Hello everyone!
We seem to be going in circles with our floor plan design!
I’m starting to feel dizzy – the kids are growing up and are actually more excited about a carousel in the garden... Although our ideas are pretty clear, we’re not finding the optimal solution.
We’d really appreciate your general feedback and maybe some suggestions to the questions below.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 670 m2 (7,220 sq ft)
Slope: yes, maximum elevation difference 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.5
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof, 30–40 degrees
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: free
Maximum height / limits: 10.5 m (34.4 ft)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof
Basement, storeys: basement plus 1.5 storeys
Number of occupants, ages: male 38, female 37, one male toddler, one more child planned (female)
Space requirements on ground floor: kitchen (half-open or around the corner), storage pantry, small shower bathroom, wardrobe niche, guest room (min. 12 m2 (130 sq ft)), living/dining room (min. 40 m2 (430 sq ft))
Space requirements on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms min. 15 m2 (160 sq ft) each, master bedroom with dressing room, if possible with connection to bathroom, bedroom separated from children’s rooms by hallway or bathroom
Office: as family room / guest room
Guests per year: guest room is a must-have
Open or closed layout: rather closed (kitchen with sliding door or half wall?), staircase definitely separated from living area
Conservative or modern construction: classic with modern elements (windows? light bands, shallow roof pitch, no large roof overhang, color scheme gray/white)
Open kitchen, cooking island: half-open, a small breakfast bar is a must-have
Number of dining seats: table for 6 regularly, up to 17 for celebrations
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: facing north because of great view
Garage, carport: carport with 2 parking spaces
Additional wishes / special features
- Covered entrance (L-shape), front door with narrow side panel
- Platform stairs with risers
- Entrance should be on the east side
- Largest windows (floor-to-ceiling, possibly sliding door) on the ground floor at the northwest corner of the house (despite sun exposure, because of the view)
House Design
Planner: planner from a construction company
What do you like in particular? Why?: All rooms were accommodated in the floor plan
What don’t you like? Why?
On the ground floor: the solution for the pantry, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche.
In addition, the living room feels a bit too small.
On the upper floor: we think the bedroom and dressing room are somewhat too large, and the bathroom is too small (we want a T-shaped layout).
If you had to give up something, on which details / built-ins
- You could give up: bay window, platform stairs
- You could not give up: guest bathroom with shower on ground floor and guest room on ground floor
Why does the current design look the way it does?
We mixed many designs (prefab houses found online)
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Entrance on the east side, large windows facing north / northwest, all rooms accommodated in the floor plan
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Is the natural light on the upper floor sufficient? Would you consider “loopholes” appropriate? Or are skylights necessary? Is the bathroom too small for a T-layout? Do you find the bedroom and dressing area noticeably too large?
We’d like a small terrace in front of the house to enjoy some sun. Do you think an exit from the kitchen makes sense or is feasible? (The slope is not as steep as shown in the picture.)
How would you solve the area with guest bathroom, wardrobe corner and pantry? Is the shower bathroom too small and pantry too big? (Ideally, guest room, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche would be close together in one “corner” of the house, but that’s not a must.)
How would you enlarge the living room? We might drop the bay window to the northwest and perhaps add one facing north instead. What do you think?
How would you cover the front door? An extension? L-shape canopy? The carport probably won’t be built for a few years...
Thanks so much for your help!
We seem to be going in circles with our floor plan design!
I’m starting to feel dizzy – the kids are growing up and are actually more excited about a carousel in the garden... Although our ideas are pretty clear, we’re not finding the optimal solution.
We’d really appreciate your general feedback and maybe some suggestions to the questions below.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 670 m2 (7,220 sq ft)
Slope: yes, maximum elevation difference 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Gross floor area ratio: 0.5
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1.5
Roof type: Gable roof, 30–40 degrees
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: free
Maximum height / limits: 10.5 m (34.4 ft)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof
Basement, storeys: basement plus 1.5 storeys
Number of occupants, ages: male 38, female 37, one male toddler, one more child planned (female)
Space requirements on ground floor: kitchen (half-open or around the corner), storage pantry, small shower bathroom, wardrobe niche, guest room (min. 12 m2 (130 sq ft)), living/dining room (min. 40 m2 (430 sq ft))
Space requirements on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms min. 15 m2 (160 sq ft) each, master bedroom with dressing room, if possible with connection to bathroom, bedroom separated from children’s rooms by hallway or bathroom
Office: as family room / guest room
Guests per year: guest room is a must-have
Open or closed layout: rather closed (kitchen with sliding door or half wall?), staircase definitely separated from living area
Conservative or modern construction: classic with modern elements (windows? light bands, shallow roof pitch, no large roof overhang, color scheme gray/white)
Open kitchen, cooking island: half-open, a small breakfast bar is a must-have
Number of dining seats: table for 6 regularly, up to 17 for celebrations
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: facing north because of great view
Garage, carport: carport with 2 parking spaces
Additional wishes / special features
- Covered entrance (L-shape), front door with narrow side panel
- Platform stairs with risers
- Entrance should be on the east side
- Largest windows (floor-to-ceiling, possibly sliding door) on the ground floor at the northwest corner of the house (despite sun exposure, because of the view)
House Design
Planner: planner from a construction company
What do you like in particular? Why?: All rooms were accommodated in the floor plan
What don’t you like? Why?
On the ground floor: the solution for the pantry, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche.
In addition, the living room feels a bit too small.
On the upper floor: we think the bedroom and dressing room are somewhat too large, and the bathroom is too small (we want a T-shaped layout).
If you had to give up something, on which details / built-ins
- You could give up: bay window, platform stairs
- You could not give up: guest bathroom with shower on ground floor and guest room on ground floor
Why does the current design look the way it does?
