Hello dear community,
I’m voluntarily putting myself on the chopping block to present the current status of our planning.
We are currently planning the construction of our single-family home. We have a plot measuring 30 x 18.8 m (98 x 62 feet). The plot is oriented northeast-southwest. There are neighbors on the north and south sides. On the east side is the street/driveway, and opposite is a newly built multi-family building. Therefore, we want the living rooms and terrace to face west.
We decided to work with a regional general contractor (GC) who individually designs and builds each house. It will be built as a solid masonry structure according to the Energy Saving Ordinance. The basic floor plan without furniture comes from the GC’s planner and is based on our discussions. I then redrew it and furnished it to represent the "worst-case" scenario. What does this mean? For example, we don’t always have 10 people in the dining area; a table can be added if needed. However, there should be enough space for that. The same applies to the study. This will be a study 99% of the time. If we have children in the future, it would need to become a combined study/children’s room. Space should be available for this as well. The second work area would then move from the children’s room to the gallery. In this sense, the furnishing partly represents more of a future scenario than the present one. In any case, all dimensions are realistic.
Now to the questionnaire:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 564 m² (6069 ft²)
Slope: none
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) all around
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: free design
Style: free design
Orientation: northwest-southeast
Maximum heights/limits: none
Other requirements: none
Requirements of the homeowners
Style, roof type, building type: 2 full stories
Number of people, age: He 34, She 27, no children planned (still “worst-case” planning with one child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: open living area, utility room, shower toilet, space for wardrobe
Upper floor: gallery with workspace, bedroom, study/child’s room, multifunction room (office 2/child’s room)
Office: He works 100% from home; She works 40% from home (if a child arrives, a small workspace will be set up in the gallery)
Guests per year: 0–1
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern building style: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: cooking island – kitchen will be included
Number of dining seats: 10 for family gatherings (3–5 times per year)
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: garden shed
Other wishes, special features, daily routine, reasons why certain things are included or excluded:
Functional rooms on the east side (street side), living rooms facing west (not overlooked), terrace to the west. We are not really “south-terrace” people; I prefer to stay inside.
I’m still unsure about the actual feel of the open living area (whether it feels like a narrow corridor or not). This can probably be visually balanced by furnishing, color scheme, and decoration to reduce any sense of “length.”
House design
Planning by: planner of the construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? Open living space, west orientation
What do you dislike? Why?
Possibly not enough wardrobe space, although we currently manage well with 2 linear meters (6.5 feet). The stairway entrance in the foyer — we’ve already accepted that compromise.
Estimated price according to architect/planner: 260,000€
Personal budget limit for house including fittings (excluding building-related additional costs, garden, carport etc.): 300,000€
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details or extensions could you do without?
- Could do without: half-landing staircase, kitchen directly at the house entrance
- Could not do without: orientation of living areas to the west, bedroom to the north
Why did the design turn out this way?
For example: The design developed through joint discussions with the GC’s planner, based on the room program, the plot, and our orientation preferences.
What is the most important or fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters or less?
Is the floor plan coherent, or have we developed blind spots and overlooked major planning mistakes?
With that, many thanks!
I’m voluntarily putting myself on the chopping block to present the current status of our planning.
We are currently planning the construction of our single-family home. We have a plot measuring 30 x 18.8 m (98 x 62 feet). The plot is oriented northeast-southwest. There are neighbors on the north and south sides. On the east side is the street/driveway, and opposite is a newly built multi-family building. Therefore, we want the living rooms and terrace to face west.
We decided to work with a regional general contractor (GC) who individually designs and builds each house. It will be built as a solid masonry structure according to the Energy Saving Ordinance. The basic floor plan without furniture comes from the GC’s planner and is based on our discussions. I then redrew it and furnished it to represent the "worst-case" scenario. What does this mean? For example, we don’t always have 10 people in the dining area; a table can be added if needed. However, there should be enough space for that. The same applies to the study. This will be a study 99% of the time. If we have children in the future, it would need to become a combined study/children’s room. Space should be available for this as well. The second work area would then move from the children’s room to the gallery. In this sense, the furnishing partly represents more of a future scenario than the present one. In any case, all dimensions are realistic.
Now to the questionnaire:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 564 m² (6069 ft²)
Slope: none
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) all around
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: free design
Style: free design
Orientation: northwest-southeast
Maximum heights/limits: none
Other requirements: none
Requirements of the homeowners
Style, roof type, building type: 2 full stories
Number of people, age: He 34, She 27, no children planned (still “worst-case” planning with one child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: open living area, utility room, shower toilet, space for wardrobe
Upper floor: gallery with workspace, bedroom, study/child’s room, multifunction room (office 2/child’s room)
Office: He works 100% from home; She works 40% from home (if a child arrives, a small workspace will be set up in the gallery)
Guests per year: 0–1
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern building style: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: cooking island – kitchen will be included
Number of dining seats: 10 for family gatherings (3–5 times per year)
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: garden shed
Other wishes, special features, daily routine, reasons why certain things are included or excluded:
Functional rooms on the east side (street side), living rooms facing west (not overlooked), terrace to the west. We are not really “south-terrace” people; I prefer to stay inside.
