ᐅ Single-family house of approximately 180 m² in the city with a view of a nature reserve
Created on: 28 Jun 2020 16:55
Z
Zylon
Hello dear forum members,
After the great fortune of being allowed to build on a beautiful family plot near the city, yet surrounded by nature with a view of the nature reserve, my partner and I are currently deep in the planning of our single-family home.
Construction is planned for spring 2022, with preliminary bid inquiries in Q2 and Q3 2021.
We would greatly appreciate any tips or opinions on the attached designs. Many thanks in advance.
(The dimensions on the attached plans may not be perfect, please excuse that.)
Zoning Plan / Restrictions:
Plot size: 850 m² (9,150 sq ft)
Slope: No (slightly sloping terrain, not yet precisely measured)
Building coverage ratio: No zoning plan
Floor area ratio: No zoning plan
Building envelope, building lines, boundaries: No zoning plan (--> according to Bavarian state building code)
Edge development: Double garage planned, 6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)
Parking spaces: 2 parking spaces in front of the garage + 2 parking spaces inside the garage
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: Flat roof
Architectural style: Modern (inspired by Bauhaus style)
Orientation: North-south with entrance on the north and window front on the south
Maximum heights / limits: No zoning plan (neighboring buildings east: 3 full stories / west: 2 ½ full stories)
[U]Client Requirements[/U]
Style, roof type, building type: Modern single-family home in the city with flat roof in Bauhaus style
Basement, floors: 2 full stories, no basement (--> cost savings)
Number of occupants, ages: 2 people (33 + 32) + 1-2 children (in progress)
Space requirement on ground and upper floor: ~180 m² (1,938 sq ft) over both floors
Office: Combination of office (20-40% home office), guest room, and eventual elderly parents’ bedroom on ground floor
Guest sleepers per year: approximately 10-12
Open or closed architecture: Compromise
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen connected to dining area with breakfast bar
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: Yes
Balcony, roof terrace: No (--> cost savings)
Garage, carport: Solid garage (optional: prefabricated garage)
House Design
Planner: Self-designed with Sweet Home 3D based on forum information and discussions with other homeowners
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Entrance area with view through living room windows into the garden
- full south orientation of all living and sleeping rooms with many windows and view of the nature reserve
- ground floor fully designed to be age-appropriate
- direct access between garage and house
- fixed roof over the outdoor seating area on the ground floor through the staggered upper floor (so no awning or similar needed, which would have to be added separately)
- all rooms with water connections or technical room located on the north side (short plumbing routes)
- open-plan living/dining area including kitchen in L-shape (no direct line of sight between kitchen and living room)
- separate parents’ wing on the upper floor with private bathroom and dressing area separated from sleeping area by a wall/visual divider
- using half of the space under the stairs for the technical room and half for a pantry possible
- separate laundry area with washer, dryer, laundry baskets (visually separated) in the upper floor children’s bathroom
- small cloakroom on ground floor can be dismantled if needed to relocate the washing machine from the upper floor there (water connection is planned)
- the wall between the two children’s rooms will only be added later, so initially there is one large room of about 31 m² (333 sq ft) for one child
What do you not like? Why?:
- Currently the living area is slightly above the planned 180 m², which is problematic for the budget calculation
Cost estimate according to own calculation: 400,000 € (house including windows, bathrooms, floor coverings, electrical work), 40,000 € garage, 30,000 € kitchen, 20,000 € exterior works (minimal effort - lawn only, with further improvements over coming decades), 20,000 € additional costs (site development, notary, soil survey, lawyer, etc.)
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings: 550,000 €
Preferred heating system: Gas condensing boiler + solar thermal (hot water)
If you had to cut back, on which features or expansions
- can you do without: Unfortunately we cannot think of anything else at the moment, as we have already cut many initial wishes and ideas during planning for cost reasons
Why did the design turn out this way?
The unusual architecture with staggered cubes resulted from our space requirements and fits our preferred style for residential buildings (inspired by Bauhaus style). Numerous adjustments and changes have been made in the past 6 weeks with consultations from friends, other homeowners, and family.
Additional questions:
1. We would like to commission a soil survey, clearing work, and surveying in advance at our own cost, to submit these documents along with our design and a rough draft construction description to different general contractors / construction managers for bidding. Does this make sense? What would be the best approach?
