Hello to the community,
Since we plan to build a house in the near future (we already have the plot), we joined this community to gather ideas, advice, and tips related to home construction and, when the time comes, to share our own experiences as well.
Currently, we are working on developing the right floor plan. Our plot is almost square, with an area of 390 square meters (4200 square feet). To the north, the property borders the access road; on the east side, there is a municipal parking lot; to the south, there is an existing single-family house. On the west side, there is a private road that provides access to the single-family house to the south. Otherwise, to the west, there is a small, similarly sized plot as ours, which is undeveloped and will remain so. Accordingly, our idea is to build a narrow house along the east side of the plot that opens toward the west (more precisely, west-southwest).
The house will be a two-story flat-roof building.
Attached is our first draft of the design as we imagine it. We look forward to your opinions and constructive criticism. Thank you very much in advance.
Since we plan to build a house in the near future (we already have the plot), we joined this community to gather ideas, advice, and tips related to home construction and, when the time comes, to share our own experiences as well.
Currently, we are working on developing the right floor plan. Our plot is almost square, with an area of 390 square meters (4200 square feet). To the north, the property borders the access road; on the east side, there is a municipal parking lot; to the south, there is an existing single-family house. On the west side, there is a private road that provides access to the single-family house to the south. Otherwise, to the west, there is a small, similarly sized plot as ours, which is undeveloped and will remain so. Accordingly, our idea is to build a narrow house along the east side of the plot that opens toward the west (more precisely, west-southwest).
The house will be a two-story flat-roof building.
Attached is our first draft of the design as we imagine it. We look forward to your opinions and constructive criticism. Thank you very much in advance.
W
Wanderdüne18 May 2014 22:51For a first draft, it’s already quite good.
The ground floor is generally well zoned; however, the dining area is very close to the living area. This limits the choice of seating furniture in the living space. The wall facing west is also disruptive for both dining and sightlines, as is the seating position in the passageway to the kitchen. The living area is positioned quite far from the windows, making it difficult to create a connection with the outdoors. Despite the distance, an additional window facing south should be planned together with light, loose planting.
The upper floor is somewhat inconsistent. Having a separate master suite is good, but then there should also be a separate bathroom for the children. The bathroom on the ground floor is located behind the entrance area, in the public zone, and also serves possible guests, which is inconvenient for children. And a bathroom with two doors is always a last resort. The space on the upper floor is also a bit tight. The walk-in closet at 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches), minus plaster, sliding door, and wardrobes, is basically just a cupboard; comfortable dressing requires more space. The bathroom’s width of 2.3 meters (7 feet 7 inches) is clearly too narrow. With compact fixtures, a clear passage and movement width of about 70 cm (28 inches) remains; please avoid this in a new build.
Looking forward to seeing how it develops.
WD
The ground floor is generally well zoned; however, the dining area is very close to the living area. This limits the choice of seating furniture in the living space. The wall facing west is also disruptive for both dining and sightlines, as is the seating position in the passageway to the kitchen. The living area is positioned quite far from the windows, making it difficult to create a connection with the outdoors. Despite the distance, an additional window facing south should be planned together with light, loose planting.
The upper floor is somewhat inconsistent. Having a separate master suite is good, but then there should also be a separate bathroom for the children. The bathroom on the ground floor is located behind the entrance area, in the public zone, and also serves possible guests, which is inconvenient for children. And a bathroom with two doors is always a last resort. The space on the upper floor is also a bit tight. The walk-in closet at 1.6 meters (5 feet 3 inches), minus plaster, sliding door, and wardrobes, is basically just a cupboard; comfortable dressing requires more space. The bathroom’s width of 2.3 meters (7 feet 7 inches) is clearly too narrow. With compact fixtures, a clear passage and movement width of about 70 cm (28 inches) remains; please avoid this in a new build.
Looking forward to seeing how it develops.
WD
Hello,
I like the overall design. However, I find the dining area to be too narrow and obstructive for the access to the living area.
