Hello everyone!
After taking some time to consider our architect’s design and adjusting the ground floor to fit our ideas, I would now like to share the floor plan with you. Ideally, construction would start next year, but we are not in a real hurry.
The plans show a second preliminary draft from our architect, including an initial cost estimate. Unfortunately, dimensions are not included yet. The first draft was mainly to illustrate that our dreams cannot be realized within the original budget we had planned.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size => approx. 450-500 m² (The exact size is not yet fixed as we are receiving the plot as a gift from my parents, and we are still unsure about the future boundaries.)
Slope => slight slope from west to east (approx. 1m (3 feet) over the house’s length)
[I]The house has an almost ideal north/south orientation. The entrance, carport, and driveway are therefore located on the north side.[/I]
- There is no development plan.
Homeowner requirements:
Style, roof type, building type => flat roof with roof terrace
Exterior dimensions => [I]11.80m x 7.2m (39 feet x 24 feet) with a bay window of 4.4m x 1.5m (14 feet x 5 feet) (no specification from us)
[/I]
Basement, floors => basement with a granny flat + 2 full floors + roof terrace
Number of people, age => 2 adults in the main living unit + 2 children expected soon + 1 person in the granny flat
Office: family use or home office? => My wife is a teacher and will regularly do some work at home. I will be working from home up to 4 days a week in the future.
Open or closed architecture => open living/kitchen/dining area
Conservative or modern design => modern design
Open kitchen, kitchen island => open, yes, but no island (if possible, without overhead cabinets)
Number of dining seats => 6-10 people (table 2.4m x 1.0m (8 feet x 3 feet) + 8-10 chairs)
Fireplace => undecided (my wife wants one, I don’t – leaning towards no)
Music/stereo wall => no
Balcony, roof terrace => roof terrace
Garage, carport => 2x carport
Utility garden, greenhouse => no
House design
Planning by:
- our trusted architect.
What do you like in particular?:
- open kitchen, cube on the roof with covered roof terrace, small utility room on the ground floor for washer and dryer
What do you dislike/what needs improvement?:
Basement – the layout needs optimization for a technical room.
Ground floor – should be mirrored west to east completely; we are also concerned that the living room width of 3.5m (11.5 feet) feels narrow and tunnel-shaped. I want the sofa on the north side and the TV on the south side.
Upper floor – 45° walls in the children’s bathroom
Preferred heating technology:
- gas boiler/solar vs. heat pump (air/water or geothermal) – still completely undecided, the floor plan should be finalized first, then heating load will be calculated.
If you had to do without certain features/extensions …
… what could you do without:
for now, the carport and basement finishing as well as expanding the children’s rooms + bathroom since we don’t have children yet. Otherwise, we would like everything included.
… what can’t you do without:
- open living area on the ground floor, granny flat, roof terrace
Since our architect is on vacation until early December, we are currently on a bit of a break, which we have used to reshape the ground floor according to our ideas.
[I][I]
We are now considering extending the longitudinal side by at least 50cm (preferably 1.0m (3 feet)) to increase the living room width from 3.5m (11.5 feet) to 4.0-4.5m (13-15 feet) (we extended the building by 1m (3 feet)).[/I]
We mirrored the plan from west to east to achieve a greater spatial separation between the living room and the granny flat. Additionally, we planned a niche for a side-by-side refrigerator – unfortunately at the expense of the already small utility room.
Sorry there are no measurements included yet, I will provide them as soon as possible. Please ask if you want specific dimensions.
Now to the architect’s cost estimate:
Site development: 7,000€
Surveying: 2,500€
Main house: 285,000€
Carport: 12,000€
Controlled ventilation system: 10,000€ (requested by us)
Sun protection: 7,500€
Ceiling spotlights: 2,000€ (requested by us)
Landscaping: 2,500€
Paved surfaces: 20,000€
Kitchen: 15,000€
Fireplace: 7,000€ (initially requested by us, now uncertain)
Architect fees approx.: 29,000€[/I]
Specialist experts, structural engineering, fire protection, energy saving regulations approx.: 11,000€
Total: 410,500€
The architect’s calculation assumes building costs of 326€/m³ (including VAT) of gross volume.
The living area currently is approx. 156m² (1,680 sq ft) + 38m² (410 sq ft) granny flat + 30m² (320 sq ft) usable space in the basement.
