ᐅ Single-family house with a recessed upper floor, southwest-facing, located in Bonn

Created on: 5 Oct 2020 20:40
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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.

Detaillierter Grundriss eines Gebäudes mit markierten Innenräumen auf Bauplan


Skizze eines Hausgrundrisses mit Küche, Essbereich, Wohnzimmer und grünem Garten mit Bäumen.


Handgezeichneter Grundriss: zentrale rote Fläche, linke Nebenräume, rechter Raum, gelbe Lichtstrahlen.


Skizzenhafter Grundriss eines Hauses mit mehreren Innenräumen und umliegendem Garten.
Y
ypg
2 Dec 2020 12:33
I can’t seem to imagine the house fitting on any plot. Help me out: which one is it?
11ant2 Dec 2020 12:45
Benrath schrieb:

The upper floor area is 66% of the ground floor and set back at least 1m (3.3 ft), except for the stairwell.

However, this does not necessarily mean that the staircase must be located at the edge. Does it have to be a flat roof, and must the one-third reduction be achieved by stepping back? I would prefer the more elegant solution of designing bathrooms and dressing rooms with a ceiling height of 220cm (7.2 ft) — this might allow the space to count as a partial story without requiring any setbacks. In any case, the combination of an almost continuous setback and a polygonal floor plan inevitably results in significantly increased structural engineering efforts.
Benrath schrieb:

Are there any admins or moderators still around here?

What do you mean by that question? There are several moderators, while the admin participates only moderately as a discussant, not just in your thread.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
B
Baufie
2 Dec 2020 12:49
ypg schrieb:

I can't mentally fit the house onto any plot. Help me out: which one is it exactly?

If I’m seeing it correctly, it’s the orange one. At least, looking at the sketch in the opening post, it can only be that one.
Y
ypg
2 Dec 2020 12:55
Baufie schrieb:

If I understand correctly, it’s the orange one. At least, when I look at the sketch in the opening post, it can only be this one.

But then the house with the garage on the west side would be way too long?!
The office corner is on the north side, the north arrow is also visible here... 🙄

Edit: You must be right about the chamfered corner!
But that doesn’t add up at all, does it?
I’m currently out, I’ll measure it at home later.
Edit 2: My mistake: the office is on the east side 🙂
B
Benrath
2 Dec 2020 13:13
Yes, orange or number 3.

According to the zoning resolution, the garage is allowed to be located outside the building plot and can therefore be placed at the upper left on the boundary. Apparently, this is permitted.

The staircase does not have to be built outside, but doing so frees up space that could not be used otherwise.
11ant2 Dec 2020 13:37
Benrath schrieb:

You don’t have to build the staircase outside, but it frees up space that would otherwise be unusable.

Placing an unwanted staircase at the edge does not “punish the staircase.” The ideal location for the stair exit is at the heart of the activity. If the total of the stair area plus the stair run-around area is almost a constant, you shouldn’t add a lot of approach area to the stairs as well. Since these areas naturally occur in roughly the same amount on both the upper and lower floors, this principle is especially important when there is a need for uneven floor areas. These are basic concepts that architecture students should have understood already in introductory courses.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

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