ᐅ Planning a single-family home of approximately 175 m² – what are your thoughts?
Created on: 1 Nov 2013 22:04
F
FelixDem
Hello,
we have reserved a plot of land and are currently planning our house construction.
The plot faces south (length: 35 m (115 feet)) and directly borders a beautiful deciduous forest.
Since we will only build with a slab foundation due to the high groundwater level, we have planned the house to be somewhat larger (approximately 175 to 180 sqm (1,883 to 1,938 sq ft)).
Here are some ideas we have incorporated:
- you should be able to see the forest immediately upon entering the house
- the office is directly adjacent to the living room – so it’s easy to quickly tidy up or hide our young daughter’s toys
- a separate cloakroom/wardrobe room
- two large children's rooms, each about 15 sqm (161 sq ft)
The exterior color scheme is not finalized yet; we are leaning towards gray windows, but that is not a priority for now.
Our family members really liked this plan, but we would be very interested in an independent opinion from you.
We would appreciate your comments and suggestions for improvement.
Best regards,
FelixDem
we have reserved a plot of land and are currently planning our house construction.
The plot faces south (length: 35 m (115 feet)) and directly borders a beautiful deciduous forest.
Since we will only build with a slab foundation due to the high groundwater level, we have planned the house to be somewhat larger (approximately 175 to 180 sqm (1,883 to 1,938 sq ft)).
Here are some ideas we have incorporated:
- you should be able to see the forest immediately upon entering the house
- the office is directly adjacent to the living room – so it’s easy to quickly tidy up or hide our young daughter’s toys
- a separate cloakroom/wardrobe room
- two large children's rooms, each about 15 sqm (161 sq ft)
The exterior color scheme is not finalized yet; we are leaning towards gray windows, but that is not a priority for now.
Our family members really liked this plan, but we would be very interested in an independent opinion from you.
We would appreciate your comments and suggestions for improvement.
Best regards,
FelixDem
W
Wanderdüne2 Nov 2013 22:10Without knowing the legal framework for the plot (what may be built, building envelope, etc.), I find the design somewhat unsuccessful. I first looked at the pictures, then read the text, and was surprised by how many square meters are used but with so little to show for it.
On the ground floor, the living room as a pass-through space feels uncomfortable and furnishing it is difficult. When sitting on the sofa, you are oriented more towards the interior of the building rather than taking advantage of the nice view towards the forest. An office that feels like a trapped room is also less than ideal.
Upstairs, the walk-in closet feels like a trapped space, which is also inconvenient. Someone getting dressed will disturb the person sleeping. I do like the utility room on the upper floor; it makes sense there.
Overall, I would plan the building as a bar parallel to the forest, meaning it would be longer and narrower than it is now, with the garage placed in front of the building. If the exterior dimensions don’t allow for a bar shape, then at least plan the interior efficiently. That way, you would also have the storage space you wanted after deciding against a basement.
How are you actually building? On one hand, you draw up plans, then you want to discuss one detail (sliding door) with an architect. Is this your architect (commissioned for planning) or the architect of a developer (in the worst case a rubber-stamp architect who praises your design excessively to minimize their own effort, then passes planning or usage mistakes on to you later)?
Regards
Wanderdüne
On the ground floor, the living room as a pass-through space feels uncomfortable and furnishing it is difficult. When sitting on the sofa, you are oriented more towards the interior of the building rather than taking advantage of the nice view towards the forest. An office that feels like a trapped room is also less than ideal.
Upstairs, the walk-in closet feels like a trapped space, which is also inconvenient. Someone getting dressed will disturb the person sleeping. I do like the utility room on the upper floor; it makes sense there.
Overall, I would plan the building as a bar parallel to the forest, meaning it would be longer and narrower than it is now, with the garage placed in front of the building. If the exterior dimensions don’t allow for a bar shape, then at least plan the interior efficiently. That way, you would also have the storage space you wanted after deciding against a basement.
How are you actually building? On one hand, you draw up plans, then you want to discuss one detail (sliding door) with an architect. Is this your architect (commissioned for planning) or the architect of a developer (in the worst case a rubber-stamp architect who praises your design excessively to minimize their own effort, then passes planning or usage mistakes on to you later)?
