ᐅ Single-family home designed by an architect, 150 m² – looking for improvement suggestions and ideas
Created on: 2 Oct 2019 10:32
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DimaNDSDevelopment Plan / Restrictions
Lot size: 528m² (5679 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.45
Building window, building line and boundary: Roof ridge direction E/W
Edge development: Garage max 15m (49 ft)
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: Gable roof
Orientation: S/W
Maximum height / limits: 9m (30 ft) ridge height
Other: Sound insulation class IV
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Modern
Basement, floors: no basement, ground floor, upper floor, partial attic
Number of occupants, age: 4
Room requirements ground floor, upper floor: Ground floor living room, kitchen, guest room, office, guest WC, storage room; upper floor 2 children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom
Office: family use or home office: both
Overnight guests per year: 10
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: minimum 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double steel garage with utility room, 6 x 9m (20 x 30 ft)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no (bed in front of kitchen)
House Design
Planning by: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?: We love the openness of the house.
What do you not like? Why?: We really like the design, but we’re unsure if there might be issues with the technical installations in the attic. Also, access to the attic is via a door in the gable, which might look a bit odd. The architect designed a shelf/ladder construction here. Possibly there is too little storage space for items not used regularly, like Christmas decorations.
Price estimate by architect/planner: €330,000 (including exterior landscaping and kitchen)
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: €350,000
Preferred heating technology: Gas or heat pump, depending on whether sound insulation class leads to a KFW 55 house standard. We still need to get advice on this.
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions
-could you do without: walk-in closet
-could you not do without: the general openness of the house.
Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Bedroom facing east, living room facing west, evening sun in the kitchen.
What makes it especially good or bad in your eyes? Good: It is not a standard house you’ve seen 100 times in builder catalogs. Bad: Relatively high space wastage due to the openness.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What would you do differently or improve? Have we overlooked anything that could cause problems later?
Unfortunately, I cannot upload PDFs. The dimensions are there as well. For orientation: The living room is exactly 4m (13 ft) wide.
Lot size: 528m² (5679 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.45
Building window, building line and boundary: Roof ridge direction E/W
Edge development: Garage max 15m (49 ft)
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: Gable roof
Orientation: S/W
Maximum height / limits: 9m (30 ft) ridge height
Other: Sound insulation class IV
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Modern
Basement, floors: no basement, ground floor, upper floor, partial attic
Number of occupants, age: 4
Room requirements ground floor, upper floor: Ground floor living room, kitchen, guest room, office, guest WC, storage room; upper floor 2 children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom
Office: family use or home office: both
Overnight guests per year: 10
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: minimum 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double steel garage with utility room, 6 x 9m (20 x 30 ft)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no (bed in front of kitchen)
House Design
Planning by: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?: We love the openness of the house.
What do you not like? Why?: We really like the design, but we’re unsure if there might be issues with the technical installations in the attic. Also, access to the attic is via a door in the gable, which might look a bit odd. The architect designed a shelf/ladder construction here. Possibly there is too little storage space for items not used regularly, like Christmas decorations.
Price estimate by architect/planner: €330,000 (including exterior landscaping and kitchen)
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: €350,000
Preferred heating technology: Gas or heat pump, depending on whether sound insulation class leads to a KFW 55 house standard. We still need to get advice on this.
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions
-could you do without: walk-in closet
-could you not do without: the general openness of the house.
Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Bedroom facing east, living room facing west, evening sun in the kitchen.
What makes it especially good or bad in your eyes? Good: It is not a standard house you’ve seen 100 times in builder catalogs. Bad: Relatively high space wastage due to the openness.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What would you do differently or improve? Have we overlooked anything that could cause problems later?
Unfortunately, I cannot upload PDFs. The dimensions are there as well. For orientation: The living room is exactly 4m (13 ft) wide.
1. Without significant personal effort, the budget will not be sufficient.
2. The openness will waste a lot of money without practical benefits.
3. The floor plan must include correctly scaled furniture.
It's difficult to comment without dimensions.
Living room: where will the TV be placed? Games, DVDs, books?
The table is not actually as spacious as it looks.
Guest room: where should a bed go?
2. The openness will waste a lot of money without practical benefits.
3. The floor plan must include correctly scaled furniture.
It's difficult to comment without dimensions.
Living room: where will the TV be placed? Games, DVDs, books?
The table is not actually as spacious as it looks.
Guest room: where should a bed go?
Huh? Where is the washing machine located? In the office?
And what is the attic like? How do you get up there? Why not use the stairs all the way up?
Is it possible to get a site plan as well?
Is there a garage or not? If yes, where is it?
What seems problematic at first glance:
A bathroom on the ground floor without a window in a new build is weak. The bathroom upstairs is a mess – the division makes it cramped and annoyingly small. Access to the bathroom through the bedroom is too much – even with limited mobility, you can manage the three steps into the hallway.
