ᐅ New single-family house approximately 190 sqm with double garage, no basement – Design No. 3

Created on: 19 Feb 2020 20:20
T
Thorsten78
T
Thorsten78
19 Feb 2020 20:20
Hello everyone,

We have just purchased a plot of land and are now at the stage of planning our house.
After two initial attempts at designing it ourselves without much success, we have now met with a structural engineer who helped us create a floor plan tailored to our needs.
I would like to share this design here for discussion.
We have already chosen a local builder. The plan is for a timber frame house with solid wood interior walls and a timber frame exterior wall filled with blown-in wood fiber insulation.
The entire house is intended to meet the KfW 40+ energy efficiency standard eventually.

Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size[/B] 760m² (about 8,180 sq ft)
Slope
no, maximum height difference 90cm (35 inches)
Floor area ratio (FAR)
0.3 (but previously built structures did not comply)
Plot ratio (building density)
0.6 (but previously built structures did not comply)
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
see attachment
Boundary development
yes, garage
Number of parking spaces
two per plot, minimum 5m (16 ft) in front of the garage
Number of floors
Knee wall max. 0.50m (20 inches) (but previously built structures did not comply)
Roof style
Gable roof 30-38°, hipped roof, shed/flat roof 25%

Architectural style ---
Orientation
---
Maximum heights/limits
---
Additional requirements
natural red bricks

Owners’ Requirements

We are a small family: two adults, age 41, and one child, age 6. Our family planning is complete.
We would like a detached single-family home with two full stories, no basement, a double garage, and a storage room as a basement substitute.
The architecture should be modern, bright, with an open living/dining/kitchen area.

Architectural style, roof type, building type

- Modern
- We currently favor a gable roof with a 22° pitch.
- We also like the idea of a pyramid (hip) roof, but unfortunately, this roof type is less than ideal for installing photovoltaic panels.
- Large windows for lots of light inside, including external venetian blinds for shading.

Basement, floors
No basement, two full floors

Number of occupants, age

2 adults, 41 years old, and 1 child, 6 years old

Space requirement ground floor and upper floor

Total living area 180-200m² (1,940–2,150 sq ft)

Office: family use or home office?

Office on ground or upper floor

Guest bedrooms per year
None planned

Open or closed layout

Open

Traditional or modern construction

Modern

Open kitchen, kitchen island

Yes, yes

Number of dining seats

Dining table for 6-8 people

Fireplace

No

Music/surround sound system

If possible, multi-room audio

Balcony, roof terrace

No

Garage, carport

Double garage + storage room as basement substitute


Utility garden, greenhouse

Low-maintenance garden, lawn with irrigation system, possibly raised beds

Other wishes/special features

Photovoltaic system including battery storage, KNX smart home system

House Design
Designer:
- Planner from a construction company

Structural engineer
- Architect

No
- Do-it-yourself


What do you particularly like? Why?
Dry access from garage to house, spacious living area with a nice terrace

What don’t you like? Why?
Despite minor compromises, everything is fine

Price estimate according to architect/planner:

€440,000 (house KfW 40+ including double garage)

Personal overall budget limit:
€580,000 including plot (€65,000), landscaping, kitchen, furnishings

Preferred heating system:
Heat pump and central mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

If you had to give up something, which details/features
- Can give up:

Smart home and battery storage
- Cannot give up:

Two full stories, double garage, modern open design


Why did the design end up as it is now?

We wanted to make the best possible use of the plot.
Basically, we would have liked to orient the terrace towards the southwest, but unfortunately, there is the street there, and I don’t want to be completely exposed.
Also, the west side is the weather side with a lot of wind.

What do you think makes it especially good or bad?
???

What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of the design, and what could be done differently?
We might want to redesign the bathroom, maybe a T-wall?
Would you change anything about the window layout?

We would appreciate any ideas or constructive criticism very much.

2D floor plan of a single-family house with kitchen, dining, living area, terrace, and garage.


Upper floor plan with master bedroom, child’s room, office, playroom, bathroom, hallway.


Four views of a modern house with garage, trees, and cars (west, east, south, north).


Technical drawing: house with double garage, sections, and dimensions.
Y
ypg
19 Feb 2020 21:18
Thorsten78 schrieb:

Floor area ratio 0.3 (but this was not complied with by previous buildings)
Plot ratio 0.6 (but this was not complied with by previous buildings)
....
Number of storeys Knee wall max. 0.50m (but this was not complied with by previous buildings)
Roof type Gable roof 30-38°, hipped roof, shed/flat roof 25%

Which previous buildings?
You are planning a gable roof with 22 degrees...
T
Thorsten78
19 Feb 2020 21:30
I was referring to the houses that have been built in the development area over the last three years. The zoning plan was not strictly enforced by the authorities. Our planned construction method should therefore not cause any issues.
Y
ypg
19 Feb 2020 21:49
In the past three to four weeks, there have been at least two floor plan discussions where the original poster (OP) suspected the same issue. Unfortunately, in at least one of these threads, the mistake could already be identified using Google Maps. By "one," I mean us! The OP simply made an error by assuming a two-story structure on a building with a pitched roof, but still spent a lot of time working on their plans.
I understand that you want to have a normal discussion now, but in your place, I would first verify the facts, as a floor plan discussion can consume a lot of time and mental energy.

Regarding the ground floor design: swapping the storage room and the WC would prevent the hallway from being completely misused when trying to store outerwear.
A width of about 4 meters (13 feet) over 11 meters (36 feet) feels somewhat tight due to the large panoramic window, but the actual usable width might be lacking.
It would be nice if the children’s area received some sunlight.
I would arrange the bathroom very differently; it looks somewhat cramped.

In my opinion, there are too many different types of window sills and window styles.
kaho67419 Feb 2020 21:59
I agree with Yvonne and would also suggest first thoroughly exploring the exact possibilities within the zoning plan. How certain are you that you are allowed to build a 2.50 m (8 feet 2 inches) knee wall on the upper floor? It is hard for us to understand how the zoning plan could be completely disregarded here. Where are we, really?
Y
ypg
19 Feb 2020 22:11
kaho674 schrieb:

I agree with Yvonne and would also suggest first exploring the exact possibilities regarding the development plan. How certain is it that you are allowed to build a 2.50m (8 ft 2 in) knee wall on the upper floor? It is hard for us to understand how the development plan can be completely overridden here. Where are we even?

Well, you have to consider the floor area ratio in relation again. Apparently, the two-story structure is fixed, and only the attic may have a maximum of 0.5.
But the problem is that if you think you have a free pass, then the facts are stretched and nothing is properly clarified.
So who knows what is really correct here.