There is actually no space allocated for the dining area; there should be more room for it.
Upstairs, I don’t like the indirect access to the bedroom, but that is a matter of personal taste.
Additionally, I find the exterior of the rectangular/cube shape somewhat too static in appearance. Shifting some elements (perhaps north/south here) could improve the visual appeal.
I like the overall design. However, I find the dining area to be too narrow and obstructive for the access to the living area.
There is actually no space allocated for the dining area; there should be more room for it.
Upstairs, I don’t like the indirect access to the bedroom, but that is a matter of personal taste.
Additionally, I find the exterior of the rectangular/cube shape somewhat too static in appearance. Shifting some elements (perhaps north/south here) could improve the visual appeal.
Hello Wanderdüne,
thank you for your comments:
- We currently have the dining and living areas close to each other in our apartment as well. We do not find it disturbing or limiting.
- We will definitely reconsider the windows on the ground floor.
- The upper floor is sufficient for us as it is. We deliberately decided against having a children’s bathroom. (What happens to it when the children leave home? Then we would have three bathrooms.) Of course, this is also a matter of personal preference and almost a philosophical question 😉... The walk-in closet as a dressing room is enough for us. We will take your note about the bathroom width and make it a few centimeters wider. (Our current bathroom is 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) wide with a similar layout as in the floor plan. It offers enough space.)
Thank you very much for your assessment.
Good luck
thank you for your comments:
- We currently have the dining and living areas close to each other in our apartment as well. We do not find it disturbing or limiting.
- We will definitely reconsider the windows on the ground floor.
- The upper floor is sufficient for us as it is. We deliberately decided against having a children’s bathroom. (What happens to it when the children leave home? Then we would have three bathrooms.) Of course, this is also a matter of personal preference and almost a philosophical question 😉... The walk-in closet as a dressing room is enough for us. We will take your note about the bathroom width and make it a few centimeters wider. (Our current bathroom is 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) wide with a similar layout as in the floor plan. It offers enough space.)
Thank you very much for your assessment.
Good luck
Hello ypg,
the indirect access is something we like. (As you already mentioned: a matter of personal preference 😉 )
We will definitely reconsider the living/dining area again.
Regarding your concerns about the exterior appearance: the cube shape certainly looks quite rigid at first. I wouldn’t shift the building components for cost reasons. However, there are other ways to soften the facade. We have already looked into several options. For example, you can do something with the color scheme, or frame the windows outward, among other things... We’ll probably come up with something. 🙂 But thanks for the tip, it’s easy to overlook.
Good luck
the indirect access is something we like. (As you already mentioned: a matter of personal preference 😉 )
We will definitely reconsider the living/dining area again.
Regarding your concerns about the exterior appearance: the cube shape certainly looks quite rigid at first. I wouldn’t shift the building components for cost reasons. However, there are other ways to soften the facade. We have already looked into several options. For example, you can do something with the color scheme, or frame the windows outward, among other things... We’ll probably come up with something. 🙂 But thanks for the tip, it’s easy to overlook.
Good luck
Our bathroom is 2.44 meters (8 feet) wide and, with a total of 8.85 square meters (95 square feet), quite compact. However, it fits a 120 by 90 cm (47 by 35 inches) shower and an 80 by 1.80 meter (31 by 71 inches) bathtub. When the sanitary fixtures are well positioned, it doesn’t feel cramped at all.
Statements like "you can’t do that in a new build" are too general. Sometimes there’s no other option without enlarging the house.
I think the floor plan is well designed, although the utility room seems a bit small to me. We have 12.5 square meters (135 square feet), and everything just fits in. On the other hand, I find the office/guest room too large. It is even bigger than the children’s bedrooms.
Statements like "you can’t do that in a new build" are too general. Sometimes there’s no other option without enlarging the house.
I think the floor plan is well designed, although the utility room seems a bit small to me. We have 12.5 square meters (135 square feet), and everything just fits in. On the other hand, I find the office/guest room too large. It is even bigger than the children’s bedrooms.
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