Hello,
we are currently planning our own home and have just received the first preliminary draft from the designer. We basically like the design, but we are unsure whether the size of the individual rooms and thus the overall size of the house is sufficient. The construction company's offer is still pending. If there is still some flexibility, we would like to increase the living area a bit.
I think everyone has their own ideas about how large certain rooms should be, but perhaps you have some suggestions on what you find impractical or what we should urgently reconsider.
Now to the basics:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 815 sqm (9,000 sq ft)
Slope: no
Number of floors: 1.5 according to development plan
Roof type: mono-pitched roof
Orientation: entrance facing north
Maximum heights / limits: none specified
Homeowner requirements
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 (29 & 32), children planned
Room requirements on ground floor, upper floor
Office: family use or home office? Wife is a teacher...
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: yes
Garage, carport: yes
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House design
Who designed the plan:
- Designer from a construction company
Price estimate according to architect/designer: €1600 per sqm (detailed offer still pending)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 290k
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
we are currently planning our own home and have just received the first preliminary draft from the designer. We basically like the design, but we are unsure whether the size of the individual rooms and thus the overall size of the house is sufficient. The construction company's offer is still pending. If there is still some flexibility, we would like to increase the living area a bit.
I think everyone has their own ideas about how large certain rooms should be, but perhaps you have some suggestions on what you find impractical or what we should urgently reconsider.
Now to the basics:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 815 sqm (9,000 sq ft)
Slope: no
Number of floors: 1.5 according to development plan
Roof type: mono-pitched roof
Orientation: entrance facing north
Maximum heights / limits: none specified
Homeowner requirements
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 (29 & 32), children planned
Room requirements on ground floor, upper floor
Office: family use or home office? Wife is a teacher...
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: yes
Garage, carport: yes
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House design
Who designed the plan:
- Designer from a construction company
Price estimate according to architect/designer: €1600 per sqm (detailed offer still pending)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 290k
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
You don’t seem to like light in the kitchen and office much, or what’s the purpose of these windows that minimize daylight?
24 cm (9.5 inches) stair treads seem a bit too narrow to me.
The cloakroom is somewhat tight if several people want to use it.
I don’t quite see the point of balconies, roof terraces, etc., in single-family homes on their own plots, but to each their own.
The children’s rooms are definitely at the lower size limit, but acceptable.
24 cm (9.5 inches) stair treads seem a bit too narrow to me.
The cloakroom is somewhat tight if several people want to use it.
I don’t quite see the point of balconies, roof terraces, etc., in single-family homes on their own plots, but to each their own.
The children’s rooms are definitely at the lower size limit, but acceptable.
I also noticed Grym’s points.
It might be nice to have balcony access from the hallway for every family member, but that also means the consequence that teenagers hanging out on the balcony with their friends can look directly into the bedroom – which could lead to restless nights 😉
I don’t find the bedroom appealing either: the chimney gets in the way, and in a room measuring 3 x 4 meters (10 x 13 feet) with a standard bed length of 2 meters (6.5 feet), you’re left with about 50 cm (20 inches) of width. The space in front of the wardrobe is also very tight.
The bathtub is unfortunately placed awkwardly in the bathroom.
Tip: avoid the T-shaped layout, at least with the current furnishing of the bathroom. Extend the bedroom to the south, reduce the balcony size accordingly, and do not plan a window or direct access between the bedroom and balcony.
However, the staircase and wardrobe remain problematic.
Personally, I would miss some west-facing sunlight on the ground floor.
Basically, I would do without the balcony since it is rarely used, relatively expensive, and always a weak point in the building. To keep it single-story, lower the shed roof further down and plan the bathtub and built-in wardrobe on the north side in the low knee wall area of the bedroom, with both children’s rooms facing south.
As it is now, the house appears quite tall on the south side... who likes that?
Measurements are missing for a better assessment.
Sorry, I just noticed that the roof is planned differently than I remembered. I’m leaving the post up because of the ideas anyway 🙂
It might be nice to have balcony access from the hallway for every family member, but that also means the consequence that teenagers hanging out on the balcony with their friends can look directly into the bedroom – which could lead to restless nights 😉
I don’t find the bedroom appealing either: the chimney gets in the way, and in a room measuring 3 x 4 meters (10 x 13 feet) with a standard bed length of 2 meters (6.5 feet), you’re left with about 50 cm (20 inches) of width. The space in front of the wardrobe is also very tight.
The bathtub is unfortunately placed awkwardly in the bathroom.
Tip: avoid the T-shaped layout, at least with the current furnishing of the bathroom. Extend the bedroom to the south, reduce the balcony size accordingly, and do not plan a window or direct access between the bedroom and balcony.
However, the staircase and wardrobe remain problematic.
Personally, I would miss some west-facing sunlight on the ground floor.
Basically, I would do without the balcony since it is rarely used, relatively expensive, and always a weak point in the building. To keep it single-story, lower the shed roof further down and plan the bathtub and built-in wardrobe on the north side in the low knee wall area of the bedroom, with both children’s rooms facing south.
As it is now, the house appears quite tall on the south side... who likes that?
Measurements are missing for a better assessment.
Sorry, I just noticed that the roof is planned differently than I remembered. I’m leaving the post up because of the ideas anyway 🙂
B
Bieber081517 Apr 2016 23:29I would try to replicate the dining table shown in the floor plan (a practical suggestion: go to a restaurant with six people, enjoy a nice meal and drinks, then bring a tape measure and measure how much space three people sitting side by side actually need, and whether the waiter can still walk around them. This also works in a cafeteria, just without a waiter ;-).)
Unfortunately, the dimensions are missing in the floor plan, which I basically like (at first glance), but it’s simply too small.
Unfortunately, the dimensions are missing in the floor plan, which I basically like (at first glance), but it’s simply too small.
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