ᐅ Log Cabin with Half-Hipped Roof by the Forest – How to Improve the Design?
Created on: 11 Jun 2018 19:45
K
keychain
Hello everyone,
We have been planning and actively reading for over a year now. As our plans become more concrete, we would like to present our design and get your feedback.
First of all: Yes, the house is big. It is our dream, we are doing a lot of the work ourselves, and we know that we cannot extend it further — the situation here is a bit unusual, as strictly speaking this is only officially buildable land for a short time window.
A brief introduction: I am 36 years old and co-owner of an IT company. My partner is 31 and works as a lecturer. About two years ago, we found our dream plot — a little over 2800sqm (about 0.7 acres), with direct forest access and located in the third row. All neighboring plots are, as far as possible, already built on, mostly with former weekend houses or residential homes.
First, the questionnaire:
Building plan / restrictions?
No, there is no building plan, so we are following common local building standards. The neighboring house has two full stories, which we are using as a reference.
Plot size
2800sqm (about 0.7 acres)
Slope
Slight slope; we are on a ridge of the Ore Mountains. The building site has a height difference of max. 60cm (about 2 feet) from northeast to southwest. The entire plot slopes about 1.80m (6 feet) downward to the south along the west boundary. Rocky ground starting at 2.5m (8 feet) depth.
Plot ratio / floor area ratio
No exact figures known; according to the lawyer from the building permit office, we are well within limits.
Building envelope, building line and boundary
None
Boundary setbacks
Do you mean setback distances and boundary construction? If so: 3m (10 feet) all around; boundary construction for sheds and garages is theoretically permitted.
Number of parking spaces
1–2 under the porch + double garage.
Number of floors
2
Roof type
Half-hipped roof (Dutch hip roof).
Architectural style
Hmm... not sure?
Orientation
South-southwest
Maximum height/limits
None
Other requirements
Homeowners’ needs
We want our house to welcome us. Warm wood, natural building materials, lots of light and air — high ceilings, large beams. It should blend well with the environment, be warm and cozy.
Style, roof type, building type
Log house made from glue-laminated beams (probably Finnlog).
Basement, floors
Fully basemented with two full floors.
Number of residents, age
Currently 2 people. Children may come, parents as well.
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Currently about 300sqm (about 3200 sqft). This seems quite large, but looking at individual rooms (living/dining area) I don’t know where else to put the sound system. Maybe the planning is off or our space expectations are. We don’t have a TV; the fireplace is the central element.
Office: family use or home office?
An office is planned, but only as a fallback. I don’t want to work from home and only need space for private files and a desk.
Guest bedrooms per year
Variable, currently very few. Hopefully many more with the house — then we can accommodate them.
Open or closed architecture
Mixed. I prefer open, but an open void above the living area is not possible if you don’t want all cooking smells in the bedroom.
Traditional or modern construction
Hmm... solid wood house? Traditional.
Open kitchen, cooking island
An open, large kitchen with a big island where more than two people can cook comfortably. No seating in the kitchen, but a huge workspace.
Number of dining seats
10
Fireplace
Yes, a large soapstone stove.
Music / stereo wall
I am considering installating a Sonos system with a music room in the basement.
Balcony, roof terrace
No; we have a garden for that.
Garage, carport
Both; at least the entrance canopy is large enough for one car.
Vegetable garden, greenhouse
We want a greenhouse, a swimming pond, and a fire pit.
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why or why not
House design
Who designed it:
The design was created with an architect, based on our drafts.
What do you particularly like? Why?
High ceilings and visible ceiling beams on the upper floor, separated area upstairs for us, the fireplace room as a second retreat, the single-story “extension” for the dining room, the large kitchen, the fireplaces... and especially the abundant wood.
What don’t you like? Why?
The gable windows should get an added triangular top to maximize light. The current window layout feels a bit outdated. We actually wanted an open void, but this can’t be sensibly integrated. Heating is a constant issue and never fully resolved.
The worst: the master bathroom fixtures. We want a large bathtub and a double shower. Either the bathroom is too small or we lack imagination. It doesn’t look cozy...
Preferred heating system: currently unfortunately natural gas. Solid fuel heating is out for various reasons: a wood gasifier is too expensive and labor-intensive; pellet or woodchip stoves are not economical, plus we can’t reliably get deliveries in winter when the road is snowed in. Natural gas is about 100m (330 feet) away; we are still waiting for connection cost estimates. Heat pumps only make financial sense with geothermal; however, installation and technology would then be more expensive than a current compact car. We do not want oil heating or liquefied gas tanks.
