Hello dear house-building forum!
I have already done a lot of reading but still haven't found a suitable solution or optimization for our single-family home. Maybe you can help me further?!
First, some details about our single-family home:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size – 890 sqm (9579 sq ft)
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – ?
Floor area ratio – 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary – building line is 6 m (20 ft)
Edge development?
Number of parking spaces – garage for 1 car
Number of floors – 1
Roof type – any
Architectural style – bungalow area, old house still standing, will be completely demolished
Orientation – ?
Maximum heights/limits:
- Ridge height max. 9 m (29.5 ft) measured from the top of the foundation
- Eaves height of the single-story main structures must not exceed 2.75–3.00 m (9.0–9.8 ft) (measured from top of foundation to bottom edge of gutter)
- Roof extensions allowed up to max. 2/5 of the eaves length
Other requirements – originally a designated bungalow area
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type – single-family home modern, pitched roof, solid construction
Basement, floors – no basement, ground floor, first floor, finished attic
Number of people, ages – 3–4 / 30, 31, 1 year
Space needed on ground and upper floors – 80–90 sqm (860–970 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? No office but a guest room with a desk
Number of overnight guests per year – 20–30
Open or closed layout? ?
Conservative or modern construction? Rather modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island? Both
Number of dining seats – 6–8
Fireplace – yes
Music/stereo wall – yes, in a small version
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – garage with sauna and small lounge area, space for DIY/workshop
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why this or that should or should not be included: Utility room is intentionally on the east side because daylight in the guest room and guest bathroom was more important to us. The sauna is intentionally located in the 2.20 m (7.2 ft) high garage because we want direct access to the garden.
House design
Who planned it: self-drawn, architect digitized. BUT: so far only the dimensions are set, interior walls, windows, and furniture are partially not yet in the correct positions!
-Planner from a construction company: no
-Architect: yes
-Do-it-yourself: all
What do you particularly like? Why? We think we have a coherent flow for everyday living but are still open to improvements and tips for saving space
What don’t you like? Why? Solution in the garage with sauna, first floor: master bedroom with dressing room, which should be able to fit at least 2 wardrobes of 3 m (10 ft) each
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 320,000
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 300,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump with photovoltaics
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions
-Can you live without: we are open to suggestions
-Can’t live without: guest room, sauna, size of utility room
Why is the design the way it is now? E.g.
Standard design from the planner? Inspired by Viebrockhaus Maxime 800
Which wishes have been implemented by the architect? So far everything exactly as we drew it...
A mix of many examples from various magazines... no
What makes it in your view particularly good or bad? Good everyday workflow, short distances, all the rooms we want are accommodated
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can the rooms in the house still be optimized, e.g. on the first floor?
How can I fit a sauna with a small lounge area in the garage without feeling cramped?
I have already done a lot of reading but still haven't found a suitable solution or optimization for our single-family home. Maybe you can help me further?!
First, some details about our single-family home:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size – 890 sqm (9579 sq ft)
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – ?
Floor area ratio – 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary – building line is 6 m (20 ft)
Edge development?
Number of parking spaces – garage for 1 car
Number of floors – 1
Roof type – any
Architectural style – bungalow area, old house still standing, will be completely demolished
Orientation – ?
Maximum heights/limits:
- Ridge height max. 9 m (29.5 ft) measured from the top of the foundation
- Eaves height of the single-story main structures must not exceed 2.75–3.00 m (9.0–9.8 ft) (measured from top of foundation to bottom edge of gutter)
- Roof extensions allowed up to max. 2/5 of the eaves length
Other requirements – originally a designated bungalow area
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type – single-family home modern, pitched roof, solid construction
Basement, floors – no basement, ground floor, first floor, finished attic
Number of people, ages – 3–4 / 30, 31, 1 year
Space needed on ground and upper floors – 80–90 sqm (860–970 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? No office but a guest room with a desk
Number of overnight guests per year – 20–30
Open or closed layout? ?
Conservative or modern construction? Rather modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island? Both
Number of dining seats – 6–8
Fireplace – yes
Music/stereo wall – yes, in a small version
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – garage with sauna and small lounge area, space for DIY/workshop
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why this or that should or should not be included: Utility room is intentionally on the east side because daylight in the guest room and guest bathroom was more important to us. The sauna is intentionally located in the 2.20 m (7.2 ft) high garage because we want direct access to the garden.