Calculating only on living area, that equates to around 1,470€/m² (137 USD/sq ft).
Including all costs, it comes to 2,110€/m² (197 USD/sq ft).
Does this seem realistic to you?
What do you think about the design? What would you improve?
I look forward to your suggestions!
Best regards, Mathias
After taking some time to consider our architect’s design and adjusting the ground floor to fit our ideas, I would now like to share the floor plan with you. Ideally, construction would start next year, but we are not in a real hurry.
The plans show a second preliminary draft from our architect, including an initial cost estimate. Unfortunately, dimensions are not included yet. The first draft was mainly to illustrate that our dreams cannot be realized within the original budget we had planned.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size => approx. 450-500 m² (The exact size is not yet fixed as we are receiving the plot as a gift from my parents, and we are still unsure about the future boundaries.)
Slope => slight slope from west to east (approx. 1m (3 feet) over the house’s length)
[I]The house has an almost ideal north/south orientation. The entrance, carport, and driveway are therefore located on the north side.[/I]
- There is no development plan.
Homeowner requirements:
Style, roof type, building type => flat roof with roof terrace
Exterior dimensions => [I]11.80m x 7.2m (39 feet x 24 feet) with a bay window of 4.4m x 1.5m (14 feet x 5 feet) (no specification from us)
[/I]
Basement, floors => basement with a granny flat + 2 full floors + roof terrace
Number of people, age => 2 adults in the main living unit + 2 children expected soon + 1 person in the granny flat
Office: family use or home office? => My wife is a teacher and will regularly do some work at home. I will be working from home up to 4 days a week in the future.
Open or closed architecture => open living/kitchen/dining area
Conservative or modern design => modern design
Open kitchen, kitchen island => open, yes, but no island (if possible, without overhead cabinets)
Number of dining seats => 6-10 people (table 2.4m x 1.0m (8 feet x 3 feet) + 8-10 chairs)
Fireplace => undecided (my wife wants one, I don’t – leaning towards no)
Music/stereo wall => no
Balcony, roof terrace => roof terrace
Garage, carport => 2x carport
Utility garden, greenhouse => no
House design
Planning by:
- our trusted architect.
What do you like in particular?:
- open kitchen, cube on the roof with covered roof terrace, small utility room on the ground floor for washer and dryer
What do you dislike/what needs improvement?:
Basement – the layout needs optimization for a technical room.
Ground floor – should be mirrored west to east completely; we are also concerned that the living room width of 3.5m (11.5 feet) feels narrow and tunnel-shaped. I want the sofa on the north side and the TV on the south side.
Upper floor – 45° walls in the children’s bathroom
Preferred heating technology:
- gas boiler/solar vs. heat pump (air/water or geothermal) – still completely undecided, the floor plan should be finalized first, then heating load will be calculated.
If you had to do without certain features/extensions …
… what could you do without:
for now, the carport and basement finishing as well as expanding the children’s rooms + bathroom since we don’t have children yet. Otherwise, we would like everything included.
… what can’t you do without:
- open living area on the ground floor, granny flat, roof terrace
Since our architect is on vacation until early December, we are currently on a bit of a break, which we have used to reshape the ground floor according to our ideas.
[I][I]
We are now considering extending the longitudinal side by at least 50cm (preferably 1.0m (3 feet)) to increase the living room width from 3.5m (11.5 feet) to 4.0-4.5m (13-15 feet) (we extended the building by 1m (3 feet)).[/I]
We mirrored the plan from west to east to achieve a greater spatial separation between the living room and the granny flat. Additionally, we planned a niche for a side-by-side refrigerator – unfortunately at the expense of the already small utility room.
Sorry there are no measurements included yet, I will provide them as soon as possible. Please ask if you want specific dimensions.
Now to the architect’s cost estimate:
Site development: 7,000€
Surveying: 2,500€
Main house: 285,000€
Carport: 12,000€
Controlled ventilation system: 10,000€ (requested by us)
Sun protection: 7,500€
Ceiling spotlights: 2,000€ (requested by us)
Landscaping: 2,500€
Paved surfaces: 20,000€
Kitchen: 15,000€
Fireplace: 7,000€ (initially requested by us, now uncertain)
Architect fees approx.: 29,000€[/I]
Specialist experts, structural engineering, fire protection, energy saving regulations approx.: 11,000€
Total: 410,500€
The architect’s calculation assumes building costs of 326€/m³ (including VAT) of gross volume.
