Hello everyone. Until now, we have only been quietly reading and are now looking forward to your opinions and feedback on our floor plan.
In spring, we purchased a nice plot located at the end of a cul-de-sac. It is in an established residential area without a building permit / planning permission. The plot and the plans are oriented to the south.
Here are the key details:
Building permit / planning permission / restrictions: none
Plot size: 751 m2 (8080 sq ft)
Slope: along the side of the plot, the house will be built on one level
Site coverage ratio: no information
Floor area ratio: no information
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no information
Edge development: yes
Number of parking spaces: no information
Number of floors: no information, neighbors have 1.5 to 3 floors
Roof shape: no information
Architectural style: no information
Orientation: no information
Maximum heights / limits: very variable among neighbors
Other regulations
Homeowner requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: townhouse villa with a hip roof
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 people, 28 and 31 years old
Space requirements on ground and upper floor: approx. 80 m2 (860 sq ft) on ground floor, 65 m2 (700 sq ft) or more on upper floor?
Office: possible home office later
Guest bedrooms per year: 2?
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island with a bench (not yet drawn in)
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: none
Garage, carport: 1 carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: utility garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included
House design
Designed by: architect
Estimated price according to architect / planner: 500,000 (excl. land)
Preferred heating system: geothermal, not finalized yet
If you have to give up certain details / extensions
-you can give up: the balcony on the upper floor, maybe extending rooms to the outer edge (still undecided), large bathroom on the upper floor
-you cannot give up: basement, workspace on the ground floor, fireplace
Why was the design made this way? For example:
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? The office, basement with external staircase, large living and dining area facing south, guest toilet with window
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is a direct access from the hallway to the kitchen practical, or is a door leading only to the living-dining-kitchen area sufficient?
Should the wall in the dining room be recessed to better define the spaces? The roofed area is too small for a covered terrace; an extension is planned anyway.
We are also undecided about extending the rooms on the upper floor to the outer edge. Flat roofs can create thermal bridges and require maintenance?!
Additional living space above the living/dining room is still needed.
If the house is to be divided into two units later, the extra living space would be useful, but we are not sure if we want to do this.
In spring, we purchased a nice plot located at the end of a cul-de-sac. It is in an established residential area without a building permit / planning permission. The plot and the plans are oriented to the south.
Here are the key details:
Building permit / planning permission / restrictions: none
Plot size: 751 m2 (8080 sq ft)
Slope: along the side of the plot, the house will be built on one level
Site coverage ratio: no information
Floor area ratio: no information
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no information
Edge development: yes
Number of parking spaces: no information
Number of floors: no information, neighbors have 1.5 to 3 floors
Roof shape: no information
Architectural style: no information
Orientation: no information
Maximum heights / limits: very variable among neighbors
Other regulations
Homeowner requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: townhouse villa with a hip roof
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 people, 28 and 31 years old
Space requirements on ground and upper floor: approx. 80 m2 (860 sq ft) on ground floor, 65 m2 (700 sq ft) or more on upper floor?
Office: possible home office later
Guest bedrooms per year: 2?
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island with a bench (not yet drawn in)
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: none
Garage, carport: 1 carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: utility garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included
House design
Designed by: architect
Estimated price according to architect / planner: 500,000 (excl. land)
Preferred heating system: geothermal, not finalized yet
If you have to give up certain details / extensions
-you can give up: the balcony on the upper floor, maybe extending rooms to the outer edge (still undecided), large bathroom on the upper floor
-you cannot give up: basement, workspace on the ground floor, fireplace
Why was the design made this way? For example:
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? The office, basement with external staircase, large living and dining area facing south, guest toilet with window
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is a direct access from the hallway to the kitchen practical, or is a door leading only to the living-dining-kitchen area sufficient?
Should the wall in the dining room be recessed to better define the spaces? The roofed area is too small for a covered terrace; an extension is planned anyway.
We are also undecided about extending the rooms on the upper floor to the outer edge. Flat roofs can create thermal bridges and require maintenance?!
Additional living space above the living/dining room is still needed.
If the house is to be divided into two units later, the extra living space would be useful, but we are not sure if we want to do this.
Two doors in the bathroom are really inconvenient...
Why not use Kaho’s design with both children’s rooms facing south and enter the bedroom through the walk-in closet? I think that’s the best layout.
Here, the walk-in closet has the best location – I don’t know what you’re doing, but we rarely use our walk-in closet and wouldn’t give it the most prominent spot in the house.
Personally, I find the angled door on the ground floor terrible, but if you like it...
I won’t say more since I don’t like the house at all, but apparently you do. The exterior views are also dreadful. Somehow the architect seems stuck in the 1980s.
But it’s your house, and as long as you like it, what else is there to say...
Why not use Kaho’s design with both children’s rooms facing south and enter the bedroom through the walk-in closet? I think that’s the best layout.
Here, the walk-in closet has the best location – I don’t know what you’re doing, but we rarely use our walk-in closet and wouldn’t give it the most prominent spot in the house.
Personally, I find the angled door on the ground floor terrible, but if you like it...