2. The plot cannot currently be (sensibly) transferred by notarial deed (from my parents to me) due to the tax exemption being used within the last 10 years. Could this lead to difficulties during construction or limit us regarding coordination appointments, land charge registration, etc.?
3. Where is there still potential for optimization in certain rooms or areas, possibly to save even more space?
4. We understand that the cubic staggered form results in larger exterior surface areas = higher heating costs + more insulation material. Does this form also lead to additional costs beyond that?
After the great fortune of being allowed to build on a beautiful family plot near the city, yet surrounded by nature with a view of the nature reserve, my partner and I are currently deep in the planning of our single-family home.
Construction is planned for spring 2022, with preliminary bid inquiries in Q2 and Q3 2021.
We would greatly appreciate any tips or opinions on the attached designs. Many thanks in advance.
(The dimensions on the attached plans may not be perfect, please excuse that.)
Zoning Plan / Restrictions:
Plot size: 850 m² (9,150 sq ft)
Slope: No (slightly sloping terrain, not yet precisely measured)
Building coverage ratio: No zoning plan
Floor area ratio: No zoning plan
Building envelope, building lines, boundaries: No zoning plan (--> according to Bavarian state building code)
Edge development: Double garage planned, 6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)
Parking spaces: 2 parking spaces in front of the garage + 2 parking spaces inside the garage
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: Flat roof
Architectural style: Modern (inspired by Bauhaus style)
Orientation: North-south with entrance on the north and window front on the south
Maximum heights / limits: No zoning plan (neighboring buildings east: 3 full stories / west: 2 ½ full stories)
[U]Client Requirements[/U]
Style, roof type, building type: Modern single-family home in the city with flat roof in Bauhaus style
Basement, floors: 2 full stories, no basement (--> cost savings)
Number of occupants, ages: 2 people (33 + 32) + 1-2 children (in progress)
Space requirement on ground and upper floor: ~180 m² (1,938 sq ft) over both floors
Office: Combination of office (20-40% home office), guest room, and eventual elderly parents’ bedroom on ground floor
Guest sleepers per year: approximately 10-12
Open or closed architecture: Compromise
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen connected to dining area with breakfast bar
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: Yes
Balcony, roof terrace: No (--> cost savings)
Garage, carport: Solid garage (optional: prefabricated garage)
House Design
Planner: Self-designed with Sweet Home 3D based on forum information and discussions with other homeowners
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Entrance area with view through living room windows into the garden
- full south orientation of all living and sleeping rooms with many windows and view of the nature reserve
- ground floor fully designed to be age-appropriate
- direct access between garage and house
- fixed roof over the outdoor seating area on the ground floor through the staggered upper floor (so no awning or similar needed, which would have to be added separately)
- all rooms with water connections or technical room located on the north side (short plumbing routes)
- open-plan living/dining area including kitchen in L-shape (no direct line of sight between kitchen and living room)
- separate parents’ wing on the upper floor with private bathroom and dressing area separated from sleeping area by a wall/visual divider
- using half of the space under the stairs for the technical room and half for a pantry possible
- separate laundry area with washer, dryer, laundry baskets (visually separated) in the upper floor children’s bathroom
- small cloakroom on ground floor can be dismantled if needed to relocate the washing machine from the upper floor there (water connection is planned)
- the wall between the two children’s rooms will only be added later, so initially there is one large room of about 31 m² (333 sq ft) for one child
What do you not like? Why?:
- Currently the living area is slightly above the planned 180 m², which is problematic for the budget calculation
Cost estimate according to own calculation: 400,000 € (house including windows, bathrooms, floor coverings, electrical work), 40,000 € garage, 30,000 € kitchen, 20,000 € exterior works (minimal effort - lawn only, with further improvements over coming decades), 20,000 € additional costs (site development, notary, soil survey, lawyer, etc.)
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings: 550,000 €
Preferred heating system: Gas condensing boiler + solar thermal (hot water)
If you had to cut back, on which features or expansions
- can you do without: Unfortunately we cannot think of anything else at the moment, as we have already cut many initial wishes and ideas during planning for cost reasons
Why did the design turn out this way?
The unusual architecture with staggered cubes resulted from our space requirements and fits our preferred style for residential buildings (inspired by Bauhaus style). Numerous adjustments and changes have been made in the past 6 weeks with consultations from friends, other homeowners, and family.
