Hello everyone!
We are currently finalizing the plans for our new home.
We would really appreciate your opinions, tips, suggestions, and constructive criticism!
We basically like the design a lot, but I’m not happy with the staircase situation on the upper floor. Downstairs there is a landing staircase that then continues as a quarter-turn staircase (due to limited space) leading up to the attic. I don’t find this combination visually appealing. We tried planning a straight staircase, but didn’t make much progress. We’re not big fans of winding staircases, and this seems to be the biggest challenge right now.
The staircase should also not be located in the entrance area or visible from the entrance.
Both staircases are open to the back (does that make sense?). There is an open space in the hallway reaching all the way to the top. A brick parapet (or railing) is planned there.
The staircase should be accessible from the opposite direction.
Upstairs, I would prefer to have the washer and dryer in the bathroom. However, the solution of placing them in the walk-in closet is also okay for us.
Is there generally enough storage space? The garage is very large at 4.5 x 9m (15 x 30 feet), but it will also be used as a workshop, so the only storage areas available are the basement storage room, the space under the stairs, and the attic.
The hallway upstairs feels too narrow at 115cm (45 inches) and will be widened to about 130-140cm (51-55 inches).
The attic will be fully finished since my small office will be located there. The rest of the space will be for storage – this is not yet reflected in the plans.
Thanks so much in advance for your feedback. Here are the key details:
Zoning/Planning Restrictions
Plot size: 509 sqm (5,478 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building line and building boundary: 3 m (10 feet) setback from property boundary
Edge development: garage on the north side, over 9 m (30 feet) long
Parking spaces: 2 (in front of the garage and under the kitchen window)
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof with 38-48° pitch
Style
Orientation: ridge runs east/west
Maximum heights/limits: 9.5 m (31 feet)
Eaves height: 4.2 m (14 feet)
Other regulations
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style: modern
Roof type: gable roof without overhangs
Building type: single-family house
Basement: no
Number of floors: 1.5 plus attic
Number of occupants: 4
Ages: 44, 37, 4, 2
Ground floor spaces: living room, kitchen with dining area, cloakroom, guest toilet, storage room
Upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, master bedroom, separate walk-in closet with washer/dryer, bathroom
Attic: utility room, office
Office use: family use or home office – home office
Number of guest stays per year: 4-10
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, no
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine: landing or straight staircase, staircase in the living/dining area, living room no larger than 25 sqm (270 sq ft), access from garage to house, large kitchen/dining area, large children’s bedrooms (approx. 15 sqm (160 sq ft)) facing the garden (west), master bedroom no larger than 12-14 sqm (130-150 sq ft), separate walk-in closet and bedroom due to different wake-up times, walk-in closet with washer/dryer, large bathroom (with washer/dryer as alternative to the walk-in closet), proper staircase to the attic because it will be used as an office
House Design
Who created the design: planner from a building company and do-it-yourself
What we like most: children’s bedrooms, bathroom size, utility room on the ground floor with access to garage and garden, spacious entrance area, staircase in dining area
What we don’t like: staircase from upper floor to attic, street view (east)
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings:
Preferred heating system: gas, controlled ventilation with heat recovery
If you have to give up anything, what would it be?
- Could give up: nothing
- Cannot give up: nothing
Thank you very much!
XeNiA
We are currently finalizing the plans for our new home.
We would really appreciate your opinions, tips, suggestions, and constructive criticism!
We basically like the design a lot, but I’m not happy with the staircase situation on the upper floor. Downstairs there is a landing staircase that then continues as a quarter-turn staircase (due to limited space) leading up to the attic. I don’t find this combination visually appealing. We tried planning a straight staircase, but didn’t make much progress. We’re not big fans of winding staircases, and this seems to be the biggest challenge right now.
The staircase should also not be located in the entrance area or visible from the entrance.
Both staircases are open to the back (does that make sense?). There is an open space in the hallway reaching all the way to the top. A brick parapet (or railing) is planned there.
The staircase should be accessible from the opposite direction.
Upstairs, I would prefer to have the washer and dryer in the bathroom. However, the solution of placing them in the walk-in closet is also okay for us.
Is there generally enough storage space? The garage is very large at 4.5 x 9m (15 x 30 feet), but it will also be used as a workshop, so the only storage areas available are the basement storage room, the space under the stairs, and the attic.
The hallway upstairs feels too narrow at 115cm (45 inches) and will be widened to about 130-140cm (51-55 inches).
The attic will be fully finished since my small office will be located there. The rest of the space will be for storage – this is not yet reflected in the plans.
