ᐅ Single-family house with a recessed upper floor, southwest-facing, located in Bonn
Created on: 5 Oct 2020 20:40
B
Benrath
Hello everyone,
we have purchased one of three plots that were divided from a larger property and still need to be developed. Access is via a private road, and all three owners share the traffic area equally. The plot is very well connected for us, located centrally in Bonn, and is perhaps a bit larger than we actually needed. However, it’s not like there are always free plots available in a similar location.
Because there was a lengthy legal dispute between the seller and the neighbors beforehand, we can only build a partial recessed upper floor to a limited extent. Probably for this reason, the plot was mainly interesting for private buyers. An accessory apartment is not possible, and we don’t want one anyway.
Up until now, the planning was done from scratch without considering costs or practical aspects, at least from our side. The architect apparently enjoys drawing, which is understandable at this stage and has a certain artistic approach. We are generally open to all suggestions and ideas on what could be done differently, especially where costs might be saved easily.
Our next step will be to conclude an architect contract for service phases 1 to 5 plus general contractor / main contractor.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: >800sqm (8600 sq ft), no slope, building envelope etc. See plan.
Parking spaces: 1 on traffic area and 1 garage
Number of storeys: Only 1 full storey plus a recessed upper floor
Roof style: Flat roof; architectural style: rather Bauhaus
Orientation: Front of the house faces southwest
Maximum height/limits: 7–8m (23–26 ft)
Owners’ requirements
We basically have no specific style requirements. A flat roof results partly from the recessed upper floor and height restrictions, which probably don’t allow a pitched roof.
We want a basement with excavation and two daylight rooms (this was more the architect’s idea). Currently, there are three of us, possibly four in the future. Early 30s and a baby.
We had planned for just over 100sqm (1076 sq ft) on the ground floor and about 75% of that upstairs. Currently, it’s roughly 230sqm (2475 sq ft) ground floor and upper floor combined plus terraces, etc., and the basement.
Office: occasional use, not very important.
Number of overnight guests per year: unknown, but a guest room is planned
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We definitely want a separate kitchen area and like the suggestion of an extended island
Number of dining seats: 4 in the kitchen, more like 8 in the dining room
Fireplace: Not very important, probably no.
Music/surround sound system: 5.1 system around the TV
Balcony, roof terrace: Terrace is a must, balcony above the kitchen results from the recessed floor
Garage, carport: The garage width of 4.5m (15 ft) is unusual and probably makes it more expensive.
House design by the architect
What do we particularly like? Why? Good use of the sunny side, and otherwise all our wishes have been taken into account.
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet.
What don’t we like? Why? I could imagine a nicer staircase, perhaps a longer, more open design. Overall, the hallway feels a bit large.
The upper-floor terrace seems somewhat oversized. We are wondering if the overhang casts too much shade on the ground floor.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: with general contractor and all additional costs >900,000€ (over 900,000 euros)
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: rather below that.
Preferred heating technology: no opinion so far
Why does the design look like it does?
For example:
There was an initial meeting with the architect during which our wishes were noted.
Ground floor: separated kitchen, combined living/dining area. Another separate room as office/guest room (and possibly bedroom if needed).
Passage from the garage to the house, possibly as a utility room.
Upper floor: 3 rooms plus 2 bathrooms, including one en-suite.
First draft at the second meeting, and at the third meeting this final design was presented.
we have purchased one of three plots that were divided from a larger property and still need to be developed. Access is via a private road, and all three owners share the traffic area equally. The plot is very well connected for us, located centrally in Bonn, and is perhaps a bit larger than we actually needed. However, it’s not like there are always free plots available in a similar location.
Because there was a lengthy legal dispute between the seller and the neighbors beforehand, we can only build a partial recessed upper floor to a limited extent. Probably for this reason, the plot was mainly interesting for private buyers. An accessory apartment is not possible, and we don’t want one anyway.
Up until now, the planning was done from scratch without considering costs or practical aspects, at least from our side. The architect apparently enjoys drawing, which is understandable at this stage and has a certain artistic approach. We are generally open to all suggestions and ideas on what could be done differently, especially where costs might be saved easily.
Our next step will be to conclude an architect contract for service phases 1 to 5 plus general contractor / main contractor.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: >800sqm (8600 sq ft), no slope, building envelope etc. See plan.
Parking spaces: 1 on traffic area and 1 garage
Number of storeys: Only 1 full storey plus a recessed upper floor
Roof style: Flat roof; architectural style: rather Bauhaus
Orientation: Front of the house faces southwest
Maximum height/limits: 7–8m (23–26 ft)
Owners’ requirements
We basically have no specific style requirements. A flat roof results partly from the recessed upper floor and height restrictions, which probably don’t allow a pitched roof.
