ᐅ Opinion on the floor plan of a single-family house with a staggered shed roof – Attempt 2

Where does the wastewater from the bathroom on the upper floor drain?

And why is there this "extra" hallway to the bedroom and bathroom?

backbone23 schrieb:
Where does the wastewater from the bathroom on the upper floor drain?

And why this "extra" hallway to the bedroom and bathroom?

1. Most likely towards the kitchen drain?!
2. Privacy: without a hallway, you could be standing naked in front of the mail carrier

ypg schrieb:
I think the two halves of the house show too big a difference. They don’t seem to fit together. This could be changed by having a lower knee wall in the two-story part or a higher one in the single-story section.

I agree with you, but unfortunately, there are strict limits set by the zoning plan here. There must be at least 3 meters (10 feet) distance between the north and south roofs.

ypg schrieb:
Kitchen: plan for a patio door (where the stove is now) for a short route to the terrace. … Behind the kitchen door, I would plan kitchen cabinets. That would require moving the kitchen entrance.

Very good idea, it also makes the kitchen feel much bigger (already implemented in the attached plan).

ypg schrieb:
You could also improve the windows to add some dynamic to the facade. I don’t like the corner arrangement. From the living room window, you’ll only see the neighboring building, but probably there will still be light in the evening. Therefore, I would equip this and also the office and other rooms with ribbon windows (if you like them). Advantages: light, yet no direct views inside or unsightly outside views (e.g., also north and east).

The living room window certainly won’t offer a great view; it is really just for daylight. How exactly would ribbon windows be better here? How would you design them? I can’t quite imagine it (I actually had to look up what ribbon windows are). Why would ribbon windows prevent views inside or avoid unsightly outside views? And where would the light come from if the double window was removed? I don’t understand that.

ypg schrieb:
Especially with the sloped roof, you can create interest without symmetry using windows.

If you have specific ideas, I would appreciate sketches (maybe even just drawn with Paint on my plan).

ypg schrieb:
Also in the cloakroom, if the closet is to stay there, I would like a fixed floor-to-ceiling window. However, I would place the closet on the south wall and swap the window next to the door, so it ends up in the cloakroom.

I forgot to mention: The cloakroom is hidden behind a mirrored sliding door (the thick black line on the plan in my first post). We deliberately placed the window above the front door, so that the hallway next to the stairs also gets natural light.

ypg schrieb:
Interior doors: leave 65 cm (26 inches) space to the right of the office door to have a good spot for the TV. I like the seating corner (as said before, without the double window).

I’ve changed that.

ypg schrieb:
Position the bathroom door and shower so that there is still enough space in the small hallway for a cabinet or chest of drawers.

Unfortunately, the hallway had to be made smaller because the bedroom grew by 2 m² (22 sq ft) (the bathtub also had to be moved upstairs).

ypg schrieb:
Where will your outdoor trash area be? The covered corner of the house would be an option but I would avoid it because the entrance should be welcoming. Will there be a car under the covered area? I hope not, because you could create a really nice courtyard at the entrance.

The trash area is possibly planned behind the garage. The carport is planned as a parking space.

ypg schrieb:
I would leave the roof of the single-story section open, so the living area has a small stylish open space. The other rooms would also benefit from the openness. You could maybe add a skylight in the bathroom, so no one can look in and you have more options for fixtures. Your bathroom will also be used by guests, so I would place the toilet and sink near the front to avoid guests walking through the whole bathroom.

We also want the roof open where it makes sense. Unfortunately, according to the zoning plan, skylights are not allowed. As mentioned, the bathroom has been made smaller, so fewer design options remain.

ypg schrieb:
Edit says: corner window variations don’t provide as much light in the room as when windows are placed parallel or further from the corner. They only give the width of the diagonal light amount that results from the isosceles triangle formed by the two windows.

I don’t follow that at all.

Wanderdüne schrieb:
Sightlines: cardinal directions, sun path, zoning plan, etc. are known. The desk must be there, so arrange desk and window so that no shading is needed during main use times, the desired view is achieved, but the room is not easily visible from outside. This applies to every room.

That’s a lot to consider, but you are absolutely right—that’s what matters in the design. Do you have any concrete ideas on how that could look in the children’s rooms?

Wanderdüne schrieb:
What stands out as awkward is the kitchen counter. Whoever sits there looks inward; the patio door is placed so that you can hardly look outside, and the kitchen window only offers a narrow visible outside view. It is only okay for interacting with someone working in the kitchen but could be much better.

