Hello dear forum members,
as mentioned in the introduction thread, here is the current status of our house planning.
The plot is located in the second row and is accessible via the courtyard of the front house (shared driveway).
Currently, there are existing buildings on the plot that need to be demolished.
We have already had a few planning discussions with construction companies, and honestly, I have to say I am shocked by their “professionalism.” We have now specifically selected companies where consultation takes place with architects and not, for example, a trained cook (no joke, that actually happened!). In addition, we are already annoyed by the question: “What do you want to build? A shell bungalow or a single-family house?” When we say: “Let’s work out the floor plan step by step and see which shape and roof pitch result, then we can still decide the official house type,” we only get strange looks. There were no independent ideas tailored to the plot... When asking what they would recommend, we just get a questioning look. I have to say, I expected more, but maybe it is normal that you have to bring the initial idea for the floor plan yourself...
Due to the current situation, further appointments with the construction companies are difficult to arrange. So we are using the time to plan ourselves. After tapping into your collective intelligence in the first step, we will then send our draft to the companies including the issues we still see. They will then have the chance to optimize and price our draft for the next consultation.
For us, the heart of the house is the ground floor; the upper floor follows from the ground floor plan (room layout, bathroom above utility room, windows, etc.). The upper floor is located on the exterior walls of the ground floor to the right (north) and bottom (east) of the plan, while to the left (south) and top (west) it is limited to the “main rectangle” or recessed by 1.5m (roughly 5 feet).
Attached you will find the completed questionnaire. Unanswered questions I have not included anymore.
We are very curious about your opinion!
Many thanks in advance.
Ypsi aus NI
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approx. 700 sqm
Floor area ratio (FAR) 0.3
Site coverage ratio 0.3
Building window, building line and boundary 3m (10 feet) from the neighbor’s boundary
Number of floors 1 full story
open development
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type (Mediterranean) urban villa
Basement, floors 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age 2 people + planned children
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor GF = 130-140 sqm (1400-1500 sq ft), UF = 50-60 sqm (540-650 sq ft)
Open or closed architecture open
Conservative or modern construction modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island kitchen island
Number of dining seats 6-8
Fireplace wood stove
Balcony, roof terrace possibly roof terrace (flat roof on both volumes)
Garage, carport double garage
House Design
Planned by: Do-it-Yourself
What do you like in particular? Why? Shape fits well into the plot, living area is somewhat separated, kitchen and dining table as central element
What do you dislike? Why? Is the staircase suitable? Is the entrance spacious enough? Can the private rooms on the ground floor be arranged this way?
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
Why did the design develop this way?
We consider the plot relatively narrow. Normally, a rectangular house shape would make sense, using the full width of the plot. But then you lose the best side (south). The floor plan was developed according to “form follows function” and we really like it now (I mean the L-shape, not necessarily the individual room layout).
An interesting idea is not to realize the two wings on the upper floor with a hip roof, but instead to have a flat roof to possibly create one or two roof terraces.
The original wish was for a bungalow, but we realized that it consumes too much floor space. A good compromise for us is to have the master bedroom and master bathroom on the ground floor, and the children’s rooms plus office upstairs.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Are there fundamental planning mistakes we have overlooked so far?
as mentioned in the introduction thread, here is the current status of our house planning.
The plot is located in the second row and is accessible via the courtyard of the front house (shared driveway).
Currently, there are existing buildings on the plot that need to be demolished.
We have already had a few planning discussions with construction companies, and honestly, I have to say I am shocked by their “professionalism.” We have now specifically selected companies where consultation takes place with architects and not, for example, a trained cook (no joke, that actually happened!). In addition, we are already annoyed by the question: “What do you want to build? A shell bungalow or a single-family house?” When we say: “Let’s work out the floor plan step by step and see which shape and roof pitch result, then we can still decide the official house type,” we only get strange looks. There were no independent ideas tailored to the plot... When asking what they would recommend, we just get a questioning look. I have to say, I expected more, but maybe it is normal that you have to bring the initial idea for the floor plan yourself...
Due to the current situation, further appointments with the construction companies are difficult to arrange. So we are using the time to plan ourselves. After tapping into your collective intelligence in the first step, we will then send our draft to the companies including the issues we still see. They will then have the chance to optimize and price our draft for the next consultation.
For us, the heart of the house is the ground floor; the upper floor follows from the ground floor plan (room layout, bathroom above utility room, windows, etc.). The upper floor is located on the exterior walls of the ground floor to the right (north) and bottom (east) of the plan, while to the left (south) and top (west) it is limited to the “main rectangle” or recessed by 1.5m (roughly 5 feet).
Attached you will find the completed questionnaire. Unanswered questions I have not included anymore.
We are very curious about your opinion!
Many thanks in advance.
