Dear forum members,
We bought a plot of land last autumn and are currently deep into the floor plan design. We would like to share our current draft with you and welcome any comments and opinions.
[F]irst some preliminary information about the plot and its buildability:[/F]
Best regards
We bought a plot of land last autumn and are currently deep into the floor plan design. We would like to share our current draft with you and welcome any comments and opinions.
[F]irst some preliminary information about the plot and its buildability:[/F]
- 1000 m² (10,764 sq ft) rear plot, southwest facing (so southwest is on the left side of the site plan)
- Building boundary up to approx. 16 m (52 ft) behind the property line (up to the dashed line on the site plan)
- No zoning plan (construction according to § 34 of the Building Code)
- Groundwater at surface level and peaty soil (exact geotechnical report pending), so piled foundation required and no basement
- Affordable! (Our maximum budget for the house including foundation slab is €230,000)
- Country house style
- Bright, large windows facing south/garden
- Open living/dining/kitchen area
- Family of four, 1 bedroom and 2 children’s rooms
- Not oversized, max 150 m² (1,615 sq ft), preferably less
- Solid construction using Ytong blocks (for us the most cost-effective option, although we would have liked to build with wood as well).
- Developed ourselves after studying various floor plans (including from the book "Affordable Building with a Small Budget" by Achim Linhardt) with support from architect friends and our planner (an independent civil engineer).
- Dimensions 12.50 x 7.50 m (41 x 25 ft) (the measurements shown on the site plan are from an earlier draft).
- What we like: open living area, all main rooms have large windows facing the garden, efficient size, although the children’s and bedroom could be smaller, sewing/work nook behind the stairs upstairs, plenty of wall space for large wardrobes in the upstairs bedroom and hallway on the ground floor, light shaft in the stairwell, staircase (we originally wanted a straight run staircase but it would have taken too much space; the one with three quarter turns is also fine with us).
- What we don’t like 100% yet: the height of the house from the outside. It is currently planned as a two-story house with an eaves height of 6.2 m (20 ft), with the ground floor 2.84 m (9 ft 4 in) high and the upper floor 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) high. The gable roof will be an uninsulated, unfinished cold roof, mainly because of the economical prefabricated truss construction method. This is a bit disappointing because I really like sloped ceilings and did not want the character of a townhouse. Lowering the roof with a knee wall of about 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) and an insulated roof with open sloped ceilings would probably be more expensive due to the rafter/beam construction. We would also lose the garden view through the floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows.
- Simple: What do you think about the floor plan?
- Can you still imagine the relatively tall two-story house having a country house character? Maybe it depends on the facade design and choice of materials? Do you think it looks too “blocky,” especially from the front entrance side? Or would a lower eaves height with an attic conversion including a knee wall be preferable?
- We are still unsure how to arrange the windows on the garden side. The drawing with the elevations shows two possible versions. We actually prefer it when the upper floor window is centered over the lower window front. However, this does not align the interior line of sight from the entrance door to the garden/patio door (see ground floor plan). This represents version two; for version one, the window front would have to be shifted about one window width to the right, so that the patio door is behind the dining table. With the window front shifted left, the interior looks better to us, but from the outside it looks strange if it is offset from the upper floor window, right? What do you think?
Best regards
Vitalio schrieb:
I feel like the original poster only accepts advice that suits them; the rest is ignored. It’s a mix-and-match approach. Why have a bathroom on the ground floor if there’s no guest room? They’re trying to work around a PC desk, but all suggestions that it doesn’t fit there meet with resistance. I would never design the kitchen and living room in a straight line. After dinner, when the man wants to watch the news and the woman unloads the dishwasher, he has to turn the TV volume up to hear anything.
When I’m relaxing on the couch, I don’t want my kids and their friends walking back and forth behind me. With a 7.5 x 12 meter (25 x 39 feet) layout, you end up with a narrow 4 x 12 meter (13 x 39 feet) space where the kitchen, dining table, and couch are placed, with the couch just 2 meters (6.5 feet) in front of the TV.
For an open floor plan, the house should be at least 9 meters (30 feet) wide so that the living area can be arranged around a corner. We also arranged it in a line, and I actually think it looks quite nice. Of course, an L-shaped layout has its appeal, but it doesn’t bother me to be able to see my wife in the kitchen from the living room.
And I really appreciate being able to go directly from the kitchen into the garden.
The narrow shape is a bit of an issue, but unfortunately, nothing else was possible on our plot. The original poster might want to consider a more square floor plan, since the plot can accommodate that.
la.schnute schrieb:
And that an open space on the ground floor is not possible with those house dimensions is simply nonsense.Of course, it is possible if you are willing to give up something else for it. It’s always a matter of priorities—in this case, exclusively your priorities.The usefulness was questioned—but you can always tell us in three years how often you actually sit in your reading corner next to the stairs.
la.schnute13 Mar 2020 11:07Pinkiponk schrieb:
I looked at the house you mentioned online. Just out of curiosity: Like the original, do you want no roof overhang? This question is completely neutral.
Are there any interior photos from Lokstedt/Groot Architects? I couldn’t find any.Actually, yes. We have a 10cm (4 inch) roof overhang, which visually is almost nothing. I know there are definite disadvantages here regarding facade protection. But I really like the modern look, and ultimately—as someone else has already mentioned here in the forum—in the north (where sturdy clinker bricks and thin bricks often protect the facade) and in older residential areas in Berlin, it’s also typical not to have an overhang. I know it looks quite different in southern Germany.
There are only interior photos of the staircase, where you can also see a bit of the living/dining area. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more.
Tamstar schrieb:
Then why don’t you build the Lokstedt house? One key advantage of that layout: The living room is actually more of a quiet zone than in your plan, since it’s separated and around the corner by the staircase.I agree! Unfortunately, my partner vetoed that because he doesn’t want a staircase as a room divider in the living area—partly because of his sound system, and partly because it’s too inflexible; you can never really move the staircase if you want to rearrange. Although with our current plan, I don’t see much room for rearranging either.
So you see, dear @kaho674, it’s not only my priorities but my partner’s as well. And yes, we are the main residents. What our kids will think is nice later on no one knows yet (they’re only 3 and 6 years old).
Honestly, I do feel a bit sorry about the staircase. On the other hand, on the upper floor all bedrooms face southwest toward the garden, not the staircase, and that is also something.
Pinky0301 schrieb:
Where can I find the floor plan?I attached it. Also the one I adapted for our functional areas... the Lokstedt homeowners don’t have a sewing nook, so the work area is upstairs in the bedroom and there’s more space downstairs for the living room...
Pinky0301 schrieb:
Where can I find the floor plan?la.schnute schrieb:
[…]Is that possible, can you click on it?
Otherwise, #110 on page 19
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