ᐅ Opinions, Suggestions, and Improvement Ideas for the Planning Process

No, I’m not offended if my suggestions aren’t accepted. It’s not my house after all. But so far, you have dismissed every improvement idea with some counterargument, no matter who it came from.

You’re misunderstanding the problem. The issue isn’t the entrance with the glass wall—that’s perfectly fine and I like it too. The problem is the area where there are tall wardrobe cabinets on both sides. There, it feels like walking through a storage room, and no light reaches that spot. The light from the door and the glass wall only covers about one-third of the wardrobe area; the rest is in darkness. The same applies to the stairwell. Even if you leave both openings to the living room open or install glass doors, that still won’t be enough to illuminate the wardrobe. During the day, you’ll definitely need artificial lighting in the wardrobe.

flexistone schrieb:

What is the mail carrier supposed to see? That I’m coming to the door?

I can tell you don’t understand a lot here from that sentence. I only said that the mail carrier would be pleased to see the garden through the glass wall, since that’s usually as far as they get. Visitors will also appreciate this first view—until they turn the corner.

flexistone schrieb:

We have already taken that suggestion on board and are planning a WC near the gym—the architect has to figure something out.

If you are still planning a WC near the gym, why not put the guest room there too, and use the guest wing with wardrobe and WC as the gym? The ground floor really doesn’t need two WCs.

But it’s pointless to write anything, since it seems you only wanted to hear how wonderful your house is—at least that’s the impression I get.

What stands out to me:

- The entrance situation does not match the planned quality level that the rest of the building aims to achieve. This concerns both the bicycle shed, which restricts the outdoor entrance area, and the mentioned cloakroom solution. YPG has outlined the kitchen issues well; I do not understand why a pantry is planned without direct access from the entrance area. Sightseeing through half the house is nice, but quickly unloading groceries is better.
- The living room has a very poor layout. The too-small corner sofa is placed directly against the window surface, which is uncomfortable. It is fine if the family tends to meet more in the kitchen and dining area, but for the price range, the living room is simply too small and feels like a passageway room.
- Considering the price tag, it would be reasonable to have a parents’ area separated from the children’s area, perhaps with a small hallway providing access to the cloakroom and bathroom.
- Roof terrace… I can understand the desire, with good wind protection and views that could be pleasant.

WD

Wanderdüne schrieb:
What I notice:
- The entrance situation does not match the planned quality level that the rest of the building is supposed to achieve. This concerns both the bike shed, which compresses the entrance area outside, and the mentioned cloakroom solution.

Would it improve if the entrance were made even wider?

Wanderdüne schrieb:
YPG has listed the kitchen problems well; I don’t understand why a pantry is planned without giving it direct access from the entrance area. Sightseeing through half the house is nice, but quickly getting rid of groceries is better.

So we would basically have two doors in the pantry – one towards the entrance area and one to the kitchen. Possibly there will be a movable window element in the kitchen area – then you can go directly from the entrance to the kitchen and thus have a short route to the pantry.

Wanderdüne schrieb:
The living room is very poorly laid out. The too-small corner sofa stands immediately against the window surface, which is uncomfortable. It’s fine if the family mainly gathers around the cooking and dining area, but at this price level, the living room is simply too small and feels like a passage room.

The sofa matches our current sofa and is actually sufficient in size for us. The positioning is just a problem in a room with a lot of window space – something will always end up against the window at some point. I have already considered whether the room could be made a little wider; then the sofa would also stand more "in the room." We mostly spend time in our open-plan kitchen/living area (for now) and outdoors when the weather is nice. But how could the living room be laid out differently – if the fireplace were moved to the wall adjacent to the pantry and the current fireplace wall removed, the room would also appear larger, and the sofa could be placed where the current fireplace wall is – though you would then have the stairs behind you and possibly cold drafts – right?

Wanderdüne schrieb:

- Considering the price point, the parents’ area can surely be separated from the children’s area; maybe consider a small vestibule with access to the cloakroom and bathroom.

Do you mean upstairs? We already had that changed on Friday – I’m still waiting to receive the updated plans.

Wanderdüne schrieb:

- Roof terrace... I understand the desire; with good wind protection and a view, it can be very nice.

Both wind protection and a view are given. We love our roof terrace. :-)

flexistone schrieb:
Would it improve if the entrance was made wider?

In my opinion, yes. You could widen the garages (they feel a bit tight) and then relocate the bike shed to the front side, possibly also the bins, otherwise nicely integrate them into the garage wall. That would create a wider entrance area, making it more welcoming, but you would need to carefully mark it out to ensure there is enough space for car maneuvering and consider the impact on the garden.

flexistone schrieb:

So, basically we would have two doors in the pantry – one facing the entrance area and one to the kitchen. Maybe there will also be a movable window element in the kitchen area – then you could go directly from the entrance into the kitchen, and have a short route to the pantry.

Yes, too many doors only create a restless atmosphere in rooms where you want to spend more time. If you modify the entrance area, then plan direct access to the pantry here – that means opening the front door, and putting groceries immediately to the left in the pantry, or stack them after opening the front door, take off shoes, and then put them in the pantry. Alternatively, for heavy items (like cases of drinks), consider cabinets that open from both sides: loading from the entrance area, and retrieving from the kitchen. But you probably don’t need that if the pantry is arranged as described above.

flexistone schrieb:

But how could the living room be arranged differently – if the fireplace was moved to the wall facing the pantry and the current fireplace wall was removed, the room would seem larger and you could place the sofa where the current fireplace wall is – but then the staircase would be behind the sofa and possibly cause cold drafts, right?

That is the architect’s task; they should keep working with you until it fits. But you need to know what you want. Especially in the living room, I find (as mentioned above) too many openings disturbing, particularly if the openings (as in your case) lead to a hallway that is too dark.

You may not be as far along in design development (roughly equivalent to stage 3) as you think. Also, problems can arise at any time that require major rearrangement of the entire floor plan.

WD

However, having two doors in the pantry does reduce some of the usable space. I don’t actually think the route from the entrance to the pantry is too long. In our case, the routine is to carry all the shopping baskets into the kitchen first and then distribute the items to the fridge and pantry from there. Regarding beverage crates, you could of course place a patio door at the entrance, but if not, I don’t really see it as a big issue.
I’m looking forward to the changes you mentioned.
About the roof terrace: I also think it’s nice to have the option to sit outside upstairs. That’s something everyone needs to decide for themselves.

milkie

milkie schrieb:
However, having two doors in the pantry does reduce the available storage space. I don't actually find the route from the entrance to the pantry too far. In our case, it’s usually handled so that all the shopping bags are first carried into the kitchen, and from there items are distributed into the fridge and pantry. Regarding beverage crates, you could of course add a patio door near the entrance, but if not, I don’t think it’s a big issue.

We have thought about that too – although we don’t really have beverage crates, at least not in the pantry. Our drinks are stored in the basement, and mineral water comes from the Grohe Aqua-blue system.

milkie schrieb:
I’m looking forward to the changes you mentioned.

We discussed the changes on Friday – updated plans will be ready this coming Friday. We’re already curious.

milkie schrieb:
Regarding the roof terrace: I also think it’s nice to have the option to sit outside upstairs. But that’s a personal choice.

Exactly.