The living area currently is approx. 156m² (1,680 sq ft) + 38m² (410 sq ft) granny flat + 30m² (320 sq ft) usable space in the basement.
Calculating only on living area, that equates to around 1,470€/m² (137 USD/sq ft).
Including all costs, it comes to 2,110€/m² (197 USD/sq ft).
Does this seem realistic to you?
What do you think about the design? What would you improve?
I look forward to your suggestions!
Best regards, Mathias
Hi,
A small living area drives you crazy when you have kids and a stroller; every extra square meter (sq m) really counts.
Utility room also serving as a pantry? Honestly, I find it problematic to have a washing machine and dryer together with food storage in a rather small room. Those appliances emit quite a bit of heat and moisture, so I wouldn’t want to store food alongside them.
Best regards,
Andreas
matte1987 schrieb:
Good morning!
@andimann
The issue with the small living area was also a constant challenge for us—mainly because of the stroller and so on. Also, such a cramped entrance is not exactly welcoming and doesn’t make a good first impression of the house.
The utility room on the ground floor is actually intended to serve as a laundry room plus pantry. Building services remain in the basement.
With the current design, a laundry chute from the second floor (top left parents’ bathroom, but that level) via the first floor (top left children’s bathroom) into the utility room is also possible.
The advantage is, of course, that you don’t have to constantly fetch freshly washed laundry from the basement.
!
A small living area drives you crazy when you have kids and a stroller; every extra square meter (sq m) really counts.
Utility room also serving as a pantry? Honestly, I find it problematic to have a washing machine and dryer together with food storage in a rather small room. Those appliances emit quite a bit of heat and moisture, so I wouldn’t want to store food alongside them.
Best regards,
Andreas
It’s more about potatoes, sealed pasta packages, and similar items. Perishable foods will be stored anyway in the refrigerator or another part of the kitchen.
By the way, I’m currently working on creating a 3D model of the house, including an approximate terrain layout. This brought up a few issues that need a solution. For example, it’s not possible to go from the large window south of the dining table directly onto the terrace because below it, in the basement level, there is a bedroom window of the separate apartment. At the moment, access to the terrace is only possible from the kitchen. Not a big problem, but we would prefer it the other way around.
The issue with the laundry chute is also causing us some headaches, as it limits the bathroom layout on the second floor quite a bit. However, these matters will be discussed with the architect once we review the plan and cost estimate together. According to initial calculations based on price per cubic meter, it’s still a significant expense. I’ll need to offset this against the higher rental income from the separate apartment first…
By the way, I’m currently working on creating a 3D model of the house, including an approximate terrain layout. This brought up a few issues that need a solution. For example, it’s not possible to go from the large window south of the dining table directly onto the terrace because below it, in the basement level, there is a bedroom window of the separate apartment. At the moment, access to the terrace is only possible from the kitchen. Not a big problem, but we would prefer it the other way around.
The issue with the laundry chute is also causing us some headaches, as it limits the bathroom layout on the second floor quite a bit. However, these matters will be discussed with the architect once we review the plan and cost estimate together. According to initial calculations based on price per cubic meter, it’s still a significant expense. I’ll need to offset this against the higher rental income from the separate apartment first…
Potatoes regularly spoil in our cellar because it is heated to 20°C (68°F). At higher temperatures, you can forget about storing them at all. But this is really just a minor issue.
Do you absolutely need the laundry chute? We didn't include one in our plans because we simply didn't see any benefit. With a single chute, you still have to sort the laundry into lights/darks/delicates/heavy wash at the bottom. Where’s the advantage in that?
Best regards,
Andreas
Do you absolutely need the laundry chute? We didn't include one in our plans because we simply didn't see any benefit. With a single chute, you still have to sort the laundry into lights/darks/delicates/heavy wash at the bottom. Where’s the advantage in that?
Best regards,
Andreas
In my opinion, the advantage is that I can do this centrally in the utility room. Otherwise, you would always need to plan space for a laundry basket for dirty clothes.
In my parents' house, they have something similar, but only from the master bathroom to the laundry room in the basement. This came at the expense of my childhood bedroom, as they didn’t consider how large the bulkhead would be.
If it can be implemented, it’s simply a practical feature, but I won’t compromise on the furnishing of the two bathrooms just to fit the duct. It either works or it doesn’t. Either way, it’s not the end of the world.
