ᐅ Single-family house with a flat roof and 367 sqm of living space
Created on: 13 Mar 2021 22:42
C
Clx2021
Hello dear forum members,
I recently discovered this forum and have already been able to clarify a few topics for myself. Many thanks for that!
My wife and I recently purchased a plot of land (1260 sqm (14,980 sq ft), very good location, slight south-facing slope). There is an old house on the plot that we plan to demolish.
We want to build a house with enough space for our family of four (2 children, almost 2 and almost 4 years old) plus an au pair and are still quite early in the process. Attached is the first draft from our architect, which we already like very much.
We would appreciate any feedback.
+++
Development plan / restrictions:
No development plan; construction according to §34 of the Federal Building Code
Plot size: 1260 sqm (14,980 sq ft) (21 m (69 ft) wide, 60 m (197 ft) long)
Slope:
Floor area ratio (FAR): n/a
Building coverage ratio: n/a
Building envelope, building line and boundary:
Edge development: see above
Number of parking spaces: double garage
Number of floors: 2, with 3 floors facing south due to slope
Roof type: open choice
Architectural style: open choice
Orientation: fixed by street position
Maximum heights/limits: heights have been discussed and approved with the building authority
Other requirements: open building concept
Owner requirements
House design
Designed by: our architect
What we like most: it reflects our wishes and ideas, modern, bright house with a spacious layout
What we don’t like:
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: within our expectations
Personal price limit for house, including equipment: unknown
Preferred heating technology: air source heat pump
If you had to compromise, which features or finishes could you give up?
Why did the design turn out as it is now?
We created our own draft and gave it to our architect along with a detailed briefing. Our architect then developed a draft based on this, which we already like very much.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can it be improved and why? Also, your views on our open questions (summarized again below):
I recently discovered this forum and have already been able to clarify a few topics for myself. Many thanks for that!
My wife and I recently purchased a plot of land (1260 sqm (14,980 sq ft), very good location, slight south-facing slope). There is an old house on the plot that we plan to demolish.
We want to build a house with enough space for our family of four (2 children, almost 2 and almost 4 years old) plus an au pair and are still quite early in the process. Attached is the first draft from our architect, which we already like very much.
We would appreciate any feedback.
+++
Development plan / restrictions:
No development plan; construction according to §34 of the Federal Building Code
Plot size: 1260 sqm (14,980 sq ft) (21 m (69 ft) wide, 60 m (197 ft) long)
Slope:
- Slight slope of 2.5 m (8 ft) over the first 20 m (66 ft), further 2.5 m (8 ft) over the remaining 40 m (131 ft), south-facing slope, street/access from the north
- Street elevation rises 0.8 m (2.6 ft) from east to west across the width of the plot
Floor area ratio (FAR): n/a
Building coverage ratio: n/a
Building envelope, building line and boundary:
- Agreed with the building authority as follows without a formal development plan
- 5 m (16 ft) distance to the street on the north side (same as neighboring buildings)
- 3 m (10 ft) distance to the property boundary on east and west sides; garage may be built on the property line
- Maximum building envelope (excluding terrace, pool) 15 x 16 m (49 x 52 ft)
Edge development: see above
Number of parking spaces: double garage
Number of floors: 2, with 3 floors facing south due to slope
Roof type: open choice
Architectural style: open choice
Orientation: fixed by street position
Maximum heights/limits: heights have been discussed and approved with the building authority
Other requirements: open building concept
Owner requirements
- Architectural style, roof type, building type: modern architecture with lots of glass, flat roof, inspired by Bauhaus style (although this term is often overused)
- Basement, floors: basement (UG), ground floor (EG), upper floor (OG)
- Number and age of occupants: 5 people, including 2 children almost 2 and almost 4 years old, plus au pair
- Space requirements on EG and OG: according to the plan
- Office: separate workroom necessary; guest room can double as a second office
- Overnight guests per year: parents-in-law several times a year for a few days, friends on weekends (several times a year)
- Open or closed architecture: open on the ground floor
- Conservative or modern construction: modern, straightforward
- Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
- Number of dining seats: 8 (we often have guests and love dinner parties, which hopefully will be possible again soon)
- Fireplace: We opted for an ethanol fireplace. It’s very convenient and doesn’t require a chimney. We currently have a wood-burning fireplace but rarely use it.
- Music/sound wall: No. We have a very good soundbar with subwoofer and rear speakers for the living room that meets our needs; additional multiroom speakers will be in the dining room and kitchen.
