ᐅ Not another city villa... 1,600 sq ft box house on a 4,500 sq ft suburban lot
Created on: 30 Dec 2025 19:18
N
NiWi_NRW
Hello everyone,
A brief introduction about me/us: My husband, 36, a landscaping gardener—hereafter referred to as the homeowner—and I, 33, an administrative specialist (city planning and building regulations office *oops* but my area is administrative law, and I disclaim all-knowing expertise upfront) want to replace our 90sqm (970 sq ft) miner’s cottage built in 1918 with a Flair 152 RE model, hopefully built in 2026. Financing is already secured, so there is no separate thread about that; we will own the plot soon (notary appointment 01/2026). We received several strong recommendations for the local Town & Country franchisee from multiple parties and have therefore decided to go with them. We have allowed generous buffers for upgrades, and I now know the construction specifications and contract draft by heart—we know what to expect.
Our current living situation is characterized by “where should I put this” and “Honey, bring all your shoes upstairs”—in short: no storage space, no entrance area, a quirky floor plan with walk-through rooms, and three very small floors on a typical narrow miner’s lot.
The townhouse design itself is, to be honest, not our personal favorite architectural style purely from an aesthetic perspective. Even though we are financially comfortable, the bank was a bit nervous about “architect and separate contracts,” and honestly, so were we. Therefore, we are opting for a catalog house and have come to terms with the fact that we are riding the current “everyone has one” wave—we are taking it with a sense of humor, and with a fixed price guarantee in mind, it works pretty well. Our house won’t be a stunning example of Bauhaus style nor will it become famous for groundbreaking design. It isn’t that, nor do we want it to be. At least we have committed to avoiding “white facade with gray windows”—that will have to suffice here 😀
Enough rambling, now on to the important part.
Zoning Plan/Restrictions
The zoning plan including textual specifications can be found under City of Marl – ZP 175e South – Living at Freer Bruch. The plan for our new development area includes quite a few restrictions, which we are aware of, but we like it very much since it leads to a neighborhood where we can well imagine living. The area is not yet developed, and currently, we are basically buying 420sqm (5,070 sq ft) of dirt—there’s nothing else there yet. Building approval will be granted no earlier than the end of July!
Site plan oriented north
Plot size: 420sqm (5,070 sq ft) – No. 14 on preliminary subdivision plan
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Floor space index: -
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan; building envelope 16 x 17.5m (52.5 x 57.5 ft)
Adjacent development: garage
Number of parking spaces: Zoning plan minimum 1.5; planned garage + 2 parking spaces (garage for 2 vintage motorcycles, parking spaces for 2 private cars)
Number of floors: 2
Roof style: pitched roof
Architectural style: townhouse
Orientation: open living area facing southeast
Maximum height/limits: max. total height 10.5m (34.5 ft)
Other requirements: various green area regulations; green roofs on main and auxiliary buildings; on-site infiltration using soakaway.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 2, aged 33 and 36
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: open living area, utility room including storage, guest room, guest shower bathroom
Upper floor: bedroom and walk-in closet, main bathroom, office, “hobby room” (details below), storage room
Office use: family use and home office
Guest stays per year: homeowner’s daughter (12 years old) stays every 2 weeks, half of school vacations, plus “whenever she wants,” so regularly, though currently tending to decrease with age; otherwise occasional friend visits, about 10 nights per year
Open kitchen, cooking island: both. The kitchen shown (and the other furniture) corresponds to the current planned furnishing
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: planned for the future, but provisionally marked next to the TV in the living area on the floor plan
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routines, with explanations for why certain choices were made or omitted:
Guest room: “The kid” ;-) had a choice between a large room upstairs and a small room downstairs. She chose the smaller room on the ground floor, so that will be the guest room—we have factored in that she might eventually not like the location on the ground floor, and we could simply swap it with the office upstairs.
