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
G
Gugelhupf20 Mar 2019 22:04Oh, I made a typo there...
It should mean 31 or 34 kWh/m²a (kWh per square meter per year) and not 0.x...
It should correspond to a theoretical KfW 31 or KfW 34 house.
KfW houses start at KfW 40, right?
It should mean 31 or 34 kWh/m²a (kWh per square meter per year) and not 0.x...
It should correspond to a theoretical KfW 31 or KfW 34 house.
KfW houses start at KfW 40, right?
The "40" in KfW 40 does not refer to 40 kWh but likely stands for 40% (… of an individual reference building or something similar). It is not possible to state a general limit for how many kWh a KfW 40 house is allowed to have.
We only have the minimum standard (~KfW 70) and 35 kWh.
We only have the minimum standard (~KfW 70) and 35 kWh.
No
Passive house Max 15 kWh
KfW 40 / KfW 40 Plus Max 25 kWh
KfW 50 Max 35 kWh
Energy saving regulation Max 45 kWh
The energy source is also included in the KfW subsidy.
However, the question remains whether the heating demand is calculated using the same method.
If you end up below 25 kWh, you should definitely look into the two systems I mentioned. You save on the collectors and the underfloor heating.
Passive house Max 15 kWh
KfW 40 / KfW 40 Plus Max 25 kWh
KfW 50 Max 35 kWh
Energy saving regulation Max 45 kWh
The energy source is also included in the KfW subsidy.
However, the question remains whether the heating demand is calculated using the same method.
If you end up below 25 kWh, you should definitely look into the two systems I mentioned. You save on the collectors and the underfloor heating.
G
Gugelhupf20 Mar 2019 22:22Alright, for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume that here in Lower Austria the absolute minimum requirement for the subsidy roughly corresponds to a KfW50 house. And that only if solar or photovoltaic systems and a heat pump are used.
That should be about right…
That should be about right…
B
boxandroof20 Mar 2019 22:33haydee schrieb:
Wrapping the bathroom doesn’t help. In a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system, that is an exhaust air space.Sorry for the tangent, but the still imperfect plan to insulate the interior walls is not entirely pointless. With the same heating surface and supply temperature, the bathroom will be warmer if it is lightly insulated from the colder rooms.
However, instead of a 40cm (16 inches) thick interior wall, just a few centimeters (inches) of additional insulation are usually sufficient. This should definitely be calculated in advance when planning the underfloor heating.
The mechanical ventilation system has little impact; exhaust air rooms receive warmer air than supply air rooms.
Maintaining 18°C (64°F) in the bedroom and 24°C (75°F) in the bathroom is hardly achievable without insulation between the rooms, for example. Furthermore, the efficiency of the heat pump drops significantly if it has to run at a higher supply temperature solely due to the tropical bathroom.
If permanently high temperatures are needed in the bathroom, one must either accept constantly higher electricity costs or plan accordingly in advance: embed underfloor heating into the walls and, if necessary, lightly insulate the interior walls—especially those adjacent to the bedroom.
We planned our bathroom at only 21°C (70°F), omitted wall heating and insulation, and installed an additional electric heater to be able to heat electrically as needed. But that may not be allowed in Austria; I’m not sure.
@Gugelhupf: Regarding the underfloor heating for the bedroom, especially if you don’t insulate the wall to the bathroom, I would plan the heating circuit so that the walk-in closet is heated fully (warm) first, and only then the pipe continues into the actual bedroom (cooler end). This will slightly support the bathroom temperature and costs nothing.
B
boxandroof20 Mar 2019 23:28haydee schrieb:
If your energy consumption is under 25 kWh, you should seriously consider the two systems I mentioned. You can save on the collectors and underfloor heating. This saves a lot on initial costs. However, for a purely air-based heating system, everything really needs to be right, and the heat load should not exceed 15 W/m². The occupants must behave accordingly. I would only consider this for a true passive house, which does not seem to be the case here.
Similar topics