ᐅ Single-family house with a split-level design for the living area
Created on: 3 Oct 2014 16:32
P
Projekt
Hello,
we have completed our final planning, and if anyone notices any possible improvements, we would appreciate your feedback. Our plot has a very slight slope, which is why we included a split-level step; this allows us to have the terrace at the same level as the living area.
A few additional notes...
- The split-level step on the ground floor means the entrance area has a plank floor, with a half step leading up to the living/dining room floor.
- The walls next to the concrete staircase on the ground floor are built handrails, not full-height walls.
- The ceiling height in the living/dining area is approximately 265 cm (8 ft 8 in), while in the front part of the ground floor it is about 300 cm (9 ft 10 in).
- The garden faces south-west.
We look forward to your input...
we have completed our final planning, and if anyone notices any possible improvements, we would appreciate your feedback. Our plot has a very slight slope, which is why we included a split-level step; this allows us to have the terrace at the same level as the living area.
A few additional notes...
- The split-level step on the ground floor means the entrance area has a plank floor, with a half step leading up to the living/dining room floor.
- The walls next to the concrete staircase on the ground floor are built handrails, not full-height walls.
- The ceiling height in the living/dining area is approximately 265 cm (8 ft 8 in), while in the front part of the ground floor it is about 300 cm (9 ft 10 in).
- The garden faces south-west.
We look forward to your input...
Oh, the kids aren’t here yet, so I have a few points to reconsider:
- Open living area: Noise from the living room travels upstairs and can disturb the children’s sleep. And vice versa: kids have visitors, make noise in their bedrooms, listen to music, and this can be heard throughout the whole house. You don’t want that long-term.
- Cloakroom/wardrobe: With children, you need a lot of space—mud pants, rain jackets, sports bags, backpacks, music bags, rubber boots, and so on. I didn’t realize this before having kids, but they have a bigger wardrobe of jackets and bags than I do myself.
- Bathtub in the parents’ bathroom can be quite inconvenient, as the route between the children’s rooms and the bathroom is too impractical.
- Open living area: Noise from the living room travels upstairs and can disturb the children’s sleep. And vice versa: kids have visitors, make noise in their bedrooms, listen to music, and this can be heard throughout the whole house. You don’t want that long-term.
- Cloakroom/wardrobe: With children, you need a lot of space—mud pants, rain jackets, sports bags, backpacks, music bags, rubber boots, and so on. I didn’t realize this before having kids, but they have a bigger wardrobe of jackets and bags than I do myself.
- Bathtub in the parents’ bathroom can be quite inconvenient, as the route between the children’s rooms and the bathroom is too impractical.
Toddlers need a bathtub. Yours is hidden in a maze, and the path to it is long. You will be carrying a lot of laundry through the house.
The cloakroom is also not suitable for children; it is much too small. Additionally, the route to the toilet, which is probably used around 20 times a day, is obstructed.
The two staircases take up a lot of space, and there are also two entrances to the living room. Why?
Two staircases take up a lot of space.
From my own experience, I would skip such a large pantry.
Split-level designs don’t bother me and are fine for children. However, they are a tripping hazard, especially if toys are scattered around. It’s better to have the step outside.
The cloakroom is also not suitable for children; it is much too small. Additionally, the route to the toilet, which is probably used around 20 times a day, is obstructed.
The two staircases take up a lot of space, and there are also two entrances to the living room. Why?
Two staircases take up a lot of space.
From my own experience, I would skip such a large pantry.
Split-level designs don’t bother me and are fine for children. However, they are a tripping hazard, especially if toys are scattered around. It’s better to have the step outside.
So, here’s my two cents as well 🙂
Split-level houses, if you like them, that’s perfectly fine. I assume you’ve considered all the pros and cons.
Having access from the garage into the house can definitely make sense, but into the pantry?
1. Exhaust fumes could come in when opening the door – with food stored there...
2. The pantry might also become a mudroom. So, where would you leave your clothes and shoes? In the garage or only later in the coatroom?
3. The passageway is simply too narrow with a shopping basket, and especially with a baby carrier, toddler, or diaper bag! It’s better to plan a generous covered walkway from the front door to the garage or mirror the ground floor layout and plan access in other rooms instead.
The coatroom will be cramped. With two children, there are tons of shoes, jackets, sports and school bags... In the end, everything ends up in the hallway.
Also, the coatroom is hard to access – the same goes for the WC!! – so in practice, hardly anything gets hung up there. I speak from experience 😉
That means coats and shoes end up somewhere else anyway!
And as I said, the access to the WC is not ideal. Hiding the coatroom doesn’t help if every guest who needs the restroom has to walk past it.
If you don’t have children yet, placing the large bathroom far away is very impractical. Kids need help with bathing for several years, and later also with showering. And of course for the WC and brushing teeth! So why hide the big bathroom? I’m not a fan of separate parents’ and children’s bathrooms. Of course, I support having a second bathroom. We will have one too, but on a different floor with the two older sons (8 and 12) in the attic. Still, the large bathroom on the upper floor is accessible to everyone – parents, the youngest child, and also the two older boys anytime! Everyone can use it, at any time! Having it separated behind the bedroom always gives me the impression that children are not really welcome there. How will children see that later on?