Hobby room: The homeowner’s room. I am blessed with a jack-of-all-trades man with many hobbies: hunter, angler, beekeeper. Originally, the guest room on the ground floor was intended as “his room.” After planning storage, we quickly realized the room is too small and badly shaped to accommodate everything. He is aware that he has the privilege :p of a very large room upstairs—and I am fine with that as I have been promised that all that stuff, which should not be stored in the garage due to temperature sensitivity, won’t be spread around the rest of the house (this might be the current situation in our current home …). The gun safes must be inside the house anyway (and ideally against an exterior wall), and we prefer them upstairs and thus “under surveillance,” especially at night. The idea of a “typical basement room upstairs” initially felt unusual, and surely it will be for others, too, but it suits our needs well and will probably be the second most frequently used room after the kitchen. The storage room adjacent to this room is intended for Christmas decorations, and is used irregularly enough that it does not need to be directly accessible from the hallway.
House Design
Who designed it:
- Planner from a construction company
- Do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
The large open living area and the layout where only private rooms are upstairs. With the large utility room and the separate storage room upstairs, I feel like we have enough space to store “stuff” on both floors even without a basement or attic.
What do you dislike? Why?
The layout of the bathroom upstairs—neither in the standard plan nor in our own design. The standard plan is rather unimaginative, and I feel it will look dated afterward. In our floor plan, I feel the room tries to be more than it is—a forced T-shaped solution.
I would appreciate your input here! Whether other ideas or arguments for or against the standard or our own design—everything is welcome.
Estimated price according to architect/planner: 460,000
DIY work: bathrooms (sanitary work within close family), exterior landscaping including green roofing (the homeowner certainly insists on doing that), flooring and painting work
Preferred heating technology: heat pump + underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details/build-outs
- could you do without:
- could you not do without: two full bathrooms, hobby room, large utility room
Why did the design turn out the way it is now?
We actually liked the standard design from the builder very much. Initially, we mirrored the floor plan because I preferred the side living room window on the right side of the plan rather than the left (northeastern) side. But since we have no idea how the neighbors will build (where their garages will be, whether they will be on the boundary line and potentially “steal” light), this might still change, and we might mirror it back. In addition, the following changes were conceived by ourselves. None of these ideas have been commissioned or finalized yet.
I would like an assessment of whether our ideas might make things worse or whether we might be opening new “issues” we haven’t seen yet.
[ATTACH type="full" width="500px" alt="Obergeschoss Grundriss mit Schlafzimmer, Kind 1, Kind 2, Bad und Treppenhaus">
Standard floor plans (unfortunately I don’t have better views, especially of the ground floor; the Town & Country website shows the floor plans also in a “prettier” way but without dimensions)
Site plan oriented north (red line: property boundary; black line: building envelope)
Phew. I think that’s everything. If you have questions—I did not intend to leave anything unclear and will do my best to answer.
Regards, NiWi_NRW
A brief introduction about me/us: My husband, 36, a landscaping gardener—hereafter referred to as the homeowner—and I, 33, an administrative specialist (city planning and building regulations office *oops* but my area is administrative law, and I disclaim all-knowing expertise upfront) want to replace our 90sqm (970 sq ft) miner’s cottage built in 1918 with a Flair 152 RE model, hopefully built in 2026. Financing is already secured, so there is no separate thread about that; we will own the plot soon (notary appointment 01/2026). We received several strong recommendations for the local Town & Country franchisee from multiple parties and have therefore decided to go with them. We have allowed generous buffers for upgrades, and I now know the construction specifications and contract draft by heart—we know what to expect.
Our current living situation is characterized by “where should I put this” and “Honey, bring all your shoes upstairs”—in short: no storage space, no entrance area, a quirky floor plan with walk-through rooms, and three very small floors on a typical narrow miner’s lot.
