Good morning everyone,
I spent last weekend working on our first floor plan.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 502 m² (5400 sq ft)
Terrace orientation: South / West, main entrance facing North / East
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback, details in the attachment. The garage is allowed as a boundary construction; it still needs to be clarified whether building directly on the northern boundary is permitted.
Homeowner requirements
Pitched roof
2 full stories
Number of occupants: 2 adults + 1 child (another child planned)
Office: just a desk in the guest room for personal organizational tasks
Annual overnight guests: 6
Living area: 175 m² (1880 sq ft)
Open, cubic design
Modern style, bright rooms
No fireplace
Masonry double garage with adjacent utility room
No basement
House design
Planner:
- myself
Points we are not yet satisfied with:
- Entrance area possibly too small, hardly any space for shoes or wardrobe
--> maybe omit the shower in the guest bathroom to make room for the wardrobe? Although that would be a pity
- Utility room possibly too small? It should accommodate a washing machine, dryer, vacuum cleaner, ironing board, etc.
I would appreciate your opinions or ideas.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best regards
Alex
I spent last weekend working on our first floor plan.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 502 m² (5400 sq ft)
Terrace orientation: South / West, main entrance facing North / East
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback, details in the attachment. The garage is allowed as a boundary construction; it still needs to be clarified whether building directly on the northern boundary is permitted.
Homeowner requirements
Pitched roof
2 full stories
Number of occupants: 2 adults + 1 child (another child planned)
Office: just a desk in the guest room for personal organizational tasks
Annual overnight guests: 6
Living area: 175 m² (1880 sq ft)
Open, cubic design
Modern style, bright rooms
No fireplace
Masonry double garage with adjacent utility room
No basement
House design
Planner:
- myself
Points we are not yet satisfied with:
- Entrance area possibly too small, hardly any space for shoes or wardrobe
--> maybe omit the shower in the guest bathroom to make room for the wardrobe? Although that would be a pity
- Utility room possibly too small? It should accommodate a washing machine, dryer, vacuum cleaner, ironing board, etc.
I would appreciate your opinions or ideas.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best regards
Alex
Without dimensions, this will be difficult ...
- No toilet upstairs in the bathroom?
- Pantry too small, simply combine it with the small kitchen
- Roof terrace accessible only through the bathroom seems impractical to me, it blocks the space and you constantly track dirt into the bathroom
- Small bedroom (where exactly is the 175 m² (1888 sq ft) hidden?!)
- The cloakroom is indeed too small, especially with two small children. Where should a wardrobe or chest of drawers go?
- Mini utility room can work, we have one too
- Outdoor technical room always seems questionable to me, but if it works ...
- No toilet upstairs in the bathroom?
- Pantry too small, simply combine it with the small kitchen
- Roof terrace accessible only through the bathroom seems impractical to me, it blocks the space and you constantly track dirt into the bathroom
- Small bedroom (where exactly is the 175 m² (1888 sq ft) hidden?!)
- The cloakroom is indeed too small, especially with two small children. Where should a wardrobe or chest of drawers go?
- Mini utility room can work, we have one too
- Outdoor technical room always seems questionable to me, but if it works ...
T
toxicmolotof23 Sep 2015 08:19Utility room too narrow. Where should the building services go? Seriously, behind the garage? What about the thermal envelope?
The roof terrace is unlikely to receive building permit / planning permission, at least not without significant effort.
The roof terrace is unlikely to receive building permit / planning permission, at least not without significant effort.
At first, I see potential issues with the roof terrace. Setback requirements must also be observed for terraces.
The entrance will be a dark space that doesn’t exactly feel welcoming.
The hallway on the ground floor: where are the 16 m² (172 sq ft)?
The kitchen/dining/living area might feel somewhat cramped.
The bathroom on the upper floor is missing the toilet.
The utility room could end up a bit tight. Remember that the washing machine door still needs to open, and there is often a laundry basket and a person standing in front of it.
I do like the layout of the upper floor, though.
The entrance will be a dark space that doesn’t exactly feel welcoming.
The hallway on the ground floor: where are the 16 m² (172 sq ft)?
The kitchen/dining/living area might feel somewhat cramped.
The bathroom on the upper floor is missing the toilet.
The utility room could end up a bit tight. Remember that the washing machine door still needs to open, and there is often a laundry basket and a person standing in front of it.
I do like the layout of the upper floor, though.
Here is a tip for you! Rethink the orientation of your rooms….
My parents-in-law have a plot of land exactly like yours and built about 10 years ago. They oriented their house the same way as you and focused entirely on the south side… Ask them today… they would do it completely differently!!!
You have a green area at the back; the plot is practically begging for the garden to be placed there! The kitchen should also be at the back (left/west) with direct access to the garden. Then place the living room (left/west) and possibly the guest room (right/east) at the front… Nobody needs a south-facing terrace in the height of summer. At my parents-in-law’s, every summer we squeeze onto the tiny terrace at the back on the north side—poor planning. We also have a north-facing garden and a northwest terrace. This whole summer, it was simply perfect there. In the midday sun, I sat outside and could relax in the shade, and from late afternoon into the evening, the sun was bearable. Of course, it’s different when it gets colder, but for these in-between seasons (which, by the way, feel shorter during the year than peak summer), we’re building a sunny terrace in the back garden. We still have space there, which I think is similar for you, and no shadow will fall there during the day because the house doesn’t cast such a long shadow…
I hope you understand what I mean, but think carefully about this. The hype around a south-facing terrace and everything in direct, blazing sun is totally overrated!
My parents-in-law have a plot of land exactly like yours and built about 10 years ago. They oriented their house the same way as you and focused entirely on the south side… Ask them today… they would do it completely differently!!!
You have a green area at the back; the plot is practically begging for the garden to be placed there! The kitchen should also be at the back (left/west) with direct access to the garden. Then place the living room (left/west) and possibly the guest room (right/east) at the front… Nobody needs a south-facing terrace in the height of summer. At my parents-in-law’s, every summer we squeeze onto the tiny terrace at the back on the north side—poor planning. We also have a north-facing garden and a northwest terrace. This whole summer, it was simply perfect there. In the midday sun, I sat outside and could relax in the shade, and from late afternoon into the evening, the sun was bearable. Of course, it’s different when it gets colder, but for these in-between seasons (which, by the way, feel shorter during the year than peak summer), we’re building a sunny terrace in the back garden. We still have space there, which I think is similar for you, and no shadow will fall there during the day because the house doesn’t cast such a long shadow…
I hope you understand what I mean, but think carefully about this. The hype around a south-facing terrace and everything in direct, blazing sun is totally overrated!
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