ᐅ Floor plans for a single-family house with a separate apartment, 280 m² on a compact 320 m² plot
Created on: 29 Aug 2022 11:51
M
medow1982
Hello everyone,
attached is our project with a request for suggestions for improvement, especially regarding the interior layout. The building permit application is currently in process, so please avoid complete redesign proposals for the building envelope, entrance, etc. Doors and walls can still be adjusted inside.
And yes, we are fully aware that this is a small constrained plot with limited garden space, but this is all we have here and we’re happy with it!
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 310 m2 (3,337 sq ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1.5–2
Roof type: 45-degree gable roof
Orientation: SW
Additional requirements: Must be attached to neighbors and adapted accordingly. Changes to roof shape, knee wall height, number of floors, etc. are not possible!
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Attached house, adapted to neighbors. This is restricted. Open floor plan. Flexible for aging occupants.
Basement, floors: Basement = self-contained apartment according to regional building codes, with separate entrance for permanent rental in the basement.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults + 2 children (4 and 1 year old), basement apartment: either 2 people or a shared office for 2 to max. 6 people
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: at least 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft). We have 165 m2 (1,776 sq ft) + 18 m2 (194 sq ft), so more than needed.
Office: Family use or home office? All three desired. One mixed-use room for home office and guests planned on the ground floor.
Guest sleepers per year: maximum 2, 1–3 times per year
Modern construction style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: possibly
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: no
Balcony: yes, roof terrace: no due to neighbors
Garage, carport: no, only 2 parking spaces and storage rooms on the floors. One parking space will be realized with grass pavers and a sliding gate so that the garden visually appears larger.
House Design
Who designed the plan: 2 years of our own planning, final design approved by an architect as feasible.
- Planner from a construction company: yes
- Architect: yes
What do you particularly like? Why: We planned 3 separate living units so that we can live on the ground floor as we get older and the kids move upstairs or we can rent it out. A barrier-free ground floor was very important to us. In case of emergency, we can also rent out the ground and upper floors. Only the basement apartment is planned for rental; ground and upper floors for own use.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approx. 1 million €
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump, split system for cost reasons. 8 kWp solar system, 2 centralized ventilation systems. Basement made of concrete + Styrodur insulation, ground and upper floors with Poroton T7-MW 36.5 bricks. Soundproofing and increased living space were priorities, and unfortunately, we no longer qualify for KfW40+ funding. We simply didn’t have enough time for the KfW40+ NH standard because interest rates have risen sharply.
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions?
- Can give up: definitely the garage. We don’t own a car and use car sharing, which works well for the family. We can occasionally use a garage and shed on the neighboring property.
- Cannot give up: terrace, garden, balcony
Why is the design as it is now?
For example, standard design from planner? No, everything developed by us. Strong restrictions due to attachment to neighbors and limits on ridge height, roof shape, and height of the adjoining building. “Wish for” options are hardly possible here since the house must be attached to the neighbor.
Which wishes did the architect implement? Most of them.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? We have a very small plot and limited freedom in terms of shape, but in our opinion, we made the best of it. For cost reasons, we omitted Gutex insulation in the roof. We only have the attic peak, the bathroom, and one room with a sloping ceiling (knee wall height 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in)).
According to the site manager, this should not lead to extreme overheating, but we might still install it depending on feedback. The attic is open and connected to the ventilation system, so air in the basement will be mixed via the heat exchanger anyway. My parents also don’t have Gutex insulation in their prefab home from the 1980s, and yes, the attic gets quite warm but not over 35°C (95°F). We planned to compensate with blinds but are still unsure.
Additionally, we plan to convert the kitchen on the ground floor into a living room as we age and relocate the kitchen accordingly. Everything is optional, and planned with flexible plumbing. In the basement, we might still plan another room but are unsure of the location.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the size of the bathroom and hallway sufficient, or should we have it adjusted?
In the basement, we will add a south-facing window on the left side to brighten the basement apartment. This will reduce privacy and garden space but should please the basement occupants.
attached is our project with a request for suggestions for improvement, especially regarding the interior layout. The building permit application is currently in process, so please avoid complete redesign proposals for the building envelope, entrance, etc. Doors and walls can still be adjusted inside.
And yes, we are fully aware that this is a small constrained plot with limited garden space, but this is all we have here and we’re happy with it!
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 310 m2 (3,337 sq ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1.5–2
Roof type: 45-degree gable roof
Orientation: SW
Additional requirements: Must be attached to neighbors and adapted accordingly. Changes to roof shape, knee wall height, number of floors, etc. are not possible!
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Attached house, adapted to neighbors. This is restricted. Open floor plan. Flexible for aging occupants.
Basement, floors: Basement = self-contained apartment according to regional building codes, with separate entrance for permanent rental in the basement.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults + 2 children (4 and 1 year old), basement apartment: either 2 people or a shared office for 2 to max. 6 people
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: at least 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft). We have 165 m2 (1,776 sq ft) + 18 m2 (194 sq ft), so more than needed.
Office: Family use or home office? All three desired. One mixed-use room for home office and guests planned on the ground floor.
Guest sleepers per year: maximum 2, 1–3 times per year
Modern construction style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: possibly
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: no
Balcony: yes, roof terrace: no due to neighbors
Garage, carport: no, only 2 parking spaces and storage rooms on the floors. One parking space will be realized with grass pavers and a sliding gate so that the garden visually appears larger.
House Design
Who designed the plan: 2 years of our own planning, final design approved by an architect as feasible.
