Hello everyone,
Attached is our floor plan. Our designer has now set almost all the windows at a sill height of 100cm (40 inches) and made them 126cm (50 inches) tall. Somehow, I don’t really like these windows. I often see these continuous bands of windows in new builds, which I find very appealing. What are the standard sill heights for those, and what height do those windows typically have?
How would you position the windows in my floor plan? The south side of the living room is almost certain—that means a 3-meter (10-foot) sliding door plus a double window in the kitchen (sill height 125cm (49 inches), 201cm x 101cm (79 inches x 40 inches)). But I’m totally unsure about the west side—what sill heights, window widths, and window heights would you choose there?
Attached is our floor plan. Our designer has now set almost all the windows at a sill height of 100cm (40 inches) and made them 126cm (50 inches) tall. Somehow, I don’t really like these windows. I often see these continuous bands of windows in new builds, which I find very appealing. What are the standard sill heights for those, and what height do those windows typically have?
How would you position the windows in my floor plan? The south side of the living room is almost certain—that means a 3-meter (10-foot) sliding door plus a double window in the kitchen (sill height 125cm (49 inches), 201cm x 101cm (79 inches x 40 inches)). But I’m totally unsure about the west side—what sill heights, window widths, and window heights would you choose there?
W
Wanderdüne25 Jun 2014 11:29Just because the staircase is often placed in this location with this type of building design, it doesn’t mean it’s the best solution for you. And the staircase is crucial for the overall layout.
I’m not criticizing you for avoiding decisions, because you are constantly making decisions.
You have decided that hiring an architect who addresses your wishes and the site conditions doesn’t make sense.
You have decided that the current floor plan is the best you can get.
So why hasn’t the building permit / planning application been submitted yet? Is it just general reluctance to decide, or is there still some remaining sense of reality or idealism, for example, that a functional cloakroom would be desirable, that the kitchen should be suitable for cooking, or that space should not be wasted unnecessarily?
And what do you expect from the forum—delivery of design phases 1-3, or an architectural competition?
WD
I’m not criticizing you for avoiding decisions, because you are constantly making decisions.
You have decided that hiring an architect who addresses your wishes and the site conditions doesn’t make sense.
You have decided that the current floor plan is the best you can get.
So why hasn’t the building permit / planning application been submitted yet? Is it just general reluctance to decide, or is there still some remaining sense of reality or idealism, for example, that a functional cloakroom would be desirable, that the kitchen should be suitable for cooking, or that space should not be wasted unnecessarily?
And what do you expect from the forum—delivery of design phases 1-3, or an architectural competition?
WD
Somehow, you all have a point, but I need to add something:
Often, we end up standing in our own way, holding on to mistakes or standard solutions just because others do it that way or because "that's how it’s done."
Many times, we no longer see options: for example, you could place the staircase on the south wall and move the kitchen or living room to the north. Or other variations... But it’s hard to imagine a small breakfast terrace on the north side where there’s only about 3 meters (10 feet) of land available. However, if that terrace were part of a 20-year-old house, nicely grown-in, you’d probably find it great. A living room in the north would be a no-go, even though it would only be lit in the evenings, or also from the west. I’m not saying it has to be this way — what I mean is that people often close themselves off to new or different ideas.
Now, a comment on the last floor plan (although I understand now it doesn’t come from @Elchitekt):
One drawback is that the basement is accessed from the kitchen. You could partially close off the living area a bit (this room has gotten very long already...), rotate the staircase, and have the basement entrance at the front hallway. The access for the children would then be from the dining room, which I personally find acceptable.
(Although for some, that would be a no-go.)
And now a fundamental question: in our new development area, house examples were included in the brochure — three builders presented house types that were allowed according to the zoning plan. Was this not the case where you are? Wouldn’t these companies have possibly had one or two drawings ready that addressed the challenge with your single- and two-story houses?
Best regards,
Yvonne
Often, we end up standing in our own way, holding on to mistakes or standard solutions just because others do it that way or because "that's how it’s done."
Many times, we no longer see options: for example, you could place the staircase on the south wall and move the kitchen or living room to the north. Or other variations... But it’s hard to imagine a small breakfast terrace on the north side where there’s only about 3 meters (10 feet) of land available. However, if that terrace were part of a 20-year-old house, nicely grown-in, you’d probably find it great. A living room in the north would be a no-go, even though it would only be lit in the evenings, or also from the west. I’m not saying it has to be this way — what I mean is that people often close themselves off to new or different ideas.
Now, a comment on the last floor plan (although I understand now it doesn’t come from @Elchitekt):
One drawback is that the basement is accessed from the kitchen. You could partially close off the living area a bit (this room has gotten very long already...), rotate the staircase, and have the basement entrance at the front hallway. The access for the children would then be from the dining room, which I personally find acceptable.
