ᐅ Feedback on Floor Plan Design – House on a North-Facing Slope
Created on: 9 Dec 2024 20:21
A
ali1234Hello everyone,
I would like to hear your opinion on our house design. It’s a north-facing slope with access from the south, but with a wonderful view of the vineyards to the north. We have really fallen in love with the view.
We designed it together with an architect so that we can still live in it comfortably when we are older. I’m not completely satisfied with the entrance area and the upstairs hallway, but my husband likes that the children’s rooms are not directly next to the bedroom. Currently, an indoor heat pump is planned, but I’m not sure yet whether that’s a good choice or not.
Plot size: 440 sqm (4,735 sq ft)
Slope: approx. 4 m (13 ft) – facing north, south side faces the street
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 2
Number of parking spaces: 2
Roof type: flat roof
Style: modern, Bauhaus
Homeowners’ requirements
Style: Bauhaus, flat roof
With a finished basement (home gym)
Number of occupants, age: planned for 4 people
Space requirements on the ground floor: home office/guest room, WC, dining, kitchen, living room, pantry
Open floor plan, modern construction, open kitchen, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: yes
Garage, carport: yes
Other: laundry chute, covered balcony, utility room with garden access
House design
Architect
What do you particularly like? Why? All requirements have been met, but I wonder if it could be arranged more cleverly and better.
What do you not like? Why? Entrance area, hallway upstairs, size of the technical room
Preferred heating system: heat pump
I would like to hear your opinion on our house design. It’s a north-facing slope with access from the south, but with a wonderful view of the vineyards to the north. We have really fallen in love with the view.
We designed it together with an architect so that we can still live in it comfortably when we are older. I’m not completely satisfied with the entrance area and the upstairs hallway, but my husband likes that the children’s rooms are not directly next to the bedroom. Currently, an indoor heat pump is planned, but I’m not sure yet whether that’s a good choice or not.
Plot size: 440 sqm (4,735 sq ft)
Slope: approx. 4 m (13 ft) – facing north, south side faces the street
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 2
Number of parking spaces: 2
Roof type: flat roof
Style: modern, Bauhaus
Homeowners’ requirements
Style: Bauhaus, flat roof
With a finished basement (home gym)
Number of occupants, age: planned for 4 people
Space requirements on the ground floor: home office/guest room, WC, dining, kitchen, living room, pantry
Open floor plan, modern construction, open kitchen, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: yes
Garage, carport: yes
Other: laundry chute, covered balcony, utility room with garden access
House design
Architect
What do you particularly like? Why? All requirements have been met, but I wonder if it could be arranged more cleverly and better.
What do you not like? Why? Entrance area, hallway upstairs, size of the technical room
Preferred heating system: heat pump
The door conflict in the small entrance area cannot be the architect Ernst’s intention, just like the tight squeezing past the parked cars to get to the entrance. Apart from the fact that you might soon need one less children’s room or have to look for a new spouse, this is completely inappropriate; this is said with full understanding of the desired close proximity between the parking and the house entrance.
I also doubt the practical dimensions of the ground floor restroom; apparently, there is a preference here for inward-opening doors (office). Right after entering, you immediately get hit in the back by the next door, and which tiny tall cabinets are supposed to fit in the pantry compared to the shower? At most two 40–45cm (16–18 inches) wide ones; the door, as usual, also opens inward.
Bauhaus, from Walter Gropius, was especially distinguished by its functionality. At first glance, as a layperson, my verdict is: fail. An architect selling Bauhaus must not only know the term but above all its meaning. This construction would become very expensive but, in the end, would be more like a random arrangement of squares and rectangles and hardly the Bauhaus style that was intended.
“Stick to what you know,” as Roy Black said, or was it John Wayne?
What is the architect’s cost estimate? Some information from the questionnaire is still missing.
I know a plan looks great the first time, but it would be sent back immediately for these and further reasons:
The bathroom upstairs probably wants to showcase the bathtub as a showpiece, which is nice if the frequently used adjacent fixtures also work well. The toilet is in the farthest corner and without a window; in front of it is a shower size that might be more suitable for a two-room apartment. Because of the jumbo bathtub, space has probably run out here? I find a sliding door stylish here but impractical. Calling the planned huge hallway a play area is clever and can work well, but then the two children’s rooms are rather small in size.
In the basement, a direct view of the toilet is something you learn early to avoid.
Please don’t take this personally; it is a critique of the architect, not of you. To me, it looks like “wanted but not achieved,” and I would ask him to explain the consciously planned Bauhaus functionality.
What were your wishes that he was supposed to implement here?
Wanted but not achieved.
I also doubt the practical dimensions of the ground floor restroom; apparently, there is a preference here for inward-opening doors (office). Right after entering, you immediately get hit in the back by the next door, and which tiny tall cabinets are supposed to fit in the pantry compared to the shower? At most two 40–45cm (16–18 inches) wide ones; the door, as usual, also opens inward.
Bauhaus, from Walter Gropius, was especially distinguished by its functionality. At first glance, as a layperson, my verdict is: fail. An architect selling Bauhaus must not only know the term but above all its meaning. This construction would become very expensive but, in the end, would be more like a random arrangement of squares and rectangles and hardly the Bauhaus style that was intended.
