ᐅ Single-family house with a pitched roof, without a basement – feedback welcome

ypg schrieb:
I also consider it unnecessary,

More than that: the passage creates a rigid connection between the house and the garage, preventing any movement between the two structures. But the dynamic potential has to come from somewhere, especially when the building envelope is already as tight as a vise.

kaho674 schrieb:
Oh Thies, where were you back then when I needed you.

Now, regarding the old building and its site development, I am right on time.

Milmay schrieb:
I am confident that we can save the floor plan. My husband is willing to cooperate, even if he isn’t enthusiastic about all your ideas.

An antithesis is either not under any pressure to resemble Plan A at any point or it is not an antithesis.

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derpikniker schrieb:


- Floor area ratio – Have you considered that the smaller garage counts fully, not just half, because of the overbuilding? Have you included the terrace, the driveway, and the entrance area in your calculations? According to my calculations, the building footprint including the overbuilt half of the garage must not exceed 122m² (1,313 sq ft). This is also why I decided against the bay window that was included in the earlier version.

The dimensions are listed. The floor area ratio is fully used (154). I didn’t even know that half of the garage is counted only half. So we would have 141. That leaves about 14m² (150 sq ft) for the rest. I’d be in favor of a terrace. Paths are overrated. Just kidding. How are you solving this issue? Because with your design, the problem is the same? A good reason to keep tweaking. Maybe I can squeeze out some more space if I compress it rigorously.

derpikniker schrieb:

- Which of the walls you’ve drawn on the ground floor and upper floor are load-bearing or provide bracing? Keep in mind, there are two concrete slabs, and as far as I know, a clear span of over 6 meters (20 feet) is rather suboptimal.

All interior walls are planned as load-bearing with a thickness of 20cm (8 inches). But the structural engineer will have to figure that out. If necessary, beams will be inserted. I don’t think that will be needed.

derpikniker schrieb:

- Could you please add the floor areas or at least the internal dimensions of the rooms?

Too much to ask. My software can’t do that. I have to calculate each one manually. Please tell me which one you are interested in.

derpikniker schrieb:

- Where will coats, jackets, shoes, and bags be stored? I only see one 3-meter (10 feet) cabinet in the hallway.

That is a 2.50m (8 feet) wide wardrobe with a depth of 65cm (26 inches), which is similar to what a normal wardrobe would be with five doors, about 2.20m (7 feet 3 inches) high. For five people, each person would have their own door with compartments above and below. That should be enough for the current outerwear, I think.

derpikniker schrieb:

- The windows on the west side are unfortunately not very practical. The southwest corner of the house is only 2.2m (7 feet) from the 2m (6 feet 7 inches) high gabion wall. West-facing windows in the dining room on this site feel like they belong in a terraced house or a prison yard (this also applies to @ypg’s suggestion to open up the room that way). This is why I planned the two kitchen windows only as light sources without a view.

I’ll leave the entire window planning to you. None of us know your site, apart from the fact that it’s rather small.

derpikniker schrieb:

- The route from the kitchen to the two possible terraces goes right through the house. Generally, I assume that in summer, we will spend time on the shaded west side of the house between the garage and the gabion, because a south-facing terrace above 25°C (77°F) becomes like a frying pan. But my partner is firmly against this. Time will tell.

The kitchen is in exactly the same place as yours? Would you prefer it differently? At first, I also thought about the south side. But then the space under the stairs would be lost as a pantry.

derpikniker schrieb:

- What natural light sources does the hallway, the staircase, and the two corridors on the upper floor and attic have?

The hallway downstairs has the front door with side windows. Otherwise, there is no natural light in the stairwell. For the upstairs corridor, I like to work with transom windows in doors — sometimes even in walls.

derpikniker schrieb:

- I find the 2m (6 feet 7 inches) wide east-facing window in the living room suboptimal due to noise and privacy issues caused by the street/path.
- Right where you placed those living room windows, I get an itchy rash because my back of the head is stared at by a saber-toothed tiger from the street, and I can only look into my own living cave. What can I do if I’m a man? I’m not trying to change here; it’s not like smoking or drinking.