We want a basement with excavation and two daylight rooms (this was more the architect’s idea). Currently, there are three of us, possibly four in the future. Early 30s and a baby.
We had planned for just over 100sqm (1076 sq ft) on the ground floor and about 75% of that upstairs. Currently, it’s roughly 230sqm (2475 sq ft) ground floor and upper floor combined plus terraces, etc., and the basement.
Office: occasional use, not very important.
Number of overnight guests per year: unknown, but a guest room is planned
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We definitely want a separate kitchen area and like the suggestion of an extended island
Number of dining seats: 4 in the kitchen, more like 8 in the dining room
Fireplace: Not very important, probably no.
Music/surround sound system: 5.1 system around the TV
Balcony, roof terrace: Terrace is a must, balcony above the kitchen results from the recessed floor
Garage, carport: The garage width of 4.5m (15 ft) is unusual and probably makes it more expensive.
House design by the architect
What do we particularly like? Why? Good use of the sunny side, and otherwise all our wishes have been taken into account.
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet.
What don’t we like? Why? I could imagine a nicer staircase, perhaps a longer, more open design. Overall, the hallway feels a bit large.
The upper-floor terrace seems somewhat oversized. We are wondering if the overhang casts too much shade on the ground floor.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: with general contractor and all additional costs >900,000€ (over 900,000 euros)
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: rather below that.
Preferred heating technology: no opinion so far
Why does the design look like it does?
For example:
There was an initial meeting with the architect during which our wishes were noted.
Ground floor: separated kitchen, combined living/dining area. Another separate room as office/guest room (and possibly bedroom if needed).
Passage from the garage to the house, possibly as a utility room.
Upper floor: 3 rooms plus 2 bathrooms, including one en-suite.
First draft at the second meeting, and at the third meeting this final design was presented.
I don’t see the genius behind the plan to simply place the kitchen upstairs in the 60 m² (645 sq ft) room, with the dining area below it, and then another room where the kitchen currently is.
Besides, we want to have a separate kitchen.
If I make it this simple, I end up with a 60 m² (645 sq ft) room containing both the kitchen and dining table. I find that worse.
If you have a suggestion for a completely new layout, such as placing the kitchen where the current guest/study room is, that’s something we can discuss. But the proposal to just swap the kitchen and living room doesn’t work for me. Furthermore, we would simply eat in the kitchen as a family of four.
Besides, we want to have a separate kitchen.
If I make it this simple, I end up with a 60 m² (645 sq ft) room containing both the kitchen and dining table. I find that worse.
If you have a suggestion for a completely new layout, such as placing the kitchen where the current guest/study room is, that’s something we can discuss. But the proposal to just swap the kitchen and living room doesn’t work for me. Furthermore, we would simply eat in the kitchen as a family of four.
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Matthew0330 Nov 2020 11:41The house has great potential from the outside to be something special, but the interior doesn’t impress me... which is a shame, because somehow it feels like it could have been "more." I also find the living area very uninviting; anyone standing at the front door can see straight through to the very back, and the proportions are awkwardly designed. The study feels cozier than the couch area here... In my opinion, the kitchen is too large, wasting space that doesn’t add any real value.
The hallway on the upper floor is far too dark for this type of property; this definitely could be improved.
The hallway on the upper floor is far too dark for this type of property; this definitely could be improved.
I really like the exterior views! Just my style 🙂 Also, the large living room and kitchen are great. We have a 21 m² (226 sq ft) kitchen and a 45 m² (484 sq ft) living room, and imagining both being 10 m² (108 sq ft) larger is definitely workable. You just need some skill and a sense of balance to arrange the living room so it feels cozy and the kitchen so it’s functional. Still, I maintain that the staircase layout is problematic and causes the long, dark corridor toward the office as well as the long, dark corridor toward the children’s rooms. In #70, I gave you a suggestion on how the upper floor can be much better arranged with a different staircase position. You could also move the parents’ wing downstairs. I’d really recommend reconsidering that. For the ground floor, there is surely an ideal solution with a side staircase as well. The entrance can probably remain central.
Benrath schrieb:
The design has been revised slightly.The persistent attempt remains to add some sort of trendy "spark" to the house with cheeky protrusions and recesses. Half a century ago, this idea already existed: back then, there was a cultivated, ambivalent-dialectical middle-class craziness expressed through a small trick, like one that was sewn into a decorative sofa cushion. Here, a retro Neo-Bauhaus at its best is emerging – a style icon for those who do not want the 1980s in architectural culture to be represented only by 45-degree angles in floor plans. By the way, the cross-section shown in post #84 is "10___10."https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Würfel* schrieb:
I really like the exterior views! Exactly my style 🙂 Also the large living room and the big kitchen. We have a 21 sqm (226 sq ft) kitchen and a 45 sqm (484 sq ft) living room, and if I imagine having 10 sqm (108 sq ft) more in each, that definitely works. You just need a bit of skill and sensitivity in furnishing so that the living room feels cozy and the kitchen is functional. Still, I maintain that the staircase situation is bad and causes the long, dark hallway towards the office as well as the long, dark hallway towards the kids’ rooms. In #70, I made a suggestion on how the upper floor could be much better arranged with the staircase in a different position. You could also move the parent’s section downstairs. I would seriously reconsider that. For the ground floor, you can probably find the ideal solution with a side staircase as well. The entrance could certainly remain in the middle.For example, we have a piano that we need to place somewhere, and the bottom left corner of the living room fits quite well. It’s a bit shadier and has a view of the garden.