(Although for some, that would be a no-go.)
And now a fundamental question: in our new development area, house examples were included in the brochure — three builders presented house types that were allowed according to the zoning plan. Was this not the case where you are? Wouldn’t these companies have possibly had one or two drawings ready that addressed the challenge with your single- and two-story houses?
Best regards,
Yvonne
Hello everyone,
I haven’t shared an update for a while. Since there has been such lively discussion here, I definitely want to wrap this up—I owe you that. We have decided on a split-level house. This design allows the staircase to be integrated more beautifully and harmoniously into the home. So, we’ve abandoned the idea of living entirely on one level. We are aware that for every trip to the bathroom, you have to climb 7 steps, but for us the advantages outweigh that:
What I’m not so happy about yet is the access to the kitchen and living room. When you come down the stairs from the bedroom, you immediately face a wall (to the right is the living room). Would it make sense to move the door from the hallway to the dining room here? (So when you come down the stairs, you can walk straight into the dining room.) This would mean losing direct access to the living room. I would then create a second entrance directly from the entrance area to the kitchen. As it is now, you can already see into the living room from the entrance area; after repositioning the door, this would no longer be possible.
What do you think? What do you like or dislike?
I haven’t shared an update for a while. Since there has been such lively discussion here, I definitely want to wrap this up—I owe you that. We have decided on a split-level house. This design allows the staircase to be integrated more beautifully and harmoniously into the home. So, we’ve abandoned the idea of living entirely on one level. We are aware that for every trip to the bathroom, you have to climb 7 steps, but for us the advantages outweigh that:
- Clear and attractive room layout
- You only have to walk half a flight of stairs at a time, which is comfortable because there are no winding turns or anything like that
- The bedroom naturally gains privacy (which was always a problem with the other floor plan)
- and you are still close to the kids (an even bigger factor with our one-month-old baby)
What I’m not so happy about yet is the access to the kitchen and living room. When you come down the stairs from the bedroom, you immediately face a wall (to the right is the living room). Would it make sense to move the door from the hallway to the dining room here? (So when you come down the stairs, you can walk straight into the dining room.) This would mean losing direct access to the living room. I would then create a second entrance directly from the entrance area to the kitchen. As it is now, you can already see into the living room from the entrance area; after repositioning the door, this would no longer be possible.
What do you think? What do you like or dislike?
W
Wanderdüne10 Aug 2014 13:29Hello!
First about the split-level design: I think it works well on sloped sites or for smaller houses like modern townhouses when you want to bring in light and openness through the staircase while also separating different areas.
However, I have the impression (which could be wrong) that double casement windows are not allowed in your case. This would leave only the wall on the top level with a narrow window strip facing north. But no light from that will reach down into the hallway...
Regarding the rest of the floor plan:
If a roof over the entrance is still planned, this area will be dark, so no light will come from there either.
About the kitchen: The proximity to the entrance is not utilized, for example with a pantry or bi-directional storage cupboards. Also, anyone sitting at the counter will be looking at the east-facing wall. The dining area also deserves better planning of window surfaces.
The living room feels introverted, with no connection between inside and outside, which is a pity.
The other levels are okay; however, the master bathroom and bedroom are rather small relative to the overall house size. A guest toilet is missing.
The house has become very large and not very efficient. Was this the intended design?
Best regards
WD
First about the split-level design: I think it works well on sloped sites or for smaller houses like modern townhouses when you want to bring in light and openness through the staircase while also separating different areas.
However, I have the impression (which could be wrong) that double casement windows are not allowed in your case. This would leave only the wall on the top level with a narrow window strip facing north. But no light from that will reach down into the hallway...
Regarding the rest of the floor plan:
If a roof over the entrance is still planned, this area will be dark, so no light will come from there either.
About the kitchen: The proximity to the entrance is not utilized, for example with a pantry or bi-directional storage cupboards. Also, anyone sitting at the counter will be looking at the east-facing wall. The dining area also deserves better planning of window surfaces.
The living room feels introverted, with no connection between inside and outside, which is a pity.
The other levels are okay; however, the master bathroom and bedroom are rather small relative to the overall house size. A guest toilet is missing.
The house has become very large and not very efficient. Was this the intended design?
Best regards
WD
Hello Wanderdüne,
First of all, thanks again for your constructive feedback! Now to the individual points:
The seating at the counter is meant to allow communication with whoever is working in the kitchen. Of course, it would be nicer to have a pleasant outside view here as well. I agree that the window arrangement is still not ideal.