In my parents' house, they have something similar, but only from the master bathroom to the laundry room in the basement. This came at the expense of my childhood bedroom, as they didn’t consider how large the bulkhead would be.
If it can be implemented, it’s simply a practical feature, but I won’t compromise on the furnishing of the two bathrooms just to fit the duct. It either works or it doesn’t. Either way, it’s not the end of the world.
In my upper floor plan
it might even be worth considering placing the washing machine and dryer in room 6 together with a central vacuum system. This would eliminate the need for a laundry chute. Dirty laundry could also be collected there, and on nice days you would just need to carry the laundry basket outside, meaning downstairs, to hang the clothes out to dry.
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I don’t see it as a problem at all to access the terrace only through the kitchen. Usually, you don’t go outside directly from the dining table. When heading outside, you might take a drink or quickly grab a cloth to wipe the outdoor table after the last rain, for example.
it might even be worth considering placing the washing machine and dryer in room 6 together with a central vacuum system. This would eliminate the need for a laundry chute. Dirty laundry could also be collected there, and on nice days you would just need to carry the laundry basket outside, meaning downstairs, to hang the clothes out to dry.
-------------
I don’t see it as a problem at all to access the terrace only through the kitchen. Usually, you don’t go outside directly from the dining table. When heading outside, you might take a drink or quickly grab a cloth to wipe the outdoor table after the last rain, for example.
After spending the past few weeks figuring out what we want and what is feasible on the plot, we had a meeting with our architect last week where we basically changed everything.
The roof terrace means we have to move further away from the northern boundary of the property, which limits the most attractive part of the garden. The separate apartment in the basement would take up the remaining section of this garden area. That would leave us only the garden on the west side, which wouldn’t be a problem in principle, but that side borders my parents’ property, and we want to maintain some distance.
So we decided to remove the roof terrace and the separate apartment.
While experimenting with different floor plans, it became clear that a long house fits best there.
Because you would either have to add soil on the east side or excavate on the west side (sloping terrain from west to east with about a 3m (10 ft) height difference over 30m (100 ft) length),
we came up with the idea of a split-level building.
Since I have moved away from my tower-like design (second floor, etc.), I realized that considering our age, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to arrange the most important rooms on the ground-level floors.
The result is a house about 22m (72 ft) long and 6.5/7.5m (21/25 ft) wide.
We discussed this with our architect the day before yesterday, and this is now the layout we will continue to develop.
Since I’m extremely impatient with this kind of thing, I quickly took Revit (@BeHaElJa thanks again for the tip) and gave it a try.
Access to the property is on the east side via the turning area (visible in the 3D PDF). The carport would probably be placed in the northeast corner of the plot, allowing a dry walk into the house.
The main terrace would be in the southeast, with another option to sit in summer in the north near the front door. There is also the possibility of going directly from the sauna in the master bathroom into the garden on the west side.
I would be very happy to receive any suggestions.
The roof terrace means we have to move further away from the northern boundary of the property, which limits the most attractive part of the garden. The separate apartment in the basement would take up the remaining section of this garden area. That would leave us only the garden on the west side, which wouldn’t be a problem in principle, but that side borders my parents’ property, and we want to maintain some distance.
So we decided to remove the roof terrace and the separate apartment.
While experimenting with different floor plans, it became clear that a long house fits best there.
Because you would either have to add soil on the east side or excavate on the west side (sloping terrain from west to east with about a 3m (10 ft) height difference over 30m (100 ft) length),
we came up with the idea of a split-level building.
Since I have moved away from my tower-like design (second floor, etc.), I realized that considering our age, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to arrange the most important rooms on the ground-level floors.
The result is a house about 22m (72 ft) long and 6.5/7.5m (21/25 ft) wide.
We discussed this with our architect the day before yesterday, and this is now the layout we will continue to develop.
Since I’m extremely impatient with this kind of thing, I quickly took Revit (@BeHaElJa thanks again for the tip) and gave it a try.
Access to the property is on the east side via the turning area (visible in the 3D PDF). The carport would probably be placed in the northeast corner of the plot, allowing a dry walk into the house.
The main terrace would be in the southeast, with another option to sit in summer in the north near the front door. There is also the possibility of going directly from the sauna in the master bathroom into the garden on the west side.
I would be very happy to receive any suggestions.