“Stick to what you know,” as Roy Black said, or was it John Wayne?
What is the architect’s cost estimate? Some information from the questionnaire is still missing.
I know a plan looks great the first time, but it would be sent back immediately for these and further reasons:
The bathroom upstairs probably wants to showcase the bathtub as a showpiece, which is nice if the frequently used adjacent fixtures also work well. The toilet is in the farthest corner and without a window; in front of it is a shower size that might be more suitable for a two-room apartment. Because of the jumbo bathtub, space has probably run out here? I find a sliding door stylish here but impractical. Calling the planned huge hallway a play area is clever and can work well, but then the two children’s rooms are rather small in size.
In the basement, a direct view of the toilet is something you learn early to avoid.
Please don’t take this personally; it is a critique of the architect, not of you. To me, it looks like “wanted but not achieved,” and I would ask him to explain the consciously planned Bauhaus functionality.
What were your wishes that he was supposed to implement here?
Wanted but not achieved.
ali1234 schrieb:
All requirements have been met,Which ones exactly? It actually reads as if many things just happened by chance, like the distance to the children's rooms. View, living for old age, and Bauhaus style were the main points. Or is there anything else?ali1234 schrieb:
We designed it with an architect so that we can still live in it in old age.Am I correct to assume that you plan to close off the passage between the living room and the stairwell and then live in the open-plan area with the adjacent storage rooms? Replacing a bathroom of over 12 sqm (129 sq ft) with a toilet room that has no space to move around? What is the purpose of the shower on the ground floor? Where there is a shower, there should be at least 1 sqm (11 sq ft) of clear space so you can dry off and get dressed. Do you actually see yourselves living in an open-plan area in old age? I have to admit: the whole entrance situation under the carport is a no-go for me. Friends, delivery people, groups of children, but also strangers have to walk past the vehicle to find a door. I mean: whoever plans a house like this probably doesn’t drive a 10-year-old compact car that can take a scratch without worry.ali1234 schrieb:
Number of people, age: 4 (planned)Yes, you can tell that children are not a priority for you yet. That is understandable. A couple does not yet appreciate the needs of a family or children and initially focuses only on their own needs.Arauki11 schrieb:
Calling the oversized hallway a play area is clever and could work well, but the two children's rooms are rather small in terms of space.I agree completely. I also like to plan communal spaces if it works out and the proportions are right. If wanted, you could shorten the hallway and add that space to the children's rooms. As you can see quite clearly in the design, the children's rooms are small furnished cells. Twelve sqm (129 sq ft) is tight for personalized furnishing; it is disappointing to see that bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. get a lot of space even though you don’t spend much time there. For children, however, the room is a retreat. A hallway cannot replace that.The drawbacks I see:
I will leave aside the entrance and aging-in-place situation, because you plan for the next 15 years, not for what comes in 40 years.
Hallway area with very little storage space for coats and shoes. The separate stairwell divides the family. Entering the living room and the living room being a passage room is not practical because people want to relax in the living room, which doesn’t work as a through room. You also have to cross the living room to carry salad and barbecue supplies to the outdoor area.
This covered north-facing terrace will be damp because nothing will dry out the moist air and dew under a covered northern area. The balcony above makes the living room dark.
Disproportionate children’s rooms, bathtub not accessible for the kids, dressing room too small. The bed in the bedroom feels awkwardly placed.
Long walk from the groceries to the kitchen/pantry.
What is nice is the west side and that the children’s rooms face south.
I would probably swap the living room and kitchen, plan a larger guest bathroom to double as an office if guests need sleeping space, and ensure a healthy ratio of living to sleeping areas, also considering their functions.
(Here again, an annoying reference to an incomplete questionnaire, which makes it harder for me to offer tips.)
I cannot make much sense of the basement because the needs related to that space are unclear.
ali1234 schrieb:
We designed it with an architect to ensure we can still live in it comfortably in old age. Aside from the fact that this is nonsense, I also don’t see that fulfilled here (or I’m too stupid to get the point).
By the way, I pass on regards to the groundhog; this reminds me too much of the planning by @Hausprojekt35 / @Stein2023 in https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-einfamilienhaus-ca-190qm-mit-keller-auf-millimeterpapier.42097/ (continued in https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-einfamilienhaus-sattelhaus-mit-keller-ca-200-qm.44610/).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I agree with Ypg and Arauki11.
What is the purpose of the basement? Is the space needed or just added on without a specific use?
What is your budget? Does it remain in the six-figure range?
Regarding age, do you really want to replace your spacious bedroom with a bathroom with a small room and a wet room? If the staircase with two flights is no longer manageable, there will be increased space requirements. There are stairlifts that can be retrofitted.
What is the purpose of the basement? Is the space needed or just added on without a specific use?
What is your budget? Does it remain in the six-figure range?
Regarding age, do you really want to replace your spacious bedroom with a bathroom with a small room and a wet room? If the staircase with two flights is no longer manageable, there will be increased space requirements. There are stairlifts that can be retrofitted.
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