ᐅ Looking for opinions and advice on a 220 sqm single-family house.
Created on: 26 Mar 2014 12:28
T
tommo
Hello fellow homebuilding enthusiasts,
We are excited to make our dream of owning a house come true and have already done a lot of planning. We’ve also secured a plot of land, so we can get started soon.
The plan is for a detached single-family house with a timber frame construction (walls plastered), at least KFW70 standard, without a basement.
The land slopes slightly (from east to west), and according to the development plan, 2m (6.5 ft) can be cut and 1.5m (5 ft) built up. There is a building boundary line on the north side (north edge of the house), and I have approval for an exemption to exceed this boundary for the garage. We have two children, and I work from home.
The house will have a ground source heat pump and a central mechanical ventilation system (if the budget allows 😉).
There will be an extension on the west side (not insulated as part of the main building envelope) that will house the sauna. The roof of the extension will be used as a roof terrace.
Allowed knee wall height: 2.00m (6.6 ft) with a roof pitch of 25°.
Hmm, what else might be important...??
Attached are images of the floor plan, 3D views of the house, and the site layout showing the house’s orientation on the plot.
Thank you very much, and I’m really looking forward to your feedback.
Best regards,
Thomas
We are excited to make our dream of owning a house come true and have already done a lot of planning. We’ve also secured a plot of land, so we can get started soon.
The plan is for a detached single-family house with a timber frame construction (walls plastered), at least KFW70 standard, without a basement.
The land slopes slightly (from east to west), and according to the development plan, 2m (6.5 ft) can be cut and 1.5m (5 ft) built up. There is a building boundary line on the north side (north edge of the house), and I have approval for an exemption to exceed this boundary for the garage. We have two children, and I work from home.
The house will have a ground source heat pump and a central mechanical ventilation system (if the budget allows 😉).
There will be an extension on the west side (not insulated as part of the main building envelope) that will house the sauna. The roof of the extension will be used as a roof terrace.
Allowed knee wall height: 2.00m (6.6 ft) with a roof pitch of 25°.
Hmm, what else might be important...??
Attached are images of the floor plan, 3D views of the house, and the site layout showing the house’s orientation on the plot.
Thank you very much, and I’m really looking forward to your feedback.
Best regards,
Thomas
W
Wanderdüne27 Mar 2014 14:39tommo schrieb:
Please don’t misunderstand me—I’m not trying to “defend” anything here, just explain what I was thinking during the planning process.I’m also fine with people being involved in designing their own home to figure out what is important to them.
However, you need to approach it with a lot of self-criticism. The final result will look different, and that’s a good thing.
To stay on the topic of dirt on the ground floor: it’s understandable not to want to carry dirt from shoes and possibly clothing throughout the entire house. But why shouldn’t this apply to all residents? And why should you have to walk through the dirt brought in by users of the main entrance in order to get to the upper floor? If you really think about it freely, would you actually want a quarter-turn staircase? Following that, the question arises as to why the pantry (if you want one) in your own design has no direct access from the entrance area, or at least a closet accessible from two sides (for example, for beverage crates). And why, if the pantry is so important to you, can you not move comfortably inside it in such a large house? Oh, and a proper cloakroom is a must.
Therefore, the list for your self-hired architect should include an entrance area that meets the above requirements regarding dirt management, staircase, and cloakroom, as well as connections to the garage and pantry.
Best regards
WD
R
rimaluben29 Mar 2014 12:24Hello Thomas,
I really like your ideas.
We are also in the planning stage, and I can relate to some of your points.
What I personally like:
What I would watch out for:
A few ideas:
Have fun planning!
Richard.
I really like your ideas.
We are also in the planning stage, and I can relate to some of your points.
What I personally like:
- Spacious garage – enough room for 2 cars, garden tools, bicycles, workbench, etc.
- Direct access from the garage into the house
- Generous entrance area
- Pantry next to the kitchen (as a concept) – where else would you store groceries and drink crates?
- Living/entertainment room around the corner but still open-plan
- Large and equally sized children’s bedrooms – why does "Child 1" always have to be bigger than "Child 2"?
- Storage room upstairs – so I don’t have to carry the vacuum cleaner, cleaning supplies, and other things back and forth all the time
What I would watch out for:
- Wall thickness for both exterior and interior walls – even in prefab homes, exterior walls are at least 30cm (12 inches), and with additional insulation, up to 40cm (16 inches)
- The living/entertainment room will actually be too tight at about 350cm (140 inches) width – it should be at least 420cm (165 inches), ideally 450 to 470cm (177 to 185 inches), to avoid feeling cramped
- Make the closet more open so the master bedroom feels spacious even if it’s of modest size
A few ideas:
- Kitchen on the north or east side, next to the utility room with direct access to the kitchen
- Use the utility room also as a pantry – that way, you can do without a separate pantry, still have direct access from the kitchen to the supplies, and gain more usable square meters on the ground floor for other purposes
- Create space upstairs (wet room) for a washing machine, dryer, and ironing – the utility room on the ground floor can be downsized, and the laundry can be handled without carrying it up and down for washing, drying, ironing, and storing, right where the family needs it for dressing and undressing
Have fun planning!
Richard.
In addition to what has already been mentioned, I observe that in a fairly large new build, features typical of a small townhouse are still being included. The staircase is built in as if there were a lack of space. Wanderdüne has already commented on the entrance approach. A cloakroom is also missing. The kitchen layout with this walking back and forth to a distant cabinet will not work because the kitchen workflows are not being considered (dishwasher, necessity of having dishes within the kitchen itself). Where did I read about “good dishes”? I didn’t know those still existed 😉 It would be better to focus on designing a good kitchen.
To get to the sauna, you have to go through a hobby room... I can already imagine that it will eventually become storage for a home trainer and a Bobby car. Saunas are for relaxation, for recuperation, and should be planned accordingly.
If I, as a draftsman, find myself needing to say “there was no other way,” then I should start over again. (Regarding the walk-in closet)
To get to the sauna, you have to go through a hobby room... I can already imagine that it will eventually become storage for a home trainer and a Bobby car. Saunas are for relaxation, for recuperation, and should be planned accordingly.
If I, as a draftsman, find myself needing to say “there was no other way,” then I should start over again. (Regarding the walk-in closet)
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