I won’t say more since I don’t like the house at all, but apparently you do. The exterior views are also dreadful. Somehow the architect seems stuck in the 1980s.
But it’s your house, and as long as you like it, what else is there to say...
AJanJan schrieb:
So we started planning ourselves, or rather hired an architect. Currently, we’re a bit disappointed with them. We are doing more of the planning ourselves now, which shows...
That’s unfortunate. Yes, right now professionals can choose their clients, which is a disadvantage. We don’t know what was discussed, but based on what’s posted here, maybe your wishes are still somewhat undeveloped? If it were my house, I’d have a comprehensive list from top to bottom for the architect to work through. Do you have one?
AJanJan schrieb:
We agree that it lacks some flair. However, we haven’t thought of anything better yet. That’s why there’s the bay window in the kitchen.
A bay window is nice, but if you’re spending money on it, it should make a real impact. So far, it just looks like a corner in the wall, if you ask me. The house also seems to have shrunk quite a bit, or am I mistaken?
AJanJan schrieb:
That’s why we considered adding a second door to the bathroom. Does anyone have experience regarding noise? Are soundproof doors effective?
I don’t see the need for that. I would skip the idea of the extra door.
AJanJan schrieb:
We planned the wall by the stairs for energy efficiency reasons, as kaho674 correctly guessed. Additionally, this allows for an open visitor cloakroom to be installed there.
Do you already have a plan for how the basement will be constructed? Will it be unheated? How exactly does the terrain slope? You have a small hillside—aren’t you planning to use it for natural light in the basement? Would a home office even be possible down there? How steep is the slope? What else is below? Do you actually have a use for that space?
I don’t find the design particularly impressive, but it seems to work. However, I think the bay window is unnecessary, the kitchen layout is too awkward, and the bedroom furnishing feels odd.
IF you want to stick with this floor plan, I would at least suggest the following changes:
- Remove the bay window
- Change the kitchen to a U-shape (keeping the spacing on the right and left not too large); the room shape just doesn’t suit an island, in my opinion
- Depending on how much you bring the U-shape together, the wardrobe area could be made more spacious
- Make the children's rooms on the upper floor the same size, and in the upper room, move the door far enough to allow for a wardrobe behind it
- Rotate the bedroom furniture layout
- DO NOT add a second door to the bathroom
IF you want to stick with this floor plan, I would at least suggest the following changes:
- Remove the bay window
- Change the kitchen to a U-shape (keeping the spacing on the right and left not too large); the room shape just doesn’t suit an island, in my opinion
- Depending on how much you bring the U-shape together, the wardrobe area could be made more spacious
- Make the children's rooms on the upper floor the same size, and in the upper room, move the door far enough to allow for a wardrobe behind it
- Rotate the bedroom furniture layout
- DO NOT add a second door to the bathroom
W
Wugler197819 Nov 2019 09:19AJanJan schrieb:
Is this clearer now, or did I still forget something?Have you ever had the kitchen planned by a kitchen design studio? In my opinion, it won’t work. With a 90cm (35 inch) wide cooktop, you only have 45cm (18 inch) of countertop space on each side. The bench seating is too close to the island. No one can actually sit there.
Where does the laundry chute exit on the ground floor?
AJanJan schrieb:
The distance in the kitchen should be narrower? What is a standard measurement here?Of course, it’s difficult to start planning on your own without any solid knowledge, experience, or imagination.AJanJan schrieb:
The living/dining/kitchen area is our main living space andmany people make the mistake of thinking that only this area needs to work well. What about the home office? Doesn’t it need a table? What is the purpose of the home office? The hallway? Overrated. So we just add another wall that hides the nice staircase, so guests have a cloakroom, instead of designing a beautiful space where everything is integrated.
Ideally, the kids use their bedrooms and you two live in 66 square meters (710 square feet) with a three-sided fireplace that is placed against the wall instead of being showcased. As it is positioned against the wall, it doesn’t highlight your room, just like the bay window, which is merely a protrusion and doesn’t showcase the kitchen.
AJanJan schrieb:
That’s why we considered adding a second door to the bathroom. Has anyone had experience with noise? Are soundproof doors useful here?Before thinking about a second door, I would consider, “Oh no, the bathroom is too far away. How can I bring it closer?” But I don’t find this argument very convincing since this is not a sprawling villa where you have to deal with west and east wings. The distance is quite normal, although admittedly in this case the layout looks a bit complicated.
AJanJan schrieb:
We want to use the floor-to-ceiling window for groceries, etc.??? Wouldn’t it make more sense to use the main entrance? Why go around the house from the garage to the kitchen if the supplies are going to end up in the basement anyway?This house reminds me of the house of our children. Not a townhouse, but also large and with that slanted wall they recently installed. They have space for a dining table — two tables each 240cm (8 feet) long — and everything upstairs is well arranged. It’s a used house you can comfortably adapt to as a family. I’ll sketch the floor plan soon. Maybe you’ll see something in it or can take some ideas from it.
ypg schrieb:
I will draw the floor plan at some point.Wouldn’t you rather draw something original that isn’t so outdated?Similar topics