- Balcony, roof terrace: yes, see plans
- Garage, carport: double garage with attached bike storage area
- Utility garden, greenhouse: no, only a small bed for kitchen herbs
- Other requests/particulars/daily routine, also reasons for choices or exclusions:
- Due to slope, the basement can partially be used as living space
- Office, guest room (= second office), and au pair room in the basement
- Open area on the upper floor with library (we have one now, appreciate it a lot, adds flexibility for living room layout since a large book wall doesn't always fit)
- Separate entrance to basement; possibility to combine au pair and guest rooms later into a separate apartment
- Covered terrace on the ground floor
- Direct access from the ground floor to the garden via outdoor stairs
- Large terrace on the basement level (5 m (16 ft) deep, connecting to the pool)
- Aluminum windows
- Glass balcony railing (expensive, but gives the house a lightness we like)
- Large walk-in closet on the upper floor
- Fitness room in the basement
- Wine cellar in the basement
- Airlock to the garage acting as a second cloakroom (in addition to a built-in wardrobe at the entrance)
- Lots of natural light
- Exterior walls on ground and upper floors made of Poroton clay blocks with mineral wool insulation (36.5 cm (14 in))
- Room height: 287.5 cm (9 ft 5 in) on the ground floor, 275 cm (9 ft) in the upper floor, and 254 cm (8 ft 4 in) in the basement, all measured before ceiling suspension; we currently plan a minimal 6 cm (2 in) drop for recessed spotlights
- Oak parquet flooring in all rooms except bathrooms and basement rooms
- Underfloor heating
- Air source heat pump with cooling function
- Controlled residential ventilation with heat recovery
- Smart Home with KNX, although we are still considering what is really useful versus just a gimmick
- Pool 12 x 4 m (39 x 13 ft) with in-ground rolling cover, counter-current system, and pool heating via an additional heat pump
- Using the roof area for photovoltaic panels with appropriately sized battery storage (with heat pump, electric car, and pool, we expect relatively high electricity consumption, so it seems economically sensible)
- What we don’t need
- Gallery / open void space on the ground floor (very beautiful but reduces usable upper floor area and can cause acoustic issues)
- Sauna (we enjoy sauna on ski trips but rarely at home; possibly a steam shower in the master bathroom, see questions below)
- Pantry (kitchen has enough storage for provisions; separate storage room on ground floor for vacuum cleaner, cleaning supplies, ironing board, etc., plus cellar for drink crates, etc.)
- Laundry room (washing machine and dryer will be located in the basement utility room, which also has space for hanging laundry)
- Solar thermal system (we’ve opted for photovoltaic and looked into hybrid systems, but they don’t make sense for us)
- Where we’re still unsure
- Air conditioning: do we need it? We have many windows, and the house faces south; the cooling function of the air source heat pump is limited. If air conditioning is needed, should it be multi-split with wall units above the door or somehow concealed, or a central system? Has anyone here experience with central air conditioning? How much ceiling space does a central system require (we currently plan only 6 cm (2 in) ceiling suspension)? Costs?
House design
Designed by: our architect
What we like most: it reflects our wishes and ideas, modern, bright house with a spacious layout
What we don’t like:
- Garage is located below the ground floor due to street slope, so it needs a lower height to meet height restrictions for boundary development; we are still thinking about how to design this. The current draft has a canopy over the entrance and another shallower canopy over the garage, which overlap slightly, but this might be improved.
- We can’t find a suitable spot for a piano on the ground floor; placing it on the upper floor seems to be the trade-off for having so many glass surfaces on the ground floor.
- According to the architect, the air source heat pump can only be installed outside because no products with cooling and the required capacity are available for indoor installation.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: within our expectations
Personal price limit for house, including equipment: unknown
Preferred heating technology: air source heat pump
If you had to compromise, which features or finishes could you give up?
- Could give up: We don’t really want to give up any rooms or planned equipment. The upper floor terrace is quite large; we considered partially green roofing it but then discarded that idea.
- Cannot give up: see above statement about “could give up”
Why did the design turn out as it is now?
We created our own draft and gave it to our architect along with a detailed briefing. Our architect then developed a draft based on this, which we already like very much.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can it be improved and why? Also, your views on our open questions (summarized again below):
- Ideas for the north side (street side), canopy design, problem of lower garage height
- Necessity of air conditioning, multi-split vs central system, ceiling suspension depth for central system, costs?
- Are there air source heat pumps with cooling function for indoor installation at the required capacity (>14 kW)?
11ant schrieb:
But not with someone who uses her bathroom, she is right about that.The bathroom belongs to the guest and the au pair. She is allowed to use it. Where is it stated that an au pair needs a separate bathroom?11ant schrieb:
Imagine a foster child of college age who helps out around the house (unfortunately without it rubbing off on the family’s own kids). I like your very accurate description. 😎
icandoit schrieb:
The bathroom belongs to the guest and the au pair. She is allowed to use it. Where does it say that an au pair needs a private bathroom? Hmm... an au pair uses and lives in the same spaces as the family. @icandoit's objection is not unfounded: why is the room located in the basement when the children’s rooms are upstairs? The original poster has already mentioned a granny flat, so the idea is to have a multipurpose area for visitors of any kind on the floor space.