Yes, as I said, I had this discussion with my husband four years ago. Whether it’s a male thing, I don’t know. Actually, masculinity likes to present itself and be seen. But in his “cave,” he closes all shutters. So you might actually like the windowless stairwell.

derpikniker schrieb:

- I don’t find the ground floor shower very practical. I don’t know anyone who voluntarily goes downstairs just to use the toilet, brush their teeth, or shower. That’s why I plan bathrooms only on floors with bedrooms. Since an extension is more likely than not…

That’s just a mindset. We regularly walk through the whole house naked.
The crux here is mainly not to convert the attic and thus initially save all the insulation and finishing costs there. But with five people, one shower only is not enough. So the most cost-effective solution is to include another shower downstairs. If you have the money for the attic, I would put the kids there with a small bathroom. But I guess you don’t have that money, right? Like about 80% of home builders here. That’s why I planned the budget-friendly version.

derpikniker schrieb:

- When you’ve washed the laundry of five people in the laundry room you’ve drawn, where will you hang it to dry?

First outside. But I thought that with five people, a dryer becomes a real option that you don’t want to miss anymore. And look, two machines are planned. You could stack them and still have space for a drying rack next to them. That’s enough space.

derpikniker schrieb:


- The open kitchen is both a blessing and a curse. We have that currently as well. The feeling of space is great. But when cooking, the whole house gets affected. Especially cooking a steak in a cast-iron pan is a nightmare. That’s why I set up a small backup kitchen on the terrace, which we now use more often than the main kitchen. So this time I wanted to try a closed kitchen (with sliding door). After all, it will be at least 20 years before we don’t have to make burgers and fries for the kids anymore.

A dilemma, also with your layout. Closing the kitchen in this small ground floor would take away freedom. If that huge table wasn’t needed, maybe something could work. But I would rather build a powerful extraction system. This has been discussed here several times.
Maybe the kitchen experts can provide tips.

So, before I start sacrificing my evening (or rather my husband’s), let’s get straight to the point:

How many children are there already, and what ages? Girls or boys?

Milmay schrieb:
Development plan / restrictions:

Plot size: 445 sqm (4789 sq ft) Slope: no
Floor area ratio: 0.35
Site coverage ratio: 0.7
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories plus future attic conversion

The development plan certainly does not explicitly state: future attic conversion. So what exactly does the development plan say? Also regarding the state building code and the garage?

derpikniker schrieb:
- Floor area ratio – Have you considered that the smaller garage is fully counted due to overbuilding and not just half? Did you include the terrace, driveway, and entrance area? According to my calculations, the main building including the overbuilt half of the garage may not exceed 122 sqm (1313 sq ft).

According to my calculation, it will be a boundary development with only one garage. The second one disappears within the floor area ratio of 0.35, so it is included in the living area. That ratio allows an overbuild without an external garage of 155 sqm (1668 sq ft)... so in your case, the overbuild with the internal garage, including the living ground floor, is allowed to be overbuilt.

Only then does it make sense according to the state building code. However, I doubt that the two garages can be connected. I think they are not allowed to be combined. If you tell me/us there is definitely an exception here, then I’ll believe it.

derpikniker schrieb:
- The windows on the west facade are unfortunately not very practical. The southwest corner of the house is 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) from the 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high gabion wall.

Of course they are practical: they give the room a different perception and provide light as well.

derpikniker schrieb:
West-facing windows in the dining room on this plot have the charm of a mid-terrace house or prison courtyard

No, as it stands now, as you @derpikniker have it, it has the charm of a terraced house (I don’t find terraced houses bad, but you are definitely wrong).

derpikniker schrieb:
- The route from the kitchen to the two possible terraces goes completely through the house. Generally, I assume we will spend summers on the shaded west side of the house, between the garage and the gabion wall, because a south-facing terrace becomes like a frying pan above 25°C (77°F).

But that’s based on your planning! It can be done better! How south-facing terraces are perceived is known by a large community of users here, and they do not want to miss them necessarily. I always advocate for multiple terraces. You don’t have to mention them all in the building permit / planning permission.

derpikniker schrieb:
- What natural light source do the hallway, staircase, and the two corridors on the upper floors have?

Don’t get hung up on side issues. Compromises always have to be made. You have to weigh these things.

derpikniker schrieb:
I don’t want to have to retrain myself, it’s not like quitting smoking or drinking.

