Regarding the number of rooms: two home office spaces are needed (I have been working this way since 2008), but there will be no customer or public traffic.
- Currently, we live with an open kitchen and have not had any issues with odors.
- I know the architect personally (not just online). I came to him through a personal recommendation. Originally trained as a bricklayer, with a focus not on single-family houses.
Otherwise, I have already had a conversation with the architect. I have taken on a lot of the feedback, for example:
- The "recesses" at the front will be removed.
- The guest bathroom will get a window and be enlarged, as will the cloakroom and technical room.
- The windows will be standardized in the next design, or partly removed.
- The staircase should fit tall people due to the room height.
- Access to the terrace will be from the east side. The terrace will also extend around the corner to the south side.
I did not address the issue of the void space earlier, but now I am quite uncertain. From what I have learned, this is an area where many mistakes can be made. There is a prefabricated house model park nearby where a house has a similarly sized void space, which I will look at on Sunday. Does anyone have any tips on this (better to omit it, or maybe make it larger)?
Otherwise, the architect will prepare a revised design next week. Then there will be time over the Christmas period to consider it quietly and also to gather feedback within the family.
Here is the aerial photo:
ypg schrieb:
Guest toilet with shower: just as misguided as in our case—if you want to use it, the bathroom is too small. Otherwise, you wouldn’t need it.
A cloakroom would result if you swap the storage room and the technical room.
The office at the back near the living room is more suitable for private use than for home office.
I would rotate the kitchen island here. Adjust the open space to fit the dining area.
Thanks again for the detailed feedback; there’s a lot of useful information in there!
Huhuhu7 schrieb:
The mini site plan was regarded as too small in some feedback, so here is an aerial photo attached, hopefully this is better [...] The plot is 550 sqm (5920 sq ft) with an 80 sqm (860 sq ft) existing building from the 1950s. Unfortunately, you have largely obscured the existing building again. But at least the view is now broader. For estimating heights, however, the aerial photo is rather unsuitable.
Huhuhu7 schrieb:
I know the architect personally (not just online). I was referred to him through a personal recommendation. Originally a trained bricklayer, focus not on single-family houses. ... but on what? I wouldn’t have expected a former tradesman, and I am all the more surprised by those speculative measurements.
Huhuhu7 schrieb:
I hadn’t mentioned the topic of airspace before, but now I’m unfortunately very uncertain about it. From what I have learned, there is a lot that can go wrong there. There is a prefab house model park nearby with a house that has a similarly large airspace; I plan to visit it on Sunday. Does anyone have tips on this (better leave it out, or maybe make it bigger)? Seeing it won’t help much, but talking to people and getting a feel for it might. Yes, leaving it out is not the worst option.
Huhuhu7 schrieb:
Otherwise, the architect will prepare an adjusted design next week. Then there is Christmas time to reflect on it reasonably calmly and also get feedback from family. I suggested a professional approach and am still missing your response on that. Family feedback usually comes from non-experts—unless they simply wish you well with the home and like this or that detail, I wouldn’t expect much. How many plan-reading experts do you expect to visit over the holidays?
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