ᐅ Semi-detached house: approximately 145 sqm with a pitched roof – potential for improvement in the bathroom?
Created on: 26 Aug 2019 10:46
S
Strahleman
Hello everyone,
I hesitated for a long time about whether to share our building project here. Mainly for one simple reason: many of you are brutally honest, and of course, you don’t want your floor plan, which you’ve grown so attached to, to be torn apart. But it doesn’t help if, after a few years, you realize the house was built blindly. So I’ve decided to ask for your (partly professional) opinions on our project.
To give you some context: it’s a semi-detached house with about 145 sqm (1,560 sq ft) in a quiet residential area. The development plan is fairly recent (from 2013) and is designed flexibly enough that basically all our wishes and requirements for the house can be realized.
About the project:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 415 sqm (4,465 sq ft)
Slope: none, just slightly inclined (max. 0.5 m (1.6 ft) over 33 m (108 ft))
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 1.0
Building area, building line, and boundaries: see development plan (building area large enough for the project, approx. 10 x 15 m (33 x 49 ft))
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: max. 2
Roof type: gable roof
Orientation: southwest
Maximum height restrictions: max. 9.60 m (31.5 ft) (9 m (29.5 ft) house + 0.6 m (2 ft) foundation slab above ground level)
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: a mix of gable roof and Bauhaus style, bright living room and children’s rooms with large windows on the south side
Basement, floors: yes to basement (full height living space), ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, ages: currently 2 (33, 30 years old), planning for 1-2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors:
Office: study room for my wife (teacher)
Overnight guests per year: very rare, max. 1-2 times a year
Open or closed layout: ground floor open layout (kitchen-dining-living area)
Conservative or modern construction style: mixed (?!?)
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen, separated cooking area against a wall, but no freestanding island
Number of dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: optional, initially not planned (chimney will be installed)
Balcony, roof terrace: no, French balconies on the upper floor
Garage, carport: double carport planned
House Design
Who designed it: planner from a building company
What do you particularly like? Why?
Good room layout (children’s rooms not too small, fairly evenly distributed), despite the gable roof, there is a large share of full ceiling height rooms on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump with horizontal trench collector, underfloor heating (+ heating circuit adjustment)
If you had to give up something, what details or features could you let go of?
Could probably give up: finishing the basement for living purposes, comfort features like heating circuit adjustment, or walk-in showers
Cannot give up: the office on the ground floor
Why did the design turn out this way?
The design is based on a standard layout from the planner, which we modified with our own ideas and wishes such as the office on the ground floor and the T-shaped bathroom. From our perspective, the floor plan is internally consistent, and it reflects our daily life needs. For example, it was important to my wife to have an office on the ground floor so she can immediately put away work things after coming home instead of having them scattered around before moving them upstairs. The open kitchen-dining-living area with large windows offers space and feels very homely without large empty areas. Additionally, there is enough storage space in the kitchen, so you don’t have to run to the basement for every can of food. The separate hallway with stairs to the upper floor is also very nice for us, as the living room does not become a thoroughfare.
We are unsure about the sofa as a divider in the living-dining area. There is about 1.3 m (4.3 ft) between the dining table and sofa, so it shouldn’t be a tight spot, right?
The upper floor is also balanced in size, with a small dressing room visually separated by a low wall. A wardrobe directly opposite the bed was a no-go for us. Possible improvements might be needed in the bathroom. The T-shaped bathroom was initially a wish of ours, but it now feels somewhat unorganized. We have already considered an alternative that makes the room appear larger while still visually separating the toilet and shower from the rest of the bathroom. The shower in the alternative layout would be 1.1 x 1.3 m (3.6 x 4.3 ft), similar to the T-shaped bathroom, and the toilet would be separated from the rest by a half-height wall to allow more light inside. The toilet area would also be 1.1 x 1.1 m (3.6 x 3.6 ft), as in the T-shaped bathroom.
By the way, the roof is initially not planned to be finished as living space, but it is prepared so that this can be added later if needed.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Are there any points, layouts, or rooms that could be improved? We like the plan, but here are many experts with the right eye for details.
Note on the designs: The window on the east side in the office is floor-to-ceiling, allowing direct garden access from the office. In the master bedroom, a roof window above the bed brings in more light. Neither is shown on the plan yet.
Looking forward to your opinions!
I hesitated for a long time about whether to share our building project here. Mainly for one simple reason: many of you are brutally honest, and of course, you don’t want your floor plan, which you’ve grown so attached to, to be torn apart. But it doesn’t help if, after a few years, you realize the house was built blindly. So I’ve decided to ask for your (partly professional) opinions on our project.