But you do want to move, right? So you just have to get used to it. Humans are not made for rigid conditions.

derpikniker schrieb:
- I don’t find the shower on the ground floor practical. I don’t know anyone who would voluntarily change floors just to use the bathroom, brush teeth, or shower. For this reason, I only plan bathrooms on the floors with bedrooms. Since the attic conversion is more likely than not...

If you are not willing or don’t have the space to plan a children’s bathroom for 3-4 kids, then accept this shower and see it as useful. Your children will become teenagers and need space. So you only plan bathrooms... how many bathrooms have you planned so far? You should listen more to the collective knowledge of a forum (you don’t have to implement anything), but you should be willing to change, since many here have years of experience with habits, improvements, and fundamental planning compared to you.

derpikniker schrieb:
- When you’ve done laundry for 5 people in the laundry room you designed, where will you hang it to dry?

Dryer. The days of drying rooms are over.

derpikniker schrieb:
- The open kitchen is both a blessing and a curse. We currently have that too. It gives a great sense of space. But when cooking, the whole house is affected. Especially cooking a steak in a cast iron pan is a killer here. That’s why I’ve set up a small backup kitchen on the terrace, which we now use more often than the main kitchen.

You have created an alternative. That’s good. Even in a house you have to make those compromises... weigh how much you want to give up on this great atmosphere... just because of one steak.

derpikniker schrieb:
@ypg: Whether I have two 1 m (3 ft 3 in) wide windows or a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) wide window facing south in the living room doesn’t really matter. The narrow windows have the advantage of stretching the facade and can be more easily repeated on the upper floors.

No, it does matter. Sight lines, sense of space, light, view, harmony between interior and garden, room layout... hello?? And what exactly do you want to stretch on a two-story building plus pitched roof? It’s stretched enough already!

derpikniker schrieb:
Also, these are always more stable than double windows / sliding windows and better for structural integrity.

Oh... we’re not talking about 4-meter (13 ft) panoramic windows but 2 or 3 meters (6 ft 7 in / 9 ft 10 in)... that’s hardly unstable.

derpikniker schrieb:
Therefore, I like to plan with floor-to-ceiling 1 m (3 ft 3 in) wide windows, which are only made narrower if there is no space (see staircase).

Even narrower???

Milmay schrieb:
I’m glad I tried here and that you are so interested and committed to this matter. I’m sure we can save the floor plan. My husband is willing to cooperate, even if he’s not enthusiastic about all your ideas.

Thanks for your trust. Your husband just needs to be a bit more flexible and drop old and false ideas. Life will be long enough 😉

Door open again because of odors
Are you planning to install a ventilation system?

Old apartment with a closed kitchen, simple recirculation ventilation – it smelled. In the apartment, in the stairwell, just everywhere.
New house with an open floor plan, powerful extractor fan, controlled ventilation system – rarely smells of cooking.

Large windows look better than two narrow openings. Plan your outdoor area as well. A gabion can be hidden behind bamboo or a shrub.
Search online or browse Pinterest.
In the UK, I have seen nice basement gardens that draw the view outside, so you forget it is just a small garden below ground level.
Include the outdoor area in your planning. Open up the rooms to make everything feel more spacious and open.

Plant a hedge by the street so no monster stares from the darkness.

ypg schrieb:

According to my calculation, there will be a boundary development with one garage. The second garage is included in the floor area ratio of 0.35, so it’s counted within the living space.

This means a built-up area without an external garage of 155 sqm (1,668 sq ft)... In your case, it’s a built-up area including this internal garage plus the living ground floor. So it can also be built over.

Only this way does it make sense according to the state building code.

Could you explain that again as if I were 5 years old? How much of the garage counts towards the floor area ratio in the planned construction, and how much doesn’t?

What about paths? I’ve read here and there that exceeding the floor area ratio is tolerated by up to 50% if it’s due to paths. Is that nonsense, or does it really exist?

After some more shuffling, I arrive at 120.7 for the house including the built-over garage. That leaves 35 for the boundary garage and the rest. Yikes.
Take a look:

ypg schrieb:
I always recommend having multiple terraces. You don’t necessarily have to mention all of them in the building permit / planning permission application.

Yes. Think it over again. You originally didn’t really want a terrace, but rather a lawn for the children to play on, right? (In three years’ time, as long as it’s no higher than about half a meter (about 20 inches), no one will check – and if they do, you’re extremely unlucky.)