ᐅ Semi-detached house with unequal halves = different floor plans
Created on: 6 Nov 2018 21:56
M
MadameP
Preface: The larger half on the north side (right on the plan) is intended for personal use. The smaller "half" on the south side (left on the plan) is for sale. For the sales half, the only requirement was a practical use of space for 3, max. 4 people. Therefore, I will go into more detail regarding the personal half.
Since this is not obvious from the floor plan excerpts: the personal half is 8.75 m (29 feet) wide and 9 m (30 feet) deep, the sales half is 6.10 m (20 feet) wide and 9.65 m (32 feet) deep (external dimensions).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 479 sqm (5155 sq ft), 23 m (75 ft) wide, 20.80 m (68 ft) deep
Slope: sloping southwest, approx. 3 m (10 ft) across the northeast-southwest diagonal
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.7
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback line, no specific building envelope
Adjacent buildings: neighbors’ garage on the south boundary
Parking spaces: 2 per dwelling unit
Number of floors: 2 full floors
Roof type: pitched roof 25-45 degrees, exposed rafters, half-hipped roof, vented ridge
Maximum heights / limits: max. ridge height 9.50 m (31 ft)
Additional requirements: none
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, clean lines, simple building form, gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full floors plus attic
Number of occupants, ages: 3 (2 adults + baby, no more expected); the second semi-detached unit should accommodate a family with up to 2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors for own half:
Ground floor: guest WC, wardrobe, large open living/dining area, open kitchen, utility/technical room
First floor: large children’s room, master bedroom, family bathroom, laundry room
Attic: studio (office / guest room / hobby room), shower room
Office: both family use and home office
Guests per year: approx. 20 nights, 1–4 people
Open or closed architecture:
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: both
Number of seats at dining table: 8
Fireplace: undecided
Sound/music wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: no, parking spaces only
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routines and reasons why some things should be included or excluded: For the personal half, there was a requirement for a half-landing staircase that is not accessible from the living area. A design away from the “classic semi-detached house standard” was desired, including externally. No “entrance corridor”.
House Design
Designed by: architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Personal half:
- Split level to the living area, creating high ceilings in the open living space and making use of the topography
- large wardrobe/coat area
- storage space utilized under the staircase
- utility room on the first floor
- large children’s room (intended to be swapped with the attic studio when the child is older)
Sales half:
- ?
What do you dislike? Why?
Personal half:
- Utility room only accessible from outside (wtf?!)
- Open living space rather small
- Kitchen is small, no island, dining area only for 6 people
- Guest WC wastes space
- Overall few and small windows
- Family bathroom layout: shower exit directly in front of the door, toilet right next to the sink
- No dressing room
- Attic bathroom: again, shower exit directly in front of the door
- Attic studio windows: tiny arrow slit window facing west (the side with the really great view) and two roof windows. (my next wtf moment)
Sales half:
- No second shower bathroom
- First floor bathroom tiny, no shower
- Boring floor plan
- Second room in attic without a window?! (again a wtf moment)
Price estimate according to planner: just within budget (prefer not to discuss figures publicly due to sales plans, thanks for understanding)
Preferred heating system: ideally geothermal, if still within budget
If you have to give up something, which details/extras
- can you do without: geothermal heating, attic bathroom (would at first only install plumbing, finish later)
- can you not do without: half-landing staircase
Why is the design as it currently is?
Our requirements regarding the space program were largely implemented.
Which requests did the architect fulfill?
Offset in height and depth between the two halves, staircase not opening off the living room, utility room on the first floor
What do you consider especially good or bad?
The arrangement, location and size of the windows raise major questions for me.
Furthermore, I don’t understand why the plot width isn’t fully used. We are fine with 3.50 m (11.5 ft) on the sides for parking. For the sales half, we’d leave 3 m (10 ft) to preserve garden space at the back. The very first study was even more “tube-shaped,” and we already pointed that out. Now the northern half still has 4.12 m (13.5 ft) and the southern 3.93 m (13 ft) width on the sides. Why?? Dead space next to the cars that we won’t use, instead of garden space facing west.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What can we do better?