- Planner from a construction company: yes
- Architect: yes
What do you particularly like? Why: We planned 3 separate living units so that we can live on the ground floor as we get older and the kids move upstairs or we can rent it out. A barrier-free ground floor was very important to us. In case of emergency, we can also rent out the ground and upper floors. Only the basement apartment is planned for rental; ground and upper floors for own use.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approx. 1 million €
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump, split system for cost reasons. 8 kWp solar system, 2 centralized ventilation systems. Basement made of concrete + Styrodur insulation, ground and upper floors with Poroton T7-MW 36.5 bricks. Soundproofing and increased living space were priorities, and unfortunately, we no longer qualify for KfW40+ funding. We simply didn’t have enough time for the KfW40+ NH standard because interest rates have risen sharply.
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions?
- Can give up: definitely the garage. We don’t own a car and use car sharing, which works well for the family. We can occasionally use a garage and shed on the neighboring property.
- Cannot give up: terrace, garden, balcony
Why is the design as it is now?
For example, standard design from planner? No, everything developed by us. Strong restrictions due to attachment to neighbors and limits on ridge height, roof shape, and height of the adjoining building. “Wish for” options are hardly possible here since the house must be attached to the neighbor.
Which wishes did the architect implement? Most of them.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? We have a very small plot and limited freedom in terms of shape, but in our opinion, we made the best of it. For cost reasons, we omitted Gutex insulation in the roof. We only have the attic peak, the bathroom, and one room with a sloping ceiling (knee wall height 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in)).
According to the site manager, this should not lead to extreme overheating, but we might still install it depending on feedback. The attic is open and connected to the ventilation system, so air in the basement will be mixed via the heat exchanger anyway. My parents also don’t have Gutex insulation in their prefab home from the 1980s, and yes, the attic gets quite warm but not over 35°C (95°F). We planned to compensate with blinds but are still unsure.
Additionally, we plan to convert the kitchen on the ground floor into a living room as we age and relocate the kitchen accordingly. Everything is optional, and planned with flexible plumbing. In the basement, we might still plan another room but are unsure of the location.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the size of the bathroom and hallway sufficient, or should we have it adjusted?
In the basement, we will add a south-facing window on the left side to brighten the basement apartment. This will reduce privacy and garden space but should please the basement occupants.
M
Myrna_Loy30 Aug 2022 11:55medow1982 schrieb:
Yes, that’s how it is. I don’t expect anything else. I never intended to build a dream house that satisfies everyone. I really can’t understand why people here argue so much about the granny flat. Sure, it’s not perfectly designed, but in general, a granny flat is a great feature. Whether double KfW subsidies … Are you familiar with the new funding guidelines?
And we’re not complaining, we’re simply pointing out where we see a mismatch between cost, benefit, and practicality. Once again, the basement will easily cost you 250,000 euros (about $270,000). Even with a return of 800 euros (about $860) per month, which is optimistic, that’s roughly 25 years before it pays off—simplified and without a crystal ball (which is quite foggy during crisis times). Your house will probably be worth more as a cozy single-family home with space for grandma than this chimera.
medow1982 schrieb:
Obviously, the design isn’t optimalBut it could be, if someone wanted to. I mean, you’re asking here for improvements, yet you don’t consider any or you don’t even see or understand the improvements.
medow1982 schrieb:
Of course, a staircase from the living room to the upper floor would feel more comfortable…no one said that. You’re bringing up things nobody suggested. Tamstar schrieb:
Just tossed it in……Katja and I have already done that… but nothing comes back.Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Ah, you recognized that correctly. The way you respond to criticism looked familiar to me. https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrisse-efh-mit-elw-bitte-tipps-und-feedback.38158/ Can I start calling you 11antin from now on? 🙂 Hats off 🙂
@medow1982
Why are you here? There are people who accept constructive criticism (and Katja, ypg, Myrna, and others provided very constructive feedback!) and are grateful for it. And then there’s you. Reading all 9 pages in one go, as I just did, is extremely tiring because of how you respond. If your reading and comprehension skills were even half as developed as your defensiveness, you would be much further ahead here…
Just be straightforward! Why the strange clubhouse in a residential area? Be honest! Are you creating new living space, which is relatively expensive in 2022, just to rent it out? Please calculate for me whether that “pays off,” including all components… that would be the financial aspect. As for the living value of the rest of the house, it certainly doesn’t make sense.
Yes, I know, “BUT EVERYONE ELSE ON THE STREET!!!1111!!!!” Doesn’t matter. Calculate honestly!
And please respond substantively to the meaningful posts from the people mentioned above. You don’t even have to reply to mine—I can already guess how that would be received 😉
ypg schrieb:
You’re coming in here with things nobody advised you to do.Yes, that suggests you’re not capable of dealing with the actual issue and are instead creating distractions to divert attention from the topic. But why? There’s no need to sugarcoat things for us. After all, we’re not the ones paying for the house, and luckily, we don’t live in it either.M
medow198230 Aug 2022 12:28I’m not interested in debating the pros and cons of a basement apartment if it’s explicitly desired. If some people lack the budget or understanding for a rented basement unit, they shouldn’t be generally against basements just because it’s expensive or doesn’t fit their “this is my one and only dream home” idea. I never said it’s a clubhouse :-) nor that I want to build a basement purely for financial incentives.
A basement is simply a basement, not a sunken courtyard, unless you’re building on a slope.
Regarding Katja’s proposal, the only thing that bothers me is the small bathroom and the double hallway. Otherwise, I think it’s better if the toilet and the bedroom don’t open directly into the living room.
Can someone also say something about the ground floor and maybe suggest an alternative like Katja did?
A basement is simply a basement, not a sunken courtyard, unless you’re building on a slope.
Regarding Katja’s proposal, the only thing that bothers me is the small bathroom and the double hallway. Otherwise, I think it’s better if the toilet and the bedroom don’t open directly into the living room.
Can someone also say something about the ground floor and maybe suggest an alternative like Katja did?
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