ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction – Join Us on Our Journey!
Created on: 4 Aug 2022 16:13
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gregman22
Dear community,
We are finally getting a step closer to realizing our dream of building a single-family home.
The plot has been purchased, building plans have been reviewed, construction method decided, and so on. We have now commissioned the architect of the general contractor (GC) of our choice with the planning task and are currently fine-tuning the house design. I would love to take you along on this journey and incorporate your valuable feedback.
At this stage, the focus is on the house design.
Basic data:
Plot: 1062m2 (11,433 sq ft); approx. 25.5m x 41.64m (84 ft x 137 ft)
Orientation: Northwest -> The arrow in the screenshot of the 3D view points south
Desired room layout:
Ground floor:
First floor:
Attic:
Note: I am still discussing this with the architect. Due to the hipped roof shape, the actual living area has shrunk too much. Therefore, further discussion is needed to accommodate the other rooms. I had underestimated the ratio of gross floor area to usable living space.
Basement:
Additional plans:
Now to my first questions for you:
My biggest construction challenge at the moment is the layout of the attic. There are two alternatives:
- Change the roof type, which would increase costs but provide more usable living space in the attic
- Give up the playroom on the first floor, convert it into a guest room, and build only the two offices in the attic (no guest room or bathroom)
Thank you in advance for your comments.
We are finally getting a step closer to realizing our dream of building a single-family home.
The plot has been purchased, building plans have been reviewed, construction method decided, and so on. We have now commissioned the architect of the general contractor (GC) of our choice with the planning task and are currently fine-tuning the house design. I would love to take you along on this journey and incorporate your valuable feedback.
At this stage, the focus is on the house design.
Basic data:
Plot: 1062m2 (11,433 sq ft); approx. 25.5m x 41.64m (84 ft x 137 ft)
Orientation: Northwest -> The arrow in the screenshot of the 3D view points south
Desired room layout:
Ground floor:
- Large living/dining area with adjacent (but separable) kitchen at the bottom left, plus a gallery overlooking the first floor
- Utility room
- Guest toilet
- Garage
- Separate apartment at the top right with its own entrance for parents-in-law
First floor:
- Gallery overlooking the ground floor
- 2 children’s bedrooms with a shared bathroom
- 1 playroom (initially a home cinema room, later to be repurposed) above the garage
- Master wing with main bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom
Attic:
Note: I am still discussing this with the architect. Due to the hipped roof shape, the actual living area has shrunk too much. Therefore, further discussion is needed to accommodate the other rooms. I had underestimated the ratio of gross floor area to usable living space.
- 2 separate offices
- 1 guest bedroom
- 1 small guest bathroom
Basement:
- 1 technical room
- 1 laundry room
- 1 storage room
- Large fitness room
- Wellness room with sauna
Additional plans:
- Air-to-air heat pump or air-to-water heat pump
- Photovoltaic system with/without battery storage
- Possible pool (3.5/4m x 8m or 3.5/4m x 12m) with heat pump (and countercurrent system)
- Sauna in the basement room
- Air conditioning for various rooms
- Smart home system – most likely via KNX
- Garden: Currently planning 2 terraces – one to the left, slightly more to the south, and one facing the main part of the plot further north
Now to my first questions for you:
- How do the floor plans strike you? Do they make sense in terms of the dynamics of family life?
- The location of the separate apartment was chosen based on our wish. We wanted a strict, clearly defined spatial separation with a separate entrance. Do you have any comments on this?
- Do you consider the utility rooms in the basement to be adequately sized (considering KNX, heat pump, etc.)?
My biggest construction challenge at the moment is the layout of the attic. There are two alternatives:
- Change the roof type, which would increase costs but provide more usable living space in the attic
- Give up the playroom on the first floor, convert it into a guest room, and build only the two offices in the attic (no guest room or bathroom)
Thank you in advance for your comments.
C
Costruttrice31 Oct 2022 13:41gregman22 schrieb:
The pool, in general, will also be interesting since it is located outside the building area. I hope we get it approved. Ours is also outside, but that didn’t matter for the approval since a pool is considered an ancillary structure. What does matter, however, is the floor area ratio.
Or does the development plan explicitly mention anything else about pools?
gregman22 schrieb:
We actually liked the glass corridor – it’s something different. But the downside regarding the view from the living room is definitely valid. I will discuss this again with my wife. An alternative could be a mirror wall. We had that in an apartment when I was a child. It made the hallway feel much larger and brighter (it was an interior hallway, so no windows). That works well if you don’t need the wall for placing furniture...
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gregman2231 Oct 2022 13:54Costruttrice schrieb:
What does matter, however, is the floor area ratio.
Or does the development plan specify anything else about pools? Good point. We would exceed the floor area ratio with the pool. Otherwise, the 1970 development plan does not define anything further regarding the pool.
gregman22 schrieb:
Good point. We would exceed the floor space ratio with the pool. Otherwise, nothing else is specified about the pool in the 1970 zoning plan.In my opinion, there is enough space in the basement. That way, you would have it covered right away. 😉
Personally, I quite like the Evolution design. Certain elements, such as the walk-in closet/bedroom, entrance, or bathroom, can certainly be further optimized.
However, reconsider the window wall between the wardrobe area and the living room. Any “front door traffic,” like deliveries or visitors, can be seen from the sofa with just one step into the hallway. The issue of curtains has already been mentioned.
In other designs, this is sometimes called a “dirt trap,” and I wouldn’t want to be looking at that from the sofa.
However, reconsider the window wall between the wardrobe area and the living room. Any “front door traffic,” like deliveries or visitors, can be seen from the sofa with just one step into the hallway. The issue of curtains has already been mentioned.
In other designs, this is sometimes called a “dirt trap,” and I wouldn’t want to be looking at that from the sofa.
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