Since this is not obvious from the floor plan excerpts: the personal half is 8.75 m (29 feet) wide and 9 m (30 feet) deep, the sales half is 6.10 m (20 feet) wide and 9.65 m (32 feet) deep (external dimensions).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 479 sqm (5155 sq ft), 23 m (75 ft) wide, 20.80 m (68 ft) deep
Slope: sloping southwest, approx. 3 m (10 ft) across the northeast-southwest diagonal
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.7
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback line, no specific building envelope
Adjacent buildings: neighbors’ garage on the south boundary
Parking spaces: 2 per dwelling unit
Number of floors: 2 full floors
Roof type: pitched roof 25-45 degrees, exposed rafters, half-hipped roof, vented ridge
Maximum heights / limits: max. ridge height 9.50 m (31 ft)
Additional requirements: none
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, clean lines, simple building form, gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full floors plus attic
Number of occupants, ages: 3 (2 adults + baby, no more expected); the second semi-detached unit should accommodate a family with up to 2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors for own half:
Ground floor: guest WC, wardrobe, large open living/dining area, open kitchen, utility/technical room
First floor: large children’s room, master bedroom, family bathroom, laundry room
Attic: studio (office / guest room / hobby room), shower room
Office: both family use and home office
Guests per year: approx. 20 nights, 1–4 people
Open or closed architecture:
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: both
Number of seats at dining table: 8
Fireplace: undecided
Sound/music wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: no, parking spaces only
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes / special features / daily routines and reasons why some things should be included or excluded: For the personal half, there was a requirement for a half-landing staircase that is not accessible from the living area. A design away from the “classic semi-detached house standard” was desired, including externally. No “entrance corridor”.
House Design
Designed by: architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Personal half:
- Split level to the living area, creating high ceilings in the open living space and making use of the topography
- large wardrobe/coat area
- storage space utilized under the staircase
- utility room on the first floor
- large children’s room (intended to be swapped with the attic studio when the child is older)
Sales half:
- ?
What do you dislike? Why?
Personal half:
- Utility room only accessible from outside (wtf?!)
- Open living space rather small
- Kitchen is small, no island, dining area only for 6 people
- Guest WC wastes space
- Overall few and small windows
- Family bathroom layout: shower exit directly in front of the door, toilet right next to the sink
- No dressing room
- Attic bathroom: again, shower exit directly in front of the door
- Attic studio windows: tiny arrow slit window facing west (the side with the really great view) and two roof windows. (my next wtf moment)
Sales half:
- No second shower bathroom
- First floor bathroom tiny, no shower
- Boring floor plan
- Second room in attic without a window?! (again a wtf moment)
Price estimate according to planner: just within budget (prefer not to discuss figures publicly due to sales plans, thanks for understanding)
Preferred heating system: ideally geothermal, if still within budget
If you have to give up something, which details/extras
- can you do without: geothermal heating, attic bathroom (would at first only install plumbing, finish later)
- can you not do without: half-landing staircase
Why is the design as it currently is?
Our requirements regarding the space program were largely implemented.
Which requests did the architect fulfill?
Offset in height and depth between the two halves, staircase not opening off the living room, utility room on the first floor
What do you consider especially good or bad?
The arrangement, location and size of the windows raise major questions for me.
Furthermore, I don’t understand why the plot width isn’t fully used. We are fine with 3.50 m (11.5 ft) on the sides for parking. For the sales half, we’d leave 3 m (10 ft) to preserve garden space at the back. The very first study was even more “tube-shaped,” and we already pointed that out. Now the northern half still has 4.12 m (13.5 ft) and the southern 3.93 m (13 ft) width on the sides. Why?? Dead space next to the cars that we won’t use, instead of garden space facing west.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What can we do better?
Using drywall can backfire seriously, especially with insulation behind it. Hopefully, the vapor barrier is properly installed; otherwise, it can become really troublesome to remove everything again.
Good luck for the next few weeks. Hopefully, the final installation of the windows won't take that long.
Good luck for the next few weeks. Hopefully, the final installation of the windows won't take that long.
The story of our somewhat dramatic and frustrating house construction has added another chapter: the heating system.
At the beginning of December, I found the installation of the heating pipes to be rather minimal and asked to see the design plans. (Yes, I know, hindsight is always 20/20.) After reviewing them, I ordered a work stoppage and called the expert.