Additional questions:
1. We would like to commission a soil survey, clearing work, and surveying in advance at our own cost, to submit these documents along with our design and a rough draft construction description to different general contractors / construction managers for bidding. Does this make sense? What would be the best approach?
2. The plot cannot currently be (sensibly) transferred by notarial deed (from my parents to me) due to the tax exemption being used within the last 10 years. Could this lead to difficulties during construction or limit us regarding coordination appointments, land charge registration, etc.?
3. Where is there still potential for optimization in certain rooms or areas, possibly to save even more space?
4. We understand that the cubic staggered form results in larger exterior surface areas = higher heating costs + more insulation material. Does this form also lead to additional costs beyond that?
Pinky0301 schrieb:
But the house already costs more than 400,000, and the plot of land also has value. How is it supposed to be transferred in 2029?
I’m not familiar with usufruct and how it can be registered. Maybe this can reduce the value of the house? The goal is to cover the maximum amount of the property’s value using the tax exemption allowance. Any amount exceeding that will still need to be taxed. I assumed that the “house value” could be set lower compared to the land value. (Not the full construction cost from years ago).
EDIT: It might also be possible that only part of the property can be transferred after 10 years, and the next part after 20 years. (Always within the limits of the tax exemption.)
I still find the floor plan a bit unbalanced. Most of the points have already been mentioned by @Pinky0301. What also catches my attention is the staircase... here is the staircase floor plan from the introductory thread again:
You currently have about 290cm (9 ft 6 in) planned there... what ceiling height are you aiming for?
You currently have about 290cm (9 ft 6 in) planned there... what ceiling height are you aiming for?
I wouldn’t move the bed since you don’t have enough space on the right side to add a nightstand. Also, there should always be a passageway next to the head of the bed. I would rotate the bed 90° and place the headboard against the left wall of the plan.
With a garage measuring 6 meters (20 feet) externally and space for two cars, it will be difficult to access the storage area behind the garage, for example, for bicycles.
The hallway on the ground floor really takes up a lot of space, especially with the passageway to the garage as well.
Living/dining/kitchen areas... everyone always has to pass in front of the sofa to get a drink or something, which is quite a challenge with teenagers in the house. The sofa is in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, and in this room, everything is arranged to create three distinct zones. I would consider swapping the living and kitchen areas.
Pantries with less than 130 cm (50 inches) of width are quite impractical. You can’t even fit a freezer cabinet against the wall because the door wouldn’t open fully.
I’d also be interested in seeing a front elevation. It looks quite fragmented, doesn’t it? And regarding the overhanging upper floor, it would be a good idea to get an initial price estimate. Otherwise, similar effects might be better achieved with a well-planned pergola from the start, including weather protection.
With a garage measuring 6 meters (20 feet) externally and space for two cars, it will be difficult to access the storage area behind the garage, for example, for bicycles.
The hallway on the ground floor really takes up a lot of space, especially with the passageway to the garage as well.
Living/dining/kitchen areas... everyone always has to pass in front of the sofa to get a drink or something, which is quite a challenge with teenagers in the house. The sofa is in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, and in this room, everything is arranged to create three distinct zones. I would consider swapping the living and kitchen areas.
Pantries with less than 130 cm (50 inches) of width are quite impractical. You can’t even fit a freezer cabinet against the wall because the door wouldn’t open fully.
I’d also be interested in seeing a front elevation. It looks quite fragmented, doesn’t it? And regarding the overhanging upper floor, it would be a good idea to get an initial price estimate. Otherwise, similar effects might be better achieved with a well-planned pergola from the start, including weather protection.
Zylon schrieb:
The floor area is already "too large," so adding extra storage space will be difficult. Zylon schrieb:
Unfortunately, we can’t create more rooms without increasing the exterior dimensions and thus expanding the floor area again (= costs). Spacious living:
Shower toilet 5-6 sqm (54-65 sq ft), yours 9.5 sqm (102 sq ft)
Ground floor hallway 10-12 sqm (108-129 sq ft), yours over 20 sqm (215 sq ft)
Master area 15-20 sqm (161-215 sq ft), yours 27 sqm (290 sq ft)
Garage storage 6 sqm (65 sq ft), yours 16...
The design is full of empty spaces and large filler areas, which happen when you don’t master Tetris.