Thanks so much in advance for your feedback. Here are the key details:
Zoning/Planning Restrictions
Plot size: 509 sqm (5,478 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building line and building boundary: 3 m (10 feet) setback from property boundary
Edge development: garage on the north side, over 9 m (30 feet) long
Parking spaces: 2 (in front of the garage and under the kitchen window)
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof with 38-48° pitch
Style
Orientation: ridge runs east/west
Maximum heights/limits: 9.5 m (31 feet)
Eaves height: 4.2 m (14 feet)
Other regulations
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style: modern
Roof type: gable roof without overhangs
Building type: single-family house
Basement: no
Number of floors: 1.5 plus attic
Number of occupants: 4
Ages: 44, 37, 4, 2
Ground floor spaces: living room, kitchen with dining area, cloakroom, guest toilet, storage room
Upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, master bedroom, separate walk-in closet with washer/dryer, bathroom
Attic: utility room, office
Office use: family use or home office – home office
Number of guest stays per year: 4-10
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, yes
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, no
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine: landing or straight staircase, staircase in the living/dining area, living room no larger than 25 sqm (270 sq ft), access from garage to house, large kitchen/dining area, large children’s bedrooms (approx. 15 sqm (160 sq ft)) facing the garden (west), master bedroom no larger than 12-14 sqm (130-150 sq ft), separate walk-in closet and bedroom due to different wake-up times, walk-in closet with washer/dryer, large bathroom (with washer/dryer as alternative to the walk-in closet), proper staircase to the attic because it will be used as an office
House Design
Who created the design: planner from a building company and do-it-yourself
What we like most: children’s bedrooms, bathroom size, utility room on the ground floor with access to garage and garden, spacious entrance area, staircase in dining area
What we don’t like: staircase from upper floor to attic, street view (east)
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings:
Preferred heating system: gas, controlled ventilation with heat recovery
If you have to give up anything, what would it be?
- Could give up: nothing
- Cannot give up: nothing
Thank you very much!
XeNiA
Thanks for this thought-provoking input :-)
At the very beginning of our planning, we had the same thoughts and fully agree with you! Somehow, we lost sight of it because we planned to do most of the outdoor design after moving in and understanding how the traffic flow works.
On the dining/kitchen side (south side), we only have 3m (10 feet) from the property boundary. Is that enough depth for a terrace? Wouldn't it feel too cramped?
The point about having the washing machine and dryer upstairs in the dressing room will definitely be reconsidered.
I would love it if we could somehow integrate them into the bathroom, even if it means making the dressing room a bit smaller.
At the very beginning of our planning, we had the same thoughts and fully agree with you! Somehow, we lost sight of it because we planned to do most of the outdoor design after moving in and understanding how the traffic flow works.
On the dining/kitchen side (south side), we only have 3m (10 feet) from the property boundary. Is that enough depth for a terrace? Wouldn't it feel too cramped?
The point about having the washing machine and dryer upstairs in the dressing room will definitely be reconsidered.
I would love it if we could somehow integrate them into the bathroom, even if it means making the dressing room a bit smaller.
Thank you all very much for your feedback! I'm glad it seems to have turned out well overall 🙂
Based on your comments, I have just made some changes to the floor plan, windows, and elevations.
What do you think about them?
I like the east elevation much better this way.
I can't come up with a good solution regarding the many windows in the living room, especially since I love large windows ;-)
Based on your comments, I have just made some changes to the floor plan, windows, and elevations.
What do you think about them?
I like the east elevation much better this way.
I can't come up with a good solution regarding the many windows in the living room, especially since I love large windows ;-)
ypg schrieb:
The trend is moving towards a third terrace. One of them can be designed to be a bit cozier. But the objection from @Tego12 is completely justified.
RegardsYes, the objection is definitely justified 🙂 But I don’t think we’ll manage to have three terraces 😉
Hello!
Since I always find it fascinating to see how all the planned floor plans turned out, I would also like to show you our finished house and share whether we would build it exactly the same way again.
We started building in March 2017 and moved in after exactly 8 months of construction in November 2017. So, we have been living in the house for almost seven years now.
We would plan almost everything the same as back then (I will focus here only on the floor plan aspects):
- Staircase oriented towards the dining area, not directly in the entrance
- Second shower on the ground floor
- Direct access from utility room to the garage
- Living room separated from dining area and kitchen by a wall
- Half-landing staircase
- Kitchen-dining area as the heart of the house
- Large expansion potential in the attic
- Second utility room upstairs with washing machine and dryer
- Children’s bedrooms of equal size
What we would change:
- Swap the locations of the children’s bedrooms with the master bedroom and bathroom to get more natural light
- Larger window front in the living room without interruptions
I hope these suggestions are interesting or helpful for some of you and wish you a pleasant evening!
Since I always find it fascinating to see how all the planned floor plans turned out, I would also like to show you our finished house and share whether we would build it exactly the same way again.
We started building in March 2017 and moved in after exactly 8 months of construction in November 2017. So, we have been living in the house for almost seven years now.
We would plan almost everything the same as back then (I will focus here only on the floor plan aspects):
- Staircase oriented towards the dining area, not directly in the entrance
- Second shower on the ground floor
- Direct access from utility room to the garage
- Living room separated from dining area and kitchen by a wall
- Half-landing staircase
- Kitchen-dining area as the heart of the house
- Large expansion potential in the attic
- Second utility room upstairs with washing machine and dryer
- Children’s bedrooms of equal size
What we would change:
- Swap the locations of the children’s bedrooms with the master bedroom and bathroom to get more natural light
- Larger window front in the living room without interruptions
I hope these suggestions are interesting or helpful for some of you and wish you a pleasant evening!
M
Maulwurfbau1 Oct 2024 09:58Very, very nicely done. I really like your floor plan.
I find the aspect of time and the changing perspective on a house quite interesting. Planned in 2016, when hardly anyone seriously considered a home office yet, today you will find a small office in almost every design.
I find the aspect of time and the changing perspective on a house quite interesting. Planned in 2016, when hardly anyone seriously considered a home office yet, today you will find a small office in almost every design.
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