House design
Who planned it: self-drawn, architect digitized. BUT: so far only the dimensions are set, interior walls, windows, and furniture are partially not yet in the correct positions!
-Planner from a construction company: no
-Architect: yes
-Do-it-yourself: all
What do you particularly like? Why? We think we have a coherent flow for everyday living but are still open to improvements and tips for saving space
What don’t you like? Why? Solution in the garage with sauna, first floor: master bedroom with dressing room, which should be able to fit at least 2 wardrobes of 3 m (10 ft) each
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 320,000
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 300,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump with photovoltaics
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions
-Can you live without: we are open to suggestions
-Can’t live without: guest room, sauna, size of utility room
Why is the design the way it is now? E.g.
Standard design from the planner? Inspired by Viebrockhaus Maxime 800
Which wishes have been implemented by the architect? So far everything exactly as we drew it...
A mix of many examples from various magazines... no
What makes it in your view particularly good or bad? Good everyday workflow, short distances, all the rooms we want are accommodated
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can the rooms in the house still be optimized, e.g. on the first floor?
How can I fit a sauna with a small lounge area in the garage without feeling cramped?
haydee schrieb:
Do you really want to squeeze a sauna into the narrow storage room next to the bike, lawn mower, and other stuff? That gives off more of a warehouse vibe than a wellness atmosphere. Having a bathroom as a passage room doesn’t work. Uncle Franz is literally sitting on the toilet while the kids walk in.Do you have another idea if the sauna is supposed to be outside the house? Besides an outdoor sauna
No double bed fits in the guest room.
Wardrobe is quite small.
If the sauna is on the ground floor, I would integrate it into the bathroom.
The bay window dining table barely fits.
Large dead space between dining and living areas.
I don’t like the kitchen. I would at least plan a peninsula.
Kitchen is very far from the terrace.
The sketched upper floor is better, but still not good.
Wardrobe is quite small.
If the sauna is on the ground floor, I would integrate it into the bathroom.
The bay window dining table barely fits.
Large dead space between dining and living areas.
I don’t like the kitchen. I would at least plan a peninsula.
Kitchen is very far from the terrace.
The sketched upper floor is better, but still not good.
350 euros/m3 (about 400 USD/yd3) was standard once. In Bavaria, prices rarely start below 400 euros/m3 (more in urban areas). Extras like controlled residential ventilation are, of course, not included. In addition to incidental construction costs and landscaping, there is also at least a five-figure architect’s fee...
Melo_36 schrieb:
Our architect estimated €350 per cubic meter (approximately 6.6 pounds per cubic foot)...I was nowhere near that figure back in 2017....
The kitchen won’t work like this. With 3.75 meters (12.3 feet) rough construction height, you end up with 3.70 meters (12.1 feet). Subtracting the cabinet wall (65cm (25.6 inches)), main passage (110cm (43.3 inches)), and passage by the window (70cm (27.6 inches)) leaves a comfortable 1.25 meters (49.2 inches) width for the island.
So either make it wider, or drop the island.
The route for carrying groceries from the garage through the storage room, WC, hallway, and utility room couldn’t be more complicated and longer.
Is the 60cm (23.6 inches) wide coat closet supposed to be all there is? That’s never enough.
The guest/WC/storage room setup is really not ideal.
The guest room — already not large — becomes even less usable because of the shower protrusion.
Having the toilet as a walkthrough room is unacceptable, but that’s already been discussed here.
I would definitely remove the access from the toilet to the storage room and instead move the shower into the toilet where it belongs. That would also make the guest room usable.
If the sauna should still be in the storage room and accessible from the house, you could mirror the utility room with the guest WC and from there access either the garage or storage room.
As an additional shower option, I would then plan an extra shower in the storage room.
On the upper floor, the hallway is simply too large relative to the rest.
What is the completely free area in the bedroom towards the bathroom for? Why not use that space for the sauna? That would be my preference, which would also solve the issue on the ground floor.
I find the walk-in closet acceptable and not too narrow — but only if one side has shallow cabinets (45cm (17.7 inches) depth).
However, for purely aesthetic reasons, I would shift the wall between the walk-in closet and room 1 to the right according to the plan, so it aligns with the main wall of the hallway.
This would make the walk-in about 40cm (15.7 inches) wider.
Sorry, but overall there are still way too many issues. Most importantly, the financial aspect.
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