The townhouse design itself is, to be honest, not our personal favorite architectural style purely from an aesthetic perspective. Even though we are financially comfortable, the bank was a bit nervous about “architect and separate contracts,” and honestly, so were we. Therefore, we are opting for a catalog house and have come to terms with the fact that we are riding the current “everyone has one” wave—we are taking it with a sense of humor, and with a fixed price guarantee in mind, it works pretty well. Our house won’t be a stunning example of Bauhaus style nor will it become famous for groundbreaking design. It isn’t that, nor do we want it to be. At least we have committed to avoiding “white facade with gray windows”—that will have to suffice here 😀
Enough rambling, now on to the important part.
Zoning Plan/Restrictions
The zoning plan including textual specifications can be found under City of Marl – ZP 175e South – Living at Freer Bruch. The plan for our new development area includes quite a few restrictions, which we are aware of, but we like it very much since it leads to a neighborhood where we can well imagine living. The area is not yet developed, and currently, we are basically buying 420sqm (5,070 sq ft) of dirt—there’s nothing else there yet. Building approval will be granted no earlier than the end of July!
Site plan oriented north
Plot size: 420sqm (5,070 sq ft) – No. 14 on preliminary subdivision plan
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Floor space index: -
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan; building envelope 16 x 17.5m (52.5 x 57.5 ft)
Adjacent development: garage
Number of parking spaces: Zoning plan minimum 1.5; planned garage + 2 parking spaces (garage for 2 vintage motorcycles, parking spaces for 2 private cars)
Number of floors: 2
Roof style: pitched roof
Architectural style: townhouse
Orientation: open living area facing southeast
Maximum height/limits: max. total height 10.5m (34.5 ft)
Other requirements: various green area regulations; green roofs on main and auxiliary buildings; on-site infiltration using soakaway.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 2, aged 33 and 36
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: open living area, utility room including storage, guest room, guest shower bathroom
Upper floor: bedroom and walk-in closet, main bathroom, office, “hobby room” (details below), storage room
Office use: family use and home office
Guest stays per year: homeowner’s daughter (12 years old) stays every 2 weeks, half of school vacations, plus “whenever she wants,” so regularly, though currently tending to decrease with age; otherwise occasional friend visits, about 10 nights per year
Open kitchen, cooking island: both. The kitchen shown (and the other furniture) corresponds to the current planned furnishing
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: planned for the future, but provisionally marked next to the TV in the living area on the floor plan
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routines, with explanations for why certain choices were made or omitted:
Guest room: “The kid” ;-) had a choice between a large room upstairs and a small room downstairs. She chose the smaller room on the ground floor, so that will be the guest room—we have factored in that she might eventually not like the location on the ground floor, and we could simply swap it with the office upstairs.
Hobby room: The homeowner’s room. I am blessed with a jack-of-all-trades man with many hobbies: hunter, angler, beekeeper. Originally, the guest room on the ground floor was intended as “his room.” After planning storage, we quickly realized the room is too small and badly shaped to accommodate everything. He is aware that he has the privilege :p of a very large room upstairs—and I am fine with that as I have been promised that all that stuff, which should not be stored in the garage due to temperature sensitivity, won’t be spread around the rest of the house (this might be the current situation in our current home …). The gun safes must be inside the house anyway (and ideally against an exterior wall), and we prefer them upstairs and thus “under surveillance,” especially at night. The idea of a “typical basement room upstairs” initially felt unusual, and surely it will be for others, too, but it suits our needs well and will probably be the second most frequently used room after the kitchen. The storage room adjacent to this room is intended for Christmas decorations, and is used irregularly enough that it does not need to be directly accessible from the hallway.
House Design
Who designed it:
- Planner from a construction company
- Do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why?
The large open living area and the layout where only private rooms are upstairs. With the large utility room and the separate storage room upstairs, I feel like we have enough space to store “stuff” on both floors even without a basement or attic.
What do you dislike? Why?