First of all, thanks again for your constructive feedback! Now to the individual points:
Wanderdüne schrieb:In general, I prefer a regular house with two full floors, but if the city doesn’t give me a choice, then I have to decide on one. Unlike a mixed-level house (with the ground floor continuous and the upper floor on the south side), I think split-level allows for much nicer room layouts because the half-stairs do not get in the way.
Firstly about split-level: I think it works well on a slope or for smaller houses, such as modern townhouses, when you want to bring light and openness through the stairs while also separating different areas.
Wanderdüne schrieb:You are absolutely right, a window is planned there. I couldn’t find anything in the zoning regulations that prohibits a roof window. We want to improve the lighting situation in the hallway/vestibule with built-in spotlights and by adding a new glass door from the vestibule to the kitchen (see attachment).
However, I have this idea in my mind (maybe I am wrong) that no double casement windows are allowed with you. So the wall of the uppermost level will have a narrow band of windows facing north. But no light will actually reach the hallway below from there…
Regarding the rest of the layout:
If there is still a roof over the entrance planned, this area will be dark, so no light will come in from there either.
Wanderdüne schrieb:As mentioned above, there will be a sliding glass door between the vestibule and kitchen. We would have liked a pantry too, but the kitchen offers enough storage space. The counter along the door is about 4m (13 feet) long, and the island is about 3m (10 feet) long. The island will be approximately 100-110cm (39–43 inches) wide, which will provide significant storage. Otherwise, there is only a half staircase and the basement.
Regarding the kitchen: The spatial proximity to the entrance is not utilized, e.g., a pantry or dual-access storage cabinets. Also, those sitting at the counter face a wall on the east side. The dining area also deserves better window planning.
The seating at the counter is meant to allow communication with whoever is working in the kitchen. Of course, it would be nicer to have a pleasant outside view here as well. I agree that the window arrangement is still not ideal.
Wanderdüne schrieb:I don’t understand this. What do you mean? There is a 2 meter (6.5 feet) sliding door on the south side, though it may not be visible on the plan.
The living room feels introverted; there are no inside-outside connections here either, which is a shame.
Wanderdüne schrieb:The master bathroom is small, you are right, but it is also meant to serve as the guest toilet. Furthermore, as my wife said: “I am not going to clean three toilets!!!” It would only make sense to have a large bathroom on the first floor if there were a guest toilet with a shower on the ground floor. Unfortunately, this is not possible due to space limitations. The bedroom is more than large enough for us.
The other levels are okay. The master bathroom and bedroom are relatively small in proportion to the house size. A guest toilet is missing.
Wanderdüne schrieb:The house is now a total of 146 sqm (1570 sq ft), which is 10 sqm (108 sq ft) more than before. However, the office is now not in the basement and the rooms are properly sized. What do you mean by inefficient? The stairwell has been minimized thanks to this type of staircase; any other stair design or bungalow would require more space for circulation than this layout!
The house has become quite large and is not very efficient. Was that intentional?
W
Wanderdüne11 Aug 2014 10:16zovima15 schrieb:
...that split-level designs allow for much nicer room layouts because the half-stairs don’t get in the way.Split-level does make zoning easier, that’s true.
zovima15 schrieb:
In the development plan, I haven’t found anything that would prohibit a roof window. In your post #9 in the second attempt thread, you mentioned that roof windows are not allowed. Even better if they are permitted. Then they should definitely be used to bring light, for example through a stairwell opening into the ground floor hallway (unfortunately, this costs some floor space).
Regarding the introverted living room:
zovima15 schrieb:
I don’t understand that. What do you mean? There is a 2-meter (6.5 feet) sliding door on the south side, you can’t see it on the plan.As the shape of the living room and the drawing show, the views from the sofa face entirely inward. That is a shame; with good planning, home cinema and indoor-outdoor connections don’t have to contradict each other.
zovima15 schrieb:
My wife says: “I’m not going to clean three toilets!!!”...
The bedroom is more than big enough for us...
The house now totals 146 square meters (1570 square feet), which is 10 square meters (108 square feet) more than before.
...every bungalow has a higher space requirement for circulation than this floor plan!Let me summarize the points:
You want to build split-level and have many indentations and projections in the exterior walls. That costs money. Adding up the stated square meters results in over 190 square meters (or are those numbers incorrect?), meaning the price tag on the house and garage will definitely start with a solid 3, so you need to be careful.
The price should be matched by appropriate value.
I am against blindly following trends, but the trend toward bedrooms with walk-in closets (especially for shift workers) and wellness areas is not entirely without merit. However, if there is not even a guest WC planned, then it simply doesn’t fit.
Regarding circulation space in a bungalow, many catalog solutions get it wrong here, but with smart room sequences and design concepts, it can be much better.
Best regards,
WD
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