Sorry, but just take a look at the walk-in closet. You can’t really say that it’s intentional.
I also find the overall building somewhat bulky and not very appealing.
For a two-story house with staggered levels, I would plan around 2500 sqm (27,000 sq ft) for the future. Plus a masonry garage, plus additional costs like ancillary building expenses, etc...
Thank you for the answers and your time!
I'll address a few points:
1. I also noticed the staircase... --> The staircase was planned and drawn with dimensions of 304 x 225 cm (10 ft x 7 ft 5 in) as stated in the introductory thread.
2. A garage with a 6 m (20 ft) exterior dimension housing two cars would make it difficult to access the storage space behind the garage, for example for bicycles, etc. --> Since we live very close to the city and have short commuting distances, it will probably be just one car (+ motorcycle + bikes + ride-on car + scooter + etc.) for most of our lives. That means the space on the south side is solely for storage without vehicles.
3. The hallway on the ground floor really takes up a lot of space, plus the passage to the garage. + Ground floor hallway 10-12 sqm (107-129 sq ft), yours over 20 sqm (215 sq ft) --> That has seemed too large and not directly desired for us so far. But if you reduce the hallway size, other rooms immediately lose area as well. Maybe I can scale back something in the east-west width; I’ll try that again.
4. Parent area 15-20 sqm (161-215 sq ft), yours 27 sqm (290 sq ft) + Sorry, but just take a look at the walk-in closet. You can’t really say it’s intentional. --> We also would have allocated less space. However, if you really want this overhang (of a sensible length so you can place a table underneath), the parent wing turns out accordingly.
5. What ceiling height are you imagining? --> The clear structural height is specified as about 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in) in "my" requirements specification.
6. The design is full of unused space and large filler areas that arise when one doesn’t master Tetris. --> This is probably more because I don’t plan houses full-time and therefore haven’t developed a good sense for the scale of plans versus actual room sizes. However, I do not recognize the extent of unused space/filler areas as described.
7. And I’d be interested in a front view. It looks quite fragmented. + I also find the overbuild somewhat bulky and not pleasing. --> Is that a matter of taste or an objective assessment? From our private circle, there are several homeowners who simply cannot warm up to a flat roof house (or Bauhaus style). They typically have a "square-practical-gabled roof" approach. But I can’t base decisions on my subjective feelings.
I'll address a few points:
1. I also noticed the staircase... --> The staircase was planned and drawn with dimensions of 304 x 225 cm (10 ft x 7 ft 5 in) as stated in the introductory thread.
2. A garage with a 6 m (20 ft) exterior dimension housing two cars would make it difficult to access the storage space behind the garage, for example for bicycles, etc. --> Since we live very close to the city and have short commuting distances, it will probably be just one car (+ motorcycle + bikes + ride-on car + scooter + etc.) for most of our lives. That means the space on the south side is solely for storage without vehicles.
3. The hallway on the ground floor really takes up a lot of space, plus the passage to the garage. + Ground floor hallway 10-12 sqm (107-129 sq ft), yours over 20 sqm (215 sq ft) --> That has seemed too large and not directly desired for us so far. But if you reduce the hallway size, other rooms immediately lose area as well. Maybe I can scale back something in the east-west width; I’ll try that again.
4. Parent area 15-20 sqm (161-215 sq ft), yours 27 sqm (290 sq ft) + Sorry, but just take a look at the walk-in closet. You can’t really say it’s intentional. --> We also would have allocated less space. However, if you really want this overhang (of a sensible length so you can place a table underneath), the parent wing turns out accordingly.
5. What ceiling height are you imagining? --> The clear structural height is specified as about 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in) in "my" requirements specification.
6. The design is full of unused space and large filler areas that arise when one doesn’t master Tetris. --> This is probably more because I don’t plan houses full-time and therefore haven’t developed a good sense for the scale of plans versus actual room sizes. However, I do not recognize the extent of unused space/filler areas as described.
7. And I’d be interested in a front view. It looks quite fragmented. + I also find the overbuild somewhat bulky and not pleasing. --> Is that a matter of taste or an objective assessment? From our private circle, there are several homeowners who simply cannot warm up to a flat roof house (or Bauhaus style). They typically have a "square-practical-gabled roof" approach. But I can’t base decisions on my subjective feelings.
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