ᐅ Single-family home with 250 sqm. Ideas for elevation and floor plan
Created on: 31 Aug 2021 20:15
Q
Querpasstoni
Hello everyone,
After reading many interesting floor plans and very sensible suggestions here for some time, I would like to know your opinion on our floor plan. Hopefully, you have some good ideas or critical points we should watch out for.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 825 sqm (8870 sq ft)
Slope: flat plot
Floor area ratio 0.4
Site occupancy index 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no requirements
Number of parking spaces: no requirements
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: no requirements
Style: no requirements
Orientation: no requirements
Maximum height/limits: eaves height 6.50 m (21 ft)
Requirements of the Homeowners
Style, roof type, building type: no flat roof, preferred hip roof, but we are basically open
Basement, stories: basement not possible due to soil report, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults (34, 36), 1 child (1) + one more planned
Space requirement ground floor, upper floor: 200–220 sqm (2150–2370 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? 1 office
Guests for sleeping very rare
Open or closed architecture: open architecture
Conservative or modern design: modern design
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony yes, no roof terrace
Garage, carport: large garage desired
Utility garden, greenhouse
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be: 2 bathrooms
House Design
Planned by:
- Architect
What do you like most? Why? Protected terrace with southwest orientation. These are our unobstructed views.
What do you dislike? Why? North side elevation. Very large surface with few/small windows.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 800,000 EUR
Personal budget for the house, including fittings: about 950,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump
If you had to give up on which details/extensions
- You could give up:
- You cannot give up: separate children’s bathroom, large children’s bedrooms, covered terrace
Why has the design turned out this way?
Design by our architect, who considered our wishes but also contributed ideas (e.g., L-shape)
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We are quite far in the planning phase and generally very happy with the layout. However, we find the north exterior view unattractive. Unfortunately, this is the side the public sees. Do you have ideas on how to improve it without completely changing the floor plan? The architect suggested placing artistic elements on the large wall surface or breaking it up with color bands. We are not fully convinced by this.
Thanks in advance for your ideas.
After reading many interesting floor plans and very sensible suggestions here for some time, I would like to know your opinion on our floor plan. Hopefully, you have some good ideas or critical points we should watch out for.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 825 sqm (8870 sq ft)
Slope: flat plot
Floor area ratio 0.4
Site occupancy index 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no requirements
Number of parking spaces: no requirements
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: no requirements
Style: no requirements
Orientation: no requirements
Maximum height/limits: eaves height 6.50 m (21 ft)
Requirements of the Homeowners
Style, roof type, building type: no flat roof, preferred hip roof, but we are basically open
Basement, stories: basement not possible due to soil report, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults (34, 36), 1 child (1) + one more planned
Space requirement ground floor, upper floor: 200–220 sqm (2150–2370 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? 1 office
Guests for sleeping very rare
Open or closed architecture: open architecture
Conservative or modern design: modern design
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony yes, no roof terrace
Garage, carport: large garage desired
Utility garden, greenhouse
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be: 2 bathrooms
House Design
Planned by:
- Architect
What do you like most? Why? Protected terrace with southwest orientation. These are our unobstructed views.
What do you dislike? Why? North side elevation. Very large surface with few/small windows.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 800,000 EUR
Personal budget for the house, including fittings: about 950,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump
If you had to give up on which details/extensions
- You could give up:
- You cannot give up: separate children’s bathroom, large children’s bedrooms, covered terrace
Why has the design turned out this way?
Design by our architect, who considered our wishes but also contributed ideas (e.g., L-shape)
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We are quite far in the planning phase and generally very happy with the layout. However, we find the north exterior view unattractive. Unfortunately, this is the side the public sees. Do you have ideas on how to improve it without completely changing the floor plan? The architect suggested placing artistic elements on the large wall surface or breaking it up with color bands. We are not fully convinced by this.
Thanks in advance for your ideas.
Y
Ypsi aus NI1 Sep 2021 10:59I also like the floor plan!
However, are you aware that you are choosing a relatively open layout not only visually but also acoustically?
When you’re sitting with guests at the table, laughter and other sounds easily carry upstairs to the children's bedrooms.
Have you talked to someone who has lived with children in such a setup?
