ᐅ Small single-family house of approximately 1,500 sq ft – any suggestions for improvements?
Created on: 2 Oct 2019 17:00
M
mambo1988M
mambo19882 Oct 2019 17:00Hello everyone,
Our plans for our small house are already quite advanced, so we believe this is a good time to ask for your feedback.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 355m² (3,820 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: -
Floor-area ratio: -
Building envelope, building line and limits: -
Edge development: -
Number of stories: 2
Roof style: gable roof or hip roof
Orientation: southeast
Maximum heights / limitations: -
Other: -
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: urban villa
Basement, floors: no basement, ground floor, upper floor, attic used as storage
Number of occupants: 4 (2 children)
Room requirements on ground and upper floors: ground floor – living room, kitchen, office, guest toilet, utility and storage room; upper floor – 2 children’s bedrooms, parents’ bedroom, bathroom
Office use: family use or home office: home office
Guest sleepers per year: 5 (living room)
Open or closed layout: relatively closed
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes; kitchen island extends up to the wall under the window
Number of dining seats: minimum 6
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: yes, at the staircase
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage with storage, 3 x 9m (10 x 30 ft)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
Designed by: draftsman and us
What do you especially like? Why?: The open living room and hopefully very efficient use of space for such a relatively small house
What do you dislike? Why?: We are concerned that the utility/storage room, which will also house laundry facilities, may be too small
Cost estimate by architect/planner: €300,000 including garage
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: €310,000; all desired fittings are included in the house price
Preferred heating technology: air-water heat pump
If you have to compromise, on which details/features
- can you do without: walk-in closet
- can you not do without: office
Why did the design end up as it is now? e.g.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?: Parents’ bedroom in the north, living room in the south
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?:
Good: hopefully efficient use of space, including the masonry staircase
Bad: Actually nothing really bad; only concerned that the utility room may be a bit small and the living room sofa might be slightly narrow
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What would you change or improve? Have we overlooked anything that could cause problems later?
Is the size of the utility room sufficient? Air-water heat pump combined with water heater, washing machine, dryer stacked above washing machine, drying rack
Explanation of the images:
One shows the floor plan with dimensions, the other shows the floor plan with furniture placement. Behind the sofa there should be some space so the children can leave things there occasionally (and to allow more room for surround speakers).
Then comes the house orientation and plot layout.
I hope everything is clear so far. Feel free to ask if not.
Thank you very much!
Our plans for our small house are already quite advanced, so we believe this is a good time to ask for your feedback.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 355m² (3,820 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: -
Floor-area ratio: -
Building envelope, building line and limits: -
Edge development: -
Number of stories: 2
Roof style: gable roof or hip roof
Orientation: southeast
Maximum heights / limitations: -
Other: -
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: urban villa
Basement, floors: no basement, ground floor, upper floor, attic used as storage
Number of occupants: 4 (2 children)
Room requirements on ground and upper floors: ground floor – living room, kitchen, office, guest toilet, utility and storage room; upper floor – 2 children’s bedrooms, parents’ bedroom, bathroom
Office use: family use or home office: home office
Guest sleepers per year: 5 (living room)
Open or closed layout: relatively closed
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes; kitchen island extends up to the wall under the window
Number of dining seats: minimum 6
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: yes, at the staircase
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage with storage, 3 x 9m (10 x 30 ft)
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
Designed by: draftsman and us
What do you especially like? Why?: The open living room and hopefully very efficient use of space for such a relatively small house
What do you dislike? Why?: We are concerned that the utility/storage room, which will also house laundry facilities, may be too small
Cost estimate by architect/planner: €300,000 including garage
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: €310,000; all desired fittings are included in the house price
Preferred heating technology: air-water heat pump
If you have to compromise, on which details/features
- can you do without: walk-in closet
- can you not do without: office
Why did the design end up as it is now? e.g.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?: Parents’ bedroom in the north, living room in the south
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?:
Good: hopefully efficient use of space, including the masonry staircase
Bad: Actually nothing really bad; only concerned that the utility room may be a bit small and the living room sofa might be slightly narrow
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What would you change or improve? Have we overlooked anything that could cause problems later?
Is the size of the utility room sufficient? Air-water heat pump combined with water heater, washing machine, dryer stacked above washing machine, drying rack
Explanation of the images:
One shows the floor plan with dimensions, the other shows the floor plan with furniture placement. Behind the sofa there should be some space so the children can leave things there occasionally (and to allow more room for surround speakers).
Then comes the house orientation and plot layout.