Long story short: a second bathroom definitely makes sense, but the big bathroom should be freely accessible to all family members. Better to have a separate shower bathroom for the parents!
Otherwise, I quite like it. Some elevations/views would be nice regarding window arrangement, etc.
Split-level houses, if you like them, that’s perfectly fine. I assume you’ve considered all the pros and cons.
Having access from the garage into the house can definitely make sense, but into the pantry?
1. Exhaust fumes could come in when opening the door – with food stored there...
2. The pantry might also become a mudroom. So, where would you leave your clothes and shoes? In the garage or only later in the coatroom?
3. The passageway is simply too narrow with a shopping basket, and especially with a baby carrier, toddler, or diaper bag! It’s better to plan a generous covered walkway from the front door to the garage or mirror the ground floor layout and plan access in other rooms instead.
The coatroom will be cramped. With two children, there are tons of shoes, jackets, sports and school bags... In the end, everything ends up in the hallway.
Also, the coatroom is hard to access – the same goes for the WC!! – so in practice, hardly anything gets hung up there. I speak from experience 😉
That means coats and shoes end up somewhere else anyway!
And as I said, the access to the WC is not ideal. Hiding the coatroom doesn’t help if every guest who needs the restroom has to walk past it.
If you don’t have children yet, placing the large bathroom far away is very impractical. Kids need help with bathing for several years, and later also with showering. And of course for the WC and brushing teeth! So why hide the big bathroom? I’m not a fan of separate parents’ and children’s bathrooms. Of course, I support having a second bathroom. We will have one too, but on a different floor with the two older sons (8 and 12) in the attic. Still, the large bathroom on the upper floor is accessible to everyone – parents, the youngest child, and also the two older boys anytime! Everyone can use it, at any time! Having it separated behind the bedroom always gives me the impression that children are not really welcome there. How will children see that later on?
Long story short: a second bathroom definitely makes sense, but the big bathroom should be freely accessible to all family members. Better to have a separate shower bathroom for the parents!
Otherwise, I quite like it. Some elevations/views would be nice regarding window arrangement, etc.
Wow, lots of comments, thank you.
Our wish is for the house to feel alive. Sounds and movement are welcome... Regarding noise insulation, the corridor walls on the upper floor will be built using noise-reducing bricks.
We will reconsider the cloakroom issue with the architect. Let’s see what solutions are available. As planned, the cloakroom was intended to be used as a guest cloakroom. Coat hooks and shoes should be placed on the left wall next to the entrance door. We’ll see…
Two staircases are a waste of space? In another situation, I would agree. But we’re talking about 210m2 (2260 sq ft) of living space. We originally wanted to stay under 180m2 (1940 sq ft). Since only single-story construction is permitted and the upper floor must have a certain size, we have to plan the ground floor accordingly large. Aside from that, the centrally located staircase has significant architectural and visual importance for us. We’re not building our house just for practicality. Shame on us... Hopefully, we won’t be living in this house in old age anyway.
The bathtub in the children’s bathroom is not yet shown in the plans but will be added and was already planned for the reasons mentioned.
The door from the garage to the pantry is 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide, followed by a sliding door 90cm (35 inches) wide, leading to the kitchen. I think that provides good access. Better to have two short steps through the pantry than one long, fully loaded trip through the front door. Regarding exhaust gases, the garage will only fit one car due to the shape of the plot. It will mostly be parked head-in. Based on experience, exhaust emissions in the garage can thus be neglected. At least that’s how it is in our circle of acquaintances.
About the master and children’s bathrooms... I can say from personal experience that this is great. With my luck, I will have two daughters (as a father), and everyone will be very glad not to have to share the wet area ;-)
Our wish is for the house to feel alive. Sounds and movement are welcome... Regarding noise insulation, the corridor walls on the upper floor will be built using noise-reducing bricks.
We will reconsider the cloakroom issue with the architect. Let’s see what solutions are available. As planned, the cloakroom was intended to be used as a guest cloakroom. Coat hooks and shoes should be placed on the left wall next to the entrance door. We’ll see…
Two staircases are a waste of space? In another situation, I would agree. But we’re talking about 210m2 (2260 sq ft) of living space. We originally wanted to stay under 180m2 (1940 sq ft). Since only single-story construction is permitted and the upper floor must have a certain size, we have to plan the ground floor accordingly large. Aside from that, the centrally located staircase has significant architectural and visual importance for us. We’re not building our house just for practicality. Shame on us... Hopefully, we won’t be living in this house in old age anyway.
The bathtub in the children’s bathroom is not yet shown in the plans but will be added and was already planned for the reasons mentioned.
The door from the garage to the pantry is 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide, followed by a sliding door 90cm (35 inches) wide, leading to the kitchen. I think that provides good access. Better to have two short steps through the pantry than one long, fully loaded trip through the front door. Regarding exhaust gases, the garage will only fit one car due to the shape of the plot. It will mostly be parked head-in. Based on experience, exhaust emissions in the garage can thus be neglected. At least that’s how it is in our circle of acquaintances.
About the master and children’s bathrooms... I can say from personal experience that this is great. With my luck, I will have two daughters (as a father), and everyone will be very glad not to have to share the wet area ;-)
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