Ypsi aus NI
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approx. 700 sqm
Floor area ratio (FAR) 0.3
Site coverage ratio 0.3
Building window, building line and boundary 3m (10 feet) from the neighbor’s boundary
Number of floors 1 full story
open development
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type (Mediterranean) urban villa
Basement, floors 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age 2 people + planned children
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor GF = 130-140 sqm (1400-1500 sq ft), UF = 50-60 sqm (540-650 sq ft)
Open or closed architecture open
Conservative or modern construction modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island kitchen island
Number of dining seats 6-8
Fireplace wood stove
Balcony, roof terrace possibly roof terrace (flat roof on both volumes)
Garage, carport double garage
House Design
Planned by: Do-it-Yourself
What do you like in particular? Why? Shape fits well into the plot, living area is somewhat separated, kitchen and dining table as central element
What do you dislike? Why? Is the staircase suitable? Is the entrance spacious enough? Can the private rooms on the ground floor be arranged this way?
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
Why did the design develop this way?
We consider the plot relatively narrow. Normally, a rectangular house shape would make sense, using the full width of the plot. But then you lose the best side (south). The floor plan was developed according to “form follows function” and we really like it now (I mean the L-shape, not necessarily the individual room layout).
An interesting idea is not to realize the two wings on the upper floor with a hip roof, but instead to have a flat roof to possibly create one or two roof terraces.
The original wish was for a bungalow, but we realized that it consumes too much floor space. A good compromise for us is to have the master bedroom and master bathroom on the ground floor, and the children’s rooms plus office upstairs.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Are there fundamental planning mistakes we have overlooked so far?
Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
What is the exact situation when designing an entrance (small stoop staircase)? Does the first step of the staircase up to the boundary count as part of the 3-meter (10 feet) setback, or are the steps excluded from the setback measurement? That should be considered a secondary element and therefore does not count. Just make sure that a single step does not become a tripping hazard.
Y
Ypsi aus NI14 Apr 2020 14:03Hi ypg,
Thanks already.
Does that mean that only a staircase with one step is considered a subordinate component?
Is there a limit to how many steps a staircase can have so that the setback distance is still measured from the property boundary to the house wall, and not from the property boundary to the house stairs?
Thanks
Thanks already.
Does that mean that only a staircase with one step is considered a subordinate component?
Is there a limit to how many steps a staircase can have so that the setback distance is still measured from the property boundary to the house wall, and not from the property boundary to the house stairs?
Thanks
Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
Hi ypg,
Thanks in advance.
Does this mean that only a staircase with a single step is considered a subordinate component?
Is there a limit to the number of steps a staircase can have so that the boundary distance is still measured from the property line to the house wall, and not from the property line to the house staircase?
Thanks I believe this is specified in the general building code or state building regulations under subordinate components or similar wording, stating that something like this may not cover more than one-third of the wall. This applies to bay windows, entrance platforms, projections, and similar features. You’ll have to look into it yourself.
Y
Ypsi aus NI14 Apr 2020 14:37Found it!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Y
Ypsi aus NI6 May 2020 21:0311ant schrieb:
I had already understood the concept of avoiding a full upper floor by enlarging the ground floor, but...
... at first, I didn’t notice the recessed upper floor – otherwise, I would have criticized it: that’s double trouble, meaning a structural cost driver with the additional downside of an unattractive appearance. Hello @11ant,
We have received an initial concrete offer. It was calculated with a recessed upper floor. An additional €5,000 for a slab reinforcement (thicker slab from ground floor to upper floor), and voilà, the upper floor walls can be recessed, and we save about €20,000 on the non-built-up area on the upper floor that disappears due to the recessed exterior walls.
This is pretty much the exact opposite of what everyone else here in this thread has told me.
How should we proceed from here?
Discussions with another company (no offer yet) agreed with the forum opinion: recessing would be more expensive than building flush with the exterior walls.
Visually, we like both versions very much, and the space per square meter in both layouts is also sufficient for us. We actually wanted to decide for or against recessing the upper floor’s exterior walls based on the price.
Somehow, everyone just wants your best interest… namely your money.
Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
Conversations with another company (no offer yet) have supported the forum’s opinion: setting the upper floor back is more expensive than building flush with the external walls. That remains my view as well.
Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
We have received a first concrete offer. It was calculated with a set-back upper floor. €5,000 (about $5,400) additional cost for ceiling reinforcement (thicker ceiling between ground floor and upper floor) and suddenly, the upper floor walls can be set back, saving us around €20,000 (about $21,600) for the non-built area on the upper floor that disappears due to setting the external walls back. [...] How should we proceed from here? Great special friend’s price. No question: if there is no catch, take it.
Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
That is pretty much the exact opposite of what everyone else in this thread has told me. In all theory I know, it will remain that way. If there is no loophole in his offer (and you trust that he won’t make up the difference in other positions once he realizes he miscalculated), then forget that I am theoretically right and take his offer in practice. When the steel goes in, the construction supervisor should re-weigh it and everything will be fine. Why should you care about my ramblings when your contractor gives you his €5,000 (about $5,400) promise without ifs or buts, in writing and with a seal?
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