Regards
Wanderdüne
Wanderdüne schrieb:
On the ground floor, the living room feels cold and uncomfortable since it is a through room, making furniture arrangement difficult. When sitting on the sofa, you face inward rather than taking advantage of the lovely view toward the forest. I have to agree with that. Somehow, the living room just doesn’t feel cozy.Wanderdüne schrieb:
Having an office as a trapped room is also rather inconvenient. Upstairs, the walk-in closet is the trapped room, which is also problematic. Anyone wanting to change clothes disturbs the sleeper.I see it quite differently and more relaxed. Unless you absolutely need a dedicated home office for work, nowadays it’s more like a computer “play area” and library. The three folders from the house construction don’t really matter. So it’s nice not to have to run all the way upstairs just to look something up on the internet. It’s more part of the living room.And the fact that the walk-in closet is connected to the bedroom is quite natural. Unless I’m doing shift work, it doesn’t really matter if my partner wakes up with me. On the contrary… 😎
Regarding the stairs: barely acceptable—as suspected. The rise is about 19.1cm (7.5 inches) and the tread width about 23.9cm (9.4 inches). If you have stairs somewhere, measure yours for comparison. Our stairs have a planned tread depth of 26cm (10.2 inches) and a rise just over 18cm (7.1 inches). They are designed for slow movers. Athletic people would go for stairs like yours. 😉
Hello everyone,
Unfortunately, our lot is only 22 m (72 feet) wide.
- 6.5 m (21 feet) for the garage
- 3 m (10 feet) minimum distance to the neighbor on the east side
-> 12.5 m (41 feet) maximum house width (we have planned 12 m (39 feet))
Additionally, there is a regulation that the garage must be at least 5 m (16 feet) away from the northern property boundary. However, we want to position the house as far north as possible due to the shade cast by the trees in autumn/winter and the fact that we will never use the land on the north side (minimum distance: 2.5 m (8 feet)) – it is almost a dead-end street, so there should be no noise from traffic.
Therefore, we have planned the house to be somewhat wider on the east side. Alternatively, the garage could be moved further south, but that might cause more shade in the kitchen during the morning.
Living room: Ideally, we would like the sofa to face the forest. But where would the TV go then? Right in front of the window on the south side? That would be a compromise: the TV could be mounted on the sloped wall with a swivel arm, and you would have a view outside to the right. But maybe someone has a better idea?
Good luck,
Felix
Unfortunately, our lot is only 22 m (72 feet) wide.
- 6.5 m (21 feet) for the garage
- 3 m (10 feet) minimum distance to the neighbor on the east side
-> 12.5 m (41 feet) maximum house width (we have planned 12 m (39 feet))
Additionally, there is a regulation that the garage must be at least 5 m (16 feet) away from the northern property boundary. However, we want to position the house as far north as possible due to the shade cast by the trees in autumn/winter and the fact that we will never use the land on the north side (minimum distance: 2.5 m (8 feet)) – it is almost a dead-end street, so there should be no noise from traffic.
Therefore, we have planned the house to be somewhat wider on the east side. Alternatively, the garage could be moved further south, but that might cause more shade in the kitchen during the morning.
Living room: Ideally, we would like the sofa to face the forest. But where would the TV go then? Right in front of the window on the south side? That would be a compromise: the TV could be mounted on the sloped wall with a swivel arm, and you would have a view outside to the right. But maybe someone has a better idea?
Good luck,
Felix
W
Wanderdüne5 Nov 2013 11:05Wanderdüne schrieb:
How are you actually building? On one hand, you draw up plans, then you want to discuss a detail (sliding door) with an architect. Is this your architect (commissioned for design) or the architect of a developer (in the worst case, a rubber-stamp who praises your design to minimize their own work and then later passes on planning or usage errors to you)? The crucial question is still open, and the design problems remain. Whoever plans the house must continue designing until everything really fits. You are far from that—key objectives have been missed with the current design (space, view, living quality).
I think it would make sense to involve an architect and commission design phases 1 and 2, so you can move away from this design that does not do justice to the plot and the beautiful view.
Alternatively, consider looking at narrower floor plans with cooking, dining, and living arranged in a row, take a straight staircase, and so on.
Best regards,
WD
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