To give you some context: it’s a semi-detached house with about 145 sqm (1,560 sq ft) in a quiet residential area. The development plan is fairly recent (from 2013) and is designed flexibly enough that basically all our wishes and requirements for the house can be realized.
About the project:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 415 sqm (4,465 sq ft)
Slope: none, just slightly inclined (max. 0.5 m (1.6 ft) over 33 m (108 ft))
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 1.0
Building area, building line, and boundaries: see development plan (building area large enough for the project, approx. 10 x 15 m (33 x 49 ft))
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: max. 2
Roof type: gable roof
Orientation: southwest
Maximum height restrictions: max. 9.60 m (31.5 ft) (9 m (29.5 ft) house + 0.6 m (2 ft) foundation slab above ground level)
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: a mix of gable roof and Bauhaus style, bright living room and children’s rooms with large windows on the south side
Basement, floors: yes to basement (full height living space), ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, ages: currently 2 (33, 30 years old), planning for 1-2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors:
Office: study room for my wife (teacher)
Overnight guests per year: very rare, max. 1-2 times a year
Open or closed layout: ground floor open layout (kitchen-dining-living area)
Conservative or modern construction style: mixed (?!?)
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen, separated cooking area against a wall, but no freestanding island
Number of dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: optional, initially not planned (chimney will be installed)
Balcony, roof terrace: no, French balconies on the upper floor
Garage, carport: double carport planned
House Design
Who designed it: planner from a building company
What do you particularly like? Why?
Good room layout (children’s rooms not too small, fairly evenly distributed), despite the gable roof, there is a large share of full ceiling height rooms on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump with horizontal trench collector, underfloor heating (+ heating circuit adjustment)
If you had to give up something, what details or features could you let go of?
Could probably give up: finishing the basement for living purposes, comfort features like heating circuit adjustment, or walk-in showers
Cannot give up: the office on the ground floor
Why did the design turn out this way?
The design is based on a standard layout from the planner, which we modified with our own ideas and wishes such as the office on the ground floor and the T-shaped bathroom. From our perspective, the floor plan is internally consistent, and it reflects our daily life needs. For example, it was important to my wife to have an office on the ground floor so she can immediately put away work things after coming home instead of having them scattered around before moving them upstairs. The open kitchen-dining-living area with large windows offers space and feels very homely without large empty areas. Additionally, there is enough storage space in the kitchen, so you don’t have to run to the basement for every can of food. The separate hallway with stairs to the upper floor is also very nice for us, as the living room does not become a thoroughfare.
We are unsure about the sofa as a divider in the living-dining area. There is about 1.3 m (4.3 ft) between the dining table and sofa, so it shouldn’t be a tight spot, right?
The upper floor is also balanced in size, with a small dressing room visually separated by a low wall. A wardrobe directly opposite the bed was a no-go for us. Possible improvements might be needed in the bathroom. The T-shaped bathroom was initially a wish of ours, but it now feels somewhat unorganized. We have already considered an alternative that makes the room appear larger while still visually separating the toilet and shower from the rest of the bathroom. The shower in the alternative layout would be 1.1 x 1.3 m (3.6 x 4.3 ft), similar to the T-shaped bathroom, and the toilet would be separated from the rest by a half-height wall to allow more light inside. The toilet area would also be 1.1 x 1.1 m (3.6 x 3.6 ft), as in the T-shaped bathroom.
By the way, the roof is initially not planned to be finished as living space, but it is prepared so that this can be added later if needed.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Are there any points, layouts, or rooms that could be improved? We like the plan, but here are many experts with the right eye for details.
Note on the designs: The window on the east side in the office is floor-to-ceiling, allowing direct garden access from the office. In the master bedroom, a roof window above the bed brings in more light. Neither is shown on the plan yet.
Looking forward to your opinions!
Strahleman schrieb:
Did I understand you correctly? The shower would be really spacious. However, the short wall would only be about 1 meter long (3 feet), wouldn’t water splash out while showering? It’s certainly a good idea, I should carefully work out a proper design tonight together with my partner. Something like that. But you want the bathtub as a corner tub. So I would place it in the corner as well.
Yes, it will always get wet. A few splashes are inevitable. Personally, I manage to keep it under one meter (3 feet) while showering, but my husband still has splashes after two meters (6.5 feet). That’s lengthwise, by the way; sideways it’s not that bad.
S
Strahleman29 Aug 2019 16:45Okay, thanks for the information! So tonight it’s time to get back to the computer and try some more experiments.
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