Hello house building forum,
First of all, a word of apology is in order. Some of you may remember my previous thread with an almost finished design. Unfortunately, it was never realized for various reasons that I won’t go into here. I apologize for not updating that thread anymore, but I also don’t want to bump it now with a new post. I have learned a lot from your comments. The good news: your support was not in vain, and much of your feedback has been incorporated into a new design!
We are now planning a square-shaped single-family house on a somewhat smaller plot. The detailed construction plans will be completed in the next few weeks, so there is certainty that this design will be implemented. I want to make up for it with new pictures/designs and am, of course, looking forward to constructive feedback again!
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size | 364 sqm (3,918 sq ft), corner plot, corner at street intersection facing directly south
Number of parking spaces | 1
Roof type | hipped roof
Maximum heights/limits | 2 floors, building boundaries, fully utilized in the current design
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type | Single-family house with hipped roof and dormers
Basement, floors | Ground floor, upper floor, finished attic, habitable basement
Number of people, age | Target size: 2 parents, 2 children
Room requirements on GF, AG, UF | Approximately 150-160 sqm (1,615-1,722 sq ft)
Office | 1.5 offices needed for home office
Guest sleepers per year | Some family abroad, so relevant
Open or closed architecture | Rather open, but with appropriate sound insulation for bedrooms (chamber music downstairs in the evening while children sleep upstairs)
Conservative or modern construction | In between, should be a bit special
Open kitchen, cooking island | Large open kitchen
Number of dining seats | Table 2x3 m (6.5x10 ft) available, extendable to 2x4 m (6.5x13 ft)
Fireplace | No
Music/stereo wall | No
Balcony, roof terrace | No
Garage, carport | Garage with wood workshop and storage space for lawnmower or bicycles
Utility garden, greenhouse | Replacement planting of 3-5 class 2 trees required
House design
Who designed it? | Architect’s design in its nth iteration with many own ideas
What do you particularly like? Why? | Staircase separated from living area (acoustics), large living room with bay window seating, terrace as extension of dining area (for warm summer evenings), parents’ area on upper floor and possibly later in the attic, no external heat pump (out of respect), laundry chute in stairwell, window reveals
What do you not like? Why? | Basement layout not ideal yet (usage for hobbies and guests, pantry, storage), little natural light in the staircase
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: pure house costs approx. 700,000 EUR (about USD 770,000), open upwards
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump installed indoors
If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions
- Can be omitted: much has already been cut (fireplace, outdoor kitchen)
- Cannot be omitted: additional garden area, since it is already rather small
Why did the design turn out the way it did?
A spacious family home with privacy, meaning large children’s rooms and a retreat area for parents, focusing on the west and southeast gardens. Indoors, a lot of window area faces southeast. This will be enclosed by privacy hedges; the streets to the south/east are lightly trafficked, so this results in a nice and quiet garden on the south side.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
First of all, a word of apology is in order. Some of you may remember my previous thread with an almost finished design. Unfortunately, it was never realized for various reasons that I won’t go into here. I apologize for not updating that thread anymore, but I also don’t want to bump it now with a new post. I have learned a lot from your comments. The good news: your support was not in vain, and much of your feedback has been incorporated into a new design!
We are now planning a square-shaped single-family house on a somewhat smaller plot. The detailed construction plans will be completed in the next few weeks, so there is certainty that this design will be implemented. I want to make up for it with new pictures/designs and am, of course, looking forward to constructive feedback again!
