ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, approximately 150 sqm, with east-facing garden
Created on: 9 Jan 2020 21:17
O
OWLer
Hello everyone,
after reading many threads here about how well-intentioned floor plans are expertly dissected, I’m now stepping out from the shadows. We plan to build this year and have already purchased the plot. We are currently in discussions with two providers. Provider 1 never really impressed us with their designs and plans very large houses without offering much living space. I’m bringing Provider 2 into the discussion here because, apart from the points mentioned below, we still like their design.
We hope the collective forum expertise will point out some pitfalls and maybe even help solve our hallway dilemma.
Sorry for the rough sketches of the measurements.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 610 sqm (648 with purchased noise barrier)
Slope: approx. 70cm (28 inches) over 19m (62 feet), sloping from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3m (10 feet) from the street, 3m (10 feet) to neighbors north/south, building envelope 10m (33 feet) east-west
Edge development
Number of parking spaces
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: gable roof ≤45°
Architectural style
Orientation: ridge running north-south
Maximum heights / limits: max. ridge height 10.5m (34 feet), eaves max. 6.0m (20 feet)
Other requirements: On the east side, a noise barrier is built along half of the plot, with forest behind it. Due to the noise barrier, the garden is practically not visible from outside.
Clients’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: rather classic
Basement, number of floors: basement, 1.5 floors
Number of residents, age: currently 2 (ages 33 and 27 – planning 2 children)
Space requirements on ground floor: shower WC, open living space (kitchen, dining, living), study; upper floor: 2 kids’ rooms, bathroom, master bedroom (walk-in closet)
Office: home office (teaching profession)
Overnight guests per year: approx. 15
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative and brick-faced
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: preferably yes, budget permitting
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport / budget permitting
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for why or why not something is desired
House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
We really like the upper floor. Room sizes fit well. We can’t really assess the master bedroom on the south side yet. The kids’ rooms seem the right size and have a good layout in my opinion.
A guest room was not a requirement – apparently there was space on the upper floor. We are not unhappy about that.
The living-dining area really appeals to me. Kitchen opening to the terrace. My wife likes the pantry options with access to the garden, basement, and carport.
What don’t you like? Why?
What we don’t like is the narrow corridors. I imagine 1.2m (4 feet) and 1m (3 feet) very cramped. Between the carport and along the stairs, this wouldn’t bother me so much, but the entrance definitely should be wider.
The master bedroom on the south side does not convince me much.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: >440k€
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: approx. 440k€
Preferred heating system: gas heating required by the plot purchase contract.
If you had to give up something, which details / features could you do without:
I could do without the pantry and use that space for the WC instead. My wife, however, sees this differently.
Which features can you not give up:
The study on the ground floor is a must due to my teaching profession. The idea is to be able to drop things off in the study after returning from school, close the door, and have some downtime without needing to go upstairs or downstairs.
The basement is also essential. Many friends and acquaintances who have built in recent years do so mostly without basements. It takes iron discipline to keep utility rooms “tidy.” We manage that in our rental now but want to move away from that. We don’t want to become hoarders but want more space to spread out. Also, I want to be able to store all my tools in the basement and comfortably repair my bicycles.
Why was the design made the way it is?
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Large windows on the ground floor facing the garden, as it is not directly visible.
A bay window on the street side is mandatory for the look. The planned flat-roof bay will definitely be changed to a pitched roof. The plaster on the bay will be replaced by brick cladding. We find the bay window to the garden quite nice. Not a must-have, but it was part of the planning basis we provided and, in my opinion, positively impacts the kids’ rooms.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
How do you evaluate the usability of the pantry—does it work as well as we imagine it? What other ways, besides widening the house, do you see to widen the corridors? Does the indicated wardrobe area fit?
In principle, I would like to build it this way if only the narrow corridors weren’t an issue. Making the house 25-50cm (10-20 inches) wider is not technically feasible and probably financially difficult.
after reading many threads here about how well-intentioned floor plans are expertly dissected, I’m now stepping out from the shadows. We plan to build this year and have already purchased the plot. We are currently in discussions with two providers. Provider 1 never really impressed us with their designs and plans very large houses without offering much living space. I’m bringing Provider 2 into the discussion here because, apart from the points mentioned below, we still like their design.
We hope the collective forum expertise will point out some pitfalls and maybe even help solve our hallway dilemma.
Sorry for the rough sketches of the measurements.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 610 sqm (648 with purchased noise barrier)
Slope: approx. 70cm (28 inches) over 19m (62 feet), sloping from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3m (10 feet) from the street, 3m (10 feet) to neighbors north/south, building envelope 10m (33 feet) east-west
Edge development
Number of parking spaces
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: gable roof ≤45°
Architectural style
Orientation: ridge running north-south
Maximum heights / limits: max. ridge height 10.5m (34 feet), eaves max. 6.0m (20 feet)
Other requirements: On the east side, a noise barrier is built along half of the plot, with forest behind it. Due to the noise barrier, the garden is practically not visible from outside.