If you have to omit something, which details/extensions
-can you omit:
-can you not omit:
Why is the design like it is now? For example:
The architect received a draft from us, every room was discussed beforehand (use, size, contents), and the design was revised multiple times. We like that it implements nearly everything we wanted and that the house does not look too bulky — due to the half-hipped roof and the gables, it does not seem so on the plans at least.
What is your most important / basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Apart from the effort for plastering: is the floor plan practical? For example: washing machine on the first floor where laundry occurs, bathroom for the children...
Now some free text — our notes:
Some things are already different from the plans:
We have also been thinking about other things:
I think that’s it. Thanks for your opinions!
We have been planning and actively reading for over a year now. As our plans become more concrete, we would like to present our design and get your feedback.
First of all: Yes, the house is big. It is our dream, we are doing a lot of the work ourselves, and we know that we cannot extend it further — the situation here is a bit unusual, as strictly speaking this is only officially buildable land for a short time window.
A brief introduction: I am 36 years old and co-owner of an IT company. My partner is 31 and works as a lecturer. About two years ago, we found our dream plot — a little over 2800sqm (about 0.7 acres), with direct forest access and located in the third row. All neighboring plots are, as far as possible, already built on, mostly with former weekend houses or residential homes.
First, the questionnaire:
Building plan / restrictions?
No, there is no building plan, so we are following common local building standards. The neighboring house has two full stories, which we are using as a reference.
Plot size
2800sqm (about 0.7 acres)
Slope
Slight slope; we are on a ridge of the Ore Mountains. The building site has a height difference of max. 60cm (about 2 feet) from northeast to southwest. The entire plot slopes about 1.80m (6 feet) downward to the south along the west boundary. Rocky ground starting at 2.5m (8 feet) depth.
Plot ratio / floor area ratio
No exact figures known; according to the lawyer from the building permit office, we are well within limits.
Building envelope, building line and boundary
None
Boundary setbacks
Do you mean setback distances and boundary construction? If so: 3m (10 feet) all around; boundary construction for sheds and garages is theoretically permitted.
Number of parking spaces
1–2 under the porch + double garage.
Number of floors
2
Roof type
Half-hipped roof (Dutch hip roof).
Architectural style
Hmm... not sure?
Orientation
South-southwest
Maximum height/limits
None
Other requirements
Homeowners’ needs
We want our house to welcome us. Warm wood, natural building materials, lots of light and air — high ceilings, large beams. It should blend well with the environment, be warm and cozy.
Style, roof type, building type
Log house made from glue-laminated beams (probably Finnlog).
Basement, floors
Fully basemented with two full floors.
Number of residents, age
Currently 2 people. Children may come, parents as well.
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Currently about 300sqm (about 3200 sqft). This seems quite large, but looking at individual rooms (living/dining area) I don’t know where else to put the sound system. Maybe the planning is off or our space expectations are. We don’t have a TV; the fireplace is the central element.
Office: family use or home office?
An office is planned, but only as a fallback. I don’t want to work from home and only need space for private files and a desk.
Guest bedrooms per year
Variable, currently very few. Hopefully many more with the house — then we can accommodate them.
Open or closed architecture
Mixed. I prefer open, but an open void above the living area is not possible if you don’t want all cooking smells in the bedroom.
Traditional or modern construction
Hmm... solid wood house? Traditional.
Open kitchen, cooking island
An open, large kitchen with a big island where more than two people can cook comfortably. No seating in the kitchen, but a huge workspace.
Number of dining seats
10
Fireplace
Yes, a large soapstone stove.
Music / stereo wall
I am considering installating a Sonos system with a music room in the basement.
Balcony, roof terrace
No; we have a garden for that.
Garage, carport
Both; at least the entrance canopy is large enough for one car.
Vegetable garden, greenhouse
We want a greenhouse, a swimming pond, and a fire pit.
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why or why not
House design
Who designed it:
The design was created with an architect, based on our drafts.
What do you particularly like? Why?
High ceilings and visible ceiling beams on the upper floor, separated area upstairs for us, the fireplace room as a second retreat, the single-story “extension” for the dining room, the large kitchen, the fireplaces... and especially the abundant wood.
What don’t you like? Why?
