ᐅ Single-family house – 150 sqm – 1.5 stories – frustration
Created on: 4 Oct 2019 18:23
S
snowfollows
Hello!
After receiving a draft from the architect yesterday, I am reaching out to you in desperation!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 819m² (8,819 sq ft)
Slope no
Site coverage ratio -
Floor area ratio -
Building window, building line, and boundary -
Edge development -
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of stories -
Roof type -
Architectural style -
Orientation -
Maximum height / limits -
Other requirements -
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type timeless, classic, simple, brick veneer, gable roof
Basement, number of floors no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of people, age 2 currently (26, 23) plus a dog (Golden Retriever), children soon
Space requirements on ground floor: kitchen, living room, dining room, utility room, bathroom with shower, possibly an office upper floor: master bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom, office if not on ground floor, laundry room would be nice
Office: family use or home office? home office
Number of guest sleepers per year 0
Open or closed layout semi-open
Conservative or modern construction style ?
Open kitchen, cooking island cooking island
Number of dining seats daily 4, guests 8
Fireplace no
Music / stereo wall no
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage, carport carport
Vegetable garden, greenhouse no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are or are not wanted:
- Carport adjacent to utility room
- Utility room adjacent to kitchen
- Kitchen semi-open to living/dining area
- Possibility to create 2 separate living units, for example through a staircase at the main entrance and a vestibule in the hallway (for when the children grow up, rental, etc.)
House Design
Who designed it: architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Not really anything
What do you dislike? Why? Room layout is totally illogical, for example living room in the northeast, utility room in the southwest and far from the carport, 170m² (1,829 sq ft) instead of 150m² (1,615 sq ft)
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: -
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: €275,000
Preferred heating technology: geothermal with horizontal trench collector
If you had to give up something, which details/features
- can you give up: cooking island, office on ground floor, laundry room
- cannot give up: semi-open living / kitchen area, possibility to create 2 separate living units
Why does the design look the way it does? For example:
Standard design from the planner? No, but the planner showed us a similar floor plan during discussions
Which of your wishes were implemented by the architect? four walls
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? They hardly considered our wishes and the house is way too large
What is the most important or fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We took our own floor plan to two builders who offered it as is. We were not really satisfied and wanted a professional involved. Unfortunately, the architect’s drawing was a real disappointment. Issues I notice as a layperson seem to be overlooked or ignored. Shouldn’t our wishes be feasible within 150m² (1,615 sq ft)? The floor plan problem is holding us back a lot. The architect took almost a month to send us this poor draft. Structural calculations, energy regulations, etc., are waiting to move forward, and I don’t know what to do.
The house is number 25 (blue in the center) on the site plan.
Best regards
André
After receiving a draft from the architect yesterday, I am reaching out to you in desperation!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 819m² (8,819 sq ft)
Slope no
Site coverage ratio -
Floor area ratio -
Building window, building line, and boundary -
Edge development -
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of stories -
Roof type -
Architectural style -
Orientation -
Maximum height / limits -
Other requirements -
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type timeless, classic, simple, brick veneer, gable roof
Basement, number of floors no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of people, age 2 currently (26, 23) plus a dog (Golden Retriever), children soon
Space requirements on ground floor: kitchen, living room, dining room, utility room, bathroom with shower, possibly an office upper floor: master bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom, office if not on ground floor, laundry room would be nice
Office: family use or home office? home office
Number of guest sleepers per year 0
Open or closed layout semi-open
Conservative or modern construction style ?
Open kitchen, cooking island cooking island
Number of dining seats daily 4, guests 8
Fireplace no
Music / stereo wall no
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage, carport carport
Vegetable garden, greenhouse no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are or are not wanted:
- Carport adjacent to utility room
- Utility room adjacent to kitchen
- Kitchen semi-open to living/dining area
- Possibility to create 2 separate living units, for example through a staircase at the main entrance and a vestibule in the hallway (for when the children grow up, rental, etc.)
House Design
Who designed it: architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Not really anything
What do you dislike? Why? Room layout is totally illogical, for example living room in the northeast, utility room in the southwest and far from the carport, 170m² (1,829 sq ft) instead of 150m² (1,615 sq ft)
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: -
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: €275,000
Preferred heating technology: geothermal with horizontal trench collector
If you had to give up something, which details/features
- can you give up: cooking island, office on ground floor, laundry room
- cannot give up: semi-open living / kitchen area, possibility to create 2 separate living units
Why does the design look the way it does? For example:
Standard design from the planner? No, but the planner showed us a similar floor plan during discussions
Which of your wishes were implemented by the architect? four walls
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? They hardly considered our wishes and the house is way too large
What is the most important or fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We took our own floor plan to two builders who offered it as is. We were not really satisfied and wanted a professional involved. Unfortunately, the architect’s drawing was a real disappointment. Issues I notice as a layperson seem to be overlooked or ignored. Shouldn’t our wishes be feasible within 150m² (1,615 sq ft)? The floor plan problem is holding us back a lot. The architect took almost a month to send us this poor draft. Structural calculations, energy regulations, etc., are waiting to move forward, and I don’t know what to do.
The house is number 25 (blue in the center) on the site plan.
Best regards
André
snowfollows schrieb:
Floor area ratio -
Plot ratio -
Building envelope, building line, and building boundary -
Edge development -
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of floors -
Roof type -
Architectural style -
Orientation -
Maximum heights/limits -
Additional requirements - Normally, this is where you should stop reading!
snowfollows schrieb:
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: 275,000€ And here, you start calculating immediately.
snowfollows schrieb:
Laundry room means: washing machine and dryer on a platform, base cabinets with countertop, and space to place a drying rack there. Ah, what a fuss for a preliminary plan.
snowfollows schrieb:
Additional foundation work €0.00 (according to the contractor’s offer) Yep, up to 30cm (12 inches)... or did he already have the geotechnical report?
snowfollows schrieb:
Construction water and electricity €1,000.00 That will be more – even in Lower Saxony!
snowfollows schrieb:
€50 net, the standard for most is €30. €130? What are you planning to install? When my parents renovated three years ago, they ended up paying €50 gross for something decent... It’s about a) materials and b) labor.
