ᐅ Semi-detached house, 144 sqm – Request for suggestions for improvement
Created on: 29 Mar 2020 11:16
A
AlbertKamika
I have completed the guide and would greatly appreciate any suggestions or comments regarding our design.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 400sqm (4306 sqft)
Slope: gentle slope, declining from left to right by 0.4m (16 inches) when facing the house from the front, and declining from the front to the back of the plot by 0.7m (28 inches)
Site coverage ratio: I don’t know this, but the external walls cannot be changed anymore; the focus is now only on the interior layout. Some external walls are fixed by the development plan, others by our budget.
Floor area ratio: see site coverage ratio
Building zone, building line and boundary: 6m (20 feet) distance from the front boundary of the plot; for the semi-detached house: 0m from the right boundary and 4.5m (15 feet) from the left boundary
New development area
Number of parking spaces: 1 to 2
Number of floors: 1 full floor (ground floor), 1 floor with sloping roof (knee wall also fixed by the development plan and cannot be changed), 1 attic floor (converted into living space), 1 basement (utility cellar)
Roof type: gable roof, 40 percent pitch fixed by the development plan
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: terrace/garden faces northwest
Maximum heights/limits: external walls, roof, and overall building height are fixed by the development plan
Additional requirements
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: semi-detached house, modern and open; the kitchen with an island and the dining area should be the focal point. We need 3 bedrooms and 1 office. The staircase should be enclosed.
Basement: yes, a utility cellar is required.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 2 children
Room requirements on ground and upper floors:
Ground floor: large open living-dining-kitchen area, 1 bathroom with shower, hallway space sufficient for coats and shoes without feeling cramped.
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, attic: office
Office: home office? Yes
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed architecture: partly open/partly closed, see style
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, island: yes, island
Number of dining seats: 4 for us plus 2 for guests = 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/particulars/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: We wanted a walk-in closet so that changing clothes can be done without waking the partner, as we get up at different times.
House Design
Planner:
- Planner from a construction company: yes
What do you particularly like? Why?
The open living-dining area with the kitchen island (the island is not shown in the plans but I think its location is clear). We wanted a large glass-metal door in the hallway-to-living-room passage to avoid the hallway being too dark.
What do you dislike? Why?
I think many details are still unfinished.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 310,000
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: 310,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump and underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions
- Can you give up: I think we already kept it quite simple; there is nothing we can give up.
- Cannot give up: kitchen island, attic office, showers on both ground and upper floors, walk-in closet
Why is the design the way it is now? E.g.
Standard design from planner? No, the ground floor design is partly ours and partly from the planner. We mainly wanted the kitchen island and a cozy TV area that is not the main focus but rather a “niche”, while the kitchen should be central. This was only possible with a narrow staircase due to the fixed external walls. The upper floor was then designed by the planner around the staircase.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
The living room was realized according to our wishes. However, I now find the master bedroom somewhat small, which is due to our desire for a walk-in closet.
What is the most important/basic question regarding the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
The external walls cannot be changed. It is a semi-detached house, 7 meters (23 feet) wide and 11.60 meters (38 feet) long. Our wishes were implemented, but I still find the design somewhat unfinished. What can be improved?
Additionally, 3 specific questions:
Ground floor: can the washbasin and toilet be swapped? Is that feasible? Could the hallway be made narrower to enlarge the living area, or would it become too narrow?
Upper floor: can the shower and toilet be swapped? Is that feasible?
THANK YOU!!!
Note: All planning rights belong to the architectural company.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 400sqm (4306 sqft)
Slope: gentle slope, declining from left to right by 0.4m (16 inches) when facing the house from the front, and declining from the front to the back of the plot by 0.7m (28 inches)
Site coverage ratio: I don’t know this, but the external walls cannot be changed anymore; the focus is now only on the interior layout. Some external walls are fixed by the development plan, others by our budget.
Floor area ratio: see site coverage ratio
Building zone, building line and boundary: 6m (20 feet) distance from the front boundary of the plot; for the semi-detached house: 0m from the right boundary and 4.5m (15 feet) from the left boundary
New development area
Number of parking spaces: 1 to 2
Number of floors: 1 full floor (ground floor), 1 floor with sloping roof (knee wall also fixed by the development plan and cannot be changed), 1 attic floor (converted into living space), 1 basement (utility cellar)
Roof type: gable roof, 40 percent pitch fixed by the development plan
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: terrace/garden faces northwest
Maximum heights/limits: external walls, roof, and overall building height are fixed by the development plan
Additional requirements
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: semi-detached house, modern and open; the kitchen with an island and the dining area should be the focal point. We need 3 bedrooms and 1 office. The staircase should be enclosed.
Basement: yes, a utility cellar is required.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 2 children
Room requirements on ground and upper floors:
Ground floor: large open living-dining-kitchen area, 1 bathroom with shower, hallway space sufficient for coats and shoes without feeling cramped.
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, attic: office
Office: home office? Yes
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed architecture: partly open/partly closed, see style
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, island: yes, island
Number of dining seats: 4 for us plus 2 for guests = 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/particulars/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not: We wanted a walk-in closet so that changing clothes can be done without waking the partner, as we get up at different times.
House Design
Planner:
- Planner from a construction company: yes
What do you particularly like? Why?
The open living-dining area with the kitchen island (the island is not shown in the plans but I think its location is clear). We wanted a large glass-metal door in the hallway-to-living-room passage to avoid the hallway being too dark.
What do you dislike? Why?
