Hello everyone!
Although we are from Austria and building here, we have been following various posts in this forum for some time. There are many creative minds here, and I really appreciate your advice in the other discussions.
We ourselves have been in the house planning phase for quite a while. We recently purchased a plot of land south of Vienna and plan to start construction in 2020. We want to build with solid construction methods, but we are still deciding between brick (which is very common here) and aerated concrete blocks (we really like the kit house concept from Ytong based on what we’ve heard so far, although it is quite rare in our area).
Efficiency in the use of living space is very important to us (no unnecessary features, no long hallways, no balconies or bay windows), as well as in the building services (heat pump, controlled mechanical ventilation system, etc.).
I assume there isn’t much experience here with Austrian building regulations, so I will try to answer any questions that come up as quickly and competently as possible.
Here is the completed questionnaire:
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 604 m² (6500 ft² approx.)
Slope: No, completely flat
Site coverage ratio: (not applicable here) - 32% buildable area
Floor area ratio: (not applicable here)
Building setback lines and boundaries: front setback 3 m (10 ft), side setback 3 m (10 ft) or half the eave height of the adjoining façade – whichever is greater, rear setback 3 m (10 ft)
Edge building restrictions: within the setback zone up to a maximum height of 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: not specified in the zoning plan
Roof shape: no restriction according to zoning plan
Architectural style: no restriction
Orientation: no restriction
Maximum height/limits: max. building height 6.8 m (22 ft) (eave height)
Other requirements: none
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic rectangular shape, gable roof or staggered shed roof, simple building form without bay windows or dormers, no balconies!
Basement, floors: basement (gym, workshop, laundry, mainly storage), ground floor (living areas + guest room), upper floor (bedrooms)
Number of occupants, ages: male 28, female 34, child 0.5 years, child 11 years (every second weekend + school holidays)
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: ground floor (shower bathroom, guest room/home office/play/multi-purpose room, living room, kitchen, pantry), upper floor (bedroom including walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom), basement (gym, laundry, storage, workshop)
Office: family use or home office?: 80% family use as playroom, 10% home office, 10% guest room
Overnight guests per year: approximately 5, mainly relatives visiting for various celebrations from afar
Open or closed layout: open plan
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative but open to “unconventional ideas”
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with breakfast bar
Number of dining seats: permanently 6, at family celebrations minimum 12 temporarily, >16 long term
Fireplace: no
Music/speaker wall: no – but large TV frequently used
Balcony, roof terrace: definitely no!
Garage, carport: carport within the setback zone (on the north side?)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: definitely yes! Gardening is a big wish and the main reason for the whole project
Other wishes/special features/daily routines, explanations if desired: The house should be as efficient as possible (during construction and especially in operation), therefore no awkward bay windows etc. (ratio of surface to volume)
Additional requests: controlled mechanical ventilation system, laundry chute, non-load-bearing partition wall between the children’s rooms so it can be removed in a few years if the older child no longer lives at home. The most important thing is a large garden, so that’s why the basement is desired to minimize the building footprint. The kitchen must be large enough for at least two people to cook at the same time – this is currently a problem in our apartment.
House Design
Designed by: DIY with a lot of input from planners
What do you like? Why?: almost all wishes implemented
What do you dislike? Why?: pantry is quite small, upper floor still not quite perfect, niche in the corridor as storage replacement for vacuum cleaner etc.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: €430,000 turnkey, €350,000 “turnkey with owner involvement”
Personal price limit for house, including fixtures and fittings: €350,000 in shell and core condition is the goal, with a comfortable buffer, but that would be our ideal
Preferred heating technology: heat pump with ground source collector (trench collector)
Note: We are not under time pressure for planning or construction. We are very willing and able to do much of the work on the house ourselves. Providing appropriate “self-performance proof” for the bank is not a problem either. This helps keep construction costs low.
If you have to give up something, which details/finishes
- could you give up: almost everything except the pantry and open kitchen
- could you not give up: pantry, open kitchen, and preferably not the controlled ventilation
Why is the design the way it is now?
A mix of many examples from model home parks, magazines, and many discussions with planners/architects etc.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
All the rooms we imagined are present, relatively short circulation routes, hardly any wasted space
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of the design? Where do you see potential for improvement? Placement of laundry chute?
I look forward to your opinions and comments!
Best regards,
your Gugelhupf
Although we are from Austria and building here, we have been following various posts in this forum for some time. There are many creative minds here, and I really appreciate your advice in the other discussions.
We ourselves have been in the house planning phase for quite a while. We recently purchased a plot of land south of Vienna and plan to start construction in 2020. We want to build with solid construction methods, but we are still deciding between brick (which is very common here) and aerated concrete blocks (we really like the kit house concept from Ytong based on what we’ve heard so far, although it is quite rare in our area).
