ᐅ Planning a single-family house (basement + ground floor + upper floor) on a 480 m² plot
Created on: 19 Jan 2022 17:37
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Elias_dee
Hello! In another thread, I was advised to present my project here. First of all, we are still at the very beginning of the planning process, have luckily secured a plot of land, and now need to study everything carefully. Tips, criticism, suggestions, etc., are always welcome.
Here are "our" key data:
- We are 2 adults, no children, and none planned for the time being
- Electricity consumption: about 3,000 - 3,500 kWh
- Hot water consumption: I don’t have exact data right now, but it’s rather high because we shower with warm water every day
- Fairly handy, so we would like to do at least the painting ourselves (interior + exterior), lay floor coverings (except tiles), and do the garden completely ourselves (we already have experience in all these areas)
Here are the key data for the plot:
- Plot size 480 m² (5,167 ft²)
- New development area
- 2 parking spaces required
- 2 full floors mandatory according to the development plan / zoning plan (building permit / planning permission)
- Ridge direction East-West, renewable energy preferred according to the development plan, photovoltaic as an independent roofing layer is possible
And here is what we want for the house:
- Ground floor with living room, kitchen, guest room, and bathroom with shower
- Upper floor with bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom with shower, office 1, office 2
- Basement with technical room, utility room, possibly sauna and fitness area, but this might shift to just fitness + sauna in the garden
- Central long straight staircase as a design element
- About 80 m² (860 ft²) living space per floor
- Garage: We want an attached (prefabricated?) garage with direct access to the house plus a carport on the opposite side of the house (unfortunately required by the development/zoning plan)
According to the current plan (but I am still very uncertain here, so criticism is always welcome):
- Build according to KfW55 standard, even if there is no subsidy, or at least close to it—KfW40 does not seem worthwhile to me
- Natural gas connection is already laid to the plot, so my current preference is natural gas heating combined with solar thermal energy (for hot water and heating)
- Photovoltaics are currently not planned, as I don’t see the advantage given the low feed-in tariff
- A ventilation system, although I’m not sure yet if it should be central or decentralized
I can’t think of anything else at the moment—comments on anything are always welcome.
Thanks and best regards!
Elias_dee
Here are "our" key data:
- We are 2 adults, no children, and none planned for the time being
- Electricity consumption: about 3,000 - 3,500 kWh
- Hot water consumption: I don’t have exact data right now, but it’s rather high because we shower with warm water every day
- Fairly handy, so we would like to do at least the painting ourselves (interior + exterior), lay floor coverings (except tiles), and do the garden completely ourselves (we already have experience in all these areas)
Here are the key data for the plot:
- Plot size 480 m² (5,167 ft²)
- New development area
- 2 parking spaces required
- 2 full floors mandatory according to the development plan / zoning plan (building permit / planning permission)
- Ridge direction East-West, renewable energy preferred according to the development plan, photovoltaic as an independent roofing layer is possible
And here is what we want for the house:
- Ground floor with living room, kitchen, guest room, and bathroom with shower
- Upper floor with bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom with shower, office 1, office 2
- Basement with technical room, utility room, possibly sauna and fitness area, but this might shift to just fitness + sauna in the garden
- Central long straight staircase as a design element
- About 80 m² (860 ft²) living space per floor
- Garage: We want an attached (prefabricated?) garage with direct access to the house plus a carport on the opposite side of the house (unfortunately required by the development/zoning plan)
According to the current plan (but I am still very uncertain here, so criticism is always welcome):
- Build according to KfW55 standard, even if there is no subsidy, or at least close to it—KfW40 does not seem worthwhile to me
- Natural gas connection is already laid to the plot, so my current preference is natural gas heating combined with solar thermal energy (for hot water and heating)
- Photovoltaics are currently not planned, as I don’t see the advantage given the low feed-in tariff
- A ventilation system, although I’m not sure yet if it should be central or decentralized
I can’t think of anything else at the moment—comments on anything are always welcome.
Thanks and best regards!
Elias_dee
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Elias_dee6 Feb 2022 22:50Maybe a few more details to explain:
- The guest room was moved to the basement because our guests actually just sleep there, nothing more. Therefore, plenty of light, large windows, etc., were not a priority. There will be underfloor heating, a ceiling height of about 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in), and, of course, an attractive floor.
- The gym was intentionally designed as an open space to gain more size. There is no hallway leading to the utility room at the back; you simply walk through the gym.
- In the top right, a carport will be added eventually, but for now, it is just a gravel area.