I think many details are still unfinished.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 310,000
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: 310,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump and underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions
- Can you give up: I think we already kept it quite simple; there is nothing we can give up.
- Cannot give up: kitchen island, attic office, showers on both ground and upper floors, walk-in closet
Why is the design the way it is now? E.g.
Standard design from planner? No, the ground floor design is partly ours and partly from the planner. We mainly wanted the kitchen island and a cozy TV area that is not the main focus but rather a “niche”, while the kitchen should be central. This was only possible with a narrow staircase due to the fixed external walls. The upper floor was then designed by the planner around the staircase.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
The living room was realized according to our wishes. However, I now find the master bedroom somewhat small, which is due to our desire for a walk-in closet.
What is the most important/basic question regarding the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
The external walls cannot be changed. It is a semi-detached house, 7 meters (23 feet) wide and 11.60 meters (38 feet) long. Our wishes were implemented, but I still find the design somewhat unfinished. What can be improved?
Additionally, 3 specific questions:
Ground floor: can the washbasin and toilet be swapped? Is that feasible? Could the hallway be made narrower to enlarge the living area, or would it become too narrow?
Upper floor: can the shower and toilet be swapped? Is that feasible?
THANK YOU!!!
Note: All planning rights belong to the architectural company.
I now find having a master bedroom next to a children's room really quite inconvenient. Unfortunately, that's how we have it.
I would also swap the kitchen and living room.
This would reduce walking distances when bringing in groceries and provide more space for the kitchen.
I would also swap the kitchen and living room.
This would reduce walking distances when bringing in groceries and provide more space for the kitchen.
A
AlbertKamika29 Mar 2020 13:27haydee schrieb:
Are the sofas correct as shown?
I still need to measure them.
Will a table for six and the kitchen island fit?
We don’t know the size of the kitchen island yet.
How wide is the shower?
Unfortunately, it’s only 80cm (31.5 inches), which I find too narrow. What about you? 
I can fully support the carport suggestion from @hanse987; there is plenty of storage basement space anyway, so a small adjacent room for bicycles and trash bins should be sufficient. I would even add a glass roof to it. Are there any references to compass directions anywhere?
I recommend a complete redesign. I would have easily answered "yes" to the question about replacing the sanitary fixtures on the ground floor, but in the first attic level, it already changed toward the advice to redesign. By the way, my general advice applies especially in this house layout: develop the ground floor based on the upper floor, not the other way around. The "upper floor" here is actually a "first attic," with knee walls only about at window sill height. If the double bed is placed as shown, the person sleeping on the eaves side will have to duck to get to their bed.
No, except that it won’t be enjoyable this way, it is not clear, because: it is very obviously not "not drawn," but "not planned." That is a significant quality difference, so I strongly recommend visiting the kitchen planning forum before considering anything further. I also suggest you get inspiration from @goalkeeper (https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Reihenendhaus-mit-gue-in-Eigenregie-bauen.31198/), preferably starting from the end to reach the current floor plans faster (regarding the recent questions on bedroom closets and bathroom ceiling spots could be even quicker—I don’t have the post numbers handy in the already quite long main thread). Especially examine the idea of placing the master bedroom in the attic. Overall, his house layout here is by far the most comparable to your problem, since the format is most similar. At this point, congratulations on sensibly not attempting to build a semi-detached house entirely by yourselves. I wish you a comparably good general contractor and hope you don't have a mayor who insists on surface-mounted utility connections either.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I recommend a complete redesign. I would have easily answered "yes" to the question about replacing the sanitary fixtures on the ground floor, but in the first attic level, it already changed toward the advice to redesign. By the way, my general advice applies especially in this house layout: develop the ground floor based on the upper floor, not the other way around. The "upper floor" here is actually a "first attic," with knee walls only about at window sill height. If the double bed is placed as shown, the person sleeping on the eaves side will have to duck to get to their bed.
AlbertKamika schrieb:
(the kitchen island is not drawn in, but I think it’s clear where it will go)
No, except that it won’t be enjoyable this way, it is not clear, because: it is very obviously not "not drawn," but "not planned." That is a significant quality difference, so I strongly recommend visiting the kitchen planning forum before considering anything further. I also suggest you get inspiration from @goalkeeper (https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Reihenendhaus-mit-gue-in-Eigenregie-bauen.31198/), preferably starting from the end to reach the current floor plans faster (regarding the recent questions on bedroom closets and bathroom ceiling spots could be even quicker—I don’t have the post numbers handy in the already quite long main thread). Especially examine the idea of placing the master bedroom in the attic. Overall, his house layout here is by far the most comparable to your problem, since the format is most similar. At this point, congratulations on sensibly not attempting to build a semi-detached house entirely by yourselves. I wish you a comparably good general contractor and hope you don't have a mayor who insists on surface-mounted utility connections either.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
hm... we also have a semi-detached house with about 145 sqm (1,560 sq ft), but we don’t have a basement and there are three of us living here. That’s why on the ground floor we have a utility room and the heating and ventilation systems are located in the attic.
Here for comparison are our upper floor and our neighbors’ upper floor; they have two children.
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I have to say, I find your price quite ambitious...
Here for comparison are our upper floor and our neighbors’ upper floor; they have two children.
I have to say, I find your price quite ambitious...
Müllerin schrieb:
Here for comparison, our upper floor and the neighbor's upper floor—they have two children
What is your knee wall height, and how is the bed positioned? How much space is there next to it?Similar topics