I also considered your suggestion in detail and explained why I wouldn’t do it. We want the bedrooms near the balcony, and below that, our room layout falls apart.
I’m actually thinking more about creating a visual connection between the upper floor and the ground floor by leaving about a 2x2 meter (6.5x6.5 feet) corner open where the dressing room is now. Then you would definitely need to swap the bathroom and the bedroom and would have to go through the bathroom to get to the bedroom. I don’t really mind that because, in practice, that’s how it would work anyway. The only downside might be if you really wanted to sit on the balcony upstairs with friends. This would allow more light downstairs. At the back, near the final kink upstairs, nothing changes, but I’ve accepted that. The only other option would be to completely restructure upstairs, but I don’t see how.
Regarding your other post: Well, taste is subjective, so discussing it won’t get us anywhere. There aren’t really any 45-degree angles anymore. What do you mean by “the shown section is actually ‘10___10’” anyway?
P
pagoni202030 Nov 2020 15:40Benrath schrieb:
So, for example, with a grand piano, you have an item that needs its own dedicated space. The bottom left corner in the living room fits quite well—it's a bit shadier and has a view of the garden. It might sound a bit unusual, but a grand piano is not just any piece of furniture, nor is it like a small electronic keyboard that you can simply lean against an unused wall. It almost demands to be placed thoughtfully and appropriately. In the spot you mentioned, it would have a view of the garden, but it’s cramped in the corner right in front of the dining table. A typical grand piano measures roughly 160cm by 160cm (63 inches by 63 inches), excluding the bench and the clearance space around it. On the plus side, you could use it during gatherings to set down hot plates or a beer keg.
I believe you urgently need to draw in the actual furniture dimensions—especially for the piano. I’m currently sitting in a room of about 60sqm (646 sq ft) picturing this, and the back of the sofa almost bumps into a chair on the other side.
I’m not sure if such a rectangular open-plan space without any offsets would still feel generous, which it should. If your furnishing plan is close to what you suggested, the living and dining areas will feel cramped; plus, I would prefer the entrance to the central dining area to be more clearly defined.
Separating the kitchen is your preference, but to me, it would feel too isolated and reachable only through a narrow doorway bottleneck. This kind of layout compromises the sense of spaciousness in that passage. Why not enlarge the kitchen and partially integrate it with the dining area? This way, you keep the cooking and eating zones distinct from the living space, and the large open-plan area could be reduced slightly and dedicated solely to living, reading, music, and so forth.
The entrance area feels small and lacks a sense of openness, likely due to the staircase. There’s also “dead” space in the hallway. If you opened the study to the open-plan area, you would eliminate the awkward hallway, make the bathroom or adjacent spaces larger, and create offsets that would help with arranging the sofa or piano.
Regarding the upper floor, much has already been said, especially about the hallway layout and the passage from the dressing room to the bedroom. If the dressing room were a nicely furnished, bright room, that would be fine—otherwise, not so much. The bathroom is not very appealing as it is, but you mentioned wanting to modify the toilet anyway; in my opinion, it doesn’t fit well in front of the bathtub. I would also swap the bedroom and bathroom locations and give both rooms more space, as the sense of spaciousness is lost here as well.
I really like the overall building concept—the living room is huge with great windows—but elsewhere the spaciousness is either missing or suddenly disappears, which I find unfortunate.
Also, I’m not particularly fond of the image of the garage placed directly in front of the house as such a dominant block, but perhaps there’s no alternative. You are three people, possibly four, with occasional guests. You have costly, well-built space in a complex building that simply doesn’t reflect openness. I gather from your posts that the furniture hasn’t yet been properly considered, with a piano still needing a place, and it feels like the house is being built without a clear plan, just to see if it will be usable—it’s certainly large enough. I miss a truly specific floor plan tailored to your lifestyle. In this house, one wanders or searches for a place; for a three-person family, I find it not very fluid, despite my appreciation for spaciousness. We currently live as two in 200sqm (2,153 sq ft), and it isn’t too large for us, but the proportions and your personal desired usability of the rooms need to be reflected in the layout. Does it really?
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