- The guest room was moved to the basement because our guests actually just sleep there, nothing more. Therefore, plenty of light, large windows, etc., were not a priority. There will be underfloor heating, a ceiling height of about 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in), and, of course, an attractive floor.
- The gym was intentionally designed as an open space to gain more size. There is no hallway leading to the utility room at the back; you simply walk through the gym.
- In the top right, a carport will be added eventually, but for now, it is just a gravel area.
Elias_dee schrieb:
We have already gone through several rounds with the architect, revising and discarding floor plans. That actually sounds more like a general contractor's lackey (or would that be a helper?). The fortress walls are quite massive. I haven't seen a 14.5 cm (5.7 inch) thick wall in a long time. Overall, the plans are full of unrealistic dimensions—what are you hoping to achieve with that?
Elevations or renderings would be helpful.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Elias_dee7 Feb 2022 11:4911ant schrieb:
That actually sounds more like a general contractor’s draftsman (or would that be draftswoman?). The castle walls are quite massive. I haven’t seen a 14.5 cm (6 inch) wall in a long time. Overall, the plans are full of unrealistic dimensions—what do you expect from that? Some views or renderings would be nice. Unfortunately, I don’t understand any of your sentences.
What do you mean by general contractor’s draftsman? I mentioned at the beginning that the architect only does the drawings, but a general contractor will have to handle the execution.
Castle walls? Do you mean the exterior walls? In the inquiry to the builders, I asked them to use 36.5 cm (14 inch) walls if possible and sufficient for insulation.
What do you mean by unrealistic dimensions? Are you referring to the furniture or something else?
Elias_dee schrieb:
Unfortunately, I don’t understand any of your sentences.
What do you mean by general contractor’s draftsman? I had said at the beginning that the architect only creates the drawings, but the execution has to be handled by a general contractor.
Castle walls? Do you mean the exterior walls? In the request to the construction companies, I wrote that if possible and sufficient for insulation, they should use 36.5cm (14 inches).
What are fantasy dimensions? Do you mean the furniture or what are you referring to? Yes, @11ant sometimes has a rather convoluted writing style that you have to get used to at first.
I’ll translate:
The wall thickness seems quite large. Why is that? Do you believe it has to be that way, or where does this requirement come from?
The “fantasy dimensions” mean that the grid should reflect the size of the commonly used concrete blocks nowadays, otherwise the mason will curse you. The wall lengths should, if possible, be multiples of the block length and not strictly follow the homeowners’ wishes. Especially since when laying bricks or blocks, the tolerances are in centimeters (several of them) and not in the millimeter range. Therefore, planning recesses precisely to the centimeter based on custom furniture is a pointless idea.
And an architect who accepts such wishes without question seems more like a draftsman working under the control of a general contractor, who is used to working quickly without questioning anything, let alone contributing their own experience (which is obviously necessary) and skills.
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Elias_dee7 Feb 2022 12:21Tolentino schrieb:
Yes, @11ant sometimes has a rather convoluted writing style that you need to get used to first.
Let me interpret:
The wall thickness seems quite large. Why is that? Do you believe it has to be that way, or where does this requirement come from?
The hypothetical measurements mean that the grid should reflect the dimensions of the modern standard blocks used in construction, otherwise the structural builder will curse you. So the wall lengths should, if possible, be multiples of the block length and not simply follow arbitrary wishes of the clients, especially since the tolerance in masonry work is more in the range of centimeters (and several of them) rather than millimeters. Therefore, planning niches exactly to the centimeter for a desired piece of furniture is a pointless idea.
And an architect who takes on such requests without comment seems more like a draftsman under the control of a general contractor/project manager who is used to working fast without questioning anything, let alone bringing in their own experience (which of course they should have) and skills.Ah, all clear now. I understand it 😀 Thanks!
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Myrna_Loy7 Feb 2022 12:39I would rather place the sauna in the basement, but that is a matter of personal preference.
I also wouldn’t like having to walk to the sofa through the kitchen and the dining room. A room depth of 3.50 meters (11.5 feet) in the living room seems too tight to me. I would skip the storage closet in the hallway—you have a basement—and leave out the shower in the guest bathroom. Since there are just two of you and you want to keep it that way, why include a shower there? I would add the freed-up space to the living room.
I also wouldn’t like having to walk to the sofa through the kitchen and the dining room. A room depth of 3.50 meters (11.5 feet) in the living room seems too tight to me. I would skip the storage closet in the hallway—you have a basement—and leave out the shower in the guest bathroom. Since there are just two of you and you want to keep it that way, why include a shower there? I would add the freed-up space to the living room.
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