The gable windows should get an added triangular top to maximize light. The current window layout feels a bit outdated. We actually wanted an open void, but this can’t be sensibly integrated. Heating is a constant issue and never fully resolved.
The worst: the master bathroom fixtures. We want a large bathtub and a double shower. Either the bathroom is too small or we lack imagination. It doesn’t look cozy...
Preferred heating system: currently unfortunately natural gas. Solid fuel heating is out for various reasons: a wood gasifier is too expensive and labor-intensive; pellet or woodchip stoves are not economical, plus we can’t reliably get deliveries in winter when the road is snowed in. Natural gas is about 100m (330 feet) away; we are still waiting for connection cost estimates. Heat pumps only make financial sense with geothermal; however, installation and technology would then be more expensive than a current compact car. We do not want oil heating or liquefied gas tanks.
If you have to omit something, which details/extensions
-can you omit:
-can you not omit:
Why is the design like it is now? For example:
The architect received a draft from us, every room was discussed beforehand (use, size, contents), and the design was revised multiple times. We like that it implements nearly everything we wanted and that the house does not look too bulky — due to the half-hipped roof and the gables, it does not seem so on the plans at least.
What is your most important / basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Apart from the effort for plastering: is the floor plan practical? For example: washing machine on the first floor where laundry occurs, bathroom for the children...
Now some free text — our notes:
Some things are already different from the plans:
- All windows can be opened.
- Sliding doors open outwards, not inwards.
- All dormer windows will not be rectangular but have added triangular tops.
- Between the hallway and living area there is no central post; instead, a large double door is planned.
- The basement has a technical room beside the stairs, designed as a through room. In my opinion, this is a poor solution; we probably also need to plan a separate boiler room.
- Where the embankment is drawn, doors will be installed. This will allow the large rooms to get natural daylight and be usable living space.
- The stair step projecting into the hallway is bad and will definitely be removed.
We have also been thinking about other things:
- The hallway upstairs is planned as a “library.” To bring in light, we intend to use two light wells with diameters of 30–35cm (12–14 inches). The advantage: it will never be completely dark at night when someone needs to use the bathroom.
- The fireplace will be a soapstone stove; no plan exists yet. Strictly speaking, it will not stand against a wall but form the wall itself. We also planned a second connection in the fireplace room; originally we wanted a tunnel fireplace but were convinced it’s not a good idea as a room divider.
- The children’s rooms are not ideal — one faces north, the other south. We could make two narrow, elongated rooms and a corridor so both face south, but we consider that clearly suboptimal.
- All doors on the ground floor will be 1m (3.3 feet) wide to at least accommodate wheelchair access reasonably.
I think that’s it. Thanks for your opinions!
I need to take a closer look. Sometimes images just come to mind spontaneously. Especially your house, which really stands out.
For example, the staircase in your picture—I can already hear it creaking, and I can picture myself carrying my large trekking backpack upstairs without stumbling or knocking decorations off the wall. In short, it reminds me of cramped Scottish bed and breakfasts.
In your place, I saw a fireplace reaching all the way up, framed with natural stone, windows facing the forest up to the gable (I shouldn’t be looking at houses during vacation), a large open wooden staircase with slightly wider steps at the bottom.
It has to please you, not me. There are beautiful, modern wooden staircases that feel airy and light.
From the outside, rain will clean the roof windows. The same goes for the roof dome.
For example, the staircase in your picture—I can already hear it creaking, and I can picture myself carrying my large trekking backpack upstairs without stumbling or knocking decorations off the wall. In short, it reminds me of cramped Scottish bed and breakfasts.
In your place, I saw a fireplace reaching all the way up, framed with natural stone, windows facing the forest up to the gable (I shouldn’t be looking at houses during vacation), a large open wooden staircase with slightly wider steps at the bottom.
It has to please you, not me. There are beautiful, modern wooden staircases that feel airy and light.
From the outside, rain will clean the roof windows. The same goes for the roof dome.
Hey @keychain,
regarding your concerns about the roof windows and the nearby forest, here are some photos of our windows (we have two).
We live right at/in the forest, about 6 and 9 meters (20 and 30 feet) away from mixed woodland with pines, firs, birches, oaks, poplars, and various other trees.
The windows were installed at the beginning of July last year, and since I’m not very keen on cleaning windows, I have cleaned them exactly once—last July to remove the adhesive residues.
