ᐅ Single-family house with large open space – Requesting opinions
Created on: 28 Oct 2018 17:46
L
ltenzer
Hello everyone,
We are building a new house in a rather rural area of North Rhine-Westphalia, on an old but large vacant plot within a village setting. The attached floor plans were created based on a "rough draft" by myself and refined after several consultations with a local architect. Before we move forward decisively, I would appreciate hearing other opinions and welcome constructive criticism.
One change not yet included in the plan is a vestibule, which we want to add to prevent drafts caused by the open staircase access to the upper floor through the atrium. To keep the hallway feeling spacious, we plan to install the front door flush with the façade and add a canopy above the entrance.
Because of the generous basement, we will probably forgo an attic. We generally like exposed roof trusses and the resulting ceiling height. However, there might be an attic above the children's rooms.
The roof section above the atrium is flat. We want to keep the option open to create a rooftop terrace here later. Access would be via an external staircase between the garage roof and the upper floor; from the upper floor, this area would be accessible.
Since we have already posted in a smaller forum, we have already received two valuable tips:
- The kitchen window will be shifted slightly toward the dining table, as it currently takes up space needed for wall cabinets.
- The roof structure will be challenging due to the open atrium and walls that are not aligned vertically. A 12 m (39 ft) long steel beam as a purlin will likely need to be installed above the gallery railing.
We would like to ask for opinions, especially regarding the following: The best view is actually facing west, toward the sunset. The western corner of the living room is currently reserved for the TV, so we initially removed the window there. We are now considering expanding the window front so that a window is placed in the corner with a wider wall section in between, where the TV would be centered in the living room. This would provide a "west view" from the sofa as well. The original corner placement of the TV was intended to allow it to be positioned so it could be viewed from the dining table as well. How would you arrange it?
Checklist:
Development plan / restrictions
Lot size including rear land / former agricultural area overall 2800 sqm (30,139 sq ft)
Slope: street at front is nearly level with garage floor, right side is 1 m (3.3 ft) lower, land levels out toward the back but drops off again at the end, so that the neighbor about 80 m (262 ft) away is around one floor lower
Floor space ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: marked on ground floor plan at left
Surrounding buildings: bungalow on left, 1.5 storeys on right
Number of storeys: 2 full storeys
Roof style: any
Architectural style: any
Garden orientation: northwest
Owners’ requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: preferably classic "old-fashioned"; we love old castles but unfortunately that’s no longer how people build today
Number of people, ages: 41 + 42 + 1.5 years (possible 2nd child / foster child)
Office: for family use or home office including storage for private documents, books, etc.
Guests staying overnight per year: up to about 10 nights per year so far
Open or closed architecture: preferably open
Traditional or modern construction: both have pros and cons; a mix is welcome
Open kitchen, kitchen island: preferably open with option to close it later; kitchen island not required
Number of dining seats: usually 4, but up to 12-18 for guests
Fireplace: not required
Music/speaker wall: not required
Balcony, rooftop terrace: rooftop terrace as a possible addition later
Garage, carport: at least one double garage
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are or are not wanted: -
House design
Planner: Architect based on a DIY rough draft
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approximately 620,000 € including additional costs
Personal budget for the house including fittings: preferably less; we have some saving potentials through professional contacts in the construction industry / partial DIY and friends who are tradespeople
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump, deep drilling
We are building a new house in a rather rural area of North Rhine-Westphalia, on an old but large vacant plot within a village setting. The attached floor plans were created based on a "rough draft" by myself and refined after several consultations with a local architect. Before we move forward decisively, I would appreciate hearing other opinions and welcome constructive criticism.
One change not yet included in the plan is a vestibule, which we want to add to prevent drafts caused by the open staircase access to the upper floor through the atrium. To keep the hallway feeling spacious, we plan to install the front door flush with the façade and add a canopy above the entrance.
Because of the generous basement, we will probably forgo an attic. We generally like exposed roof trusses and the resulting ceiling height. However, there might be an attic above the children's rooms.
The roof section above the atrium is flat. We want to keep the option open to create a rooftop terrace here later. Access would be via an external staircase between the garage roof and the upper floor; from the upper floor, this area would be accessible.
Since we have already posted in a smaller forum, we have already received two valuable tips:
- The kitchen window will be shifted slightly toward the dining table, as it currently takes up space needed for wall cabinets.
- The roof structure will be challenging due to the open atrium and walls that are not aligned vertically. A 12 m (39 ft) long steel beam as a purlin will likely need to be installed above the gallery railing.
We would like to ask for opinions, especially regarding the following: The best view is actually facing west, toward the sunset. The western corner of the living room is currently reserved for the TV, so we initially removed the window there. We are now considering expanding the window front so that a window is placed in the corner with a wider wall section in between, where the TV would be centered in the living room. This would provide a "west view" from the sofa as well. The original corner placement of the TV was intended to allow it to be positioned so it could be viewed from the dining table as well. How would you arrange it?
