ᐅ Floor Plan Single-Family Home with Granny Flat as a Three-Unit Residence
Created on: 5 Jul 2021 06:50
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florian93
Hello everyone,
I have been a quiet reader here for a long time and have gained a lot of information and ideas from this forum. Many thanks for that!
Since the end of last year, we have been looking into building a house. Initially, we spoke with a few turnkey construction companies. We moved forward with planning more concretely with one company. However, we were never completely satisfied with the results, as we felt the flexibility and individuality were always limited beyond a certain point. Meanwhile, we have turned to an architect from the neighboring village who will support us from planning to the finished house (phases 1-8). We have now reached the point of a "final" draft including a cost estimate.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 709 sqm (7,630 sq ft)
Slope: No
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Edge construction: garage
Number of parking spaces: 1.5 per residential unit (= 5)
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: 38-47° (100-116°F) gable or half-hipped roof
Style: No specification
Orientation: No specification
Maximum height/restrictions: None
Other requirements: None
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Classic-modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full floors (according to development plan only 1.5 => however, neighbors in the immediate area have been granted permission for 2 as long as the overall height does not exceed 1.5, which requires a lower roof pitch)
Number of people, age:
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: can sleep on the sofa
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, kitchen island maybe
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: provision for future installation
Music/stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: garage, but also open to a carport (depending on savings)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: No, possibly a small utility area in the garden
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions: None
House design
Who designed the plan: architect
What do you especially like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: Is it even possible to define this nowadays?
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you had to give up something, which features/extensions
- you can live without: fireplace (or just fireplace preparation), smart home (I’m an IT professional and can retrofit it myself later)
- you cannot live without: none
Why does the design look as it does now? For example:
Standard design from the planner? Basic idea is ours + several discussions with the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summed up in 130 characters?
I have been a quiet reader here for a long time and have gained a lot of information and ideas from this forum. Many thanks for that!
Since the end of last year, we have been looking into building a house. Initially, we spoke with a few turnkey construction companies. We moved forward with planning more concretely with one company. However, we were never completely satisfied with the results, as we felt the flexibility and individuality were always limited beyond a certain point. Meanwhile, we have turned to an architect from the neighboring village who will support us from planning to the finished house (phases 1-8). We have now reached the point of a "final" draft including a cost estimate.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 709 sqm (7,630 sq ft)
Slope: No
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Edge construction: garage
Number of parking spaces: 1.5 per residential unit (= 5)
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: 38-47° (100-116°F) gable or half-hipped roof
Style: No specification
Orientation: No specification
Maximum height/restrictions: None
Other requirements: None
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Classic-modern, gable roof
Basement, floors: 2 full floors (according to development plan only 1.5 => however, neighbors in the immediate area have been granted permission for 2 as long as the overall height does not exceed 1.5, which requires a lower roof pitch)
Number of people, age:
- Currently: 3 (Dad 27, Mom 25, son 1)
- Future: 4-5 (Dad, Mom, 2-3 children) + 2 in granny flat (parents, in about 5-10 years)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
- Ground floor + upper floor:
- Size: approx. 160-180 sqm (1,722-1,938 sq ft); inspired by the new build of an acquaintance
- Rooms ground floor: open kitchen/dining/living area + small pantry, office, utility/technical room, guest WC
- Rooms upper floor: large bathroom, master bedroom, 3 children’s rooms
- Granny flat:
- Size: approx. 50 sqm (538 sq ft); based on our old 2-room apartment
- Rooms: open kitchen/dining/living area, bathroom, bedroom
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: can sleep on the sofa
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, kitchen island maybe
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: provision for future installation
Music/stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: garage, but also open to a carport (depending on savings)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: No, possibly a small utility area in the garden
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions: None
House design
Who designed the plan: architect
What do you especially like? Why?
- Use as a single-family house plus granny flat, with the option to separate into 3 units later, e.g., when children grow older or if renting is desired
- Separate garden areas for the main house and granny flat
- Large windows facing south => lots of daylight (neighbor to the south is quite far away + good privacy to the east thanks to granny flat)
- Garden/terraces on the south side
- Direct access to the garage from inside
- Direct access to the granny flat for times of sole family use
What do you dislike? Why?
- Very dark entrance area
- Concern that the kitchen/dining/living area might be too small or cramped
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
- Note: everything calculated very generously based on current raw material prices
- All-in: 778k (we already own the serviced land)
- of which 40k are additional construction costs
- of which 35k already planned for furnishings
- of which 50k already planned for outdoor facilities and open spaces
- Resulting in:
- after deductions for subsidies: 662k (3x KfW 40 Plus + energy consultant = 116k)
- after deductions for assured DIY work: 642k
- after deduction of approx. 160k for granny flat (financed by parents): 482k
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: Is it even possible to define this nowadays?
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you had to give up something, which features/extensions
- you can live without: fireplace (or just fireplace preparation), smart home (I’m an IT professional and can retrofit it myself later)
- you cannot live without: none
Why does the design look as it does now? For example:
Standard design from the planner? Basic idea is ours + several discussions with the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
- Almost all of our wishes
- Staircase with straight steps
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
- Good: not a run-of-the-mill standard design, visually very appealing (in our opinion)
- Bad: nothing
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summed up in 130 characters?
- We would simply like some unbiased opinions/optimizations from third parties
- How can the entrance area be improved in terms of natural light?
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florian935 Jul 2021 12:28Ysop*** schrieb:
Also consider that your current apartment, which served as your example, suits you well right now as a young couple. Whether it meets the conscious or unconscious needs of the parents is another matter.
About the kitchen
I would design the island like an aircraft carrier—elongated rather than square. You should check if you can rotate it so it faces the window front or at least position its longer side quite close to it.Will do!
Kitchen: I'm not sure we fully understood that. Could you roughly sketch or draw how it would look like for our understanding? We're not kitchen experts (so far).
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Myrna_Loy5 Jul 2021 12:33I would hold off on planning the kitchen until the floor plan is finalized. Also, consider whether you really need two offices, or if one office and three bedrooms for children—currently only one child—would be sufficient and simplify the design.
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pagoni20205 Jul 2021 12:47evelinoz schrieb:
That’s why having 2 bedrooms is important to me. Absolutely!
Or for guests, or...
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I would hold off on the kitchen design until the floor plan is finalized. Yep
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florian935 Jul 2021 13:03Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I would put the kitchen planning on hold until the floor plan is finalized.
And seriously consider whether two offices are really necessary. Or if one office and three children’s bedrooms – with only one child so far – would be sufficient and simplify the design. I have to slightly "disagree" here. The three children’s bedrooms upstairs are intentionally planned and are meant to be used as such sooner or later. What is labeled as "sleeping" downstairs is intended to become our office. It will be shared by my wife (a teacher) and me (an IT professional mostly working from home). The idea to initially move the office to the granny flat (until my parents move in) comes simply from the fact that the flat will be used until then and won’t sit empty unnecessarily.
So far, most suggestions have focused on the granny flat (for which we are definitely very grateful!), and we would therefore be glad to see the kitchen proposal from @Ysop*** 🙂 Of course, further feedback on the rest of the plan that doesn’t concern the granny flat is also very welcome. As described, we will review that separately with my parents anyway.
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florian935 Jul 2021 13:09pagoni2020 schrieb:
absolutely!
or guests or......
yepI also think it’s a matter of personal taste, but we deliberately decided against having a guest room because we see it as wasted space. We don’t have that many overnight guests (does anyone really?). And if we do, they have to make do with the couch. If that’s not enough, they’re free to book a room at the local hotel 😉
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