We mixed many designs (prefab houses found online)
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Entrance on the east side, large windows facing north / northwest, all rooms accommodated in the floor plan
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Is the natural light on the upper floor sufficient? Would you consider “loopholes” appropriate? Or are skylights necessary? Is the bathroom too small for a T-layout? Do you find the bedroom and dressing area noticeably too large?
We’d like a small terrace in front of the house to enjoy some sun. Do you think an exit from the kitchen makes sense or is feasible? (The slope is not as steep as shown in the picture.)
How would you solve the area with guest bathroom, wardrobe corner and pantry? Is the shower bathroom too small and pantry too big? (Ideally, guest room, guest bathroom and wardrobe niche would be close together in one “corner” of the house, but that’s not a must.)
How would you enlarge the living room? We might drop the bay window to the northwest and perhaps add one facing north instead. What do you think?
How would you cover the front door? An extension? L-shape canopy? The carport probably won’t be built for a few years...
Thanks so much for your help!
haydee schrieb:
Money is usually limited That’s exactly why I would want to get value in return: I pay the architect’s fee, and in exchange, they design my house so that I can use the remaining budget entirely for constructed square meters that actually benefit me—space where it’s needed and/or where it creates a good spatial experience.
The alternative—that the general contractor builds a significant part of the square meters in places where they are useless and/or unattractive (a toilet room without a toilet and washbasin but with a shower; or a dance hall with the double bed lost in a corner in front of the balcony door)—and that by accepting this, the planner’s fees not separately itemized are considered settled, is not a fair deal in my view.
In this case, the construction costs of the useless and/or unattractive square meters would effectively be the price paid for the services of a “discount” architect—that seems more expensive to me than a conventional architect’s fee according to HOAI standards, based on the architect’s proper education.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Garage sale architects11ant schrieb:
Garage sale architectsRead a new term?
Why not write a more detailed post about it and ask the admin to pin it, instead of repeatedly saying that people should go to a qualified architect.
First, there are also general contractors who are architects themselves and therefore design well-thought-out custom solutions. Second, for many—not just you as a non-building owner—this is money well spent, although homeowners really do have to weigh those costs carefully.
Many here build with general contractors for cost reasons, often accepting some drawbacks, opting for a standard floor plan but in return having cost certainty.
This forum (HBF) exists exactly for these builders.
I also often recommend going to an architect, but mostly for challenging plots where we can’t assess the critical issues at all.
Or when expectations are extremely high and there’s reluctance to make even basic decisions—whether apples or pears—when what they actually want is an organic kiwi.
Otherwise, I’m starting to feel like I’m back in the old green forum. They still have those grumblers...
ypg schrieb:
Read a new word? Caught. Of course, the correct spelling is with a hyphen.
ypg schrieb:
Firstly, there are also general contractors (GCs) who are themselves architects and therefore design well-thought-out custom solutions; secondly ... also those whose employed or contracted architects are really skilled and ambitious. But in the specific case of the original poster, the GC’s architect seemed to be a shot in the dark, which unfortunately is missing here in the forum.
ypg schrieb:
Otherwise, I’m starting to feel like I’m in the old green forum here. That would be quite an unfair comparison. I find the proportion of negative complainers significantly higher there.
ypg schrieb:
agree to the standard floor plan, This could help here as well: not trying to squeeze a dozen sources of inspiration into one floor plan.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Regarding the orientation again: Your main focus is clearly the great view, which is understandable. However, with this northern orientation, the living room is likely to be quite dark. If you want to keep it that way, you could allow significantly more light on the west side between the kitchen and the bay window. That way, you would at least have sunlight in the living room in the afternoon.
Have you imagined how you would arrange the living room furniture? It seems like it could be challenging.
Have you imagined how you would arrange the living room furniture? It seems like it could be challenging.
The issue here is the relatively narrow building plot due to the triangular-shaped lot. Unless you want to invest around 50,000 in corners, edges, and sloped exterior walls, you’ll end up with a slim house—especially if you also want to fit a double carport within the building plot.
The narrow plot itself isn’t necessarily the main problem, but the desire for a generous 40 square meters (430 square feet) is. Try achieving that... it results in a corridor-like room, even if you place the kitchen in the upper right corner.
I roughly sketched the plot with side lengths of about 30 meters by 24 meters (100 feet by 79 feet)... and that’s really tight!
A 3-meter (10 feet) setback to the west typically doesn’t allow for a terrace, balcony, or external staircase... I honestly don’t know what the planners were thinking there. Exceptions?
On the east side, I don’t see 3 meters (10 feet) either, more like 2 meters (6.5 feet) to the street... hmm.
Well, I’ll keep trying.
The narrow plot itself isn’t necessarily the main problem, but the desire for a generous 40 square meters (430 square feet) is. Try achieving that... it results in a corridor-like room, even if you place the kitchen in the upper right corner.
I roughly sketched the plot with side lengths of about 30 meters by 24 meters (100 feet by 79 feet)... and that’s really tight!
A 3-meter (10 feet) setback to the west typically doesn’t allow for a terrace, balcony, or external staircase... I honestly don’t know what the planners were thinking there. Exceptions?
On the east side, I don’t see 3 meters (10 feet) either, more like 2 meters (6.5 feet) to the street... hmm.
Well, I’ll keep trying.
ypg schrieb:
I roughly sketched the plot with side dimensions of about 30 x 24 meters (100 x 79 feet)... and that would really be tight!
...
Well, I’ll keep trying for now Oh, I haven’t read anything precise about the building zone so far, have you? Until there is exact information, I find it too uncertain.
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