ᐅ Single-family house, 175 sqm without a basement—too large?

Created on: 15 Apr 2020 10:02

Hello everyone
I would also like to hear your opinion on our current design.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 507 sqm (5455 sq ft)
Slope: yes, about 4 m (13 ft) difference in height over a length of 30 m (98 ft)
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Site occupancy index: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) to the street
Edge building: allowed for garage/carport
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: max. 2 full stories
Roof type: anything except flat roof
Style: any
Orientation: any
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height max. 12 m (39 ft), wall height max. 10 m (33 ft)

Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, almost 2 full stories (knee wall 1.86 m (6 ft))
Number of occupants, age: 3 people, 1 teenager, 2 adults
Space requirements ground floor / upper floor: approx. 175 sqm (1880 sq ft)
Office: home office
Guest bedrooms per year: rarely 2 guests
Open or closed architecture: rather open, airy, including open kitchen
Balcony, roof terrace: no to both
Garage, carport: double carport planned later

House Design
Who designed it: put together myself
What do you like most? Why?
- Direct access from the bedroom through the dressing room to the bathroom
- Cloakroom niche keeps dirty shoes outside the main passage area
- Floor-to-ceiling windows for lots of light
- Straight staircase, looks modern, easier to walk on than a spiral one and better for accessibility later (stairlift)
- Very spacious living/dining/kitchen area (though perhaps too large?)
- Pantry with everything easily accessible on open shelves
What do you dislike? Why?
- Huge waste of space in the hallways

Why did the design turn out this way?
I saw a similar layout in a townhouse that I really liked at first glance. We want a generous living feel with large window areas.
Since we are planning without a basement, an extra room upstairs was created for storage, guest room, and workshop space.
Important: the bathroom layout is not really planned yet. I have inserted my first idea there but I know it is still far from a “good idea.” For now, the focus is on the basic room layout. The windows are currently more of an idea than fully thought through.

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
- Do you see a way to reduce hallway space despite having a straight staircase?
- What is your overall impression of the design?

Floor plan of an apartment with several rooms, doors, stairs and measurement details in meters.

Floor plan of a house with several rooms, doors, stairs and area details in sqm.

Top-down floor plan: open living/dining area with kitchen, dining table, corner sofa, stairs; several rooms.

Floor plan of an apartment with bedroom, office, living room, kitchen, bathroom and stairs.

Drasleona15 Apr 2020 10:59

The teenager consistently closes all the roller shutters, even when they are opened for him... So, (to put it bluntly) I don’t see why he should get the nice orientation. Also, we will be living in the house for a long time anyway.

For the staircase, I have now used the standard from the program. It is 90cm (35 inches) wide and 3m (10 feet) long. However, I’m not sure if that will fit with the ceiling height of 2.50m (8 feet 2 inches).

In the end, there will be no slope left around the house. We are planning to level it out so that we have a mostly flat plot.

opalau15 Apr 2020 11:01

This is practical, I can directly quote from another thread:

opalau schrieb:

Parents get the rarely used bedroom on the nice south side, and the children spend their time on the dark north side? That doesn’t work for me.

haydee15 Apr 2020 11:15

The staircase doesn’t fit. 90 cm (35 inches) is quite narrow, and you need at least 4 m or rather 4.20 m (13 ft or rather 14 ft) in length.

If you have a teenager, take a look at the concept by @hampshire. He created small apartments for his boys. I think it’s a good idea.

Drasleona15 Apr 2020 11:22

#10

@opalau I’ll refer to my previous post. If everything goes smoothly, the little one will be 14 when we move. Teenagers in general are not exactly known for being early risers or enjoying the bright midday sun at 12 o’clock. I’m simply planning further ahead... You’re welcome to see that as unsociable towards the kid, but that’s how I view it...

@haydee Where can I find the floor plan for Hampshire? It’s definitely good to know about the stairs. If they were already wider and longer, the corridors wouldn’t necessarily feel too big, right?

hampshire15 Apr 2020 11:36

#11

Drasleona schrieb:

The teenager consistently closes all the roller shutters, even when someone opens them for him... So, (to put it bluntly) I don’t see a reason to give him the nice orientation ops: Also, we will be living in the house for a long time...

I completely understand that point. However, the bedroom facing north would have the advantage of staying cooler in summer, and the “dead space” in the hallway beside the staircase could be used more efficiently.

Anyway, the design is spacious and comfortable to live in, although not particularly inspiring, which I always find a pity when the budget is not too tight. Oh, and the ceiling height should match the size of the large rooms.

No idea where our floor plan is now – not on the computer I’m currently using, but somewhere in a backup.

Drasleona15 Apr 2020 11:48

#12

The issue with dead space is a good point. However, if the staircase still needs to be considerably longer anyway, you almost end up with space problems again.

What ceiling height do you find comfortable?

ᐅ Single-family house, 175 sqm without a basement—too large?

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