I’d say: if you’ve had the contract reviewed, then any potential additional costs should also have been checked by the expert, including the electrical work. Although the expert naturally doesn’t know exactly what you want – such as exterior lighting, alternating current... even the standard shower tray wouldn’t be enough for me.
Then there’s also the bathroom on the ground floor because of possible partial ownership.
Being in Lower Saxony, costs are still under €2,000 per square meter (under $186 per square foot)...
S
snowfollows4 Oct 2019 23:09ypg schrieb:
Normally, you should probably stop reading here! As explained earlier, there are hardly any regulations in the building permit / planning permission. And these do not apply to us (10m (33 feet) height, 50° roof pitch). I also offered to cancel the building permit / planning permission.
ypg schrieb:
Aha, what nonsense for a preliminary plan Optional, we liked it because laundry usually accumulates in the bedrooms and bathrooms.
ypg schrieb:
Yep, up to 30 cm (12 inches)... or did he already have the soil survey? We have 25cm (10 inches) of brown sand, then yellow medium-firm to firm soil.
ypg schrieb:
It will be more – even in Lower Saxony! Okay, what should we expect?
ypg schrieb:
a) for materials That’s purely for materials. I already mentioned that.
ypg schrieb:
A standard bathtub wouldn’t be enough for me. We have selected bathroom fixtures; generally, we are building without a bathtub unless by “standard bathtub” you mean something else.
ypg schrieb:
Then there’s the bathroom on the ground floor because of the possibility to divide the building... I (still) don’t understand that?
ypg schrieb:
Let’s put it this way: you should have had the contract reviewed! Then potential additional costs should also have been checked by the surveyor. Also the electrical system. Although the surveyor doesn’t really know what you want. Outdoor lighting, alternating current... Also, a standard bathtub wouldn’t be enough for me. We haven’t had the contract reviewed yet. That will come after architect -> structural engineer -> calculations -> revised offers.
Just take a look in the building costs section. Keep in mind that prices change over time, so you should roughly add about 30% to the costs listed from 2014.
Also, "provided by the owner" still means not included in the contract and will be an additional cost for the client.
An important point: if you are planning separate apartments, then on the ground floor you will need a bathroom instead of just a toilet. Should the bathroom be barrier-free? What size are you thinking of?
Never build without a bathtub, even if you don’t need it right now. At some point, you will need it.
A basic alternative is simply installing a stairlift later on.
Also, "provided by the owner" still means not included in the contract and will be an additional cost for the client.
An important point: if you are planning separate apartments, then on the ground floor you will need a bathroom instead of just a toilet. Should the bathroom be barrier-free? What size are you thinking of?
Never build without a bathtub, even if you don’t need it right now. At some point, you will need it.
A basic alternative is simply installing a stairlift later on.
B
boxandroof5 Oct 2019 02:04Take the time you need. The plot is not bad, and it should be possible to create a nice layout with a good orientation.
What is important now are clear objectives: second apartment yes or no? Home office? Then a door would be useful (your last suggestion).
Five rooms and 150m2 (1,615 sq ft) are nothing unusual, and I would first look at standard floor plans online to see how they fit on the plot. If you find something suitable, you won’t have to deal with an architect right away.
I would position the house as far north as possible, even at the expense of the car(s): for example, a second or third parking space south, parallel to the street, and a carport for only one car width in front. Is it allowed for the carport to be on the property boundary?
My first idea for the orientation would be to align the narrow gable end toward the street, as shown in the site plan. Front door and stairwell in the north. Long driveway on the north side, carport far right directly after the front door in the northeast.
If you rotate the house, the plot is used more efficiently, as you have noticed, if I understood you correctly. But the floor plan might be more difficult and the orientation towards the sun would suffer, including the garden in the evening. Both options are possible. Try this out with rough sketches, a shoebox, and your desk lamp as the sun.
Costs: don’t let them drive you crazy. Plan the floor plan first.
Architect’s design: put it aside for now. One objection: the ceiling height on the ground floor is too low compared to the upper floor, and the ground floor construction is too tight if there is no insulation below the slab. This could reduce the usable room height further and would be frustrating if noticed too late.
What is important now are clear objectives: second apartment yes or no? Home office? Then a door would be useful (your last suggestion).
Five rooms and 150m2 (1,615 sq ft) are nothing unusual, and I would first look at standard floor plans online to see how they fit on the plot. If you find something suitable, you won’t have to deal with an architect right away.
I would position the house as far north as possible, even at the expense of the car(s): for example, a second or third parking space south, parallel to the street, and a carport for only one car width in front. Is it allowed for the carport to be on the property boundary?
My first idea for the orientation would be to align the narrow gable end toward the street, as shown in the site plan. Front door and stairwell in the north. Long driveway on the north side, carport far right directly after the front door in the northeast.
If you rotate the house, the plot is used more efficiently, as you have noticed, if I understood you correctly. But the floor plan might be more difficult and the orientation towards the sun would suffer, including the garden in the evening. Both options are possible. Try this out with rough sketches, a shoebox, and your desk lamp as the sun.
Costs: don’t let them drive you crazy. Plan the floor plan first.
Architect’s design: put it aside for now. One objection: the ceiling height on the ground floor is too low compared to the upper floor, and the ground floor construction is too tight if there is no insulation below the slab. This could reduce the usable room height further and would be frustrating if noticed too late.
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