ᐅ Preliminary Design of a Single-Family House for Discussion
Created on: 6 May 2016 13:21
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FightingArea
Hello everyone,
Our planning for our new construction project is progressing. We have now received an initial draft from our designer that we really like. I would like to share this draft here and ask for criticism, praise, suggestions for changes, etc. All changes are still possible at this stage.
I would greatly appreciate your constructive support.
Development plan / Restrictions: none
Plot size: 850 m² (9,150 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hip roof
Style: urban villa
Orientation: east
Maximum height / limits: ridge height 10 m (33 ft)
Requirements from the owners
Number of persons, current and planned: 2, planned 4
Open kitchen with island
Garage, carport
House design
Designer: planner from a construction company
Regarding orientation: The house will have the terrace facing east.
Best regards
Our planning for our new construction project is progressing. We have now received an initial draft from our designer that we really like. I would like to share this draft here and ask for criticism, praise, suggestions for changes, etc. All changes are still possible at this stage.
I would greatly appreciate your constructive support.
Development plan / Restrictions: none
Plot size: 850 m² (9,150 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hip roof
Style: urban villa
Orientation: east
Maximum height / limits: ridge height 10 m (33 ft)
Requirements from the owners
Number of persons, current and planned: 2, planned 4
Open kitchen with island
Garage, carport
House design
Designer: planner from a construction company
Regarding orientation: The house will have the terrace facing east.
Best regards
- Lots of hallway and secondary spaces
- The kitchen will probably be fun, it looks stylish but isn’t very practical
- I would remove the wall in the garage, it just makes the space feel cramped (maybe you want to park the car further inside and place bikes or a stroller behind it)
- Is there a reason why the stairwell is planned in the center?
- I’m not really happy with the home offices; I always disliked sitting with my back to the door at work and having to turn around every time someone entered the room
- I would redesign the upstairs bathroom as well; you shouldn’t have to hold your breath on the toilet if you’re claustrophobic, and think ahead for later when mobility might be reduced
- The downstairs hallway will be quite dark if all the room doors are closed and don’t have glass panels
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FightingArea6 May 2016 16:58Also,
first of all, thank you very much for all the feedback. As mentioned, this draft is a preliminary design that we are seeing for the first time, initially drawn up based on our wishes. Since I have come to know and appreciate this forum, the first thing I had to do was to present it here for discussion 🙂
Regarding your criticisms:
Living room: It might be too narrow, yes... I could imagine shifting the wall towards the hallway a bit. This would create noticeably larger rooms and reduce the hallway/circulation area. What do you think?
Too much hallway and ancillary space: I absolutely agree with you... it’s too much and bothers me as well... I just don’t know how this could be improved in this specific design... but ultimately, that has to be done by the planner.
Kitchen: Why is it not practical? We will probably move the door in the wall all the way to the right, so you don’t have to walk between the kitchen island and the countertop, and there will still be some space next to the wall, possibly for the refrigerator or something similar.
Staircase area: No, there is no reason for it to be centered... it was just like that in the draft ;-) I could imagine that a smarter arrangement of the stairs (maybe even just straight up) could convert a lot of circulation area into real usable (living) space.
Study/office: It’s not a problem... we have it like this now and it doesn’t bother us at all.
Bathroom upstairs: It’s worth considering making it a bit larger... or arranging it differently? We definitely want to keep the “T-wall.”
Hallway downstairs: Probably too dark, yes... if it stays like that, we might need to consider adding glass.
Are there any other comments? Maybe something you like as well? 🙂
Best regards
first of all, thank you very much for all the feedback. As mentioned, this draft is a preliminary design that we are seeing for the first time, initially drawn up based on our wishes. Since I have come to know and appreciate this forum, the first thing I had to do was to present it here for discussion 🙂
Regarding your criticisms:
Living room: It might be too narrow, yes... I could imagine shifting the wall towards the hallway a bit. This would create noticeably larger rooms and reduce the hallway/circulation area. What do you think?
Too much hallway and ancillary space: I absolutely agree with you... it’s too much and bothers me as well... I just don’t know how this could be improved in this specific design... but ultimately, that has to be done by the planner.
Kitchen: Why is it not practical? We will probably move the door in the wall all the way to the right, so you don’t have to walk between the kitchen island and the countertop, and there will still be some space next to the wall, possibly for the refrigerator or something similar.
Staircase area: No, there is no reason for it to be centered... it was just like that in the draft ;-) I could imagine that a smarter arrangement of the stairs (maybe even just straight up) could convert a lot of circulation area into real usable (living) space.
Study/office: It’s not a problem... we have it like this now and it doesn’t bother us at all.
Bathroom upstairs: It’s worth considering making it a bit larger... or arranging it differently? We definitely want to keep the “T-wall.”
Hallway downstairs: Probably too dark, yes... if it stays like that, we might need to consider adding glass.
Are there any other comments? Maybe something you like as well? 🙂
Best regards
Why not stack the bathrooms/WC to have only one drainage pipe?
The children's rooms are very small. 12m² (130 sq ft) is really not much. The children will also grow up.
Which sofa or sectional do you want to put in the living room? Then you’ll know how much space you need there.
Maybe I would rather separate the kitchen from the dining area with a sliding door, creating one large room.
Is this upper outdoor seating area only there because the load-bearing walls below are arranged that way? A lot of "wasted" space.
The children's rooms are very small. 12m² (130 sq ft) is really not much. The children will also grow up.
Which sofa or sectional do you want to put in the living room? Then you’ll know how much space you need there.
Maybe I would rather separate the kitchen from the dining area with a sliding door, creating one large room.
Is this upper outdoor seating area only there because the load-bearing walls below are arranged that way? A lot of "wasted" space.
I agree with many of the comments and would like to add... A huge master bedroom but only 300 or 350 cm (10 or 11.5 feet) of wardrobe space.
In my opinion, the fireplace is placed unfavorably. It’s very close to the dining table (hot seat) and doesn’t create a visual impact in the living area.
The utility room will presumably also house the building services – right? It should be properly planned. This is another room where the placement of doors and windows reduces storage options.
What I like: the kitchen and dining area as a unit, but the kitchen door should rather be a sliding door.
Overall, it makes sense to add more dimensions to a finalized plan.
In my opinion, the fireplace is placed unfavorably. It’s very close to the dining table (hot seat) and doesn’t create a visual impact in the living area.
The utility room will presumably also house the building services – right? It should be properly planned. This is another room where the placement of doors and windows reduces storage options.
What I like: the kitchen and dining area as a unit, but the kitchen door should rather be a sliding door.
Overall, it makes sense to add more dimensions to a finalized plan.
F
FightingArea1 Sep 2016 12:12so,
after much consideration and many visits, we have now found both a structural engineer we trust and a design that we… without much hesitation, like incredibly well.
Now, of course, I would like to know your opinion on this:
after much consideration and many visits, we have now found both a structural engineer we trust and a design that we… without much hesitation, like incredibly well.
Now, of course, I would like to know your opinion on this:
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