ᐅ Single-family house, 160 m² with basement, on a 500 m² plot of land
Created on: 9 Jun 2020 18:34
M
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
P
pagoni20207 Jul 2020 14:02face26 schrieb:
Like this?
You highlight the part you want to quote, click on quote, and write your comment in the text box.
Then highlight the next part and add again...
...but sometimes it’s best to leave certain things uncommented and let them speak for themselves You’ve got 3 x a GO for that!!! Thanks
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Details such as staircases with landings and similar elements should primarily be considered by the architects; [...] An independent architect alone is not the solution to all problems either The shape of the staircase is largely determined by the room layout and the building plot. You only have full freedom with a plot of land – but nowadays, most home builders at best get building plots.
Independent architects have a significant advantage in that the primary role of architects is to “set their clients straight” first, meaning to dispel the Pinterest fantasies that often cannot be realized without serious issues due to budget, zoning regulations, or similar constraints.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
P
pagoni20207 Jul 2020 14:53I agree with you, and this is probably the most appropriate solution, as a good architect pays for themselves through well-thought-out planning (quote from an architect). Ultimately, the original poster should realize that the planning process must start right at the beginning, and the question of a possible staircase or the location of the guest bathroom was still very premature.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
A good architect pays for themselves through well-thought-out planning (architect quote).No, fact. But it’s pointless to debate this here: the decisions regarding the general contractor’s inclusive planning have probably been made, and that is not the issue here. The problem lies in “improving” rather than discarding a concept that has not been professionally refined.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
pagoni2020 schrieb:
@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 clueless.Yes, exactly. You need to highlight and select each comment separately.I don’t know how much you’ve browsed this forum “beforehand,” but often it’s the homeowner who partly causes issues by sketching out what they want to the architect. (Aren’t you one of those too? Well, I was, but I have prior knowledge. My questionnaire was created that way as well.) And yes, the architects from general contractors/builders aren’t always ideal, but you should let them do their work first and then question why and how everything was done. If you eventually realize nothing more is coming, a forum together can really make a difference....
However, I know I’m not the only one who no longer enthusiastically digs out every piece of information from a main thread author—Kerstin and Ex-Katja have also become resistant to that by now—then there won’t be any more drawings from us... I personally only take out my old-school laptop with architect software when you can read the desperation in bright red between the lines—not to mention the builder’s draft. But many don’t want our help anyway: if a third of the questionnaire is missing or deliberately deleted, I’d rather watch TV than question everything and start a lengthy planning process. That’s best for both sides then.
If necessary, I may make a hand sketch. But that is often not taken seriously by the reader/main thread author. Nowadays, it only matters HOW it’s presented, not the idea itself.
P
pagoni20207 Jul 2020 16:32Thank you, I understand you.
Well... both of us built a long time ago, then sold, bought, and changed things again, and now we're building once more, mostly out of "necessity," because a legal issue has come up in our currently self-designed and nice home that I don’t want to depend on as I get older.
An old friend from the field, whose perspective has helped us a lot with all our projects, periodically reviews our (Senóra’s) designs. Also, we're doing this more for enjoyment than out of pure necessity. Once it’s built, I could start all over again.
The construction manager (BU) has done a good job so far, and I like his feedback and ideas—they make sense. He clearly enjoys his work and understands the direction we want to take. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even be contract partners.
From my own experience, I know you’re always influenced by all kinds of mostly unnecessary factors. With my first house, I could easily have saved 100,000 DM (about 50,000 USD) by avoiding pointless stuff. I should have just hired a good architect instead.
Still, it was a decent house for the time, but it would have been just as good without all that extra nonsense.
After a few houses/apartments and financial ups and downs, I’m less susceptible to that now, although that could be a false assumption. Today, I read a lot about KNX, controlled residential ventilation, KfW subsidies, and similar topics that feel like a foreign language to me, and I inform myself about them. But I know my own life and what I need—and what I don’t.
Reading the original poster here reminds me of my first building phase; maybe everyone has to go through that on their own. Back then, there was no internet, and in hindsight, that wasn’t a disadvantage. Driving through new housing developments today, I don’t see much real innovation—rather, more prefabricated gimmicks.
Your comment about the hand sketch probably has something to do with age—(so over 25). After that, more attention is given to the decoration around the report than to its factual content.
Just yesterday, we received a coaster sketch as an idea, and we’re using that as the basis to create our own thing.
Like others playing tennis or practicing Muay Thai, this is just something we enjoy—a nice hobby.
Thank you for your work here!
By the way, we completely changed our own floor plan (see post) and then mostly reverted it again, but still adapted it to properly include the relevant advice from the forum that fits us.
Your comment "You will always think of me" also found its place, albeit in a slightly different way—so I don’t always have to think of you. So, the warning worked.
Well... both of us built a long time ago, then sold, bought, and changed things again, and now we're building once more, mostly out of "necessity," because a legal issue has come up in our currently self-designed and nice home that I don’t want to depend on as I get older.
An old friend from the field, whose perspective has helped us a lot with all our projects, periodically reviews our (Senóra’s) designs. Also, we're doing this more for enjoyment than out of pure necessity. Once it’s built, I could start all over again.
The construction manager (BU) has done a good job so far, and I like his feedback and ideas—they make sense. He clearly enjoys his work and understands the direction we want to take. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even be contract partners.
From my own experience, I know you’re always influenced by all kinds of mostly unnecessary factors. With my first house, I could easily have saved 100,000 DM (about 50,000 USD) by avoiding pointless stuff. I should have just hired a good architect instead.
Still, it was a decent house for the time, but it would have been just as good without all that extra nonsense.
After a few houses/apartments and financial ups and downs, I’m less susceptible to that now, although that could be a false assumption. Today, I read a lot about KNX, controlled residential ventilation, KfW subsidies, and similar topics that feel like a foreign language to me, and I inform myself about them. But I know my own life and what I need—and what I don’t.
Reading the original poster here reminds me of my first building phase; maybe everyone has to go through that on their own. Back then, there was no internet, and in hindsight, that wasn’t a disadvantage. Driving through new housing developments today, I don’t see much real innovation—rather, more prefabricated gimmicks.
Your comment about the hand sketch probably has something to do with age—(so over 25). After that, more attention is given to the decoration around the report than to its factual content.
Just yesterday, we received a coaster sketch as an idea, and we’re using that as the basis to create our own thing.
Like others playing tennis or practicing Muay Thai, this is just something we enjoy—a nice hobby.
Thank you for your work here!
By the way, we completely changed our own floor plan (see post) and then mostly reverted it again, but still adapted it to properly include the relevant advice from the forum that fits us.
Your comment "You will always think of me" also found its place, albeit in a slightly different way—so I don’t always have to think of you. So, the warning worked.
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