Efficiency in the use of living space is very important to us (no unnecessary features, no long hallways, no balconies or bay windows), as well as in the building services (heat pump, controlled mechanical ventilation system, etc.).
I assume there isn’t much experience here with Austrian building regulations, so I will try to answer any questions that come up as quickly and competently as possible.
Here is the completed questionnaire:
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 604 m² (6500 ft² approx.)
Slope: No, completely flat
Site coverage ratio: (not applicable here) - 32% buildable area
Floor area ratio: (not applicable here)
Building setback lines and boundaries: front setback 3 m (10 ft), side setback 3 m (10 ft) or half the eave height of the adjoining façade – whichever is greater, rear setback 3 m (10 ft)
Edge building restrictions: within the setback zone up to a maximum height of 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: not specified in the zoning plan
Roof shape: no restriction according to zoning plan
Architectural style: no restriction
Orientation: no restriction
Maximum height/limits: max. building height 6.8 m (22 ft) (eave height)
Other requirements: none
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic rectangular shape, gable roof or staggered shed roof, simple building form without bay windows or dormers, no balconies!
Basement, floors: basement (gym, workshop, laundry, mainly storage), ground floor (living areas + guest room), upper floor (bedrooms)
Number of occupants, ages: male 28, female 34, child 0.5 years, child 11 years (every second weekend + school holidays)
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: ground floor (shower bathroom, guest room/home office/play/multi-purpose room, living room, kitchen, pantry), upper floor (bedroom including walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom), basement (gym, laundry, storage, workshop)
Office: family use or home office?: 80% family use as playroom, 10% home office, 10% guest room
Overnight guests per year: approximately 5, mainly relatives visiting for various celebrations from afar
Open or closed layout: open plan
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative but open to “unconventional ideas”
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with breakfast bar
Number of dining seats: permanently 6, at family celebrations minimum 12 temporarily, >16 long term
Fireplace: no
Music/speaker wall: no – but large TV frequently used
Balcony, roof terrace: definitely no!
Garage, carport: carport within the setback zone (on the north side?)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: definitely yes! Gardening is a big wish and the main reason for the whole project
Other wishes/special features/daily routines, explanations if desired: The house should be as efficient as possible (during construction and especially in operation), therefore no awkward bay windows etc. (ratio of surface to volume)
Additional requests: controlled mechanical ventilation system, laundry chute, non-load-bearing partition wall between the children’s rooms so it can be removed in a few years if the older child no longer lives at home. The most important thing is a large garden, so that’s why the basement is desired to minimize the building footprint. The kitchen must be large enough for at least two people to cook at the same time – this is currently a problem in our apartment.
House Design
Designed by: DIY with a lot of input from planners
What do you like? Why?: almost all wishes implemented
What do you dislike? Why?: pantry is quite small, upper floor still not quite perfect, niche in the corridor as storage replacement for vacuum cleaner etc.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: €430,000 turnkey, €350,000 “turnkey with owner involvement”
Personal price limit for house, including fixtures and fittings: €350,000 in shell and core condition is the goal, with a comfortable buffer, but that would be our ideal
Preferred heating technology: heat pump with ground source collector (trench collector)
Note: We are not under time pressure for planning or construction. We are very willing and able to do much of the work on the house ourselves. Providing appropriate “self-performance proof” for the bank is not a problem either. This helps keep construction costs low.
If you have to give up something, which details/finishes
- could you give up: almost everything except the pantry and open kitchen
- could you not give up: pantry, open kitchen, and preferably not the controlled ventilation
Why is the design the way it is now?
A mix of many examples from model home parks, magazines, and many discussions with planners/architects etc.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
All the rooms we imagined are present, relatively short circulation routes, hardly any wasted space
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of the design? Where do you see potential for improvement? Placement of laundry chute?
I look forward to your opinions and comments!
Best regards,
your Gugelhupf
Bathrooms do not generate heat unless you are showering or bathing. Bathrooms have no passive heat source (person) and there is little solar gain due to the house orientation.
Bathrooms are usually exhaust air rooms in a controlled mechanical ventilation system, meaning air is continuously extracted here.
If you want it warmer in the bathroom, you need to actively produce heat.
The additional insulation is not without reason, and how is the exterior wall intended to be finished flush?
If you want Passive House standard, which heating concept is planned?
Bathrooms are usually exhaust air rooms in a controlled mechanical ventilation system, meaning air is continuously extracted here.
If you want it warmer in the bathroom, you need to actively produce heat.
