ᐅ Looking for ideas for a square floor plan for a duplex or semi-detached house.
Created on: 5 Oct 2018 00:46
S
Sturkopf86
Hello everyone, we are looking for a floor plan for a semi-detached house!
Most semi-detached houses are long and narrow, but our building area does not allow that.
We want to live in one half of the semi-detached house
And rent out the other half. We prefer not to be alone.
Development plan / restrictions
There is only one supplementary ordinance. Construction according to Paragraph 34.
Size of the plot: 815 sqm (8770 sq ft)
Open construction method according to Paragraph 34.
Slope: yes, over 16 m (52 ft) there is a 1.5 - 2 m (5 - 6.5 ft) gradient.
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: not specified anywhere.
Building area, building line, and boundary
8.5 m x 16 m (28 ft x 52 ft) according to surveyor.
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: flexible
Number of floors: 1.5 - 2 (neighbors)
Roof shape: gable roof > 35 degrees
Architectural style: classic mixed with modern
Orientation: see drawing
Maximum heights / limits: unknown
Other requirements
Homeowners’ requirements:
Style, roof shape, building type
Classic-modern, gable roof, semi-detached house
Basement: yes, floors 1.5 - 2
Number of people: 3 adults, 2 children, 1 toddler
Room requirements on ground floor: kitchen, living room, dining room, shower bathroom
Upper floor: master bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom.
Office: nice to have, but not mandatory – home office!
Guests sleeping overnight per year: none
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: flexible
Open kitchen, cooking island: would be great
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, 2 spaces
Utility garden, greenhouse
Other: 1 garden north, 2 gardens south
Requests / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included: we are open to everything, we want to build something that makes sense! It does not need to be large! We currently live in 102 sqm (1100 sq ft) plus basement and that is sufficient.
House design
Who is responsible for the planning:
We do not have one yet! The plan below would be acceptable for us, but it needs to be made quite square. Has anyone worked on a similar project?
- Architect: We want an architect to help us but do not want to hire one unprepared.
- DIY: That’s why we want to gather as much input as possible.
What do you particularly like? To make full use of the building area, if possible. Why? So that there is not a 100-130 sqm (1075-1400 sq ft) house on an 815 sqm (8770 sq ft) plot, and we would like to have neighbors!
What do you not like? The 8.5 m (28 ft) width of the building area. Why? 10 m (33 ft) would be optimal for a nice semi-detached house.
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
700,000 euros without land!
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 400,000 euros per semi-detached half
Preferred heating system: solar thermal combined with gas
If you had to compromise on details/additions:
- What could you live without: office
- What can you not live without: large kitchen, all activity centers around the kitchen and dining room, we hardly ever use the living room!
Why is the current design the way it is?
We actually do not have one.
Standard design from planner? Yes
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
A mixture of many examples from different prefabricated house catalogs.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
No compromise on the kitchen, as it is our central living space.
Bad: possibly planning a semi-detached house, maybe better a house with a granny flat?
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can we combine family life with spatial design in one half of a semi-detached house?
Most semi-detached houses are long and narrow, but our building area does not allow that.
We want to live in one half of the semi-detached house
And rent out the other half. We prefer not to be alone.
Development plan / restrictions
There is only one supplementary ordinance. Construction according to Paragraph 34.
Size of the plot: 815 sqm (8770 sq ft)
Open construction method according to Paragraph 34.
Slope: yes, over 16 m (52 ft) there is a 1.5 - 2 m (5 - 6.5 ft) gradient.
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: not specified anywhere.
Building area, building line, and boundary
8.5 m x 16 m (28 ft x 52 ft) according to surveyor.
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: flexible
Number of floors: 1.5 - 2 (neighbors)
Roof shape: gable roof > 35 degrees
Architectural style: classic mixed with modern
Orientation: see drawing
Maximum heights / limits: unknown
Other requirements
Homeowners’ requirements:
Style, roof shape, building type
Classic-modern, gable roof, semi-detached house
Basement: yes, floors 1.5 - 2
Number of people: 3 adults, 2 children, 1 toddler
Room requirements on ground floor: kitchen, living room, dining room, shower bathroom
Upper floor: master bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom.
Office: nice to have, but not mandatory – home office!
Guests sleeping overnight per year: none
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: flexible
Open kitchen, cooking island: would be great
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, 2 spaces
Utility garden, greenhouse
Other: 1 garden north, 2 gardens south
Requests / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included: we are open to everything, we want to build something that makes sense! It does not need to be large! We currently live in 102 sqm (1100 sq ft) plus basement and that is sufficient.
House design
Who is responsible for the planning:
We do not have one yet! The plan below would be acceptable for us, but it needs to be made quite square. Has anyone worked on a similar project?
- Architect: We want an architect to help us but do not want to hire one unprepared.
- DIY: That’s why we want to gather as much input as possible.
What do you particularly like? To make full use of the building area, if possible. Why? So that there is not a 100-130 sqm (1075-1400 sq ft) house on an 815 sqm (8770 sq ft) plot, and we would like to have neighbors!
What do you not like? The 8.5 m (28 ft) width of the building area. Why? 10 m (33 ft) would be optimal for a nice semi-detached house.
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
700,000 euros without land!
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 400,000 euros per semi-detached half
Preferred heating system: solar thermal combined with gas
If you had to compromise on details/additions:
- What could you live without: office
- What can you not live without: large kitchen, all activity centers around the kitchen and dining room, we hardly ever use the living room!
Why is the current design the way it is?
We actually do not have one.
Standard design from planner? Yes
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
A mixture of many examples from different prefabricated house catalogs.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
No compromise on the kitchen, as it is our central living space.
Bad: possibly planning a semi-detached house, maybe better a house with a granny flat?
