ᐅ Single-family house, 160 m² with basement, on a 500 m² plot of land
Created on: 9 Jun 2020 18:34
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Murmelstein
Hi,
We have a 500m2 (5400 sq ft) plot where we would like to build.
We have now received the initial plans from our preferred construction company.
We need a basement because my wife and I both work from home, and we have three children who should each have their own room.
The attic is not really a good option due to the small dormer window and a building height limit of 9 meters (30 ft). The basement is quite expensive because of the clay soil, but in the end, we decided in favor of the basement, and the first financing simulations fit approximately a $680,000 build cost including additional construction expenses. The land is not included, of course.
I think the plans are already quite good, but I don’t have much expertise. A master bathroom was our request. The guest bathroom on the ground floor is there because we often have guests staying with us.
In my opinion, the pantry can be left out.
I planned the upstairs hallway once larger and once smaller to allow for a bigger children’s bathroom.
I miss the external staircase to the basement. If the stairs were on the right side, it would allow for "normal" windows in the basement offices. I have pointed this out. Also, the street runs roughly along the house from left to right and drops about one meter (3 ft).
I’m not sure about the layout of the "fitness" room; I think it might be structurally necessary. I want to bother the architect only once we are 100% sure we are going with this construction company.
What I generally don't like right now is that generic feel when looking at it, but the house is simply a standard two-story with a 30° pitched roof.
I would really like to know from your experience whether this covered terrace is a good idea or not.
Thanks in advance
We have a 500m2 (5400 sq ft) plot where we would like to build.
We have now received the initial plans from our preferred construction company.
We need a basement because my wife and I both work from home, and we have three children who should each have their own room.
The attic is not really a good option due to the small dormer window and a building height limit of 9 meters (30 ft). The basement is quite expensive because of the clay soil, but in the end, we decided in favor of the basement, and the first financing simulations fit approximately a $680,000 build cost including additional construction expenses. The land is not included, of course.
I think the plans are already quite good, but I don’t have much expertise. A master bathroom was our request. The guest bathroom on the ground floor is there because we often have guests staying with us.
In my opinion, the pantry can be left out.
I planned the upstairs hallway once larger and once smaller to allow for a bigger children’s bathroom.
I miss the external staircase to the basement. If the stairs were on the right side, it would allow for "normal" windows in the basement offices. I have pointed this out. Also, the street runs roughly along the house from left to right and drops about one meter (3 ft).
I’m not sure about the layout of the "fitness" room; I think it might be structurally necessary. I want to bother the architect only once we are 100% sure we are going with this construction company.
What I generally don't like right now is that generic feel when looking at it, but the house is simply a standard two-story with a 30° pitched roof.
I would really like to know from your experience whether this covered terrace is a good idea or not.
Thanks in advance
Murmelstein schrieb:
So far, the architect has completely held back her professional opinion and only presented what we gave her as input. Do you mean she acted more like a draftsman for you? That is exactly the wrong approach. She is educated and should provide her professional work.
Murmelstein schrieb:
We really like the upper floor design but are afraid that a new staircase could ruin everything upstairs. There are many ways to reach the goal. Flexibility is important here. An alternative approach might also be good.
Murmelstein schrieb:
Therefore, I am still grateful for your help here, as you provide us with input for the next meeting with the architect. If you had provided a site plan, building boundaries (building setback), and information about neighboring properties in your initial question, you might be further along by now.
Go to your architect and express the desire for a cloakroom and a bathroom with a window.
Personally, if I were you, I would use the design on page 5, repurpose that tiny vestibule no one needs as a cloakroom, and properly arrange the living room. Also consider rotating the staircase so you have a short path to the basement for storage. The only real problem here is that tiny vestibule, which nobody needs.
Ibdk14 schrieb:
I don’t understand the argument that the guest toilet is only used by guests. Our ground floor toilet is used several times daily by all household members. Only occasionally does someone go upstairs to the bathrooms for quick toilet visits or handwashing. Is it different in your homes?