The additional insulation is not without reason, and how is the exterior wall intended to be finished flush?
If you want Passive House standard, which heating concept is planned?
Regarding your ground floor
The shower is very narrow
I still prefer it that way
Pantry
A freezer won’t fit in there, right?
I prefer it that way too
Kitchen
Not ideal yet. An 80cm (31½ inches) walkway is a bit narrow. You usually have your hands full.
I would align the cabinet run flush with the wall and plan the run facing the dining area to be 1m (39 inches) deep. It’s quite convenient for rolling out dough if there’s more depth
A double bed doesn’t fit in the guest room
The shower is very narrow
I still prefer it that way
Pantry
A freezer won’t fit in there, right?
I prefer it that way too
Kitchen
Not ideal yet. An 80cm (31½ inches) walkway is a bit narrow. You usually have your hands full.
I would align the cabinet run flush with the wall and plan the run facing the dining area to be 1m (39 inches) deep. It’s quite convenient for rolling out dough if there’s more depth
A double bed doesn’t fit in the guest room
G
Gugelhupf20 Mar 2019 20:08haydee schrieb:
You don’t generate heat in the bathroom unless you are showering or bathing. Bathrooms have no passive heat source (person), and solar gain is minimal due to the house orientation.
Bathrooms are usually exhaust air zones in a mechanical ventilation system. In other words, air is constantly being extracted here.
If you want it warmer there, you need to produce heat actively.
The additional insulation isn’t there for nothing, and how is the exterior wall supposed to be flush?
If you want passive house standard, what heating system is planned?Thank you for the explanation!
The “additional insulation” in this case would have been the monolithic brick, which also forms the exterior wall. So making it flush would not have been a problem.
For the extra 1-2°C (2-4°F), electric heaters (towel warmers with fans) were considered. That was a suggestion from a friend who is an installer. If it’s not clear what I mean, I can share a link to such a fan heater.
The heating system planned is a ground source heat pump with a horizontal ground loop collector. If that should unexpectedly prove impossible on the property, an air source heat pump will be used instead.
Austria is quite large – where exactly do you plan to build? – 50 cm (20 inches) aerated concrete sounds quite alpine.
What insulation regulations apply in your area (are you familiar with the German Energy Saving Ordinance and can you say how similar your regulations are)?
The guest WC seems to be inspired by trains or motorhomes.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
What insulation regulations apply in your area (are you familiar with the German Energy Saving Ordinance and can you say how similar your regulations are)?
The guest WC seems to be inspired by trains or motorhomes.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
G
Gugelhupf20 Mar 2019 20:23haydee schrieb:
Regarding your ground floor:
The shower is quite narrow.
I still prefer it that way.
Pantry:
The freezer won’t fit in there, right?
I also like it better this way.
Kitchen:
Not yet ideal. An 80cm (31½ inches) walkway is a bit tight, especially when your hands are full.
I would align the cabinet row flush with the wall and plan the row facing the dining area to be 1 m (39 inches) deep. It’s more comfortable when rolling out dough to have that extra depth.
The guest room won’t fit a double bed.The freezer is planned for daily use below the refrigerator (fridge-freezer combo). For storage and items not used as often (like fruit from the garden), an additional cupboard is planned in the basement.
My wife really wants the pantry only for storing food supplies, so it’s intentionally planned without a window to protect various foods from sunlight.
As mentioned, the whole kitchen is still in planning. I’ve passed this feedback on to my wife since, although we share the tasks, she spends more time there than I do—I know, a cliché...
A properly planned kitchen will follow soon.
The “guest room” is intended more as a multipurpose room rather than for actual guests.
The plan is as follows:
- Mainly for the children (especially our little one, since the older one rarely visits and won’t for much longer anyway; plus he mainly just uses the computer when he does come); a place where model trains or building blocks can be left out.
- Storage for board games.
- A “home office” setup in the form of a spot to store the laptop and space in the closet for the printer.
- A sofa bed or a fold-out Murphy bed, so grandma can stay overnight occasionally when the older child happens to come and his room isn’t available. But as mentioned, the older child visits infrequently, and grandma even more rarely—they basically only come together at Christmas...
We have seriously considered eliminating the guest room altogether, but then we’d have to find another suitable place for the children's toys, etc.
An architect we recently spoke with made a suggestion I’d like to put up for discussion here:
A sliding partition wall between the guest room and the living room. This would require planning the guest room adjacent to the living room, but the room could be merged with the living room about 90% of the time and only separated when someone needs to sleep there (or when guests come and the house is too messy to show).
I find this idea interesting in principle, but I am skeptical about the downsides (a wall that cannot be adjusted from either side, soundproofing?). What do you think?
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