“No heat load calculation is available, so they had to rely on estimated values. All data must be verified on-site.” Then there were imaginary floor coverings and target temperatures, plus supply/return flow temperatures assumed at 38/32°C (100/90°F). I was completely stunned. And nobody thought to present this to the general contractor as the client or to us, the homeowners, for on-site verification. Being a first-time builder, I trusted the general contractor to ensure proper execution, but he left it entirely to his subcontractor, who obviously tried to save time and money. What really infuriated me was that the calculation was from April. There was plenty of time to review everything carefully.
The loop this triggered cost us a whole month due to the Christmas holidays and went as follows:
The expert informed us that the general contractor owes room-by-room heat load calculations according to DIN standards—whatever that means. The homeowner gave the general contractor a hard time, which escalated into major shouting. They demanded a heat load calculation to resize the heating system(s) (everything doubled due to underfloor heating), plus any necessary corrections. In house 1, everything was fully installed, and in house 2, at least the ground floor was done! The general contractor hesitated for several days; I believe there was a mild escalation with the plumber as well. The plumber was the first to yell at me on-site, asking who was going to pay for all the extra work now?! (I just said, well, I know who definitely won’t pay — us. How he settles with the general contractor is none of my business.) Somehow, they finally realized they had made a bigger mistake. (The expert supported me very well with arguments in this matter. Eventually, I just forwarded his emails. I also hired an external technical building system planner and reviewed everything with them.) So now the plumber hates me, but the bottom line is that everything will be redone. Obviously, nothing happened before Christmas, so no screed was laid either. Yesterday, they started correcting the heating loops. The general contractor is playing it safe now and is applying PCT Retanol to the screed at his own expense so that it should be ready for covering after 14 days.
I only got through December with pantoprazole, valerian tea, and a lot of noise. Building a house like this is really no fun!! When the screed is finally in (hopefully next week), we will definitely be popping some corks.
At the beginning of December, I found the installation of the heating pipes to be rather minimal and asked to see the design plans. (Yes, I know, hindsight is always 20/20.) After reviewing them, I ordered a work stoppage and called the expert.
“No heat load calculation is available, so they had to rely on estimated values. All data must be verified on-site.” Then there were imaginary floor coverings and target temperatures, plus supply/return flow temperatures assumed at 38/32°C (100/90°F). I was completely stunned. And nobody thought to present this to the general contractor as the client or to us, the homeowners, for on-site verification. Being a first-time builder, I trusted the general contractor to ensure proper execution, but he left it entirely to his subcontractor, who obviously tried to save time and money. What really infuriated me was that the calculation was from April. There was plenty of time to review everything carefully.
The loop this triggered cost us a whole month due to the Christmas holidays and went as follows:
The expert informed us that the general contractor owes room-by-room heat load calculations according to DIN standards—whatever that means. The homeowner gave the general contractor a hard time, which escalated into major shouting. They demanded a heat load calculation to resize the heating system(s) (everything doubled due to underfloor heating), plus any necessary corrections. In house 1, everything was fully installed, and in house 2, at least the ground floor was done! The general contractor hesitated for several days; I believe there was a mild escalation with the plumber as well. The plumber was the first to yell at me on-site, asking who was going to pay for all the extra work now?! (I just said, well, I know who definitely won’t pay — us. How he settles with the general contractor is none of my business.) Somehow, they finally realized they had made a bigger mistake. (The expert supported me very well with arguments in this matter. Eventually, I just forwarded his emails. I also hired an external technical building system planner and reviewed everything with them.) So now the plumber hates me, but the bottom line is that everything will be redone. Obviously, nothing happened before Christmas, so no screed was laid either. Yesterday, they started correcting the heating loops. The general contractor is playing it safe now and is applying PCT Retanol to the screed at his own expense so that it should be ready for covering after 14 days.
I only got through December with pantoprazole, valerian tea, and a lot of noise. Building a house like this is really no fun!! When the screed is finally in (hopefully next week), we will definitely be popping some corks.
kaho674 schrieb:
Galama? What is that? That’s what the general contractor once recommended to me: “Drink a cup of Galama” – Galama tonic, a strengthening remedy for the nerves, heart, and circulatory system. Similar topics