ᐅ New single-family home, approximately 1,940 sq ft (180 m²), for 4 occupants, without a basement, Rhineland-Palatinate region, built to KfW 55 energy efficiency standard
Created on: 29 Jul 2020 11:03
M
ManuHen
Hello everyone,
I have been following this forum with great interest for some time now. Finally, we are ready to start our own single-family house project. We have chosen a plot of about 610 m² (about 0.15 acres) in a newly developed area of a small town in Rhineland-Palatinate, which is currently still under development. We will be building with a general contractor (without an independent architect).
After several meetings with the planner, we have now arrived at a floor plan that fits us very well. I would like to share it here for discussion regarding any potential improvements.
The plan is for a modern gable roof house with a knee wall height of 2.0 m (6.5 feet) and a roof pitch of 20° (due to the elevation of the land and the maximum ridge height allowed), featuring clear and simple architecture. We have deliberately decided against bay windows or extensions, as these are considered relatively expensive compared to the floor space (but we are open to being convinced otherwise).
All windows and patio doors will have electric shutters. The knee wall windows are explicitly requested by my wife. The positioning and width of the windows still need to be adjusted and harmonized after the final layout of the floor plan. There will be a large built-in cupboard from a carpenter under the staircase.
Overall, we really like the plan. Our biggest concerns are the limited storage space and the combined utility/technical room.
Our questions to you:
- What do you generally think of this floor plan in relation to our requirements?
- Is the space for the utility/technical room sufficient? Do you see a possibility to have the utility room separately on the ground floor or upper floor, or to split the current utility/technical room?
- Would another staircase design be more advisable?
We are also open to completely new floor plan suggestions, although we like the current plan very much.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best regards,
Manuel
Here is the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Owners’ Requirements
House Design
If you have to give up something, which features/extensions?
Why is the design like it is? For example:
I have been following this forum with great interest for some time now. Finally, we are ready to start our own single-family house project. We have chosen a plot of about 610 m² (about 0.15 acres) in a newly developed area of a small town in Rhineland-Palatinate, which is currently still under development. We will be building with a general contractor (without an independent architect).
After several meetings with the planner, we have now arrived at a floor plan that fits us very well. I would like to share it here for discussion regarding any potential improvements.
The plan is for a modern gable roof house with a knee wall height of 2.0 m (6.5 feet) and a roof pitch of 20° (due to the elevation of the land and the maximum ridge height allowed), featuring clear and simple architecture. We have deliberately decided against bay windows or extensions, as these are considered relatively expensive compared to the floor space (but we are open to being convinced otherwise).
All windows and patio doors will have electric shutters. The knee wall windows are explicitly requested by my wife. The positioning and width of the windows still need to be adjusted and harmonized after the final layout of the floor plan. There will be a large built-in cupboard from a carpenter under the staircase.
Overall, we really like the plan. Our biggest concerns are the limited storage space and the combined utility/technical room.
Our questions to you:
- What do you generally think of this floor plan in relation to our requirements?
- Is the space for the utility/technical room sufficient? Do you see a possibility to have the utility room separately on the ground floor or upper floor, or to split the current utility/technical room?
- Would another staircase design be more advisable?
We are also open to completely new floor plan suggestions, although we like the current plan very much.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best regards,
Manuel
Here is the questionnaire:
Development Plan / Restrictions
- Plot size: 609 m² (about 0.15 acres)
- Slope: slight slope (see site plan)
- Floor area ratio: 0.3
- Floor space index: 0.8
- Building envelope: 18 x 14 m (59 x 46 feet) (see site plan)
- Edge development: according to Rhineland-Palatinate state building code
- Parking spaces: >100 m² (1,076 sq ft) minimum of 2.5 spaces
- Number of floors: 2
- Roof type: gable roof with 20° pitch
- Style: Modern
- Orientation: see site plan
- Maximum heights / limits: 8.50 m (27.9 feet) ridge height from the nearest street level
Owners’ Requirements
- Style, roof type, building type: Modern, gable roof, clear floor plan
- Basement, floors: 1.5 floors with 2.0 m (6.5 feet) knee wall (?)
- Number and age of occupants: 3 people (33, 30, 3 years), another child planned
- Room needs on ground floor and upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, bedroom + dressing room (optional), bathroom, storage room, possibly utility room (currently planned in technical room on the ground floor)
- Office: Home office and guest room
- Guests per year: mother-in-law every 2 months for 2 nights
- Open architecture
- Modern construction method
- Open kitchen with small peninsula
- 6 dining seats
- No fireplace
- Double garage
- No productive garden, only recreational area
House Design
- Planner: Planner from a construction company
- What do you particularly like? Large living room, large bedrooms
- What do you not like? Why? Possibly too little storage? Possibly too small technical/utility room?
- Price estimate by architect/planner: €325,000 turnkey plus garage
- Personal price limit for the house including equipment: €360,000 plus garage (most furniture already owned, currently living in a 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) house)
- Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump (Wolf Monoblock as main system with controlled ventilation)
If you have to give up something, which features/extensions?
