My girlfriend and I want to start building within the next 1-4 years. We already have a clear idea of our house. We know exactly that we want to build in the town where we already live. However, I think our house might not fit on the plots in the new development area. The largest plots are 680 square meters (7309 square feet) and have a maximum ridge height of 9.5 meters (31 feet). I also don’t want the house to feel cramped on the lot. So I was wondering if it would make more sense to first discuss our wishes with an architect, who could then look for a suitable plot where the house would actually fit. Or am I completely on the wrong track, and is this approach very unusual?
Here are our ideas for the house. I just added one thing from another discussion here on the forum. My girlfriend is really into steel trims for window decoration. Can an architect work with a requirement like that?
Plot/House General
Entrance Area (Vestibule/Foyer)
Dining/Living Room
Kitchen
Master Suite
Children’s Rooms
Fitness Room
Office
Guest WC
Terrace
Heating/Utility Room
Special Requests
Here are our ideas for the house. I just added one thing from another discussion here on the forum. My girlfriend is really into steel trims for window decoration. Can an architect work with a requirement like that?
Plot/House General
- Number of floors does not matter – maximum 4 if the attic is developed
- Attic, if not developed, used as storage
- Basement, if included, with windows
- No sloped ceilings in any rooms except for a developed attic or on the 4th floor
- Roof shape does not matter, just no flat roof
- Brick facade
- Terrace not too close to neighboring plot, minimum 5 meters (16 feet) distance
- Large double garage
- 2 outdoor parking spaces for cars
Entrance Area (Vestibule/Foyer)
- Entrance area with wardrobe
- Stairs not in the entrance area but in the hallway leading to the living area
- Access to the garage from the entrance area
Dining/Living Room
- Only dining and living room open plan – kitchen in a separate room
- Dining table for minimum 10 people; chairs or corner bench possible
- Living room space for 2 large functional sofas (3-seat) and side tables
- Fireplace visible from the sofas
- Large media wall with TV
Kitchen
- Lots of storage – small dining table for 4 people
- Doors to the hallway and dining area
Master Suite
- Bedroom
- Walk-in closet
- Bathroom with tub, large shower, double sink
- Separate toilet
Children’s Rooms
- 2 rooms at least 16 square meters (172 square feet) each
- Separate bathroom for children with tub and shower
Fitness Room
- At least 30 square meters (323 square feet)
Office
- At least 14 square meters (150 square feet)
Guest WC
- Without shower or tub
Terrace
- Partially covered (without glass)
- Dining table for 10 people
- Outdoor kitchen (grill/sink/fridge/work surface)
- Terrace large enough to also fit 6 beer garden-style benches with backrests
- Terrace must be open on only 2 sides
- Transparent protective roller shutters on the terrace
- Terrace accessible from the living/dining area and level with no steps
Heating/Utility Room
- Large, also suitable for washing and drying clothes – possibly a separate room for washing and drying on the sleeping level
Special Requests
- Large separate room for bicycles/trash bins/car tires/lawnmower/garden tools etc.
- Storage closet on each floor
- Central vacuum system
- Fireplace in the living room connected to the heating system
- Central ventilation/alarm system/underfloor heating/shutters/lights – electronically controlled via units in ground floor hallway and master bedroom
- Steel trims embedded in plaster in the window lintels, wallpapered over. Window decorations freely positionable on magnetic hooks
- Lots of indirect lighting
- Visible beams (rustic modern), can also be fake
- Alarm system securing lower windows and doors
- Laundry chute (omit if there is a separate laundry room on the sleeping level)
- Solar system
- Attic, if present, accessible via regular stairs
- Accessible for disabled – doors and corridors wide enough – enough space for stairlift
- Many electrical outlets
- LAN cables in office and children’s rooms
- Finished ceiling height slightly higher because of visible (fake) beams or suspended ceilings (indirect lighting)
Spritti123 schrieb:
Well, I wouldn’t call it rural. The A66 highway is right outside the door, with the nearest entrance 1km (0.6 miles) away. Train station, shopping facilities, school, kindergarten, doctor, dentist, restaurants—all are available. The location is between Fulda and Frankfurt. It’s not exactly in the middle of nowhere.And why haven’t you bought one yet?
The house adapts to the plot.
However, this does not mean that your desires, especially regarding features and fittings, cannot be realized. It would be unwise to fixate on a specific size or dimensions at this stage. That usually doesn’t work well.
The only definite wish concerns the spacious garage with some distance from the neighbor (which is rarely done because it wastes space and would typically require plots well over 1000 m² (10,764 sq ft)). Alongside that, access through the vestibule—which also serves as the main entrance—defines certain layout constraints.
Do you already have an idea of the budget?
However, this does not mean that your desires, especially regarding features and fittings, cannot be realized. It would be unwise to fixate on a specific size or dimensions at this stage. That usually doesn’t work well.
The only definite wish concerns the spacious garage with some distance from the neighbor (which is rarely done because it wastes space and would typically require plots well over 1000 m² (10,764 sq ft)). Alongside that, access through the vestibule—which also serves as the main entrance—defines certain layout constraints.
Do you already have an idea of the budget?
S
Spritti1239 Jan 2018 17:56I want the 5-meter (16 feet) distance from the terrace, not from the garage.
For the living area, I’m aiming roughly for 250–300 square meters (2,700–3,230 square feet), excluding the terrace. A basement is not necessary. I’m open to anything—single-story with upper floor, or built over the garage, or an attic conversion, or with split-level design. The architect just needs to combine all our wishes into one plan.
We have equity of 450,000–500,000, and we want to take out a loan of no more than 200,000. Maybe we won’t need a loan at all; we’re not sure yet. So, we will definitely have around 700,000 available, possibly more.
For the living area, I’m aiming roughly for 250–300 square meters (2,700–3,230 square feet), excluding the terrace. A basement is not necessary. I’m open to anything—single-story with upper floor, or built over the garage, or an attic conversion, or with split-level design. The architect just needs to combine all our wishes into one plan.
We have equity of 450,000–500,000, and we want to take out a loan of no more than 200,000. Maybe we won’t need a loan at all; we’re not sure yet. So, we will definitely have around 700,000 available, possibly more.
Similar topics