The living area is separated but still connected to all other rooms. You might want to consider preparing space for, for example, a glass sliding door.
Upstairs, I find the access to your private area awkward. Try experimenting with the doors to create a truly separate walk-in closet. Often, you enter the closet from the hallway, and from there doors lead to the bedroom and bathroom.
Is the one room upstairs intended as a gym, or what is it for? I would find storage rooms missing in the house, especially on the upper floor.
However, are you aware that you are choosing a relatively open layout not only visually but also acoustically?
When you’re sitting with guests at the table, laughter and other sounds easily carry upstairs to the children's bedrooms.
Have you talked to someone who has lived with children in such a setup?
The living area is separated but still connected to all other rooms. You might want to consider preparing space for, for example, a glass sliding door.
Upstairs, I find the access to your private area awkward. Try experimenting with the doors to create a truly separate walk-in closet. Often, you enter the closet from the hallway, and from there doors lead to the bedroom and bathroom.
Is the one room upstairs intended as a gym, or what is it for? I would find storage rooms missing in the house, especially on the upper floor.
I like the floor plan, but I would design the kitchen differently. Our kitchen is almost identical, and I appreciate its clear and compact layout... but it’s not very large. How about moving the island to the south wall and replacing the pantry with a double row of tall cabinets? By “tall cabinets,” I mean arranged back-to-back, so one row faces the entrance and the other faces the kitchen. The refrigerator could be placed within the kitchen row, and the current cooking area could be designed without tall cabinets—preferably with a countertop window instead, since the cooking area feels too separated from the outside and the access path. This would also simplify the route from the living/terrace area to the kitchen (you wouldn’t have to walk around the dining table anymore).
Additionally, you could consider swapping the work area and the utility/technical room to create some separation for the work zone. It would be really great if you could also remove the door below the stairs (access to the utility room through the work area?).
Regarding the elevations: I think these vertical narrow windows don’t suit the house at all. They visually make the house look taller. The obsession with symmetry and matching pairs only makes it worse. Besides being expensive, it’s technically impractical (double roller shutters/blinds, and when you factor in the frame proportions, there’s very little glass area left). Whenever possible, I would combine the windows, and otherwise embrace asymmetry.
Additionally, you could consider swapping the work area and the utility/technical room to create some separation for the work zone. It would be really great if you could also remove the door below the stairs (access to the utility room through the work area?).
Regarding the elevations: I think these vertical narrow windows don’t suit the house at all. They visually make the house look taller. The obsession with symmetry and matching pairs only makes it worse. Besides being expensive, it’s technically impractical (double roller shutters/blinds, and when you factor in the frame proportions, there’s very little glass area left). Whenever possible, I would combine the windows, and otherwise embrace asymmetry.
Q
Querpasstoni1 Sep 2021 11:46@ypg
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, we are very satisfied with the layout inside. We will try to combine the "double windows" to see if that makes a difference. We didn’t plan to add more windows in the living room because we also need some wall space for furniture.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, we are very satisfied with the layout inside. We will try to combine the "double windows" to see if that makes a difference. We didn’t plan to add more windows in the living room because we also need some wall space for furniture.
Q
Querpasstoni1 Sep 2021 11:51Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
I also like the floor plan!
But are you aware that you are choosing a relatively open layout not only visually but also acoustically?
When you sit at the table with guests, laughter and other sounds easily travel upstairs to the children's rooms.
Have you talked to someone who has lived like this with children?
The living area is somewhat separated but still connected to all rooms. It might be worth planning for something like a glass sliding door here.
Upstairs, I find the access to your private area less successful. Try playing around with the doors to create a truly separate walk-in closet. Often, you enter the closet from the hallway, and from there, doors lead to the bedroom and bathroom.
Is the room upstairs intended for fitness, or what is its purpose? I would miss storage rooms in the house, especially on the upper floor. We have already discussed the acoustics issue. We are considering soundproof doors for that.
The fitness room will also partly be used as a storage area. And everything that is used only once a year will go into the attic.
M
Myrna_Loy1 Sep 2021 11:51When it comes to the building size, a clear structure is essential. For this, a well-thought-out concept is necessary. Simply grouping a few windows together does not help.
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