The counter was deliberately placed this way so conversations with the cook are easy. The new plan includes a patio door, and if we manage to remove the upper cabinet on the south wall, an additional window might also be possible here.

Wanderdüne schrieb:
I mean everyone involved. Your city survived World War II well and therefore has many intact older houses. However, like elsewhere, post-war urban and architectural planning was often really poor, and it is still ongoing. So the planner has a challenging and potentially (but not necessarily) costly responsibility to deliver a coherent, fitting, and dignified design that compensates for the zoning plan’s weaknesses. Unfortunately, I don’t see that here.

As mentioned, we’re not really happy with the restrictions either, but we have to make the best of it. Under these strict conditions, it’s even harder to create a reasonable plan. Since the stairs MUST be in the south half, there are not many options. If you have a clear idea how it could look here, I would also appreciate a hand sketch.

Attached is the new floor plan:
Ground Floor

Upper Floor

I’ve really appreciated all the suggestions posted so far and look forward to more!

zovima15 schrieb:
I agree with you, but unfortunately the development plan imposes strict limits here. There must be at least 3 meters (10 feet) of distance between the north and south roofs.

That is of course unfortunate. Also that roof windows are not allowed. But if that’s the case, you can probably get used to it over time. Ultimately, the whole area will have to live with it. And it’s true: what you see every day no longer seems strange but rather familiar and pleasant.

zovima15 schrieb:
The living room window certainly won’t offer a great view; it’s really just for letting in light. To what extent would horizontal strip windows be better? How would you design these strip windows? I can’t quite imagine it (I even had to Google what strip windows are). Why don’t strip windows allow views inside or show unappealing sights? And where would the light come in if the double window is removed? I don’t understand that.

I would place a light band about 2 meters (6.5 feet, or it could be 3 meters (10 feet)) wide where the sofa will be. The sill height about 140 cm (55 inches) or even higher.
The advantage of these light bands with a high sill height is that you don’t have to see anything unattractive outside, and from the outside there is hardly any view inside. Yet you still get daylight. Also, you gain more options for furniture placement. On the ground floor it can even be a fixed window.
Since windows nowadays are custom-made anyway, this shouldn’t be more expensive than a standard size window. Possibly a slightly more costly lintel will be needed, depending on the width of the window.
Such a light band can be used well in the bedroom, bathroom, and also in the children’s rooms.
Or again vertically oriented (fixed) for a wardrobe corner to bring in light there.

zovima15 schrieb:
The hallway had to become even smaller because the bedroom gained 2 square meters (22 square feet) (which also meant moving the bathtub upstairs).

That’s a pity.

zovima15 schrieb:
We also want to leave the roof open where it makes sense. Unfortunately, roof windows are not permitted according to the development plan. As mentioned, the bathroom got smaller, so there are fewer design options.

Leaving openings in all living and sleeping areas would be a good design approach.

Regarding the corner windows in the children’s rooms: the 4 square meters (43 square feet) of corner windows actually let in less light than if you planned 4 square meters (or 2 times 2 square meters) as normal windows in the exterior walls. Personally, to visually connect one or more strip windows from the ground floor on the exterior, I would plan for one strip window combined with a floor-to-ceiling window in each children’s room, perhaps facing east and west.
I would also consider omitting the railing bars and instead use two-part floor-to-ceiling windows where the lower part is fixed. (You can see this in the picture as well.)

zovima15 schrieb:
The countertop was intentionally placed that way so you can talk to the cook. The new plan includes a window door, and if we can remove the wall cabinet on the south wall, maybe an additional window will fit there.

I would position the patio door depending on the kitchen layout. The kitchen workflow will need to function smoothly later on.
I see a few weaknesses in the current arrangement...

These are just suggestions on how I would approach it… unfortunately, the weather is too nice right now for me to sit down with my software and design the facade with windows.

Hello Yvonne, thanks again for the explanations.

Yes, you’re right about the weather. If you still have some time in the next few days, I would be interested in your design. Do you have Sweet Home 3D? Then I could send you my file, and you could simply move the windows around.

No, I work with Arcon... and I use my husband’s PC since I have a Mac. But I see that I can also use SD3D online on a Mac, so send me your file and your email in one message... I might be able to look at it in the evening while watching TV.