ᐅ Small single-family house of approximately 1,500 sq ft – any suggestions for improvements?
Created on: 2 Oct 2019 17:00
M
mambo1988
Hello 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!
kaho674 schrieb:
The window on the left side of the living room is missing.Right now, the garage is still in the way...
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readytorumble2 Oct 2019 20:15The utility room never works well with this size. Electrical distribution and connections (water, house inlets) are missing.
M
mambo19882 Oct 2019 23:29Hello everyone,
Thank you very much for the suggestions!
We definitely want to reconsider the following points:
- Utility/technical room is too small
- Carport with an extension instead of a garage and an additional window in the living room. Would the window under the carport then be too dark?
- Office moved upstairs... that’s difficult for us... which would also mean a completely different floor plan on the upper floor
- Larger wardrobe area
- Dressing room too narrow
We are especially concerned about the utility room right now. I’ve tried to illustrate the situation. Picture attached.
The washer and dryer are planned to go under the stairs. The "desk" symbolizes the drying rack.
Do you think this could be sufficient? Our builder says it will definitely fit with the combo washer-dryer unit. But builders always tend to be optimistic.
We will review the other points calmly again tomorrow.
Thanks again so much!
Thank you very much for the suggestions!
We definitely want to reconsider the following points:
- Utility/technical room is too small
- Carport with an extension instead of a garage and an additional window in the living room. Would the window under the carport then be too dark?
- Office moved upstairs... that’s difficult for us... which would also mean a completely different floor plan on the upper floor
- Larger wardrobe area
- Dressing room too narrow
We are especially concerned about the utility room right now. I’ve tried to illustrate the situation. Picture attached.
The washer and dryer are planned to go under the stairs. The "desk" symbolizes the drying rack.
Do you think this could be sufficient? Our builder says it will definitely fit with the combo washer-dryer unit. But builders always tend to be optimistic.
We will review the other points calmly again tomorrow.
Thanks again so much!
B
boxandroof3 Oct 2019 00:21I don’t think the floor plan is bad overall. What’s missing is storage space near the entrance as well as for groceries and beverages.
The utility room might be sufficient if you have compact appliances. Washing there will only work if you can also use the office as a storage and utility area. Our utility room is about the same size, and we still have space for a stroller, shoe cabinets, a second small coat rack, and a 1.30m (4 ft 3 in) heavy-duty shelf. We need all that space. Handling laundry there on top of that wouldn’t be possible.
If that’s an option for you, consider redesigning the bathroom on the upper floor to hide the washer and dryer behind a wall.
The staircase wouldn’t be my choice either, mainly because of noise transmission from the living room to the upper floor.
The utility room might be sufficient if you have compact appliances. Washing there will only work if you can also use the office as a storage and utility area. Our utility room is about the same size, and we still have space for a stroller, shoe cabinets, a second small coat rack, and a 1.30m (4 ft 3 in) heavy-duty shelf. We need all that space. Handling laundry there on top of that wouldn’t be possible.
If that’s an option for you, consider redesigning the bathroom on the upper floor to hide the washer and dryer behind a wall.
The staircase wouldn’t be my choice either, mainly because of noise transmission from the living room to the upper floor.
I find the staircase acceptable.
The utility room is too small. Does no one do hand washing or treat stains on children's clothes?
Where should the dirty laundry be collected? If whites, pinks, dark colors, and jeans don’t go through separate wash cycles, that can add up quickly.
The electrical cabinet requires space and an unobstructed clearance.
Combined units for air-to-water heat pumps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and domestic hot water—such as LWZ or THZ series—need about 2 m² (21.5 sq ft) of floor space.
In addition, there are house connections, telephone, router, etc.
There have already been problems with building services where rooms were planned too small.
I think the idea of placing the office upstairs is not bad.
The utility room is too small. Does no one do hand washing or treat stains on children's clothes?
Where should the dirty laundry be collected? If whites, pinks, dark colors, and jeans don’t go through separate wash cycles, that can add up quickly.
The electrical cabinet requires space and an unobstructed clearance.
Combined units for air-to-water heat pumps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and domestic hot water—such as LWZ or THZ series—need about 2 m² (21.5 sq ft) of floor space.
In addition, there are house connections, telephone, router, etc.
There have already been problems with building services where rooms were planned too small.
I think the idea of placing the office upstairs is not bad.
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