As you can see, you can easily see through them. Now there are a few fingerprints inside, but our windows are within reach of children and cats and are also occasionally opened by me.
So I think that despite living near the forest, these windows don’t require much maintenance, and you can still see through them clearly with little to no cleaning.
regarding your concerns about the roof windows and the nearby forest, here are some photos of our windows (we have two).
We live right at/in the forest, about 6 and 9 meters (20 and 30 feet) away from mixed woodland with pines, firs, birches, oaks, poplars, and various other trees.
The windows were installed at the beginning of July last year, and since I’m not very keen on cleaning windows, I have cleaned them exactly once—last July to remove the adhesive residues.
As you can see, you can easily see through them. Now there are a few fingerprints inside, but our windows are within reach of children and cats and are also occasionally opened by me.
So I think that despite living near the forest, these windows don’t require much maintenance, and you can still see through them clearly with little to no cleaning.
In our family home, skylights were installed at the explicit request of the builder. Now, 10 years later, he reluctantly admits to his wife that these windows were a mistake – a nightmare to clean, all you see is blue, and when the sun shines in, it gets incredibly hot. Admittedly, this assessment after living with them for a long time influenced our decision against skylights.
You also bring up good points – how do you see the height issue? The roof starts at three meters (10 feet) and rises by more than 1.5 meters (5 feet). What use is a window placed so high? I probably won’t be opening it anymore.
You also bring up good points – how do you see the height issue? The roof starts at three meters (10 feet) and rises by more than 1.5 meters (5 feet). What use is a window placed so high? I probably won’t be opening it anymore.
H
HausaufGrund12 Jun 2018 20:10Hi,
I find the house quite interesting, but in some aspects somewhat "unfinished." Of course, everyone builds according to their own preferences, and it’s always difficult when others "critique" your ideas—I know that from personal experience, as we are currently building ourselves.
However, I would like to share my opinion with you; take from it what you think is right.
If you are considering extra-large doors for wheelchair access, I would strongly recommend thinking about the possibility of an elevator shaft, especially given the house size. It almost doesn’t add much cost anymore, but you need to allocate space in a location where an elevator can be properly integrated into the floor plan later on. Of course, in case of need, you could just sleep on the ground floor, but would you want to use only the ground floor in a house this size? Renting it out would also be difficult because of the stairs to the upper floor.
I think the best view is from the top, right? ...
Since I can’t see a sensible way to place an elevator in this floor plan (it naturally also needs to go down to the basement), I would reconsider the staircase arrangement—especially in a house this size.
For example, I could imagine an entrance area spanning the width of the central part of the house, with a staircase located on the south side that somehow separates the entrance from the rear central section. This might allow you to give up the large hallway on the upper floor in favor of a better room layout for bedrooms and bathrooms. The basement access could be tricky—you’d have to consider if and how you want it visible and how to arrange it. I think the architect should revisit this.
From our experience, staircase placement is absolutely key for a good floor plan. We actually scrapped an entire design late in the process, right before the building permit/planning application, because of this. But on the second try, we ended up with a completely different and much better house for us. It was financially painful, and it takes real effort to start over, but we don’t regret it and wish we had done it earlier, in phase 2 rather than right before phase 4. That was a big mistake on our part to realize it so late.
Your basement has huge rooms—50m² (540 sq ft) and 40m² (430 sq ft) for the two largest alone—and they all get relatively little light. I would use the largest room for a home theater—it has ideal proportions in length and width to avoid standing waves (bass modes). Have I missed the ceiling heights? How tall are the rooms on the ground floor, upper floor, and basement? Two rows of seating in the home theater would be best, ideally with a raised platform. That would be really great.
Otherwise, I think the basement will feel very large but quite dark—how do you intend to use these rooms?
In a house like this, I would definitely place the sauna on the upper floor near a bathroom or within the bathroom itself. Make the bathroom bigger with a beautiful freestanding tub overlooking the outdoors—you have so much space upstairs, turn it into a wellness retreat. Ideally with a balcony on the upper floor—for cooling off outside, a library with outdoor access, and a bedroom nearby so you can enjoy the cool forest air in the morning. That would be fantastic. A relaxation room with a library, a space for exercise equipment—that should all fit upstairs with smart planning. I have so many ideas...
Laundry with a chute down to the basement. The space downstairs is so generous; why sacrifice valuable space upstairs for that?