The layout of the bathroom upstairs—neither in the standard plan nor in our own design. The standard plan is rather unimaginative, and I feel it will look dated afterward. In our floor plan, I feel the room tries to be more than it is—a forced T-shaped solution.
I would appreciate your input here! Whether other ideas or arguments for or against the standard or our own design—everything is welcome.
Estimated price according to architect/planner: 460,000
DIY work: bathrooms (sanitary work within close family), exterior landscaping including green roofing (the homeowner certainly insists on doing that), flooring and painting work
Preferred heating technology: heat pump + underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details/build-outs
- could you do without:
- could you not do without: two full bathrooms, hobby room, large utility room
Why did the design turn out the way it is now?
We actually liked the standard design from the builder very much. Initially, we mirrored the floor plan because I preferred the side living room window on the right side of the plan rather than the left (northeastern) side. But since we have no idea how the neighbors will build (where their garages will be, whether they will be on the boundary line and potentially “steal” light), this might still change, and we might mirror it back. In addition, the following changes were conceived by ourselves. None of these ideas have been commissioned or finalized yet.
I would like an assessment of whether our ideas might make things worse or whether we might be opening new “issues” we haven’t seen yet.
[ATTACH type="full" width="500px" alt="Obergeschoss Grundriss mit Schlafzimmer, Kind 1, Kind 2, Bad und Treppenhaus">
Standard floor plans (unfortunately I don’t have better views, especially of the ground floor; the Town & Country website shows the floor plans also in a “prettier” way but without dimensions)
- Relocate entry door for the utility room from the hallway to the kitchen The idea was to gain space in the hallway for a larger cabinet under the stairs, which I would like to extend along the entire wall. Since the utility room will also serve as a pantry, I found the shorter route from the kitchen an additional advantage. The downside is that carrying laundry will be a longer route. Cooking to washing (for two people) seems okay to me. To avoid carrying groceries through the entire house, we opted for an additional exterior door in the utility room that connects the parking space in front of the garage to the utility room.
- Shift double window in the living room to the side of the house We have a fairly large TV, and I don’t like sofas facing away from the room. In the standard plan’s “window front” there was no glare-free wall where we liked the TV position or the sofa placement. Therefore, we gave up the small fixed glass element on the house side, “moved” the large window element over, and now have enough space to fit a large sideboard and the TV. In general, we shifted window positions in the standard plan at several places to adapt them to our layout (e.g., bathroom upstairs).
- Change from “entry through bedroom” to “entry through walk-in closet” I think this is self-explanatory—I wanted to have the bedroom at the end of the corridor-walk-in bed chain so that whoever *cough* sleeps longer has peace and quiet. This created a relatively large empty corner inside the bedroom. Since we don’t want to place wardrobes or other furniture like armchairs or sideboards there, the corner felt useless. We trimmed it off and converted it into a storage room. It is accessible through the hobby room since I want to keep the hall free for a console table or a picture on the wall (so no third door).
Site plan oriented north (red line: property boundary; black line: building envelope)
Phew. I think that’s everything. If you have questions—I did not intend to leave anything unclear and will do my best to answer.
Regards, NiWi_NRW
If you’re really that upset about your hip roof, it makes it a bit easier for me to accept my flat roof—I at least know right from the start that I won’t have any issues there. I originally never wanted a flat roof, but now we’re actually looking forward to the green roof and not having to argue about the tile color. Overall, I have to say that my grumbling about the exterior appearance should be seen as humorously exaggerated. We’re quite relaxed about it now and honestly spend more time looking out from inside than looking at it from outside, so… it’s all fine!
Yes, with FD you can also mount photovoltaic panels on both sides, so basically create several small flat roofs with photovoltaic modules. You won’t gain storage space, but another advantage is that it can be easily integrated into the energy performance calculation (EPC).