Damn – that was already mentioned but unfortunately it is being overlooked
Murmelstein schrieb:
But we are definitely still in the preliminary planning phase. You actually are not. What has been shown are more like draft drawings, with dimensioned walls, etc. By this stage, it’s already too late for a paradigm shift regarding the staircase, and using a wrecking ball would cause less damage than a file. Of course, this only applies if the conceptual design phase isn’t skipped again.
Murmelstein schrieb:
That’s why I’m still grateful for your help here, since you’re providing input for our next appointment with the architect. The forum management apparently did not recognize Katja’s role as a “Key User,” resulting in a gap. Whether @Würfel* can/wants/will fill that is still unknown to me. Kerstin and Yvonne are still around too, but I don’t see the contracted architect’s skills as entirely replaceable.
ypg schrieb:
Many roads lead to Rome. But only if the travelers don’t run out of GPS battery shortly after Frankfurt :-(
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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pagoni20207 Jul 2020 13:50Murmelstein schrieb:
Wow, thanks for your input!
What you see here is the architect’s second design attempt. We are also partly the problem because at the beginning we didn’t know what we wanted and were just trying things out. Of course, I don’t need a 20sqm (215 sq ft) foyer... The stairs and other walls would be adjusted. Right now, I’m leaning more toward a staircase with a landing, because it simply frees up more living space on the ground floor while still having a decent hallway.
But we are definitely still in the early planning phase. We have talked with four companies, received plans, and have now just chosen the construction company based on many factors. So the real planning is only starting now. Until now, the architect has kept her professional opinion 100% in check and only presented what we gave her as input. Changing the construction company now would be over the top. Sure, a freelance architect or interior designer would handle it differently, but we can’t afford that, and the construction model doesn’t fit us.
That’s why I’m still grateful for your help here, as you provide input for our next meeting with the architect.
The shower bathroom in the basement is because we have a guest room there and just spend a lot of time there. Both work from home.
A guest toilet without a window is a no-go for my wife, but if that makes everything else significantly better, then it’s acceptable.
But yes, the biggest issue right now is the position of the stairs. It just doesn’t work like this. We do like the upper floor very much and are afraid a new staircase might ruin everything up there. I don’t think you are the problem since you want to build and pay for it, and you want a service that meets your wishes. That also includes proper planning and design. You can only give your wishes and preferences, and the architect MUST absolutely contribute her knowledge and experience in regard to your wishes. That is her job!
If you have found a construction company that suits you, you should absolutely stay with them, I completely understand that!
Details like a staircase with a landing should primarily be the architect’s concern; she can and knows how to do that! Your attachment is not necessarily to a staircase with a landing, but rather to a nice functional and floor plan design overall.
The 100% holding back must stop—ask her directly how she can implement your preferences. SHE must take action especially.
A freelance architect alone is not a solution for all problems, and there you can have luck or bad luck as well; you don’t necessarily need an artist for this.
Maybe you can also find online one or two floor plans you like, which she can then “just” adapt. That’s why I suggest following @ypg’s advice to provide more perspectives and information here in the forum.
You will always be at least five people in the house, plus offices or guests. I would plan at least one shower/WC per floor — that’s not a luxury.
Don’t worry about the upper floor; there are thousands of ways to create nice or even nicer living spaces there; just try to let go of the current design!
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pagoni20207 Jul 2020 13:54@ypg how can I insert individual replies within a longer text from a user, or do you know where this is explained? I can't find anything... probably just not clever enough.
So?
You highlight the part you want to quote, click on quote, and write your comment in the text box.
Then you highlight the next part and add more...
...but sometimes it’s best to leave some things uncommented and let them speak for themselves.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
How can I insert individual replies within a longer text from a user?
You highlight the part you want to quote, click on quote, and write your comment in the text box.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Do you know where this is explained? I can’t find anything.
Then you highlight the next part and add more...
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Maybe I’m just too blond.
...but sometimes it’s best to leave some things uncommented and let them speak for themselves.
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