Clients’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: rather classic
Basement, number of floors: basement, 1.5 floors
Number of residents, age: currently 2 (ages 33 and 27 – planning 2 children)
Space requirements on ground floor: shower WC, open living space (kitchen, dining, living), study; upper floor: 2 kids’ rooms, bathroom, master bedroom (walk-in closet)
Office: home office (teaching profession)
Overnight guests per year: approx. 15
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative and brick-faced
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: preferably yes, budget permitting
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport / budget permitting
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for why or why not something is desired
House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
We really like the upper floor. Room sizes fit well. We can’t really assess the master bedroom on the south side yet. The kids’ rooms seem the right size and have a good layout in my opinion.
A guest room was not a requirement – apparently there was space on the upper floor. We are not unhappy about that.
The living-dining area really appeals to me. Kitchen opening to the terrace. My wife likes the pantry options with access to the garden, basement, and carport.
What don’t you like? Why?
What we don’t like is the narrow corridors. I imagine 1.2m (4 feet) and 1m (3 feet) very cramped. Between the carport and along the stairs, this wouldn’t bother me so much, but the entrance definitely should be wider.
The master bedroom on the south side does not convince me much.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: >440k€
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: approx. 440k€
Preferred heating system: gas heating required by the plot purchase contract.
If you had to give up something, which details / features could you do without:
I could do without the pantry and use that space for the WC instead. My wife, however, sees this differently.
Which features can you not give up:
The study on the ground floor is a must due to my teaching profession. The idea is to be able to drop things off in the study after returning from school, close the door, and have some downtime without needing to go upstairs or downstairs.
The basement is also essential. Many friends and acquaintances who have built in recent years do so mostly without basements. It takes iron discipline to keep utility rooms “tidy.” We manage that in our rental now but want to move away from that. We don’t want to become hoarders but want more space to spread out. Also, I want to be able to store all my tools in the basement and comfortably repair my bicycles.
Why was the design made the way it is?
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Large windows on the ground floor facing the garden, as it is not directly visible.
A bay window on the street side is mandatory for the look. The planned flat-roof bay will definitely be changed to a pitched roof. The plaster on the bay will be replaced by brick cladding. We find the bay window to the garden quite nice. Not a must-have, but it was part of the planning basis we provided and, in my opinion, positively impacts the kids’ rooms.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
How do you evaluate the usability of the pantry—does it work as well as we imagine it? What other ways, besides widening the house, do you see to widen the corridors? Does the indicated wardrobe area fit?
In principle, I would like to build it this way if only the narrow corridors weren’t an issue. Making the house 25-50cm (10-20 inches) wider is not technically feasible and probably financially difficult.
hausnrplus2513 Sep 2021 19:39@OWLer
Well, if it still stayed on the windowsill, then it’s not that bad 🙄 Is the light well drainage not connected yet? That’s how it could have accumulated like that?!
Why a new installation?! It’s plastic anyway....
Well, if it still stayed on the windowsill, then it’s not that bad 🙄 Is the light well drainage not connected yet? That’s how it could have accumulated like that?!
Why a new installation?! It’s plastic anyway....
But there is a drainage system. However, it is clogged with silt that washed down from the slope. Actually, we have perfectly permeable sandy soil there. What I scooped out...
However, a few liters also ran down from the windowsill and disappeared behind the edge insulation strip of the screed.
However, a few liters also ran down from the windowsill and disappeared behind the edge insulation strip of the screed.
hausnrplus2516 Sep 2021 20:51Well then, make sure the screed is completely dry in the end... good luck!
I finally want to move in! The construction deadline guarantee expired last Thursday, so technically we should be receiving €300 per week started.
I have informed the general contractor (GC) about this. Their automatic response refers to COVID-19 and the bad weather conditions due to snow in February.
According to the VOB (German Construction Contract Procedures — we have a works contract under the Construction Code), the bad weather clause did not apply this winter. I compared the average temperatures, frost days, and ice days from 1980 to 2010 at the nearest weather station according to the German Weather Service and compared them with the records for this winter. We are exactly on average.
=> Argument refuted
I also wouldn’t accept COVID-19 as a valid reason. We signed the contract in mid-June 2020, after the first lockdown and the initial business closures due to quarantine. The GC was aware of the COVID-19 risks. There were no material shortages on our site, or at least none communicated to us. Before construction really started, everything was already installed.
=> Argument, from my layperson’s perspective, is not legally solid.
Delays were largely caused on our side by:
I also pointed out the significant energy costs for the construction dryers running for weeks in order to catch up on the delays with the screed. I expect a partial cost contribution for this. Including the screed heating program, we used 6000 kWh.
He will get back to me next week when his responsible site manager returns from vacation. So far, we have always found a reasonable agreement for both parties. It just annoys me when cheap excuses are made and someone does not take responsibility for their mistakes. Based on our previous experience with the GC, I hope I am wrong and that my research into the bad weather claim was premature.