I hope everything is clear so far. Feel free to ask if not.
Thank you very much!
Yes, the utility room will likely be at its limit just with the equipment and connections. It could already get tight with the required clearances around the installations. Whether there will still be space for a washing machine and dryer is questionable; maybe they will barely fit somewhere.
Otherwise, I find the house and the floor plan functional and good considering the limited space. Actually, a house on such a narrow plot really needs a basement. There is simply a huge lack of storage space, and an attic with a pull-down ladder is not really practical.
Obviously, the basement is not included in the (in my opinion already tight) budget. So the only solution to the utility room problem is to somehow move the guest toilet to the right, creating more space.
Otherwise, I find the house and the floor plan functional and good considering the limited space. Actually, a house on such a narrow plot really needs a basement. There is simply a huge lack of storage space, and an attic with a pull-down ladder is not really practical.
Obviously, the basement is not included in the (in my opinion already tight) budget. So the only solution to the utility room problem is to somehow move the guest toilet to the right, creating more space.
The utility room could become a real issue. Where is the electrical distribution planned?
The staircase in the living room would bother me. Whenever the kids have guests, they always have to go through there.
I would have rotated the TV wall. It’s much nicer to be able to watch the garden outside with one eye rather than looking at the wall... but that’s a personal preference.
According to the plan, the walk-in closet is 2.10m (7 feet) deep. A standard wardrobe is about 60cm (24 inches) deep—so you’re left with around 90cm (35 inches) of space in the aisle. That’s too tight for me; I would probably carry all my clothes out in front of the bed and change there instead.
I also see the garage size of 3m (10 feet) as critical. It looks like it’s measured from the masonry. A typical station wagon is about 2m (6.5 feet) wide. Subtracting the walls leaves you with roughly 2.60–2.70m (8.5–8.9 feet). Adding some space to get into the car means you only have 30–50cm (12–20 inches) to get out. To me, that’s an overpriced parking space.
The staircase in the living room would bother me. Whenever the kids have guests, they always have to go through there.
I would have rotated the TV wall. It’s much nicer to be able to watch the garden outside with one eye rather than looking at the wall... but that’s a personal preference.
According to the plan, the walk-in closet is 2.10m (7 feet) deep. A standard wardrobe is about 60cm (24 inches) deep—so you’re left with around 90cm (35 inches) of space in the aisle. That’s too tight for me; I would probably carry all my clothes out in front of the bed and change there instead.
I also see the garage size of 3m (10 feet) as critical. It looks like it’s measured from the masonry. A typical station wagon is about 2m (6.5 feet) wide. Subtracting the walls leaves you with roughly 2.60–2.70m (8.5–8.9 feet). Adding some space to get into the car means you only have 30–50cm (12–20 inches) to get out. To me, that’s an overpriced parking space.
Hello
I don’t think the staircase in the living room is well positioned, but if you like it, that’s fine.
The access to the office could be made slightly narrower without any drawbacks to give more space to the wardrobe and the entrance area.
The rest is already quite acceptable as it is.
To better accommodate the width of the parking area, a carport might be a possible solution.
Olli
I don’t think the staircase in the living room is well positioned, but if you like it, that’s fine.
The access to the office could be made slightly narrower without any drawbacks to give more space to the wardrobe and the entrance area.
The rest is already quite acceptable as it is.
To better accommodate the width of the parking area, a carport might be a possible solution.
Olli
danixf schrieb:
The staircase in the living room would annoy me. If the kids have friends over, they always have to go through there.
But it can also be an advantage later on, because you can see who they bring home...
I would also immediately remove the garage and replace it with a carport and storage shed.
The bed is positioned the wrong way – rotate it and then redesign the window placement. The window on the left side in the living room is missing.
The utility room/laundry room is far too small. With a house of this size, every centimeter (inch) counts. First, I find the bathroom unreasonably large – it should be reduced. Additionally, I would skip the walk-in closet and instead move the office upstairs. The children's rooms might also need to be slightly smaller as a result.
This way, you can have a proper utility room, cloakroom, and toilet on the ground floor.
The bed is positioned the wrong way – rotate it and then redesign the window placement. The window on the left side in the living room is missing.
The utility room/laundry room is far too small. With a house of this size, every centimeter (inch) counts. First, I find the bathroom unreasonably large – it should be reduced. Additionally, I would skip the walk-in closet and instead move the office upstairs. The children's rooms might also need to be slightly smaller as a result.
This way, you can have a proper utility room, cloakroom, and toilet on the ground floor.
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