ᐅ Single-family house, 175 sqm without a basement—too large?
Created on: 15 Apr 2020 10:02
D
Drasleona
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?
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?
D
Drasleona8 May 2020 09:52No, I don’t consider myself unique at all, and neither is the house design. I understand that this won’t be a "wow!" house, as it lacks distinctive features. My starting point for the floor plan was actually Signus by Kern-Haus, which is very similar as well.
Drasleona schrieb:
I understand that it’s not a “wow!”Nonsense! That is the completely wrong attitude. This will be a truly amazing WOW house: simple elegance with an optimal and well-proven floor plan. Added to this are subtle client requests that give the house a discreet, individual character. It fits perfectly on the plot and offers a family of four the great happiness of their own home.Should I continue?
D
Drasleona8 May 2020 10:09I really love this forum, honestly!
Do you really mean that, especially the addition to the plot? I'm worried that we might be using too much of the land.
Do you really mean that, especially the addition to the plot? I'm worried that we might be using too much of the land.
A
Alessandro8 May 2020 10:15It can really become a wow house if you put effort into the windows. Completely random window arrangements are, of course, not ideal, but I have read that many people give up on optimal room layouts because the exterior appearance might suffer a bit. Maybe this topic bothers me so much because my wife has always cared a lot about the exterior look, and I kept saying: We live INSIDE the house, not OUTSIDE :P
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Drasleona8 May 2020 10:26I originally planned to discuss the topic of windows only once the architect’s drawings are ready, as I have no way to create exterior views myself (apart from using paper and pencil, but I’m too lazy for that ). I wanted to start with the floor plan and then adjust the windows as far as the budget allows. I can say upfront that I have a lot of ideas in this regard, but most of them are too expensive for me. So, I’m trying to find a good middle ground that lets in plenty of natural light without breaking the budget.
*Marketing mode off*
So, I think the ground floor is quite good. Okay, I tend to switch the staircase to the other side so it’s quicker to get to the kitchen with the grocery bags and then I quickly end up back with the Neo. This would also have the advantage that not everyone necessarily has to walk through my chill area when they want a soda. However, the office access would then need to be relocated, which can be tricky depending on ceiling height and staircase length. But I wouldn’t overestimate that.
What I would really find unfortunate is locking the child in the north-facing room. I have long-standing and intensive contacts with the darkest goth scene (I’m just saying Leipzig and Dresden). I can assure you, a life in darkness is not the core philosophy, in case that is the reason for the teenage confusion. So, unless your son has a health-related light allergy, I would give him the bright room — whether he likes it or not.
So, I think the ground floor is quite good. Okay, I tend to switch the staircase to the other side so it’s quicker to get to the kitchen with the grocery bags and then I quickly end up back with the Neo. This would also have the advantage that not everyone necessarily has to walk through my chill area when they want a soda. However, the office access would then need to be relocated, which can be tricky depending on ceiling height and staircase length. But I wouldn’t overestimate that.
What I would really find unfortunate is locking the child in the north-facing room. I have long-standing and intensive contacts with the darkest goth scene (I’m just saying Leipzig and Dresden). I can assure you, a life in darkness is not the core philosophy, in case that is the reason for the teenage confusion. So, unless your son has a health-related light allergy, I would give him the bright room — whether he likes it or not.
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