ᐅ New construction of a semi-detached house approximately 8 by 11 meters, assessment of floor plan and windows
Created on: 18 May 2018 12:56
E
espressionist
Hello everyone,
we are currently planning a semi-detached house measuring 8 x 11 m (26 x 36 ft) on a 289 sqm (3,110 sq ft) plot in a new development area (the neighboring house has not been built yet, as the area is still being developed).
We would appreciate your comments on the current floor plans and any tips regarding window planning!
Thank you very much!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 289 sqm (3,110 sq ft), approx. 10.3 x 29 m (34 x 95 ft), slightly angled in the southern section
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: The building envelope starts 3 m (10 ft) south of the northern street and is 14 m (46 ft) long. There is an additional building easement (semi-detached house), and the building envelope ends 2.5 m (8 ft) before the eastern dead-end street.
Parking spaces: 2
Orientation: north-south
Other requirements: roof shape (gable roof), roof pitch (34 degrees), and eaves height (6 m / 20 ft) have already been agreed with the neighbors.
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic-modern, gable roof, semi-detached house
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor + upper floor as full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 4 (40, 40, 5, 1)
Ground floor room requirements: kitchen, dining area, living room, study (for occasional home office), WC + shower, cloakroom
Upper floor room requirements: bathroom, master bedroom, 2 children’s bedrooms (preferably similar size)
Office: home office
Guest stays per year: probably rare (2-3 times for 2-3 days)
Open or closed layout: open preferred on the ground floor (kitchen, dining, living areas), otherwise the rooms might feel too small
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with a peninsula
Number of dining seats: regularly 6 with our current table (can be extended for up to 4 more seats)
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: in the living room by the TV wall
Balcony, rooftop terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport (6.5 x 4 m / 21 x 13 ft) on the north side. Currently, a 2 x 2.5 m (7 x 8 ft) shed for bicycles, etc. is planned on the west side of the carport. The carport also serves as a covered entrance.
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: we would like to plant a little (e.g. raised bed), but it should not cause stress
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
Our requirement for the upper floor was that the parents’ and children’s areas are at least somewhat separated (no shared wall).
This was achieved by the architect through a walk-in closet between the master bedroom and children’s room.
We can hardly do without a basement, as we cannot fit a garage on the plot (due to setback requirements in the development plan, this would force us to make the house narrower or give up too much garden space), and we also have limited space for storage or building services.
Because this results in a nicely sized hobby room in the basement, we decided not to finish the attic (so it will only be a roof space), as we believe we can fit everything else inside.
A finished attic would certainly be nice (guest room, media room, library, etc.) but with estimated additional costs of about 30,000, we prefer to forgo it.
House Design
Planning by: architect of our prefabricated house company
What do you like most? Why? Bedrooms and children’s rooms are adequately sized (previous plans had children’s rooms at 13 sqm / 140 sq ft), office on the ground floor (close to kitchen for coffee breaks), bright dining area
What do you dislike? Why? Windows—the architects’ design in the children’s rooms is okay, but in the master bedroom (window on the north side with the bed partially underneath), in the office (we would like a bookshelf on the north side and desk on the south side to avoid direct light on the monitor; parking space is planned on the east side, so a car would be parked right in front of the window), and bathroom / WC (parapet height too low?) are not completely convincing.
Price estimate from architect/planner: approximately 370,000 (turnkey, with floors already selected by us—we had a preliminary selection)
Personal budget limit for house, including finishing: about 400,000
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump, underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details/finishes
- What you can give up: instead of a sliding door to the terrace, a regular door; instead of aluminum-plastic windows, only plastic windows (difference of 4,000); planned premium for a different staircase (7,000); partial wood facade omitted (planned cost 1,500)
- What you cannot give up: house size (should not be smaller)
Why is the design as it is now?
We initially spent several hours with a very friendly consultant from the company to develop a design based on our requirements (office on ground floor, slight separation of parent and children areas, shower on ground floor, basement, carport).
A friend who is an architect made some suggestions, and after an in-depth discussion with us, the company’s architect created the attached floor plan.
We like the floor plan quite well so far (we know that planning a semi-detached house comes with some limitations), but the window planning seems somewhat “old-fashioned” to us.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Are there any major flaws in the floor plan that we have not noticed yet?
What would you possibly optimize?
What do you think about the window planning and our suggestions regarding it?
Thank you very much for your help and for the time you spend in this forum.
We appreciate any feedback!
we are currently planning a semi-detached house measuring 8 x 11 m (26 x 36 ft) on a 289 sqm (3,110 sq ft) plot in a new development area (the neighboring house has not been built yet, as the area is still being developed).