- Can give up: straight staircase, large children’s rooms (but at least 15 m² (161 sq ft) each), dressing room (but wardrobe space ≥ 4.0 m (13 feet))
- Cannot give up: office, large living room, storage space (attic estimated to have only about 1.5 m (5 feet) height in the center), access from garage to house
Why is the design like it is? For example:
- Based on a show house by Weiss-Fertighaus (Mannheim, 186 m² (2,003 sq ft)), because we liked that design very much from the start and it meets our requirements closely.
Curly schrieb:
You can definitely hear the TV in the upper floor clearly if there’s no door in between, and similarly, you hear the children’s music in the living room. For me, with kids and pets, it’s simply more comfortable to have a door that can be closed.
Best regards,
SabineSo we have the choice between a long, potentially dark hallway with a door, which would be quiet, or a more open living area with the risk of it being noisy. Kind of difficult. In our current house, everything is separated, and unfortunately, we have no experience with open concepts. Pets won’t be an issue as we probably won’t get any.
face26 schrieb:
I also like the floor plan. Whether the kitchen size is sufficient depends on your personal priorities. I definitely wouldn’t arrange it as shown in the plan. You could take a look at the Weiss show house in Ulm. That’s a variation with a more open kitchen design.
There, they solved it structurally by leaving a wall panel standing. You could even attach a kitchen island to it, for example.
Is it a structural issue? Well, not an unsolvable problem. It just means the structural engineer will have to put in extra rebar or concrete. It costs a little extra. The amount has to be answered by your contractor.
Noise... well, opinions differ there as well. Of course, the more open it is, the more noise carries upstairs. The Weiss show house in Ulm even has an open void space. Whether you need that is another question.Thanks!
We’re not very picky about the kitchen and thought that a peninsula with a cooktop, a unit along the wall towards the office, and tall cabinets on the wall facing the hallway would be enough. Usually only one person is in the kitchen, and we’re certainly no gourmet chefs.
The wall panel is a good idea; it was originally planned that way too. The only question is how open we ultimately want it towards the hallway, considering the noise issue.
ypg schrieb:
No, just different.
A wall panel, for example, or a column. I would go with a wall panel. You could also install a wall panel to separate the staircase from the kitchen.
I would still try my idea of a small vestibule or entrance buffer zone.How exactly would this buffer zone work? In my opinion, a door wouldn’t currently fit under the stairs, which would mean I’d have to move the stairs and/or the wall between the utility room and the living room, right?
ManuHen schrieb:
The wall panel is a good idea, it was also part of the original plan. The only question is how open we actually want it to be towards the hallway, considering the noise issue.Then just do it that way. Maybe as an idea regarding your noise concerns: I don’t know what type of staircase is planned, but if it’s a closed staircase, you could use glass panels instead of a stair railing. It might not provide the highest level of sound insulation, but it could reduce some of the noise coming from the kitchen. Plus, it looks stylish.
face26 schrieb:
Then just do it that way. Maybe an idea regarding your noise concerns: I don’t know what kind of staircase is planned, but if it’s a closed staircase, you could consider using glass panels instead of a railing. It might not provide top-level sound insulation, but it could reduce the noise from the kitchen somewhat. Plus, it looks stylish. So far, a concrete staircase with a built-up railing (handrail and treads in oak) is planned. Would you build the staircase "closed"—meaning with a wall? The glass panels could probably still be added later if desired.
By an open staircase, I mean one where you can see through the space between the steps, not whether there is a wall on the side.
You have a closed staircase (concrete staircase).
Yes, adding them later is probably possible, but then only the space between the balustrade and the ceiling.
My idea was a staircase up to the ceiling. That looks lighter.
ManuHen schrieb:
So far, a concrete staircase with a masonry railing (handrail and treads in oak) is planned. Would you build the staircase "closed"—that is, with a wall?
The glass panels could possibly be added later as well.
You have a closed staircase (concrete staircase).
Yes, adding them later is probably possible, but then only the space between the balustrade and the ceiling.
My idea was a staircase up to the ceiling. That looks lighter.
P
pagoni202030 Jul 2020 14:40ManuHen schrieb:
So, we have the choice between a long, possibly dark corridor with a door, which would be quiet, or a more open living area that might be more noisy. Kind of a difficult decision. ....I don’t think so at all.
With your first sentence, you have basically already made your (correct) decision, or do you really want such a corridor? I believe that people often imagine extreme situations. Of course, there will be moments when you might wish you had chosen differently, but for most of the time—and that is the real life—you enjoy the actual decision you made. In this case, I would always recommend an open layout.
For example, we lived on one floor with two kids plus a dog! and that was absolutely no problem. The kids didn’t even close their doors at night but just left them ajar and slept perfectly.
You don’t watch Terminator or a Danish western at full volume every evening… that mostly just happens in your mind.
You even have an extra floor, so I wouldn’t see this as a real problem but rather as a matter of perceived living comfort.
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