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size | 364 sqm (3,918 sq ft), corner plot, corner at street intersection facing directly south
Number of parking spaces | 1
Roof type | hipped roof
Maximum heights/limits | 2 floors, building boundaries, fully utilized in the current design
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type | Single-family house with hipped roof and dormers
Basement, floors | Ground floor, upper floor, finished attic, habitable basement
Number of people, age | Target size: 2 parents, 2 children
Room requirements on GF, AG, UF | Approximately 150-160 sqm (1,615-1,722 sq ft)
Office | 1.5 offices needed for home office
Guest sleepers per year | Some family abroad, so relevant
Open or closed architecture | Rather open, but with appropriate sound insulation for bedrooms (chamber music downstairs in the evening while children sleep upstairs)
Conservative or modern construction | In between, should be a bit special
Open kitchen, cooking island | Large open kitchen
Number of dining seats | Table 2x3 m (6.5x10 ft) available, extendable to 2x4 m (6.5x13 ft)
Fireplace | No
Music/stereo wall | No
Balcony, roof terrace | No
Garage, carport | Garage with wood workshop and storage space for lawnmower or bicycles
Utility garden, greenhouse | Replacement planting of 3-5 class 2 trees required
House design
Who designed it? | Architect’s design in its nth iteration with many own ideas
What do you particularly like? Why? | Staircase separated from living area (acoustics), large living room with bay window seating, terrace as extension of dining area (for warm summer evenings), parents’ area on upper floor and possibly later in the attic, no external heat pump (out of respect), laundry chute in stairwell, window reveals
What do you not like? Why? | Basement layout not ideal yet (usage for hobbies and guests, pantry, storage), little natural light in the staircase
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: pure house costs approx. 700,000 EUR (about USD 770,000), open upwards
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump installed indoors
If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions
- Can be omitted: much has already been cut (fireplace, outdoor kitchen)
- Cannot be omitted: additional garden area, since it is already rather small
Why did the design turn out the way it did?
A spacious family home with privacy, meaning large children’s rooms and a retreat area for parents, focusing on the west and southeast gardens. Indoors, a lot of window area faces southeast. This will be enclosed by privacy hedges; the streets to the south/east are lightly trafficked, so this results in a nice and quiet garden on the south side.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
- Especially ideas regarding the exterior appearance: We want to build a "beautiful house" from the outside, not just a functional one.
- Do you see any no-gos including reasons and suggestions?
N
nunc carcer8 May 2024 19:01How should the term "2H" be understood? Does it mean a maximum of two full storeys?
I have some concerns about the roof structure:
I have some concerns about the roof structure:
- Where exactly are the load-bearing purlins placed according to the section drawing?
- Why this type of "mansard hip roof" and not a pyramid hip roof (also known as a hipped roof)? In that case, all the hip rafters would meet at a single point, creating stable triangles.
- The dormers further reduce the overall rigidity (and are missing in the top view, by the way).
- The knee wall might face challenging horizontal forces, especially if the structure is designed as a rafter/collar beam roof. I would prefer to set the roof structure directly on the (reinforced concrete?) ceiling and, if necessary, increase the roof pitch slightly—depending on whether it needs to fit into an older, established environment with a roof pitch of 50° or more.
fabreit schrieb:
Do you think the T-layout won’t work well? I would prefer a T-shaped bathroom. We will probably move the wall toward the master bedroom (which will likely be a child’s room...) about 30cm (12 inches) southwest, making the bathroom a bit larger. Well, with the closet behind you it would have been a bit tight. But if you give up another 30cm (12 inches), it looks better. How wide are the openings to the shower and toilet? I wouldn’t recommend anything less than 65cm (26 inches).
K a t j a schrieb:
Well, it would have been a bit tight with the cabinet behind you. But if you give an extra 30cm (12 inches), it looks better. How wide are the passages to the shower and toilet? I wouldn’t recommend anything less than 65cm (26 inches). They are currently planned with exactly 65cm (26 inches), the shower is 1m (3 ft 3 in) wide, and the toilet area is 1.30m (4 ft 3 in).
nunc carcer schrieb:
How should the "2H" be interpreted? Maximum 2 full stories?
I have some concerns about the roof structure:
- Where are the load-bearing purlins supposed to rest according to the sectional drawing?
- Why choose this kind of "Mansard hip roof" instead of a hipped roof?