The dressing room door needs to be on the right side according to the plan.
Two open spaces with two kids – they’re always awake as soon as you move.
And what is the attic like? How do you get up there? Why not use the stairs all the way up?
Is it possible to get a site plan as well?
Is there a garage or not? If yes, where is it?
What seems problematic at first glance:
A bathroom on the ground floor without a window in a new build is weak. The bathroom upstairs is a mess – the division makes it cramped and annoyingly small. Access to the bathroom through the bedroom is too much – even with limited mobility, you can manage the three steps into the hallway.
The dressing room door needs to be on the right side according to the plan.
Two open spaces with two kids – they’re always awake as soon as you move.
I really don’t like it at all. Just a few points, some of which have already been mentioned.
Living room at the entrance side with a floor-to-ceiling window and the sofa right in front of it? The office the same way? TV on the wall only possible with a swivel mount. Do you really want that?
The floor plan doesn’t feel open to me. Everything seems somehow cramped and illogical. Interior bathroom with shower, bed in the guest room placed in a niche, the built-in closet again offers little space. The kitchen has far too little countertop and storage space for my taste. Office without the possibility to place a filing cabinet, but then there’s a laundry room and laundry chute included. The upstairs bathroom has three doors – why? The walk-in closet is very small. I see zero space for a coat rack on the ground floor or for other closets, dressers, etc.
This has to be done better. If you like it this way, that’s okay, but it would definitely not be for me.
Edit: Regarding openness – one more question. Do you really want to be open to all sides? Don’t you have any neighbors on any side? Right now you can look straight through from the entrance side to the dining room. Sometimes having private spaces can be nice and necessary, without having to close all the blinds.
Living room at the entrance side with a floor-to-ceiling window and the sofa right in front of it? The office the same way? TV on the wall only possible with a swivel mount. Do you really want that?
The floor plan doesn’t feel open to me. Everything seems somehow cramped and illogical. Interior bathroom with shower, bed in the guest room placed in a niche, the built-in closet again offers little space. The kitchen has far too little countertop and storage space for my taste. Office without the possibility to place a filing cabinet, but then there’s a laundry room and laundry chute included. The upstairs bathroom has three doors – why? The walk-in closet is very small. I see zero space for a coat rack on the ground floor or for other closets, dressers, etc.
This has to be done better. If you like it this way, that’s okay, but it would definitely not be for me.
Edit: Regarding openness – one more question. Do you really want to be open to all sides? Don’t you have any neighbors on any side? Right now you can look straight through from the entrance side to the dining room. Sometimes having private spaces can be nice and necessary, without having to close all the blinds.
Could you please share floor plans with dimensions?
The house is too small for the layout. It looks like a scaled-down 250 sqm (2,690 sq ft) villa.
The staircase takes up a lot of space and feels cramped, as @tomtom79 pointed out.
Consider how much the design is worth to you.
Two terraces mean double the furniture.
Still not enough space for a large gathering.
Guest, I found the bed.
At the entrance, where is the space for a coat rack, shoe cabinet, bags, etc.?
Washer really in the study room in a niche?
Where will dirty laundry, handwashing, drying rack, and basket with clothes to be ironed go?
The kitchen has very little storage, too little countertop space, and windows.
I have already commented on the living room.
Bathroom without a window.
Upper floor:
Why doesn’t the staircase go all the way up to the attic?
A gallery makes the house very noisy and requires space.
Children’s rooms with a loft bed / open rooms up to the roof structure — did I read that right? We also considered that. It should cost about 5,000 euros per room.
Walk-in closet has almost no usable space.
Bathroom cramped and very small.
There are 120 sqm (1,290 sq ft) houses that offer less design but better room layouts that are not smaller.
The house is too small for the layout. It looks like a scaled-down 250 sqm (2,690 sq ft) villa.
The staircase takes up a lot of space and feels cramped, as @tomtom79 pointed out.
Consider how much the design is worth to you.
Two terraces mean double the furniture.
Still not enough space for a large gathering.
Guest, I found the bed.
At the entrance, where is the space for a coat rack, shoe cabinet, bags, etc.?
Washer really in the study room in a niche?
Where will dirty laundry, handwashing, drying rack, and basket with clothes to be ironed go?
The kitchen has very little storage, too little countertop space, and windows.
I have already commented on the living room.
Bathroom without a window.
Upper floor:
Why doesn’t the staircase go all the way up to the attic?
A gallery makes the house very noisy and requires space.
Children’s rooms with a loft bed / open rooms up to the roof structure — did I read that right? We also considered that. It should cost about 5,000 euros per room.
Walk-in closet has almost no usable space.
Bathroom cramped and very small.
There are 120 sqm (1,290 sq ft) houses that offer less design but better room layouts that are not smaller.
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