I’m still unsure about the actual feel of the open living area (whether it feels like a narrow corridor or not). This can probably be visually balanced by furnishing, color scheme, and decoration to reduce any sense of “length.”
House design
Planning by: planner of the construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? Open living space, west orientation
What do you dislike? Why?
Possibly not enough wardrobe space, although we currently manage well with 2 linear meters (6.5 feet). The stairway entrance in the foyer — we’ve already accepted that compromise.
Estimated price according to architect/planner: 260,000€
Personal budget limit for house including fittings (excluding building-related additional costs, garden, carport etc.): 300,000€
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details or extensions could you do without?
- Could do without: half-landing staircase, kitchen directly at the house entrance
- Could not do without: orientation of living areas to the west, bedroom to the north
Why did the design turn out this way?
For example: The design developed through joint discussions with the GC’s planner, based on the room program, the plot, and our orientation preferences.
What is the most important or fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters or less?
Is the floor plan coherent, or have we developed blind spots and overlooked major planning mistakes?
With that, many thanks!
A possible planning mistake could be the budget, but due to a lack of information (features, own labor), it is difficult to assess. In general, the Münsterland region is probably rather affordable, but I find it quite unlikely that you will manage to stay under 300,000 euros for an estimated 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space (?), especially not including the garage, additional costs, and so on.
Thanks for the hint @K1300S ... I took it as an opportunity to review the calculation again.
We have an offer for 260,000€ for the above-mentioned floor plan (~150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) is correct). This includes tiles (ground floor complete material 35€/sqm (3.25$/sq ft) + bathroom upper floor), additional foundation work of 13,000€, colored windows/doors, electric aluminum roller shutters, multipoint locking system on the ground floor, tiled shower on the upper floor, double washbasin on the upper floor, entrance door with sidelights, natural stone window sills inside and outside, multi-utility service entry, as well as costs for permit planning.
Painting and remaining floor coverings are estimated at 15,000€ (an offer from a friend who is a painting contractor is available).
The rest is currently planned as a contingency reserve, plus a second buffer.
Additionally, there will of course be exterior work, incidental construction costs, construction period interest, moving expenses, etc. The total construction cost goes beyond 400,000€.
We have an offer for 260,000€ for the above-mentioned floor plan (~150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) is correct). This includes tiles (ground floor complete material 35€/sqm (3.25$/sq ft) + bathroom upper floor), additional foundation work of 13,000€, colored windows/doors, electric aluminum roller shutters, multipoint locking system on the ground floor, tiled shower on the upper floor, double washbasin on the upper floor, entrance door with sidelights, natural stone window sills inside and outside, multi-utility service entry, as well as costs for permit planning.
Painting and remaining floor coverings are estimated at 15,000€ (an offer from a friend who is a painting contractor is available).
The rest is currently planned as a contingency reserve, plus a second buffer.
Additionally, there will of course be exterior work, incidental construction costs, construction period interest, moving expenses, etc. The total construction cost goes beyond 400,000€.
P
pagoni20203 Aug 2020 14:08We have a similar house layout, so I know that the "corridor" needs to be carefully considered to avoid it looking like a tunnel, which many people might not like.
We have an open space/gallery as well as a lot of window surfaces. Larger window areas seem to be missing in your floor plan so far.
You should definitely include real furniture dimensions in your drawings. The "emergency use 3-4 times a year" can always be managed somehow; a house doesn’t need to be specially designed for that. I would also consider a light/mobile piece of furniture or something similar between areas.
You can make something good out of the 50 sqm (540 sq ft) open space.
Upstairs, I find your bedroom quite small, and the bathroom door opening outwards is a design flaw that I wouldn’t want.
We have an open space/gallery as well as a lot of window surfaces. Larger window areas seem to be missing in your floor plan so far.
You should definitely include real furniture dimensions in your drawings. The "emergency use 3-4 times a year" can always be managed somehow; a house doesn’t need to be specially designed for that. I would also consider a light/mobile piece of furniture or something similar between areas.
You can make something good out of the 50 sqm (540 sq ft) open space.
Upstairs, I find your bedroom quite small, and the bathroom door opening outwards is a design flaw that I wouldn’t want.
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