Then all the hip rafters would meet at a peak, creating stable triangles. - The dormers further reduce the overall rigidity (and by the way, they are missing in the top view).
- The knee wall could be exposed to tricky horizontal thrust forces, for example if the structure is designed as a rafter/collar beam roof.
I would prefer to rest the roof structure directly on the (reinforced concrete?) ceiling slab and, if necessary, increase the roof pitch — depending on whether it needs to fit into an older, established environment with roof pitches of ≥ 50° (degrees).
Hello nunc carcer, that is a very interesting comment. You seem to be a professional; I am not at all. However, I can answer your question about the why: We are not building in a new development area, but in an established neighborhood where many of these “Mansard hip roofs” are indeed common, usually with a much steeper roof pitch. This idea was adopted here partly because the house will be located at a prominent intersection. With a hipped roof, the attic space would be much less attractive — or the building would become too tall.
Regarding the restrictions: 2H means that the wall height cannot exceed twice the minimum setback distance to the neighboring property. In this case, we are limited to a wall height of 7 m (23 feet). The total building height is restricted within the block (surrounded by streets), but here there might still be some flexibility.
We will be consulting with the structural engineer soon, as of course we want a stable building. What additional questions could we ask beyond the ones you already mentioned?
A
Alfredlima15 May 2024 13:02Personally, I always find it unfortunate that the TV set is given such importance.
The sofa faces inward, and the TV is mounted on the inner wall. This way, when sitting on the sofa, you look into your home rather than onto your property. Additionally, the window will always be closed, as otherwise, the sun would shine directly on the device.
The sofa faces inward, and the TV is mounted on the inner wall. This way, when sitting on the sofa, you look into your home rather than onto your property. Additionally, the window will always be closed, as otherwise, the sun would shine directly on the device.
Are you sure it’s 2H? That would mean the wall height times two. Maybe it’s 1/2H? Which federal state is this for? Do you have a floor plan showing the setback lines?
Make sure to pay close attention to this—our architect’s incorrect calculations ended up costing us half a year. So, I would always double-check here.
Also important: do you have a dimensioned cross-section of the staircase in the attic? I can hardly imagine that with a 45-degree roof pitch there is enough headroom in the attic to comfortably use the stairs—even if it looks okay in the undimensioned section.
Other than that, I really like the roof shape! Why not create a bit more space in the attic with a slightly steeper roof pitch? Is it for aesthetic reasons?
I would recommend planning the kitchen in detail, as the placeholder suggests there might be too little practical usable space due to the many corners.
The terrace, at 2.5 m (8 feet) wide, is rather narrow to comfortably fit a garden table and chairs.
If the attic might be used as a master bedroom in the future, carefully consider where the bed should go—a 2 m (6.5 feet) bed plus enough space on both sides to comfortably get in and out without hitting your head.
With this roof shape, the roof load must be supported at the "kink," ideally near the corners with columns—but that will be handled by the structural engineer anyway.
Make sure to pay close attention to this—our architect’s incorrect calculations ended up costing us half a year. So, I would always double-check here.
Also important: do you have a dimensioned cross-section of the staircase in the attic? I can hardly imagine that with a 45-degree roof pitch there is enough headroom in the attic to comfortably use the stairs—even if it looks okay in the undimensioned section.
Other than that, I really like the roof shape! Why not create a bit more space in the attic with a slightly steeper roof pitch? Is it for aesthetic reasons?
I would recommend planning the kitchen in detail, as the placeholder suggests there might be too little practical usable space due to the many corners.
The terrace, at 2.5 m (8 feet) wide, is rather narrow to comfortably fit a garden table and chairs.
If the attic might be used as a master bedroom in the future, carefully consider where the bed should go—a 2 m (6.5 feet) bed plus enough space on both sides to comfortably get in and out without hitting your head.
With this roof shape, the roof load must be supported at the "kink," ideally near the corners with columns—but that will be handled by the structural engineer anyway.
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