We would appreciate your comments on the current floor plans and any tips regarding window planning!
Thank you very much!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 289 sqm (3,110 sq ft), approx. 10.3 x 29 m (34 x 95 ft), slightly angled in the southern section
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: The building envelope starts 3 m (10 ft) south of the northern street and is 14 m (46 ft) long. There is an additional building easement (semi-detached house), and the building envelope ends 2.5 m (8 ft) before the eastern dead-end street.
Parking spaces: 2
Orientation: north-south
Other requirements: roof shape (gable roof), roof pitch (34 degrees), and eaves height (6 m / 20 ft) have already been agreed with the neighbors.
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic-modern, gable roof, semi-detached house
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor + upper floor as full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 4 (40, 40, 5, 1)
Ground floor room requirements: kitchen, dining area, living room, study (for occasional home office), WC + shower, cloakroom
Upper floor room requirements: bathroom, master bedroom, 2 children’s bedrooms (preferably similar size)
Office: home office
Guest stays per year: probably rare (2-3 times for 2-3 days)
Open or closed layout: open preferred on the ground floor (kitchen, dining, living areas), otherwise the rooms might feel too small
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with a peninsula
Number of dining seats: regularly 6 with our current table (can be extended for up to 4 more seats)
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: in the living room by the TV wall
Balcony, rooftop terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport (6.5 x 4 m / 21 x 13 ft) on the north side. Currently, a 2 x 2.5 m (7 x 8 ft) shed for bicycles, etc. is planned on the west side of the carport. The carport also serves as a covered entrance.
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: we would like to plant a little (e.g. raised bed), but it should not cause stress
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
Our requirement for the upper floor was that the parents’ and children’s areas are at least somewhat separated (no shared wall).
This was achieved by the architect through a walk-in closet between the master bedroom and children’s room.
We can hardly do without a basement, as we cannot fit a garage on the plot (due to setback requirements in the development plan, this would force us to make the house narrower or give up too much garden space), and we also have limited space for storage or building services.
Because this results in a nicely sized hobby room in the basement, we decided not to finish the attic (so it will only be a roof space), as we believe we can fit everything else inside.
A finished attic would certainly be nice (guest room, media room, library, etc.) but with estimated additional costs of about 30,000, we prefer to forgo it.
House Design
Planning by: architect of our prefabricated house company
What do you like most? Why? Bedrooms and children’s rooms are adequately sized (previous plans had children’s rooms at 13 sqm / 140 sq ft), office on the ground floor (close to kitchen for coffee breaks), bright dining area
What do you dislike? Why? Windows—the architects’ design in the children’s rooms is okay, but in the master bedroom (window on the north side with the bed partially underneath), in the office (we would like a bookshelf on the north side and desk on the south side to avoid direct light on the monitor; parking space is planned on the east side, so a car would be parked right in front of the window), and bathroom / WC (parapet height too low?) are not completely convincing.
Price estimate from architect/planner: approximately 370,000 (turnkey, with floors already selected by us—we had a preliminary selection)
Personal budget limit for house, including finishing: about 400,000
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump, underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details/finishes
- What you can give up: instead of a sliding door to the terrace, a regular door; instead of aluminum-plastic windows, only plastic windows (difference of 4,000); planned premium for a different staircase (7,000); partial wood facade omitted (planned cost 1,500)
- What you cannot give up: house size (should not be smaller)
Why is the design as it is now?
We initially spent several hours with a very friendly consultant from the company to develop a design based on our requirements (office on ground floor, slight separation of parent and children areas, shower on ground floor, basement, carport).
A friend who is an architect made some suggestions, and after an in-depth discussion with us, the company’s architect created the attached floor plan.
We like the floor plan quite well so far (we know that planning a semi-detached house comes with some limitations), but the window planning seems somewhat “old-fashioned” to us.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Are there any major flaws in the floor plan that we have not noticed yet?
What would you possibly optimize?
What do you think about the window planning and our suggestions regarding it?
Thank you very much for your help and for the time you spend in this forum.
We appreciate any feedback!
E
espressionist18 May 2018 18:34Pumbaa schrieb:
Floor area ratio 0.35 on 289 sqm (3112 sq ft) and a house size of 8x11 m (26x36 ft) – that’s going to be tight with 2 parking spaces and a terrace…..Thanks for the note.
I’ll ask again… theoretically, there would only be 13 sqm (140 sq ft) left for parking spaces and terrace, right?!
jansens schrieb:
Hello expressionist,
thank you for the excellently created thread, it really invites responses and you will definitely get some feedback. I just have one question:
Has the other semi-detached half already been built or is it planned? Perhaps there are still some design considerations to keep in mind.That’s exactly how I felt while reading and I already liked the opening thread [emoji4]
Regarding the kitchen door: I would do it the same way. Then more items will just have to go into the basement, which will certainly work.