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
We want and will replace our 90sqm (970 sq ft) miners’ cottage from 1918 with a Flair 152 RE, hopefully built in 2026. [...] Our current living situation is characterized by "where should I put this" and "Honey, please carry all your shoes upstairs" – in short: no storage space, no entrance area, a confusing floor plan with walk-through rooms, and three very small floors on a typical narrow miners’ parcel. But that is just the background – we are talking about the untouched plot shown in the site plan; the currently occupied plot has nothing to do with the planned future (?)
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
The bank was a bit nervous about "architect and direct contracting," and honestly, we were too, so we are opting for a catalog home. What does the bank do professionally, and where does your nervousness about this come from?
I am a big fan of the well-established catalog design, but only secondly not for silly reasons, and firstly the proven catalog design is really only advantageous if the builder has already constructed it several times themselves (experiences of some franchise colleague unfortunately don’t transfer).
I will happily consider your thoughts over the next few days.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
How wide is the plot? You mentioned a double garage, but I only see a single-width one.
If the local builder has good references, then fine—why not build with that company? You just need to keep in mind that it’s a franchise. Or, thinking about it the other way around, it makes sense—you’re basically building with the builder without checking Town & Country’s references.
There are several custom floor plans on the website. For just two people (+ one guest child), I probably would have chosen a different design. I didn’t realize until now that Town & Country is so flexible.
Well, you’re planning 152 sqm (1635 sq ft) for two people... there’s more closet space than you can count 😉 Besides the utility room and storage room, you have the “storage hobby room,” the large office upstairs, and the very spacious walk-in closet. On top of that, you’ve extended the external dimensions of the house on both sides. That makes a big difference for the house and its inhabitants.
As long as you don’t get in your own way with that: after all, all those things have to be carried up to the upper floor. It’s not something you just do with a snap of your fingers. Safes come in various weights, plus all the hobby stuff constantly going up and down…
And then you have to go through the kitchen and dining area to get to your cloakroom. From here, I’d start thinking about the location of the main entrance and other floor plans.
Smart move! The west side is important for sunlight and therefore natural light inside the house. Even though in winter the sun no longer reaches the west, some light always comes through there. On the other hand, I would move the garage further back to get a kitchen window on the east side as well.
Yeah... personally, I think a T-layout is the most awkward solution. Lots of corners make a bathroom look cluttered. The width really needs to be right if you want to separate about a meter (roughly 3 feet) there.
The bottleneck is still there, though.
I think the simpler a bathroom is, the more timeless it looks. Then nice tiles and furniture really stand out.
From there I wonder why you’d want to screen off the toilet with a privacy wall if you’re probably getting ready separately anyway.
Haha, you made the bedroom narrow yourself.
I sketched the house because I didn’t quite believe some of the dimensions. You drew the walls relatively thin and the builder’s furniture a bit small, etc.
Regarding the kids’ room with the bathroom, I’d pay attention to what suits you better.
Also, for the door to the dining area, make sure there’s enough space under the stairs on the left side of the plan, so move the door towards the right side opposite the main entrance.
Here’s the hobby room, where I’d probably create a safe niche.
And here’s the difference between a spacious bedroom and the smaller one as you want it. I’d put the bedroom door to the side to make it calmer next to the wall.
Oh, and I usually use 90 cm (36 inches) doors upstairs. I gave the hobby room a 100 cm (39 inches) door.
And here’s the bathroom, how I wouldn’t do it.
Otherwise, you get a lot of usable space with this house—as a couple, no less.
Nevertheless, there are always sensible alternatives, e.g., reducing the size of the technical room to accommodate the hobby room (basement alternative) with garden access on the ground floor and create a utility room upstairs. There’s plenty of space to play around with daily life and functions.
And fitting for the new year: cheers and good luck that the plot will actually be usable by mid-year.
If the local builder has good references, then fine—why not build with that company? You just need to keep in mind that it’s a franchise. Or, thinking about it the other way around, it makes sense—you’re basically building with the builder without checking Town & Country’s references.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
We already liked the standard design from the solid construction builder.
