I am interested in receiving opinions and suggestions on our house design.
It is a main house with two full stories and a pitched roof.
A basement is not feasible due to groundwater and is also not desired, as we prefer natural daylight. :-)
Next to the house, there are two extensions: one for storage and another as a basement substitute for hobby rooms, laundry, etc.
Part of the extension is intended to serve as a roof terrace, while the rest will be greened.
The construction will be solid, and I am considering Poroton.
The points I am currently questioning are:
- Do all the dimensions fit properly without any issues?
- Are there enough windows, or are there too many?
- I have not yet aligned the building structure with a brick modular size—I am thinking of 12.5 cm (5 inches). Does that make sense?
The property is a corner lot, with streets running along the north and east sides of the house.
On the sketches, north is at the top.
From the north:
Ground floor:
Upper floor (unfortunately the basement walls are visible in the floor plan):
I would appreciate your feedback and ideas.
It is a main house with two full stories and a pitched roof.
A basement is not feasible due to groundwater and is also not desired, as we prefer natural daylight. :-)
Next to the house, there are two extensions: one for storage and another as a basement substitute for hobby rooms, laundry, etc.
Part of the extension is intended to serve as a roof terrace, while the rest will be greened.
The construction will be solid, and I am considering Poroton.
The points I am currently questioning are:
- Do all the dimensions fit properly without any issues?
- Are there enough windows, or are there too many?
- I have not yet aligned the building structure with a brick modular size—I am thinking of 12.5 cm (5 inches). Does that make sense?
The property is a corner lot, with streets running along the north and east sides of the house.
On the sketches, north is at the top.
From the north:
Ground floor:
Upper floor (unfortunately the basement walls are visible in the floor plan):
I would appreciate your feedback and ideas.
Sorry, I’m completely lost here.
The first thing that stands out to me is that the kitchen is very fragmented, and the work paths are long. The distance to the bathroom is too far.
The dining area is very small because of the partition wall. Extending the table for birthdays (or children’s parties) is simply not possible. Why is there a sofa set in the ground floor bedroom – or is it supposed to function like a separate apartment?
On the upper floor, I don’t understand anything. What kind of staircase is that between the cabinets? How do you even get into the room?
There are just too many corners and long paths for my taste. Maybe you could explain a bit more and label the rooms.
The first thing that stands out to me is that the kitchen is very fragmented, and the work paths are long. The distance to the bathroom is too far.
The dining area is very small because of the partition wall. Extending the table for birthdays (or children’s parties) is simply not possible. Why is there a sofa set in the ground floor bedroom – or is it supposed to function like a separate apartment?
On the upper floor, I don’t understand anything. What kind of staircase is that between the cabinets? How do you even get into the room?
There are just too many corners and long paths for my taste. Maybe you could explain a bit more and label the rooms.
The plot is flat, with a high groundwater level, 800 sqm (8,611 sq ft), buildable under §34, corner lot, no defined building envelopes. Only an eastern setback of 5 m (16 ft) must be observed, but this was not respected by another neighbor, so it might be contestable; however, it is probably not worth the effort.
I have attached an overview with the planned layout.
Currently, it is planned for 2 adults to live there.
The building is intended to have 2 full stories – I prefer not to sleep under a sloping roof.
Building services: So far, a condensing gas boiler is planned, solar thermal for hot water, a ventilation system with a heat recovery exchanger, and fresh air supplied through an earth duct.
Important design considerations for us included: a comfortable staircase, straight walkways, ample natural light but no greenhouse effect in summer. Other points can be seen in the sketch, such as the TV wall, which should not dominate the living room and therefore acts as a partition wall or as a compromise between an open and closed living/dining/kitchen area.
Nothing else comes to mind for now...
I have attached an overview with the planned layout.
Currently, it is planned for 2 adults to live there.
The building is intended to have 2 full stories – I prefer not to sleep under a sloping roof.
Building services: So far, a condensing gas boiler is planned, solar thermal for hot water, a ventilation system with a heat recovery exchanger, and fresh air supplied through an earth duct.
Important design considerations for us included: a comfortable staircase, straight walkways, ample natural light but no greenhouse effect in summer. Other points can be seen in the sketch, such as the TV wall, which should not dominate the living room and therefore acts as a partition wall or as a compromise between an open and closed living/dining/kitchen area.
Nothing else comes to mind for now...
Manu1976 schrieb:
Sorry, I don’t understand this at all.
What immediately stands out to me is that the kitchen layout is very fragmented and the work routes are long. The path to the bathroom is too far.
The dining area feels very small because of the wall partition. Extending the table for birthdays (children’s parties) is not possible at all. Why is there a sofa set in the ground floor bedroom – or is that supposed to be some sort of granny flat?
I don’t understand anything on the upper floor. What kind of staircase is that between the cupboards? How do you even get into the room?
There are just too many corners and routes for my taste. Maybe you could explain a bit more and label the rooms.The staircase between the cupboards is a folding ladder to the attic. The attic is accessed from the hallway.
The guest toilet is intentionally positioned a bit further away from the kitchen.
I have quickly revised the images; I hope they are easier to understand now...
venraij schrieb:
The guest toilet should be a bit further away from the kitchen. “A bit” is an understatement ;-) It’s actually too far away. A more sensible location would be where the utility room is currently marked. That would be far enough from the kitchen, yet still close and easily accessible. Are children planned at some point?
What is the purpose of the room on the ground floor? Bedroom, children's room, guest room?
Is there no bathtub in the bathroom either? How wide is the walk-in closet? General dimensions would be helpful because as it stands, it’s hard to tell whether the rooms fit well or if there might be an issue somewhere.
I’m also missing the dimensions.
So, can the house really be placed just 140 cm (55 inches) from the street like that? Is there no building setback for the plot? Or at least a regulation for a 3 m (10 feet) distance from the property boundary?
Hmm... the house of long walks 😉 ... when coming home, whether by bike or car, you first have to walk around half the house.
Kitchen to terrace seating area... straight across the house.
Kitchen, as Manu already mentioned... no, that just doesn’t work.
Why is the second extension used as storage? Is it supposed to be outside the thermal envelope as well?
Location and direction of the attic staircase... this will be tricky, to get past some cabinets to the stairs. Why add the storage extension if the attic is also available (it just needs a more practical access)?
Additionally, it would bother me that there are no east-facing windows in the main ground floor area.
So, can the house really be placed just 140 cm (55 inches) from the street like that? Is there no building setback for the plot? Or at least a regulation for a 3 m (10 feet) distance from the property boundary?
Hmm... the house of long walks 😉 ... when coming home, whether by bike or car, you first have to walk around half the house.
Kitchen to terrace seating area... straight across the house.
Kitchen, as Manu already mentioned... no, that just doesn’t work.
Why is the second extension used as storage? Is it supposed to be outside the thermal envelope as well?
Location and direction of the attic staircase... this will be tricky, to get past some cabinets to the stairs. Why add the storage extension if the attic is also available (it just needs a more practical access)?
Additionally, it would bother me that there are no east-facing windows in the main ground floor area.