About the windows: I would improve and partly give up on having the same windows on the ground floor and upper floor, specifically:
Office on the ground floor, a 2 meter (6.5 feet) wide double window facing north.
Shower-toilet, yes, higher sill, or see what fits with the office window.
Dining area, a 2 meter (6.5 feet) wide floor-to-ceiling window on the east side. If no roller shutters are planned, it can be fixed, but I would always make it operable.
Bedroom on the upper floor, the same window but facing east.
Children’s rooms: the same windows as mentioned, so with a sill (provides more privacy and furnishing options. The brightness is still very good).
Walk-in closet: door only from the hallway, this won’t disturb the partner. This allows window space and somewhat larger storage.
Bathroom: switch the shower and toilet. This gives more privacy while showering and natural light during toilet use. Possibly try it without partition walls.
And here is the key point:
You should consider swapping the living room and kitchen.
Having the kitchen and refrigerator as close as possible to the terrace makes barbecues and summer coffee get-togethers much more practical, and makes playing children in the garden very happy.
Edit: I just looked again. Yes, I would swap. L-shaped kitchen with a large island. A terrace door in between. Awesome [emoji4]
There is also enough space for a sofa and TV. And no evening sun will disturb the screen.
E
espressionist19 May 2018 15:04espressionist schrieb:
Thanks for the hint.
I’ll ask again... theoretically, only 13 sqm (140 sq ft) would be left for parking spaces and the terrace, right...? Although the architect is currently on vacation, according to Wikipedia:
When determining the floor area ratio according to §19 of the Land Use Ordinance 2013, the floor areas of all structures, such as buildings, ancillary facilities, and paved surfaces, are fully counted. The permissible floor area of ancillary facilities can generally be exceeded by up to 50% (but only up to a maximum floor area ratio of 0.8). So this should probably be fine...
E
espressionist19 May 2018 15:16ypg schrieb:
That’s exactly how I felt while reading, and I already liked the opening threadFirst of all, thank you very much for your great reply!
ypg schrieb:
Regarding the windows: I would improve them and partly give up on having identical windows on the ground floor and first floor, specifically:
Office ground floor, 2-meter (6.5 feet) wide double window facing north.
Dining area, 2-meter (6.5 feet) wide floor-to-ceiling window on the east side. If planned without roller shutters, it can be fixed, but I would always prefer it to be openable.
Bedroom first floor, the same window, but on the east side.
Children’s rooms: same windows as mentioned, but with a parapet (this provides more privacy and layout options. The brightness is still very good).To be honest, I didn’t quite understand which windows you meant for the bedroom and children’s rooms:
The same window as you mentioned before (2m wide, floor-to-ceiling)?
The bedroom on the first floor has an east-facing window (according to the architect’s proposal and our sketch).
Children’s rooms: as suggested by the architect (2 by 1.26 meters (4.1 by 4.1 feet))?
ypg schrieb:
Walk-in closet: door only from the hallway, so it doesn’t disturb the partner. This results in more window area and a slightly larger storage space. Good idea. One downside, though, would be that we couldn’t place a shelf in that hallway spot...
ypg schrieb:
Bathroom:
Maybe consider trying it without T-walls. We have actually considered that. But with that solution, we’re not sure if the space between bathtub and washbasin might be too narrow.
ypg schrieb:
And here comes the best part:
You should consider swapping the living room and kitchen.
Placing the kitchen and refrigerator as close as possible to the terrace makes summer barbecues and coffee gatherings much more convenient, and keeps children playing happily in the garden.
Edit: I just checked again, yes, I would swap them. L-shaped kitchen with a large island. In between, a terrace door. Awesome [emoji4]
There’s also enough space for the sofa and TV, and in the evening no sun will disturb the screen.At first, I thought: huh? But the longer I think about it, the more I like the idea!
However, we need to check whether the living area will be sufficient, and how feasible the wastewater connections are from that location (wastewater has to exit the north side from the basement, the technical room is in the basement below the office)… but the architect is currently on vacation.
Thanks again for this great suggestion!
E
espressionist20 May 2018 23:37ypg schrieb:
Edit: I just checked again. Yes, I would swap it. L-shaped kitchen with a large island. A patio door in between. Awesome [emoji4]May I ask how you would arrange the L-shaped kitchen and the island?
Would the L run along the wall shared with the other semi-detached house and the wall next to the stairs?
And then a free-standing island in the center (not a peninsula attached to the southern wall)?
Thanks & best regards
espressionist
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