There are several custom floor plans on the website. For just two people (+ one guest child), I probably would have chosen a different design. I didn’t realize until now that Town & Country is so flexible.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
With the large utility room and the separate storage room upstairs, I feel like there’s enough space on both floors for “stuff,” even without a basement or attic.
Well, you’re planning 152 sqm (1635 sq ft) for two people... there’s more closet space than you can count 😉 Besides the utility room and storage room, you have the “storage hobby room,” the large office upstairs, and the very spacious walk-in closet. On top of that, you’ve extended the external dimensions of the house on both sides. That makes a big difference for the house and its inhabitants.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
The idea of a “typical basement room upstairs” seemed unusual at first,
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
and I’m fine with it since I was assured that all the stuff that shouldn’t be stored in the garage due to temperature sensitivity won’t be lying around in the rest of the house (which might actually be the current state in the house we live in now...).
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
The gun safes have to be inside the house anyway (and preferably on an exterior wall).
As long as you don’t get in your own way with that: after all, all those things have to be carried up to the upper floor. It’s not something you just do with a snap of your fingers. Safes come in various weights, plus all the hobby stuff constantly going up and down…
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
Also, to avoid carrying the groceries through the whole house, we opted for an extra exterior door in the utility room, connecting the parking space in front of the garage with the utility room.
And then you have to go through the kitchen and dining area to get to your cloakroom. From here, I’d start thinking about the location of the main entrance and other floor plans.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
2. A double window in the living room moved to the side of the building.
Smart move! The west side is important for sunlight and therefore natural light inside the house. Even though in winter the sun no longer reaches the west, some light always comes through there. On the other hand, I would move the garage further back to get a kitchen window on the east side as well.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
In our floor plan, I get the feeling the room tries to be bigger than it actually is. Forced T-layout. I’d appreciate some input here!
Yeah... personally, I think a T-layout is the most awkward solution. Lots of corners make a bathroom look cluttered. The width really needs to be right if you want to separate about a meter (roughly 3 feet) there.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
This removes the “bottleneck” between the washbasin and bathtub,
The bottleneck is still there, though.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
The standard floor plan is very uninspired, and I feel it ends up looking outdated quickly.
I think the simpler a bathroom is, the more timeless it looks. Then nice tiles and furniture really stand out.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
so that the one who sleeps in *ahem* a little longer,
From there I wonder why you’d want to screen off the toilet with a privacy wall if you’re probably getting ready separately anyway.
NiWi_NRW schrieb:
the little toe is already happy...
Haha, you made the bedroom narrow yourself.
I sketched the house because I didn’t quite believe some of the dimensions. You drew the walls relatively thin and the builder’s furniture a bit small, etc.
Regarding the kids’ room with the bathroom, I’d pay attention to what suits you better.
Also, for the door to the dining area, make sure there’s enough space under the stairs on the left side of the plan, so move the door towards the right side opposite the main entrance.
Here’s the hobby room, where I’d probably create a safe niche.
And here’s the difference between a spacious bedroom and the smaller one as you want it. I’d put the bedroom door to the side to make it calmer next to the wall.
Oh, and I usually use 90 cm (36 inches) doors upstairs. I gave the hobby room a 100 cm (39 inches) door.
And here’s the bathroom, how I wouldn’t do it.
Otherwise, you get a lot of usable space with this house—as a couple, no less.
Nevertheless, there are always sensible alternatives, e.g., reducing the size of the technical room to accommodate the hobby room (basement alternative) with garden access on the ground floor and create a utility room upstairs. There’s plenty of space to play around with daily life and functions.
And fitting for the new year: cheers and good luck that the plot will actually be usable by mid-year.