If I stay somewhere overnight just because the travel distance is unreasonable, I only need a toilet and a washbasin for brushing my teeth for about 10 minutes. I don’t need long bath or shower times; I can do that at home. And even if the space was offered to me, I wouldn’t use it because the cleaning effort afterwards isn’t worth it.
The parents-in-law, who stay for a few days longer, are probably about my age and should be happy just to have a shower option...
I see a split-level design here, or at least bedrooms with entrances and garages on the ground floor. Then in the basement: utility room, freezer, fitness room, and of course the common room facing south. The fitness and utility rooms can benefit, for example, from a light well on the front west side. Upstairs would then be workspaces and parents’ rooms, or guest rooms. Something like that.
In my opinion, the desired openness is not achieved by a covered loggia in the common room, but rather through an almost barrier-free openness to the garden.
P
Pinkiponk14 Mar 2021 16:34icandoit schrieb:
The bathroom belongs to the guest and the au pair. She is allowed to use it. Where does it say that an au pair needs her own bathroom? I don’t believe the au pair needs a separate bathroom; I assumed she shares the family’s bathrooms. What bothers me is the idea that male overnight guests, located relatively far from the rest of the family, use the au pair’s bathroom at night while she sleeps right next to it. Maybe it’s just me who finds that inappropriate, and for various reasons, I don’t want to go into more detail. But as I said, perhaps my point of view is completely off.
K
knalltüte14 Mar 2021 17:08icandoit schrieb:
He probably didn't expect so much constructive feedback. It's not that easy to respond to all of it.
But when even simple follow-up questions go unanswered, I start to understand some of the reasons why the thread was started. or maybe he's spending his Sunday outside rather than in front of the PC :p
11ant schrieb:
...
That was my first thought too: that the architect forgot to tell the clients they should put their Pinterest wish list into an envelope and seal it. ... I like the nicely phrased descriptions by @11ant
I only know one au pair (a relative) and the family who has hosted her (for 20 years). Based on that, I’ll make some assumptions: rather well-off families, usually both parents working, hire au pairs. Also to raise children bilingually and to pass on knowledge (own language skills → au pair). By the way, there are male au pairs as well! I have never heard of clients building “au pair-friendly” houses, which is due to the limited timeframe and the suitable age of the children. Having an au pair is, besides the convenience, also a status symbol (this is my personal impression, with no intention to devalue). The currently planned au pair area will in a few years probably just become a guest room (or something else).
I have experienced au pairs more like “the older sister” or “a very close friend” of the family who really dedicate themselves to caring for the younger ones. Integration into the family is naturally deep. A separate room is clear (this is what the au pair is entitled to), and a separate guest bathroom for the au pair is presumably quite common in families like those mentioned above (in Germany). Joint vacations, shopping, eating out… whatever… is also not unusual. But privacy for the au pair as well. One question to the original poster would also be whether he/she already has experience with au pairs? Au pairs have been around for a long time now... Many agencies nowadays have quite strict requirements for host families for various reasons. These standards must be met.
My husband is watching sports, so I’m quickly sharing a SKETCH before dinner – or rather some 3D views... if this were my house, and I had all the requirements like the original poster.
On the ground floor... about 15 x 16 meters (49 x 52 feet), with variable front and rear offsets, since the staircase is almost centrally located. The windows are just examples in the larger rooms and measure 2.40 meters (7 feet 10 inches) wide.
The interior layout also works well:
- Double garage with space for bikes, check; utility room, check
- 2 kids’ bedrooms, guest/au pair area, home office, library, check
- In the basement: multi-purpose room, fitness area, utility room, freezer room, wine cellar, and so on
- On the upper floor: master area with workspace
Check, check, check
- I forgot the piano, but there would definitely be space for it somewhere, since many parts are flexible – at least without professional architect knowledge 😀
If I defined the exterior walls with the correct thickness, it would result in around 360 square meters (3,875 square feet). With my rough 10cm (4 inches) wall thickness, it comes to about 380 square meters (4,090 square feet) including the garage.
On the ground floor... about 15 x 16 meters (49 x 52 feet), with variable front and rear offsets, since the staircase is almost centrally located. The windows are just examples in the larger rooms and measure 2.40 meters (7 feet 10 inches) wide.
The interior layout also works well:
- Double garage with space for bikes, check; utility room, check
- 2 kids’ bedrooms, guest/au pair area, home office, library, check
- In the basement: multi-purpose room, fitness area, utility room, freezer room, wine cellar, and so on
- On the upper floor: master area with workspace
Check, check, check
- I forgot the piano, but there would definitely be space for it somewhere, since many parts are flexible – at least without professional architect knowledge 😀
If I defined the exterior walls with the correct thickness, it would result in around 360 square meters (3,875 square feet). With my rough 10cm (4 inches) wall thickness, it comes to about 380 square meters (4,090 square feet) including the garage.
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