Well, you don’t get rich by spending money, so I guess it’s understandable.
I have informed the general contractor (GC) about this. Their automatic response refers to COVID-19 and the bad weather conditions due to snow in February.
According to the VOB (German Construction Contract Procedures — we have a works contract under the Construction Code), the bad weather clause did not apply this winter. I compared the average temperatures, frost days, and ice days from 1980 to 2010 at the nearest weather station according to the German Weather Service and compared them with the records for this winter. We are exactly on average.
=> Argument refuted
I also wouldn’t accept COVID-19 as a valid reason. We signed the contract in mid-June 2020, after the first lockdown and the initial business closures due to quarantine. The GC was aware of the COVID-19 risks. There were no material shortages on our site, or at least none communicated to us. Before construction really started, everything was already installed.
=> Argument, from my layperson’s perspective, is not legally solid.
Delays were largely caused on our side by:
- The bricklayer worked alone for almost three months. He examined every brick extensively from all six sides, much to the amusement of the neighborhood, before installation.
- Ceiling sawing work caused by incorrect installation and lack of supervision by the GC’s site manager. Discovered at the end of June. Since then, correction work, screed, and the stair builder’s vacation period have taken place.
- Delays with the screed installers (very tightly scheduled) due to the correction work mentioned above
- The stair builder was not closely managed by the GC. He has been dragging his feet for a long time and is holding up everything else. This is also a consequence of the re-planning due to the sawing work.
I also pointed out the significant energy costs for the construction dryers running for weeks in order to catch up on the delays with the screed. I expect a partial cost contribution for this. Including the screed heating program, we used 6000 kWh.
He will get back to me next week when his responsible site manager returns from vacation. So far, we have always found a reasonable agreement for both parties. It just annoys me when cheap excuses are made and someone does not take responsibility for their mistakes. Based on our previous experience with the GC, I hope I am wrong and that my research into the bad weather claim was premature.
Well, you don’t get rich by spending money, so I guess it’s understandable.
OWLer schrieb:
I really want to move in now! The guaranteed construction deadline expired last Thursday, and we should actually receive 300€ for each week started after that.
I have informed the general contractor (GC) about this issue. Their reflexive response was to refer to COVID-19 and the bad weather due to snow in February.
According to VOB standards (we have a construction contract under the Building Code), a bad weather situation did not apply this winter. I checked the average temperatures, frost days, and ice days from 1980 to 2010 at the nearest weather station according to the German Weather Service (DWD) and compared it with this winter's records. We are exactly at the average.
=> Argument disproved
I also would not accept the COVID-related argument. We signed the contract only in mid-June 2020, after the first lockdown and all the initial business closures due to quarantine. The GC was fully aware of the COVID risks. There were no material shortages on our site at least none communicated to us. Before construction really started, everything was already installed.
=> From my layman’s perspective, this argument would hardly hold up in court.
Delays were mostly caused by:
- The bricklayer worked alone for almost three months. He examined every brick very thoroughly from all 6 sides before installing it, much to the amusement of the neighborhood.
- Cutting work on the ceilings was done incorrectly due to faulty installation and lack of supervision by the GC’s site manager. This was discovered at the end of June. Since then, there have been corrective works, screed application, and the stair builder’s vacation.
- The screed installer’s work (already tightly scheduled) was delayed because of the mentioned corrections.
- The stair builder was not closely managed by the GC. He has been procrastinating for ages and is holding up everything else. However, this also results from the re-planning caused by the cutting work.
Additionally, I pointed out the significant energy costs for the construction dryers that ran for weeks to catch up on the screed delays. I want them to share these costs proportionally. Including the screed heating program, we consumed 6000 kWh.
The GC said he will get back to me next week when his responsible site manager returns from vacation. So far, we have always found a settlement acceptable to both sides. It just frustrates me when cheap excuses are offered and no one takes responsibility for their mistakes. Based on our previous experience with the GC, I hope once again that I have just wasted my energy and that my research on bad weather was premature.
Well, you don’t get rich spending money, so I can understand that.I hope everything was documented by both sides and that the external construction supervisor agrees. Then you probably have strong chances (layman’s opinion).
Tom1978 schrieb:
I hope everything was documented by both parties. Documented? We received an email saying something like: "Weather forecast for the next weeks won’t improve. We will stop work for 3 weeks and count that out of the construction time guarantee." Then, two days later, the weather changed from -10°C (14°F) to +20°C (68°F), and you could watch the snow melting, so the work resumed. So, this isn’t legally binding from all sides.
But anyway. The staircase is supposed to arrive tomorrow, and then we’ll face two busy weeks.
The blower door test was just done. Or rather, in our case, a blower window test. 😉
The result is 0.61. The energy consultant was satisfied. There were still some leaks in a few spots, which will be fixed now. But the general contractor did a great job.
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