First of all, Happy New Year to everyone 🙂
I'll go through it step by step:
@11ant The preliminaries are just that, and I don't think they are so extensive that you can't skip them. For individual contracting, the bank—which, by the way, runs an illegal laundromat as a main business and only operates banking for money laundering purposes ;-)—would only participate if refinancing of an additional 30 or 40 percent beyond the required amount (I don't remember exactly) could be made possible without problems, or if there was enough extra equity set aside to cover that amount. Surprise: both were tight. My own caution, on the other hand, is work-related; I have seen too many failed and endlessly delayed construction projects, with most affected homeowners reporting hefty additional costs and problems with refinancing. So, you could say the bank and I actually have the same reason. That may seem stupid to you, but since I can still sleep peacefully at night with our approach, I accept it!
@ypg A double garage is not planned—it really wouldn’t fit with 17.5 meters (57 feet 5 inches). A single garage is sufficient for the two motorcycles; they have been stored in such a garage until now and there is enough space. Our cars are surprisingly water-resistant and will continue to be parked alone, exposed to the elements on the parking spaces 😀 Joking aside, I don’t want to completely rule out the possibility of a carport sometime in the future, but it is not planned so far.
Regarding the floor plan: I understand your points, especially about the entrance and the “dragging-through” issue on the upper floor. May I ask which floor plan from Town & Country personally appealed to you more? You mentioned you would have spontaneously chosen a different one. Honestly, we haven’t considered a side entrance yet, without being able to give a specific reason for that.
If we reduce the size of the utility room in favor of the hobby room, I’m afraid I’ll run into storage problems again on the ground floor (here it is again, the storage trauma…). We basically only have closet space on the upper floor, and I wouldn’t want to store cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaner, and provisions up there.
As for the bathroom: Why exactly we want a wall around the toilet... probably just because it’s currently trendy. It feels like I see hardly any bathrooms without one anymore. But after critically reviewing our weekly routine myself, I realized we don’t really *need* it and we are more flexible without it. So we will take another look at this.
I like your side passage from the dressing room to the bedroom much better and will therefore copy it one-to-one.
I'll go through it step by step:
@11ant The preliminaries are just that, and I don't think they are so extensive that you can't skip them. For individual contracting, the bank—which, by the way, runs an illegal laundromat as a main business and only operates banking for money laundering purposes ;-)—would only participate if refinancing of an additional 30 or 40 percent beyond the required amount (I don't remember exactly) could be made possible without problems, or if there was enough extra equity set aside to cover that amount. Surprise: both were tight. My own caution, on the other hand, is work-related; I have seen too many failed and endlessly delayed construction projects, with most affected homeowners reporting hefty additional costs and problems with refinancing. So, you could say the bank and I actually have the same reason. That may seem stupid to you, but since I can still sleep peacefully at night with our approach, I accept it!
@ypg A double garage is not planned—it really wouldn’t fit with 17.5 meters (57 feet 5 inches). A single garage is sufficient for the two motorcycles; they have been stored in such a garage until now and there is enough space. Our cars are surprisingly water-resistant and will continue to be parked alone, exposed to the elements on the parking spaces 😀 Joking aside, I don’t want to completely rule out the possibility of a carport sometime in the future, but it is not planned so far.
Regarding the floor plan: I understand your points, especially about the entrance and the “dragging-through” issue on the upper floor. May I ask which floor plan from Town & Country personally appealed to you more? You mentioned you would have spontaneously chosen a different one. Honestly, we haven’t considered a side entrance yet, without being able to give a specific reason for that.
If we reduce the size of the utility room in favor of the hobby room, I’m afraid I’ll run into storage problems again on the ground floor (here it is again, the storage trauma…). We basically only have closet space on the upper floor, and I wouldn’t want to store cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaner, and provisions up there.
As for the bathroom: Why exactly we want a wall around the toilet... probably just because it’s currently trendy. It feels like I see hardly any bathrooms without one anymore. But after critically reviewing our weekly routine myself, I realized we don’t really *need* it and we are more flexible without it. So we will take another look at this.
I like your side passage from the dressing room to the bedroom much better and will therefore copy it one-to-one.