ᐅ Single-family Home for Four People – Opinions

Created on: 10 Apr 2020 21:51
C
Chrisi1906
Hello everyone,

At our developer, a customer who had reserved a plot of land dropped out. Since the other plot faces south / southwest, we didn’t hesitate long and switched to that plot. The new plot is smaller, so we gave up on our bungalow dream. The plot number is 5.

To remind you: The plot is tied to the developer.

I have been thinking over the past few days about the arrangement and design of the rooms and the plot, and I would first like to know if the concept is okay. I am not concerned with details inside the rooms such as windows, doors, or bathroom design. That’s not possible anyway since I created the floor plan myself based on Gussek Haus floor plans. However, I tried to design it as well as possible. For this reason, I want to share the floor plan here for discussion. I’m mainly looking for feedback on the layout and room arrangement, as well as ideas, suggestions, or tips. Maybe you’ll also spot things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday living.

I created the floor plan with RoomSketcher, but only used the free version, so many features are limited. Please ignore the room dimensions on the upper floor. There is a dormer in the area of the home office.

A few more details about the house.
Roof pitch 38°
Knee wall (Drempel) 100cm (39 inches)
External dimensions 12.85 x 9.60 m (42.2 x 31.5 feet) (enlarged, original dimensions of Gussek Haus models are smaller)
Unfortunately, I cannot show internal room dimensions because RoomSketcher does not allow it.

Attached again is the completed questionnaire.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 676m²
Slope: NO
Site coverage ratio: 0.4 (allowed exceedance 25 out of 100)
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: On the north side / south side approx. 20.5 m (67 feet) wide, west and east sides approx. 33 m (108 feet) wide, 3 m (10 feet) building setback on each side, rectangular plot, clearly visible in the pictures

Edge construction setback: 3 m (10 feet)
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of stories: maximum 2 full stories
Roof style: Gable roof, hipped roof
Other requirements: Garage must be 5 m (16 feet) from the property boundary. Garage on the west side because the curb is lowered there.

Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Doesn’t matter, initially considered a house with a gable roof, there is a dormer in the home office area
Basement, number of floors: No basement due to high groundwater level
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people aged 36 (female), 37 (male), 3 (child), 1 (child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: Living/dining/kitchen area, utility room, guest WC with shower, hallway with coat area and stairs to upper floor, guest room / playroom
Upper floor: Master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room, office

Office use: Family use or home office? Home office combined with family use
Guests per year: 1–2 times
Open or closed architecture: Closed architecture?
Conservative or modern style: A mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Closed kitchen with island would be nice but not a must; open kitchen is also an option
Number of dining seats: 4, with the option for 6
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: Sound system in the living room
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Space for 2 cars is required, preferably 3 to 4. Currently considering a garage (3 x 6 m / 9.8 x 19.7 feet) with a carport (3.6 m / 12 feet) in front, not sure if that works. Plus 2 parking spaces in front of the house.
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be:

House Design
Who created the design:
- DIY - copy and combination of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2
What do you especially like? Why?
- Large closed kitchen with island and direct / short access to the terrace
- Living room close to the terrace
- Guest / playroom on the ground floor
- Storage room on the upper floor with washing machine and dryer
- Utility room with washing machine and dryer (yes, twice)
- 6 rooms
- Layout of rooms on the upper floor


What do you not like? Why?
- Location of the home office on the upper floor is not ideal in my view, but I could live with it

Price estimate from architect/planner: No new estimate so far
Personal price limit for house including features: 400,000
Preferred heating system: Heat pump

Why does the design look like it does now? For example:
Copy-paste of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2

What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Is the room layout okay?

Site plan of a building plot with parcels, dimensions, and orientation


Hand-drawn plot plan sketch with house, garage, carport, and parking spaces


Site plan of a building plot with outline lines, measurements, and small interior layout


2D floor plan of a single-family house with hallway, bathroom, storage room


Floor plan of a house with living and dining area, guest room, corridor, and utility room


White single-family house exterior view with dark tiled roof, windows, and garden


Two-story house with gray facade, dark roof, and garden terrace
Y
ypg
11 Apr 2020 00:43
For us, 1.35 meters (4 feet 5 inches) is the same, as the beam supporting the rafters is almost the same height as the screed. So RBM 135 corresponds to a final height of 1.35 meters (4 feet 5 inches) in our case. At 1.40 meters (4 feet 7 inches), it will be similar.
11ant11 Apr 2020 01:21
By dormer, you probably mean a cross gable dormer. This is relatively straightforward, although it simply rises alongside the room walls. Where and how have you distributed the increased size compared to the standard model?
In your place, I would consider modifying a building proposal from your contractor.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
C
Chrisi1906
11 Apr 2020 08:42
11ant schrieb:

By dormer, you probably mean a gable dormer. It’s relatively simple if it just rises straight up from the side walls of the rooms. How and where have you distributed the extra size compared to the standard design?
I would recommend modifying a design proposal from your builder.

On the ground floor, I have roughly split the rear and front parts 50/50, based on the Pine Forest variant 1. On the upper floor, there is room for improvement; I just realized the layout isn’t well balanced there. The areas for the office, hallway, storage room, and stairs are too wide. The goal was to distribute everything as evenly as possible.

My builder advertises free floor plan design; using an existing floor plan and redrawing it was one possible solution.

I specifically meant a gable dormer.

What do you think about removing the gable dormer, setting the roof pitch to 35 degrees, and the knee wall height to 140cm (55 inches)?
Y
ypg
11 Apr 2020 10:04
Chrisi1906 schrieb:

My developer advertises free floor plan design, taking an existing floor plan and redrawing it was presented as a possible solution.

From their side... that’s how it is offered. A floor plan is not a house, so a floor plan and the so-called free design usually refer to an already existing house design.
Well, you probably know this already. It just surprises me because every home builder has their own (cost-effective) method. Dimensions and grids naturally result from placing bricks or timber studs side by side.
11ant11 Apr 2020 19:49
Please ask the builder to show a selection of their models and try to customize them. If you asked Mercedes to replicate a BMW, you might end up with a Lada — simply because they are implementing this design for the first time.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
C
Chrisi1906
11 Apr 2020 22:49
11ant schrieb:

Please ask the developer to show a selection of their models and try to adapt one of these. If you asked Mercedes to replicate a BMW, you might end up with a Lada – simply because they would be doing this plan for the first time.

I think it makes sense for me to look into this. I know two people in this town who built with my developer. The quality, execution, and price are right, but planning is certainly not one of the developer’s strengths. Just as a reminder, the developer also offered and built the following on the old plot...

Floor plan of a house with interior rooms, dimension lines, and adjacent garden area.