Checklist:
Development plan / restrictions
Lot size including rear land / former agricultural area overall 2800 sqm (30,139 sq ft)
Slope: street at front is nearly level with garage floor, right side is 1 m (3.3 ft) lower, land levels out toward the back but drops off again at the end, so that the neighbor about 80 m (262 ft) away is around one floor lower
Floor space ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: marked on ground floor plan at left
Surrounding buildings: bungalow on left, 1.5 storeys on right
Number of storeys: 2 full storeys
Roof style: any
Architectural style: any
Garden orientation: northwest
Owners’ requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: preferably classic "old-fashioned"; we love old castles but unfortunately that’s no longer how people build today
Number of people, ages: 41 + 42 + 1.5 years (possible 2nd child / foster child)
Office: for family use or home office including storage for private documents, books, etc.
Guests staying overnight per year: up to about 10 nights per year so far
Open or closed architecture: preferably open
Traditional or modern construction: both have pros and cons; a mix is welcome
Open kitchen, kitchen island: preferably open with option to close it later; kitchen island not required
Number of dining seats: usually 4, but up to 12-18 for guests
Fireplace: not required
Music/speaker wall: not required
Balcony, rooftop terrace: rooftop terrace as a possible addition later
Garage, carport: at least one double garage
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are or are not wanted: -
House design
Planner: Architect based on a DIY rough draft
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approximately 620,000 € including additional costs
Personal budget for the house including fittings: preferably less; we have some saving potentials through professional contacts in the construction industry / partial DIY and friends who are tradespeople
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump, deep drilling
O
Obstlerbaum29 Oct 2018 15:04Not bad overall, especially if you like a lot of ventilation for little money. The annoying southern sun is also largely blocked, very well done. At least on the 15 days a year when we have 35°C (95°F) in Germany...
ypg schrieb:
We have an airspace ourselves... and my husband often watches TV longer than I do.
For me, it is actually too loud: the sound carries upward as if I were watching/listening to TV upstairs myself.
...What sound insulation rating does your bedroom door have?
ltenzer schrieb:
What sound insulation rating does your bedroom door have?Not the bedroom. Nothing gets through there. But I live upstairs as well and move around in the bathroom, on the gallery... those doors aren’t always closed. The child doesn’t have a restriction to stay up there either.
I would give the children's room a separate hallway, maybe where the bedroom is now... forget about the great view from the bathroom. You don’t really enjoy that when you’re daydreaming in the bathtub.
ypg schrieb:
Who are you addressing? We all told you to place the garage facing east...Well, you have partly convinced me, so I’ll take another look at the planning.
I’m still unsure about placing the garage to the east. I might simply move it a bit away from the house, directly on the property boundary with the neighbor on the left. That way, I keep the southwest side of the house open and at least a few meters of southwest terrace.
If I put the garage to the east, I wouldn’t have space for a larger southwest terrace.
What I haven’t mentioned yet is that I’m not allowed to build all the way to the eastern property boundary, because there is a public sewer running under my plot along that border which must remain accessible for the municipal utilities. Along this section, I want to keep a driveway for myself (for example, for possible future backland development, which is legally permitted there).
It was also important to me not to feel exposed on the terrace facing the street, but that could be solved with a hedge or a low wall between the house and the garage. I also wanted to be able to walk from the car to the house without getting wet in the rain. There are various options to cover the path for that.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t make the house cheaper overall, but it will be nicer.
ltenzer schrieb:
Plot size including surrounding land / former agricultural area totals 2800 sqm (30,140 sq ft)
Slope: the street at the front is almost level with the garage floor height; on the right side it is 1 m (3.3 ft) lower; towards the back the terrain levels out but then drops again at the far end, so that a neighbor about 80 m (260 ft) away is roughly one story lower
Floor area ratio 0.4
Plot ratio 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: marked on the left side of the ground floor plan
Edge development: bungalow on the left, 1.5 stories on the right Unfortunately, there is no legible floor plan sketch (length, width, slopes, indication of where the slope begins to drop, height points on the site plan).
Also, on the current floor plans, the numbers and notes are not readable, so it is not possible to see what you intend to do with the basement room, which seems to be designed with a light well.
kbt09 schrieb:
Unfortunately, everything is without a readable floor plan sketch (length, width, slopes, indication of where the slope drops off, etc., so height points on the site plan).
And with the current floor plans, the numbers and details are not legible, so for example, it’s not clear what you plan to do with the basement room that seems to have a light well.For me, the floor plans can be enlarged with a click, so everything is readable, even when I open them here through the forum.
I don’t yet have a site plan with indicated elevations (but I have now requested one from my architect). To give an idea of where the neighboring buildings are located, I have attached an excerpt from the development plan. The lower blue-marked building plot along the street is the one we intend to build on (we will leave the hinterland undeveloped for the time being). The street slopes down about 1 meter (3 feet) from left to right in front of the front building plot. However, the slope becomes somewhat gentler as you go further into the property; at the rear boundary of our building plot, I estimate only about half a meter (1.5 feet) of height difference. The area then remains relatively level with a slight slope; only about 10 meters (33 feet) before the northern neighbor does it start to slope more steeply.
The basement room with the light well (which might also just be a light strip) has not yet been finalized in terms of layout. If a second child comes, it could serve as a flexible space for an office, guest room, or later as a large playroom (there’s definitely room for a table tennis table ). In that sense, the room is "left over" due to the disadvantages of a partial basement. But with kids, a lot of stuff quickly accumulates anyway, so I think we’ll manage to fill all the rooms somehow...
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