For the upper floor, I would basically plan a “parents’ wing” and a “children’s wing,” hence the children’s bathroom with access from the two children’s bedrooms and a separate door to the hallway upstairs. Something like that.
Also, given the size of the house, I would consider whether and how it could be split into two living units with manageable effort. Even if that seems far off now, incorporating some ideas in that direction is, in my opinion, never wrong for a house this size (think staircase location—possibly a straight staircase, second entrance option, etc.).
Honestly, I would redesign the whole plan. With this amount of space, you can get a lot more out of it.
If I were you, I would ask the architect to show several (!) alternative designs—if necessary, get another architect involved. For such an investment, the planning is crucial.
Well, these thoughts just came to me spontaneously and I thought I should write something. Please don’t be upset by the suggestions or my opinion; everyone has different needs and tastes. I just think you could get a lot more out of the upper floor.
Best regards
I find the house quite interesting, but in some aspects somewhat "unfinished." Of course, everyone builds according to their own preferences, and it’s always difficult when others "critique" your ideas—I know that from personal experience, as we are currently building ourselves.
However, I would like to share my opinion with you; take from it what you think is right.
If you are considering extra-large doors for wheelchair access, I would strongly recommend thinking about the possibility of an elevator shaft, especially given the house size. It almost doesn’t add much cost anymore, but you need to allocate space in a location where an elevator can be properly integrated into the floor plan later on. Of course, in case of need, you could just sleep on the ground floor, but would you want to use only the ground floor in a house this size? Renting it out would also be difficult because of the stairs to the upper floor.
I think the best view is from the top, right? ...
Since I can’t see a sensible way to place an elevator in this floor plan (it naturally also needs to go down to the basement), I would reconsider the staircase arrangement—especially in a house this size.
For example, I could imagine an entrance area spanning the width of the central part of the house, with a staircase located on the south side that somehow separates the entrance from the rear central section. This might allow you to give up the large hallway on the upper floor in favor of a better room layout for bedrooms and bathrooms. The basement access could be tricky—you’d have to consider if and how you want it visible and how to arrange it. I think the architect should revisit this.
From our experience, staircase placement is absolutely key for a good floor plan. We actually scrapped an entire design late in the process, right before the building permit/planning application, because of this. But on the second try, we ended up with a completely different and much better house for us. It was financially painful, and it takes real effort to start over, but we don’t regret it and wish we had done it earlier, in phase 2 rather than right before phase 4. That was a big mistake on our part to realize it so late.
Your basement has huge rooms—50m² (540 sq ft) and 40m² (430 sq ft) for the two largest alone—and they all get relatively little light. I would use the largest room for a home theater—it has ideal proportions in length and width to avoid standing waves (bass modes). Have I missed the ceiling heights? How tall are the rooms on the ground floor, upper floor, and basement? Two rows of seating in the home theater would be best, ideally with a raised platform. That would be really great.
Otherwise, I think the basement will feel very large but quite dark—how do you intend to use these rooms?
In a house like this, I would definitely place the sauna on the upper floor near a bathroom or within the bathroom itself. Make the bathroom bigger with a beautiful freestanding tub overlooking the outdoors—you have so much space upstairs, turn it into a wellness retreat. Ideally with a balcony on the upper floor—for cooling off outside, a library with outdoor access, and a bedroom nearby so you can enjoy the cool forest air in the morning. That would be fantastic. A relaxation room with a library, a space for exercise equipment—that should all fit upstairs with smart planning. I have so many ideas...
Laundry with a chute down to the basement. The space downstairs is so generous; why sacrifice valuable space upstairs for that?
For the upper floor, I would basically plan a “parents’ wing” and a “children’s wing,” hence the children’s bathroom with access from the two children’s bedrooms and a separate door to the hallway upstairs. Something like that.
Also, given the size of the house, I would consider whether and how it could be split into two living units with manageable effort. Even if that seems far off now, incorporating some ideas in that direction is, in my opinion, never wrong for a house this size (think staircase location—possibly a straight staircase, second entrance option, etc.).
Honestly, I would redesign the whole plan. With this amount of space, you can get a lot more out of it.
If I were you, I would ask the architect to show several (!) alternative designs—if necessary, get another architect involved. For such an investment, the planning is crucial.
Well, these thoughts just came to me spontaneously and I thought I should write something. Please don’t be upset by the suggestions or my opinion; everyone has different needs and tastes. I just think you could get a lot more out of the upper floor.
Best regards
Similar topics