Hello everyone,
after following the forum discussions here for quite some time, we previously asked about the positioning of the house on the plot. We would now like to get your opinion on the following floor plan.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 850m² (9153 sq ft)
Floor area ratio: 0.25
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1
Roof type: gable roof 28-48°
Style: conservative (brick construction)
Layout: open development
Maximum heights / limits: max. 1m (3.3 ft) knee wall
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: brick construction, gable roof 45°
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors (+ converted attic)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults (32 & 31), 1 child (12 months), 1 child planned (2-3 years)
Office: family use (in the attic or, until the second child arrives, on the upper floor)
Conservative or modern style: rather conservative → brick
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Garage, carport: probably a garage-carport combination (must also be brick-clad and have a gable roof)
House design
Who planned it: ourselves
What do you particularly like?
What don’t you like?
→ I would prefer the kitchen to be towards the entrance/street (southwest corner), but then the living area shifts to the east, and we want the living spaces facing south (towards the garden).
We also considered rotating the house 90°, but then the entrance would be on the gable side, resulting in a very long hallway inside, which we don’t like.
So the current layout is a compromise.
We would like to separate the technical room from the utility/pantry area and use it as a kind of mudroom (for shopping or, for example, after gardening work). We are still uncertain about the most practical location and door placement for this.
Oh, and something that might not be clear from our amateur drawings: there is supposed to be a fixed staircase from the upper floor to the attic at the same spot as the ground floor staircase → hence the dormer.
We would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions.
after following the forum discussions here for quite some time, we previously asked about the positioning of the house on the plot. We would now like to get your opinion on the following floor plan.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 850m² (9153 sq ft)
Floor area ratio: 0.25
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1
Roof type: gable roof 28-48°
Style: conservative (brick construction)
Layout: open development
Maximum heights / limits: max. 1m (3.3 ft) knee wall
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: brick construction, gable roof 45°
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors (+ converted attic)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults (32 & 31), 1 child (12 months), 1 child planned (2-3 years)
Office: family use (in the attic or, until the second child arrives, on the upper floor)
Conservative or modern style: rather conservative → brick
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Garage, carport: probably a garage-carport combination (must also be brick-clad and have a gable roof)
House design
Who planned it: ourselves
What do you particularly like?
What don’t you like?
→ I would prefer the kitchen to be towards the entrance/street (southwest corner), but then the living area shifts to the east, and we want the living spaces facing south (towards the garden).
We also considered rotating the house 90°, but then the entrance would be on the gable side, resulting in a very long hallway inside, which we don’t like.
So the current layout is a compromise.
We would like to separate the technical room from the utility/pantry area and use it as a kind of mudroom (for shopping or, for example, after gardening work). We are still uncertain about the most practical location and door placement for this.
Oh, and something that might not be clear from our amateur drawings: there is supposed to be a fixed staircase from the upper floor to the attic at the same spot as the ground floor staircase → hence the dormer.
We would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions.
Bauexperte schrieb:
But it really does not matter where the stairs startNo, it does matter. Because it’s about the doormat you have to walk over (or not) when going up or down. That’s usually where most dirt collects, and it’s often wet there too.
Bauexperte schrieb:
For example, I would have gotten rid of the bulky wardrobe, or at least found a different place for it.The wardrobe is new. And it’s not noticeable at all. When you enter the front door or just open it, you don’t see it. I’ve added two pictures of our hallway: one from the entrance and one showing the wardrobe’s position more clearly. The doors next to and opposite the wardrobe (used only for seasonal jackets and only by the house’s residents) lead to the utility room and office. Please disregard the runner and vacuum cleaner for now. And we have now also invested in a doormat inside the front door.
Bauexperte schrieb:
But does it really not matter where the staircase starts, or am I just completely confused today...?No, it does matter, and I can understand Manu’s point. However, I also think that sometimes it’s the "lesser" problem. I like that she brings it up because it’s not something you immediately think about, and it helps you consider whether it would actually bother you.
Example in winter with the staircase starting near the front door:
1. You enter the house with wet, dirty shoes. They are usually taken off close to the front door, so you inevitably walk several times back and forth between the entrance and the start of the staircase until you’ve taken them off (or helped the kids take off their shoes).
2. In the evening, when you want to go from the ground floor (GF) to the upper floor (UF) in slippers or socks, you have to walk through the area where you just had wet, dirty shoes on, which means you track dirt upstairs.
If the hallway is large enough, or if the shoes are stored so conveniently that no dirt ends up between the staircase and the front door, then this is definitely not a problem.
L
Lebensprojekt9 Jun 2015 18:19Manu1976 schrieb:
No, it’s not irrelevant. Because it concerns the doormat you have to step on (or not) when going up or down. That’s where most of the dirt usually accumulates, and it’s often damp there as well.
The wardrobe cabinet is new. And it’s not noticeable at all. When you enter the front door or just open it, you don’t see it. I’ve attached two more pictures of our hallway—one taken from the entrance and another that better shows the location of the wardrobe cabinet. The doors next to and opposite the wardrobe cabinet (only seasonal jackets and only for the residents of the house) lead to the utility room and office. Please ignore the runner and vacuum cleaner for now. And we have now also placed a doormat inside the front door. 
Very nice hallway, I really like it. I also find the staircase with the LEDs nicely designed. The tiles are easy to clean.
Regards
Lebensprojekt schrieb:
When it comes to tiles, they’re pretty easy to wipe clean.Do you do it? Twice a day? Around noon and then again in the evening?
Yes, there are people like that: our plumber also told me that they have black tiles and his wife, because of the dogs (and she herself is a horseback rider), mops twice a day.
When I asked: no, she doesn’t work. Honestly, I find it too much to take a mop (@Bauexperte we call those mops here) in my hand every day. Even if I had the time: I don’t like to feel enslaved.
Bauexperte schrieb:
Also, it really depends on the person and the values men/women pass on to their children... as long as they live at home. Dirt has no place under my feet. In that sense, it’s not worth sticking under my adult feet.
But it’s not just about crumbs or dirt: I don’t want to be constantly walking past the front door in the nude in the evenings.
But as I said before: if you plan a 109sqm (1175 sq ft) house, you really don’t have another choice. And it’s definitely the lesser evil compared to a messed-up upper floor.
Similar topics