ᐅ Opinions on Floor Plan for Single-Family Home, Approx. 160 sqm, Frisian-Style House

Steffi210484 schrieb:
It would be great if you could be more precise with your statements. What exactly don’t you like about the window layout? On the kitchen side, the windows are symmetrical at the top and bottom, just like on the front and back sides. Only on the right side did it not fit, but I still liked it in the 3D view.

Steffi210484 schrieb:
The knee wall is 85cm (33.5 inches). There are no other building restrictions except that it must be single-story. The roof pitch is 45º. I cannot accurately draw the 2-meter (6.6 feet) line, I really lack the knowledge for that.

Since there is no 2-meter (6.6 feet) line drawn, it looks more like a two-story townhouse.
That’s why I missed the windows on the south side of the upper floor. But now it makes sense with the knee wall specification.
Still, in my opinion, a Cape Cod-style house should have some symmetry. If you don’t value that, you might consider building a more modern house with a dormer where you can play with asymmetry. The window in the front gable is not centered. The window in the room plan at the top left doesn’t work because of the sloped ceiling!
Well, whether you like it on the west side or not: you asked here for opinions, "comments / suggestions on what could be improved or what we should pay attention to" after all.

Steffi210484 schrieb:
The floor plan is based on designs from two different architects and therefore can’t be completely wrong. We also had the kitchen designed in a studio and made some adjustments for us. I have already read a lot on the internet and looked at floor plans and developed ours from that, so I find your comment insulting and not very helpful.

What exactly do you mean by "based on designs from two different architects"?
An architect’s floor plan can be ruined by a wall or a major mistake. Take the staircase, for example: if it’s placed incorrectly and you make some adjustments around it, it can destroy the entire floor plan. The same goes for "adjusting the kitchen": please draw again, so we can see what the gray areas represent. If the part right of the dining table is the sand-lime brick wall, it is incorrectly placed. The passage is too narrow anyway. That’s about the adjustment topic.
How long is your staircase, for example? It appears to be about the width of your bathroom... 3.30 meters (10.8 feet)... which is too short. If it is 3.70 meters (12.1 feet), then it fits again.
Regarding bathroom drainage: what flows into the toilet upstairs must be drained out downstairs again, via the shortest possible path, with few bends, and preferably not through a living area.

If criticism feels insulting to you, then you should avoid asking for it.
It’s up to you whether you accept advice and suggestions or defend your ideas and creativity.
It’s entirely your choice to be open to it. Since you’ve done so much research, you know that the best way to assess a floor plan is with the site plan, elevations, and so on.

Just a simple question: if you already have a plan from one or two architects, why not just use one of those?

P.S. Symmetry does not mean top and bottom are the same, but rather equal distances from the centerline outward or from the building edges inward. At the top, the distances can also be measured inward toward the centerline.

ypg schrieb:
If criticism feels insulting to you, then you should avoid asking for it.

Constructive criticism is also very welcome to me. Not general statements like “you haven’t thought about the windows,” or “this or that doesn’t fit the roof,” or “I would do it this way for that reason.”

But now back to the main topic. We have an appointment next week with a new architect to discuss everything, and then I will share the results again. Hopefully, with all the necessary details included to avoid any misunderstandings.

Best regards, Steffi

How much have you already paid for your architectural drawings? How often do you change them?

If there is a new architect, then there must also be a previous one.
Was the previous architect hired by you with full design freedom?
Which project stages have been commissioned and completed so far?

A detailed kitchen plan doesn’t really fit with the initial floor plan considerations before involving a general contractor or architect...

And when will we finally see the promised Frisian house (or its floor plan) mentioned in the title? I’m afraid it will just turn into a tacky general contractor “bling-bling” Frisian house imitation...

Wanderdüne

Wanderdüne schrieb:


I’m afraid it will end up as a soulless general contractor’s fake-Friesian-house-bling-bling...

WD

I think so too. There probably won’t be an architect working under HOAI. I don’t see that as a problem in itself, since there are often good reasons to have a construction supervisor.

Still, it’s not our job to determine the exact placement of the windows. Windows depend on the rooms, which in turn depend on the exterior walls, and those can quickly change once the bay window is given proper dimensions.