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can we combine family life with spatial design in one half of a semi-detached house?
Sturkopf8616 Oct 2018 17:08Thanks, we’ll know more on Friday!
Now it’s just a matter of deciding what we want to build.
1.5 stories or 2
Separate apartment yes or no
Basement yes or no
At the moment, we are leaning towards 1.5 stories, 8.5 m x 12 m (28 ft x 39 ft), without a basement. This was recommended by the expert, and our gut feeling agrees. The expert suggested a side entrance and two terraces facing south and north—that’s how he would build it.
.....
Now it’s just a matter of deciding what we want to build.
1.5 stories or 2
Separate apartment yes or no
Basement yes or no
At the moment, we are leaning towards 1.5 stories, 8.5 m x 12 m (28 ft x 39 ft), without a basement. This was recommended by the expert, and our gut feeling agrees. The expert suggested a side entrance and two terraces facing south and north—that’s how he would build it.
.....
Sturkopf8619 Oct 2018 22:03Good evening everyone, a lot has happened again.
- Fingerhaus visited and pleasantly surprised us. The price is still pending, but they offered that we could do the plumbing, electrical work, and drywall ourselves. Unfortunately, they are inflexible; for example, they only allow an increase in width to 8.5m (28 feet) for an additional charge (the catalog house is 8.25m / 27 feet). The basement cannot be freely designed!
Then the company MHM came by; so far, a strong presentation and my gut feeling says wow, they seem to know what they’re doing.
They offered a top-quality house, fully tailored to our wishes, and gave good advice.
Offer: 365,000 with 140 sqm (1,506 sq ft) plus heated basement, exit to the south side from the basement, geothermal heat pump, ventilation, and KfW 55 Plus standard with 2 garages. House finished with brick veneer and Sting.
Follow-up post with photos to come.
- Fingerhaus visited and pleasantly surprised us. The price is still pending, but they offered that we could do the plumbing, electrical work, and drywall ourselves. Unfortunately, they are inflexible; for example, they only allow an increase in width to 8.5m (28 feet) for an additional charge (the catalog house is 8.25m / 27 feet). The basement cannot be freely designed!
Then the company MHM came by; so far, a strong presentation and my gut feeling says wow, they seem to know what they’re doing.
They offered a top-quality house, fully tailored to our wishes, and gave good advice.
Offer: 365,000 with 140 sqm (1,506 sq ft) plus heated basement, exit to the south side from the basement, geothermal heat pump, ventilation, and KfW 55 Plus standard with 2 garages. House finished with brick veneer and Sting.
Follow-up post with photos to come.
Sturkopf8619 Oct 2018 22:06Then the company Baumeister (subcontracted by Zaunmüller) got in touch. After 2 months, we received draft plans by email; the price is apparently still pending. They also build solid structures using pumice blocks.
Now we have 3 offers as well as a consultation with our local provider.
Conclusion: a lot of question marks; my wife and I need some time to process everything.
Good luck
Now we have 3 offers as well as a consultation with our local provider.
Conclusion: a lot of question marks; my wife and I need some time to process everything.
Good luck
If you basically find the floor plan proposal from the catalog suitable, I wouldn’t expect much difference from a 25 cm (10 inch) variation in the house width; however, the lack of flexibility would be a drawback for me.
Massivhaus Mittelrhein is one of the few providers whose catalog gives me a consistently well-planned impression.
The house with the long side as the gable end strikes me as odd.
Apparently, the desire for an 8.5 m (28 foot) house width leads some providers to automatically think in terms of a semi-detached house, so they then take semi-detached house floor plans from the drawer and vary them by adding a fourth window side.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Massivhaus Mittelrhein is one of the few providers whose catalog gives me a consistently well-planned impression.
The house with the long side as the gable end strikes me as odd.
Apparently, the desire for an 8.5 m (28 foot) house width leads some providers to automatically think in terms of a semi-detached house, so they then take semi-detached house floor plans from the drawer and vary them by adding a fourth window side.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I find Fingerhaus too inflexible. They keep pulling out their Neo design over and over again – I’m getting tired of seeing it. It’s not that it’s bad, but this lack of creativity would be a deal-breaker for me.
The design from MHM is interesting – but with two children, having the staircase in the living room is not well thought out. You can’t even watch TV without the kids upstairs waking up. Still, the company leaves the best impression on me. They just need to revise the design.
The design from Baumeister is solid. It’s a textbook example of a standard design, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In execution, however, I don’t find it perfect, and it’s quite boring. Taking two months to finalize it seems like a joke? For me, they get zero points for innovation. They’re simply too unoriginal and too slow.
The design from MHM is interesting – but with two children, having the staircase in the living room is not well thought out. You can’t even watch TV without the kids upstairs waking up. Still, the company leaves the best impression on me. They just need to revise the design.
The design from Baumeister is solid. It’s a textbook example of a standard design, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In execution, however, I don’t find it perfect, and it’s quite boring. Taking two months to finalize it seems like a joke? For me, they get zero points for innovation. They’re simply too unoriginal and too slow.
I would change all three floor plans. I like the one from Baumeister the most.
I can’t say much about the companies. We visited a show home with Fingerhandschuhe, where we encountered a very aggressive consultant. I’m not familiar with the other two.
Take a close look at all three floor plans. Imagine living in the house – what bothers you, what do you like?
Draw in your furniture layout.
Compare the building specifications / scope of work.
I can’t say much about the companies. We visited a show home with Fingerhandschuhe, where we encountered a very aggressive consultant. I’m not familiar with the other two.
Take a close look at all three floor plans. Imagine living in the house – what bothers you, what do you like?
Draw in your furniture layout.
Compare the building specifications / scope of work.
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